SECULARISM IN ITALY

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 340, 24 October 1879, Page 11

SECULARISM IN ITALY

(From Archbishop Vaughan's late Pastoral Letter.)

In no country in the world has liberalism in religion found such extravagant admirers as in Italy under the new retjlmt: The reaction ttom the influence of the Catholic Church has been intensified by the very presence of the Papacy. The one constant and ceaseless effort ot Italian liberalism has been, since the Holy Father has been despoiled of his dominions, and since infidelity has held the reins of government, to monopolize the education of the Italian people, and to withdraw them from the salutary influence of the Catholic Church, beculanst education—' iitmzionr laica'—a.s it is called, became the watch-word of the new regeneration. The grand aim was to starve Catholicity out of the hearts of the people. A certain 'rtica riciii;' or civil ethic was introduced to supersede religion, and the Italian world was to arise from bondage and to lcjoicc'in its newly-acquired freedom. J l

\\ hat has been the result in Italy of secularist education and public schools ? It confirms the terrible lesson whi Ji has been taught us by America, and confirms it with fearful emphasis. Professor 'Lombrosi, in his criminal statistics just published, says that in France, trom 18/3 to 1875, crime varied from 1-53 to l\~>o for every thousand inhabitants. In Austria, dui ing the same triennium, it vaiied foi every thousand inhabitants from 1 4:» to 1-3G : whilst in Italy it varied trom 2-82 to 2-92. Since secularist education has spread in Italy crime has been increasing with extiaordmary rapidity, too great to be accounted for by increase of population or by political distui bances trom the years 1850 to 18r, 9 the grave crimes represent an annual average of 640 ; from 1860 to ISO 9, an annual aveiage of 7 IS. Fiom ISM to 18.j9 the crimes punished by labour on the roads for life were •m> ; from 18G0 to 18G9 they rise to IGOI ; so that in giavc ciime there is an increase which is represented by 21', and in those punishable with hard labour for life an increase of GO-. The longer secularist education has had time to piove its aptitude tor rearing a criminal class so much the moie do the piisons swarm with ruffians, and does society itself tremble for its safety. At Turin the number cf criminals in 1875 was 41!)4 : in 1877. -1222 ; and 1878, 5058. Naples, in 1878, had an increase of 1718 criminals' on the preceding year. At Genoa, during the short tiiennium of IS7G-77-78 the criminals increased from 7740 to 9331. And so of other principal cities of the Italian Peninsula. Crime which is special to barbaious countries has equally increased with those which are special to civilized ones. In Turin rape increased threefold at the ratio of fiom 4 to 14 ; swindling from 15 to 3.3 ; forgeries from 23 to 35 ; bankruptcies from 6to 27. In Milan public frauds have multiplied from 550 to 1019, homicides from 14 to 21. In Como defraudations of the Customs in 187G weie 2-10, in 1877 they increased to 373, and in 1878, to 029 In Genoa the crime of rebellion increased fiom 185 to 302 and robberies from 1097 to 1513. In Venice the robbeiies of the eleven months of 187S surpassed those of the whole year of 1877 by 48, riots and homicides by 40, and crimes against public tranquility by 238. At Trani crimes against propeity incieased 212, homicides hy 32. In Brescia, IS7S surpas ed 1877 in cinne by 3G rebellions against the public force, 71 involuntary homicides, 173 crimes against public honesty, 291 voluntary wouudings, and 553 robbeiies. At Bologna there weie 981 crimes against propeity, 2uO wounding and >93 criminals who had disturbed the public peace. ° It is not sui prising that the anti-Catholic Pi ess in Italy is beginning to expioss, with unmistakable energy, the growni" feolin"m the peninsula. regaiding the public schools/ 'Italians arc be-nnnin^ to open their eyes to the terrible futuie that is in stoic for them The Roman Opinion?, one of the lcadmtr journals on the anti-Catholic side in ; May (24th). of the current year, touching upon the reckless wickedness of those who cast bursting bombshells amidst the inoffensive citizens of Florence some shoit time back, says. "What was done in Florence ought to be attentively studied by all those who believe that tbe problem of popular instruction has not been vet entiiHy solved. \V e are not among those who reject that instruction as injurious, but it is ceitain that, according as it is at piesent imparted, if on the one hand it is u-,dnl, on the uthei it is creative of senous dangers. The majority of the criminals of Florence are the veiy ones who have leoeivod that clesjice of elomcntaiy induction which by degrees is being rendered trend al amidst the people and the laboui ing clasps. It has alieady been observed that that mea^ie seed of instruction, sp;ead amongst the people, produces fruit yen different from that which was expected. In place of a consciousness ot pei sonal duties, of obedience to law, and of inciease of public moiahty, we have an exonerated idea of pei-.0n.il lights, an unmeasuied pride, and in consequence rebellion acainst every law of civil society. This, accoiding to our opinion, proves nothin"-" against popular instruction in general, but proves much against our" method of diffusing it. We have placed as the basis of our pnmiry schools as meagre a literary and scientific instruction as can be given : the moral education of souls is nothing more than an accessory pait. Now the very reverse of this ought to be done: the foundation nf vc\ools and above all of a school for the people, should be moial education. and on iy after this literary instruction should be gnen. Wo have said this every time tbe peace of our conn try has been distuibed by mad aud lamentable attempts. And this we icpeat also now on — occasion of these trials at Florence. The question is one which is woithy of the attention of statesmen. It is vuiy well that the material interests of the people should be looked to.' but to foi get or to neglect moral interests is to prepare the way foi an u<. r lv future." The (razz/'tta di Geneva, another oi^an ot tbe same school^cn-ified by the same statistics, begins to open its eyes t > the blunder of separating secularinstiuction from icligious training in populareducation. "WliU is the use ot spending millions in public instruction if education is to be conducted in an inverse order.' We ask what is the Minister of Public Instruction doing with his cohorts of central and provincial prorvi-ditori, with hiC inspectors, delegates, and scholastic councils, if morality decreases in exact proportion to the increase of his bureaucracy / "' " The horrible increase

of crime which holds up Italy regenerated by liberalism," says a. icaaing Christian organ, "to the contempt of every civili.--.ed nation, ami the conspiracies of a rabble thirsting for blood and booty, which Hbem ism, with its schools without God has formed in the bosom of our cities have caused the most intelligent among liberals to cry out against divorcing instruction from religious education ; and both by tongue and by pen to make those very .same protests which Catholics Had already made when they declared that it was necessary that religion should be made the foundation of ttic education of the people and of the youth of our country."' ,