,,public ,,school ,,education  ,,by     
,,michael ,m,ue,l,l,e,r1 ,c4,s4,s4,r41  
,priest of the ,congregation of the     
,most ,holy ,redeemer4  ,,boston3       
,,published ,,by ,,patrick ,,donahoe1   
#ai ,,franklin ,,street4 #ahgb4         
,entered according to ,act of ,congress1
 in the year #ahgb1 by ,,patrick        
,,donahoe1 ,in the ,office of the       
,librarian of ,congress1 at ,washington4
     ,,contents4   ,,chapter ,i4        
,,page ,,introductory                   
#g  ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,education--,,its 
,,object ,,and ,,necessity              
#ag  ,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,origin ,,of    
,,the ,,public ,,school ,,system        
#da  ,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,expose ,,of     
,,the ,,public ,,school ,,system        
#ge  ,,chapter ,v4  ,,evil              
,,consequences ,,of ,,the ,,public      
,,school ,,system ,,on ,,the ,,male     
,,portion ,,of ,,society                
#hb  ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,evil            
,,consequences ,,of ,,the ,,public      
,,school ,,system ,,on ,,the ,,female   

,,portion ,,of ,,society                
#hg  ,,chapter ,,vii4  ,,what ,,is ,,it 
,,to ,,be ,a ,,mother8                  
#aaj  ,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,evil         
,,consequences ,,of ,,the ,,public      
,,school ,,system ,,continued           
#abh  ,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,the            
,,state4--,,its ,,usurpation ,,of ,,the 
,,individual ,,rights4--,,its           
,,incompetency ,,to ,,educate           
#aci  ,,chapter ,x4  ,,the ,,state ,a   
,,robber4--,,violation ,,of ,,our       
,,constitution ,,and ,,common ,,law     
#afc  ,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,remedy ,,for   
,,the ,,diabolical ,,spirit ,,and ,,the 
,,crimes ,,in ,,our ,,country           
#ahi  ,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,the           
,,denominational ,,system ,,alone       
,,satisfies ,,the ,,wants ,,of ,,all1   
,,and ,,can ,,save ,,the ,,republic     
#bcc  ,,chapter ,,xiii4  ,,the          
,,catholic ,,priest ,,on ,,the ,,public 
,,school ,,system          #bif         
,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,,answers ,,to        
,,objections                            

#cdj  ,,chapter ,,xv4  ,,zeal ,,of ,,the
 ,,priest ,,for ,,the ,,catholic        
,,education ,,of ,,our ,,children       
#cgc     ,,public ,,school ,,education4 
,,chapter ,i4  ,,introductory4          
,american fellow-citizens--,america is  
my home6 ,i have no other country4      
,after my ,god and my religion1 my      
country is the dearest object of my     
life6 ,i love my country as dearly as   
any one else can4 ,it is this love that 
makes my heart bleed when ,i call to    
mind the actual state of society in our 
country1 and the principles that prevail
 everywhere4 ,it is indeed but too true 
that we live in a most anti-,christian  
age2 principles are disregarded1 and    
iniquity is held in veneration4 ,we see 
nothing but confusion in religion1 in   
government1 in the family circle4 ,sects
 spring up and swarm like locusts1      
destroying not only revealed religion1  
but rejecting even the law of nature4   
,fraud1 theft1 and robbery are practised
 almost as a common trade4 ,the press   

justifies rebellion1 secret societies1  
and plots for the overthrow of          
established governments4 ,the civil law1
 by granting divorce1 has broken the    
family tie4 ,children are allowed to    
grow up in ignorance of true religious  
principles1 and thereby become          
regardless of their parents4 ,the number
 of apostates from ,christianity is on  
the increase1 at least in the rising    
generation4 ,current literature is      
penetrated with the spirit of           
licentiousness1 from the pretentious    
quarterly to the arrogant and flippant  
daily newspaper1 and the weekly and     
monthly publications are mostly heathen 
or maudlin4 ,they express and inculcate1
 on the one hand1 stoical1 cold1 and    
polished pride of mere intellect1 or on 
the other1 empty and wretched           
sentimentality4 ,some employ the skill  
of the engraver to caricature the       
institutions and offices of the         
,christian religion1 and others to      
exhibit the grossest forms of vice1 and 

the most distressing scenes of crime and
 suffering4 ,the illustrated press has  
become to us what the amphitheatre was  
to the ,romans when men were slain1     
women were outraged1 and ,christians    
given to the lions to please a          
degenerate populace4 ,the number of the 
most unnatural crimes is beyond         
computation4 ,a wide-spread and         
deep-seated dishonesty and corruption   
has1 like some poisonous virus1         
inoculated the great body of our public 
men in national1 state1 and municipal   
positions1 so much so that rascality    
seems to be the rule1 and honesty the   
exception4 ,real statesmanship has      
departed from amongst us2 neither the   
men nor the principles of the olden time
 exist any longer4  ,the shameless      
cynicism with which the great public    
plunderers of our day brazen out their  
infamy1 is only equalled by the apathy  
with which the public permits these     
robberies1 and condone for them by      
lavishing place and power upon the      

offenders4 ,the way of the transgressor 
has ceased to be hard--unless he be a   
transgressor of very low degree--and    
rascality rides rampant over the land1  
from the halls of ,congress to the      
lowest department of public plunder4    
,the poet has well said that ,vice1 once
 grown familiar to the view1 after first
 exciting our hate1 next succeeded in   
gaining our pity1 and finally was taken 
into our embrace4  ,the familiarity of  
the public mind with daily and almost   
hourly instances of public peculation   
and betrayal of high trusts has created 
this indulgent disposition1 until at    
last the wholesome indignation1 which is
 the best safeguard of honesty1 has been
 diluted into a maudlin sympathy with   
the malefactors4 ,and the rankness of   
the growth of this evil is not more     
startling than its rapidity4 ,it is a   
new thing--a foul fungus1 suddenly      
forced into fetid life1 out of the      
corruptions engendered by the war4 ,it  
is a new departure in a wrong           

direction--down that smooth1 broad path 
to the devil4  ,we all remember the     
sensation which1 before the war1 was    
ever caused by the discovery of a public
 defaulter1 and the indignation which   
drove him ever forth from place and     
country1 on his detection4 ,punishment  
sure and swift was certain to seize upon
 him1 if he dared linger after the facts
 were known4  ,a breach of trust was not
 then considered a joke1 nor theft      
elevated into the dignity of a fine art1
 whose most eminent professors were to  
be regarded with envy and admiration4   
,think of the clamor which was raised   
over the comparatively petty peculations
 of ,swartwout1 ,schuyler1 ,fowler1 and 
other small sinners like them1 who even 
found the country too hot to hold them1 
and died in exile1 as an expiation to   
the public sentiment they had outraged4 
,yet their frauds were as molehills to  
the mountains which the busy hands of   
our public peculators have heaped up1   
and are daily piling higher4 ,within the

 last ten years1 where they stole cents1
 their successors stole by thousands and
 tens of thousands2 and1 instead of     
flying from punishment1 flaunt their    
crimes and their ill-gotten wealth in   
the face of the community1 heedless     
either of the arm of the law1 or the    
more potent hiss of public scorn4  ,and 
this financial dishonesty of the times  
is as true of commercial as of political
 circles1 and as patent at ,washington  
as at ,new ,york and other cities4      
,think you that those eighteen men on   
whom the tower of ,siloam fell1 were    
sinners above all others in ,jerusalem8 
,i tell you nay6 ,think you that those  
six or seven on whom the axe of the     
public press fell1 are sinners above all
 in ,new ,york and elsewhere8 ,if all   
men that have been guilty of fraud in   
,new ,york and elsewhere were to have a 
tower fall on them1 there would be      
funerals enough for fifty years4  ,one  
of the saddest symptoms of degeneracy in
 a people is evinced by a desperate     

levity--a scoffing spirit such as that  
which inspired the ,french people when  
they denied even ,god1 and substituted a
 prostitute to be their ,goddess of     
,reason4 ,much of that spirit is        
unhappily manifesting itself in our     
country4  ,that most fearful picture of 
a corrupt community drawn by ,curran in 
his description of the public pests of  
his day--remaining at the bottom like   
drowned bodies while soundness remained 
in them1 but rising only as they rotted1
 and floating only from the buoyancy of 
corruption--seems1 unhappily1 destined  
to find its parallel here1 unless public
 virtue and public indignation should   
awake to condemn and chastise the       
corruption which is tainting and        
poisoning the air around us4  ,the      
judgment which overtook the men of      
,siloam was visited on them for sins not
 unlike those which seem to invite a    
similar judgment from offended ,heaven  
upon our modern ,siloams1 and is no     
jesting matter4 ,nay1 in view of the    

many recent terrible visitations which  
have fallen upon different parts of our 
country1 many voices have already been  
raised proclaiming them as marks of     
,divine wrath against national sins1    
perpetrated by a people who should1 by  
their lives1 testify their sense of the 
blessings showered upon them in more    
prodigal profusion than on any other    
nation in the annals of mankind4  ,that 
the great body of our people are        
corrupt1 or that they at heart approve  
of corruption1 no one will be mad enough
 to maintain4 ,but they are responsible 
before ,heaven and to posterity for the 
criminal apathy they manifest in their  
silent sanction of the corruption and   
crime which are fast making the         
,american name a synonyme for theft1 for
 brazen impudence and unblushing        
rascality4  ,in the life of a nation1 as
 in that of an individual1 there are    
periods which are critical2 and a       
restoration to health1 or the certainty 
of speedy death1 depends on the way this

 malady is met4 ,the crisis which now   
menaces the life and health of the      
,united ,states cannot be far distant2  
for private virtue cannot long survive  
the death of public honor and honesty1  
nor private morality fail to catch the  
contagion of public profligacy4 ,if the 
representative men of a country1 those  
in whom its high trusts are reposed1 be 
corrupt and shameless1 they will drag   
down into the same mire the morals of   
the people they plunder and             
misrepresent4 ,indeed we want no        
prophet1 nor one raised from the dead1  
to tell us the awfully fatal results4   
,what can be done to stem the fearful   
torrent of evils that flood the land8   
,we all know that when1 in #agfe1 the   
famous ,stamp ,act was passed in the    
,british ,parliament1 on the news       
reaching ,boston the bells were muffled1
 and rang a funeral peal4 ,in ,new ,york
 the ,act was carried through the       
streets with a death's head bearing this
 inscription3 ,the ,folly of ,england   

and the ,ruin of ,america4 ,so great was
 the opposition to the ,act1 that it was
 repealed during the spring of #agff4   
,this shows how quickly the evils of    
society can be put down if people set to
 work in earnest4  ,now we cannot expect
 the people to set to work in earnest   
about stemming the torrent of the great 
evils of the land1 unless they are well 
enlightened as to the source from which 
they flow4 ,this source is principally  
that wrong system of education          
introduced into this country about fifty
 years ago4 ,at that time very few1     
perhaps1 could foresee what effects it  
was calculated to produce4 ,after a long
 trial1 we can now pronounce on it with 
certainty by its results4 ,the tree1 no 
longer a sapling1 can be judged by its  
fruits4 ,these fruits have been so bad  
that it is high time to call the        
attention of the public to the tree4    
,now in calling attention to this tree1 
,i wish it to be once for all distinctly
 understood1 that whatever of a         

seemingly or even really harsh nature ,i
 may say in this discussion on the      
,public ,schools1 is intended and       
directed solely against the system4 ,for
 those who manage or officiate in them1 
as teachers or otherwise1 ,i have1 ,i   
trust1 all the courtesy1 charity1 and   
respect due from one citizen to another4
 ,if ,i offend the prejudices1          
convictions1 or susceptibilities of any 
on this strangely misrepresented        
subject1 no one can more regret it than 
myself2 ,i can truly say it is not      
intended4 ,all ,i ask of my             
fellow-citizens is a fair discussion on 
this great question of education1 to    
look at it without prejudice1 without   
bigotry2 for if prejudice and bigotry   
stand in our way1 they will stand in the
 way of the glory and stability of this 
country1 whose future ,god only knows4  
,it is the duty of all citizens to labor
 with a good heart1 a clear mind1 an    
earnest soul1 to do all they can in     
building up1 and strengthening1 and     

making still more glorious this great   
,american people4     ,,chapter ,,ii4   
,,education--,,its ,,object ,,and       
,,necessity4   ,the question of         
,education is1 of all others1 the most  
important4 ,it has for some time back   
received a good deal of attention in    
public meetings1 in newspapers1 and in  
the pulpit4 ,in fact it has become a    
question of the day4 ,on this question1 
however1 there is unfortunately such an 
amount of ignorance1 prejudice1 and     
confusion of ideas1 that it is almost   
impossible to make the public understand
 it4 ,the reason of this is1 because so 
many follow the vague views expressed on
 this subject in newspapers4 ,many a    
paper is undoubtedly political1 and so  
far partisan2 and as such its editor    
will defend and advance what he believes
 to be the principles of his party4 ,but
 the question of education rises above  
party politics2 yet when you read many a
 paper you will find that the editor    
appeals to the prejudice and passions of

 party in a way quite unworthy of an    
independent journalist1 and of the grave
 subject under consideration4 ,he       
advances principles which1 at first     
sight1 seem to be quite true2 for       
instance3 ,public ,school ,education is 
necessary for our republican form of    
government1 for the very life of the    
,republic4 ,it is an admitted axiom1    
that our form of government1 more than  
all others1 depends on the intelligence 
of the people4 ,the framers of our      
,constitution firmly believed that a    
republic form of government could not   
endure without intelligence and         
education generally diffused among the  
people4 ,the ,state must1 therefore1    
take all means within its power to      
promote and encourage popular education1
 and furnish this intelligence of the   
people through her public schools4  ,at 
first sight such principles seem to be  
true1 and the people in general will    
accept them4 ,experience teaches that   
the public will accept1 without         

question1 almost any maxim or problem1  
provided it be formulated in such a     
manner as to convey some specific       
meaning that does not demand reflection 
or complex examination4 ,for the same   
reason no small portion of the public   
will reject anything that at first sight
 seems to exceed the measure of their   
understanding4 ,knaves and charlatans1  
knowing this1 impose on the public by   
flattering their intelligence1 that they
 may accomplish their own ambitious and 
selfish ends4 ,in this way a multitude  
of pernicious religious1 social1 and    
political maxims have come into vogue1  
especially in reference to the question 
of public instruction4 ,yet on the sound
 principles concerning this question of 
education1 and on the right             
understanding of them1 depend not only  
the temporal and eternal happiness of   
the people1 but also the future         
maintenance and freedom1 nay1 even the  
material prosperity1 of the ,republic4  
,in the discussion of the system of     

education it will no longer do to use   
vague1 unmeaning expressions1 or to     
advance some general puzzling principles
 to keep the public in the dark on this 
important point4 ,it is high time that  
the public should be thoroughly         
enlightened on the subject of education4
 ,everybody is talking about            
education1--the advantages of education1
 the necessity of education2 and yet    
almost all have come to use the word in 
its narrowest and most imperfect        
meaning1 as implying mere cultivation of
 the intellectual faculties1 and even   
this is done in the most superficial    
manner1 by cramming the mind with facts1
 instead of making it reflect and       
reason4 ,the great majority even of     
those who write upon the subject take no
 higher view4  ,the term education      
comprehends something more than mere    
instruction4 ,one may be instructed     
without being educated2 but he cannot be
 educated without being instructed4 ,the
 one has a partial or limited1 the other

 a complete or general1 meaning4 ,what1 
then1 is the meaning of ,education8     
,education comes from the ,latin educo1 
and means1 according to ,plato1 to give 
to the body and soul all the perfection 
of which they are susceptible2 in other 
words1 the object of education is to    
render the youth of both sexes          
beautiful1 healthful1 strong1           
intelligent and virtuous4 ,it is        
doubtless the will of the ,creator that 
man--the masterpiece of the visible     
world--should be raised to that         
perfection of which he is capable1 and  
for the acquisition of which he is      
offered the proper means4 ,it is the    
soul of man which constitutes the       
dignity of his being1 and makes him the 
king of the universe4 ,now the body is  
the dwelling of the soul--the palace of 
this noble king2 the nobility of the    
soul must induce us to attend to its    
palace--to the health and strength and  
beauty of the body2--health1 strength   
and beauty are the noble qualities of   

the body4  ,the noble qualities of the  
soul are virtue and learning4 ,virtue   
and learning are the two trees planted  
by ,god in ,paradise2 they are the two  
great luminaries created by ,god to give
 light to the world2 they are the two   
,testaments1 the ,old and the ,new2 they
 are the two sisters1 ,martha and ,mary1
 living under one roof in great union   
and harmony1 and mutually supporting    
each other4  ,learning is1 next to      
virtue1 the most noble ornament and the 
highest improvement of the human mind4  
,it is by learning that all the natural 
faculties of the mind obtain an eminent 
degree of perfection4 ,the memory is    
exceedingly improved by appropriate     
exercise1 and becomes1 as it were1 a    
storehouse of names1 facts1 entire      
discourses1 etc41 according to every    
one's exigency or purposes4 ,the        
understanding--the light of the soul--is
 exceedingly improved by exercise1 and  
by the acquisition of solid science and 
useful knowledge4 ,judgment1 the most   

valuable of all the properties of the   
mind1 and by which the other faculties  
are poised1 governed and directed1 is   
formed and perfected by experience1 and 
regular well-digested studies and       
reflection2 and by them it attains to   
true justness and taste4 ,the mind1 by  
the same means1 acquires a steadiness1  
and conquers the aversion which sloth   
raises against the serious employments  
of its talents4  ,how much the          
perfection of the mind depends upon     
culture1 appears in the difference of   
understanding between the savages 7who1 
except in treachery1 cunning and shape1 
scarce seem to differ from the apes     
which inhabit their forests7 and the    
most elegant and civilized nations4 ,a  
piece of ground left wild produces      
nothing but weeds and briers1 which by  
culture would be covered with corn1     
flowers and fruit4 ,the difference is   
not less between a rough mind and one   
that is well cultivated4  ,the same     
natural culture1 indeed1 suits not all  

persons4 ,geniuses must be explored1 and
 the manner of instructing proportioned 
to them4 ,but there is one thing which  
suits all persons1 and without which    
knowledge is nothing but a sounding     
brass and tinkling cymbal3 this is the  
supernatural culture of the soul1 or the
 habitual endeavor of man of rendering  
himself more pleasing in the sight of   
,god by the acquisition of solid        
,christian virtues1 in order thus to    
reach his last end--his eternal         
happiness4 ,it is for this reason that  
our ,saviour tells us3 ,what doth it    
profit a man if he gain the whole world1
 and lose his own soul8 ,for what shall 
a man give in exchange for his          
soul8--7,matt4 xvi4 #bf47 ,it is1 then1 
the supernatural culture1 or the        
perfection of the soul1 that is to be   
principally attended to in education4   
,now what is the perfection of soul8    
,the perfection of each being in        
general1 is that which renders the being
 better and more perfect4 ,it is clear  

that inferior beings cannot make        
superior ones better and more perfect4  
,now the soul1 being immortal1 is       
superior to all earthly or perishable   
things4 ,these1 then1 cannot make the   
soul better and more perfect1 but rather
 worse than she is2 for he who seeks    
what is worse than himself1 makes       
himself worse than he was before4       
,therefore the good of the soul can be  
only that which is better and more      
excellent than the soul herself is4 ,now
 ,god alone is this ,good--,he being    
,goodness ,itself4 ,he who possesses    
,god may be said to possess the goodness
 of all other things2 for whatever      
goodness they possess1 they have from   
,god4 ,in the sun1 for instance1 you    
admire the light2 in a flower1 beauty2  
in bread1 the savor2 in the earth1 its  
fertility2 all these have their being   
from ,god4 ,no doubt ,god has reserved  
to ,himself far more than ,he has       
bestowed upon creatures2 this truth     
admitted1 it necessarily follows that he

 who enjoys ,god possesses in him all   
other things2 and consequently the very 
same delight which he would have taken  
in other things1 had he enjoyed them    
separately1 he enjoys in ,god1 in a far 
greater measure1 and in a more elevated 
manner4 ,for this reason1 ,st4 ,francis 
of ,assisium often used to exclaim3 ,my 
,god and my ,all--a saying to which he  
was so accustomed that he could scarcely
 think of anything else1 and often spent
 whole nights in meditating on this     
truth4  ,certainly true contentment is  
only that which is taken in the         
,creator1 and not that which is taken in
 the creature2 a contentment which no   
man can take from the soul1 and in      
comparison with which all other joy is  
sadness1 all pleasure sorrow1 all       
sweetness bitter1 all beauty ugliness1  
all delight affliction4 ,it is most     
certain that when face to face we shall 
see ,god as ,he is1 we shall have most  
perfect joy and happiness4 ,it follows1 
then1 most clearly1 that the nearer we  

approach to ,god in this life1 the more 
contentment of mind and the greater     
happiness of soul we shall enjoy2 and   
this contentment and joy is of the      
self-same nature as that which we shall 
have in heaven2 the only difference is1 
that here our joy and happiness is in an
 incipient state1 whilst there it will  
be brought to perfection4 ,he1 then1 is 
a truly wise and learned1 a truly       
well-educated1 man1 who here below has  
learned how to seek ,god1 and to be     
united as much as possible with the     
,supreme ,good of his soul4 ,he         
therefore imparts a good education to   
the soul1 who teaches her how to seek   
and to find her own ,good4  ,now what is
 it to teach the soul to find her own   
,supreme ,good8 ,it is to train1 to     
teach1 to lead the child in the way he  
should go1 leading him in the paths of  
duty1 first to ,god1 and secondly to his
 neighbor4 ,all not professed infidels1 
it appears to me1 must admit this       
definition4 ,but as very many believe in

 ,webster1 or ,worcester1 ,i give the   
former's definition of education3       
,educate--,to instill into the mind     
principles of art1 science1 morals1     
religion1 and behavior4 ,according to   
this definition of education1 morals and
 religion constitute essential parts of 
education4 ,indeed1 the first and most  
important of all duties which the child 
must learn are his moral and religious  
duties2 for it will1 ,i hope1 be        
universally admitted that man is not    
born into this world merely to propagate
 his species1 make money1 enjoy the     
pleasures of this world1 and die4 ,if he
 is not born for that end1 then it is   
most important that he be taught for    
what end he was born1 and the way       
appointed by his ,creator to attain that
 end4  ,every child born into this world
 is given a body and soul4 ,this soul1  
for which the body was created1 and     
which will rise with it at the last day1
 be judged with it for the acts done in 
life1 and be happy or unhappy with it   

for all eternity1 is1 in consequence of 
the fall1 turned away from ,god1 and the
 body1 no longer acting in obedience to 
right reason1 seeks its own             
gratification1 like any irrational      
animal4 ,religion 7from religio7 is the 
means provided by a merciful ,god to    
reunite the chain broken by the sin of  
our first parents1 and bridge over the  
chasm opened between man and his divine 
destiny4 ,to give this knowledge of     
religion is the principal purpose of    
education4 ,without this it is mere     
natural instruction1 but no education at
 all4 ,it would be worse than giving1 as
 we say1 the play of ,hamlet with the   
part of the ,prince of ,denmark left    
out4  ,religion1 then1 forms the spirit 
and essence of all true education4 ,as  
leaven must be diffused throughout the  
entire mass in order to produce its     
effects1 so religion must be thoroughly 
diffused throughout the child's entire  
education1 in order to be solid and     
effective4 ,not a moment of the hours of

 school should be left without religious
 influence4 ,it is the constant         
breathing of the air that preserves our 
bodily life1 and it is the constant     
dwelling in a religious atmosphere that 
preserves the life of the youthful soul4
 ,here are laid the primitive principles
 of future character and conduct4 ,these
 religious principles may be forgotten1 
or partially effaced1 in the journey of 
life1 but they will nevertheless endure1
 because they are engraved by the finger
 of ,god ,himself4 ,the poor wanderer1  
when the world has turned its back upon 
him1 after having trusted to its        
promises only to be deceived1 after     
having yielded to its temptations and   
blandishments only to be cruelly injured
 and mocked1 may1 at last1 in the       
bitterness of his heart1 remember the   
days of his youth1 and return to his    
father's house4 ,so long as faith       
remains1 however great the vice or the  
crime1 there is something to build on1  
and room to hope for repentance1 for    

reformation1 and final salvation4 ,faith
 or religion once gone1 all is gone4    
,religion is the crystal vase in which  
education is contained1 or rather the   
spirit which infuses and vitalizes it4  
,religion is the very life of society1  
the very soul of a ,christian ,state4   
,all nations and governments know and   
understand that to exclude ,christian   
education from the schools is to exclude
 it from their law1 legislature1 courts1
 and public and private manners4 ,it    
should1 then1 ever be borne in mind that
 religion1 though distinguishable1 is   
never separable from true civil and     
political science and philosophy4       
,enlightened statesmanship will always  
accept and recognize religious education
 as a most valuable and powerful ally in
 the government of the ,state1 or       
political society4 ,the great           
,washington clearly asserts this in his 
farewell address to the ,american       
people3 ,of the dispositions1 he says1  
which lead to political prosperity1     

religion and morality are indispensable 
supports4 ,where is the security for    
property or for life1 if the sense of   
religious obligation desert the oaths   
which are administered in our courts of 
justice8 ,and let it not be supposed    
that morality can be maintained without 
religion4 ,accordingly our legislatures 
are opened with prayer1 the ,bible is on
 the benches of our courts2 it is put   
into the hands of jurymen1 voters1 and  
even tax-payers2 indeed1 from its late  
use and abuse1 one might think that we  
were living under the ,pentateuch1 and  
that the whole moral law and ,ten       
,commandments were bound to the brows of
 the public or ,state phylacteries4     
,indeed1 the politics of every tribe1   
nation1 or people1 will reflect in an   
exact degree their moral and religious  
convictions and education4 ,if these are
 false1 the political society will be   
violent1 disorderly1 and abnormal2 if   
true1 the ,state is calm1 prosperous1   
strong and happy4 ,if these propositions

 be true1 and ,i claim they are as      
axiomatic and undeniable as any         
proposition in ,euclid--yea more so1 for
 they are the maxims of inspired        
wisdom--how immeasurably important is a 
true ,christian education6  ,and if its 
influence is so great in determining    
even the political conduct of men1 it is
 still more necessary and powerful in   
forming the character of true woman--the
 ,christian wife1 mother1 and daughter4 
,the influence of ,christian woman on   
society is incalculable4 ,admitting it  
possible1 for a moment1 that irreligious
 men might construct or direct an       
atheistical ,state1 yet it would be     
utterly vain to build up the family1 the
 groundwork of all organized            
communities1 without the aid of the     
,christian woman4 ,she it is who1 in the
 deep and silent recesses of the        
household1 puts together those primitive
 and enduring materials1 each in its    
place and order1 on which will rest and 
grow1 to full beauty and development1   

the fair proportion of every            
well-ordained ,state4 ,this foundation  
is laid in the care and rearing of good 
and dutiful children4 ,the task of the  
,christian mother may indeed be slow1   
and unobserved2 but ,god makes use of   
the weak to confound the strong1 and    
this is beautifully illustrated in the  
,christian woman1 who is strong because 
she is weak1 most influential when she  
is most retired1 and most happy1        
honored1 cherished and respected when   
she is doing the work assigned her by   
,divine ,providence1 in the bosom of her
 household4  ,it will be admitted1 then1
 that the education of girls demands a  
special culture4 ,generally upon mothers
 the domestic instruction of the        
children1 in their infancy1 mainly      
depends4 ,they ought1 therefore1 to be  
well instructed in the motives of       
religion1 articles of faith1 and all the
 practical duties and maxims of piety4  
,then history1 geography1 and some      
tincture of works of genius and spirit1 

may be joined with suitable arts and    
other accomplishments of their sex and  
condition1 provided they be guided by   
and referred to religion1 and provided  
books of piety and exercises of devotion
 always have the first place1 both in   
their hearts and in their time4  ,they  
should1 then1 from their earliest years1
 if possible1 be separated in their     
studies1 their plays1 and their going   
and returning from school1 from children
 of the opposite sex4 ,they should be   
placed under the surveillance and       
instruction of mature and pious women4  
,every possible occasion and influence  
should be used to instil into their     
young and plastic minds1 by lesson and  
example1 principles of religion and     
morality4 ,their studies should be grave
 and practical4 ,their nervous          
organization is naturally acute1 and    
should be strengthened1 but not         
stimulated1 as it too often is1 thereby 
laying the foundation for that terrible 
and tormenting train of neuralgic       

affections of after-life1 debilitating  
mind and body4  ,a thorough ,christian  
education1 then1 is the basis of all    
happiness and peace1 for the family as  
well as for the ,state itself2 for every
 ,state is but the union of several     
families4 ,it is for this reason that we
 find good parents so willing to make   
every sacrifice for the ,christian      
education of their children1 and that   
all true statesmen1 and all true lovers 
of their country1 have always encouraged
 and advocated that kind of education   
which is based upon ,christian          
principles4  ,good1 dutiful children are
 the greatest blessing for parents and  
for the ,state1 whilst children without 
religion are the greatest misfortune1   
the greatest curse that can come upon   
parents and upon the ,state4  ,history  
informs us that ,dion the philosopher   
gave a sharp reproof to ,dionysius the  
tyrant1 on account of his cruelty4      
,dionysius felt highly offended1 and    
resolved to avenge himself on ,dion2 so 

he took the son of ,dion prisoner1 not1 
indeed1 for the purpose of killing him1 
but of giving him up into the hands of a
 godless teacher4 ,after the young man  
had been long enough under this teacher 
to learn from him everything that was   
bad and impious1 ,dionysius sent him    
back to his father4 ,now what object had
 the tyrant in acting thus8 ,he foresaw 
that this corrupted son1 by his impious 
conduct during his whole lifetime1 would
 cause his father constant grief and    
sorrow1 so much so that he would be for 
him a lifelong affliction and curse4    
,this1 the tyrant thought1 was the      
longest and greatest revenge he could   
take on ,dion for having censured his   
conduct4  ,plato1 a heathen philosopher1
 relates that when the sons of the      
,persian kings had reached the age of   
fourteen1 they were given to four       
teachers4 ,the first of these teachers  
had to instruct them in their duties    
towards ,god2 the second1 to be truthful
 under all circumstances2 the third1 to 

overcome their passions2 and the fourth 
teacher taught them how to be valiant   
and intrepid men4  ,this truth1 that    
good children are the greatest blessing 
and that bad children are the greatest  
affliction that can befall parents and  
the ,state1 needs no further            
illustration4 ,there is no father1 there
 is no mother1 there is no statesman1   
who is not thoroughly convinced of this 
truth4 ,can we1 then1 wonder that the   
,catholic ,church has always encouraged 
a truly ,christian education8  ,there is
 nothing in history better established  
than the fact that the ,catholic ,church
 has been at all times1 and under the   
most trying circumstances1 the generous 
fostering-mother of education4 ,she has 
labored especially1 with untiring care1 
to educate the poor1 who are her        
favorite children4 ,it was the ,catholic
 ,church that founded1 and endowed      
liberally1 almost all the great         
universities of ,europe4 ,protestants   
and infidels are very apt to overlook   

the incalculable benefits which the     
,church has conferred on mankind1 and   
yet without her agency civilization     
would have been simply impossible4  ,the
 ,catholic ,church was1 moreover1 the   
first to establish common schools for   
the free education of the people4 ,as   
early as ,a4,d4 #ebi1 we find the       
,council of ,vaison recommending the    
establishment of public schools4 ,in    
#hjj1 a synod at ,mentz ordered that the
 parochial priests should have schools  
in the towns and villages1 that the     
little children of all the faithful     
should learn letters from them4 ,let    
them receive and teach these with the   
utmost charity1 that they themselves may
 shine as the stars forever4 ,let them  
receive no remuneration from their      
scholars1 unless what the parents1      
through charity1 may voluntarily offer4 
,a ,council at ,rome1 in #hcf1 ordained 
that there should be three kinds of     
schools throughout ,christendom3        
episcopal1 parochial in towns and       

villages1 and others wherever there     
could be found place and opportunity4   
,the ,council of ,lateran1 in #aagi1    
ordained the establishment of a grammar 
school in every cathedral for the       
gratuitous instruction of the poor4     
,this ordinance was enlarged and        
enforced by the ,council of ,lyons1 in  
#abde4 ,in a word1 from the days of     
,charlemagne1 in the ninth century1 down
 to those of ,leo ,x41 in the sixteenth 
century1 free schools sprang up in rapid
 succession over the greater part of    
,europe2 and1 mark well1 it was almost  
always under the shadow of her churches 
and her monasteries6 ,throughout the    
entire period1 called1 by ignorant      
bigotry1 the dark ages1 ,roman ,pontiffs
 and ,catholic ,bishops assembled in    
council and enacted laws requiring the  
establishment of free schools in        
connection with all the cathedral and   
parochial churches4 ,this is a fact so  
clearly proven by ,catholic and         
,protestant historians1 that to deny it 

would be to betray a gross ignorance of 
history4 ,even at the present day1 the  
,papal ,states1 with a population of    
only about #b1jjj1jjj1 contain seven    
universities1 with an average attendance
 of #ffj students1 whilst ,prussia1 with
 a population of #ad1jjj1jjj1 and so    
renowned for her education1 has only    
seven6 ,again1 in every street in ,rome 
there are1 at short distances1 public   
primary schools for the education of the
 children of the middle and lower       
classes4 ,rome1 with a population of    
only about #aeh1jjj souls1 has #cgb     
public primary schools1 with #dhb       
teachers1 and over #ad1jjj children     
attending them1 whilst ,berlin1 with a  
population more than double that of     
,rome1 has only #bfd schools4 ,thus     
originated the popular or common        
schools1 or the free education of the   
people1 as an outgrowth of the ,catholic
 ,church4  ,every one knows that to the 
,catholic ,church is due the            
preservation of literature after the    

downfall of the ,roman ,empire2 and all 
those who are versed in history must    
admit that the ,popes1 the rulers of the
 ,church1 have been the greatest        
promoters and protectors of literature  
and learned men in every age4 ,they     
collected and preserved the writings of 
the great historians1 poets1 and        
philosophers of ,greece and ,rome1 and  
they encouraged and rewarded the learned
 men who1 by their labors1 made those   
fountains of classical literature easily
 accessible to all students4 ,what shall
 ,i say of the patronage which they     
accorded to painting1 sculpture1        
architecture1 music1 and the other arts 
which raise up and refine the human     
soul8 ,even the present glorious        
,pontiff1 ,pius ,,ix41 in the midst of  
troubles and persecutions1 has done more
 for education than the richest and most
 powerful sovereigns of the world4 ,you 
will unite with me1 ,i am sure1 in      
praying that he may soon recover the    
sovereignty of ,rome and the ,papal     

