CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

New Zealand Tablet, 25 April 1912, Page 23

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

OPENING OF A NEW SCHOOL AT MOSQIEL * -^ or many years the Sisters of Mercy have conducted a school at Mosgiel at much inconvenience, owing to the want of a suitable building, but this want has been now supplied by a substantial and commodious school, which was blessed and ‘opened on Sunday. A few months ago arrangements had been almost completed for holding a bazaar for the purpose of raising funds for the building of a school, but in consequence of the destruction of the hall in which the function was to have been held, the undertaking had to , be postponed. f In the meantime a brick building, which had been erected and used by the Taieri'* Drainage Board as an ' office, had been put on the market, and was purchased quite recently by the Rev. Father Liston, Rector of Holy Cross College, at an exceedingly moderate figure. The building, which is now to be used as a school, is separated from the convent by practically the width of the street. It is in every way suited.for the purpose, and Rev. Father Liston was warmly congratulated on Sunday on the business acumen displayed by him in securing such an undoubted bargain. } The first part of the ceremonv began about 3 o clock in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, wnen Rev. Father Coffey, Adm., delivered a very fine || discourse on Christian Education ’ to a very large congregation, which included some visitors from Dunedin. In addition to the clergy’from Holy Cross College, there were also present Rev. Father Corcoran (St. Joseph’s Cathedral) and Rev. Father D. O’Neill (South Dunedin). At the conclusion of the discourse, there was Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The clergy and congregation then proceeded to the school, § which was blessed by the Rev. Father Coffey. « ? CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. ( Rev. Father Coffey based his discourse on the text: ‘And Jesus coming spoke to them saying: All: power is given to Me in heaven and on earth; going therefore teach all nations . . . teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you’’ (Matt, xxviii, 19-20 ’). It is now nigh two thousand years (he said) since a few men stood on the summit of Mount Olivet and heard 1 1om their Master these words quoted. These men were the Apostles, they were the nucleus of the Church, ' they were the little grain of mustard seed ’ that was to grow into a large tree, and was to spread its branches throughout the whole world. To them the Master gave a royal commissionthey were appointed the teachers of mankind, and in the exercise of that commission they were to teach the whole world, they were to teach all truth, and they were to teach till the end of time. The fulfilment of this threefold commission was a physical impossibility for , the - Apostles in person, so we must .understand their commission in the sense and only in the sense that they were to be the source, the fountain, from which a perpetual and ever-widening stream of teachers was to flow, who were to ' carry on the great commission of teaching till the consummation of the world. As Christians, therefore, we ' must as-sume--that to the Church as represented on Mount Olivet was given the royal commission to teach, and to no other body was that commission given, as the • king may hand over his son to a tutor, so the King of Kings handed over His sons to’ be taught by the Apostles, and through them by their successors. That we may get a glance in proper perspective of the manner in which the Church has carried out its work as teacher, we shall have to give. a little consideration to the principal systems of education in existence before the Church received her commission and how these systems fitted man for his duties to himself, to his fellow-man, and to his Maker. Education in general and for our purposes may be defined as j that means which develops the intellect and forms the character of man so that he may worthily fulfil tbnf end for -which he was created,' ' It follows necessarily that a knowledge of life, its value and purpose, is

