INFLUENCE OF CATHOLICISM IN MODREN ENGLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 246, 18 January 1878, Page 9

INFLUENCE OF CATHOLICISM IN MODREN ENGLAND.

Auckland. Ix a former paper some evidence was quoted, by me from the testimony of enemies to show the rapid, and to Presbyterian clergymen the alarming, progress of the. Roman Catholic religion in modern Scotland, a fact which attracted 'the notice of the General Assembly of the National Kirk, so long as 40 -years ago. We learn now from an article in., a recent number of the Con\iemporary Jterlew, an influential ' London periodical, that in England 'Catholic charity will be found foremost among all others, and out of all proportion to the money and,power of the Catholic population in providing decent homes and the best education for the poor, and to teaching, them, the , science of sciences— Christianity. " The proficiency of -Catholic children in secular knowledge is certainly advanced," the Reviewer (a Catliblicj) maintains, " by a concurrent proficiency in religious learning." 'There is aclcarnatioual/i-eaction, he alleges, against "the. purely secular system ;' and the 'instinct of Englishmen demands more fortheir money than the" L b.ti < _ l iu.. ! truction l iv reading, writing, and arithmetic. The London _?<?>._*, I noticed.l ong ago, expressed an opinion that the people of England had a natural repugnance both to education rates, and exclusive secular teaching in primary schools. This reviewer but confirms the opinion of the Times. The like " instinct" influences 'the public in the province of ■Auckland to be dissatisfied- with an exclusively secular, education, in their primary scliobls. They are resolve^ J to .''liave' 1 Christian instruction of some sort t given- in- ,the' school. J \Ve know 'that in this colony religious • instruction > "must bo either r Catholic or Protestant. XTnsectarian ' Christian^ is a. 'delusion anil a snare- , Let >,the Bible „alpnq r be', , the text book, apart from any " Catechism," and ; <,'sce what sort pf a religious creed either master or pupils, would. believe in. . Any Government primary school, I maintain, which is not purely secular, will, 'and must be either a l-oinah Catholic or a Protestant school, JSTo use beating about" 'the bn&h — hones. y is the beijt policy iv ( the',long run in educational as well as other matters. l.oinan , Catholics b). this colony will be, forced 'in the future mo.t likely, as thoy.nc.w are, to pay directly 'or 'indirectly for schools which arc either purely secular or Protestant, — unloss God. . .yrni the hearts of our rulers, to justice, and Catholic schools here. as in I.ug land. Khali receive, a luen^are of Government akl, on fair conditions. That is not probable, considering tlie strength of religions prejudice and the latitudinarian principles prevailing among the people of this colony : and Catholics must mike up their minds to r_lj on themselves alone to provide a good education lor their 'children. They must be content to suffer for their fidelity i!o their Church. To suiter in siieh n causo is an honour and high^pri'vilcgc".,',' They 'nVa'st make up l>y zeal what they wa-i.t iniaoijcy and numbers. In' coVriinentiiig on that part oC t]ic Reviewer-, avtiple. in which' hi. 'declares that in England tliere is arcactio.i i^ the ,]uiblicV mind against , secularism, tlie clever editor of t.ie Auckland, Jtwn'in/j Scar shy3—"Vet it doe-, not, appear that they ;m; pnjlieularly anxions'abontany sp"dc-al reli,m\,us Iruth." How can.Jie .say so when the Church of' England, the l.omnn Catholics, and th 6 Dissenier.. have such large educational establishments recognised and subsidised by the Government. ' : The old fl:-K,'_ 0f,,, Protestant ism, he says, aie „wavod in vain, , mad thoie in, a witty-spread,, .indii^reuce, ,to the variatims of creed. Mi»lU he not say au indifference to any cro'cd at all! He winds ,\ip with tl.i . lcmark.v.hich docs credit "to his judgment — '• Meaniimc, intelligent and impartial persons can judge 'i't'Catholic -•hari.y be nut vindicating in it., l.i-.rrow En»lish limit., the claim of 1n- C:tin)hc Clniroh' to le t!_o m-).-i K'.vicea'jle Of all exi'.-thV>-('lnu-J.n-, t.r.vauls the solution of focial problem., new and old, and lowar 1-, tl-.c higher (iovelo])ment of man." It, v well when the Pro-te-t-nt prjss makes such appeals to the judgment of "intelligent and lmpaitia l persons" in rcjraivl to the claim.s |'of the Catholic Church to bethe.j-st ( duoator sind reformer o!" the people, especially in the hum bio i- jind most no»lbci:6d portions of society. Whichever Church bj.-t in j)rovidnig for the education and spiritual ime,rc=.ls of tli..,e mini ,*n.u.. ulnsse-s, ami dpes mast to r.iise them to a state oF re.spectabiUty. .coaifoit. and contentnient, the popu'ar instinct of Eno--lishrnen will bo apt to regard as the true Church of God. They will need little oflearned argument or theological controversy to prove that, it is so. Jf.th" clergy of any Church can "rescue the ignorant and noyl.eted English poor from that dc-.rad-.tiou iv which they have so long b^en sunk, it ouglitto pa the Catholic clergy, and especially i.he religious or^ej-s male and female amon_c them. " Many years a.^o now Mr. Kay in Ins elaborate report on '•• Tlie Industrial Order."" dcdioated.to Lord Johu, now Earl .Russell, stated that lie ,had been tpld by an English clergyman, neither a bi'Kot nor indilFercnt to his own creed, that piany of the humbler ranks in England we)-e "-oin"-over-1,0 the, Church pf Rpuie,,and if 't.he, E,igl'i..h clergy dut not bestir themselves the .movement would in a few y par's become general and the English poor would be lost to the Church" of England entirely They -were persuaded that the Ch^uro>,oi;,Eu^aud was .tlie'rich man's! tlw, fiJ_uir fi h, /O f t ßome,^h<? Ppor, mau',s^Chiu-ch.' 'They saitt r t hat" the Catholic clergy pracihpd., Christianity „,tlio 'English clergy'VlicV but 2/n-aph \t, or jutifje, mprq. I quote .the lmport' of l/i's word', "only/