,states1 and that he may live many years
 to defend1 as he has done in the past1 
the cause of religion1 truth1 ,christian
 education1 and civilization in the     
world4 ,but it would take a whole day to
 refer even briefly to all that the     
,catholic ,church and her ,supreme      
,pontiffs have done to dissipate        
ignorance1 and to improve and enlighten 
the mind of man4 ,i shall merely add    
that a ,protestant writer1 and an open  
enemy of our religion1 does not hesitate
 to state that1 acting under the        
guidance and protection of the ,holy    
,see1 some of our religious orders1     
which are so often assailed and         
calumniated1 have done more for the     
promotion of philosophy1 theology1      
history1 archaeology1 and learning in   
general1 than all the great universities
 of the world1 with all their wealth and
 patronage4  ,moreover1 it is a         
well-known fact that the ,catholic      
,church has always fought for the       
liberty to educate her children not only

 in the necessary branches of science1  
but also1 and above all1 to teach them1 
at the same time1 their religious duties
 towards ,god and their fellow-men4 ,and
 who but an infidel can blame her for   
that8  ,every one must know that by the 
united efforts of the ,catholic clergy  
and laity1 schools1 colleges1           
seminaries1 boarding-schools for ladies 
and boys1 and other educational         
establishments1 have been erected in    
almost every part of the world1 and     
erected without a cent of public money1 
which was so plentifully lavished on    
,protestant institutions4 ,but1 without 
leaving this country1 do we not find in 
the various ,states of the ,union       
magnificent proofs of generous ,catholic
 zeal in promoting everything connected 
with education8 ,and have not the       
parochial and religious clergy in so    
many places made the noblest exertions  
to erect institutions for the           
instruction of their flocks8 and have   
not the laity assisted them in a most   

munificent manner8 ,all this shows their
 great desire to promote the growth of  
knowledge4  ,man is born a believing    
creature1 and cannot1 if he would1      
destroy altogether this noble attribute 
of his nature4 ,if he is not taught1 or 
will not accept1 a belief in the living 
and uncreated ,god1 he will create and  
worship some other god in ,his stead4   
,he cannot rest on pure negation4 ,there
 never has been a real1 absolute        
unbeliever4 ,all the so-called          
unbelievers are either knaves or idiots4
 ,all the ,gentile nations of the past  
have been religious people2 all the     
,pagan powers of the present are also   
believers4 ,there never has been a      
nation without faith1 without an altar1 
without a sacrifice4 ,man can never1    
even for a single instant1 escape the   
,all-seeing ,eye of ,god1 or avoid the  
obligations of duty imposed on him by   
his ,creator4 ,the ,pantheists of       
ancient as well as of modern times      
recognize this fact1 although they do   

not discharge their religious           
obligations conformably to the ,divine  
will1 but make to themselves other gods 
instead4  ,as there has been a religion 
and a ritual among all nations1 tribes  
and peoples1 so has there been also a   
hierarchy to teach this religion1 and   
make known its obligations4 ,these      
religious obligations constituted then1 
and constitute even now1 the basis of   
all popular education throughout the    
world--,christian1 ,gentile1 or         
,pagan--there is no exception to this   
fact save in these ,united ,states of   
,america4     ,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,origin
 ,,of ,,the ,,public ,,school ,,system4 
,strange as it may seem1 it is a certain
 undeniable fact that there is not1 on  
the entire continent of ,europe1 or in  
the entire world1 a single country1     
,protestant or ,catholic1 that upholds  
the ,pagan system of education which has
 been adopted in this free country4 ,in 
all of them ,catholic and ,protestant   
children receive religious instruction1 

during the school-hours1 from their     
respective pastors4 ,the present system 
of the ,public ,schools in the ,united  
,states professes to exclude all        
religious exercises4 ,we are often told 
that this is the ,american system1 and  
that it is very impertinent for         
foreigners to wish to bring religion    
into schools against the ,american idea4
 ,now the assertion that the exclusion  
of all religion from the schools is     
truly ,american1 that it is an essential
 part of our national system1 is utterly
 false4 ,so far as any system of public 
schools can be said to have an ,american
 idea1 the idea will be found to be     
education based on religious            
instruction4  ,the first schools        
established in the ,union were religious
 denominational schools4 ,these schools 
were supported by the churches with     
which they were connected1 and by their 
patrons4 ,religious exercises formed a  
part of the daily duties of the         
class-room4 ,the early founders of this 

,republic were not able to understand   
how they could bring up their children  
in the knowledge1 love1 and service of  
,god by banishing the ,bible1 prayer1   
and religious exercises of every kind   
from the school4 ,hence religion was    
reverenced1 and its duties attended to  
in all institutions of learning in the  
country4 ,the ,american system of       
education1 in its incipiency1 and for a 
long while1 was one founded on          
,bible-teaching and religious exercises4
 ,the present system is un-,american1   
anti-,american4  ,now how did it happen 
that the primitive ,christian system of 
education became unchristian and        
anti-,american8 ,to make you understand 
more clearly the origin of the present  
system of the ,public ,schools1 ,i must 
first show you how ,secret ,societies   
seek to spread ,irreligious ,education  
in ,europe4  ,these societies profess   
the most irreligious and anti-social    
doctrines4 ,among the chief means       
employed by them for pushing forward    

their diabolical principles is          
,education without ,religion4 ,the      
,international1 one of the most powerful
 of these organizations1 has lately put 
forward a programme1 in which the       
following points are laid down as most  
necessary to be insisted upon in the    
agitation conducted by the socialist    
democratic party in ,switzerland3       
444 ,compulsory and gratuitous education
 up to the completion      of the       
fourteenth year of each child's age4444 
,separation of      the ,church from the
 ,state1 and also of the schools from   
the      ,church4  ,about three short   
years ago a pamphlet was published in   
which we find detailed the efforts made 
in ,france to spread irreligion by means
 of bad education4 ,the letters of      
eighty of the ,prelates of ,france are  
appended to the pamphlet4 ,alas6 the sad
 forebodings of that noble episcopate   
have been too soon and too terribly     
fulfilled6  ,the following lengthy      
extracts are taken from the late        

,pastoral of the ,bishops of ,ireland on
 ,christian ,education3       ,,efforts 
,,to ,,spread ,,irreligious ,,education 
,,in ,,france--,,disastrous             
,,results ,,in ,,france4       ',i see1'
 says the most reverend author1 'that   
for some time      past the most        
extraordinary efforts are made in       
,france to      spread impiety1         
immorality1 the most anti-social        
theories1      under the pretext of     
spreading education4 ,no longer as      
formerly1 it is in newspapers and books 
that religion1      morality1 and the   
eternal principles of good order are    
attacked      with the most deceitful   
and formidable weapon of a corrupt      
system of education4 ,under cover of an 
excellent object--and      here is the  
great danger1 for we are deluded by this
      pretext--under the pretext of     
spreading education and waging      war 
against ignorance1 infidelity is spread1
 war is waged      against religion2 and
 thus1 whether we will or no1 we rush on

      to the ruin of all order1 moral   
and social4 ,and we1 the      ,bishops1 
who are as desirous as others1 and      
perhaps more      desirous than others1 
to see spread far and wide the blessings
      of education1 the education of    
children1 female education1 the         
education of our whole people1 for this 
is by excellence a      ,christian work1
 we are accused of being enemies of     
education1      because we oppose       
anti-,christian and anti-social         
education4'  ,the first fact mentioned  
by the learned writer is the existence  
of schools1 which are called            
professional schools for females1 into  
which young girls are received at twelve
 years of age and upwards1 for the      
purpose of continuing their education   
and learning a profession4 ,these       
schools have been founded by women1     
free-thinkers1 who formally and         
expressly declare it to be their object 
to train the youth of their own sex in  
rationalism and infidelity4 ,the        

following incident shows the impious end
 for which these schools have been      
founded3 ,one of the principal teachers 
died1 and over her grave her husband    
pronounced these words1--,i will tell   
you1 for it is my duty to tell you1 that
 if this funeral is that of a           
free-thinker unaccompanied by any       
religious ceremony1 it is so not only by
 my wish1 but also and chiefly because  
such was the desire of my dear wife4 ,he
 adds that she had devoted herself to   
the great work of spreading education   
and morality without religion1 because  
she had no faith except in learning and 
in justice2 she was of those who1 having
 once seen and comprehended these       
truths1 can have no other beacon to     
guide them in life1 or at the hour of   
death4 ,round that grave1 whose occupant
 had rejected religion and its          
ministrations in life and in death1     
stood three hundred girls1 pupils of    
those professional schools1 holding     
bouquets in their hands1 and throwing   

flowers on the coffin of their mistress4
 ,the schools are of a piece with the   
teachers4 ,ten hours are spent in them1 
but all religious instruction is        
strictly forbidden1 under the pretext   
that they are free schools1 open to     
children of all persuasions1 without    
religious distinction4 ,the founders of 
these schools propose to give to the    
girls intrusted to them a moral         
education without ever speaking to them 
of religion6 ,and this is the system of 
education which people are anxious to   
spread throughout ,france1 and even in  
this country also4 ,but1 though we hope 
they will not succeed1 can we feel fully
 confident that we shall escape the     
contagion1 when we remember that this   
system is no other than the mixed       
system1 and when we bear in mind the    
untiring efforts which are made to      
develop and consolidate that system in  
,ireland in every branch of education1  
from the university1 through the        
model-school1 down to the humblest      

village-school8 ,read the description of
 the schools in ,france1 of which we are
 speaking1 and say1 does it not apply to
 every school1 even in ,ireland1 where  
the mixed principle is thoroughly       
carried out8       ,the printed         
prospectus of these schools continues   
the most      reverend writer clearly   
explains the advantages of              
professional education1 while it hides  
the religious danger      under vague   
expressions of an apparent liberality1  
such as the      following3 ',the school
 is open to children of all persuasions1
      without religious distinction4'   
,the meaning of which words is      no  
other than that in these schools1 where 
children are kept      from the twelfth 
to the eighteenth year of their age1 and
 for      ten hours every day 7from     
eight ,a4,m4 to six ,p4,m471 ,god and   
the      ,gospel shall be treated as if 
they never existed2 not only            
religion shall never be mentioned1 but  
these girls shall be      taught        

morality independent of any dogmatic    
faith1 any      religion4444       ,the 
second engine used by the enemies of    
religion in ,france      for the        
maintenance and spread of infidelity1 is
 the      ,educational ,league4 ,this   
,league has been introduced from        
,belgium into ,france by the ,freemasons
 and the      ',solidaires'--the members
 of an impious association1 the avowed  
object of which is to prevent persons   
from receiving the      sacraments1 or  
any of the sacred rites of the ,church1 
in life      or in death4 ,the          
,educational ,league1 with a wonderful  
spirit of      propagandism1 has        
established throughout ,france libraries
 and      courses of instruction for men
 and for women1 and even for      girls 
and young children4 ,on their banner is 
inscribed ',spread      of ,education'2 
but under this device is hidden the     
scheme of      propagating irreligion4  
,the founder of the ',league' in        
,france,a was a ,freemason1 and both his

 declarations and those      of the     
organs of ,freemasonry leave no doubt of
 the ,masonic      origin of the scheme1
 and of the spirit which animates it4   
,now      the third article of the      
statutes of the ',league' declares1     
when speaking of the education to be    
given by their      association1 that   
'neither politics nor religion shall    
have      any part in it4' ,and lest    
there should be any mistake as to the   
meaning of this article1 one of the     
leading ,masonic journals      declares 
that religion is 'useless as an         
instrument for forming      the minds of
 children1 and that from a certain point
 of view it      is capable of leading  
them to abandon all moral principles4   
,it is incumbent on us1 therefore1'     
concludes this journal1 'to      exclude
 all religion4 ,we will teach you its   
rights and duties      in the name of   
liberty1 of conscience1 of reason1 and1 
in      fine1 in the name of our        
society4',b ,and again3 ',freemasons    

must give in their adhesion en masse to 
the excellent      ,educational ,league1
 and the lodges must in the peace of    
their      temples seek out the best    
means of making it effectual4 ,their    
influence in this way will be most      
useful4 ,the principles we      profess 
are precisely in accord with those which
 inspired that      project4',c ,in     
,april of the same year1 the same organ 
of      ,freemasonry contained the      
following paragraph3 ',we are happy to  
announce that the ,educational ,league  
and the statue of our      brother      
,voltaire meet with the greatest support
 in all the      lodges4 ,there could   
not be two subscription-lists more in   
harmony with each other3 ,voltaire1 the 
representative of the      destruction  
of prejudices and superstition2 the     
,educational      ,league1 the engine   
for building up a new society based     
solely      upon learning and           
instruction4 ,our brethren understood it
 so4'      ,in fine1 that there may not 

remain upon our minds the least         
doubt as to the identity of the         
principles of this ,league with         
those of ,voltaire1 we find its founder 
in ,france proposing1 at      a great   
,masonic dinner1 a toast to the memory  
of that      arch-infidel2 while the    
newspaper from which we have quoted so  
largely1 informs its readers that at one
 of the 'professional      schools1'    
described above1 the prize for good     
conduct 7le prix      de morale7 was    
awarded to 'the daughters of a          
free-thinker1      who have never       
attended any place of religious         
worship4'  ,we cannot better conclude   
our remarks on the efforts made in      
,france to destroy religion in the      
masses by means of education1 than in   
the following words of warning1 not less
 applicable to good and sincere         
,catholics in ,ireland nowadays1 than to
 those to whom they were specially      
addressed3       ,good and sincere      
,catholics 7continues the author of the 

pamphlet already quoted71 who1 deceived 
by the motto of the      association1   
have given their names to this          
,educational      ,league1 take part1   
without knowing it1 in a ,masonic       
institution1 and in building up this new
 state of society1 from      which      
religion is to be banished4 ,well may   
the ,bishop of ,metz      say3 ',these  
persons forget that1 like ,proteus in   
the fable1      ,freemasonry knows how  
to multiply ad infinitum its            
transformations and its names4          
,yesterday it called itself ',les       
,solidaires1' or 'morality independent  
of religion1' or      'freedom of       
thought'2 to-day it takes the title of  
an      ',educational ,league'2         
to-morrow it will find some other name  
by      which to deceive the simple4    
,the efforts to corrupt the youth of    
unhappy ,france by means of bad         
education in its higher branches1 have  
been not less energetic and wide-spread4
 ,the lectures of the ,school of        

,medicine of ,paris were inaugurated in 
#ahfe1 amid shouts of ,materialism      
forever1,d and on the thirtieth of      
,december a candidate for degrees was   
permitted by the ,medical ,faculty to   
advance the following revolutionary     
doctrine1 grounded on the materialistic 
principles he had been taught3 ,who     
still speaks to us of free-will8 ,as the
 stone which falls to the ground obeys  
the laws of weight1 man obeys the laws  
which are proper to him4444             
,responsibility is the same for all1    
that is to say1 none4 ,and again3       
,physicians must not be accomplices of  
the magistrates and judges1 who punish  
men for acts for which they are not     
responsible--pp4 #cb1 #cc4 ,here we have
 a sample of the teaching of the ,school
 of ,medicine of ,paris1 not only the   
first medical school of ,france1 but    
among the first schools of ,europe4 ,and
 this sample is1 unfortunately1 not a   
solitary one4 ,the ,medical ,faculty of 
the ,university of ,paris gave medals in

 #ahff for two dissertations1 in one of 
which we find a denial of the act of    
creation and of ,god the ,creator1 and a
 rejection of every metaphysical idea1  
as useless and dangerous2 while human   
thought is set down as produced by heat6
 ,in the other we read the following    
propositions3 ,matter is eternal4 ,the  
action of a ,first ,cause is useless and
 irrational--it is chimerical6 ,again3  
,it is absolutely impossible to explain 
the existence of a creative power2 and  
an immaterial being is not necessary for
 the production of life4 ,and1 to       
attribute the phenomena of life to an   
immaterial soul1 is to substitute a     
chimerical being for the hypothesis of  
machinists4 ,materialists have done good
 service to physiology by eliminating   
metaphysical entities from this study4  
,the idea of the soul1 as an immaterial 
power1 is a mere abstraction2 in fact1  
nothing of the kind exists4  ,unhappily 
these principles1 subversive of all     
morality1 are not advanced by the       

aspirants only to academical            
distinctions2 most certainly the        
students would not advance these        
theories had they not learned them from 
their masters4 ,hence we find one of the
 ,professors of the ,university of      
,france1 in ,bordeaux1 asserting1 that  
even among civilized nations moral ideas
 are so relative1 contradictory1 and    
dependent on exterior and individual    
relations1 that it is impossible1 and   
will always be impossible1 to find an   
absolute definition of goodness4--p4    
#ch1 note4 ,and the ,medical ,review    
published the discourse pronounced by   
one of the physicians of the ,faculty of
 ,paris1 ,m4 ,verneuil1 over the grave  
of a member of their learned body1 ,dr4 
,foucher1 in which we find the          
following3       ',we are reproached    
with believing with the sages of old1   
that      ,fate is blind1 and as such   
presides over our lot4 ,and why         
should we not believe it8444 ,humbling  
and sad as is this      admission1 still

 we must make it3 imperceptible elements
 of the      great social organization  
appearing upon this earth as living     
beings1 fragments of matter agitated by 
a spirit1 we are born1      we live1 and
 we die1 unconscious of our destiny1    
playing our      part without any       
precise notion of the end1 and in the   
midst of      the darkness which covers 
our origin and our end1 having only     
one consolation--the love of our        
fellow-man4       ',this simple         
philosophy alone1' ,m4 ,verneuil        
continues1      'assuages our grief and 
ends by drying our tears4 ,by the side  
of the half-open tomb we ask1 whether he
 whom it contains      served the good  
cause without deceit4444 ,if1 by his    
intelligence or his kindness of heart1  
he labored in the great      work1 we   
say he has paid his part of the common  
debt1 and      whether he returns to his
 original nothing or not1 whether he    
is destroyed or merely changes his form1
 whether he hears our      words or not1

 we thank him in the name of the past   
and of the      future4'  ,another      
distinguished ,professor published1 in  
#ahff1 ,lectures on the ,physiology of  
the ,nervous ,system1 in which we find  
the following passage3       ,we admit1'
 he says1 'without any restriction1 that
      intellectual phenomena in animals 
are of the same order as in             
man4444' ',as for free-will1 we         
comprehend a certain kind of            
free-will in the more intelligent       
animals2 and1 on the other      hand1 we
 may add1 that perhaps man is not so    
free as he would      fain persuade     
himself he is4' ,and 'as to feeling the 
distinction between good and evil1 it is
 a grave question1      which we must   
first study in man himself6'  ,let it   
not be supposed that these principles   
are merely announced as abstractions2   
conclusions are drawn from them which   
must fill every thinking mind with      
horror4 ,eighty students of the ,normal 
,school1 the great training institution 

of teachers for the ,north of ,france1  
applauded such conclusions in a public  
letter4 ,several of the infidel         
,professors of the ,faculty of ,medicine
 received ovations from crowded         
class-rooms2 millions of immoral and    
irreligious books were scattered        
throughout the country4 ,thus           
,freemasonry1 under the pretext of      
combating ignorance1 wages a deceitful  
and implacable war against religion4 ,we
 too1 says the organ of ,freemasons1,e  
we too expect our ,messiah1 the true    
,messiah1 of the mind and               
reason--universal education6       ,it  
is scarcely necessary for us to remind  
you1 dearly beloved      brethren1 that 
the seeds of irreligion and anarchy thus
 sown      broadcast over the fair face 
of ,france1 have already produced a     
too abundant harvest of evils1 perhaps  
the most disastrous      recorded on the
 page of history4 ,all ,europe has been 
horrified      by the atrocities        
perpetrated within the last few months  

in the      name of liberty in that     
city1 which was looked on as the centre 
of the civilization of the world4       
,national monuments have been           
destroyed1 peaceable citizens robbed and
 murdered1 the      venerable           
,archbishop1 many of the clergy1 and    
leading members      of the civil and   
military authorities1 massacred in cold 
blood4      ,in other cities of ,france1
 too1 we have seen anarchy and          
irreligion proclaimed--miscreants in    
arms against the property1      and     
liberty1 and lives of their             
fellow-citizens1 often of the           
helpless and unprotected2 and all this  
at a moment when the      country was   
invaded1 and a part of it occupied1 by  
its enemies4      ,the storm had been   
sown1 and in very truth unfortunate     
,france      has reaped the whirlwind4  
,,spread ,,of ,,infidelity ,,through    
,,bad ,,education ,,not ,,confined ,,to 
,,france4  ,and unhappily1 dearly       
beloved brethren1 the spread of infidel 

principles by means of bad education is 
not confined to ,france4 ,a few years   
ago a congress of students was held in  
,liege1 in ,belgium1 where infidel and  
anti-social principles in their worst   
form were proclaimed amidst the plaudits
 of the assembly4 ,in ,england          
irreligion and socialism are publicly   
taught4 ,even in our own country it is a
 matter of notoriety1 that a ,chair in  
one of the ,queen's ,colleges has been  
occupied since their foundation by a    
gentleman1 who1 in a published work1    
extolled the first ,french revolution1  
and1 in another place of the same book1 
compared our ,saviour1 whose name be    
praised forever1 to ,luther and to      
,mahomet6 ,again3 ,in ,trinity ,college 
one of the ,fellows denies the          
fundamental truth of ,christianity      
respecting the eternity of the          
punishment of sin2 and others call in   
question the inspiration of the ,holy   
,scriptures1 or of portions of them1 and
 impugn many truths which constitute the

 foundation of all revealed religion4   
,in the same ,university1 too1 the      
doctrines of ,positivism1 a late form of
 infidel philosophy1 have a large number
 of followers4 ,the nature of that      
philosophy may be gathered from the     
following passages in the ',catechism of
 ,positivism1 or ,summary ,exposition of
 the ,universal ,religion1' translated  
from the ,french of ,auguste ,comte4    
,the preface begins thus3       ',in the
 name of the past and of the future1 the
 servants of      humanity--both its    
philosophical and practical             
servants--come      forward to claim1 as
 their due1 the general direction of    
this      world4 ,their object is to    
constitute at length a real             
,providence in all departments--moral1  
intellectual1 and      material4        
,consequently they exclude1 once for    
all1 from      political supremacy1 all 
the different servants of               
,god--,catholic1 ,protestant1 or        
,deist--as being at once                

behind-hand and a cause of disturbance4'
  ,the work consists of ',thirteen      
,systematic ,conversations between a    
,woman and a ,priest of ,humanity1' and 
the doctrines contained in it are       
epitomized in the following blasphemous 
lines3  ',in a word1 ,humanity          
definitely occupies the place of ,god1  
but she does not forget the services    
which the idea of ,god provisionally    
rendered4'  ,,testimony ,,of ,,rev4     
,,professor ,,liddon4  ,again1 during   
the last two sessions of ,parliament1 a 
,select ,committee of the ,house of     
,lords sat to inquire into the condition
 of the ,english ,universities4 ,the    
,marquis of ,salisbury was the chairman4
 ,the evidence taken before that        
committee reveals the appalling fact    
that infidelity1 or doubt as to the     
first principles of the ,christian      
religion1 nay1 of belief in ,god1 is    
wide-spread in the ,universities of     
,england1 and especially among the most 
intellectual of the students2 and that  

this sad result is due in a great       
measure to the teaching and             
examinations4 ,in the first report for  
the session #ahga1 pp4 #fg1 #fi1 and    
#gj1 in the evidence of the ,rev4       
,professor ,liddon1 ,d4,d41 ,canon of   
,st4 ,paul's1 ,london1 and ,professor of
 ,exegesis in the ,university of        
,oxford1 we find the following passages3
       ,quest4 #fie4 ,chairman4--',very 
strong evidence has been      given to  
us upon the influence of the ,final     
,school' 7the      examination for      
degrees with honors7 'upon ,oxford      
thought1 as      tending to produce at  
least momentary disbelief4'             
,witness4--',i have no doubt whatever it
 is one of the main      causes of our  
present embarrassments4'                
#fif4--',that1 ,i suppose1 is a         
comparatively new phenomenon8'          
',yes2 it dates from the last great     
modification in the system      pursued 
in the ,honors ,school of literae       
humaniores4 ,it is      mainly the      

one-sided system1 as ,i should venture  
to call it1 of      modern philosophical
 writers4'       #fig4--';,is there any 
special defect in the management which  
produces this state of things1 or is it 
essential to the nature      of the     
school8'       ',i fear it is to a great
 extent essential to the nature of the  
school1 as its subjects are at present  
distributed4'  ,again1 in answer to     
,question #gjf1 the same witness says3  
',i ought to have stated to the noble   
,chairman just now that      cases have 
come within my own experience of men who
 have come      up from school as       
,christians1 and have been earnest      
,christians      up to the time of      
beginning to read philosophy for the    
,final      ,school1 but who1 during the
 year and a half or two years           
employed in this study1 have surrendered
 first their      ,christianity1 and    
next their belief in ,god1 and have left
 the      ,university not believing in a
 ,supreme ,being4'  ,now what kind of a 

being is the infidel1 or the man without
 religion8 ,to have no religion is a    
crime1 and to boast of having none is   
the height of folly4 ,he that has no    
religion must necessarily lose the      
esteem and confidence of his friends4   
,what confidence1 ,i ask1 can be placed 
in a man who has no religion1 and1      
consequently1 no knowledge of his       
duties8 ,what confidence can you place  
in a man who never feels himself bound  
by any obligation of conscience1 who has
 no higher motive to direct him than his
 self-love1 his own interests8 ,the     
pagan ,roman1 though enlightened only by
 reason1 had yet virtue enough to say3  
,i live not for myself1 but for the     
,republic2 but the infidel's motto is3  
,i live only for myself2 ,i care for no 
one but myself4 ,oh1 what a monster     
would such a man be in society were he  
really to think as he speaks1 and to act
 as he thinks6  ,a man who has no       
religion1 must first prove that he is   
honest before we can believe him to be  

so4 ,it is said of kings and rulers1    
they must prove that they have a heart1 
and it may also be said of the man who  
has no religion1 that he must prove that
 he has a conscience4 ,and ,i fear he   
would not find it so easy a task4  ,a   
man without religion is a man without   
reason1 a man without principle1 a man  
sunk in the grossest ignorance of what  
religion is4 ,he blasphemes what he does
 not understand4 ,he rails at the       
doctrines of ,christianity1 without     
really knowing what these doctrines are4
 ,he sneers at the doctrines and        
practices of religion1 because he cannot
 refute them4 ,he speaks with the utmost
 gravity of the fine arts1 the fashions1
 and even matters the most trivial1 and 
he turns into ridicule the most sacred  
subjects4 ,in the midst of his own      
circle of fops and silly women1 he      
utters his shallow conceits with all the
 pompous assurance of a pedant4  ,the   
man without religion is a dishonest     
plagiarist1 who copies from ,christian  

writers all the objections made against 
the ,church by the infidels of former   
and modern times2 but he takes good care
 to omit all the excellent answers and  
complete refutations which are contained
 in these very same writings4 ,his      
object is not to seek the truth1 but to 
propagate falsehood4  ,the man without  
religion is a slave of the most         
degrading superstition4 ,instead of     
worshipping the true1 free1 living ,god1
 who governs all things by ,his         
,providence1 he bows before the horrid  
phantom of blind chance or inexorable   
destiny4 ,he is a man who obstinately   
refuses to believe the most             
solidly-established facts in favor of   
religion1 and yet1 with blind credulity1
 greedily swallows the most absurd      
falsehoods uttered against religion4 ,he
 is a man whose reason has fled1 and    
whose passions speak1 object and decide 
in the name of reason4  ,the man without
 religion often pretends to be an       
infidel merely in order to appear       

fashionable4 ,he is usually conceited1  
obstinate1 puffed up with pride1 a great
 talker1 always shallow and fickle1     
skipping from one subject to another    
without even thoroughly examining a     
single one4 ,at one moment he is a      
,deist1 at another a ,materialist1 then 
he is a ,sceptic1 and again an ,atheist2
 always changing his views1 but always a
 slave of his passions1 always an enemy 
of ,christ4  ,the man without religion  
is a slave of the most shameful         
passions4 ,he tries to prove to the     
world that man is a brute1 in order that
 he might have the gratification of     
leading the life of a brute4 ,i ask you1
 what virtue can that man have who      
believes that whatever he desires is    
lawful1 who designates the most shameful
 crimes by the refined name of innocent 
pleasures8 ,what virtue can that man    
have who knows no other law than his    
passions2 who believes that ,god regards
 with equal eye truth and falsehood1    
vice and virtue8 ,he may indeed practise

 some natural virtues1 but these virtues
 are in general only exterior4 ,they are
 practised merely out of human respect2 
they do not come from the heart4 ,now   
the seat of true virtue is in the heart1
 and not in the exterior4 ,he that acts 
merely to please man and not to please  
,god1 has no real virtue4  ,the man     
without religion often praises all      
religions2 he is a true knave4 ,he says3
 ,if ,i were to choose my religion1 ,i  
would become a ,catholic1 for it is the 
most reasonable of all religions4 ,but  
in his heart he despises all religion4  
,he is a man who scrapes together all   
the wicked and absurd calumnies he can  
find against the ,church4 ,he falsely   
accuses her of teaching monstrous       
doctrines which she has always abhorred 
and condemned1 and he displays his      
ingenuity by combating those monstrous  
doctrines which he himself has invented1
 or copied from authors as dishonest as 
himself4 ,the infidel is a monster      
without faith1 without law1 without     

religion1 without ,god4  ,there are many
 who call themselves free-thinkers1 many
 who reject all revealed religion1      
merely out of silly puerile vanity4     
,they affect singularity in order to    
attract notice1 in order to make people 
believe that they are strong-minded1    
that they are independent4 ,poor deluded
 slaves of human respect6 ,they affect  
singularity in order to attract notice1 
and they forget that there is another   
class of people in the world also noted 
for singularity4 ,in fact they are so   
singular that they have to be shut up   
for safe keeping in a mad-house4  ,what 
is the difference between an infidel and
 a madman8 ,the only difference is1 that
 the madness of the infidel is wilful1  
while the madness of the poor lunatic is
 entirely involuntary4 ,the one arouses 
our compassion1 while the other excites 
our contempt and just indignation4      
,finally1 the man without religion says3
 ,there is no ,god4 ,he says so in his  
heart1 says ,holy ,writ2 he says not so 

in his head1 because he knows better4   
,let him be in imminent danger of death1
 or of a considerable loss of fortune1  
and you will see how quick1 on such     
occasions1 he lays aside the mask of    
infidelity2 he makes his profession of  
faith in an ,almighty ,god2 he cries    
out3 ,lord save me1 ,i am perishing6    
,lord have mercy on me6 and the like4   
,there is still another proof to show   
that the infidel does not believe what  
he says3 why is it that he makes his    
impious doctrines the subject of        
conversation on every occasion8 ,it is1 
of course1 first to communicate his     
devilish principles to others1 and make 
them as bad as he himself is2 but this  
is not the only reason4 ,the good       
,catholic seldom speaks of his religion2
 he feels assured1 by the grace of ,god1
 that his religion is the only true one1
 and that he will be saved if he lives  
up to his religion4 ,this1 however1 is  
not the case with the infidel4 ,he is   
constantly tormented in his soul4 ,there

 is no peace1 no happiness for the      
impious1 says ,holy ,scripture4--7,isa4 
xlviii4 #bb47 ,he tries to quiet the    
fears of his soul1 the remorse of his   
conscience4 ,so he communicates to      
others1 on every occasion1 his perverse 
principles1 hoping that he may meet with
 some of his fellow-men who may approve 
of his impious views1 and that thus he  
may find some relief for his interior   
torments4 ,he resembles a timid         
night-traveller4 ,a timid man1 who is   
obliged to travel during a dark night1  
begins to sing and to cry in order to   
keep away too great fear4 ,the infidel  
is a sort of night-traveller2 he        
certainly travels in the horrible       
darkness of his impiety4 ,his interior  
conviction tells him that there is a    
,god1 who will certainly punish him in  
the most frightful manner4 ,this fills  
him with great fear1 and makes him      
extremely unhappy every moment of his   
life4 ,he cannot bear the sight of a    
,catholic church1 of a ,catholic        

procession1 of an image of our ,lord1 of
 a picture of a saint1 of a prayer-book1
 of a good ,catholic1 of a priest2 in a 
word1 he cannot bear anything that      
reminds him of ,god1 of religion1 of his
 guilt1 and of his impiety4 ,so he      
cries1 on every occasion1 against faith 
in ,god1 in all that ,god has revealed  
and proposes to us for our belief by the
 ,holy ,church4 ,what is the object of  
his impious cries8 ,it is to deafen1 to 
keep down in some measure1 the clamors  
of his bad conscience4 ,our hand will   
involuntarily touch that part of the    
body where we feel pain4 ,so1 in like   
manner1 the tongue of the infidel       
touches1 on all occasions1 involuntarily
 as it were1 upon all those truths of   
our holy religion which inspire him with
 fear of the judgments of ,almighty     
,god4 ,he feels but too keenly that he  
cannot do away with ,god and ,his sacred
 religion1 by denying ,his existence4   
,i have given you the true portrait--the
 true likeness--of the man without      

religion4 ,were you given to see a devil
 and the soul of an infidel at the same 
time1 you would find the sight of the   
devil more bearable than that of the    
infidel4 ,for ,st4 ,james the ,apostle  
tells us1 that the devil believes and   
trembles4--7,chap4 ii4 #ai47 ,now the   
,public ,school system was invented and 
introduced into this country to turn the
 rising generations into men of the     
above description4   ,spread of         
,infidelity through ,bad ,education in  
,america2 or1 ,the ,object of the       
,public ,school ,system4  ,mr4 ,o4 ,a4  
,brownson1 in his book ,the ,convert1   
,chaps4 ,,vii4 and ,,viii41 gives us the
 following information on the origin of 
the ,public ,schools in this country3   
,frances ,wright was born in ,scotland1 
and inherited a      considerable       
property4 ,she had been highly educated1
 and was a      woman of rare original  
powers1 and extensive and varied        
information4 ,she was brought up in the 
utilitarian principles      of ,jeremy  

,bentham4 ,she visited this country in  
#ahbd4 ,returning      to ,england in   
#ahbe1 she wrote a book in a strain of  
almost      unbounded eulogy of the     
,american people and their institutions4
      ,she saw only one stain upon the  
,american character1 one thing      in  
the condition of the ,american people to
 censure or to      deplore--that was   
negro-slavery4       ,when1 in the next 
year1 ,mr4 ,owen came1 with his friends1
 to      commence his experiment of     
creating a new moral world at ,new      
,harmony1 ,frances ,wright came with    
him1 not as a full believer      in his 
crotchets1 but to try an experiment1    
devised with      ,jefferson1           
,lafayette1 and others1 for the         
emancipation of the      negro-slave4   
,fanny ,wright1 however1 failed in her  
negro experiment4 ,she      soon        
discovered that the ,american people    
were not1 as yet1      prepared to      
engage in earnest for the abolition of  
slavery4 ,on      more mature reflection

 she came to the conclusion that slavery
      must be abolished only as the     
result of a general emancipation1       
and a radical reform of the ,american   
people themselves4       ,the first step
 to be taken for this purpose was to    
rouse the      ,american mind to a sense
 of its rights and dignity1 to          
emancipate it from superstition1 from   
its subjection to the      clergy1 and  
its fear of unseen powers1 to withdraw  
it from the      contemplation of the   
stars or an imaginary heaven after      
death1      and fix it on the great and 
glorious work of promoting man's        
earthly well-being4       ,the second   
step was1 by political action1 to get   
adopted1 at      the earliest practical 
moment1 a system of ,state schools1 in  
which all the children from two years   
old and upward should be      fed1      
clothed1 in a word1 maintained1         
instructed1 and educated      at the    
public expense4       ,in furtherance of
 the first object1 ,fanny prepared a    

course of      ,lectures on ,knowledge1 
which she delivered in the principal    
cities of the ,union4 ,she thought that 
she possessed advantages      in the    
fact that she was a woman2 for there    
would1 for that      reason1 be a       
greater curiosity to hear her1 and she  
would be      permitted to speak with   
greater boldness and directness against 
the clergy and superstition than would  
be one of the other sex4       ,the     
great measure1 however1 on which ,fanny 
and her friends      relied for ultimate
 success1 was the system of public      
schools4      ,these schools were       
intended to deprive1 as well as to      
relieve1      parents of all care and   
responsibility of their children after  
a year or two years of age4 ,it was     
assumed that parents were1      in      
general1 incompetent to train up their  
children1 provide      proper           
establishments1 teachers and governors  
for them1 till      they should reach   
the age of majority4       ,the aim was1

 on the one hand1 to relieve marriage of
 its      burdens1 and to remove the    
principal reasons for making it         
indissoluble2 and1 on the other hand1 to
 provide for bringing      up all       
children1 in a rational manner1 to be   
reasonable men and      women1 that is1 
free from superstition1 free from all   
belief      in ,god and immortality1    
free from all regard for the            
invisible1 and make them look upon this 
life as their only      life1 this earth
 as their only home1 and the promotion  
of      their earthly interests and     
enjoyments as their only end4 ,the      
three great enemies to earthly happiness
 were held to be      religion1         
marriage1 or family and private         
property4 ,once get      rid of these   
three institutions1 and we may hope soon
 to      realize our earthly paradise4  
,for religion is to be substituted      
science1 that is1 science of the world1 
of the five senses      only2 for       
private property1 a community of goods2 

and for      private families1 a        
community of wives4       ,fanny ,wright
 and her school saw clearly that their  
principles      could not be carried    
into practice in the present state of   
society4 ,so they proposed them to be   
adopted only by a future                
generation1 trained and prepared in a   
system of schools founded      and      
sustained by the ,public4 ,they placed  
their dependence on      education in a 
system of ,public ,schools1 managed     
after a plan      of ,william           
,phiquepal1 a ,frenchman1 and           
subsequently the husband      of ,fanny 
,wright4       ,in order to get their   
system of schools adopted1 they proposed
      to organize the whole ,union1     
secretly1 very much on the plan of      
the ,carbonari of ,europe4 ,the members 
of this secret society      were to     
avail themselves of all the means in    
their power1 each      in his own       
locality1 to form public opinion in     
favor of      education by the ,state at

 the public expense1 and to get such    
men elected to the ,legislatures as     
would be likely to favor      their     
purposes4 ,this secret organization     
commenced in the ,state      of ,new    
,york1 and was to extend over the whole 
,union4 ,mr4 ,o4 ,a4      ,brownson was 
one of the agents for organizing the    
,state of ,new      ,york4 ,he1 however1
 became tired of the work1 and abandoned
 it      after a few months4         99 
99       99       99       99       ,the
 attention of so-called philanthropic   
men in all parts of      the country1   
was directed to the subject4 ,in #ahag1 
and the      following years1 commenced 
what has been improperly termed a       
revival of education4 ,to form public   
opinion in favor of ,public             
,schools1 the following means were      
employed3 ,public ,school      societies
 and organizations were established in  
,new ,york1      ,philadelphia1 ,boston1
 ,portland1 ,lancaster1 ,pittsburgh1    
,worcester1 ,hartford1 ,lowell1         