essential, to those who undertake the work of education; and .1 their success-; depends on how the character is formed and the pupil is prepared to attain his end in life. The end for which God' made man must therefore determine the quality" of the education given. As this end was -hot-fully; known jin' pagan times we. canriot expect to find in pagan systems of education that quality, which we naturally expect to find in Christian systems, and the absence of which astonishes us in these later times. The one controlling idea in the. pagan East was the worship of the ancient, ancestors, and old-established , institutions. The individual was sacrificed in the interest of ."established institutions. The result, was that all minds were moulded after one pattern ; there was no such thing as progress, all education remained stationary. X Still it was logically directed to fit man for the end for' which those pagan people considered man existed. The Greeks had a different idea of life. , Their ideal of life at first was citizenship, and logically their commanding idea in education was to train the child so that he would become a good citizen, according to their idea of citizenship. The Spartan child was looked upon as the property of the State. From his seventh year he was taken from his parents and placed in public . schools or gymnasiums, where he was taught to develop his physical strength, his courage and self-control, so that he might become a good soldier, and if he were not fitted by nature -to develop these qualities it was considered right for a father to put his child to death. Even the girls had to undergo severe training in the gymnasiums, so that they might develop their physical strength and so become mothers of sturdy soldiers. ■'', What intellectual and aesthetic training they got was also directed to this end. In later times the Greeks under the guidance of their philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, changed their idea of life, and -instead of deifying the State they deified the individual, and logically their system of education was changed to teach each citizen to seek his own happiness. Under the influence of these philosophers knowledge and their philosophy of life were raised to a high ideal, and have profoundly influenced the knowledge and the philosophy of the world ever since, still, in so much as it fell short of the true philosophy of life, it .failed to propound an educational system able to save the nation from moral and political downfall. No brilliancy, of literary thought or depth of philosophic knowledge, without a religious sanction, could destroy selfishness, which undermined patriotism and paved the way for the downfall of the Grecian Empire. The Roman followed the Greek with a different, but in some respects a more stable, ideal of life. Family life was more sacred, woman was more respected. The Roman's ideal was \ l the performance, of his duty ; and the maintenance of his rights.' Their ideal life consisted in the service of the ; State, . and logically also their education was directed to that end, as Cicero has said: ' The children of the Romans are brought up that they .one "day be of service, to the fatherland, and one must accordingly instruct them in the customs of the State, and the institutions of their ancestors. The fatherland has produced and brought us up that we may ; devote to its use the finest capacities of .our mind, talent, - and understanding, therefore we must learn those arts whereby we may be of greater service to the State, for that hold to be the highest wisdom and virtue.'. This might have been written by one of our modern authorities, and \, would no doubt obtain the approval of the modern world". The young Roman was to learn as the highest wisdom the 'Law! of the Twelve .Tables ' V he was to study the lives of his great ancestors, and to reproduce their virtues in his own, but the Christian youth of to-day is not to study the life of his Master. : The Roman was to r be taught prudence, justice,; courage, reverence,; and firmness; he .was taught .by the great examples and '. the great minds of history, obedience to the ; law; but the modern Christian is forbidden, or at least he is not. given the opportunity in the schools, ; to study the Divine Law, which alone can give him a reason for his existence. _ When Grecian .literature pervaded Roman .practice ; it j produced, the great minds of pagan history, . the great Roman orators,

yet to-day it stands as a mute but mighty example 'of how little human reason can accomplish when it seeks no guidance higher than itself, and knows no -higher philosophy of life than the present phase of existence. The Roman Empire is but a memory to-day.• .••The’ Jews as the custodians of God’s revelation had a higher .conception of life, and morality than the most enlightened Gentile people. They were taught that they were -to be holy because I am holy.’ Through Moses they received the Commandments of the moral, law, I; and through a succession of prophets they were prepared-for a wider revelation and a more perfect: moral code; as a result virtue was better practised, womankind; was raised to a higher plane, family life was regarded more" sacred,, and their teachers held an honored place in the community because they were taught that ‘ They that -are learned shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that -instruct many unto justice, as the Stars for all eternity.’ Their systems of education under their wise men and scribes were directed to prepare men for eternity, but it was of its nature a temporary expedient. ‘ These things happened to them in figure ’ (1 Cor. x, 11). . • ' The advent of Christianity brought a radical change in man’s conception of the object of life, and naturally and logically brought a change in the objective of Christian education. St, Paul, teaching the Hebrews, based his teaching on the fact that ‘ God,' Who at sundry times and divers manners,;spoke in times past to our fathers by the prophets, last of all in these days had spoken to us by His Son,’ and spoken to us that He may reveal unto us our end in life, and that He may educate us in means necessary to attain that end. ‘ The grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men, instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly and justly and godly in this world, looking’for the blessed hope and the coming of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ ’ (Titus xi, 11-12). The Christian’s desire, therefore, should be To seek first the Kingdom of God and His Justice, and all these things should be added unto you.’ That this was to be no mere outward profession or theory but life’s practical solution He would have us know, for He has said: ‘Not every man that saith to Me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doth the will of My Father Who is in Heaven, he shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.’ Christ gave His charter.-to His Church to teach these truths when He said: ‘Go, teach all nations.’ The Church’s teaching was to have in it three characteristics which were to distinguish its ’ teaching from all pagan teaching; (a) It was to teach all nations there was to'be no distinction of Jew or "neither bond nor free, no class nor individual, nor ’ nation was to be considered outside its influence, (b) It was to have the element of perpetuity in. it, it was to : continue to the consummation of the world, (c) Before all things else it was to teach man the true end of his ’ existence ; to teach him ‘why he is here,’ ‘ where he is 'going,’ and ‘ how he may get there.’ Christian teaching was to ennoble man by teaching him the value God placed upon him. Fidelity in his duty to his God came first, and this, far from excluding instruction on his other duties, included them, included instruction in his duties to himself, to his fellow man, and-to the State. The Christian may accept Herbert Spencer’s definition of true education ‘as a preparation for complete living,’ and no living can be complete which ignores man’s ultimate destiny, which ‘is to,look for the blessed; hope of the coming of the great God and our Saviour 'Jesus Christ.’ So by accepting- Spencer’s definition -of education we are forced to conclude that religion should hold a first and most important place in. any true system, and it is here precisely where the work of the Catholic Church, in the interest of education, differs ; not - only from the work of the pagan world, but I Shall say differs from the work of the Christian world outside her fold"- ; .1—- ~r * . i . The Catholic Church and Education. ‘ • i The Catholic Church took: up r the ■ work Of .education where it was laid down by her Founder^ 1 Jesus Christ. He taught suffer little children to come unto

