The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1882. SECULARISM AND ITS FRUITS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 465, 10 March 1882, Page 15

The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1882. SECULARISM AND ITS FRUITS.

•<E see by a brief telegram in our daily contem- \ poraries that the, Bishop of Wellington { preached on education in Auckland on Sunday, ; warning Catholic parents against the dangers of secularism, and the evil effects to be produced by it on children subjected to its influence. The education question, indeed, loses nothing of its importance ; it perhaps rather gains in interest if anything, as the time goes on, and we discern the imminent outbreak of the crop of evils which were predicted as certain to result from making the schools godless. The undertaking originated with the secret societies ; it was devised in the extreme atheistical lodges of the Continent, and we recognise it as an engine devised by a satanic penetration, and most powerful to accomplish the object of atheism — that of making the whole world like itself, godless, abandoned, wicked. The Church has opposed it from the beginning, and every 7 where ; it has been the frequent subject of the Pope's con 7 demnation, and the whole hierarchy are united as one man against it. There is no part of the world where it is suffered to be established or exist without resistance, from the very centres of Catholicism, now, alas, greatly invaded by the enemy, to countries like our own, where the Catholic people are comparatively few and of little influence — but where, nevertheless, as we see, their pastors are fearless and unceasing in defending them against the snares that are set thus against their faith. But this great tree, whose roots are struck deep in the Continental hot-beds of infamy, is, as we might expect, proved to be of one growth by its fruits, which everywhere are found the same. In America, for example, among the results of secularism there is found to have risen up of late years .a spirit of unwholesome adventure among children ; boys, have frequently gone away from home, taking with them fire-arms or other means of offence, and with the intention of entering upon a life of crime, to which they had been incited by reading inflammatory stories of criminals and outlaws of various kinds. Even girls have, in like manner, been led away, from home to enter upon some strange and wild career. We have heard of nothing, however, worse than the following case which recently occurred in England, and which, so much alike is it to occurrences that have taken place in America, we consider it justifiable to attribute to the same cause — that is secularism or godlessness :—: — Three boys from Southampton were brought up at the Southwark Police Court the other day. The attention of the police was called to them by the eldest, a boy of fourteen, named Giles, firing off a pistol in Newington Causeway. The boys said they had come to London from Southampton, and had lived by breaking into shops and churches on the way. They meant to do the same in London, and " had armed themselves for protection." It was found that each boy carried a revolver. But, whatever degree of doubtfulness may attach tp the connection that obtains between this case and godless education — and since there is nothing said of unwholesome reading {in this instance our inference may be disputed — it cannot be

doubted that, as crime lias kept pace with secular education in America, as larrikinism in Victoria goes hand in hand with it, in England, also, there is evident a companionship of the same kind. Canon Geegoey's contention (says the London Tablet of January 7th) that crime increases with School Board education seems to receive some confirmation from the criminal returns just published. The number of persons summarily charged before magistrates has increased by 22,366 over the number similarly charged during the preceding year, and it is 63,810 more than the average for the nine previous years. There is a diminution in the number of smaller offences, but a formidable addition in offences against the person ; offences against propeity with violence ; malicious offences against property, forgery, and offences against the currency ; and miscellaneous offences not included in any of the above. Burglaries have increased to an alarming extent — from 2,930 to 3,627. The number of children detained in Reformatories and Industrial Schools show a continuous increase, There are 16,466 thus detained, being 387 more than in the previous year. There is, again, a particularly baneful accompaniment of secularism in America of whose introduction into New Zealand we have now received an earnest. There a trade in the corruption of children has for some time been maintained by designing and cunning villains, who disseminate among them publications and prints of unspeakable vileness. The horrible undertaking is prosecuted with the utmost perseverance and watchfulness, and nothing but the most constant and vigilant care can guard the children against it — those schools in which such vigilance is not observed teem with the filth in question, and all its consequences . But, it is evident from a statement made by our contemporary the Evening Star that a similar undertaking has already obtained admittance into Dunedin. In his issue of Tuesday he gives the particulars of a case of the kind, such as place the matter beyond all reasonable doubt, and brand the system of education established among ourselves with the imprint^ which distinguishes it as part and parcel of that which has been so disgracefully and destructively accompanied elsewhere. Crime, disorder, and immorality, then, go as the inseparable accompaniments of secularism, and wherever the system prevails throughout the world its fruits are sooner or later made apparent. It is a fungus growth deriving its life from the foul sink of Continental atheism, and designed to poison the young and make them degraded and corrupt. Nevertheless, people are content to pay for this detestable system at a rate far beyond that for which they could, otherwise, obtain safe and wholesome teaching and guardianship for their children, and of this we find another example given lately by Canon Gregoby, speaking at Huddersfield : In Huddersfield (he said) they had 6,000 children in the Board Schools, and their published accounts showed that simply for management expenses the cost was £1,600 a year, or 5s 6d a child. Now in voluntary schools the managers and clergymen gave their time and attention free and without charge. The 6,000 children educated in the Huddersfield Board Schools could be entirely educated in voluntary schools already existing for the sum they now cost simply for managing and looking after the schools and the teachers. The people of Huddersfield paid a School Board rate of Is 2§d in the pound.