RESULTS OF GODLESSNESS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIII, Issue 27, 1 November 1895, Page 17

RESULTS OF GODLESSNESS.

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EjE session draws to a close and nothing has been done for Catholic schools. The petition of the hierarchy, clergy and Catholic laity received but scant attention from Members. A reasonable request has not been granted, and School board bigots may continue longer to have their unjust way. No doubt the attention of Government and of Members was greatly absorbed in banking and tariff legislation to the exclusion of other important business. Homethin^, however, should h ive been done to meet the wishes of the Catholics of the Colony in the matter of school inspection. There ii jet another session before the general election. During the coming rjccsa Membets, with, honeyed words, will endeavour to prep ire the wiy for re- 'lection. " Why did you not make an effort to have our request complied with " should be sternly put to the wooers. Tncre is, we fear, mu ( 'h trimming and a deal of insincerity in the matter of jro^ising assistance to obtain just.cc to Cnthohc schools. Strong pie-election promises are feebly kept or dexterously brok 'n during the bess.on. We call upon the Catholics of New Zealand,, while they loyally co-operate m any measure on which their natural leaders may wisely determine, to keenly watch the conduct of Members during the present Parliament. Inactivity in the cause of justice to our schools is well nigh as bad as open opposition. We don't want men of loud pre-election promises who will become parliamentary drones. If men will not actively help in the cause of Christian education, Catholics should not stultify themselves by voting for them again. An attempt is b3ing quietly male to shelve the whole question. We are sorry to find a disposition in some umxpected quarters to let secularists have their way. " For the sake of peace ! " Peace, while the best interests of Catholic youth arc- at stake ! IN o;it is useless to cry " cease " to Catholics. We have rig' ts as colonists. Our rights are trampled upon. We are treated with gross injubtice, and only the removal of injustice will end agitation for the right and the just. We cannot accept the Secular Ideal. We cannot surrender the inalienable right of the Catholic parent to educate his child according to conscience and give it a Christian education. Tne death even of our champions will make little difference in the struggle. The inj stice i, patent and the wisdom of our opposition to godless educati m too apparent. This country, as well as America, has bee.i handed over to the educational control of

the small secularist sect. The schools are without God and His Christ. The moral teaching of the pagan Seneca or Epictetus may be given to the scholars of our godless schools, but the teaching of Christ is carefully excluded ! What is the consequence ? Why, the bulk of our young people are growing up without religion, and without the sanction of religion there is no true morality. Tho effect of secular education is seen even in the churches, where ministers seek to draw the young men and young women to the evening services by sensational lectures or attractive addresses on the prevailing sports and pastimes. The Gospel of Christ has to give place to the so-called " Religion of Humanity," whose sole object is material prosperity. Evil results of the godless system are becoming more and more apparent every year. We have not, perhaps, reached the state of things which American moralists deplore, but the paganising and demoralising tendency of our school system is undeniable. We can apply, with little re3ervat on, to Australasia the words of an American Catholic writer : " Secular education, as it is called, has had time even with us to prove itself, and what is the result ? The infidelity, communism, and socialism of the age ; lack of reverence for all that has been considered sacred ; the immorality of society that might shame Sodom and Gomorrah. These are the fru ts of secular education." In America as in New Zealand there are many who see no flaw in the secular system, and obstinately shut their eyes to the deplorable result of divorce between religion and education. A prominent American ecclesiastic, who is now much in evidence, and whose " ideal school is the Christian school, where secular knowledge and re'igion are wedded in inseparable union," recently said : "I have no quarrel wlt 1 the educational work of the State. I admire, lam proud of my country in this matter as in so many others." AT leading words often do more harm than open hostility. We cannot, if half of what we hear be true, see how any American who loves Christian morality can be proud of the educational work of the State. Here is an extract from a speech recently delivered at a meeting of the Columbian College of Citizenship by a Mr A. M'Causland, an ex-detective of Chicago. Referring to tho public schools of his city, he called them " hotbeds of infamy." He said in the course of his speech :

" I have a son thirty years old whom I ana proud o f , ami he was never in the publio scnoola of Chicig) sixty d-iya. I buve three boys ; bat if I had five hundred, not one ni them wmtd I educate ia the '3hi(ngo public schools. I would not sen i my bjy to tin city schools, besauae I fear that he might go from th^ra to the psniteatiary. Two-thirds of thi inmates of the C >ok County jail c>m 3 from the public schools. I know hundreds of ciaea of b >y^— and girls too — who have beome absolutely dem irahss 1 by associations."

It is undeniable that American ways and American ideas of morality are fast gaining ground in Australasia. If the public schools of (Jhicigo are styled " hot-bjds of infamy " by one who knows, what should the large mixed schools in our cities be called ? Certainly they cannot be called " nurseries of virtue ? " Catholics who have the purity of their children at heart will keep their little ones f*r fromschools when 1 , because God and His Christ are ignored, true principles of morality will not be taught and enforced. Catholics, worthy of the mm 1 , will loyally support their Christian schools, and manfully c mtinue the fight for justice. The world is every wheie against the Church of Christ. We have, however, God and right on our side : the spirit of evil will not conqaer. We must continue the good fight and aim at greater solidarity. We notice that an Irish constituency lately exacted a special promise from the Nationalist candidate that he would suppo t the education policy of the Bishops. We have long done so in New Zealand ; that we have not yet succeeded in onr struggle is no reason why we should shamefully lay down our arms and give up the fight. The Belgium Catholics succeeded after a twenty years' battle. If wo falter the Secularist foe will follow up his victory by further oppretsion, and by penalising Catholic education. Agitate ! should be our motto, and victory will yet ba our cry.