Me, and forbid them not, for such is the Kingdom of Heaven.' The Apostles taught, and in a very short time had schools established for the instruction of the catechumens. In these schools religious instruction was closely united ;, with, moral 'discipline. The instruction in these schools was of such a , natnra » q hn able the neo-Christians to defend their faith against -pagan philosophy, therefore it was not merely elementary, and the schools were open .to every one who accepted the Faith—-truly free*schools. In, course. of time the cathedral schools were open for the instruction of the clergy, under the direct supervision of the Bishops, and the parish schools were open for the laity,. In course of time again the great monasteries arose, especially the Benedictine monasteries, to take up the work of education. As to the manner in which these monasteries did their work we have the testimony amongst' many others of Paul Munroe, an American .-writer. In a text-book . on the history of Education he says: In those restless days of rude culture, of constant warfare, of perpetual lawlessness, and the rule of might, monasteries offered the one opportunity of a life of repose and contemplation essential to the student,, thus it happened that the monasteries were the sole * schools for, teaching—they were the only universities of research, the only publishing houses for the multiplication of books, the only libraries for the preservation of learning; they produced the only scholars of the period.' We can realise the truth of this quotation when we mention the following facts: (1) There were 72universities founded in Europe, prior to the Reformation, by Catholics, and 46 since, while only 31 were founded by non-Catholics, and (2) that notwithstanding the .fact that most of the Catholic universities were confiscated at the time of the Reformation, to-day there are over 78,000 students attending the Catholic universities of Europe, and 44,000 non-Catholic universities. In Ireland you had the schools of Armagh, Bangor, Clonfert, Clonmacnoise, Lismore, and many others no less famous, to which thousands of students flocked from all parts of the world to drink in the education so freely given. In Scotland we had lona and Lindisfarne, Bangor in Wales— famous schools and free schools, so that it was not necessary to wait for modern times nor for modern systems to supply free education from the primary school to the university. - The two greatest universities of England, Oxford and Cambridge, the ones.that an Englishman is never tired of boasting about, were founded in the days when England was Catholic—the days of 'merrie England,'— were endowed by the Popes. Oxford most probably has grown out of the monastic school established by St. Frideswide in the seventh century, and it attained its highest fame in the thirteenth century, when the Dominican, the Franciscan, the Carmelite, and Augustinian friars had charge of its schools. It is worthy of note that of its twenty-one colleges, only three have been erected within the last three hundred years, so that eighteen of them belong to Catholic times. The Benedictines established the first college of the University of Cambridge, now called Peter-house, in 1284, and we may also remark- of this university that of its eighteen colleges only one has. been established since the sixteenth century. Both these universities, there.f.or^, owe their existence to the influence of the. Catholic Church, and they reflected in the highest degree her power and enthusiasm for true education. It must be admitted, therefore, that the Catholic; Church has logically and loyally carried out her great commission to teach the whole world. At most times she has worked under the greatest difficulties, because her soirit is not £he spirit of the world in which ; she has ha*d to work. In - the past . and in the present ; she presents the one = hulwark against the recurring r and ever-recurring waves of infidelity, immorality, and selfish worldliness. She has taken her stand on "the solid rock of Christian principles—(lst) That intellectual education must not be separated from moral and religious education to impart knowledge without building up the moral : character is fatal to the individual and to society ...(2nd) Religion should not be treated as a mere adjunct * of : education, but should i constitute / its 5 most important -part; to study nature without reference to the Author of