,providence1 ,cincinnati1 etc42         
,thomas ,h4 ,gallaudet1 ,james ,g4      
,carter1 and ,walter ,r4 ,johnson1      
made great efforts through the press2   
there were established      the         
',american ,journal of ,education1' in  
,january1 #ahbf1 and the      ',american
 ,annals of ,education4' ,conventions   
were held      throughout ,new ,england 
from #ahbf to #ahcj1 in behalf of       
,public      ,schools2 lectures were    
delivered in every precinct in the      
,states1 on the subject of education2   
there were also      established local  
school periodicals1 as well as others of
 a      more general character1 to      
contribute towards forming public       
opinion in favor of ,public ,schools1 in
 every corner of the      country4 ,all 
these means1 and the zealous and        
unwearied efforts      of ,horace ,mann1
 ,henry ,barnard1 and others1 have      
contributed      towards the success in 
establishing the ,public ,schools in our
      country4--,american               

,encyclopaedia4  ,this is a brief       
history of the ,public ,schools4 ,it    
tells1 in clear terms1 all that they    
are1 and all that they are to bring     
about1 namely3 a generation without     
belief in ,god and immortality1 free    
from all regard for the invisible--a    
generation that looks upon this life as 
their only life1 this earth as their    
only home1 and the promotion of their   
earthly interests and enjoyments as     
their only end--a generation that looks 
upon religion1 marriage1 or family and  
private property as the greatest enemies
 to worldly happiness--a generation that
 substitutes science of this world for  
religion1 a community of goods for      
private property1 a community of wives  
for private family2 in other words1 a   
generation that substitutes the devil   
for ,god1 hell for heaven1 sin and vice 
for virtue and holiness of life4  ,we   
may1 then1 confidently assert that the  
defenders and upholders of ,public      
,schools without religion seek in       

,america1 as well as in ,europe1 to turn
 the people into refined ,pagans4 ,they 
recently betrayed themselves4 ,they     
wish1 as ,dr4 ,wehrenphennig and ,dr4   
,wirgow openly said1 for an equalization
 of religious contradictories1 a        
religion and an education which stands  
above creeds1 and knows nothing about   
dogmas2 in other words1 they wish for a 
religion of which a certain poet says3  
,my religion is to have no religion4    
,the object1 then1 of these godless1    
irreligious ,public ,schools is to      
spread among the people the worst of    
religions1 the no religion1 the religion
 which pleases most hardened adulterers 
and criminals--the religion of          
irrational animals4 ,how far this       
diabolical scheme has succeeded is well 
known1 for there are at present from    
twenty to twenty-five millions of people
 in the ,united ,states who profess no  
distinct religious belief4 ,everywhere  
the same effects have been observed4    
,licentiousness1 cruelty1 and           

vice--,positivism1 or the substitution  
of the harlotry of the passions for the 
calm and elevating influences of reason 
and religion4 ,how can it be otherwise8 
,,footnotes3  ,a ,jean ,mace4  ,b ,la   
,solidarite4 7,le ,monde ,maconnique1   
,october1 #ehff #ahff1 p4 #dgb47  ,c ,la
 ,solidarite4 7,le ,monde ,maconnique1  
,february1 #ehfg #ahfg47  ,d ,vive le   
,materialisme4  ,e ,le ,monde           
,maconnique1 ,june1 #ahff4     ,,chapter
 ,,iv4  ,,expose ,,of ,,the ,,public    
,,school ,,system4   ,it is a           
fundamental principle of ,christianity1 
admitted even by ,protestants1 that man 
cannot reach his destiny without a      
knowledge of the religion which ,jesus  
,christ taught1 and which ,he sealed    
with ,his precious ,blood4 ,now this    
fundamental principle is virtually      
ignored in our present school system1   
which proposes to educate without       
religion4 ,the whole course of          
instruction is imparted without any     
reference to religion1 without any of   

those occasional observations that are  
so necessary in our days1 and especially
 in this country1 in order to explain   
the seeming inconsistencies between     
scientific facts and the doctrines of   
faith4 ,instruction1 to be useful1 must 
show that the discoveries of science    
are1 as is really the case1 evidences of
 religion4 ,it must show the harmony    
that exists between history and         
philosophy and the truths of faith4     
,secular knowledge should be the        
handmaid of religion2 but no religion1  
no knowledge of ,god1 is permitted to be
 taught in these schools4  ,let a       
stranger1 say an educated ,pagan1 enter 
one of our public schools2 will he      
discover sign1 symbol or token of any   
kind to indicate that either the teacher
 or children are ,christians8 ,or       
suppose this ,pagan1 or a ,turk1 or     
,atheist sends children there to be     
educated1 they can do so with perfect   
safety to their ,pagan1 ,mohammedan1 or 
infidel superstitions or opinions4 ,they

 will not1 through the whole course of  
instruction1 hear a prayer1 a lecture1  
or a single advice1 lesson1 or precept  
of the ,church2 they will1 as far as the
 ,state plan of teaching extends1 remain
 ignorant of the holy name of ,god1 or  
the ,blessed ,trinity1 or the ,lord's   
,prayer1 or the ,ten ,commandments1 or  
the ,gospels1 or the death and          
sufferings of our ,lord1 or the         
resurrection of the body1 or a future   
state of reward and punishment4 ,no     
prayer is offered up or even permitted  
to be taught to those little ones whom  
our ,lord loves so tenderly4 ,the       
teacher is not even permitted by law to 
explain what is meant by the term our   
,saviour1 our ,redeemer6  ,should a     
child ask1 in a reading-lesson1 what our
 ,lord and ,saviour meant1 the teacher  
must tell him3 ,hush6 if you want to    
know that you must ask somebody out of  
school6 ,we don't teach anything about  
religion here6 ,we have no ,lord1 or    
,god1 or ,saviour here6  ,in reference  

to this manner of educating the youth of
 ,america1 the ,protestant ,bishop of   
,tennessee said some time ago3          
,the secular system took no notice of   
,god or of ,christ1 or of      the      
,church of the ,living ,god1 or1 except 
in the most incidental      way1 of     
,god's ,holy ,word4 ,the intellect was  
stimulated to the      highest degree1  
but the heart and the affections were   
left      uncultivated4 ,it was a system
 which trained for the business of      
life1 not for the duties of life4 ,as   
there were differences of      opinion  
about ,christianity1 it was not allowed 
to be spoken of1      and a knowledge of
 it was not one of the qualifications   
for a      teacher4 ,a man might be a   
,mohammedan or a ,hindoo if he were     
only a proficient in geography1         
arithmetic1 or the exact      sciences4 
,the teachers in the normal schools     
might be infidels      provided they did
 not openly inculcate their scepticism2 
and1      in point of fact1 in the      

schools which were designed to train    
teachers only1 a vast majority were not 
,christians4  ,the school-books must be 
made unchristian lest they give offence 
to the countless sects of               
,protestantism4 ,voltaire1 ,paine1 or   
,renan may be read in the ,public       
,schools1 but nothing of ,god4  ,if our 
,public ,schools differ in any degree   
from the ancient heathen1 it is to our  
greater shame and confusion1 and to     
their advantage4 ,they taught piety to  
their gods2 we ignore the true ,god     
altogether1 and bring the false gods of 
the heathens down to earth to be made   
the slaves and instruments of our       
sensual gratifications4 ,thus the mind  
of the child is1 and remains1 a         
religious void2 at least1 there is but a
 religious mist in his intellect4 ,the  
child even unlearns1 in the society of  
the school1 whatever principles of      
religion he may have learned from his   
parents4  ,the present common school    
system of education necessarily begets  

contempt of religion4 ,men trained under
 such a system learn to look upon       
religion as a dress which is to be worn 
only on ,sunday1 and to be laid aside   
during the rest of the week2 they look  
upon religion as something which may do 
very well in the church1 or in the      
meeting-house1 but which is entirely out
 of place in business1 in society1 and  
in the daily transactions of life4 ,the 
child has logic enough to think that he 
is taught whatever is necessary for his 
future career1 and that religion must   
not be necessary1 otherwise it would be 
taught in school4  ,and what will the   
child learn1 in this ,pagan system of   
education1 to press down his rising     
passions8 ,what precept of positive     
virtue does he learn8 ,what principle of
 self-restraint8 ,what does he learn in 
such a school to make him obedient1     
honest1 chaste1 a good citizen1 a good  
,christian8 ,the common school system   
proceeds on the principle of suffering  
the passions of youth to take any       

development which fallen nature may     
bring about1 and then trusting to a     
riper age for a change for the better1  
just as if it were possible to gather   
grapes of briars1 or figs of thorns4    
,in these ,public ,schools the whole    
education of children is directed to the
 cultivation of their heads or          
intellectual faculties alone4 ,the      
heart1 with all its moral and mysterious
 emotions1 is entirely neglected4 ,every
 mental power and acquirement is        
intended and directed to promote their  
prosperity1 success1 and happiness in   
this life2 at least this is what is     
sought and promised as the reward of    
study and application4 ,they are        
constantly presented with the bright    
side of the world4 ,scientific          
knowledge1 they are taught1 will do away
 with the old drudgery of labor1 and    
bring the acquirement of wealth and     
honor within the reach of all1 no matter
 how poor or humble the condition of    
their fathers or mothers4 ,they have    

all1 no doubt1 read the ,declaration of 
,independence1 and learned that all men 
are created free and equal4 ,they have  
shared the equal bounty of the ,state in
 the way of education1 and have1 in the 
language of the day1 an equal right on  
the world for a living4  ,i ask if this 
is not a pretty fair and not overdrawn  
statement of the case8 ,you will bear in
 mind that all this time the            
free-and-easy social intercourse of the 
sexes is going on2 that while their     
studies and exercises are strictly      
confined to dry1 secular knowledge1 or  
such other pursuits as might excite     
their vanity1 pride1 or imagination1 not
 one line or lesson1 caution or command1
 as stated before1 is used or           
administered to curb or control the     
natural1 ,i might say inevitable1 cry of
 the youthful passions clamoring for    
their gratification4     ,,chapter ,v4  
,,evil ,,consequences ,,of ,,the        
,,public ,,school ,,system ,,on ,,the   
,,male ,,portion ,,of ,,society4   ,let 

us now suppose the young men educated   
under the present ,public ,school system
 fairly launched into the world1 and1   
for the first time1 thrown on their own 
resources4 ,they are all well1 indeed   
over-educated4 ,the greater part of     
their families are necessarily in poor  
or moderate circumstances4 ,will their  
learned and accomplished sons take the  
humble and laborious trades or          
occupations of their fathers8 ,i fear   
not4 ,we should not expect more from    
human nature than there is in it4 ,all  
these fine young public school graduates
 cannot get nice situations as clerks1  
professors1 editors1 teachers1 etc41    
etc41 and the professions are all full  
to overflowing4  ,you must remember     
that1 as ,i have said1 not one of the   
boys have ever been taught the first    
principle1 prayer1 or moral duty4 ,they 
are1 as far as the ,public              
,school-training went1 perfectly        
ignorant of the ,divine law as rule of  
our life2 they are1 in fact1 but        

educated apes or animals4 ,how can this 
young man reconcile poverty and wealth1 
labor and ease1 sickness and health1    
adversity and prosperity1 rich and poor1
 obedience and authority1 liberty and   
law1 etc41 etc4 ,all these are enigmas  
to him1 or1 if he affects to understand 
them at all1 he thinks they arise from  
bad management or bad government1 and   
can and ought to be remedied by         
repression or sumptuary legislation4 ,he
 will be a tyrant or slave1 a glutton or
 miser1 a fanatic or libertine1 a       
sneak-thief or highway robber1 as       
circumstances may influence him4 ,think 
you that the common fall back on        
principle of self-interest--well or ill 
understood--will ever restrain such a   
one from doing any act of impulse or    
indulgence1 provided he thinks it can be
 safely done8 ,he will look on life as a
 game of address or force1 in which the 
best man is he who carries off the      
prize4  ,he will look upon power as     
belonging of right to the strongest2 the

 weak1 or those who differ from him in  
opinion1 he will treat with contempt and
 cruelty1 and will think they have no   
rights he is bound to respect4 ,in      
power1 such a man will be arbitrary and 
cruel2 out of power1 he will be         
faithless1 hypocritical and subservient4
 ,trust him with authority1 he will     
abuse it2 trust him with money1 he will 
steal it2 trust him with your           
confidence1 and he will betray it4 ,such
 a man--,pagan and unprincipled as he   
is--may nevertheless affect1 when it    
suits his purpose1 great religious zeal 
and purity4 ,he will talk of            
,philanthropy and the ,humanities1 have 
great compassion1 perhaps1 for a        
dray-horse1 and give the cold shoulder  
to the houseless pauper or orphan4  ,the
 heart of such a man is cold1 insincere1
 destitute of every tender chord for a  
tender vibration1 of every particle of  
right or just feeling or principle that 
can be touched2 on the contrary1 it is  
roused to rage1 revenge and falsehood if

 interfered with4 ,how is such a heart  
to be touched or moved1 or placed under 
such influences as could move it8       
,indeed1 it would require a miracle6    
,nay1 even a miracle would fail to make 
a salutary impression upon such a heart4
 ,a ,french infidel declared that1      
should he be told that the most         
remarkable miracle was occurring close  
by his house1 he would not take a step  
out of his way to see it4 ,pride never  
surrenders2 it prefers rather to take an
 illogical position than to bow even to 
the authority of reason4 ,furious1      
beside itself1 and absurd1 it revolts   
against evidence4 ,to all reasoning1 to 
undeniable evidence1 the infidel--the   
man without religion--opposes his own   
will3 ,such is my determination4 ,it is 
sweet to him to be stronger1            
single-handed1 than common sense1       
stronger than miracles1 than even the   
,god who manifests ,himself by them4    
,such a man is always in favor of strong
 government1 provided he can get to run 

it4 ,he will talk loudly of loyalty and 
the life of the nation4 ,he worships the
 ,state1 because1 to his gross animal   
understanding1 it represents power1 and 
makes money his ,god1 because it gives  
him this power4 ,such a man may be      
called civilized1 but he is only an     
accomplished barbarian4 ,his head and   
hands are instructed1 his heart1 and low
 passions and appetites1 unbridled and  
untamed4 ,such a man can never be made  
to understand the beautiful and benign  
principles of our republican form of    
government4 ,like all brutes1 he relies 
on force1 and tries and judges every    
issue by success4 ,what he calls the    
final arbitrament of arms is to such a  
one a righteous decision1 provided      
always it be in his favor4 ,he may      
affect the demagogue1 and talk loudly   
about the power of the people1 but you  
will observe that this refers to them en
 masse1 in the whole or concrete4 ,he   
cannot understand the individual man as 
entitled to any consideration or rights 

7unless he happened to be made rich7    
independently of the ,state4 ,indeed1 he
 looks upon poor men as made for the    
,state1 and it can be only on this      
ground that he claims the children as   
its property--children of the ,state66  
,he insists on educating them by the    
,state1 and for the ,state1 and not for 
the comfort and support of their fathers
 and mothers1 nor that they should      
thereby fulfil the immortal destiny for 
which they were created4 ,he holds the  
life1 the dignity1 the comfort or       
happiness of the family or individual as
 nought in the balance against the life1
 the power1 the wealth and glory of the 
nation4 ,perish the ,people--live the   
,state2 this is his motto1 and such have
 ever been the principles and motto of  
all ,pagans from the beginning4         
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,evil ,,consequences  
,,of ,,the ,,public ,,school ,,system   
,,on ,,the ,,female ,,portion ,,of      
,,society4   ,what ,i have said in the  
preceding chapter is but a faint picture

 of the bad effects of what is called   
polite education1 as given in the       
,public ,schools1 on the male portion of
 society4 ,it is with some reluctance   
that ,i am now going to trace the same  
evil influence in its still more        
injurious consequences on the female    
portion4 ,it is very difficult to treat 
this part of the subject with the       
necessary freedom1 not only on account  
of its intrinsic delicacy1 but also     
because of that false 7and indeed to    
themselves injurious7 idea that there is
 nothing wanting to the absolute        
perfection of our women4  ,let it not be
 said1 that in calling public attention 
to these evil consequences on the female
 portion of the community1 we are       
overstepping the boundaries of propriety
 or decency4 ,there is a license for the
 poet2 a license for the stage2 a       
license for the bar2 a license for the  
writer of fiction2 a license for the    
press1 and why should there not be a    
license for a ,christian writer8 ,it is 

high time for true modesty to take the  
place of that false modesty which has   
driven virtue1 like an exile1 out of the
 land1 and peopled it largely with      
,fourrierites1 ,owenites1 and other     
socialists and free-lovers4  ,now1      
whatever success a godless system of    
education may have on boys1 ,i think all
 must admit that it must prove not only 
a failure1 but a positive injury1 to    
girls4 ,it is not that moral and        
religious education is not equally      
required by both1 in a spiritual sense1 
but that women1 in an especial manner1  
have certain duties assigned them1 in   
the ,order of ,providence1 of so high   
and holy a character1 that it requires1 
in some sense1 a special education to   
fit them for the faithful discharge of  
these duties4  ,let us remember that the
 ,public ,school-girls of to-day will be
 the mothers of to-morrow4 ,mothers are 
called by ,god to take particular care  
of the bodily and spiritual life of     
their children4 ,this care is a heavy1 a

 very heavy burden indeed1 and mothers  
cannot carry this burden without a      
tender love for their children4 ,now    
,god has made the love of mothers for   
their children a necessary love4 ,it is 
for this reason that there is no command
 in the ,divine ,law for parents to love
 their children1 whilst1 on the         
contrary1 children are commanded to love
 their parents4 ,love towards one's own 
offspring is a love so deeply planted in
 the heart by ,nature herself1 that the 
wild beasts never fail to love their    
young4 ,it is said that even tigers1    
hearing the cry of their whelps when    
they are taken by the hunters1 will     
plunge into the sea to swim after the   
vessels where they are confined4  ,a    
mother's love is proverbial4 ,indeed1   
there is no love so pure and so         
thoroughly disinterested as the love of 
a good mother for her child4 ,her love  
knows no change2 brothers and sisters   
have forgotten each other2 fathers have 
proved unforgiving to their children2   

husbands have been false to their wives1
 and wives to their husbands1 and       
children too often forget their parents2
 but you rarely hear of a mother        
forgetting even her ungrateful1         
disobedient children1 whose actions have
 lacerated her heart1 and caused dark   
shadows to glide before her eyes1 and   
enter her very soul4 ,still there are   
moments when her faithful heart yearns  
towards them2 there are moments when the
 reminiscences of the happy past        
obliterate the present sorrow1 and the  
poor wounded spirit is cheered for a    
while1 because there is still one of the
 fibres of the root of hope left in her 
forlorn breast1 and a languid smile will
 flit over her wan and prematurely faded
 face4 ,yes1 she forgives1 though there 
is no ,river ,lethe for her to drink    
from in this life2 showing that her love
 is the most pure in this world1 and the
 nearest approach to the love that ,god 
has so graciously bestowed upon her4    
,some years ago a vessel sailed from the

 coast of ,ireland4 ,it was filled with 
passengers who were coming to this      
country to better their future4 ,the    
vessel set sail with a favorable wind4  
,the sky was clear1 and the sun shone   
gayly upon the sparkling sea4 ,but      
suddenly the heavens grew dark4 ,a      
fierce storm arose4 ,the winds howled   
madly around the vessel4 ,the ship was  
hurried on--on1 till it was dashed      
against the rocks4 ,the wild1 surging   
waves dashed over it4 ,the vessel split 
in twain4 ,part remained hanging amid   
the rocks1 and the rest sank1 with those
 on board1 beneath the waves1 far down  
into the depth of the sea4 ,the storm   
continued to rage for several days4 ,at 
last1 when the wind had died away1 some 
hardy fishermen1 who lived on the coast1
 took a skiff and rowed out to the      
wreck4 ,they entered the part of the    
vessel that remained hanging amid the   
rocks4 ,they broke open the cabin door4 
,they heard distinctly the feeble wail  
of a child4 ,they rushed in4 ,they found

 a little babe lying upon the breast of 
its dead mother4 ,the child was eagerly 
sucking the blood which oozed from a    
large wound in its mother's breast4 ,the
 mother had died of cold and hunger2    
but1 even amid her fearful sufferings1  
she did not forget her child4 ,she took 
a sharp knife1 and1 with the wonderful  
love of a mother's heart1 she made a    
deep gash in her breast1 in order that  
her child might preserve its life by    
drinking her own heart's blood6  ,and   
when the darling child of the ,christian
 mother is on the point of death1 ah6   
how tender is not her prayer to the     
,author of ,life that ,he spare the     
child4  ,oh1 ,god of mercy1 she prays1  
spare my child6 ,heaven is already full 
of light and gladness4 ,do not then take
 to heaven the light and joy of my      
heart4 ,thou art ever happy1 ,o my ,god6
 do not then deprive me of my only      
happiness4 ,god of compassion1 ,o leave 
me the sweet babe whom ,thou hast given 
me6 my love1 and all my happiness1 is   

centred in him4 ,since he has come to   
me1 the earth1 and sea1 and sky1 the    
whole world around has grown doubly     
beautiful4 ,the air seems filled with   
light1 and song1 and sweetness4 ,ah1 do 
not take my child away1 for when his    
tender body lies beneath the sod1 my    
heart and life shall lie there with it1 
and this whole world shall grow dark and
 dreary as one vast gloomy graveyard4 ,o
 ,god6 remember ,i am yet so young4 ,i  
am not used to tears4 ,deal gently with 
my poor weak heart6 ,i have never yet   
known what it is to lose a friend1 a    
relative1 or beloved one4 ,o ,god6      
shall1 then1 the first that teaches me  
the dread meaning of grave and shroud be
 my own1 my first-born child8 ,o ,jesus1
 ,i conjure ,thee1 by ,thy wounded      
,heart--wounded for love of me--do not  
crush my tender heart1 for ,thou hast   
made it tender4 ,thou hast made me a    
mother2 oh1 spare my darling child6     
,ah6 who can measure the depth of the   
wonderful love of a mother's heart6 ,but

 this natural love of a mother for her  
offspring1 in order to be persevering   
and untiring1 must be cultivated--must  
be ennobled and supernaturalized by     
religious education2 otherwise this love
 will decrease1 and be lost in the end1 
and with the loss of this love the      
,christian woman has lost her divine    
calling4 ,now as no religious education 
is imparted to the girls in the ,public 
,schools1 can we wonder to see thousands
 and thousands of them who have lost    
their divine calling--can we wonder that
 we hear of a countless number of       
unnatural crimes1 committed under the   
veil of marriage1 that are becoming so  
common at the present day8 ,dr4 ,storer1
 of ,massachusetts1 declares that       
increase of children in ,massachusetts  
is limited almost wholly to the foreign 
population4 ,mr4 ,warren ,johnson1      
,state ,superintendent of ,common       
,schools in ,maine1 reports to the      
,legislature a decrease of #af1fhc1     
between the ages of four and twenty-one 

years1 from the census of #aheh4 ,total 
decrease from maximum of #ahfj is nearly
 #bj1jjj4 ,mr4 ,johnson asks3 ,are the  
modern fashionable criminalities of     
infanticide creeping into our ,state    
community8 ,dr4 ,h4 ,r4 ,storer1 of     
,massachusetts1 in #ahei1 declared that 
forced abortions in ,america were of    
frequent occurrence1 and that this      
frequency was increasing so1 that from  
#a in #a1fcc of the population in #ahje1
 it had risen to #a in #cdj in #ahdi2   
and ,dr4 ,kyle1 of ,xenia1 ,ohio1       
asserted that abortions occurred most   
frequently among those who are known as 
the better class2 among church members1 
and those generally who pretend to be   
the most polite1 virtuous1 moral and    
religious4 ,and1 without mincing matters
 at all1 this eminent physician boldly  
declares that a venal press1 a          
demoralized clergy1 and the prevalence  
of medical charlatanism1 are the        
principal causes of the fearful increase
 of this abominable crime4 ,the paucity 

of children in the families of wealthy  
and well-to-do ,americans has been      
publicly noticed and commented upon time
 and again2 but the true cause thereof1 
if known1 was carefully concealed4 ,and 
can we wonder that the crime has        
descended from the highest to the       
lowest1 and now pervades all classes of 
society8 ,statistics have been          
frequently published to show that in    
certain ,states of the ,union1 and in   
certain districts of those ,states1 the 
births did not1 and do not1 equal the   
deaths2 and were it not for the foreign 
population among us many of those       
districts1 and not a few of those       
,states1 would be depopulated in a few  
years4 ,massachusetts and ,new ,york    
lead the van in this criminal record4   
,dr4 ,t4 ,a4 ,reamy1 of ,zanesville1    
,ohio1 in #ahfg1 wrote1 that after a    
careful survey of the field he was ready
 to say that to-day no sin approaches   
with such stealth and dangerous power   
the altars of the ,church as foeticide2 

and1 unless it can be stayed1 not only  
will it work its legitimate moral       
depravity and social ruin1 but 7he      
believed7 ,god will visit dreadful      
judgment upon us no less severe1        
perhaps1 than ,he did upon the ,cities  
of the ,plain4  ,in #ahfe1 ,dr4 ,morse  
,stewart1 of ,detroit1 ,michigan1       
declared that few of either sex entered 
the marital relation without full       
information as to the ways and means of 
destroying the legitimate results of    
matrimony4 ,and among married persons so
 extensive has this practice become1    
that people of high repute not only     
commit this crime1 but do not even blush
 to speak boastingly among their        
intimates of the deed1 and the means of 
accomplishing it4  ,dr4 ,nathan ,allen1 
of ,lowell1 ,mass41 at a meeting of the 
,social ,science ,association1 ,boston1 
entitled ,wanted--,more ,mothers1       
remarked that the increase of population
 for twenty-five years has been mainly  
in cities and towns1 and it will be     

found to be largely made up of foreign  
element2 and in the smaller villages1   
chiefly ,american1 the stock has hardly 
increased at all4  ,we find there are   
absolutely more deaths than births among
 the strictly ,american children2 so    
that1 aside from immigration1 and births
 of children of foreign parentage1 the  
population of ,massachusetts is really  
decreasing4  ,another fact developed by 
report is1 that whereas1 in #agfe1      
nearly one-half of the population of    
,massachusetts was under fifteen years  
of age1 it is believed that1 at the     
present time1 not more than one-fifth of
 the purely ,american population is     
under that age4 ,in an equal number of  
,american and foreign families1 the     
births will be nearly three times as    
many in the latter as in the former4 ,in
 some of the old towns1 the records of a
 hundred years do not show a single     
instance of a married couple without    
children4 ,the ,new ,york census of     
#ahfe shows that1 out of nine hundred   

and ninety-three thousand two hundred   
and thirty-six married women1 one       
hundred and thirty-seven thousand seven 
hundred and forty-five had no children1 
and three hundred and thirty-three      
thousand only had one or two4  ,in the  
small town of ,billerica1 there are     
ninety families with ten or more        
children2 five of these had fourteen1   
and one twenty-one3 the total in the    
ninety families is ten hundred and      
ninety-three4 ,the birth-rates show that
 ,american families do not increase at  
all1 and the inspection of the          
registration in other ,states shows that
 the same remark applies to all4  ,many 
parts of ,vermont are undergoing a      
gradual depopulation4 ,sandgate had a   
population of #a1ahg in #ahaj1 and #hje 
in #ahfj4  ,the town of ,rupert had a   
population of #a1hdh in #ahjj1 which had
 diminished to #a1ajc in #ahfj4  ,the   
town of ,arlington was settled in the   
year #agfb4 ,in the year #ahjj all the  
arable and pasturage land was occupied1 

and the inhabitants numbered #a1efi4 ,in
 #ahcj the number had decreased to      
#a1bjg1 and in #ahfj to #a1adf4  ,mrs4  
,a4 ,b4 ,boone says1 in her book ,the   
,increase of ,crime1 ,i have frequently 
heard women say ',i don't mind having   
one or two children1 but no more for    
me4' ,when ,i first heard these         
expressions ,i thought it merely a joke1
 but eventually ,i found out they meant 
what they said1 and ,i was amazed4 ,and 
when these women do condescend to have  
one or two children1 what sort of a     
lifelong inheritance are they giving    
their offspring8 ill-health even unto   
death4 ,frequently ,i come in contact   
with women of thirty1 and even          
twenty-five1 so debilitated that they   
are far more fit for hospitals than to  
fill the sacred office of either wife or
 mother4  ,i am sorry to add that the   
crime of child-murder is carried on to  
the greatest extent among the wealthy4  
,in ,cambridgeport1 a medical lady      
informed me that she was continually    

applied to for this purpose1 and always 
refused in the most decided manner2 but1
 to her knowledge1 one woman performed1 
on an average1 from a hundred to a      
hundred and fifty cases in a week4 ,and 
yet churches abound in this place4  ,the
 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,todd has written two most  
truthful lectures1 one entitled         
',fashionable ,murders1' and the other  
',a ,cloud with a ,dark ,lining4' ,his  
revelations with regard to the          
determination that the ,americans evince
 not to have children1 is fearfully     
true1 more especially among the women4  
,speaking of having children1 reminds me
 of a circumstance that happened some   
fifteen years ago4 ,i had a letter of   
introduction to a lady who wished to    
engage my children to read at a party   
she was about to give4 ,she received me 
with an air of melancholy politeness1 at
 the same time informing me that the    
gathering was postponed1 as dear little 
,fanny was 'real sick4' ,i saw a        
wine-glass and teaspoon on the table by 

the side of the sofa1 which had a small 
blanket on it bound with sky-blue       
ribbon1 covering up something that ,i   
supposed to be a sick child4 ,i         
approached1 and gently drew aside the   
blanket4 ,i jumped back--it was a       
poodle-dog1 whose black eyes winked at  
me as if about to cry3 a sort of appeal 
for sympathy shone in its glowing orbs4 
,i was almost convulsed with laughter1  
it was so unexpected4 ,when able to     
speak1 ,i said1 ',pardon me1 madam1 for 
laughing2 but ,i thought it was a baby4'
 ,she replied indignantly1 ',oh1 dear1  
no6 ,i never had a baby2 nor ,i don't   
want one either6' ,and it would be a    
blessing1 ,i say1 if such women as these
 never became mothers4 ,when ,i was a   
young girl1 and heard people say they   
hated children1 and saw them fondling   
dogs1 and feeding kittens with a spoon  
because the old cat was too weak to     
attend to so many1 and knew1 at the same
 time1 that poor human mothers were     
compelled 7just as slaves once were7 to 

separate from their husbands and        
children when poverty demanded that they
 should go into the ',union1' or1       
rather1 ,disunion--,i say1 when ,i      
pondered on these things1 thoughts would
 flit through my mind1 whether1 when    
death severed the body from the souls of
 these people1 that their spirits were  
not instantly infused into cats and     
dogs1 and that they came back in those  
shapes as a penance for their brutality 
to mankind1 and their loving-kindness to
 brutes4 ,however1 we never went to the 
party4 ,the woman remarked to a friend  
that she thought me devoid of all       
feeling1 to laugh at a little1 sick1    
innocent dog6  ,three doors from the    
rooms ,i lived in is the stylish house  
of ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,grindle1 where there 
are hundreds of 'fashionable murders'   
committed yearly4 ,and twice the papers 
have teemed with accounts of the unhappy
 mothers dying1 and on the last occasion
 the child was not to be found1 although
 born alive--and nothing done to either 

the doctor or his lady6  ,a gentleman of
 one of the smaller towns of            
,connecticut writes to the ,independent 
as follows3 ,i have just read1 with     
great interest1 your editorial on the   
',murder of ,helplessness4' ,the paper  
will go into hundreds of families where 
the crime is practised1 to bear witness 
against it2 for1 thank ,god1 it is      
fashionable to take the ,independent4   
,for more than a year it has been on my 
mind to write to you upon this question4
 ,you will have the thanks of every     
well-wisher of the human race4 ,but you 
make a great mistake when you speak of  
the crime of foeticide as being confined
 to the large cities4 ,it prevails all  
over the country4 ,i dare not tell you  
what ,i know--and the information has   
been given me unsolicited--in reference 
to this horrid practice in the land4 ,i 
do not believe there is a village in the
 ,new ,england ,states but this crime is
 practised more or less4 ,there are men 
who make it their business1 with        

medicine and instruments1 to carry on   
this slaughter4 ,and even ,m4,d4's      
7physicians7 in good and regular        
standing in the church have practised   
it4 ,men are making here1 in this highly
 moral ,state1 #c1jjj and #d1jjj a year 
in the small towns alone1 at this       
business4 ,their patients are from the  
highly religious and fashionable to the 
low and vicious4 ,their scale of charges
 is according to the cupidity and size  
of purse of the victims4 ,delicate      
females go1 in the dead of night1       
dressed in masculine attire1 to avoid   
detection1 to obtain the means to hide  
their shame4 ,the cause of the evil lies
 in 'lust1 which is as near to the      
murder as fire to smoke4' ,the          
demoralization of the people at large1  
in the practice of licentiousness1      
furnishes a topic of the greatest       
anxiety to the philanthropist4 ,when    
,american women lose their shame1 the   
race is lost--church-membership is no   
bar4 ,the continence of man and the     

chastity of woman is the only hope4     
,trustworthy physicians assure us there 
are not less than sixty ghouls 7gules7  
in ,new ,york ,city1 who grow rich by   
killing infants4 ,we have seen the      
number stated at six times sixty4 ,those
 who have passed through ,fifth ,avenue1
 ,new ,york1 must have noticed a        
magnificent dwelling1 or rather palace1 
in the neighborhood of the ,central     
,park4 ,it was built by a certain       
doctress who has acquired her wealth by 
the murder of helpless innocents4  ,the 
unhappy victims of these ghouls are not 
generally of the low and debased sort4  
,most of these illegitimate mothers are 
of the educated classes1 many of them1  
shocking to say1 under the age of       
fifteen2 many of them delicate1         
sensitive females1 who make use of these
 unhallowed means to hide their shame   
from the eyes of their friends and      
relatives4  ,the number of marriages    
7outside the ,catholic ,church7 has     
largely decreased within the past few   

years4 ,the crime of infanticide is     
largely increasing4 ,a certain species  
of it is practised in the first         
families1 and the drugs and implements  
for committing such murders are publicly
 sold everywhere4 ,physicians advertise 
publicly1 offering their services to    
enable people1 as they say1 to enjoy the
 pleasures of marriage without the      
burden4 ,at least #be1jjj foeticides are
 annually committed4 ,how to preserve   
their looks1 and how to avoid having    
children1 seem to be the chief aim of   
many women nowadays4 ,in the upper      
classes of society1 in some of our large
 cities1 a lady who is the mother of    
more than two children is looked upon as
 unfashionable4  ,the author of the book
 ,satan in ,society writes1 on page     
#acj-aca1 as follows3 ,a medical writer 
of some note published1 in #ahfa1 a     
pamphlet1 in which he declared himself  
the hero of three hundred abortions4 ,he
 admits1 in a work of his1 that he only 
found abortion necessary to save the    

life of the mother in four instances1   
thus publicly confessing that in an     
immense number of cases he has performed
 the operation on other grounds2 and    
yet1 in the face of all this            
self-accusation1 several attempts at his
 expulsion from his county medical      
society have been defeated1 and he is   
accounted a brother in good standing of 
several learned bodies1 and holds an    
enviable position in a fashionable      
church and fashionable society4 ,this   
rascal walks unhung2 for this the       
,medical ,code is primarily responsible1
 and after that the ministers of the    
,gospel1 the worshippers in the         
churches1 the dwellers in south fronts4 
,i have said above that the love of     
children has always been deemed a sign  
of superior intelligence--of noble      
manhood4 ,affection for its offspring is
 a quality possessed alike by all       
animals1 with scarcely an exception2 and
 few indeed of the millions of the      
animal creation seek to destroy their   

