THE ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY ON SECULARISM AND CATHOLIC MORALITY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 2, 1 May 1885, Page 25

THE ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY ON SECULARISM AND CATHOLIC MORALITY.

The ceremony in connection with the opening of the new schoolchurch, St. Mary's of the Suburbs, Macdorialdtown, took place last Bunday afternoon (.says the Freeman's Journal of March 28), and his Grace the Archbishop on the occasion delivered a deeply interesting address. The most remaikable thing about St. Mary's of the Suburbs is that it was formerly a Protestant chapel, the Archbishop and a committee of Catholic gentlemen having purchased the building, or more properly speaking the buildings— for there are two — at a very moderate figure. After the customary formalities, Dr. Moran rose and addressed the assemblage on the subject of religion and morality, contrasting the State and religious schools, and making some special references to the comments of the Daily Telegraph on his recent condemnation of the dynamite outrages at the opening of St. Mary's Girls' School. His Grace, who was loudly cheered on rising, spoke as follows :—: — Ladies and gentlemen, — I have come amongst you to-day to share your joy at the opening of your new school, under the admirable care of the bisters of Mercy (applause). And if anyone were to ask why is it that Catholics so rejoice on finding religious schools placed within the reach of their children, if I do not greatly mistake, you would answer that it is because we are all anxious that our Catholic youth should grow up at the same time good scholars, and good citizens, and good Chiistians (applause). When we speak thus we must not be supposed to reflect in any way upon our non-Catholic fellowcitizens, whatever their denomination may be. If they approve of the public schools let them have them by all means, but such schools are not in accordance with the principles and religious convictions of Catholics ; and hence it is that Catholic parents, unless when compelltd by necessity, will not allow their children to frequent them, and without a special providence of God it is morally impossible for children who are trained in schools repugnant to their principles and religious convictions to be either good citizens or good Christians (hear, hear, and applause). The State has its rights, which we all respect, but it has also its duties, and we reckon it to be one of those duties to respect the religious convictions of its citizens, and not to force a system of education upon them which is repugnant to their feelings and their principles (applause). Catholics are quite willing to give every guarantee that may be desired regarding the secular instruction imparted in their schools. We are anxious to place our schools |under Government inspection, and we are ready to bear, at our own expense, the whole burden of whatever may have reference to the religious instruction. All that we ask for is that a fair compensation be given to the teachers for the work of secular instruction which they have done, and that our children are not excluded from the jjMvileges accorded to others by the State (applause). Before quitM^T England a few months ago, to make my home here amongst you, oßppened to mention to one ot the leading statesmen of the kingdom that children going to the public schools in New South Wales were allowed a free pass on trams and railways, whilst this boon was denied to the children attending the religious schools. This statesman, who has so long guided the destinies of the Empire, at once replied, " Can such a thing be possible in this the 19th century?" (Applause.) All Catholics are agreed that true Christian morality is necessarily based upon religion, and indeed 99 out of every 100 Protestants are agreed with us iv asserting this principle. Take away religion, and morality will fall to the ground, aud, together with morality, the peace and happiness and welfare of family life and of society must disappear (cheers). Nowhere has the public school system been so strenuously supported as in the United States. Nevertheless a leading Protestant journal a few weeks ago declared, "It is time to face the fact with open eyes and consciences that our schools all over the land are near shipwreck from their slight moral influence on the pupil," And as a commentary on this, whilst it was the boast even of Republican Lome in pagan