nature to study without reference to' the Me of Christ; to study law without reference to the Divine Law is illogical and absurd. (3rd) Sound moral instruction is impossible without religious ~ instruction as without religion morality has no lasting sanction; (4th) An education ; which w unites intellectual, moral and religious instruction,- is the best safeguard for; the individual for - the home, and for the - State, and therefore all Christian .parents are bound in conscience to provide their children /with an education which combines t Me elements. The Catholic Church has always acted, and is to-day acting, on the above principles. The great rift in the Christian world which occurred in the sixteenth century, which destroyed the principle of authority, and. brought in its trail innumerable divisions and sects, has left us as its most serious and evil result, the separation of religious and moral instruction from intellectual education. Outside the Catholic Church, and especially, in these newer countries—Austialia, New Zealand,, and America -education has gradually gone back to the old ideas of pagan Greece and Rome. God and His Divine Son are banisned from Se lo'hfV in , 1 but Purely secular subjects to bpLt! tau §J- Religion, Which the ? still pretend to believe good foreman, is to be left to the home and to the church (as they express it), while they know in their heart of hearts that the church and the home cannot supply this necessary element in the formation of character while the children are; taken from the influence of the church and home for five or six hours a day for five days a week. The propounded of such a proposition would never dream that any particular secular subject, such as geography, arithmeL; could be taught m the home, and they pretend to think that religion, the most : important and necessary yet SITl 3e l m w e f 2f mafci ° n of the Christian ycharactei can be taught sufficiently in the church and in he home The pagan world acted more logically; they IS? * the man for the destiny they considered he w2 destined for but the Christian secularists (which may be a contradiction m terms) of to-day say that man s destined for an eternal life, that there is only one thing necessary, and yet they wiir not give man" that education which- alone can fit him for that end. In'this they act lllogically. ■.;>.■- -.-■'• ... m. It was not always thus: If we are to believe all that has been written about the founders of the modern systems of religion—Luther, Calvin, Knox, etc.;-we will find that they laid great stress on the necessity of religious education, and had it made an important part ol their educational systems.- Let us hope that it will not always remain so. We have ample reason for such a hope in the declarations of their leading men, wherein they lament T the absence of religious instruction from the schools. Here are a few such expressions: —A J Balfour: I have always cherished the hope that' our elementary State schools eventually would be so conducted as to secure" to every child the; kind of religious instruction his parents desire him to receive The Duke of Wellington once called a purely secular system or education a scheme of social'destruction.'" Washington, said: 'Reason and experience both forbid ; us to expect that national morality can prevail to the exclusion of religious principle.' Humboldt wisely remarked ■ Whatever we wish to see: introduced into the life of the nation must be first introduced into the schools ' ±-roressor Coe, at a convention of educators in Evanston, U.S.A., said::' A school that ignores religion cultivates divided self in the pupil,' and he goes on to show-that a school cannot be neutral' towards- religion ' Ihe London Academy : writes: -' America is proud of her ? school / system (strictly undenominational) V the result is crime rampant and triumphant. % France has succeeded; in ;;■ expelling ; Christ from-her schools, the Apache has taken His place. In England we have had our ; denominational schools for thirty years, and ;whave^bred ; the-hooligan: Dr. Hall, President of the Clark University, says: Theresas a great outbreak of immorality in France/ when they began to turn religion away from the schools,- and now they are trying to get tales of virtue take its place. Ifc was a disaster, and leads children to be less moral! Again he says: 'Our Catholic/friends are right that relifioi