own offspring after birth1 or to so     
neglect them as to leave them liable to 
destruction by other bodies or forces4  
,it was left for human intelligences to 
encompass the death of their children1  
both before birth and after1 and it was 
left to the anti-,christian civilization
 of this nineteenth century also to     
discover and adopt the most revolting   
and barbarous means to accomplish this  
end4 ,the crime of foeticide1 or        
infanticide1 is not of recent growth4   
,like every other crime1 it has had a   
venerable existence1 but its beastly    
development among us has been mainly the
 work of a few years4 ,thirteen years   
ago its prevalence attracted the        
attention of medical jurists in all     
parts of our country1 and essays1       
tracts1 and bound volumes were issued   
against it4 ,but the crime grew apace1  
and its deadly and dastardly fruits     
appear before us to-day1 sickening to   
the moral conscience and religious      
sentiments of the nation4  ,and in view 

of the alarming increase of this crime  
of child-murder1 the prediction of ,dr4 
,m4 ,b4 ,wright to the ,medical ,society
 of ,ohio1 in #ahfj1 will soon be       
fulfilled1 namely3 ,the time is not far 
distant when children will be sacrificed
 among us with as little hesitation as  
among the ,hindoos1 unless we stop it   
here and now4  ,the frightful increase  
of immorality1 of unnatural crimes1 in  
these latter years1 and especially in   
those very ,states where the common     
school system of education is fully     
carried out1 as in ,new ,england1       
proves1 beyond doubt1 that there is     
something essentially wrong in this     
system4 ,some years ago the public were 
startled by the shocking developments of
 depravity in one of the female ,public 
,schools of ,boston2 so shocking1       
indeed1 as almost to stagger belief4    
,the ,boston ,times published the whole 
occurrence at the time1 but after       
creating great excitement for a few     
weeks1 the matter was quietly hushed up1

 for fear of injuring the character of  
the common schools4  ,only a few years  
ago other startling transactions came to
 light in ,new ,york1 involving the     
character of some of the leading school 
commissioners1 and some of the principal
 female teachers in the common schools4 
,these scandals became so notorious1    
that they could be no longer blinked at 
or smothered1 and several of the leading
 papers came out openly1 to lash vice in
 high places4 ,the ,chicago papers      
assert openly that the ,public ,schools 
there are assignation houses1 for boys  
and girls above a certain age4  ,it is  
but six or seven years ago that ,mr4    
,wilbur ,h4 ,storey1 who owns the       
,chicago ,times--the paper1 at that     
time1 of largest circulation in         
,chicago--published in his paper1 and   
sustained the assertion1 that the       
,public ,school system in ,chicago had  
become so corrupt1 that any school-boy  
attending1 who had reached fourteen     
years of age1 was whistled at by his    

companions as a spooney1 if he had not a
 liaison with some one or more of the   
,public ,school-girls6  ,the ,daily     
,sentinel1 of ,indianapolis1 quoted ,mr4
 ,storey's articles1 and said1 with     
great regret1 that it was only too true 
of ,indianapolis also1 judging by the   
wanton manners of troops of the girls   
attending ,public ,schools in           
,indianapolis4  ,and there are but too  
many cities to which the same order of  
remark applies4 ,far be it from me to   
say that all the children of the ,public
 ,schools of any of these cities are    
corrupted4 ,it is marvellous how some   
are protected from even the knowledge of
 vice1 in these hot-beds of pollution4  
,but the system of schools without the  
control of positive religious teaching  
and discipline1 tends only to one vile  
end4 ,we are assured1 as to the ,city of
 ,new ,york1 that smart girls1 even of  
most immature years1 show their         
discontent at their neglected fate1 from
 hearing girls only a few years older   

tell what nice acquaintances they have  
made on the streets1 or in the cars1    
going or coming1 and what delicious     
lunches they have taken with these      
gentlemen at restaurants of most        
unquestionably bad repute4 ,these things
 ,i have learned from a friend who heard
 them from members of the ,city ,police1
 and from others that could not avoid   
the unhappy knowledge of the facts      
indicated4  ,the moral character of the 
,public ,schools in many of our cities  
has sunk so low1 that even courtesans   
have disguised themselves as            
school-girls1 in order the more surely  
to ply their foul avocation4  ,does any 
one wonder1 then1 that we hear and read 
of ,trunk ,horrors8 ,does any one wonder
 that we have divorces1 despair1        
infanticides1 foeticides1 suicides1     
bagnios1 etc41 and that other class1 ,i 
fear not less numerous1 but certainly   
more dangerous1 the assignation houses8 
,these you cannot police1 or localize4  
,they1 like a subtle poison1 circulate  

through all the veins and arteries of   
that society called in fashionable      
phrase genteel1 penetrating the vital   
tissues of the social body1 and         
corrupting1 too often1 the very         
fountains of life4     ,,chapter ,,vii4 
,,what ,,is ,,it ,,to ,,be ,a ,,mother8 
,let us again bear in mind that the     
,public ,school-girls of to-day will be 
the mothers of to-morrow4 ,mothers are  
destined1 by ,god1 to bring up children 
for heaven4 ,this is their grand        
mission4 ,what a happiness1 what an     
honor for a mother to give angels to    
heaven6 ,would to ,god she only knew the
 real dignity and importance of her     
mission1 and comprehended the           
qualifications in the moral and         
religious order that best prepare her   
for the duties of her sublime calling6  
,what mission can be more sublime1 more 
sacred1 what mission can be more        
meritorious before ,god than that of    
giving to the young child the primary   
lessons of religion8  ,there is indeed  

nothing more honorable1 nothing more    
meritorious1 nothing which conducts to  
higher perfection1 than to instruct     
children in their religious duties4     
,this instruction of children is a      
royal1 apostolic1 angelic1 and divine   
function4 ,royal1 because the office of 
a king is to protect his people from    
danger4 ,apostolic1 because our ,lord   
commissioned apostles to instruct the   
nations1 and1 as ,st4 ,jerome says1 thus
 made them the saviours of men4         
,angelic1 because the angelical spirits 
in heaven enlighten1 purify1 and perfect
 each other according to their spheres1 
and their earthly mission is to labor   
without ceasing for the salvation of    
man4 ,st4 ,peter ,chrysologus calls     
those who instruct others in the way of 
salvation1 the substitutes of angels4   
,indeed this mission of mothers is      
divine2 they are called to carry on the 
very work of ,god ,himself4 ,everything 
that ,almighty ,god has done from the   
creation of the world1 and which ,he    

will continue to do to the end1 has     
been1 and will be1 for the salvation of 
mankind4 ,for this ,he sent ,his ,son   
from heaven1 who enlightened the world  
by ,his doctrine1 and who still         
continues to instruct ,his people by    
,his chosen disciples4 ,those mothers1  
then1 who direct their children in the  
paths to heaven1 who allure them from   
vice1 who form them to virtue1 may fitly
 be termed apostles1 angels1 and        
saviours4 ,oh6 what glory awaits those  
mothers who perform the office of       
angels1 and even of ,god ,himself1 in   
laboring for the salvation of the souls 
of their children4 ,if this employment  
is honorable for mothers1 it is also not
 less meritorious for them4 ,what is the
 religious instruction of children1 but 
conferring on a class of our race1 the  
weakest and most helpless1 with         
inconceivable labor and fatigue1 the    
greatest of all blessings8 ,for while   
the physical development of the child   
advances with age1 it is not so with the

 mental2 for religious instruction only 
can develop the noble faculties of the  
soul4 ,the soul of a child1 so to speak1
 would continue to live enshrouded in   
,pagan darkness1 if the mother did not  
impart and infuse the light of truth4   
,all the gold in the world is but dross 
in comparison with true religious       
knowledge4  ,our ,saviour says3         
,whosoever shall give to drink to one of
 these little ones1 even a cup of cold  
water1 shall not lose his               
reward4--7,matt4 x4 #db47 ,may we not   
infer that those mothers who bestow upon
 children the treasures of divine       
knowledge will receive an exceedingly   
great reward8 ,if ,god denounces so     
severely those who scandalize little    
children3 ,but he that shall scandalize 
one of these little ones1 it were better
 for him that a mill-stone were hanged  
about his neck1 and he were drowned in  
the depth of the sea 7,matt4 xviii4 #f71
 what recompense will mothers not       
receive who instruct and sanctify them8 

,mothers who give their efforts and     
means to this object1 choose the surest 
way to appease the anger of ,god1 and to
 insure their own salvation4 ,they      
choose the best means of attaining a    
high degree of perfection4 ,almighty    
,god gives to each one the graces proper
 to his vocation4 ,mothers1 therefore1  
who are devoted to the religious        
instruction of their children1 must rest
 assured that ,god will give them       
extraordinary graces to arrive at       
perfection4 ,whoever1 says our ,lord1   
shall receive one such little child in  
,my name1 receiveth ,me4--7,matt4 xviii4
 #e47 ,whosoever1 then1 believes that   
our ,saviour will not allow ,himself to 
be surpassed in liberality1 must also   
believe that ,he will bestow ,his       
choicest blessings on those mothers who 
instruct their children in the knowledge
 of ,god and the love of virtue4  ,what 
obligations have not the angels of      
children who always see the face of the 
,father who is in heaven 7,matt4 xviii4 

#aj71 to pray for these mothers--their  
dear colleagues and charitable          
substitutes1 who perform their office   
and hold their place on earth4 ,the     
children will pray for their mothers1   
and ,god can refuse nothing to the      
prayers of children1 and their          
supplications will ascend with the      
prayers of the angels4  ,do you desire1 
,o ,christian mother1 to be saved8 ,do  
you wish to acquire great treasures in  
heaven1 and to attain great perfection  
in this life8--,employ yourself         
diligently in the religious instruction 
of your children4 ,do you wish to gain  
the love of our ,lord1 and to deserve   
,his protection8--,teach your children  
to fear and love ,god2 you cannot do    
anything more pleasing to ,his ,divine  
,heart4  ,it is related in the ,gospel  
that mothers brought to ,him little     
children1 that ,he might touch them4    
,and the disciples rebuked them that    
brought them4 ,and when ,jesus saw it1  
,he was much displeased1 and said to    

them3 ,suffer little children to come to
 me1 and forbid them not3 for of such is
 the kingdom of ,god2 and embracing     
them1 and laying ,his hands on them1 ,he
 blessed them4 ,if ,jesus was displeased
 with those who prevented little        
children from coming to ,him1 what love 
and tenderness will ,he not have for    
those mothers by whose means they come  
to ,him8  ,oh6 how consoled will they   
not be in their last hour1 when they    
shall see the souls of those whom they  
prepared for heaven1 accompanied by     
their good angels1 surrounding their bed
 of death1 forming1 as it were1 a guard 
to protect them from the snares and     
assaults of the enemy6  ,this is a      
happiness which those mothers may       
confidently expect who labor assiduously
 to give their children a good religious
 education4 ,ah6 would to ,god1 ,i say  
once more1 that mothers would understand
 their sublime mission on earth6  ,but  
it is just here that the difficulty     
lies3 how can a mother give the child   

these early lessons of piety and        
devotion1 if she has never learned them 
herself8 ,how can she train it to raise 
its young heart to that ,heavenly       
,father1 and ask ,him for ,his continued
 mercy and blessings1 of whose name or  
law she has never been informed or      
instructed in the ,public ,schools8 ,how
 can she impart to her child that       
knowledge which she herself has never   
learned in the ,public ,schools1 and    
which she has always been taught to look
 upon as unnecessary8 ,can she teach the
 child to love ,god and keep ,his       
commandments1 to hate sin1 and avoid it 
for the love of ,god8--,to love1 honor1 
and obey its parents1 not from natural  
motives alone1 but because1 in so doing1
 it would love1 honor1 and obey ,god in 
the person of its father and mother1 and
 have thus not only a great reward1 and 
length of days here below1 but also the 
joys of heaven above8 ,this lesson the  
poor mother was never taught in the     
,public ,schools4 ,how can she teach her

 sweet child that it has an immortal    
soul1 that ,god sees even the inmost    
thoughts of the soul1 that it is this   
soul that sins by consenting to the evil
 inclinations of the heart2 that when   
the child is tempted to pride1 gluttony1
 anger1 disobedience1 theft1 lies1 or   
any manner of uncleanness1 even in      
thought as well as deed1 that it must   
call on ,god and its good guardian angel
 to come to its assistance1 and keep its
 soul from consenting1 and its body from
 doing1 any of those things that might  
offend its good ,god8 ,all this the poor
 mother has not been taught in the      
,public ,schools4 ,the ,state claims the
 right to educate her1 and it did not   
regard this kind of knowledge necessary1
 else it would have provided it4  ,let  
us again bear in mind that the ,public  
,school-girls of to-day will be the     
women of to-morrow4  ,the most majestic 
kingdom for woman to reign in is home4  
,a woman nowhere looks more lovely1 more
 truly great1 more fascinating1 and more

 really beautiful and useful1 than when 
in her own house1 surrounded by her     
children1 giving them what instruction  
she is capable of1 or devising some plan
 of intellectual entertainment4 ,depend 
on it that this is the grandest position
 in this world for a woman1 and this    
home-audience is nearer and sweeter to  
the affectionate heart of a mother whose
 brain is properly developed1 than all  
the applause and flatteries that the    
outer world can bestow4 ,it is not in   
the court-room1 the pulpit1 and rostrum1
 but it is among the household          
congregation that woman's influence can 
achieve so much1 and reign paramount4   
,this1 however1 is not easily understood
 and practised by women who have been   
educated without religion4 ,and it is   
for this reason that such women cannot  
make faithful wives and tender mothers4 
,young ladies whose education has been  
devoid of moral and religious           
instruction1 whose imagination1 always  
over-ardent and vivacious1 has been     

still more stimulated by a class of     
exercises1 public examinations1 and     
studies better calculated to give them  
an unreal than a sober view of life1 are
 not prepared to fulfil their divine    
mission on earth4 ,an illustration of   
this truth is the fact that quite       
recently over six hundred personal      
applications--mostly made by girls of   
from fifteen to twenty--were made in one
 day at the ,grand ,opera ,house in ,new
 ,york to fill places in the ballet and 
,oriental marches of the spectacle of   
,lalla ,rookh4 ,assuredly this fact is  
evidence that the women in ,new ,york1  
like so many women in all quarters of   
the land1 are unwilling to do the work  
which properly belongs to them to do1   
and prefer any shift1 even the degrading
 one mentioned above1 to honest         
household labor4 ,there are thousands of
 ladies to whom the following           
description1 written by a lady herself1 
may well be applied3  ,how is it that   
there is not more nature in the present 

age1 and less sophistication in society1
 and that mothers do not teach their    
daughters to fit themselves for wives   
and mothers8 ,for they all seem to be   
setting traps to get husbands4 ,why1 the
 young ladies of the present day are    
quite ashamed should they be ignorant of
 the name of the last new opera and its 
composer1 but would feel quite indignant
 if they were asked whether they knew   
how to make good soup1 or broil a       
beefsteak1 or mend stockings4  ,above   
all1 you can notice in the young ladies 
of the present day a madness beyond     
description for dress1 for balls1       
theatres1 watering-places1 and all kinds
 of worldly amusements2 you can see in  
them the greatest desire to appear      
ladies4 ,they go and spend the whole day
 at the perfumer's1 where they purchase 
their complexion2 at the goldsmith's and
 the milliner's1 where they get their   
figures4 ,a few days ago1 the father of 
one of these ladies had to pay a bill of
 forty-nine hundred dollars at the      

milliner's1 for his daughter4 ,the chief
 mental agony of the masses of the young
 women of the present day seems to be1  
who shall have the largest possible     
waterfall1 the smallest bonnet1 and make
 themselves the greatest fright4 ,they  
do nothing from morning till night but  
read novels1 and look at their white    
hands1 or the passers-by in the street4 
,they all seem to be senseless          
creatures1 for their capacious brain    
soars no higher than dress1 fashion1    
pleasure1 comfort of life4 ,were it not 
for their vain daughters1 hundreds of   
parents at this moment would have a     
happier countenance1 and not that       
careworn1 wretched look that we so      
frequently see when honest people get in
 debt1 incurred by living beyond their  
means4 ,were it not for the extravagancy
 of young women1 young men would not be 
afraid to marry1 consequently would not 
be led into the temptations that they   
are in the single state1 for marriage is
 one sure step towards morality1 and    

consequently tends to the decrease of   
crime4  ,very many young ladies act as  
catch-traps1 with their painted faces   
and affected sweetness1 to lure young   
men into the swamps of iniquity4  ,i    
frequently read comments about servants 
not knowing and performing their proper 
duties2 in fact1 of their incompetency  
to fill the office they apply for3 and  
it is true4  ,in ,boston1 a short time  
ago1 one hundred and eighty unfortunate 
girls were arrested in one night2 and ,i
 doubt not that the greater portion of  
them could have once been respectable   
servants1 but considered the office and 
name too low6 ,men think it no disgrace 
to become carpenters and masons1 and it 
is certainly as respectable to clean a  
house1 and keep it in order1 as it is to
 build it4 ,and what kind of a name have
 these girls now8 ,what future have     
these women to look forward to8         
,generally the world's cold1 nipping    
scorn1 combined with ill-health and     
destitution4 ,a girl would much rather  

work in a factory1 or a 'saloon1'       
because she can be called ',miss1' dress
 finer1 and imagine she will be thought 
a lady6 ,poor girl6 ,it is this         
delusion1 this false pride1 that crowds 
the streets nightly with pretty young   
girls1 some of whom count only twelve   
short summers4 ,with ,hamlet1 ,i        
exclaim1 ',oh1 horrible6 most horrible6'
 ,i lived in a house in which there was 
a girl1 ,annie ,c41 not seventeen1 and  
she attended in a restaurant4 ,i once   
said to her1 ',why do you not take the  
situation of a seamstress1 or a nurse in
 a gentleman's family8' ,she turned upon
 me in the most insolent way1 saying1   
',me be a servant6 ,that will do very   
well for ,irish1 or ,dutch1 or ,english 
girls1 but ,i am an ,american1 and feel 
myself as good as anybody4'  ,however1  
this girl afterwards went as a          
ballet-girl at one of the lowest places 
in ,boston2 and the last account ,i     
heard of her was1 she was travelling    
with an ,ethiopian troop alone4 ,poor   

young creature6 what will be her end8   
,the truth is1 that after a girl is     
fifteen years old1 in this country1 she 
considers herself a person of sound     
judgment1 and the parents look up to    
these sprites with a sort of deferential
 fear4 ,these girls are simply living   
pictures walking about the earth1       
deriding everything they are incapable  
of understanding4 ,and who could be     
charmed with such women8 with such      
',grecian ,bends1' ,grecian noses8 ,the 
genuine well-bred woman will shine out  
from beneath the plainest garb2 and     
shoddy vulgarity1 even should it be     
incased in rubies and diamonds1 will    
only be rendered the more obvious and   
conspicuous to those who at a glance can
 discover the difference--to those who  
cannot be deceived1 even by the radiant 
sparkling of these richest of gems4     
,this sort of women wish to have the    
women's rights4 ,they would like1 if    
they knew how1 to turn the world upside 
down1 and inside out4 ,this great desire

 among a certain class of women1 to have
 the world think that they possess      
masculine power1 generally proceeds from
 persons who wish to create a sensation1
 and fail to do so in the station they  
belong to4 ,when a woman wishes to go   
out of her natural element1 she shows   
that her intellect is shallow1 and she  
is desirous of being thought greater    
than her sex generally2 while1 in       
reality1 she discovers to us her own    
littleness4 ,these people seem to wish  
to be what it is impossible for them    
ever to become--men4  ,when ,god created
 man in his own image1 ,he said1 ',it is
 not good that man should live alone3 ,i
 will make him a helpmeet4' ,now1 had   
,god meant to create merely a companion 
capable of following the same pursuits1 
and capable of the same herculean labors
 that evidently is meant to be man's    
destiny1 why1 ,he would have made       
another man4 ,but no6 ,when ,god caused 
a deep sleep to fall upon ,adam1 he took
 out one of his ribs1 and made a        

woman--a being in ,,every ,,way ,,the   
,,complement ,,of ,,man4 ,and1 after    
they ate of the tree of knowledge1 ,god 
said to the woman1 ',thy desire shall be
 to thy husband1 and he shall ,,rule    
over thee4' ,and unto ,adam he said1    
',because thou hast hearkened unto the  
voice of thy wife1 and hast eaten of the
 tree which ,i commanded thee1 saying1  
,thou shalt not eat of it1 cursed is the
 ground for thy sake2 in sorrow shalt   
thou eat of it all the days of thy      
life2' thus plainly demonstrating to us1
 that ,,man was meant to rule4 ,bear in 
mind that ,god was angry because ,adam  
,,hearkened unto the voice of his       
,,wife2 and ,adam called his wife ,eve  
because she was the mother of all       
living4 ,so it is clear to be seen1 that
 woman was meant to attend to the duties
 of a mother in caring for her          
offspring1 and man was intended to labor
 as the provider for her whom he chose  
as a helpmeet1 as well as for the entire
 household4 ,woman has natural          

nourishment sent to her for the babe    
long before she is able to leave her    
couch4 ,does not all this prove to every
 thinking person that woman's sphere and
 calling are widely different8  ,the    
good and perfection of women consist in 
remaining contentedly in the place which
 ,god has assigned them1 and in         
performing well the duties of their     
divine calling4 ,if the hand wishes to  
be in the place of the eye1 and the eye 
wishes to be where the hand is1 they    
become burdensome1 and disturb the good 
order and harmony of the body4 ,now it  
is the same with the members of the     
social body4 ,if women are in the place1
 or engaged in the occupation which ,god
 has chosen for them1 they enjoy a      
profound peace2 they rest under ,his    
protection2 they are nourished by ,his  
grace2 they are enriched by ,his        
blessings1 and work out their eternal   
happiness with but little pain4  ,this  
truth1 however1 is considered by many   
women as one of trifling importance2    

they seem not to care as to whether they
 live up to their divine calling or not4
 ,the ,holy ,ghost1 however1 admonishes 
every one thus3 ,let every man abide in 
the vocation to which he was called 7#a 
,cor4 vii4 #bj72 for1 ,blessed is the   
man that shall continue in wisdom--and  
that considereth her ways in his        
heart4--7,eccles4 xiv4 #bb1 #bc47       
,blessed that woman who well considers  
her divine calling1 penetrates into1 and
 admires its greatness1 and endeavors1  
with all her strength and heart1 to     
comply with all its duties4 ,one of the 
most usual temptations which the        
arch-enemy of mankind makes use of to   
shake women's happiness1 in the present 
day1 is to excite in them disgust and   
dissatisfaction for their divine        
calling4 ,hence it is that we so often  
hear them complain of their state of    
life2 they fancy that1 by changing their
 condition of life1 they shall fare     
better3 yes1 provided they changed      
themselves4 ,would to ,god they were    

sworn enemies of these useless1         
dangerous1 and bad desires6 ,god wills  
to speak to them amidst the thorns1 and 
out of the midst of the bush 7,exod4    
iii4 #b71 and they will ,him to speak to
 them in the whistling of a gentle      
air4--7,,iii ,kings1 xix4 #ab47 ,they   
ought1 then1 to remain on board the ship
 in which they are1 in order to cross   
from this life to the other2 and they   
ought to remain there willingly1 and    
with affection4 ,let them not think of  
anything else2 let them not wish for    
that which they are not1 but let them   
earnestly desire to be the very best of 
what they are4 ,let them endeavor to do 
their best to perfect themselves where  
they are1 and bear courageously all the 
crosses1 light or heavy1 that they may  
encounter4 ,let them believe that this  
is the leading principle1 and yet the   
one least understood in the ,christian  
life4 ,every one follows his own taste2 
very few place their happiness in       
fulfilling their duty according to the  

pleasure of our ,lord4 ,what is the use 
of building castles in ,spain1 when we  
are obliged to live in ,america8 ,as a  
bird that wandereth from her nest1 so is
 a man that leaveth his place 7,prov4   
xxvii4 #h71 his occupation1 or station  
of life4 ,let every woman remain firm in
 her calling1 if she wishes to insure   
her tranquillity of mind1 her peace of  
heart1 her temporal and eternal         
happiness4  ,to become unfaithful to    
their vocation is for women to suffer as
 many pangs as a limb which1 through    
some accident1 has been wrenched out of 
place4 ,they are continually tormented  
by evil spirits1 who have power over a  
soul that is out of its proper sphere4  
,they are no longer under the protection
 of ,god1 since they have withdrawn from
 ,his guidance1 and voluntarily         
abandoned ,his watchful ,providence4    
,they fall often into grievous sins1    
because they are not sustained by the   
grace which belongs to the state in     
which ,god desires them to be4 ,a woman1

 therefore1 can never show her superior 
intellectual powers better than by      
cheerfully accepting the calling for    
which the ,creator evidently intended   
her2 that is1 for woman1 wife1 and      
mother4     ,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,evil   
,,consequences ,,of ,,the ,,public      
,,school ,,system ,,continued4   ,few   
questions affect so directly the welfare
 and interests of the people as the     
question of education2 and assuredly1 in
 this country1 there is none of more    
moment as regards the well-being and    
permanence of our national institutions4
 ,these1 our institutions1 our          
prosperity and civilization1 depend for 
their permanence and perpetuity1 not so 
much on the culture of the arts1        
sciences1 literature1 or philosophy1 as 
on the general diffusion of the salutary
 and vivifying principles of religion4  
,history tells us in its every page1    
that the decline and downfall of nations
 have ever been caused by irreligion and
 immorality4  ,indeed1 it is not the    

,state that has made men free1 nor can  
it1 on its own professed origin1 keep   
itself or them free4 ,it has no mission 
to reform men or manners2 its boasted   
material civilization is no civilization
 at all4 ,for steam1 railroads1         
telegraphs1 printing1 and in fact all   
the arts and natural sciences1 have     
never civilized or converted one man1   
not even a naked savage1 and never will4
 ,they are the results of civilization1 
and even then the least part4 ,nor are  
they adequate to maintain or preserve   
the ,state4 ,what is called material    
civilization is nothing else than       
polished barbarism1--a kind of monster1 
with the intelligence of a man1 and the 
cruelty and instincts of a beast4 ,it   
may flatter the vanity of modern nations
 to think they are superior to the      
ancients in scientific and industrial   
developments1 but if they rely on this  
alone1 they are greatly mistaken4 ,i    
admit the superiority of the moderns1   
but not on this account4 ,in the first  

place1 many arts and products of head   
and hands have been lost1 but even those
 that remain are the envy and despair of
 modern competitors4 ,besides1 every age
 must be judged by comparison with its  
contemporaries4 ,yet they have fallen2  
and antiquarian travellers search in    
vain for the ruins of the proudest and  
greatest cities of the past4 ,the nation
 and people--the most gallant and       
accomplished of all antiquity--who      
engraved their names on the imperishable
 fields of ,plataea and ,marathon1 who  
conquered at ,salamis1 or died at       
,thermopylae--that carried eloquence1   
heroism1 and art to a pitch never since 
attained--the age which boasted of      
,pericles and ,praxitelles1 of ,plato   
and ,aristides--perished from excess of 
its material civilization1 deprived1 as 
it was1 of the vital element of true    
religion4 ,without this no nation can   
live1 nor exhibit in its actions true   
grandeur1 or nobility of character4     
,there is among such a cruelty1 a       

perfidy1 and a beastly lust1 which      
sooner or later bring on their decay and
 ruin4  ,look at ancient ,rome1 the once
 proud mistress of the world4 ,in her   
palmiest days1 amidst her thousands of  
marble palaces and triumphal arches1    
amidst her innumerable temples and      
altars1 there was not one to ,mercy4    
,nor was there1 amidst all this barbaric
 display1 a single hospital for the poor
 of any age or condition4 ,the ,roman   
eagle was carried at the head of        
victorious legions to the ,hither ,inde1
 and far beyond the depths of ,hercynian
 forests4 ,conquered kings marched at   
the head of subjugated nations to swell 
her triumphs2 the wealth and strength of
 the then known world lay at her feet4  
,here was exhibited on a scale--the     
grandest the world ever saw or will     
see--the triumphs of material           
civilization4 ,yet all this crumbled and
 fell before the rude hatchets of the   
long-haired barbarian hordes1 coming    
they knew not from whence1 and going    

they knew not whither1 only able to give
 the single answer1 that they were the  
scourge of ,god4 ,where1 then1 was the  
power to save8 ,it was not in their     
material civilization1 nor in their     
impotent and terrified legions4 ,what   
all these could not do was accomplished 
by an unarmed man--,pope ,leo the       
,great1 speaking in the name of that    
mighty ,god1 unknown alike to ,attila   
and to ,roman wisdom4 ,that ,god still  
reigns1 and ,him it is the ,state would 
exclude from the ,public ,schools6      
thereby denying alike the lessons of    
history and its ,christian duty4 ,these 
,united ,states1 or no existing nation  
7relatively to the age71 has never      
attained the point of artistic1         
aesthetic1 social or material perfection
 of the ,greco-,roman ,states2 yet they 
fell1 as ,i have just said1 to slavery  
and ruin1 not so much from the blows of 
the barbarians1 as from the dissolving  
influence of a material civilization1   
resulting inevitably in public and      

private impotence and demoralization4   
,only keep up the present godless system
 of ,state education1 and depend on it1 
as sure as effect follows cause1 every  
species of villany and defilement will  
flood the land4 ,it is certain that all 
education which is not based on religion
 is heathenish1 and must prove          
destructive in the end4 ,it will destroy
 the very people whom it was expected to
 save4 ,it will consume them as a fire4 
,nor can it be otherwise2 for what      
brought on the ,cities of the ,plain the
 material fires of heaven8 ,or what were
 the sins and crimes of the ,gentile    
nations that called forth the terrible  
chastisements predicted by the prophets8
 ,why1 the self-same pride1             
worldly-mindedness1 ambition1           
sensuality1 and disregard of ,god and   
,his laws which is at this hour taught  
in the ,public ,schools4 ,this1 ,i am   
aware1 is a grave charge1 but it is made
 with all deliberation and sense of     
responsibility4 ,indeed1 the ancients   

were in many respects more excusable    
than we are4 ,they had but the ,old     
,law1 always incomplete and obscure1    
whilst we live under the fulfilment of  
the new law1 with all its aids and      
graces4 ,now1 if ,god did not spare the 
,cities of the ,plain1 if ,he destroyed 
the ancient nations in punishment for   
their wicked lives and disregard of     
,himself and ,his law1 what reason have 
our modern heathens and infidels to     
escape ,god's vengeance--they who in    
every respect are more guilty in ,his   
sight8 ,let the measure of the evil     
consequences of the ,public ,school     
system become full1 and rest assured the
 wrath of ,god will not fail to come    
down upon the ,american people4 ,the    
late ,american war was a great          
punishment for the whole country4       
,thousands of men were launched into    
eternity unprepared to appear before    
their ,eternal ,judge4 ,yet this        
punishment is only a forerunner of a far
 more terrible one4 ,the ,lord is       

patient1 and slow in punishing a whole  
nation1 which ,he may spare for many    
years for the sake of ,his just4 ,yet   
for all that ,he will not fail to punish
 private families1 fathers1 and mothers1
 and children1 if they have no regard   
for ,him and ,his law--if they are      
practical infidels1 and give themselves 
up to their beastly passions4 ,let me   
give you some instances1 taken from the 
little book ,fate of ,infidelity1 by a  
,converted ,infidel4  ,you all have1    
undoubtedly1 heard of ,blind ,palmer1 a 
professed infidel4 ,after he had tried  
to lecture against ,christ he lost his  
sight1 and died suddenly in             
,philadelphia1 in the forty-second year 
of his age4 ,you will also have heard of
 the so-called ,orange ,county ,infidel 
,society4 ,they held1 among other       
tenets1 that it was right to indulge in 
lasciviousness1 and that it was right to
 regulate their conduct as their        
propensities and appetites should       
dictate2 and as these principles were   

carried into practical operation by some
 families belonging to the association1 
in one instance a son held criminal     
intercourse with his mother1 and        
publicly justified his conduct4 ,the    
step-father1 and husband to the mother  
who thus debased herself1 boldly avowed 
that1 in his opinion1 it was morally    
right to hold such intercourse4 ,the    
members of this impious society were    
visited by ,god in a remarkable manner4 
,they all died1 within five years1 in   
some strange or unnatural manner4 ,one  
of these was seized with a sudden and   
violent illness1 and in his agony       
exclaimed3 ',my bowels are on fire--die 
,i must1' and his spirit passed away4   
,dr4 ,h41 another of the party1 was     
found dead in his bed the next morning4 
,d4 ,d41 a printer1 fell in a fit and   
died immediately1 and three others were 
drowned within a few days4  ,b4 ,a41 a  
lawyer1 came to his death by starvation1
 and ,c4 ,c41 also educated for the bar1
 and a man of superior intellectual     

endowments1 died of want1 hunger1 and   
filth4  ,another one1 who had studied to
 be a preacher1 suddenly disappeared1   
but at length his remains were found    
fast in the ice1 where he evidently had 
been for a long time1 as the fowls of   
the air1 and the inhabitants of the     
deep1 had consumed the most of his      
flesh4  ,joshua ,miller1 notorious as a 
teacher of infidelity1 was found upon a 
stolen horse1 and was shot by ,col4 ,j4 
,woodhull2 ,n4 ,miller1 his brother1 who
 was discovered one ,sunday morning     
seated upon a log playing cards1 was    
also shot4  ,benjamin ,kelly was shot   
off his horse by a boy1 the son of one  
,clark1 who had been murdered by ,kelly2
 his body remained upon the ground until
 his flesh had been consumed by birds4  
,i4 ,smith committed suicide by stabbing
 himself1 while he was in prison for    
crime4  ,w4 ,smith was shot by ,b4      
,thorpe and others1 for robbery4  ,s4   
,t4 betrayed his own confidential friend
 for a few dollars2 his friend was hung1

 and he was afterwards shot by ,d4      
,lancaster4  ,i4 ,v4 was shot by a      
company of militia4 ,i4 ,d41 in a       
drunken fit1 was frozen to death4  ,i4  
,b41 and ,i4 ,smith1 and ,j4 ,vervellen1
 ,b4 ,r41 and one other individual1 were
 hung for heinous crimes they had       
committed4 ,n4 ,b41 ,w4 ,t41 and ,w4    
,h41 were drowned4 ,c4 ,c4 hung himself4
 ,a4 ,s4 was struck with an axe1 and    
bled to death4  ,f4 ,s4 fell from his   
horse and was killed4 ,w4 ,clark drank  
himself to death2 he was eaten by the   
hogs before his bones were found1 which 
were recognized by his clothing4 ,j4    
,a41 sen41 died in the woods1 his       
rum-jug by his side2 he was not found   
until a dog brought home one of his     
legs1 which was identified by his       
stocking2 his bones had been picked by  
animals4  ,s4 ,c4 hung himself1 and     
another destroyed himself by taking     
laudanum4 ,d4 ,d4 was hired for ten     
dollars to shoot a man1 for which       
offence he died upon the gallows4  ,the 

most of those who survived were either  
sent to the ,state ,prison1 or were     
publicly whipped for crimes committed   
against the peace and dignity of the    
,state4  ,this is a brief history of the
 ,orange ,county ,liberals1 as they     
called themselves4 ,to the infidel and  
evil-doer1 it presents matter worthy of 
serious reflection1 while the believer  
will recognize in each event the special
 judgment of ,god1 which is too clearly 
indicated to be doubted by any honest   
mind4 ,i ask1 will the ,lord fail to    
visit with similar judgments all those  
who are guilty of the same crimes8 ,will
 the ,lord fail to visit with similar   
judgments all those who1 by keeping up  
and defending a godless system of       
education1 prepare the young for        
infidelity1 and all kinds of crimes and 
iniquities8 ,if the ,lord punished so   
severely the ,king ,antiochus for       
carrying away the sacred vessels from   
the temple of ,jerusalem2 if ,he sent so
 many plagues upon the ,egyptians1 and  

drowned1 at last1 the ,king ,pharaoh and
 his whole army in the ,red ,sea1 for   
refusing to let the people of ,god offer
 sacrifices where and in the manner the 
,lord desired it1 what will be the      
punishments for those who1 by a godless 
system of education1 abolish religion8  
,if ,god slew twenty-four thousand men  
of the ,israelites for having fallen    
into fornication 7,numb4 xxv471 with    
what punishments will ,he visit those   
who add1 to the sin of fornication and  
adultery1 even the crime of             
child-murder6 ,numberless child-murders 
are committed daily in the land4        
,assuredly the voice of these innocent  
victims will cry to heaven for          
vengeance1 and the ,lord will not deafen
 ,his ear to their voice4 ,if the       
,american people will not soon put an   
end to the godless system of education1 
if they permit any longer the rising    
generation to be raised to infidelity1  
the wrath of the ,lord1 enkindled       
against them ever since the introduction

 of the godless system of education1    
will fall upon them4 ,in former times1  
when the ,lord threatened the people    
with ,his chastisements1 they entered   
into themselves1 and did penance1       
because they had faith1 and the ,lord   
was appeased4 ,but our modern heathens  
laugh at the very idea of doing penance4
 ,so the wrath of the ,lord will surely 
overtake them when they least expect it4
     ,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,the             
,,state4--,,its ,,usurpation ,,of ,,the 
,,individual ,,rights4--,,its           
,,incompetency ,,to ,,educate4   ,it is 
certain and undeniable that two orders  
of things actually exist in this world1 
the natural order and the               
supernatural--nature and grace4 ,these  
two orders have the same ultimate end1  
though1 in themselves1 they are         
distinct4 ,nature is1 and must be1      
always subordinate to grace2 the natural
 must be always subservient to the      
supernatural4 ,this is ,god's immutable 
decree4 ,hence religion must always hold

 the first place in everything4 ,a      
system of education that places the     
natural and the supernatural on the same
 level is absurd1 and must be condemned2
 but a system of education that ignores 
the supernatural altogether1 is1 if     
possible1 even more wicked and          
detestable4 ,yet this wicked1           
detestable1 irreligious system1         
diabolical in its origin1 and subversive
 of all political1 social1 and religious
 order1 is imposed by the ,state upon   
all ,christian denominations1 whether   
they approve of it or not4 ,now the     
,state has no right whatever to force   
such a godless system upon its subjects4
  ,for the right understanding of this  
most important point1 ,i attach great   
importance to a clear understanding of  
what is commonly called the ,state4     
,what is the ,state8  ,people in general
 have a vague and confused conception of
 this matter4 ,you will hear the people 
talk of the sovereignty of the ,state1  
the life of the ,state1 the power of the

