THE DUBLIN DIOCESAN SYNOD

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 360, 12 March 1880, Page 16

THE DUBLIN DIOCESAN SYNOD

The address of Hi 3 Grace the Archbishop of Dublin at his first Diocesan Synod has been published. In the course of it His Grace stated that the Diocesan Clerical Fund Society is to be put on a wider and surer basis— that some important reforms in the matter of Church music are to be made, and that clerical school visitors are to be appointed. Speaking about existing defects in the primary schools under the National Board of Education, His Grace says :— Allow us to say a word on another matter, of vital importance, the question of education. The powers of darkness throughout the world are making their most ferocious assaults on the school which must be the citadel either of Truth or Error. We, thank God, have to a large extent vindicated our claims to freedom of education ; but even in our primary schools we have yet much to receive before we can admit that our just demands are fully satisfied. Our national schools are bound to receive rules based on the supposition t*at they are mixed schools., whereas m the great majority of them there is not, never was, and [m all probability never will be, the smallest mixture of religion! 5E5 SET"" 81 The *?°} a f °^ Ced ° n these P ra ctically denominational schools are compiled under the inspiration of this absurd Wo?nS nn H nClple ' £ nd th Zu Time Table> is constructed on the same unfounded assumption. Theories are taken for established facts, and accordingly the princ pies deduced from such theories are fict ions, but fictions fraught with power of working great mischief. A new E™^ Qre yD?v D ?{ Mictedoilthe Nati ° nal Schools'and con£ plaints on thit subject have reached us from all parts of the diocese. W a «S ea fT ag 1 ! Sf( ? meriyrequired for the of claims for assistant teachers have considerably increased ; in many country schools these increased averages cannot be kept up, and in future thJ mere monitor will be expected to do the work which was formerly performed by the assistant. It is easy to see how this chao°e wiU nr^ lll^ 11011 ? 7 - 100111^ 0018 ' Th * new standard may fe inTerpreted into a desire on the part of the Board to secure a greater conman^ the *?**™- The assistant is appointed by the school manager. The inspectors practically have authority to appoint ™?™ ' YhoY h0 . Wl il nat^ a UJ regard the Board in after' life as their £ n f ' A ° a ' a ' the religious sisterhood who devote their lives to the education of the poor m our National schools labour under the greatest NSJSftSS 1 ? are f UQfa^ ly deprived of man ? benefits which tie TW lw V SJStem gl l es to the mere «*<*« f emale teachers. 2l£ d f^ ant TST S anse from the circumstance that religious ?Zi h derg^ examinations before officials, and therefore cannot be classified like ordinary teachers Tlieir ctnttion^l b f, ?£ maQaged a ° d »«* efficienf^ Th" SfeEJ, ™-n f ho l T \^° matter; the hard iron rule is there. n^«rf Si£! °a . religious community, whether she be a befSf the offi,;^ %V lC< Z may - P resent he ™ U for examination X ?,-„ ? h °fr -° f *i e Comm issioners. This decree is absolute. SnnecSonnf o S °T ?*?** 292 ' tbe Synod forbids in future the connection of convent schools with the National Board, it adds « Nisi TlnZSJt&^f 10 ™ °r*»™w But when there isTqoJui SereTno s^i n g %c% c ? ami ° atioQ by officials of the Commissioners, kwwhiSS^ ? ms clause - No bisbo P can dispense in this such^fficialf womea to stand for examinations before w Sfinn , i T er^ ?e? cv ' Fathers > can see the wisdom of this Dortio^of B v fl lrg i mS *** the Merest and most precious Ealhl • mg °«r teachers. If we pass over to England we teachtr?™? *ZT mladem l ade £° r tbe efficien t education of Catholic Sed to vi it f, LL mm H le ; Why \ his sim P le acfc of J' llsticc sbould be evSvthin* in%ll » a t°- l ee - Is an invidi °us contrast between Empire ? En S llsh aad In sh necessary for the maintenance of the theVriLlZtTn'^ mi ' Sist^ ofChavit y ancl Merc y and Sisters of vounf + K6l'K 61 ' ai>C doin ° greafc S° od in re ariog up promising S^fn^ontSJl f-^ qualified teac bers; but the expense of thaFthlßkWc 7t \ S th , lwa on themselves. You arc also aware male teach e r° P Th- l 1 an< ?- have a training school for Svif ffin r QCeev f ei> y da - v ' for now the race of life is for°the tK*«.,w f P r °Po rtlon .^ secular knowledge is more sought for, SLnt & • U I f llgloUS educat ion is becoming more and more pS,^ JS IS - a danger tbafc = in P ursuit of knowledge which ™5 £I- J Ia1?I a1 ?' tbe knowle dge which is essential to eternal life T/J" dis t re = arded - Therefore it has become a paramount duty for !™W i uncea s iD gly over the catechetical instruction in nlrifi f?£ n- aSt Once a week - We also require that in every wm Li ?^ eSe there will be a s P ecial b0 ° k i Q *Mch the priest wJI make a short report of those weekly visits, and we will expect to s.e these books on the occasion of our diocesan visitations, win n,i°7- P r Vl^ c more effe ctually for this most important matter we Sit Cl a ? ec^ c - a PP°i nt ing diocesan visitors of schools, and wiSStoig! l^?? 1 may be ligbt > we bavc * am2d sevci>al