'■ '■.■''■'"'' ' ■■■■■■•..- ,?'- ■ " is an essential element in the education of the young.'; Dr. Hall is described;as an ardent defender of State schools,;and yet he has to say this. I have given ample quotation to show you that we have reason to hope that the: days of purely secular education .are coming to an-end. We-have also in our own country signs that our best men are sick of our purely secular system, as witness the meeting of the "representatives of the leading Protestant Churches last week in Christchurch.

;• These indications give? us hope that ' we; Catholics shall not always be treated as the pariahs "of society in educational matters. They show us that in keeping on the old-track—-the track over which our ancestors havetrod for two thousand years— are right. They teach us that the sacrifice which we have" been asked and are being asked to make, is a sacrifice in a noble cause, and in its way it brings home to us that we are to-day engaged in a noble work, a work more important to your future welfare than the opening of a church would be. : You are engaged in the opening of a school in which your children will be taught those life-giving principles, which will secure for them those blessings about which St. Paul advised' Titus. J The grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to jail men, instructing us that, denying all -ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, justly, and godly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and the coming of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.'

The Ceremony of Blessing.

•,■;' At the conclusion of the ceremony of blessing, Rev. Father Liston addressed the gathering. He said he had to apologise for the unavoidable absence of his Lordship the Bishop, who was at present at Rotorua, and also for Rev. Fathers Delany and Buckley, whose duties prevented their attendance at the ceremony. He thanked the Mayor of Mosgiel (Mr. Inglis) for honoring them with his presence, and congratulated him on his re-election as Mayor, of the borough. He also thanked Rev. Father Coffey for his very fine address on ' Catholic Education.' With regard to the -school, they, had been preparing plans for the building of one, when very providentially the present building was put on the market.* It was. suitable in every way -for a school, being convenient to the convent, and the rooms are well lighted and airy. The property was acquired at a very low figure—in fact it was a great bargain. The blessing of the school was a sign that it was to be used for a sacred, purposethat .the ground on which they stood was holy ground. As Father Coffey had pointed out, Catholics did not believe in the divorce of religion from education, and in that school the pupils would receive a good secular education, but along with it also a sound moral and religious training. The school was conducted by Catholic teachers, and it was pleasing to know that it was just as efficient as other schools. The Education Board inspector, in his report last year, said that in most respects the school was fully equal to the best schools in Otago. This was a matter of which they should be justly proud, and the Sisters of Mercy, who had been in charge of the school for the past twelve years, deserved sincere thanks for. their faithful and devoted services, and their successful work in the school. Father Liston then invited the Mayor to address the gathering! ..'=-.: .' "■■■'.'..-. , , The Mayor said he had accepted with much pleasure the invitation to be present at the opening of the new school. He complimented Father Liston on his foresight and business ability in having ; acquired so suitable a building at such a low price. The building was admirably adapted for the purpose of a school. He congratulated the Sisters of Mercy on now having a commodious school Vin which to carry, on their work. It was very pleasing to'know that the standard of education at the school was fully equal to that of the State schools. ' The ; Catholics deserved much credit for the self-sacrifice they displayed *in carrying on their own schools, and for- the excellent results of the teaching in their schools..; r? : - : v . .*: ■:• \ iti'K

;: Those present, on the invitation of Rev. Father Liston,-then inspected the school, and the consensus of-opinion was that the building could not be improved upon, if it had been specially erected for school pur-

poses. '- It is {a very -i substantial building• of brick, pointed with cement, ' and roofed with ■ slate. : * It ;is divided into four large, airy, well-lighted rooms, with corridor and lavatory, by plastered and wainscotted walls, and has stamped steel ceilings. It is lighted by electricity, and is connected with the borough drainage system. The purchase price was £4O0 — sum which seems more than moderate for such a well-finished building. The collection and promises at the ceremony amounted to about £l4O. There are now about fifty pupils in the school, which has accommodation for about 150. . ©