 ,state1 the absolute authority of the  
,state1 the paramount allegiance due to 
the ,state1 etc41 etc4 ,not only the    
,public at large1 but even those who    
assume to lead and direct public        
opinion1 are constantly blundering on   
this subject4  ,there is nothing so     
fertile as an idea2 it will1 like every 
other germ or seed1 bring forth in time 
according to its kind4 ,if it be a good 
one1 it will bring forth good fruit2 if 
it be a false or bad one1 it will spread
 its evil fruits over society4 ,be it   
one or the other1 it is never barren2   
sooner or later1 the idea or maxim takes
 form and substance in an ,institution2 
then it operates1 in a material manner1 
for good or evil4  ,to illustrate3 a    
false conception of the nature and      
authority1 of the legitimate functions1 
rights and duties of what is called the 
,state1 has led1 and will1 if not       
corrected1 ever lead to the most        
deplorable political1 social1 and       
religious disorder and oppression4 ,as  

diverging lines in mathematics can never
 approximate1 but must continue to widen
 as they are extended1 so a false       
departure from a political standpoint   
can never be rectified unless by a      
return to correct first principles4     
,this is what is meant by the democratic
 maxim1 that a frequent return to first 
principles is necessary to secure the   
ends of public liberty4  ,indeed1 this  
error1 this diverging point in          
constitutional interpretation1 has been 
the real cause--the causa causarum--of  
the late war2 and not the negro1 or     
cotton1 or the spirit of domination1 or 
difference of race1 or what not1 might  
serve as the proximate cause1 but the   
real cause lay far back of them4 ,i am  
willing to admit that political events  
do not always proceed on a strictly     
logical order1 but nevertheless there is
 a sequence1 indeed an inevitable chain 
of cause and effect in the progress of  
public affairs1 such as we see in       
individual conduct1 but only on a       

broader scale4  ,now what is the civil  
power1 or ,state2 what its origin1 its  
authority1 its legitimate functions1 its
 rights and duties8 ,here ,i must1 of   
necessity1 be very brief4 ,the ,state   
originated from the natural desire which
 men experience to obtain certain goods1
 such as peace1 security of life and    
property1 of personal rights and        
privileges1 etc41 etc4 ,these are goods 
which neither individuals1 nor families1
 nor private corporations can procure   
for themselves satisfactorily4 ,people  
therefore unite to establish a ,state1  
in order to attain1 through the ,state1 
what they cannot do by their own private
 exertions4 ,the ,state1 then1 is made  
by the people and for the people4 ,in   
our form of government it is a mere     
corporate agency4 ,its duty is to see   
that justice is administered1 and       
personal rights and property protected4 
,it holds the sword of justice not for  
itself1 but for others2 it is the       
servant1 and not the master4 ,the people

 were not made for the ,state1 or given 
to the ,state1 but the ,state is        
posterior to the people2 it was1 as ,i  
said before1 established by the people  
and for the people4 ,in them1 under     
,god1 resides the sovereignty and       
ultimate permanent authority4 ,the right
 of the ,state is to discharge the      
duties assigned it within the sphere of 
its delegated authority--that is all4   
,that sphere of action of the ,state in 
this country is clearly defined in the  
written ,constitution4 ,the ,state1     
then1 must scrupulously abstain from    
violating any of the rights it was      
organized to protect4  ,there never has 
been1 and never will be1 but two forms  
of government--one seeking to restrain1 
the other to enlarge1 the liberties of  
the people4 ,to the former belong the   
centralized and despotic governments of 
the past and present2 to the latter1 the
 limited and representative ones4       
,russia1 without doubt1 is the highest  
type of that despotism so common among  

,pagan nations4 ,the ,czar is the       
successor of the ,gentile ,caesar2 he   
unites in himself the civil and         
spiritual power2 the inevitable result  
is social oppression1 denial of the     
rights of conscience1 of the family1 and
 of the political society4 ,our         
government has already made gigantic    
steps in the same direction4 ,many of   
the political minds of this country have
 been drawn within the circle of        
monarchial ideas4 ,they are             
unconsciously1 as it were1 adopting     
their forms of thought1 and applying    
their forms of expression to our        
government1 and claiming for it the     
prerogatives and supremacy appertaining 
to the feudal institutions of ,asia and 
,europe4 ,our simple democratic form of 
government seems to be getting ashamed  
of its plebeian origin1 and ambitious to
 ape the language and pretensions of its
 former masters4 ,this decadence was    
made apparent not long ago1 in the      
discussions for the removal of the      

,united ,states ,capitol4 ,in a         
two-hours' discussion1 the word         
,republic1 or ,federal ,government1 or  
,united ,states1 was not once           
mentioned66 ,it was ,nation1 ,empire1   
etc41 etc41 usque ad nauseam1 from      
beginning to end4 ,to a reflecting mind1
 this language has an ominous           
significance4 ,it smacks strongly of    
monarchy4  ,but some one will perhaps   
say1 ,sir1 what has all this            
dissertation to do with your subject8   
,you commence by disclaiming against the
 ,public ,school ,system1 and here you  
are giving a grave lecture on the nation
 relapsing into imperialism or monarchy4
  ,it has a great deal to do2 it is an  
attempt to trace effects to their       
causes4 ,this government of ours1 both  
in its ,federal and ,state capacity1 is 
growing ambitious to play the ,king4 ,it
 is setting itself up as master4 ,it is 
using the language of all tyrants3 ,sic 
volo1 sic jubeo1 etc41 etc4 ,it claims1 
after the example of ,prussia or        

,russia1 or some other despotism1 to    
direct the education of the children of 
the people4 ,it even claims them as     
belonging to itself4 ,it is the great   
feudal master4 ,it takes upon itself the
 old duty of providing instruction for  
the sons and daughters of its           
dependents4 ,it takes upon itself the   
discharge of duties imposed on parents  
by ,divine ,law1 just as if fathers and 
mothers had lost their natural instincts
 as well as sense of duty2 just as if   
the ,state had all the intelligence1    
virtue1 and forethought of the public in
 her keeping4 ,it dispenses parents from
 a duty from which ,god will never      
dispense them4 ,it has usurped the      
office of teacher2 it will1 if not      
checked1 set itself up as preacher4 ,it 
makes ,sunday laws1 temperance laws2 it 
places marriage on the footing of simple
 contracts1 facilitates divorce2 it is  
constantly1 in all these things and many
 others1 repeating the mot ascribed to a
 ,king of ,france3 ,l'etat c'est moi4   

,in fine1 it makes1 as it has been      
aptly1 but not very reverently1 said1   
,god a little man1 and itself and the   
,state a little god1 not in love and    
charity1 indeed1 but in power and       
authority4  ,here is where the danger   
comes from1 and it is against this that 
the people must provide4 ,the people    
must see to it that the ,state1 or those
 who are charged with its authority1    
keep within their proper place4 ,the    
people can never be too vigilant or     
jealous of their constituted authority1 
never permit themselves to be the       
victims of misplaced confidence4 ,the   
,state is not seldom the usurper--the   
rebel that should be watched4 ,the      
allegiance is not to it1 but from it to 
the people--its master4 ,eternal        
vigilance is the price of liberty4  ,the
 people have been greatly deceived and  
wronged by the ,state on the            
establishment of the ,public ,school    
system4 ,the better to understand this1 
let us see again1 in a few words1 what  

are the principles on which the         
establishment of public schools is      
based4 ,how did men arrive at the idea  
that the ,state should be a             
school-master8 ,if we consult history1  
we shall find that this idea rests upon 
most objectionable grounds4 ,in         
,europe--in ,protestant countries--the  
education of youth was held to belong to
 the church4 ,but as the ,protestant    
prince was also the chief bishop of his 
church1 he had the care of schools1 as  
well as the administration of other     
religious matters4 ,according to this   
principle of the ,state-church1 all the 
schools were ,state-schools4 ,at the    
present day1 ,protestant princes and    
princesses are not looked upon as chief 
bishops1 but the consequence of this    
objectionable system does still remain1 
and has gained a foothold even in this  
free country4  ,the ,french ,revolution1
 among other things1 diffused           
communistic and socialistic theories4   
,nay1 communism and socialism seemed to 

have1 for a moment1 the fullest sway in 
those revolutionary proceedings4 ,it is 
from such socialistic revolutionists    
that came the idea1 or rather principle1
 which was made a law1 that the ,state  
should educate the children of its      
subjects4 ,accordingly the school-system
 was arranged1 which ,napoleon ,i4      
highly welcomed and retained1 as he saw 
in it a welcome instrument of his       
despotism4 ,in fact1 nothing pleases    
,state-absolutism or despotism so much  
as the complete control of education    
through the system of ,state-schools4   
,as the result of impartial history1    
then1 we see that the foundation of the 
,state-school system is nothing else    
than the objectionable ,protestant      
,state-church1 and especially           
revolutionary socialism4  ,but most     
absurd did the ,state-school system     
appear after it had been transplanted   
into free ,america4 ,here this ,state   
system of education was at first applied
 to the poor1 and other unprovided-for  

waifs of society4 ,but not long after1  
the ,state claimed to have a paramount  
interest in the children of all classes2
 it made no distinction1 it knew not the
 rich from the poor1 but opened its     
scholastic treasures alike1 and it was  
thought to be all right4  ,what an      
absurdity6 ,the ,state1 as ,i have      
remarked1 must scrupulously abstain from
 violating any of those rights which it 
was organized to protect4 ,it must not  
paralyze or take away the industry of   
the individual1 family1 or private      
institutions by substituting for it its 
own industry4 ,the ,state should rather 
protect and promote the industry of its 
subjects1 as well as other rights and   
liberties4 ,let me speak more plainly3  
the ,state1 for instance1 should protect
 trade1 but it should not be itself a   
tradesman2 the ,state should encourage  
agriculture1 but it should not be itself
 a farmer2 the ,state should sustain    
honest handicraft1 but it should not    
work at shoe-making or tailoring1 and   

bread-baking4 ,so1 in the same manner1  
the ,state should promote and protect   
education1 but it should not be itself a
 school-master1 and give instruction4   
,what a cry would be raised if the      
,state erected ,state workshops1 and    
thereby ruined all other similar trades6
 ,now the ,state does the same thing1 as
 far as possible1 in regard to          
education4 ,what an absurdity6 ,in our  
free country1 ,state education has no   
more foundation in good sense than the  
old sumptuary laws1 that regulated the  
length of a boot or the dimensions of a 
skirt4  ,if the ,state claims the right 
to educate our children1 why does it not
 just as well claim the right to nurse1 
feed1 clothe1 doctor1 and lodge them8   
,indeed these necessities are more      
indispensable1 and must be supplied to a
 considerable extent before education   
can be given at all4 ,why should the    
,state throw all these burdens on the   
parents1 and assume that of instruction8
 ,it cannot claim to know more of       

grammar than of the art of nursing and  
cooking4 ,it is even said that the      
tailor and barber have more to do in    
fashioning the man than the             
school-master4  ,again1 how absurd is it
 not for the ,state to undertake to     
teach all alike1 without regard to their
 circumstances or prospects in life1 the
 same business4 ,this scholastic        
equality soon ends1 if it ever had a    
reality4 ,they cannot all expect to be  
,newtons1 ,humboldts1 or ,la ,places4   
,they cannot be all1 nay1 not one in ten
 thousand1 professors1 or editors1 or   
what not4 ,we cannot1 if we would1      
escape the sentence imposed on our      
forefather in the garden3 ,thou shalt   
eat thy bread in the sweat of thy face4 
,as well might the ,state claim that all
 the children from seven to seventeen   
years of age should sit at the same     
table1 provided at public expense1 and  
be served with the same food and the    
same number of dishes4 ,if the ,state   
7in order to prepare the rising         

generation to make citizens1 which must 
be its reason1 if any7 thinks it        
necessary to prescribe a ,state         
education1 it is equally important that 
their food1 and even their clothing1    
should be of the approved ,state quality
 and pattern666 ,all know that this was 
the old ,lacaedemonian plan1 and how it 
ended history tells2--in ferocity1      
avarice1 dishonesty and disruption4 ,all
 admit the folly and wickedness of      
forcing a people into uniformity in     
matter of religion4 ,now it is just as  
unreasonable1 just as absurd1 just as   
wicked to force the people into         
uniformity in the matter of education4  
,one species of tyranny as well as the  
other disregards the just claims of     
conscience1 tramples on the most vital  
rights of individuals1 and usurps the   
most sacred right of the family4  ,the  
,state may1 indeed1 require that the    
children should be educated1 in order   
that they may one day become worthy     
members of society1 and fit subjects for

 the ,state2 but claim1 and give1 and   
control their education1 the ,state     
cannot4 ,there is in all this matter a  
feature not always clearly represented4 
,it is this3 any provision made by the  
,state for education1 must refer to the 
poor and otherwise unprovided1 and be   
justified on the grounds of the ,state  
standing to these classes in loco       
parentis2 beyond this1 though the       
,state1 as to charitable uses1 may be   
defined parens patria1 yet1 as to the   
people at large1 it has nothing to do   
with their education whatever4 ,if this 
simple though undeniable fact were      
properly understood1 it would save a    
world of trouble and confusion4  ,i am  
speaking of a ,christian ,state1 and the
 ,state in ,america is ,christian4 ,the 
very graves1 if necessary1 would open   
and give up their dead to bear testimony
 to its ,christian origin4 ,its         
civilization is ,christian1 and is the  
product of the principles of the ,new   
,law as taught and promulgated by the   

,church4 ,the distinguishing feature of 
this civilization is1 that it has       
asserted the dignity of freedom of the  
individual man1 while the ancient1 or   
,gentile1 civilization1 sunk the        
individual man in the composite society 
called the ,state4 ,in that case it was 
but reasonable that the ,state should1  
as owner1 take upon itself the burden of
 providing1 not only for his government1
 but also for the education of his      
offspring4 ,these1 too1 belonged to it1 
on the maxim of ,roman or ,pagan law1   
that partus sequitur ventrem1 or the    
offspring follows the parent4 ,this is  
the origin of the ,pagan doctrine1 the  
children of the ,state--a miserable     
relic of barbarism4 ,it is important to 
keep this fact in mind1 when we deny the
 supremacy of the ,state in the matter  
of education4  ,our children1 then1 are 
not the children of the ,state4 ,the    
,state has no children1 and never had1  
nor will4 ,the ,state does not own them1
 nor their fathers nor mothers1 nor     

anybody else in this country1 thank     
,god6 ,we have not got that far yet on  
the road to civil slavery1 and ,i hope  
we never shall4 ,we are not ,pagans1 nor
 ,mahometans1 nor ,russians4 ,we have   
not sold out1 and don't intend to6 ,we  
are free1 for with a great price our    
forefathers have bought this freedom2   
and better still1 we are made1 through  
the mercy of our ,divine ,author1       
,christians1 and heirs to a heavenly    
kingdom4 ,our children1 too1 are free2  
they belong by the order of nature to   
their parents1 and by the order of grace
 to our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,they are 
children of ,god and heirs to ,his      
heavenly kingdom4 ,it is not on the     
,state1 but on parents1 that ,god       
imposed the duty to educate their       
children1 a duty from which no ,state   
can dispense1 nor can fathers and       
mothers relieve themselves of this duty 
by the vicarious assumption of the      
,state4 ,they have to give a severe     
account of their children on the ,day of

 ,judgment1 and they cannot allow any   
power to disturb them in insisting upon 
their rights and making free use of     
them4 ,the ,state has no more authority 
or control rightfully over our children1
 than over a man's wife4 ,the right to  
educate our children is a right of      
conscience1 and a right of the family4  
,now these rights do not belong to the  
temporal order at all2 and outside of   
this the ,state has no claim1 no right1 
no authority4 ,when the ,state has      
children1 it will be time enough to     
teach them4 ,how long will it take our  
enlightened age to learn this simple but
 important truth8  ,nothing shows better
 the absurdity of the ,state in claiming
 the right of education1 than its       
incompetency for the task4 ,the ,state  
is forbidden any interference with      
religion4  ,i have shown that the whole 
system is infidel in principle4 ,the    
,state says we want no religion taught  
in the ,public ,schools1 because1 as we 
cannot teach you religion without       

inculcating some form or other professed
 by some sect or other1 and as we do not
 wish to give offence1 we will teach you
 none4 ,let the child believe anything  
or nothing1 so as it is not some form of
 sectarianism4 ,i worship in the        
,pantheon2 all are alike to me1 of      
course4 ,in all this the ,state is      
perfectly consistent1 and cannot do     
otherwise4 ,it has undertaken a part it 
is not competent to perform4 ,the       
,state1 as ,state1 professes no form of 
belief4 ,its gods1 its worships1 its    
altars1 its victims1 its rewards1 its   
punishments1 its heaven1 its hell--are  
here4 ,it teaches no religion1 because  
it don't profess any4 ,it was not born1 
it will not die1 it has no soul1 it was 
not created1 it will not be judged in   
the world to come1 like men4  ,but let  
me not be misunderstood as concluding   
that states1 nations1 or kingdoms are   
not moral persons1 and are not          
responsible for their acts and conduct  
to ,almighty ,god4 ,they have no right  

to do wrong more than an individual4    
,states have their lives1 their mission1
 their destiny2 they have their sphere  
here below4 ,they represent the         
temporal1 or the things which belong to 
,caesar4  ,the ,state1 then1 is a moral 
person1 and a fortiori1 a religious     
person1 for there can be no morality    
without religion4 ,but though religion1 
in a general sense1 be recognized by the
 ,state1 it has no authority to control 
or direct it4 ,it must respect the      
conscience of an individual4 ,this is   
his birthright1 and cannot be voted     
away1 whether to support ,public        
,schools or ,public ,churches4  ,if     
there be amongst us any number1 great or
 small1 who deny the common faith1 it is
 the duty of the ,state to tolerate     
them4 ,a greater power--,god--does this4
 ,but the ,state itself cannot profess  
or play infidel1 or1 under pretence of  
avoiding sectarian partiality1 strike at
 the root of all ,christianity4 ,i admit
 the ,state is of the temporal order1   

and cannot discriminate between the     
various modes of belief2 but not for    
that can it place itself outside of     
them4 ,it is distinguishable1 but not   
separable1 from the spiritual order4 ,it
 is simply a means to a greater end4 ,it
 is a mischievous error to say that the 
,state has nothing to do with religion1 
and may act outside of its obligations4 
,if by this it is meant that the ,state 
cannot establish or maintain any special
 form of religion1 or interfere with its
 profession1 or even denial by others1  
,i admit the proposition2 but if1 on the
 other hand1 it is meant that it regards
 ,christianity and infidelity1 ,god or  
no ,god1 truth and error1 either as     
equal or unimportant1 then ,i utterly   
deny and condemn it4 ,to bear with and  
tolerate error is its duty2 to foster or
 provide for its support or propagation1
 or place it on the same footing with   
revealed truth1 is another and very     
different thing4  ,the constitutions of 
the ,state guarantee to every citizen   

the right to worship ,god according to  
the dictates of his own conscience2 but 
this is not guaranteeing to every one   
the liberty of not worshipping ,god at  
all1 to deny ,his existence1 ,his       
revelation1 or to worship a false god4  
,the freedom guaranteed is the freedom  
of religion1 not the freedom of         
infidelity4 ,the ,american ,constitution
 grants to the infidel the right of     
protection in his civil and political   
equality1 but it grants him no right to 
protection and support in his           
infidelity2 for infidelity is not a     
religion1 but the denial of all         
religion4 ,the ,american ,state is      
,christian1 and under the ,christian    
law1 and is based upon ,christian       
principles4 ,it is bound to protect and 
enforce ,christian morals and its laws1 
whether assailed by ,mormonism1         
,spiritism1 ,freelovism1 ,pantheism1 or 
,atheism4 ,but the ,state does the      
contrary4 ,for1 ,i ask1 is not the      
,state indirectly prohibiting the       

profession of ,christianity by          
establishing a system of education which
 prohibits all religious instruction8   
,the ,state forbids the teacher to speak
 a word on the subject of religion4     
,the ,state says that it is an admitted 
axiom that our form of government1 more 
than all others1 depends on the virtue  
and intelligence of the people4 ,the    
,state proposes to furnish this virtue  
and intelligence through the ,public    
,schools4 ,that is1 the safety of the   
,state depends on the virtue and        
intelligence of the people1 and the     
latter is derived from the virtue and   
intelligence of the ,state4 ,but where  
does the virtue and intelligence of the 
,state come from8 ,the only answer on   
this theory is1 from the people4 ,so the
 ,state enlightens and purifies the     
people1 and the people enlighten and    
purify the ,state4 ,the people support  
the ,state1 the ,state supports the     
,public ,schools1 and they support the  
,state4 ,if this is not what logicians  

call a vicious circle1 it looks very    
much like it4 ,it puts me in mind of the
 ,brahmin's theory of the support of the
 earth4 ,the ,hindoo says1 ,the world   
rests on the back of an elephant--the   
elephant rests on the back of a turtle4 
,but what does the turtle rest on8 ,so  
it is with our ,public ,school          
,brahmins4 ,they will tell you1 with all
 the coolness of ,hindoo hypocrisy and  
pretension1 that the ,state depends on  
the schools--the schools on the ,state  
or people1 but they do not say what the 
turtle stands on4 ,this is the dilemma  
that all who rest society on the ,state1
 or on an atheistical basis1 get into4  
,they would cut the world loose from its
 assigned order of dependence on ,divine
 ,law1 and set it a-going on its own    
hook4 ,but the trouble is1 they have no 
support for this turtle2 they have an   
earth without axis4 ,the ,public ,school
 savans would have a self-supporting1 a 
self-adjusting1 and a self-created      
,state1 balanced on nothing1 resting on 

nothing1 responsible to nothing1 and    
believing in nothing but in its own     
perfection and immortality4 ,they       
pretend1 through godless schools1 to    
give virtue without morality1 morality  
without religion1 and religion without  
,god2 thereby sinking below the level of
 the poor ,indian1 whose untutored mind 
sees ,god in the clouds1 and hears ,him 
in the wind4  ,the nameless abominations
 of the ,communists1 ,fourrierists1 and 
other such vile and degraded            
fraternities2 the cold-blooded murders  
and frightful suicides that fill so many
 domestic hearths with grief and shame2 
the scarcely-concealed corruption of    
public and professional men2 the adroit 
peculation and wilful embezzlement of   
the public money2 those monopolizing    
speculations and voluntary insolvencies 
so ruinous to the community at large2   
and1 above all1 those shocking          
atrocities so common in our country of  
unbelief--the legal dissolution of the  
matrimonial tie1 and the wanton         

tampering with life in its very bud2 all
 these are humiliating facts sufficient 
to convince any impartial mind that     
there can be no social virtue1 no       
morality1 no true and lasting greatness1
 without religion4  ,religion1 says     
,lord ,derby1 is not a thing apart from 
education1 but is interwoven with its   
whole system2 it is a principle which   
controls and regulates the whole mind   
and happiness of the people4 ,and1      
,popular education1 says ,guizot1 to be 
truly good and socially useful1 must be 
fundamentally religious4  ,the essential
 element of education--its pith and     
marrow1 so to speak--is the religious   
element4 ,by excluding it from the      
school-room the ,state has committed a  
crying injustice to the rising          
generation1 and one of the worst--if not
 the very worst--of crimes against      
society4 ,it is not one portion of the  
triple man1 but the whole--the physical1
 intellectual1 and moral being--the     
body1 the mind1 the head1 as stated in a

 previous chapter--that must be         
cultivated and brought up4 ,neglect any 
one part of man's nature1 and you at    
once disturb the equilibrium of the     
whole1 and produce disorder2 educate the
 body at the expense of the mind and    
soul1 and you will have only animated   
clay2 educate the intelligence at the   
expense of the moral and religious      
feelings1 and you but fearfully increase
 a man's power to effect evil4 ,you     
store the arsenal of his mind with      
weapons to sap alike the altar and the  
throne1 to carry on a war of            
extermination against every holy        
principle1 against the welfare and the  
very existence of society4  ,science1   
without religion1 is more destructive   
than the sword in the hands of          
unprincipled men2 it will prove more of 
a demon than a god4 ,it is these        
upholders of the present ,public ,school
 system that arrest the progress of true
 happiness in our country1 and prepare  
terrible catastrophes1 which may deluge 

the land with blood4  ,who were the     
leaders in the work of destruction and  
wholesale butchery in the ,reign of     
,terror8 ,the nurslings of lyceums in   
which the chaotic principles of the     
philosophers were proclaimed as oracles 
of truth4  ,who are those turbulent     
revolutionists who now long to erect the
 guillotine by the ,tuilleries8 ,and who
 are those secret conspirators and their
 myrmidon partisans who have sworn to   
unify ,italy or lay it in ruins8 ,men   
who were taught to scout the idea of a  
,god and rail at religion1 to consider  
,christianity as a thing of the past2   
men who revel in wild chimeras by night1
 and seek to realize their mad dreams by
 day4  ,let us1 then1 dear ,american    
fellow-citizens1 rest assured that      
intellectual discipline1 without the    
cooeperation of any religious element1  
will not1 and cannot1 produce the       
greatness of a nation1 nor can it       
maintain its life and splendor and      
prevent its decay2 let us1 on the       

contrary1 be persuaded that the only    
safety for a commonwealth1 the only     
source of greatness and prosperity for a
 nation1 as well as of tranquillity and 
happiness for the individual1 is the    
true religion of ,jesus ,christ2 it is  
this religion alone that is the         
safeguard of morality1 and morality is  
the best security of law1 as well as the
 surest pledge of freedom4     ,,chapter
 ,x4  ,,the ,,state ,a                  
,,robber4--,,violation ,,of ,,our       
,,constitution ,,and ,,common ,,law4    
,we have seen1 so far1 that the         
irreligious1 godless system of the      
,public ,schools tends directly to turn 
the youth of both sexes into the worst  
kind of infidels2 to make them disregard
 good principles1 and hold iniquity in  
veneration2 to do away1 not only with   
all revealed religion1 but even with the
 law of nature2 to make them practise   
fraud1 theft1 and robbery almost as a   
common trade2 to make them regardless of
 their parents and of all divinely      

constituted authority2 we have seen that
 this godless system of education is the
 most powerful means to create          
confusion1 not only in religion1 but    
also in government and in the family    
circle2 to increase the number of       
apostates1 and make of these apostates  
members of such secret societies as aim 
at the overthrow of governments and all 
good order1 and ,christian religion     
itself4  ,truly1 this godless system of 
education1 if carried out to its logical
 consequences1 will disrupt society1    
destroy the right of the ,christian     
family entirely1 bring back on the world
 the barbarism1 tyranny and brutality of
 ,pagan antiquity1 and make slaves and  
victims of its children and their       
posterity forever6  ,who does not feel  
most indignant at the ,state for having 
introduced such a godless system of     
education8 ,and for the support of this 
system of education--of this prolific   
mother of children of anti-,christ--we  
are enormously tithed and taxed6        

,horrible6  ,i have shown that the      
,state in ,america is ,christian2 that  
it cannot profess or play infidel4 ,what
 right1 then1 has a ,christian ,state to
 compel ,christians to support infidel  
schools8 ,is not this compulsory support
 most violative of constitutional and   
religious rights8 ,according to the     
,constitution of the ,state1 no human   
authority can control or interfere with 
the rights of conscience4 ,now1 the     
direction and control of the education  
of our children is clearly not only a   
duty1 but a right of conscience4 ,this  
right1 of course1 belongs to all        
denominations1 whether few or many4 ,by 
what authority1 then1 does the ,state   
impose an established system of         
education at our expense against this   
constitutionally guaranteed right of    
conscience8 ,i would like to know       
wherein this differs from an established
 church1 such as has been lately        
removed1 after having been imposed for  
centuries by ,state supremacy on the    

,irish people1 without their consent4   
,it is1 in fact1 much worse2 for though 
the ,episcopal ,church was not in       
accordance with the religious belief of 
a majority1 yet it was1 nevertheless1 a 
,christian ,church of a sect of high    
orthodox pretensions4 ,but these ,public
 ,schools1 for whose support we and all 
other ,christian denominations are      
taxed1 are1 by their own confession1    
utterly irreligious4 ,the early         
,christians refused to burn even a      
little gum-rosin 7incense7 before the   
,pagan idols1 and preferred rather to go
 to the lions2 but we ,christians1 in   
this late day1 and in what is boastingly
 called ,free ,america1 are forced to   
pay taxes to support what is worse than 
heathen idols--schools from which the   
name of ,god is excluded1 and1 to our   
shame1 we submit4  ,referring to the    
wrong done to ,catholics who cannot1 in 
conscience1 send their children to these
 schools1 ,judge ,taft1 of ,ohio1 said  
not long ago3  ,this is too large a     

circumstance to be covered by the ,latin
 phrase1 ',de minimis non curat lex4'   
,these ,catholics 7paying their         
proportion of the taxes7 are            
constrained1 every year1 on             
conscientious grounds1 to yield to      
others their right to one-third of the  
school-money1 a sum averaging1 at the   
present time1 about #bjj1jjj every year4
 ,that is to say1 these people are      
punished every year1 for believing as   
they do1 to the extent of #bjj1jjj2 and 
to that extent those of us who send our 
children to these excellent common      
schools become beneficiaries of the     
,catholic money4 ,what a shame for      
,protestants to have their children     
educated for money robbed from          
,catholics6 ,mercantile life is supposed
 to cultivate1 in some1 a relish for    
hard bargains4 ,but if it were a        
business matter1 and not a matter of    
religious concern1 could business men be
 found willing to exact such a pecuniary
 advantage as this8 ,i think it would   

shock the secular conscience6  ,the     
,state1 in creating free schools1 is    
like the ,turkish ,bashaw's mode of     
making pork cheap4 ,he first compelled  
the ,jews to buy it at a rate fixed by  
himself2 but the ,jews had no use for   
it1 so it was left for every one to pick
 up at will4 ,indeed1 what is a school  
worth when a man will pay a premium to  
be exempt from sending his children to  
it8 ,the ,state1 boasting of its        
splendid ,public ,schools1 is also like 
that poor fellow who wore a gold watch  
and boasted of it4 ,where did you get   
it8 he was asked4 ,i got it as a        
present1 he answered4 ,then he related  
how one day he met with a rich man3 ,i  
knocked him down1 he said1 put my foot  
on his throat1 and said3 ',give me your 
watch1 or ,i kill you4' ,so he gave it  
to me4 ,pay your taxes for the erection 
and support of our ,public ,schools1    
says the lord ,state to the poor and to 
the rich1 or ,i sell your property4     
,what a shame6 ,the ,catholics ask no   

favor1 but they insist on their rights4 
,in this country1 whose discoverer was a
 ,catholic--in this country1 where the  
principle of religious toleration was   
first established by a ,catholic        
nobleman1 the famous and chivalric      
,calvert1 ,earl of ,baltimore--in this  
country1 whose people are largely       
indebted for their freedom to the armed 
cooeperation and generous aid of        
,catholic ,france--in this country1     
whose constitutional freedom has been   
struck down by the malevolent           
,puritanism which in one breath declares
 that ,catholics are opposed to         
education1 and in the next insists that 
they shall be deprived of the means     
necessary for its maintenance--in this  
country1 ,i say1 we ,catholics are      
entitled to equal rights1 and to a fair 
share1 to a just apportionment of the   
annual amount raised by taxation for the
 support of our charitable and          
educational institutions4 ,we ask only  
what is fair1 what is just1 what is     

right2 and we base our demand upon      
principle1 and not upon the ground of   
favors granted or received4  ,if the    
,state taxes us1 as a religious and     
,christian people1 for the education of 
our children1 it must give us a         
,christian education4 ,if it cannot1 or 
will not do that1 it must cease to tax  
us1 and leave the education of our      
children to ourselves4 ,if the          
,christian gives to ,caesar what belongs
 to ,caesar1 he has a right to demand of
 ,caesar that he allow him to give to   
,god what belongs to ,god4  ,again1 the 
,constitution says1 ,that no person     
shall be compelled to erect1 support1 or
 attend any place of public worship1 nor
 support any minister of the gospel1 or 
teacher of religion1 etc42 and it says1 
,that no private property ought to be   
taken or applied to public use without  
just compensation4 ,now let us apply    
these constitutional principles to      
,state-schools1 and see if our          
compulsory support of them is not       

violative of our constitution as well as
 common law4 ,why is it that no person  
shall be compelled to erect1 support1 or
 attend any place of public worship1 nor
 support any minister of religion8      
,simply because he don't want to2 and he
 don't want to1 because it is against   
his conscience2 and no human authority1 
says the ,constitution1 can control or  
interfere with the rights of conscience2
 that is all the reason1 and no other4  
,the ,state believes that all places of 
worship1 and ministers of the gospel1   
are good2 but1 knowing that there is a  
difference of opinion among the people  
on that subject1 wisely leaves such     
matters to their choice1 and will not   
take private property for public use    
without compensation4 ,why1 then1 is    
private property taken for ,public      
,schools without compensation8 ,we      
cannot use them in conscience1 and we   
have seen there is no lawful power or   
authority to control or interfere with  
conscience4 ,i ask1 then1 if ,i am not  

right in stating that our compulsory    
support of an odious and infidel system 
of ,public ,schools1 against our        
conscience and against our consent1 is  
not far worse than the support of any   
form of church establishment8           
,moreover1 according to the             
,constitution1 ,no preference can ever  
be given by law to any church1 sect1 or 
mode of worship4 ,this section is often 
quoted as the authority and reason for  
excluding religious teachings from the  
,public ,schools2 but1 strange enough1  
it is flagrantly violated by the present
 system1 giving a preference by law to  
the unbelievers1 and thereby            
discriminating against the believers of 
all sects and denominations4 ,for1 after
 all1 there can be but two churches1 or1
 if you please1 sects1 in the eye of the
 ,state--the believers and unbelievers4 
,to the former belong the various       
,christian denominations1 and to the    
latter those who deny and protest       
against all religious faith and belief4 

