Year: 1871

1~o A1A~AC =" euC 1>uOl1c SCnOO4S.


A letter which we insert elsewhere,
rcc'tcs case Of rebellion by pupil Of
Catholic parents against devotional ex-
ercises in school, and, perhaps, the
incident affords proper occasion for
an illusion to the question Of " Tho Bi-
bic in the Public Schools"


Custom, founded upon an abiding
religious conviction, has placed this
book in the public school, room, and
authorized an Invocation of the Divine
blessing upon the work, and upon those
engaged in it. Shall this practice be
prescribed


Our Fundamental law provides for
perfect freedom Of conscience. It ad-
mits Of no religious test, and yet it is
the outgrowth Of two centuries of chris
tim Life and effort. 1t is probably
true that no dcliberative body,-except
political convcntions-eycr organized
under the American Constitution, that
did not formally make supplication aud
and offer thanks before making 6nal
adjournment, and the custom is now 50
strong that it has practically the force
Of legal enactment. There are always
some men in these assemblies who are
net professor and others who do not
believe there is God Do such rebel
against prayer and praise? No. Why
not? Because they are not injured by
such indulgencies; neither is their
liberty Of conscience abridged thereby
On the contrary, even these men admit
that such exercises produce a good in
auence upon those who believe it their
duty to engage in them.


II this is a fact, there is no need of
argument in favor of devotional exer.
cises in the school, If the men-thc
fathers of the youth-submit to these
things and find themselves at the close
Of lifetime, not injured by them, but
rather improved, will the children be
contaminated by the same influences?


Dcists do not question the purity Of
the Christian mans motives; neither
do they find fault with his daily life
Surely, they can hope for nothing bet-
tor in the children than the develop
ment of sincere und honorable chris
tian character, and do reading the scrip
turcs and repeating the Lords Prayer
tend to produce different result ?
None claim that they do. What then
is the difficulty? Catholics tell us that
the King james translation of the Scrip
lures does not harmonise with the
Douay version, and that children are
led astray by the reading. But this
will not do, for many Catholics use these
versions indiscriminately, and where
exclusiveness is demanded for the
Douay, it is done simply to conform to
the established ritualism Of the Church,
and not because there is anything OBJ
1ectionable in the text of the modern
translation.


But We do wrong in attributing to
Catholics all opposition to the Bible in
school. There is an unchristian ele-
ment working all through this land,
and, wherever it is strong enough, it
makes open opposition to the progress
of religion, and because the early life
shapes the future, they strike at the
schools, for these are tho fountains from
which flow the atoms that will finally
and form mature aud con-
Distent character.


But this opposition is not made pri-
n'artly to the Bible, nor to religion
it is rather for political effect. Cathe-
lies and Protestants are seldom more
in politics than in matters
Of Christian faith The unbelieving
class, as a rule, do hot scruple against
the Catholic belief; in fact they often
exress admiration of it, and thus make
the way to political alliance more
and direct, and, to make the
coalition certain, they suggest that the
che use Of non Catholic testament in
the public school is an unwarrantable
innos alton upon the liberty Of conscience
which the Constitution secures 10 every
citizen.


The opposition to the Bible then is
apparent only, and it is continued, not
50 much to prevent it's effect upon the
youth, as to achieve the results which
are promised through political alli-
ance.


A child don't rebel in school because
t.e is of Catholic parents, but, because
he il individually bad. 1t is no more
surprising that bad pupil should at
tempt to excuse his ugliness by saying
that conformity to the rules of school
would subject him to violation Of his
religious belief, than that he should in
tract those rules without youchsa6ng
any reason at all.


The public sentiment Of the age will
uphold any teacher in the judicious use
Of the Bible in the school room. No
teacher has the right to indoctrinate the
minds Of his pupils with any sectarian
notion, neither has any the right to


IL