times that in anint-rvalof 170 years not a single divorce had been permitted by the State, there ard at the present moment 718 applications for divorce in the Philadelphia courts, and 684 in Chicago, and a corresponding number in the other cities (hear, hear). _ Many yearß ago Sydney timith used strong words when condemning the public schools of England, and I think that, so far as Catholic pupils are concerned, one sentence of his at least is applicable to the public schools of this colony. "In by far the greatest number of cases we cannot think public schools favourable to the cultivation of knowledge, and we have equally strong doubts if they be so to the cultivation of morals." A great deal his been said during the past months about the German Empire an 1 the spirit of enterprise of its noble people. For my part I have nothing to object to in all this. I know of none who surpass the German. Catholics in their earnestness and devotedness to everything that is good (applause.) Bat why will not our politicians take a lesson from the practical, wisdom of Gorman statesmen in the matter of primary education? List year I spent a short time in the city of Cologne, and it was cheering to find that the educational rights of all were respected. There are in erery parochial district Catholic schools for Catholics and Protestant schools for Protestants, and not only is religious instruction permitted in accordance with the religion of the children, but such religious instruction is obligatory (cheers). This religiou3 education is the secret spring of the loyalty aud patriotism and earnestness that are so characteristic of the German people (applause). But let us view the matter under another aspect. Christian parents, by the natural and the revealed law of God, are bound to educate their children in the knowledge and love of Him and of His commandments. Mere reading and writing will not suffice for this ; they cannot form the inward life of man. Such mere secular instruction leaves the heart, the conscience, and the will morally where it found them (hear, hear). It may sharpen the reason and the intelligence, but the moral nature, with its powers, resolves and motives, will neither be elevated nor subdued. But let children come to these schools of the Sisters of Mercy. They find teachers inspired through heavenly motives with more than a mother's love (applause). The religious instruction which they receive is not dwarfed, stunted, and deformed, but they are trained to habits of peace, gentleness, and virtue, and are fully educated in the knowledge and love of God and in the law of duty which they owe to God and man (applause). There is one other matter to which I would wish to refer. I was somewhat startled a few days ago by a leading article in the Daily Telegraph, which, noticing some remarks of mine, thought well to make an argument against Catholic education by referring to the statistics of Irish crime (hear, hear). Now, I muat not be misunderstood as if I were complaining of any unfairness being Bhown to me by the daily Press of this city. On the contrary, I should thank them for the courtesy and kindness and favour which they extend to my remarks— applause — even when those remarks do not happen to be in harmony with the educational theories which they uphold (applause). But it appears to me that the writer of the article to which I refer has quite misconceived the matter of public crime in Ireland, in so far as ib bears npon the question of education. If there was merely a question of the number of persons arrested in Ireland during the past few years, I would at once admit that it was far in excess of those arrested iv Eugland or Scotland, and the reason is not far to seek. There was an upheaving of the whole nation against an unjust condition of things enforced by the existing land laws (cheers). Iv such a national upheaving against an unjust law, it is not the men who may happen to be arrested that are the culprits but rather the men who endeavour to enforce the unjust laws — (continued cheering) — and I may add that the Legislature itself has at last declared those land laws to be beyond all measure unjust (hear, hear), and has most wisely altered them. But there are other tests which give a clearer insight into the true condition of things. For' instance, the arrests for heinous and unnamable crimes, that point to a low state of public morality, are ten times as numerous in Scotland and England as in Ireland (applause). So, too, it results from the official statistics that during the past ten years the total number of convictions in Ireland was about 42 for every 10,000 inhabitants, whilst in England it was 46, and in Scotlahd more than 62 (hear, hear), And yet we should bear in mind that throughout this period there were the Coercion Acts, and th 3 Summary Jurisdiction Courts, and a thousand other contrivances for securing the conviction of those who who were suspected of icrime (hear, hear). There are in Ireland a set of schools called Model Schools, which for 40 years have been held up by successive Governments opposition to the whole Catholic body in Ireland. They are identical in in their principles and management with the public schools of the Colony, and it is for that reason that I wish to illustrate my present subject by referring to them. After the Fenian outbreak in Ireland in 1866, an outcry was raised that those Fenians were the fruits of the religious Catholic schools throughout Ireland. . A Parliamentary return was asked for and ordered by the House of Commons. The matter was easily tested, as the prisons were full of men awaiting their trial ; but the result was far different from what the enemies of Catholic education looked for. It was found that, with the exception of the men who had come from the United States, almost all the Fenian prisoners, as well as the informers, had been trained at the Government Model Schools (great applause). There is only one other instance to which I will refer, and I select it because it has direct bearing on social purity and morality, without which we seek m vain for peace and happiness in the family or io. the State. The KegistrarGeneral's returns have been published for the ten years ending in \%v>'\ and they show that throughout that decade there were 23 illegitiinat • births per every thousand in Ireland, whilst in England there were 46 such illegitimate births per thousand, and in Scotland there were more than 85 per thousand (" Oh 1 " and hear, hear). In other words, the public morality of Ireland was twica that of England and about four times that of Scotland (cheers). Such facts speak for themselves.