,those certainly are the last1 and for  
that reason1 if for no other1 are the   
best or worst 7as people may choose to  
view them7 sect4 ,it is1 then1 this last
 product1 this caput mortuum of all     
sects and believers of every shade and  
kind1 that is favored by the no-belief  
system of education4  ,though the ,state
 may not give any preference to any     
church or sect1 it is not1 on that      
account1 authorized to ignore and reject
 all2 but1 on the contrary1 is obliged  
in justice to assist all or none1 as1 by
 this course alone1 it avoids giving    
preference to any4 ,this is what the law
 contemplates1 and the only course that 
comports with reason and justice4 ,if it
 suits the last sect--the unbelievers or
 no-believers--to exclude morals or     
religion from schools1 all right2 let   
them keep on as at present4 ,but if it  
suits the various other churches or     
sects to modify the system to suit their
 conscientious views and beliefs1 to    
apply their own proportion of the school

 tax for that purpose1 it is their      
undeniable and lawful right4  ,there is 
one view in which the public will agree 
in regard to the ,public ,schools3 it is
 that they cost too much money4 ,for the
 management of the godless ,public      
,schools there is a costly array of     
,commissioners1 and ,inspectors1 and    
,trustees1 and ,superintendents1 and    
,secretaries of ,boards1 and ,central   
,officers1 all in league with           
,contractors1 to make a good            
thing--so-called--out of the plan4 ,we  
have1 now1 contractors for buildings and
 repairs1 contractors for furniture1    
contractors for books1 contractors for  
furnaces1 contractors for fuel1         
contractors even for pianos1 and all    
making money out of it4 ,the ,boards    
that give the contracts do not make any 
money by way of commissions1 do they8   
,ah6 you know full well that hundreds of
 thousands of dollars are annually spent
 or squandered in running these ,public 
,schools1 and which are recommended1 in 

a particular manner1 for their economy6 
,but aside1 for a moment1 from these    
,public ,schools1 so numerous1 so       
costly1 so grand and imposing in their  
exterior1 managed by a little army of   
high-paid professors1 teachers1         
superintendents and assistants1 costing 
the people of every city and ,state     
hundreds of thousands of dollars        
annually1 there is another army1 yea1 a 
volunteer army1 not commissioned or paid
 by the ,state1 but by a greater        
power--,god--who1 for ,his love1 and    
that uncomparable reward which only ,god
 bestows1 devote themselves to teaching1
 instructing1 training and educating the
 poor1 the needy1 the orphan1 the       
houseless1 the homeless1 the forlorn1   
the despised1 as well as the more       
favored of the earth4 ,these make no    
grandiloquent printed reports in costly 
binding2 they have no official          
stenographers or reporters to noise     
their proceedings in morning papers2    
they have no ,polytechnic ,halls1 fitted

 up with pretentious libraries1 and all 
the surroundings of upholstery1 and     
heating and cooling apparatus2 but      
winter and summer1 early and late1 they 
keep the even tenor of their way with an
 eye single to their humble and         
laborious duties4  ,in nearly all the   
cities of ,america1 in those busy and   
worldly centres of traffic and trade1 of
 luxury and wealth1 with their average  
of good and evil1 virtue and crime1 this
 volunteer army distributes itself      
noiselessly1 quietly1 and as it were    
obscurely1 not heralded nor preceded by 
the emblems of pomp or worldly power1   
but nevertheless making its conquests   
and asserting its quiet influence in    
lanes and alleys1 gathering up the      
little children1 taking them to its     
camps1 and instructing and educating    
them in the service of ,god and society4
  ,you may have seen1 in some of those  
cities1 that long line of little boys or
 girls1 two by two1 extending to the    
length of a block or more2 you may have 

observed how regularly they are         
assorted1 the tallest in first1 and     
ranging down to the little ones1 whose  
busy feet are trying to keep up with the
 column4 ,you may also have noted the   
order and silence 7so unusual among     
children71 and your attention was       
arrested1 and perhaps you know not how  
all this order in this beautiful        
panorama was brought about4 ,well1 with 
these boys you may have observed two    
men1 one at the head1 the other at the  
foot of this long line4 ,if you saw this
 for the first time you may have        
wondered1 and ,i suppose been even      
amused1 at the figure and costume of    
those men2--the broad-brimmed hat1 the  
long1 strange-fashioned robe1 the white 
collar1 the collected air and mien1 all 
bespeak the ,christian ,brother4 ,these 
men1 nevertheless1 are profoundly       
learned in all the sciences of the      
schools4 ,they have abandoned home1     
family1 friends1 and have devoted       
themselves1 merely for a scant support1 

to the education of the young4  ,if1 on 
the other hand1 the long line are girls1
 you may have observed two ladies2 one  
at the head1 the other at the foot4 ,you
 will at a glance conclude they are not 
of the world4 ,their costume is of the  
homeliest cut and quality1 but          
scrupulously clean2 there is a something
 about their very presence that         
impresses you with reverence and        
respect1 and you must be a very hardened
 sinner indeed if you did not feel the  
better of having even their shadow fall 
upon you4 ,these silent1 collected1 but 
impressive women are ,nuns of one order 
or another4 ,they1 too1 have left all to
 serve ,god in the persons of these     
little children4 ,they have made        
sacrifices greater than the world can   
appreciate or understand1 and which only
 the ,divine ,master can reward4 ,their 
whole life is a silent but an eloquent  
sermon1 their whole conduct the gospel  
in action4 ,you will remember they are  
women like others of their sex1 and     

mayhap have been flattered and petted1  
and once filled with the natural vanity 
and expectations of their sex2 but all  
these they have put behind them1 and    
henceforth and forever their walk1 and  
life1 and conversation is with ,god1 and
 in the service of ,his little ones4    
,now it will be easily seen that the    
personal influence of such men and women
 over the life and manners of children1 
must be immensely beneficial4 ,it is    
granted that the influence of father and
 mother is potential for good or evil4  
,so it is with teachers4 ,children are  
shrewd observers1 and are apt to take   
some one as a prototype and exemplar4   
,this one they copy as near as may be4  
,these ,christian ,brothers1 and ,nuns1 
or ,sisters1 are good models2 they teach
 the children to pray in the best of all
 ways--by praying themselves first2 they
 try to impress on these tender souls   
sentiments of love1 obedience1 and      
respect to their fathers and mothers1   
and1 above all1 their duties to our dear

 ,lord4 ,they accompany them to ,his    
altar on ,sundays and holy days1        
beginning and ending all their daily    
lessons with a little prayer or         
devotion4 ,for the rest1 they give them1
 in their schools1 a plain1 practical   
education4  ,every day 7we are told7    
there are instances of men slipping from
 the high rounds to the lowest one in   
the ladder of wealth4 ,business men find
 themselves engulphed in the sea of     
financial embarrassment1 from which they
 emerge with nothing but their personal 
resources to depend upon for a living4  
,clerks1 salesmen1 and others find      
themselves thrown out of employment1    
with no prospect of speedily obtaining  
places which they are competent to fill1
 and with no other means of gaining a   
livelihood4 ,how many men are there in  
every city to-day1 some of whom have    
families dependent on them for support1 
who bewail the mistake they made in not 
learning useful trades in their younger 
days8 ,there are hundreds of them4      

,there are men in every city who have   
seen better days1 men of education and  
business ability1 who envy the mechanic1
 who has a sure support for himself and 
family in his handicraft4 ,parents make 
a great mistake when they impose upon   
the brain of their boy the task of      
supporting him1 without preparing his   
hands for emergencies4  ,no matter how  
favorable a boy's circumstances may be1 
he should enter the battle of life as   
every prudent general enters the battle 
of armies3 with a reliable reserve to   
fall back upon in case of disaster4     
,every man is liable to be reduced to   
the lowest pecuniary point at some stage
 of his life1 and it is hardly necessary
 to refer to the large proportion of men
 who reach that point4 ,no man is poor  
who is the master of a trade4 ,it is a  
kind of capital that defies the storm of
 financial reverse1 and that clings to a
 man when all else has been swept away4 
,it consoles him1 in the hour of        
adversity1 with the assurance that1 let 

whatever may befall him1 he need have no
 fear for the support of himself and his
 family4  ,unfortunately a silly        
notion--the offspring of a sham         
aristocracy--has1 of late years1 led    
many parents to regard a trade as       
something disreputable1 with which their
 children should not be tainted4 ,labor 
disreputable6 ,what would the world be  
without it8 ,it is the very power that  
moves the world4 ,a ,power higher than  
the throne of the aristocracy has       
ennobled labor1 and he who would        
disparage it must set himself above the 
,divine principle1 ,in the sweat of thy 
face shalt thou eat bread6 ,a trade is a
 friend in need2 it is independence and 
wealth--a rich legacy which the poorest 
father may give to his son1 and which   
the richest should regard as more       
valuable than gold4  ,now what kind of  
education is necessary for a tradesman  
to carry on business successfully8 ,only
 a plain1 practical education2 that is  
to say1 that kind and amount of         

knowledge of daily ordinary use and     
appreciation4 ,it is reading1 writing1  
arithmetic1 ,english grammar1 and       
geography1 and possibly a knowledge of  
the ,german language1 sufficient to     
speak it4  ,if we look around we will   
see that all the important and every-day
 duties of life are carried on by the   
use of industry1 common sense1 reading1 
writing1 and arithmetic4  ,and it might 
almost be said that the failures are to 
be ascribed1 in part1 if not to         
over-education1 at least to the common  
misdirection of acquirements1           
accompanied with the vague ambition and 
desires which they invariably excite1   
but rarely serve to satisfy4 ,why1 ,i   
could find1 for instance1 in the        
history1 management1 and success of     
every newspaper editor1 a living proof  
of my proposition4 ,not that ,i leave it
 to be inferred that there is not1 in   
these newspapers1 the evidences of every
 kind of acquirements and ability2 but  
that the founders within my knowledge1  

and those who have made it the power and
 success that it is1 have worked with   
these ordinary instruments4 ,but why    
give one instance when there are so many
 on every side--so much so that the     
success of what is called the learned   
class is so rare1 that it must be put   
among the exceptions4  ,as to those who 
are able1 and desire further            
information1 they can have it to any    
extent at the colleges1 convents1       
academies and higher schools4  ,many of 
our dissenting brethren1 of the various 
denominations1 are equally diligent1    
according to the measure of grace and   
light given them1 to bring their        
children up in ,christian morals and    
education4 ,they have their own schools1
 and support them1 or they send their   
children to ,catholic institutions1 and 
will not have them tempted or corrupted 
by the evil influences1 moral1 social1  
and intellectual1 that emanate and      
surround those whited sepulchres--the   
godless schools--as the miasm emanates  

and surrounds the pestilent marsh4 ,in  
all these schools the children are      
carefully trained in ,christian         
practices1 prayers1 and religious       
duties1 as well as taught a good1 plain1
 practical course of studies4 ,in fact1 
they are truly educated2 while in the   
,public ,schools they are simply        
instructed1 as you might irrational     
animals1 according to their instinct4   
,the ,jews also teach and bring up their
 children in the religion of their      
fathers1 at their own expense2 so that  
more than one-half are1 fortunately for 
themselves1 and fortunately for society1
 the good order and well-being of the   
,state1 educated outside of immoral and 
dangerous pest-houses4 ,it is on this   
element of our population that the      
future of the ,state depends2 for if we 
are to have a sound public conscience   
and a controlling conservative influence
 in public or private affairs1 we must1 
under ,god and ,his ,church1 obtain it  
from a true ,christian education4  ,at  

these parish schools1 supported by      
voluntary aid1 the expenses of pupils   
per year is under seven dollars2 at the 
,public ,schools1 it is1 ,i am informed1
 about thirty-two dollars2 so that it   
costs about four times as much to give  
the poor1 miserable1 shallow1 infidel   
instruction in the ,public ,schools1 as 
it does to give a good ,christian       
education in the denominational ones2   
or1 in plainer language1 to educate     
#bj1jjj children in denominational      
schools saves to tax-payers not less    
than the small sum6 of #ejj1jjj4  ,if   
thy right hand scandalize thee1 cut it  
off and cast it from thee2 for it is    
expedient for thee that one of thy      
members should perish1 rather than thy  
whole body be cast into hell4--7,matt4  
v4 #cj47 ,by the present ,public ,school
 system1 the ,state scandalizes the     
family1 because it usurps the rights and
 duties that belong alone to parents2 it
 scandalizes the tax-payer1 because it  
takes money from him which it has no    

right to take2 it scandalizes society1  
because1 instead of teaching virtue1 it 
teaches vice2 it scandalizes the young  
men and the young women1 because1       
instead of inspiring them with love for 
,christianity and their religious       
duties1 it inspires them rather with    
contempt for religion1 and turns them   
into actual unbelievers1 and thus       
destroys the very life of society and   
the basis of every government2 it       
scandalizes all nations1 because there  
is not1 and there has never been1 any   
nation inculcating education without    
religion4  ,by its present system of    
education1 the ,state has weakened1 and 
will finally break up and destroy1 the  
,christian family4 ,the social unit is  
the family1 not the individual2 and the 
greatest danger to ,american society is1
 that we are rapidly becoming a nation  
of isolated individuals1 without family 
ties or affections4 ,the family has     
already been much weakened1 and is fast 
disappearing4 ,we have broken away from 

the old homestead1 have lost the        
restraining and purifying associations  
that gathered round it1 and live away   
from home in hotels and boarding-houses4
 ,a large and influential class of women
 not only neglect1 but disdain1 the     
retired and simple domestic virtues1 and
 scorn to be tied down to the modest but
 essential duties--the drudgery1 they   
call it--of wives and mothers4 ,we are  
daily losing the faith1 the virtues1 the
 habits1 and the manners1 without which 
the family cannot be sustained4 ,this1  
coupled with the separate pecuniary     
interests of husband and wife secured1  
make the family1 to a fearful extent1   
the mere shadow of what it was and of   
what it should be4 ,what remains of the 
family is only held together by the     
graces and virtue of women4 ,but even   
this last hope is fast breaking down1 by
 the great facility of obtaining a      
divorce a vinculo matrimonii--a facility
 by which the laws of most of the       
,states of the ,union grant to lust the 

widest margin of license1 and legalize  
concubinage and adultery4 ,now when the 
family goes1 the nation goes too1 or    
ceases to be worth preserving4 ,god made
 the family the type and basis of       
society2 male and female made he them4  
,by its present system of education1 the
 ,state makes war on ,god and ,his      
,christ1 and says1 with ,lucifer1 ,non  
servio2 and this is the daring rebel    
against ,god and ,his law1 that would   
claim the innocent children of the      
,christian family as its own2 teach them
 its false maxims1 promising them1 as   
,satan1 its master1 did the ,saviour1   
riches1 and honors1 and power1 if they  
will but fall down and worship it4 ,how 
incomprehensibly strange it is1 that    
good men and women who profess          
,christianity1 and acknowledge the      
obligations of its commandments1 should 
give ear to this tempter1 instead of    
saying1 ,get behind me1 ,satan1 and1    
,thou art a liar and a cheat from the   
beginning4 ,the ,state1 in this subject 

of education1 represents the world2 and 
religion1 as well as experience1 teaches
 us its folly1 its wickedness1 its      
treachery and its ambition4 ,the ,state 
promises bread and gives a stone4 ,it   
promises wealth1 and honor1 and gives   
taxes1 slavery1 and degradation4 ,it is 
blind1 and it attempts to lead2 it is   
ignorant1 and it offers to teach and    
direct the young4 ,it will not receive  
the law1 and it claims the right to give
 it4 ,it arrogates the higher law1 and  
would be as ,god4 ,there is the danger2 
and it is against this the fight must be
 made1 if we would not surrender our    
civil and religious freedom1 our        
temporal and eternal happiness4  ,surely
 it is time for all good ,christians of 
,america to cry out to our rulers1 ,and 
now1 ,o ye rulers1 understand2 receive  
instruction1 you that judge the         
earth4--7,ps4 ii4 x47 ,do not force any 
longer upon a ,christian nation an      
educational system which produces such  
results2 do not train any longer our    

children without religion--to           
infidelity1 and consequently to         
revolution4 ,do not teach the youth of  
,america any longer to reject ,god and  
,his religion2 they will not be long    
faithful to you if you make them        
unfaithful to the faith of their        
fathers4 ,you1 and all the classes in   
society who delight in seeing the       
influence of religion weakened or       
destroyed1 never seem to realize1 until 
it is too late1 that you are sure to be 
the especial victims of your own        
success4 ,the man who scorns to love    
,god and ,his law1 how shall he continue
 to love his neighbor8 ,the man who has 
said there is no ,god1 is he not on the 
point of also saying lust is lawful1    
property is robbery8 ,if you raise      
instruments to deny ,god and to do away 
with all religious principles1 ,god will
 use these very instruments to do away  
with you also4  ,your ,pagan system of  
education will ultimately overturn all  
order in the land4 ,among ancient ,pagan

 nations1 where the poor were           
comparatively ignorant--where they did  
not know their rights--it was easy to   
hold them in bondage2 but now things    
have changed4 ,discontent in the lower  
order of society can no longer be       
smothered4 ,education has become        
general2 and1 unfortunately1 the very   
element1 without which education is     
often a curse1 is omitted4 ,religious   
education has been separated from       
secular instruction4 ,without religion1 
the poor are unable to control their    
passions1 or to bear their hard lot4    
,they see wealth around them1 and1      
unless taught by religion1 they see no  
reason why that wealth should not be    
divided amongst them4 ,why should they  
starve1 while their neighbors roll in   
splendor and luxury8 ,if the poor were  
ignorant1 they would not1 perhaps1      
notice all the sad privations of their  
state2 they would not1 perhaps1 feel    
them so keenly4 ,but they are partially 
educated1 and a little learning is a    

dangerous thing4  ,they know their      
power1 and1 not having the soothing     
influence of religion to restrain them1 
they use their power4 ,they have done so
 in ,france and elsewhere1 and if they  
do not always succeed in producing      
revolution1 and anarchy1 it is only the 
bayonet that prevents them4 ,such is the
 abyss that yawns beneath the feet of   
our country1 and into which the         
advocates of education without          
religion--perhaps some of them          
unconsciously--seek to precipitate us1  
by continuing to force upon this        
,christian nation an anti-,christian1 an
 anti-,american system of education4    
,surely the grievance is not simply an  
affair of taxes1 or so much money       
unjustly levied and collected4 ,this we 
might bear1 as we have to do in other   
cases of injustice1 for righteousness'  
sake4 ,but we have a duty to ,god1      
ourselves1 and our children4 ,we        
recognize the office and obligations of 
the ,state as temporal ruler1 but we do 

not acknowledge in it an absolute and   
unconditional authority4 ,we do not     
admit the doctrine of passive obedience4
 ,we will not and cannot surrender the  
education of our children to its        
dictation and control1 for that is a    
trust placed in our hands by a higher   
power1 and for which we will have to    
answer1 at the last day1 on our         
salvation4 ,i ask--am ,i right in all   
that ,i have said upon the ,state and   
its godless system of education8 ,if ,i 
am1 then ,i think ,i have a right to ask
 for a verdict of ,guilty4 ,if there are
 still some who cannot see that ,i am   
right1 then let them1 without delay1 be 
operated upon for amaurosis4 ,but then1 
in ,god's name1 is it not high time to  
inquire what should be done to correct  
the system1 and stop the torrent of its 
evil influences8 ,this is a great       
question2 it demands a speedy and       
satisfactory solution4 ,the interests it
 involves are commensurate with time and
 eternity4     ,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,remedy

 ,,for ,,the ,,diabolical ,,spirit ,,and
 ,,the ,,crimes ,,in ,,our ,,country4   
,men look around1 and ask1 ,where is the
 remedy for the so wide-spread          
corruption of all classes of society8   
,this is a most important question4 ,it 
is not difficult for a ,christian to    
answer it4 ,a skilful physician1 who    
wishes to cure his patient1 endeavors   
first to remove the cause of the        
disease4 ,so1 in like manner1 if we wish
 to stem the torrent of the evils that  
flood the land1 we must stop the source 
from which they flow4  ,now the leading 
men and the most prominent journals of  
,new ,york and ,new ,england1 confess   
that the greater part of the wide-spread
 immorality in our day and country is to
 be traced to the separation of religion
 from the instruction in our ,public    
,schools4  ,governor ,brown1 addressing 
the ,seventh ,national ,teachers'       
,convention in ,st4 ,louis1 in ,august  
last1 said3 ,it is a very customary     
declaration to pronounce that education 

is the great safeguard of republics     
against the decay of virtue and the     
reign of immorality4 ,yet the facts can 
scarcely bear out the proposition4 ,the 
highest civilizations1 both ancient and 
modern1 have sometimes been the most    
flagitious4 ,nowadays1 certainly1 your  
prime rascals have been educated        
rascals4  ,and indeed if we go to       
,auburn1 ,sing ,sing1 and other prisons1
 and examine some of the criminals      
confined there1 we will find that there 
is truth in the ,governor's words4  ,do 
the managers of the ,erie ,railway lack 
any kind of intelligence that could be  
communicated in a common school8 ,are   
not those pests1 the ,washington and    
,albany lobbies1 rather too knowing8    
,had not those blood-suckers1 the       
shoddy-ites and army contractors1 an    
average common school education8 ,do not
 the gold rings and the whiskey rings   
know how to read and write8 ,were not   
,catiline of old1 and ,aaron ,burr and  
,benedict ,arnold of more recent times1 

men of intelligence8 ,were not the      
parties to the recent tragedy1 two of   
whom ,mr4 ,beecher united in unholy     
wedlock1 passable enough in point of    
merely intellectual cultivation8        
,mephistopheles was a person of         
surprising accomplishments1 and the     
ablest debates in literature are those  
which ,milton puts in the mouths of the 
grand synod of devils in ,pandemonium4  
,byron was a prodigy of intelligence2   
but1 whether ,mrs4 ,stowe's revolting   
accusation be true or not1 he was       
certainly a profligate4  ,no one1       
certainly1 gifted with ordinary power of
 observation1 will ascribe crime solely 
to ignorance1 nor will such a one fail  
to see that a large class of the most   
audacious and dangerous offenders of    
both sexes are educated1 nay1           
over-educated1 according to the ,public 
,school standard4  ,the ,boston ,daily  
,herald1 of ,october #bjth1 published   
the following as an editorial article3  
,year after year the ,chief of ,police  

publishes his statistics of prostitution
 in this city1 but how few of the       
citizens bestow more than a passing     
thought upon the misery that they       
represent6 ,although these figures are  
large enough to make every lover of     
humanity hang his head with feelings of 
sorrow and shame at the picture1 we are 
assured that they represent but a       
little1 as it were1 of the actual       
licentiousness that prevails among all  
classes of society4 ,within a few       
months1 a gentleman,f whose scientific  
attainments have made his name a        
household word in all lands1 has        
personally investigated the subject1 and
 the result has filled him with dismay2 
when he sees the depths of degradation  
to which men and women have fallen1 he  
has almost lost faith in the boasted    
civilization of the nineteenth century4 
,in the course of his inquiries he has  
visited both the well-known 'houses of  
pleasure' and the 'private              
establishments' scattered all over the  

city4 ,he states that he has a list of  
both1 with the street and number1 the   
number of inmates1 and many other facts 
that would perfectly astonish the people
 if made public4 ,he freely conversed   
with the inmates1 and the life-histories
 that were revealed were sad indeed4 ,to
 his utter surprise1 a large proportion 
of the 'soiled doves' traced their fall 
to influences that met them in the      
,public ,schools2 and although ,boston  
is justly proud of its schools1 it would
 seem1 from his story1 that they need a 
thorough purification4 ,in too many of  
them the most obscene and soul-polluting
 books and pictures circulate among both
 sexes4 ,the very secrecy with which it 
is done throws an almost irresistible   
charm about it2 and to such an extent   
has the evil gone1 that we fear a large 
proportion of both boys and girls       
possess some of the articles1 which they
 kindly 787 lend to each other4 ,the    
natural result follows1 and frequently  
the most debasing and revolting         

practises are indulged in4 ,and the evil
 is not confined alone to ,boston4      
,other cities suffer in the same way4   
,it is but a few years since the second 
city in the ,commonwealth was stirred   
almost to its foundations by the        
discovery of an association of boys and 
girls who were wont to indulge their    
passions in one of the school-houses of 
the city2 and not long ago another      
somewhat similar affair was discovered  
by the authorities1 but hushed up for   
fear of depopulating the schools4  ,that
 the devil is in the ,public ,schools1  
raging and rampant there among the      
pupils as well as among the teachers1 no
 one can well doubt who has sent a      
little child into them1 as guiltless of 
evil or unclean thoughts as a newly     
fallen snowflake1 and had him come home1
 in a short time1 contaminated almost   
beyond belief by the vileness and filth 
which he has seen1 and heard1 and       
learned there4--7,hathe ,tyng ,griswold1
 in ,old and ,new1 for ,march2 or       

,boston ,pilot1 ,april #f1 #ahgb47  ,a  
celebrated physician of this country    
says in his book1 ,satan in ,society1 as
 follows3  ,the evils and dangers of the
 present system of educating and        
bringing up the boys and girls of our   
country1 are too obvious to require     
minute description4 ,irreligion and     
infidelity are progressing pari passu   
with the advance guards of immorality   
and crime1 and all are fostered1 if not 
engendered1 by the materialistic system 
of school instruction1 and the          
consequent wretched training at home and
 on the play-ground4 ,the entire absence
 of all religious instruction from the  
school-room is fast bearing fruit in a  
generation of infidels1 and we are      
becoming worse even than the ,pagans of 
old1 who had at least their positive    
sciences of philosophy1 and their       
religion1 such as it was1 to oppose     
which was a criminal offence4 ,to those 
who would dispute this somewhat horrible
 assertion1 the author would point to   

the published statistics of church      
attendance1 from which it appears that  
of the entire population but a very     
small proportion are habitual           
church-goers4 ,deducting from these1    
again1 those who attend church simply as
 a matter of fashion1 or from other than
 religious motives1 and there remains a 
minimum almost too small to be          
considered1 abundantly sustaining our   
charge4 ,the disintegration of the      
prevalent forms of religious belief1 the
 rapid multiplication of sects1 the     
increase in the ranks of intellectual   
sceptics1 the fashionable detractions   
from1 and perversions of1 the ,holy     
,scriptures1 acting with the influences 
already mentioned1 may well cause alarm4
  ,but we have not only the removal of  
the salutary restraints of religious    
influence from our popular system of    
education2 we have the promiscuous      
intermingling of the sexes in our       
,public ,schools1 which1 however much we
 may theorize to the contrary1 is1 to   

say the least1 subversive of that modest
 reserve and shyness which in all ages  
have proved the true aegis of virtue4   
,we are bound to accept human nature as 
it is1 and not as we would wish it to   
be1 and both ,christian and ,pagan      
philosophy agree in detecting therein   
certain very dangerous elements4 ,among 
the most dangerous and inevitable is the
 sexual instinct1 which1 implanted by   
the ,creator for the wisest purposes1   
is1 perhaps1 the most potent of all     
evils when not properly restrained1     
retarded1 and directed4 ,this mysterious
 instinct develops earlier in proportion
 as the eye and the imagination are     
soonest furnished the materials upon    
which it thrives2 and1 long before the  
age of puberty1 it is strong1 and       
well-nigh ungovernable1 in those who    
have been allowed these unfortunate     
occasions4 ,the boy of the present      
generation has more practical knowledge 
of this instinct at the age of fifteen1 
than1 under proper training1 he should  

be entitled to at the time of his       
marriage2 and the boy of eleven or      
twelve boastfully announces to his      
companions the evidences of his         
approaching virility4 ,nourished by     
languishing glances during the hours    
passed in the school-room1 fanned by    
more intimate association on the journey
 to and from school1 fed by stolen      
interviews and openly-arranged          
festivities--picnics1 excursions1       
parties and the like--stimulated by the 
prurient gossip of the newspaper1 the   
flash novels1 sentimental weeklies1 and 
magazines1 the gallant of twelve years  
is the libertine of fourteen4 ,that this
 picture is not overdrawn1 every        
experienced physician will bear witness4
  ,and as for the ,public ,school-girls1
 they return from their 'polishing      
schools'--these demoiselles--cursed with
 a superficial smattering of everything 
but what they ought to have             
learned--physical and moral wrecks1 whom
 we physicians are expected to wind up  

in the morning for the husband-hunting  
excitements of the evening4 ,and these  
creatures are intended for wives6 ,but  
wives only1 for it is fast going out of 
fashion to intend them for mothers--an  
'accident' of the kind being regarded   
as'foolish'6  ,we assert1 then1 that the
 present system of education1 by its    
faults of omission and commission1 is   
directly responsible1 not1 it is true1  
for the bare existence1 but for the     
enormous prevalence of vices and crimes 
which we deplore2 and we call upon the  
civil authorities to so modify the      
obnoxious arrangements of our schools1  
and upon parents and guardians to so    
instruct and govern their charges1 that 
the evils may be suppressed1 if not     
extinguished4  ,the attempt to prepare  
man for his duties in social life with  
morals and religion left out1 is not    
only a failure1 but a crime4 ,yes1 it is
 not only a failure1 but a crime of such
 magnitude1 that society has already    
begun to suffer its consequences in a   

demoralization and general libertinage  
of the most shameful kind4 ,this        
education without religion and morals is
 the poisoned fountain from which flows1
 and will flow1 if not purified by      
adding the essential elements now       
omitted1 the impure streams of all kinds
 of vice4 ,if ,god is despised1         
governments will be trampled on2 if     
,god's law is hated1 the laws of men    
will be violated2 man will see only his 
own interest1 his neighbor's property   
will only whet his appetite2 his        
neighbor's life will be only a secondary
 consideration2 he would1 according to  
his creed1 be a fool not to shed blood  
when his interest requires it2 his      
fellow-men become imbued with his       
principles--anarchy succeeds            
subordination--vice takes the place of  
virtue--what was sacred is              
profaned--what was honorable becomes    
disgraceful--might becomes              
right--treatises are waste paper--honor 
is an empty name--the most sacred       

obligations dwindle down into mere      
optional practices--youth despises      
age--wisdom is folly--subjection to     
authority is laughed at as a foolish    
dream--the moral code itself soon       
becomes little more than the bugbear of 
the weak-minded--crowns are trampled    
under foot--thrones are                 
overturned--nations steeped in blood1   
and republics swept from the face of the
 earth4  ,yes1 continue a little longer 
to educate the greater part of the      
community according to the present      
system of the ,public ,schools1 and rest
 assured we shall soon have a hell upon 
earth--society will be stabbed to the   
heart by the ruffian assassin called    
godless ,public ,school education--it   
will reel1 stagger1 and sink a bleeding 
victim to the ground1 expiring1 like the
 suicide1 by the wound itself has       
inflicted4 ,i truly believe that if     
,satan was presented with a blank sheet 
of paper1 and bade to write on it the   
most fatal gift to man1 he would simply 

write one word--godless schools4 ,he    
might then turn his attention from this 
planet2 godless ,public ,schools would  
do the rest4  ,now what is to be done to
 stop the poisoned source from which the
 diabolical spirit and the crimes of our
 country flow8 ,a certain class come    
forward and say1 ,let the ,bible be read
 in our ,public ,schools4 ,the ,bible is
 the grand source of religion and       
morality4 ,the ,bible alone1 without    
note or comment1 is the grand source of 
life and civilization4  ,very well1 let 
the ,bible be admitted1 but with the    
,bible you must send the key--the       
interpreter4 ,and then1 which of all the
 ,bibles1 and whom among the numerous   
sects1 shall be sent8  ,to read the     
,bible1 without note or comment1 to     
young children1 is to abandon them to   
dangerous speculation1 or to leave them 
dry and barren of all ,christian        
knowledge4 ,in mixed schools there is no
 other resource1 because it is          
impossible to make any comment upon any 

doctrinal teaching of ,christ and ,his  
,apostles1 without trenching upon the   
conscientious opinions of some one or   
other of the listeners4 ,the ,father and
 ,i are ,one4 ,the ,father is greater   
than ,i4 ,here at once we have the      
,unitarian and the ,trinitarian at a    
dead-lock6 ,this is ,my ,body4 ,it is   
the spirit which quickeneth1 the flesh  
profiteth nothing4 ,here we have the    
primitive ,lutheran1 who believed in the
 real presence 7consubstantially71 and  
his ,calvinistic coadjutor in reform1   
squarely at issue6 ,unless you be born  
again of water and the ,holy ,ghost1    
etc4 ,here we have the ,baptist and the 
,quaker very seriously divided in       
opinion4 ,nevertheless1 widely as they  
differ the one from the other1 there is 
a fundamental assimilation between all  
the ,protestant sects which may render  
it possible for them to unite in one    
educational organization2 and yet we    
find many of the most enlightened and   
earnest among the ,protestant clergy of 

,america now zealously advocating the   
denominational system1 such as we find  
it in the ,european countries4 ,they    
believe that education should be        
distinctly based upon doctrinal         
religion1 and they are liberal enough to
 insist that1 by natural right as well  
as by the constitutional guarantees of  
our free country1 no doctrine adverse to
 the faith of a parent may lawfully be  
forced or surreptitiously imposed upon  
his child4 ,it is well known1 however1  
that between the ,catholic faith and all
 ,protestant creeds1 there is a gulf    
which cannot be bridged over4 ,it would1
 therefore1 be simply impossible to     
adopt any religious teaching whatever in
 mixed schools1 without at once         
interfering with ,catholic conscience4  
,no such teaching is attempted1 as a    
general rule1 we believe1 in the ,public
 ,schools of the ,united ,states1 and   
hence we have only a vague announcement 
of moral precepts1 the utter futility   
and barrenness of which must be evident 

to every one4 ,catholics1 agreeing with 
very many enlightened and zealous       
,protestants1 believe that secular      
education1 administered without         
religion1 is not only vain1 but         
exceedingly pernicious2 that it is fast 
undermining the ,christian faith of this
 nation2 that it is rapidly filling the 
land with rationalism2 that it is       
destroying the authority of the ,holy   
,scriptures2 that it is educating men   
who prefix ,reverend and affix ,d4,d4 to
 their names1 the more effectually to   
preach covert infidelity and immorality 
to ,christian congregations2 that1      
instead of the saving morality of the   
,gospel of ,christ1 which rests upon    
revealed mysteries and supernatural     
gifts1 it is offering us that same old  
array of the natural virtues or         
qualities which helped1 for a while1    
like rotten pillars1 to prop up the     
heathen nations of old4 ,it must1 then1 
be evident to every man of common sense 
that the reading of the ,bible alone1   

though it be the ,word of ,god1 will not
 counterbalance the results of ,pagan   
education4 ,indeed the reading of the   
,bible alone is by no means an adequate 
remedy to stem the torrent of the evils 
in our country4 ,what impurities have   
not been committed under the sanction of
 those words of the ,lord1 ,increase and
 multiply6 ,a host of sectarians1       
following in the wake of the            
,anabaptists of ,munster1 in ,germany1  
have1 on the authority of those words1  
dared to legitimate polygamy4 ,on such  
misapplication of a text from the       
,gospel1 ,luther1 ,bucerus1 and         
,melanchthon have permitted ,philip1 the
 ,landgrave of ,hesse1 to have two      
wives4  ,in the name of the ,bible1 of  
the ,word of ,god1 ,luther at first     
incited the ,german peasantry to revolt 
against their rulers1 and then1         
frightened at his own work1 he persuaded
 the princes to massacre the peasants4  
,john of ,leyden found1 in his studies  
of the ,bible1 that he should marry     

eleven women at once4 ,herman felt      
himself clearly designated1 in the      
,bible1 as the ,envoy of the ,lord4     
,nicholas learned from it that there was
 no necessity of anything connected with
 faith1 and that we must live in sin in 
order that grace may abound4 ,sympson   
pretends to find in the ,scriptures an  
ordination that men should walk in the  
streets stark naked1 to teach the rich a
 lesson that they must divest themselves
 of everything4 ,richard ,hill          
justified1 with the ,bible in hand1     
adultery and manslaughter as deeds never
 failing to work out some good purpose1 
especially when joined to incest1 in    
which case more saints are added to the 
earth and more blessed to the heavens4  
,even on the avowal of honest           
,protestants1 no crime or abomination   
has ever failed to find its pretended   
justification in some scriptural text4  
,what1 then1 must we think of the       
reading of the ,bible1 when its reading1
 without note or comment1 leads to such 

consequences8 ,indeed what has been said
 on the evil consequences of the ,public
 ,school system on society proves       
sufficiently that the reading of the    
,bible is no adequate means at all to   
stem the torrent of crimes in our       
country4 ,nowhere has the ,bible been   
read more frequently1 during            
school-hours1 than in the ,public       
,schools of the ,new ,england ,states1  
and yet nowhere have the results of     
these schools proved more fatal than in 
these very ,states4 ,the reading of the 
,bible alone1 therefore1 though it be   
the ,word of ,god1 will not             
counterbalance the results of ,pagan    
education4  ,there are others who       
maintain that religious instruction     
should be left to parents4  ,now it is  
not only idle1 but cruel1 to say that   
the place and provision for such        
,christian instruction and formation is 
under the roof of the parents' home2    
that the best school is the family4     
,this is indeed true of the early       

formation by affection1 influence1      
example1 by which fathers and mothers   
fashion the first outlines of character1
 and mature them while the education of 
their children is advancing4 ,none have 
reminded parents of this more faithfully
 than the ,pastors of the ,church4 ,but 
to say that fathers and mothers are to  
educate their children1 and that their  
home is to be the school of ,christian  
instruction1 catechetical teaching1     
formation of conscience1 preparation for
 sacraments1 and the like1 is either the
 shallow talk of men who know nothing of
 ,christian education1 or care nothing  
for it1 or a heartless mockery of our   
poor4 ,the rich1 the refined1 the       
educated1 whose time is their own1 do   
not educate their own children4 ,they   
systematically send them to schools and 
colleges1 or pay for tutors or          
governesses under their own roof4 ,they 
wisely shrink from a work for which1 if 
they have the time1 they seldom have the
 acquirements or the gift1 or the method

 of the perseverance or the patience4   
,and if this be1 as it is1 universally  
true of those who are the most          
competent1 and the most provided with   
all the means and opportunities for the 
work1 now is it not hardness of heart1  
or want of common sense1 to say that the
 children of the poor are to learn      
reading1 and writing1 and summing1      
indeed1 at school1 but that their       
,christian teaching and formation must  
be provided at home8 ,the workingmen of 
these countries are at labor from       
twilight to twilight4 ,their wives have 
the burden of the whole family2 the poor
 mother is alone both the head and the  
servant of the whole house4 ,when is she
 to teach1 and train1 and shape1 and    
fashion the characters1 hearts1         
consciences1 intellects of the children8
 ,is it to be done in the midst of a    
day's work1 or in the weariness after   
the day's work is done8 ,and are they   
competent to do what the mother of the  
rich cannot do8 ,broken with cares1     

wearied by work1 suffering from poverty1
 often fainting from sickness because   
worn out with all these burdens1 how    
shall the father or mother of a family1 
huddled into a single room1 do what the 
rich and the educated1 in their spacious
 houses1 and with abundant leisure1     
never dream of attempting8  ,moreover1  
as ,i have shown in a preceding chapter1
 it must be admitted that a mother not  
educated in religious and moral         
principles cannot inform the mind and   
heart of the young child2 this fully    
disposes of the argument that domestic  
teaching alone will supply what is      
acknowledged to be wanting in the       
,public ,schools4 ,it is to be hoped    
that we shall hear no more of this      
heartless talk4  ,well1 then1 some will 
say1 let our children receive1 in       
,sunday-schools1 that amount of         
religious culture and instruction which 
the ,state says shall not be given in   
the school1 and which is believed to be 
so essential in the education of the    

young4  ,now it is in vain to open our  
,sunday-schools and expect to cure1 on  
one day of the week1 or rather a few    
hours of that day 7when this even       
depends1 in a great part1 on the        
weather71 the work not only of the other
 six1 but the fruits of years of an     
ill-directed and godless ,state         
education4 ,the ,sunday-schools are     
nothing but so many ,poor-man's soothing
 plasters on ,christian consciences4    
,the want of religious training for six 
days in the week1 added to the positive 
knowledge of error on all religious     
subjects which youths may acquire during
 that time1 will more than              
counterbalance the best-directed efforts
 of parents and the clergy to give any  
definite knowledge on the truths of     
revelation4 ,the question whether or not
 religious education is compatible with 
,public ,school education1 has been     
tried in all ,english-speaking          
countries1 and in parts of ,germany1    
with this result3 that1 a class1 the    

,public ,school children are without any
 adequate religious knowledge or        
training4 ,the clergy may have          
,sunday-schools1 as they have1 in all   
their churches2 but what can children   
learn1 in a few hours1 of a subject     
which took three years from the ,saviour
 of man to teach even to the apostles8  
,and then the apostles1 after three     
years of instruction from the lips of   
,christ1 did not understand the         
,christian religion2 they were slow to  
understand1 and1 after ,his             
resurrection1 ,christ upbraided them    
with incredulity and hardness of heart4 
,even the children of the ,public       
,schools1 as far as experience goes1    
lose all taste for the study of         
religion1 which is developed among the  
children of ,christian schools without  
any effort4 ,sunday-schools1 at best1   
may train children to be ,christians one
 day in the week1 and ,pagans six days4 
,school-days over1 the usual result will
 be ,pagans all the seven days of the   

week4  ,if it is in vain to say1 ,let   
the ,bible be read in our ,public       
,schools1 or let our children receive   
religious instruction from their        
parents1 or in ,sunday-schools1 in order
 to arrest the fast-spreading crimes of 
the land1 it is still more in vain to   
say1 ,let the ,legislature be called    
upon4  ,it cannot be denied that the    
higher culture of ,america has1 from the
 time of the introduction of the present
 ,public ,school system1 ceased to be   
,christian4 ,what is the natural harvest
 of this sowing8 ,it is that we have    
already a generation of men1 thousands  
of whom are not fit to be the heads and 
fathers of families4 ,but this is not   
all2 we have also ever so many guides of
 public opinion1 ever so many ministers 
of public affairs1 and ever so many     
lawgivers of the ,united ,states1 who   
are infidels and profligates2 who see   
only themselves in all they do1 who     
desire only to fret out their little    
hour on the political stage with a sharp

 eye to their own interests1 without the
 smallest desire to secure the ,republic
 against future disasters--who cannot1  
or will not1 see the disastrous storms  
the ship of the ,republic will soon have
 to encounter4 ,what good1 then1 could  
be expected from calling upon the       
,legislature8 ,it would only show its   
impotency1 or1 what is more1 its own    
corruption4 ,the executive is unable1   
suspected1 or often found in the ring1  
or1 to use a common expression1 ,justice
 stinks4 ,the judiciary1 by its very    
nature1 always timid1 and too often     
time-serving1 can do nothing4 ,well1    
then1 the press3 what shall be said of  
it8 ,only this3 that it would be        
unreasonable to expect it to possess the
 supernatural powers of healing such a  
multitude of foul lepers1 or to be able 
at any time to lift itself far above the
 level of the general average of the age
 and country4  ,what1 then1 must be done
 to save society from the perils that   
menace it--to stem the tide that bids   

fair to sweep away1 eventually1 even    
civilization itself8 ,we must proceed on
 a true principle4 ,when we proceed on a
 true principle1 the more logically and 
completely we carry it out the better2  
but when we start with a false          
principle1 the more logical we are1 and 
the farther we push it1 the worse4 ,our 
consistency increases1 instead of       
diminishing1 the evils we would cure4   
,the reformers started wrong4 ,they     
would reform the ,church by placing her 
under human control4 ,their successors  
have in each generation found they did  
not go far enough1 and have1 each in its
 turn1 struggled to push it farther and 
farther1 till they find themselves      
without any church life1 without faith1 
without religion1 and beginning to doubt
 if there be even a ,god4 ,so1 in the   
question of education1 the upholders of 
the ,public ,school system have pushed  
the false principle that all individual1
 domestic1 social1 and political evils  
are due to ignorance1 and can only be   

prevented by high intellectual culture1 
till they have nearly taught away all   
religious belief and morality1 have     
well-nigh abolished the family which is 
the social unit1 and find that the evils
 they pretended to prevent1 and the     
wrongs they sought to redress1 are fast 
increasing4  ,we must1 then1 proceed on 
a true principle in trying to remedy the
 profligacy that disgraces so many of   
our crowded centres1 and the            
demoralization that is fast gangrening  
even our rural districts4  ,one thousand
 eight hundred and forty-odd years ago1 
you might have observed a poor1         
meanly-clad wanderer1 wending his steps 
on the ,appian way to the ,capitol of   
the world1--the wealthy1 magnificent1   
and ungodly city of ,rome4 ,he has      
passed its gates1 and threads his way   
unobserved through its populous streets4
 ,on every side he beholds gorgeous     
palaces raised at the expense of        
downtrodden nationalities2 stately      
temples dedicated to as many false gods 

as nations were congregated in ,rome2   
public baths and amphitheatres devoted  
to pleasure and to cruelty2 statues1    
monuments1 and triumphal arches raised  
to the memory of blood-thirsty tyrants4 
,he passes warriors and senators1       
beggars and cripples1 effeminate and    
dissolute women1 gladiators and slaves1 
merchants and statesmen1 orators and    
philosophers2--all classes1 all ranks1  
all conditions of men of every language 
and color under the sun4 ,everywhere he 
sees a maddening race for pleasure2     
everywhere the impress of luxury1       
everywhere the full growth of crime1    
side by side with indescribable         
suffering1 diabolical cruelty and       
barbarity4 ,and this poor1 meanly-clad  
wanderer was ,st4 ,peter4 ,oh6 how the  
noble heart of the fisherman of ,galilee
 must have bled1 when he observed the   
empire of ,satan so supreme--when he    
witnessed the shocking licentiousness of
 the temple and the homestead2 when he  
saw the fearful degradation of woman    

groaning under the load of her own      
infamy2 when he saw the heart-rending   
inhumanity which slew the innocent babes
 and threw them into the ,tiber2 when he
 saw how prisoners of war1 slaves1 and  
soldiers were trained for bloody fights1
 and entered the arena of the           
amphitheatre1 and strove whole days to  
strangle one another1 for the special   
entertainment of the ,roman people4     
,when ,peter came to ,rome1 that city   
was the condensation of all the         
idolatry1 all the oppression1 all the   
injustice1 all the immoralities of the  
world2 for the world was centred in     
,rome4  ,here1 then1 were evils to be   
remedied similar to those of our day and
 country4 ,pagan philosophers1 poets and
 orators1 had tried their best to cure  
these evils and to elevate mankind1 but 
they had tried in vain4 ,what they were 
unable to bring about1 ,st4 ,peter      
accomplished by preaching to the ,roman 
people ,christianity--the religion of   
,jesus ,christ--which imparts to the    

mind infallibly the light of truth1 and 
lays down for the will authoritatively  
the unchangeable principles of          
supernatural morality1 true prosperity1 
true happiness1 and peace on earth and  
for eternity4 ,indeed1 it is a          
well-known fact that the ,capitoline    
temple1 and with it the many shrines of 
idolatry1 the golden house of ,nero1 and
 with it ,roman excess and ,roman       
cruelty1 the throne of the ,caesars1 and
 with it ,roman oppression and ,roman   
injustice1 gave way and disappeared in  
proportion as the light of ,christianity
 was infused into that foul mass1 into  
that rotten society1 centred in ,rome4  
,it was this ,christian religion that   
changed a sinful people into saints1 and
 so many holy inhabitants of heaven4    
,and what the blessings of the religion 
of ,christ brought about in ,rome1 they 
bring about wherever they are diffused4 
,hence all true lovers of the country   
tell us that there is but one remedy for
 the cure of the diabolical spirit and  

the crimes of our country--it is to     
teach our children the truth and        
blessings of the ,christian religion4   
,it is the ,christian religion that     
infallibly and authoritatively teaches  
the duties of civil authorities towards 
their subjects1 of husbands towards     
their wives1 of parents towards their   
children1 of masters towards their      
servants1 of pastors towards their      
flocks1 of the faithful towards their   
pastors1 of servants towards their      
masters1 of wives towards their         
husbands1 of children towards their     
parents1 of subjects towards their      
lawfully constituted civil authorities1 
of all men towards ,god1 their ,supreme 
,master1 and just ,rewarder of good and 
evil4 ,moreover1 it is the ,christian   
religion alone that affords men the     
means to obtain ,god's grace1 which     
enlightens the mind to see the beauty of
 virtue1 inflames the heart with love   
for it1 and inclines the will to        
practise it with perseverance4 ,if we   

then wish to be sure of having a        
virtuous and virile people1 we must     
,christianize our youth1 especially     
during their school hours2 we must bring
 up our children in a religious         
atmosphere4 ,i have already remarked    
that religion may be compared to leaven4
 ,as leaven must be diffused throughout 
the entire mass in order to produce its 
effects1 so the ,christian religion must
 be thoroughly diffused throughout the  
child's entire education1 in order to be
 solid and effective4  ,not a moment of 
the hours of school should be left      
without religious influence4 ,it is the 
constant breathing of the air that      
preserves our bodily life1 and it is the
 constant dwelling in a religious       
atmosphere that preserves the life of   
the youthful soul4 ,religion is not a   
study1 or an exercise that may be       
restricted to a certain place1 or a     
certain hour4 ,it is a faith and a law  
which ought to be felt everywhere1 and  
which in this manner alone can exercise 

all its beneficent influence upon our   
minds and lives4 ,it will never do to   
suffer the child to devote six days in  
the week to worldly science1 and to     
depend on ,sunday for a religious       
training4 ,this would be like reserving 
the salt which should season our food   
during the week1 and taking it all in a 
dose on ,sunday4 ,by such a system we   
may make expert shop-boys1 first-rate   
accountants1 shrewd and thriving        
earth-worms2 but it would be presumption
 to think of thus making good citizens1 
still less virtuous ,christians4  ,let  
us be assured that our young men know   
their duties to ,god1 to their          
neighbors1 and to themselves1 and they  
will then1 but not till then1 be true   
,christians4 ,in being true ,christians 
they will be dutiful sons1 faithful     
husbands1 affectionate fathers1 gentle  
masters1 honest servants1 law-loving and
 law-abiding citizens1 true statesmen1  
good soldiers1 and valiant defenders of 
the country1 chaste and sober           

companions1 the joy of ,god and of      
society4  ,but1 above all1 let us be    
assured that our daughters are educated 
as women1 not as men4 ,women are not    
needed as men2 they are needed as women3
 to do1 not what men can do as well as  
they1 but what men cannot do4 ,woman was
 created to be a wife and a mother2 that
 is her destiny4 ,to that destiny all   
her instincts point1 and for it nature  
has specially qualified her4 ,her proper
 sphere is home1 and her proper function
 is the care of the household1 to manage
 a family1 to take care of children1 and
 attend to their early training4 ,for   
this she is endowed with patience1      
endurance1 passive courage1 quick       
sensibilities1 a sympathetic nature1 and
 great executive and administrative     
ability4 ,she was born to be a queen in 
her own household1 and make home        
cheerful1 bright1 and happy4 ,there it  
is that she is really great1 noble1     
almost divine4  ,now the general        
complaint is that the greater part of   

our ,public ,school-girls are not fit to
 be good wives1 mothers and             
housekeepers4 ,as wives1 they forget    
what they owe to their husbands1 are    
capricious and vain1 often light and    
frivolous1 extravagant and foolish1 bent
 on having their own way1 though ruinous
 to the family1 and generally           
contriving1 by coaxings1 blandishments1 
or poutings1 to get it4 ,they hold      
obedience in horror1 and seek only to   
govern their husbands and all around    
them4  ,as mothers1 they not only       
neglect1 but disdain1 the retired and   
simple domestic virtues1 and scorn to be
 tied down to the modest but essential  
duties--the drudgery1 they call it--of  
mothers2 they manage to be relieved of  
household cares1 especially of          
child-bearing1 and of the duty of       
bringing up children4 ,they repress     
their maternal instincts1 and the       
horrible crime of infanticide before    
birth now becomes so fearfully          
prevalent1 that the ,american nation is 

actually threatened with extinction4 ,if
 they condescend to have one or two     
children1 they set them an ill example2 
for if children see that their mother1  
as a wife1 forgets to honor and obey her
 husband1 and always wants to have her  
own way with him1 they soon lose all    
respect for her1 and insist on having   
their own way with her1 and usually     
succeed4  ,as housekeepers they devote  
their time to pleasure or amusement1    
wasting their life in luxurious ease1 in
 reading sentimental or sensational     
novels1 or in following the caprices of 
fashion2 thus they let the household go 
to ruin1 and the honest earnings of the 
husband becomes speedily insufficient   
for the family expenses1 and he is      
sorely tempted to provide for them by   
rash speculation or by fraud1 which1    
though it may be carried on for a while 
without detection1 is sure to end in    
disgrace and ruin at last4  ,there is   
indeed nothing which more grieves the   
wise and good1 or makes them tremble for

 the future of the country1 than the way
 in which our daughters are educated in 
the ,public ,schools4 ,when they become 
wives and mothers1 they have none of the
 habits or character necessary to govern
 their household and to train their     
children properly4 ,hence arise that    
growing neglect or laxity of family     
discipline2 that insubordination1 that  
lawlessness1 and precocious depravity of
 ,young ,america2 that almost total lack
 of filial reverence and obedience with 
the children of this generation4        
,exceptions there happily are2 but the  
number of children that grow up without 
any proper training or discipline at    
home is fearfully large1 and their evil 
example corrupts not a few of those who 
are well brought up4 ,the country is no 
better than the town4 ,as a rule1       
children are no longer subjected to a   
steady and firm1 but mild and judicious1
 discipline1 or trained to habits of    
filial love1 respect and obedience4     
,these habits are acquired only in a    

school of obedience1 made pleasant and  
cheerful by a mother's playful smile and
 a mother's love4 ,the care and         
management of children during their     
early years belong specially to the     
mother4 ,the education of children may  
be said to commence from the moment they
 open their eyes and ears to the sights 
and sounds of the world about them2 and 
of these sights and sounds the words and
 example of the mother are the most     
impressive and the most enduring4 ,of   
all lessons1 those learned at the knees 
of a good mother sink the deepest into  
the mind and heart1 and last the        
longest4 ,many of the noblest and best  
men that ever lived1 and adorned and    
benefited the world1 have declared that1
 under ,god1 they owed everything that  
was good and useful in their lives to   
the love of virtue1 and truthfulness1   
and piety1 and the fear of ,god         
instilled into their hearts by the lips 
of a pious mother4 ,it is her special   
function to plant and develop in their  

young and impressible minds the seeds of
 virtue1 love1 reverence1 and obedience1
 and to train her daughters1 by precept 
and example1 not to catch husbands that 
will give them splendid establishments1 
but to be1 in due time1 modest and      
affectionate wives1 tender and judicious
 mothers1 and prudent and careful       
housekeepers4 ,this the father cannot   
do2 and his interference1 except by wise
 counsel1 and to honor and sustain the  
mother1 will generally be worse than    
nothing4 ,the task devolves specially on
 the mother2 for it demands the sympathy
 with children which is peculiar to the 
female heart1 the strong maternal       
instinct implanted by nature1 and       
directed by a judicious education1 that 
blending of love and authority1         
sentiment and reason1 sweetness and     
power1 so characteristic of the noble   
and true-hearted woman1 and which so    
admirably fit her to be loved and       
honored1 only less than adored1 in her  
own household4 ,but though the duties   

and responsibilities of mothers in this 
matter are the heaviest and most        
important for themselves1 and for the   
society of all others1 yet there are    
none which are more neglected4  ,now    
wives and mothers1 by neglecting their  
domestic duties and the proper family   
discipline1 fail to offer the necessary 
resistance to growing lawlessness and   
crime1 aggravated1 if not generated1 by 
the false notions of freedom and        
equality so widely entertained4 ,it is  
only by home discipline1 and the early  
habits of reverence and obedience to    
which our children are trained1 that the
 license the government tolerates1 and  
the courts hardly dare attempt to       
restrain1 can be counteracted1 and the  
community made a law-loving and a       
law-abiding community4  ,why is it that 
the very bases of society have been     
sapped1 and the conditions of good      
government despised1 or denounced under 
the name of despotism8 ,why is it that  
social and political life is poisoned in

 its source1 and the blood of the nation
 corrupted8 ,it is because wives and    
mothers have failed in their domestic   
duties1 and the discipline of their     
families4 ,and they have failed in this1
 because the ,state did not1 and could  
not1 bring them up to it4  ,the evils we
 have to cure cannot be reached by the  
reading of the ,bible1 by ,sunday-school
 training1 nor by any possible political
 or legislative action4 ,men or women   
cannot be legislated into virtue4 ,that 
the remedy1 to a great extent1 must be  
supplied by woman's action and          
influence1 we not only concede1 but     
claim4 ,but it is only as woman1 as     
wife1 as mother1 that she must do the   
work3 as woman1 to soften asperities1   
and to refine what else were coarse and 
brutal2 as wife1 to sustain with her    
affection the resolutions and just      
aspirations of her husband1 and render  
home bright and cheerful--the sweetest  
place on earth2 as mother1 to direct and
 inspire the noble and righteous        

aspirations of her sons--to train and   
form her children to early habits of    
piety1 filial love and reverence1 of    
obedience to ,god's law1 and respect for
 authority4  ,there are1 in our day1    
comparatively few mothers who are       
qualified to do this4 ,but what they can
 and should do is to see that they have 
a better and more thorough system of    
education for their sons1 but especially
 for their daughters--a system of       
education that specially adapts them to 
the destiny of their sex1 and prepares  
them to find their happiness in their   
homes1 and the satisfaction of their    
highest ambition in discharging its     
manifold duties1 so much higher1 nobler1
 and more essential to the virtue and   
well-being of the community1 the nation1
 the society1 and to the life and       
progress of the human race1 than any    
which devolve on king or emperor1       
magistrate or legislator4 ,we would not 
have their generous instincts repressed1
 their quick sensibilities blunted1 or  

their warm1 sympathetic nature chilled1 
nor even the lighter graces and         
accomplishments neglected2 but we would 
have them all directed and harmonized by
 solid intellectual instruction1 and    
moral and religious culture4 ,we would  
have them1 whether rich or poor1 trained
 to find the centre of their affections 
in their home2 their chief ambition in  
making it cheerful1 bright1 radiant and 
happy4 ,whether destined to grace a     
magnificent palace1 or to adorn the     
humble cottage of poverty1 this should  
be the ideal aimed at in their          
education4 ,they should be trained to   
love home1 and to find their pleasure in
 sharing its cares and performing its   
duties1 however arduous or painful4     
,there are1 as ,i have said1            
comparatively few mothers qualified to  
give their daughters such an education1 
especially in our own country2 for      
comparatively few have received such an 
education themselves1 or are able fully 
to appreciate its importance4 ,they can 

find little help in the fashionable     
boarding-schools for finishing young    
ladies2 and1 in general1 these schools  
only aggravate the evils to be cured4   
,the best and the only respectable      
schools for daughters that we have in   
the country are the conventual schools  
taught by women consecrated to ,god1 and
 specially devoted to the work of       
education4 ,these schools1 indeed1 are  
not always all that might be wished4    
,the religious cannot1 certainly1 supply
 the place of the mother in giving their
 pupils that practical home-training so 
necessary1 and which can be given only  
by mothers who have themselves been     
properly educated2 but they go as far as
 is possible in remedying the defects of
 the present generation of mothers1 and 
in counteracting their follies and vain 
ambitions4 ,with all the faults that can
 be alleged against any of them1 the    
conventual schools1 even as they are1 it
 must be conceded1 are infinitely the   
best schools for daughters in the land1 

and1 upon the whole1 worthy of the high 
praise and liberal patronage their      
devotedness and disinterestedness secure
 them4 ,we have seldom found their      
graduates weak and sickly               
sentimentalists4 ,they develop in their 
pupils a cheerful and healthy tone1 and 
a high sense of duty2 give them solid   
moral1 religious instruction2 cultivate 
successfully their moral and religious  
affections2 refine their manners1 purify
 their tastes1 and send them out feeling
 that life is serious1 life is earnest1 
and resolved always to act under a deep 
sense of their personal                 
responsibilities2 meet whatever may be  
their lot with brave hearts1 and without
 murmuring and repining4  ,the editor of
 the ,new ,york ,herald prefaces an     
account of a ,catholic academy with the 
following remarks3  ,however divided    
public opinion may be as to secular and 
religious schools--no matter what       
differences in opinion may exist in the 
community as to the policy of aiding or 

discouraging purely sectarian systems of
 education--there can be but little     
opposition from any quarter to the      
verdict of experience given by many     
thousand families1 that these devoted   
women--the ,sisters of the ,catholic    
,church--are the best teachers of young 
girls1 the safest instructors in this   
age of loose1 worldly1 and rampant ,new 
,englandism4 ,those matters of education
 which make the lady1 in their hands1   
subordinate to the great object of      
making every girl committed to their    
care a true woman1 are imbued with those
 principles which have made our mothers 
our pride and boast4 ,those of us who   
cavil at ,catholic pretensions1 sneer at
 their assumption1 and ridicule their   
observances1 must acknowledge that the  
,sisters are far ahead and above any    
organization of the sort of which       
,protestantism can boast4 ,the          
self-sacrifice1 the devotion1 the       
single-mindedness1 the calm trust in a  
,power unseen1 the humility of manner   

and rare unselfishness which            
characterize the ,sisters1 has no       
parallel in any organization of the     
reformed faith4 ,the war placed the     
claims of the ,sisters of ,charity      
fairly before the country2 but these    
,sisters of the different branches have1
 in peace1 'victories no less renowned  
than in war4' ,educating the poor       
children1 directing the untutored mind  
of the youthful alien savage in our     
midst1 or holding the beacon of         
intellectual advancement bright and     
burning before the female youth of the  
country1 and beckoning them to advance1 
they are ever doing a good and noble    
work4  ,we do not disguise the fact that
 our hopes for the future1 in great     
measure1 rest on these conventual       
schools2 if they are multiplied1 and the
 number of their graduates increase1 and
 enter upon the serious duties of life1 
the ideal of female education will      
become higher and broader2 a nobler     
class of wives and mothers will exert a 

healthy and purifying influence2        
religion will become a real power in the
 ,republic2 the moral tone of the       
community1 and the standard of private  
and public morality1 will be elevated2  
and thus may gradually be acquired the  
virtues that will enable us1 as a       
people1 to escape the dangers that now  
threaten us1 and to save the ,republic  
as well as our own souls4  ,sectarians1 
indeed1 declaim against these schools1  
and denounce them as a subtle device of 
,satan to make their daughters          
,romanists2 but ,satan probably dislikes
 ,romanism even more than sectarians do1
 and is much more in earnest to suppress
 or ruin our conventual schools1 in     
which he is not held in much honor1 than
 he is to sustain and encourage them4   
,at any rate1 our countrymen who have   
such a horror of the religion it is our 
glory to profess1 that they cannot call 
it by its true name1 would do well1     
before denouncing these schools1 to     
establish better schools for daughters  

of their own4 ,these modest1 retiring   
,sisters and ,nuns1 who have no new     
theories and schemes of social reform1  
and upon whom a certain class of women  
look down with haughty contempt1 as     
weak1 spiritless1 and narrow-minded1    
have chosen the better part1 and are    
doing infinitely more to raise woman to 
her true dignity1 and for the political 
and social1 as well as for the moral and
 religious1 progress of the country1    
than the ,woman's ,rights party1 with   
all their grand conventions1 brilliant  
speeches1 stirring lectures and spirited
 journals4 ,by way of parenthesis1 we   
dare tell these women who are wasting so
 much time1 energy1 philanthropy1 and   
brilliant eloquence in agitating for    
female suffrage and eligibility1 which1 
if conceded1 would only make matters    
worse1 that1 if they have the real      
interest of their sex or of the         
community at heart1 they should turn    
their attention to the education of     
daughters for their special functions1  

not as men1 but as women1 who are one   
day to be wives and mothers--woman's    
true destiny4  ,undoubtedly the special 
destiny of women is to be wives and     
mothers2 but we are told that there are 
thousands of women who are not and      
cannot be wives and mothers4 ,in the    
older and more densely settled ,states  
of the ,union1 there is an excess of    
females over males1 and all cannot get  
husbands if they would4 ,yet1 we repeat1
 woman was created to be a wife and a   
mother1 and the woman that is not fails 
of her special destiny4 ,under the      
,christian dispensation honorable       
provision has been made for that large  
class of women who1 either from         
preference1 or from any other cause1 do 
not marry4 ,virginity1 which was        
regarded as a reproach1 became an honor 
under the ,christian law4 ,those women  
who do not wish1 or cannot be wives and 
mothers in the natural order1 may be    
both1 in the spiritual order1 if they   
will1 and are properly educated for it4 

,they can be wedded to the ,holy        
,spirit1 and be the mothers of minds and
 hearts4 ,the holy virgins and devout   
widows who consecrated themselves to    
,god1 in or out of religious orders1 are
 both1 and fulfil in the spiritual order
 their proper destiny4 ,we hold them in 
high honor1 because they become mothers 
to the motherless1 to the poor1 to the  
forsaken1 to the homeless4 ,they        
instruct the ignorant1 nurse the sick1  
help the helpless1 tend the aged1 catch 
the last breath of the dying1 pray for  
the unbelieving and the cold-hearted1   
and elevate the moral tone of society1  
and shed a cheering radiance along the  
pathway of life4 ,they have no need to  
be idle or useless4 ,in a world of so   
much sin and sorrow1 sickness and       
suffering1 there is always work enough  
for them to do2 it is on the poor and   
motherless1 the destitute and the       
downtrodden1 the sinful and the         
sorrowful1 the aged and infirm1 the     
ignorant and the neglected1 that1 under 

proper direction1 they can lavish the   
wealth of their affections1 the         
tenderness of their hearts1 and the     
ardor of their charity1 and find true   
joy and happiness in so doing1 ample    
scope for woman's noblest ambition1 and 
chances enough to acquire merit in the  
sight of heaven1 and true glory1 that   
will shine brighter and brighter        
forever4 ,they thus are dear to ,god1   
dear to the ,church1 and dear to        
,christian society4 ,they are to be     
envied1 not pitied4 ,it is only because 
you have lost faith in ,christ1 faith in
 the holy ,catholic ,church1 and have   
become gross in your minds1 of earth    
earthy1 that you deplore the lot of the 
women who cannot1 in the natural order1 
find husbands1 and call them1           
contemptuously1 old maids--a miserable  
relic of heathenism or ,protestantism1  
neither of which have anything to hold  
out to old maids4 ,but ,jesus ,christ   
has provided for them better than you   
are able to understand4  ,the ,father of

 our country1 then1 was right when he   
said1 in his farewell address to the    
,american nation1 that religion and     
morality are the props of society1 and  
the pillars of the ,state4 ,let us1     
then1 rest assured that the best way to 
check the torrent of infidelity and     
immorality1 to avert impending evils1 to
 prepare the golden age of our          
,republic1 is to infuse good morals by  
the most powerful of all                
means--,christian ,education4           
,,footnotes3  ,f ,prof4 ,aggassiz4      
,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,the ,,denominational
 ,,system ,,alone ,,satisfies ,,the     
,,wants ,,of ,,all1 ,,and ,,can ,,save  
,,the ,,republic4   ,we live in a time  
of great activity and change1 and       
intense worldliness4 ,men run to and fro
 and knowledge is increased4 ,would that
 we could feel that there is an increase
 also in integrity and virtue1 and      
respect for ,religion4 ,we all know that
 it is not so4 ,so far as we can form   
accurate ideas of the social and        

religious condition of men at any       
particular period in the world's        
history1 we may doubt whether the words 
of the ,apostle ,st4 ,paul1 describing  
what shall come to pass in what he calls
 the last days1 ever touched any people 
so closely as they do those of our times
 and country4 ,men1 he says1 shall be   
lovers of themselves1 covetous1 haughty1
 proud1 blasphemous1 disobedient to     
parents1 ungrateful1 wicked1 without    
affection1 without peace1 slanderers1   
incontinent1 unmerciful1 without        
kindness1 traitors1 stubborn1 puffed up1
 and lovers of pleasure1 more than      
lovers of ,god4 ,well may the ,apostle  
speak of such times as dangerous times4 
,when the moral atmosphere we breathe is
 so full of what the ,scriptures call   
the spirit of this world1 we can only   
hope to escape its corrupting influences
 by doing all in our power to diffuse   
,christian principles among the rising  
generation1 by means of truly ,christian
 schools4  ,the arrangements can be made

 without disturbing the general system4 
,it is this3 ,let the ,state aid1 but   
not direct1 a system of plain ,english  
education1 confined to all those whose  
circumstances are limited1 or who are   
left destitute1 or orphans4 ,let all    
religious denominations1 when they      
desire it1 have the privilege of        
conducting their own schools1 subject   
only to general uniform inspection and  
examination on the part of the ,state1  
and have their proportion of the        
school-moneys4 ,the wealthy classes will
 know how to take care of the education 
of their own children1 as they do of    
their family affairs in other matters4  
,the advocates of this ,denominational  
,system yield to none in their endeavors
 to secure to all the children within   
the ,state a good1 solid1 and practical 
education1 according to the religious   
convictions and circumstances of all4   
,this1 they claim1 is not1 and cannot be
 furnished on the present plan4 ,they do
 not1 as falsely charged1 desire to     

distract or divide1 or introduce        
sectarianism into the ,public ,schools2 
on the contrary1 they wish to satisfy   
conscience by yielding to all others    
what they claim for themselves1 and     
cannot help denouncing the present      
system as practically resulting in a    
form of sectarianism worse than any yet 
professed3 to wit1 ,indifferentism4  ,if
 the ,denominational ,system was        
adopted1 it would satisfy and do justice
 to all1 and1 at the same time1 excite  
such rivalry and competition among      
teachers as to advance education1 whilst
 it diminishes its cost in the same     
ratio4 ,we have seen that it costs about
 four times as much to give the         
miserable infidel instruction in the    
,public ,schools1 as it does to give a  
good ,christian education in the        
denominational schools4 ,what possible  
objection1 then1 can there be to adopt  
the denominational1 or separate system1 
when it costs four times less1 and      
imparts1 to say the least1 as good an   

education to the greatest number of     
children8 ,it is no argument to urge    
that schools would be sectarian4 ,we    
have sectarian churches1 and various    
shades and differences of belief1       
already4 ,this would not alter one or   
the other a particle4 ,the ,state cannot
 impose uniformity on churches2 why     
force it on schools8 ,indeed it is      
worse1 inasmuch as this scholastic      
conformity or uniformity is against all 
religions1 and in favor of infidelity1  
or the no-religious sect1 if there be   
such a one4 ,it discriminates against   
the believers1 and is in favor of the   
unbelievers4  ,but it is easy to see    
what the matter is4 ,it is not religion 
these men fear so much as competition4  
,one session's trial of the separate    
system would so clearly demonstrate to  
the public the economy and advantages of
 this plan1 that the troop of paid      
teachers1 officers1 musicians1 and      
others1 who are fattening at the expense
 of a credulous people1 would be        

exposed1 and have to take their         
carpet-bags and tramp4 ,however1 ,i have
 no cause of quarrel with the employes1 
male or female1 of the ,public ,schools4
 ,they do not elect themselves1 nor make
 their salaries1 and they are not to be 
blamed for taking them4 ,if the clever  
gentleman who draws 7in one ,state1 at  
least7 #b1gej for ten months1 four      
hours' a day work1 or the accomplished  
lady who gets #b1jjj for the same time  
and labor1 or the three musicians at    
#b1jjj each1 or the humble1 but perhaps 
not less useful1 corps of               
school-sweepers 7janitors71 who are     
rewarded with #af1hhf4ej1 or the        
officers 7three71 who pocket #ad1deg4ij 
salary1 and #bj1gga4if office-expenses66
 are so handsomely rewarded1 it is their
 good fortune1 and not their fault4     
,there is1 doubtless1 a great deal of   
human nature in their composition1 as   
well as others4  ,there is no earthly   
way of giving satisfaction to all1      
except by granting the denominational   

system1 thereby leaving to all sects and
 denominations1 as well as to those who 
do not range themselves under any       
specific form at all1 to apply a fair   
proportion of the school-money4 ,all    
those who prefer the present plan would 
have no change to make1 and all those   
who desire the separate plan would have 
the right to select their own           
class-books and teachers2 in other      
words1 would have the interior          
management of their own schools4 ,this  
is the way church matters are managed to
 the satisfaction of all4 ,peoples'     
views and convictions on education are  
just as conscientious and distinct as on
 religion1 and they have just as good a 
right to them4 ,if any man denies this  
truth1 ,i would like him to give his    
reasons4  ,there is one other thing to  
be taken into consideration here3 if1 as
 is claimed1 all1 from the highest to   
the lowest1 have a right to an education
 at the hands of the ,state1 and if1 as 
is admitted1 all should be instructed in

 their moral and religious duties1 if   
not by the ,state1 at least by their    
parents and pastors1 who will instruct  
the poor little orphans1 the very class 
for whose benefit the public provide an 
education--who1 ,i say1 will instruct   
them in the way they should go8 who will
 answer for these little waifs of       
society8 ,they ask for bread1 and the   
,state gives them a stone2 it has1 with 
the best intentions in the world1 no    
better to give them4 ,these             
considerations have compelled most of   
the ,european ,states1 as well as our   
neighbors--the ,canadians--to abandon   
the godless system1 and establish       
separate schools1 when asked to do so by
 the members of any denomination4,g     
,there is no exception to this rule1    
except here6 ,with all our boasted      
progress1 we are behind all civilized   
nations in this important particular4   
,now by adopting this fair method1 the  
poor orphans and ragged children1 who   
have the first and best claim of all1   

would be educated4 ,as it is1 it is a   
notorious fact1 that as far as ,public  
,schools are concerned1 they are left   
out in the cold4 ,this fact is capable  
of being demonstrated to any lady or    
gentleman who will visit the ,catholic  
orphanages and poor schools of any city4
 ,if any one doubts this1 and does me   
the honor of putting himself at my      
disposal1 ,i will show him or her       
thousands of such poor ragged little    
ones in one evening4 ,now is it not     
drawing largely upon public credulity1  
as well as on the public purse1 to ask  
for thousands for high schools1 and     
normal schools1 etc41 to educate the    
children1 in great part1 of the rich1   
or1 at best1 comparatively well to do1  
and turn their backs on the poor        
fatherless orphans and the ragged       
children of the poor widow or laboring  
man8 ,will anybody who has his eyesight 
doubt or deny this8 ,if so1 he can be   
convinced1 any day of the week1 by      
looking at the class and style of boys  

and girls who go to the upper ,public   
,schools1 and observing the boys and    
girls 7several hundreds in number7 who  
go to the poor schools of the ,sisters  
of ,mercy1 or1 in fact1 to any other    
charity convent school4  ,the ,bible1 or
 religious education in schools1 will   
ever come up to vex and torment the     
public1 especially the ,catholic portion
 of the community1 until the right of   
separate schools is granted4 ,it is     
especially the ,catholics that do and   
must insist upon having separate        
schools1 for it is the ,catholics that  
have always done all in their power to  
establish and maintain the republican   
form of government1 and it is through   
the influence of ,catholicity alone that
 our ,republic can be maintained1 and   
increased in power and glory4  ,a body  
which has lost the principle of its     
animation becomes dust4 ,hence it is an 
axiom that the change or perversion of  
the principles by which anything was    
produced1 is the destruction of that    

very thing2 if you can change or pervert
 the principles from which anything     
springs1 you destroy it4 ,for instance1 
one single foreign element introduced   
into the blood produces death2 one false
 assumption admitted into science1      
destroys its certainty2 one false       
principle admitted into morals1 is      
fatal4 ,now our ,american nation is     
departing from the principles which     
created their civilization1 and upon    
which their grand ,republic is based4   
,their civilization is becoming every   
day more and more material1 and this    
material civilization1 while more and   
more material1 is becoming less moral2  
society is becoming less solid1 less    
safe1 less stable2 individuals are      
becoming more anarchical1 the intellect 
more licentious1 the wills of men more  
stubborn1 and this self-will expresses  
itself in their actions1 so that it is  
true to say that1 by means of godless   
education1 the principles of            
,christianity upon which the ,american  

,republic was founded1 and by which it  
has hitherto been preserved1 have been  
rejected1 and are being violated on     
every side4 ,our ,republic1 therefore is
 no more progressing1 but is going back4
  ,about fifteen years ago a number of  
leading politicians and statesmen of    
,america1 of highest name and note1 met 
together to consider the condition of   
the ,united ,states4 ,it was before the 
war1 when there were already many causes
 of anxiety4 ,it was said that there was
 a universal and growing license of the 
individual will1 and that law and       
government were powerless to restrain   
it2 that if the will of the multitude   
became licentious1 it would seriously   
threaten the public welfare and liberty 
of the country4 ,the conclusion they    
came to was1 that1 unless there could be
 found some power which could restrain  
the individual will1 this danger would  
at last seriously menace the ,united    
,states4  ,now it is easy to say what   
that power is4 ,it is the power which   

created the ,christian society--it is   
the power which drew the world out of   
the darkness of heathenism1 abolished   
slavery1 restored woman to her true     
dignity--it is the power which          
established and maintained republican   
governments1 and that power is the power
 of ,catholicity4 ,whensoever this power
 is weakened or lost1 immediately all   
political society decays4 ,there will be
 a bright future for ,america if this   
power will be maintained and preserved4 
,the ,catholic ,church is the grandest  
,republic that was ever established4    
,but it is a ,republic of a supernatural
 order4 ,it has for its ,founder ,jesus 
,christ1 the ,son of ,god ,himself4 ,he 
chose ,st4 ,peter for its first         
,president4 ,this grand ,republic is    
divided1 as it were1 into as many       
,states as there are dioceses2 each     
diocese has a ,bishop--a true successor 
of the ,apostles--for ,governor1 and    
each ,bishop has priests to assist him  
in the spiritual government of the      

diocese4 ,the ,constitution of this     
,republic was made by ,jesus ,christ4   
,it cannot be changed or altered at all1
 either by the ,president1 or by the    
votes of its citizens4 ,st4 ,peter and  
the other ,apostles1 and their lawful   
successors1 were bound in conscience1 by
 ,jesus ,christ1 to keep ,his           
,constitution--,his doctrine--and teach 
others to keep it1 under pain of        
forfeiture of eternal life4 ,the        
,president and the ,governors of this   
,republic--the ,pope and the ,catholic  
,bishops--are not at liberty to govern  
its citizens1 the ,catholics1 as they   
please2 they have to govern them        
according to the ,constitution--the     
,doctrine of ,jesus ,christ4 ,now       
,almighty ,god governs men in accordance
 with the nature with which ,he has     
created them1 as beings endowed with    
reason and free-will4 ,god adapts ,his  
government to our rational and voluntary
 faculties1 and governs us without      
violence to either1 and by really       

satisfying both4 ,the rulers of the     
,catholic ,church have to do the same2  
they must govern men as freemen4 ,hence 
the ,catholic ,church leaves to every   
people its own nationality1 and to every
 ,state its own independence2 she       
ameliorates the political and social    
order1 only by infusing into the hearts 
of the people and their rulers the      
principles of justice and love1 and a   
sense of accountability to ,god4 ,the   
action of the ,church in political and  
social matters is indirect1 not direct1 
and in strict accordance with the       
free-will of individuals and the        
autonomy of states4 ,servile fear does  
not rank very high among ,catholic      
theologians4 ,the ,church1 when she can1
 resorts to coercive measures only to   
repress disorders in the public body4   
,hence her rulers are called shepherds1 
not lords1 and shepherds of their       
,master's flock1 not of their own1 and  
are to feed1 tend1 protect the flock1   
and take care of its increase for ,him1 

with sole reference to ,his will1 and   
,his honor and glory4 ,the ,catholic    
,church proffers to all every assistance
 necessary for the attainment of the    
most heroic sanctity1 but she forces no 
man to accept that assistance4          
,catholics believe the doctrines of the 
,church1 because they believe the       
,catholic ,church the ,church of        
,god--they believe that ,jesus ,christ  
commissioned ,st4 ,peter and the        
,apostles1 and their lawful successors1 
to teach all men in ,his name--to teach 
them infallibly and authoritatively ,his
 divine doctrine--they believe that this
 ,church is the medium through which    
,god manifests ,his will and dispenses  
,his grace to man1 and through which    
alone we can hope for heaven2 they      
believe that nothing can be more        
reasonable than to believe ,god at ,his 
word1 and that1 above all1 they must    
seek the kingdom of ,god and secure     
their eternal salvation4  ,being        
governed by the ,church1 as freemen1 in 

the spirit of a republican government1  
and enjoying1 as they do1 the freedom of
 the children of ,god1 ,catholics feel  
nowhere more at home than under a       
republican form of government4 ,if a    
great pope could say in truth that he   
was nowhere more pope than in ,america1 
every ,catholic can1 and does1 also1 say
 in truth1 ,nowhere can ,i be a better  
,christian than in the ,united ,states4 
,hence it is that ,catholics are very   
generally attached to the republican    
institutions of the country--no class of
 our citizens more so--and would defend 
them at the sacrifice of their lives4   
,catholics far more readily adjust      
themselves to our institutions than     
non-,catholics1 and among ,catholics it 
must be observed that they succeed best 
who best understand and best practise   
their religion4 ,they who are least     
truly ,american1 and yield most to      
demagogues1 are those who have very     
little of ,catholicity1 except the      
accident of being born of ,catholic     

parents1 who had them baptized in       
infancy4  ,practical ,catholics are the 
best ,republicans6 ,if we consult       
history1 we find that they were always  
foremost in establishing and maintaining
 the republican form of government4 ,who
 originated all the free principles     
which lie at the basis of our own noble 
,constitution8 ,who gave us trial by    
jury1 habeas corpus1 stationary courts1 
and the principle--for which we fought  
and conquered in our revolutionary      
struggle against ,protestant            
,england--that taxes are not to be      
levied without the free consent of those
 who pay them8 ,all these cardinal      
elements of free government date back to
 the good old ,catholic times1 in the   
middle ages--some three hundred years   
before the dawn of the ,reformation6    
,our ,catholic forefathers gave them all
 to us4  ,again1 we are indebted to     
,catholics for all the republics which  
ever existed in ,christian times1 down  
to the year #aggf3 for those of         

,switzerland1 ,venice1 ,genoa1 ,andorra1
 ,san ,marino1 and a host of minor free 
,commonwealths1 which sprang up in the  
dark ages4 ,some of these republics     
still exist1 proud monuments and        
unanswerable evidences of ,catholic     
devotion to freedom4 ,they are          
acknowledged by ,protestants1 no less   
than by ,catholics4 ,i subjoin the      
testimony of an able writer in the ,new 
,york ,tribune1 believed to be ,bayard  
,taylor4 ,this distinguished            
traveller--a staunch                    
,protestant--appeals to history1 and    
speaks from personal observation4 ,he   
writes3  ,truth compels us to add that  
the oldest republic now existing is that
 of ,san ,marino1 not only ,catholic1   
but wholly surrounded by the especial   
dominion of the popes1 who might have   
crushed it like an egg-shell at any time
 these last thousand years--but they    
didn't4 ,the only republic we ever      
travelled in besides our own is         
,switzerland1 half of its cantons or    

states entirely ,catholic1 yet never1   
that we have heard of1 unfaithful to the
 cause of freedom4 ,we never heard the  
,catholics of ,hungary accused of       
backwardness in the late glorious       
struggle of their country for freedom1  
though its leaders were ,protestants1   
fighting against a leading ,catholic    
power avowedly in favor of religious as 
well as civil liberty4 ,and chivalric1  
unhappy ,poland1 almost wholly          
,catholic1 has made as gallant struggles
 for freedom as any other nation2 while 
of the three despotisms that crushed    
her1 but one was ,catholic4  ,let us    
bring the subject home to our own times 
and country4 ,who1 ,i would ask1 first  
reared in triumph the broad banner of   
universal freedom on this ,north        
,american ,continent8 ,who first        
proclaimed in this new world a truth too
 wide and expansive to enter into the   
head of1 or to be comprehended by1 a    
narrow-minded bigot--a truth that every 
man should be free to worship ,god      

according to the dictates of his        
conscience8 ,who first proclaimed1 on   
this broad continent1 the glorious      
principles of universal freedom8 ,read  
,bancroft1 read ,goodrich1 read ,frost1 
read every ,protestant historian of our 
country1 and you will see there         
inscribed1 on the historic page1 a fact 
which reflects immortal honor on our    
,american ,catholic ancestry--that ,lord
 ,baltimore and his ,catholic colonists 
of ,maryland were the first to proclaim 
universal liberty1 civil and religious2 
the first to announce1 as the basis of  
their legislation1 the great and noble  
principle that no man's faith and       
conscience should be a bar to his       
holding any office1 or enjoying any     
civil privilege of the community4  ,what
 ,american can forget the names of      
,rochambeau1 ,de ,grasse1 ,de ,kalb1    
,pulaski1 ,la ,fayette1 ,kosciusko8     
,without the aid of these noble         
,catholic heroes1 and of the brave      
troops whom they led on to victory1     

would we have succeeded at all in our   
great revolutionary contest8 ,men of the
 clearest heads1 and of the greatest    
political forecast1 living at that time1
 thought not2 at least they deemed the  
result exceedingly doubtful4  ,and      
during the whole war of the ,revolution1
 who ever heard of a ,catholic coward1  
or of a ,catholic traitor8 ,when the    
,protestant ,general1 ,gates1 fled from 
the battle-field of ,camden with the    
,protestant militia of ,north ,carolina 
and ,virginia1 who but ,catholics stood 
firm at their posts1 and fought and died
 with the brave old ,catholic hero1 ,de 
,kalb8 the veteran who1 when others     
ingloriously fled1 seized his good      
sword1 and cried out to the brave old   
,maryland and ,pennsylvania lines1      
,stand firm1 for ,i am too old to fly6  
,who ever heard of a ,catholic ,arnold8 
,and who has not heard of the brave     
,irish and ,german soldiers who1 at a   
somewhat later period1 mainly composed  
the invincible army of the impetuous    

,mad ,anthony ,wayne1 and constituted   
the great bulwark of our defence against
 the savage invasions which threatened  
our whole northwestern frontier with    
devastation and ruin8  ,all these facts1
 and many more of a similar kind which  
might be alleged1 cannot have passed    
away1 as yet1 from the memory of our    
,american citizens4 ,americans cannot   
have forgotten1 as yet1 that the man who
 perilled most in signing the           
,declaration of ,independence was a     
,roman ,catholic1 and that when ,charles
 ,carroll1 of ,carrolton1 put his name  
to that instrument1 ,benjamin ,franklin 
observed1 ,there goes a cool million in 
support of the cause6  ,and when our    
energies were exhausted1 and the        
stoutest hearts entertained the most    
gloomy forebodings as to the final      
issue1 ,catholic ,france stepped        
gallantly forth to the rescue of our    
infant freedom1 almost crushed by an    
overwhelming ,english tyranny6 ,catholic
 ,spain also subsequently lent us her   

aid against ,england4 ,many of our most 
sagacious statesmen have believed that1 
but for this timely aid1 our            
,declaration of ,independence could     
scarcely have been made good4  ,these   
facts1 which are but a few of those     
which might be adduced1 prove           
conclusively that ,catholicity is still 
what she was in the middle ages--the    
steadfast friend and support of free    
institutions4  ,the great roots of all  
the evils that press upon society1 and  
make man unhappy1 are--   ,,the         
,,ignorance ,,of ,,the ,,mind1 ,,and    
,,the ,,depravity ,,of ,,the ,,will4    
,hence he who wishes to civilize the    
world1 and thus assist in executing the 
plans of ,god's providence1 must remove 
these two great roots of evil by        
imparting to the mind infallibly the    
light of truth1 and by laying down for  
the will authoritatively the            
unchangeable principles of morality4 ,it
 is the ,catholic ,church that has      
accomplished in society this twofold    

task1 by means of education4  ,in the   
,pagan world1 education was an edifice  
built up on the principles of slavery4  
,the motto was1 ,odi profanum vulgus et 
arceo4 ,education was the privilege of  
the aristocracy4 ,the great mass of     
people was studiously kept in ignorance 
of the treasures of the mind4 ,this     
state of things was done away with by   
the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 when she  
established the monastic institutions of
 the ,west4 ,the whole of ,europe was   
soon covered with schools1 not only for 
the wealthy1 but for the poorest even of
 the poor4 ,yes1 education was          
systematized1 and an emulation was      
created for learning1 such as the world 
had never seen before4 ,italy1 ,germany1
 ,france1 ,england1 and ,spain1 had     
their universities2 but side by side    
with these1 their colleges1 gymnasiums1 
parish and village schools1 as numerous 
as the churches and monasteries1 which  
the efforts of the ,holy ,see had       
scattered with lavish hand over the     

length and breadth of the land4  ,and   
where was the source of all this light8 
,i answer1 at ,rome4 ,for when the      
barbarian hordes poured down upon       
,europe from the ,caspian ,mountains1 it
 was the ,popes who saved civilization4 
,they collected1 in the ,vatican1 the   
manuscripts of the ancient authors1     
gathered from all parts of the earth at 
enormous expense4 ,the barbarians1 who  
destroyed everything by fire and sword1 
had already advanced as far as ,rome4   
,attila1 who called himself the scourge 
of ,god1 stood before its walls2 there  
was no emperor1 no praetorian guard1 no 
legions present to save the ancient     
,capital of the world4 ,but there was a 
,pope--,leo ,i4 ,and ,leo went forth1   
and by entreaties1 and threats of ,god's
 displeasure1 induced the dreaded king  
of the ,huns to retire4 ,scarcely had   
,attila retired1 before ,genseric1 king 
of the ,vandals1 made his appearance1   
invited by ,eudoxia1 the empress1 to the
 plunder of ,rome4 ,leo met him1 and    

obtained from him the lives and the     
honor of the ,romans1 and the sparing of
 the public monuments which adorned the 
city in such numbers4 ,thus ,leo the    
,great saved ,europe from barbarism4 ,to
 the name of ,leo1 ,i might add those of
 ,gregory ,i41 ,sylvester ,,ii41        
,gregory ,,xiii41 ,benedict ,,xiv41     
,julius ,,iii41 ,paul ,,iii41 ,leo ,x41 
,clement ,,viii41 ,john ,,xx41 and a    
host of others1 who must be looked upon 
as the preservers of science and the    
arts1 even amid the very fearful torrent
 of barbarism that was spreading itself1
 like an inundation1 over the whole of  
,europe4 ,the principle of the ,catholic
 ,church has ever been this3 ,by the    
knowledge of ,divine things1 and the    
guidance of an infallible teacher1 the  
human mind must gain certainty in regard
 to the sublimest problems1 the great   
questions of life3 by them the origin1  
the end1 the norm and limit of man's    
activity must be made known1 for then   
alone can he venture fearlessly upon the

 sphere of human efforts1 and human     
developments1 and human science4 ,and1  
truly1 never has science gained the     
ascendancy outside of the ,church that  
it has always held in the ,church4 ,and 
what ,i say of science ,i say also of   
the arts4 ,i say it of architecture1 of 
sculpture1 and of painting4 ,i need only
 point to the ,basilica of ,peter1 to   
the museums and libraries of ,rome4 ,it 
is to ,rome the youthful artist always  
turns his steps1 in order to drink in1  
at the monuments of art and of science1 
the genius and inspiration he seeks for 
in vain in his own country4 ,he feels1  
only too keenly1 that railroads and     
telegraphs1 steamships and power-looms1 
banking-houses and stock companies1     
though good and useful institutions1 are
 not the mothers of genius1 nor the     
schools of inspiration2 and therefore he
 leaves his country1 and goes to ,rome1 
and there feasts on the fruits gathered 
by the hands of ,st4 ,peter's           
successors1 and then returns home with a

 name which will live for ages in the   
memory of those who have learned to     
appreciate the true and the beautiful4  
,it is thus that the ,catholic ,church  
has accomplished the great work of      
enlightening society4 ,she has shed the 
light of ,faith over the ,east and the  
,west1 over the ,north and the ,south1  
and with the faith she has established  
the principles of true science on their 
natural bases4 ,she has imparted        
education to the masses1 wherever she   
was left free to adopt her own1 and     
untrammelled by civil interference4 ,she
 has fostered and protected the arts and
 the sciences1 and to-day1 if all the   
libraries1 and all the museums1 and all 
the galleries of art in the world were  
destroyed1 ,rome alone would possess    
quite enough to supply the want1 as it  
did in former ages1 when others supplied
 themselves by plundering ,rome4  ,the  
depravity of man shows itself in the    
constant endeavor to shake off the      
restraint placed by law and duty upon   

his will2 and to this we must ascribe   
the licentiousness which has at all     
times afflicted society4 ,passion       
acknowledges no law1 and spares neither 
rights nor conventions2 where it has the
 power1 it exercises it to the advantage
 of self1 and to the detriment of social
 order4 ,the ,church is by its very     
constitution ,catholic1 and hence looks 
upon all men as brothers of the same    
family4 ,she acknowledges not the       
natural right of one man over another1  
and hence her ,catholicity lays a heavy 
restraint upon all the efforts of       
self-love1 and curbs with a mighty hand 
the temerity of those who would destroy 
the harmony of life implied in the idea 
of ,catholicity4  ,one of the first     
principles of all social happiness is1  
that before the law of nature1 and      
before the face of ,god1 all men are    
equal4 ,this principle is based on the  
unity of the human race1 the origin of  
all men from one common father4 ,if we  
study the ,history of ,paganism1 we find

 that all heathen nations overturned    
this great principle1 since we find     
among all heathen nations the evil of   
,slavery4 ,prior to the coming of       
,christ1 the great majority of men were 
looked upon as a higher development of  
the animal1 as animated instruments     
which might be bought and sold1 given   
away and pawned2 which might be         
tormented1 maltreated1 or murdered2 as  
beings1 in a word1 for whom the idea of 
right1 duty1 pity1 mercy1 and law had no
 existence4 ,who can read1 without a    
feeling of intense horror1 the accounts 
left us of the treatment of their slaves
 by the ,romans8 ,there was no law that 
could restrain in the least the         
wantonness1 the cruelty1 the licentious 
excess of the master1 who1 as master1   
possessed the absolute right to do with 
his slaves whatsoever he pleased4 ,to   
remove this stain of slavery has ever   
been the aim of the ,catholic ,church4  
,since the ,saviour and ,creator of the 
world1 says ,pope ,gregory ,i41 in his  

celebrated decree1 wished to become man1
 in order1 by grace and liberty1 to     
break the chains of our slavery1 it is  
right and good to bestow again upon man1
 whom nature has permitted to be born   
free1 but whom the law of nations has   
brought under the yoke of slavery1 the  
blessing of their original liberty4     
,through all the middle ages--called by 
,protestants the dark ages of the       
world--the echo of these words of       
,gregory ,i4 is heard2 and in the       
thirteenth century ,pope ,pius ,,ii4    
could say1 ,thanks to ,god1 and the     
,apostolic ,see1 the yoke of slavery    
does no longer disgrace any ,european   
nation4 ,since then slavery was again   
introduced into ,africa1 and the        
newly-discovered regions of ,america1   
and again the ,popes raised their voices
 in the interests of liberty1--from     
,pius ,,ii4 to ,pius ,,vii41 who1 even  
at the time ,napoleon had robbed him of 
his liberty1 and held him captive in a  
foreign land1 became the defender of the

 negro1 to ,gregory ,,xvi41 who1 on the 
third of ,november1 #ahci1 insisted in a
 special ,bull on the abolition of the  
slave trade1 and who spoke in a strain  
as if he had lived and sat side by side 
with ,gregory ,i41 thirteen hundred     
years before4 ,but here let us observe1 
that not only the vindication of liberty
 for all1 not only the abolition of     
slavery1 but the very mode of action    
followed in this matter by the ,popes1  
has gained for them immortal honor1 and 
the esteem of all good men4 ,when the   
,church abolished slavery in any country
 where it existed1 the ,popes did not   
compel masters1 by harshness or threats1
 to manumit their slaves2 they did not  
bring into action the base intrigues1   
the low chicanery1 the canting hypocrisy
 of modern statesmen2 they did not raise
 armies1 and send them into the lands of
 their masters to burn and to pillage1  
to lay waste and to destroy2 they did   
not slaughter1 by their schemes1 over a 
million of free men and another million 

of slaves2 they did not make widows and 
orphans without numbers2 they did not   
impoverish the land1 and lay upon their 
subjects burdens which would crush them 
into very dust4 ,nothing of all this4   
,that is not the way in which the       
,church abolished slavery4 ,the ,popes  
sent bishops and priests into those     
countries where slavery existed1 to     
enlighten the minds of the masters1 and 
convince them that slaves were men1 and 
consequently had souls1 like other      
people1 too4 ,the ,popes1 bishops and   
priests infused into the hearts of      
masters a deep love for ,jesus ,christ1 
and consequently a deep love for souls4 
,the ,popes1 bishops and priests taught 
masters to look upon their slaves as    
created by the same ,god1 redeemed by   
the same ,jesus ,christ1 destined for   
the same glory4 ,the consequence was1   
that the relations of slave and master  
became the relations of brother to      
brother2 the master began to love his   
slave1 and to ameliorate his condition1 

till at last1 forced by his own         
acknowledged principles1 he granted to  
him his liberty4 ,thus it was that      
slavery was abolished by the preaching  
of the ,popes1 bishops and priests4 ,the
 great barrier to all the healthy1      
permanent1 and free development of      
nations was thus broken down2 the       
blessings1 the privileges of society1   
were made equally attainable by the     
masses1 and ceased to be the special    
monopoly of a few1 who1 for the most    
part1 had nothing to recommend them     
except their wealth4  ,if any doubt     
remain as to the favorable influence of 
,catholicity on civil liberty1 it would 
be dispelled by the express teaching of 
the theologians1 writing in accordance  
with the principles and the spirit of   
the ,church4 ,not to extend this point  
too much1 ,i will confine myself to the 
authority of the great ,st4 ,thomas     
,aquinas1 who1 as a theologian1 has     
perhaps had greater weight in the       
,catholic ,church than any other man4   

,his testimony may also show us what    
were the general sentiments of the      
school-men in the thirteenth century1   
when he wrote4  ,speaking of the origin 
of civil power and the objects of law1  
he lays down these principles3 ,the law1
 strictly speaking1 is directed         
primarily and principally to the common 
good2 and to decree anything for the    
common benefit belongs either to the    
whole body of the people1 or to some one
 acting in their place4 7,summa         
,theologiae1 i4 #b1 ,i4 ,quaest4 ,art4  
iii41 ,resp47 ,he pronounces the        
following opinion as to the best form of
 government3 ,wherefore the choice of   
rulers in any state or kingdom is best1 
when one is chosen for his merit to     
preside over all1 and under him are     
other rulers chosen for their merit2 and
 the government belongs to all1 because 
the rulers may be chosen from any class 
of society2 and the choice is made by   
all4 7,ibid1 ,quaest4 cv4 ,art4 #a47    
,one would think that he is hearing a   

,democrat of the modern stamp1 and yet  
it is a monk of the dark ages6 ,many    
other testimonies of similar import     
might be cited1 but these will suffice4 
,and what has ,protestantism done for   
human freedom8 ,the ,reformation dawned 
on the world in the year #aeag4 ,what   
did it do for the cause of freedom from 
that date down to #aggf--when our       
,republic arose8 ,did it strike one blow
 for liberty during these two centuries 
and a half8 ,did it originate one       
republican principle1 or found one      
solitary republic8 ,not one4 ,in        
,germany1 where it had full sway1 it    
ruthlessly trampled in the dust all the 
noble franchises of the ,catholic middle
 ages2 it established political         
despotism everywhere2 it united church  
and state2 in a word1 it brought about  
that very state of things which         
continues to exist1 with but slight     
amelioration1 even down to the present  
day4 ,in ,england1 it did the same2 it  
broke down the bulwarks of the ,british 

,constitution1 derived from the         
,catholic ,magna ,charta2 it set at     
naught popular rights1 and gave to the  
king or queen unlimited power in church 
and state2 and it required a bloody     
struggle and a revolution1 one hundred  
and fifty years afterwards1 to restore  
to something of their former integrity  
the old chartered rights of the ,british
 people4  ,protestantism has always     
boasted much1 but it has really done    
little for the cause of human freedom4  
,as to the liberties which we enjoy in  
our country1 we cheerfully award to our 
,protestant fellow-citizens the praise  
which is so justly due them for their   
share in the glorious struggle4  ,but as
 to the power of ,protestantism to      
maintain the ,republic by checking the  
great evils that have already sapped its
 foundations1 it has not any at all4    
,how could ,protestantism check         
infidelity1 since it leads to it8 ,there
 are two causes of infidelity that have 
existed from the beginning of the world4

 ,but about three centuries ago         
,protestantism opened a very wide avenue
 to infidelity4 ,protestantism          
introduced the principle1 ,there is no  
divinely-commissioned authority to teach
 infallibly4 ,now infidelity exists in  
this principle of ,protestantism1 as the
 oak exists in the acorn1 as the        
consequence is in the premise4 ,on the  
claim of private judgment1 ,protestants 
reject the authority of ,st4 ,peter1 the
 ,vicar of ,christ4 ,the ,calvinists1   
going1 as they do1 by the same          
principle1 reject the ,real ,presence of
 our ,lord in the ,blessed ,sacrament4  
,the ,socinians1 following the same     
principle1 reject1 to-day1 the ,divinity
 of ,christ1 and therefore abjure       
,christianity1 and fall back into utter 
incredulity4  ,the ,german and ,french  
philosophers1 rationalists1 and         
pantheists1 of all degrees1 do not even 
stop at that2 they go farther1 and deny 
the existence of a ,god ,creator1 and   
all by the privilege of free and private

 judgment4  ,the individual reason      
taking1 as it does1 the place of faith1 
the ,protestant1 whether he believes it 
or not1 is an infidel in germ1 and the  
infidel is a ,protestant in full bloom2 
in other words1 infidelity is nothing   
but ,protestantism in the highest       
degree4 ,hence it is that ,edgar        
,quinet1 a great herald of              
,protestantism1 is right in styling the 
,protestant sects the thousand gates    
open to get out of ,christianity4 ,no   
wonder1 then1 that thousands of         
,protestants have ended1 and continue to
 end1 in framing their formula of faith 
thus3 ,i believe in nothing4  ,but let  
us bring this subject home to our       
country4 ,the disastrous issue of the   
revolutionary movements which convulsed 
all ,europe in #ahdh-i1 has thrown upon 
our shores masses of foreign political  
refugees1 most of whom are infidels in  
religion1 and red republicans1 or       
destructionists of all social order in  
politics4 ,they are men of desperate    

character and fortune--outlaws from     
society1 with the brand of infidelity   
upon their brow4 ,it is by this         
fast-increasing class of men that ,young
 ,america is attracted1 and learn from  
them their anarchical principles4 ,the  
greatest1 and1 in fact1 the only real   
danger to the permanency of our         
republican institutions1 is to be       
apprehended from this class of infidels 
in our community4  ,now what has        
contributed most towards the enormous   
increase of these enemies of our        
republic8 ,it is the godless education  
given in the ,public ,schools4 ,and who 
established these schools1 and who      
robbed the money from the people to     
support them--to make this source of    
infidelity flow so abundantly all over  
the land8 ,you find the answer to this  
question in ,chapter ,,iii4             
,protestantism was a separation from the
 source and current of the ,divine-human
 life which exists in the ,catholic     
,church1 and which redeems and saves the

 world2 and ,protestants are therefore  
thrown back upon nature1 and able to    
live only the natural life of the       
race--saving the portion of ,christian  
life they brought away with them at the 
time of separation1 and which1 as not   
renewed from its source1 must1 in time1 
be exhausted4  ,it is therefore evident 
that ,protestantism cannot fight        
infidelity4 ,it is only the ,catholic   
,church that can take open ground       
against these men so hostile to our     
country1 and she feels honored by their 
bitter hostility4 ,it could not be      
otherwise4 ,her principles are eminently
 conservative in all questions of       
religion and of civil policy2 theirs are
 radical and destructive in both4       
,theirs is the old war of ,satan against
 ,christ2 of the sons of ,belial against
 the keepers of the law2 of false and   
anti-social against true and rational   
liberty--the liberty of the glory of the
 children of ,god4  ,let these enemies  
of the country unfold their banners of  

,infidelity1 ,socialism1 ,free ,thought1
 ,scepticism1 ,communism1 ,no ,god1 ,no 
,christ1 ,no ,pope1 ,no ,church1 and a  
thousand others2 let them grind their   
teeth1 let them froth and foam at the   
mouth1 let them tremble with rage1 let  
them shake their heads with an air of   
majesty1 as if they would say to the    
,church1 ,we bury you to-morrow1 we     
write your epitaph and chant your ,de   
,profundis2 our league is mighty1 our   
forces are multitudinous1 our weapons   
are powerful1 our bravery is desperate4 
,the ,catholic ,church calmly answers1  
,i know you hate me because ,i am the   
palladium of truth and of public and    
private morality2 ,i am the root and    
bond of charity and faith2 ,i love      
justice and hate iniquity4 ,but it is   
for this very reason that ,i will remain
 forever2 for truth and justice being1  
in the end1 always victorious1 ,i will  
not cease to bless and to triumph4 ,all 
the works of the earth have perished2   
time has obliterated them4 ,but ,i      

remain1 because ,christ remains1 and ,i 
will endure until ,i pass from my       
earthly exile to my country in heaven4  
,human theories and systems have flitted
 across my path like birds of night1 but
 they have vanished2 numberless sects   
have1 like so many waves1 dashed        
themselves to froth against me1 this    
rock1 or1 recoiling1 have been lost in  
the vast ocean of forgetfulness4        
,kingdoms and empires that once existed 
in inimitable worldly grandeur are no   
more2 dynasties have died out1 and have 
been replaced by others4  ,thrones and  
sceptres and crowns have withstood me2  
but1 immutable1 like ,god1 who laid my  
foundation1 ,i am the firm1 unshaken    
centre round which the weal and woe of  
nations move--weal if they adhere to    
it--woe if they separate from it4 ,if   
the world takes from me the cross of    
gold1 ,i will bless the world with one  
of wood4  ,tear down my ,banner of the  
,cross if you can6 ,touch a single fold 
of it if you dare6 ,sound your          

battle-cry2 rally your hosts--marshal   
your ranks6 ,storm these lofty summits4 
,they never yet have been surrendered4  
,the flag that waves above them has     
never trailed in defeat1 and the hearts 
that guard that flag have never flinched
 before the foe1 and the bravery that   
shoots through every film of these      
hearts has never faltered4 ,on with the 
conflict6 ,let it rage6 ,our line of    
battle reaches back to ,calvary4 ,that  
line has never been broken by wildest   
onset6 ,these soldiers have never fled6 
,we are the sons of veterans who have   
marched through a campaign of eighteen  
hundred years--marched and never        
halted--marched and always triumphed6   
,we belong to the old ,imperial ,guard  
of ,faith6 ,we never yet have met a     
,waterloo6  ,i am a queen--but a        
warrior-queen4 ,you will never find me  
on a throne here below4 ,banner in hand1
 ,i am ever in the midst of battle4 ,i  
have never granted a day of truce to my 
enemies4 ,war against all who war       

against ,god--war against all who war   
against ,christ--war against all who war
 against man--war against all who war   
against truth--this is my destiny4      
,peace here below1 ,i have never known4 
,rest here below1 ,i have never found4  
,i am always on the march--my banner    
ever unfurled--my war-cry ever sounding6
  ,therefore1 in the storm and shock of 
my battle of to-day with my enemies1 my 
soldier-children fear not4 ,around my   
old chieftain they rally4 ,what though  
some may desert and leave the lines8    
,the lines close up again--and the      
deserters are not missed4 ,what though a
 ,judas ,iscariot may betray8 ,a brave  
,matthias takes his place4 ,what though 
a few of craven spirit may flee8 ,the   
ranks they left are filled by brave men 
and true4  ,from the hill of ,calvary to
 the hill of the ,vatican1 from ,peter  
before the ,council to ,pius before the 
,sardinian1 my history has been one     
long1 uninterrupted battle--and my      
battle one long and glorious victory4   

,we cannot but smile when we hear       
infidels talk of the downfall of the    
,church4 ,what could hell and its agents
 do more than they have already done for
 her destruction8 ,they have employed   
tortures for the body1 but they could   
not reach the spirit2 they have tried   
heresy1 or the denial of revealed truth1
 to such an extent that we cannot see   
room for any new heresy2 they have1 by  
the hand of schism1 torn whole countries
 from the unity of the ,church2 but what
 she lost on one side of the globe1 she 
gained tenfold on the other4 ,all these 
have ignominiously failed to verify the 
prophecies of hell1 that the ,church    
shall fall4  ,look1 for instance1 at the
 tremendous effort of the so-called     
glorious ,reformation1 together with its
 twin sister--the unbelief of the       
nineteenth century4 ,whole legions of   
church reformers1 together with armies  
of philosophers armed with negation1 and
 a thousand and one systems of          
,paganism1 rushed on against the ,chair 

of ,peter1 and swore that the ,papacy   
would fall1 and with it the whole       
,church4 ,three hundred years are over1 
and the ,catholic ,church is still      
alive1 and1 to all appearances1 more    
vigorous than ever4 ,the nations have   
proved that they can get along very well
 without reformers1 but not without the 
,catholic ,church4 ,men are foolish     
enough to dream of the destruction of   
the ,papacy4 ,napoleon tried the game1  
and1 from the summit of his empire1     
walked into exile1 whilst his victim1   
,pius ,,vii41 leaving his prison1       
entered ,rome in triumph4 ,a great      
statesman of ,france said1 not long ago1
 that those who tried to swallow the    
,papacy1 and with it the whole ,church1 
always died of indigestion4 ,let the    
enemies of the ,catholic ,church beware6
 ,if they dash their heads against this 
rock1 they must not be astonished to    
find them broken4  ,and what power has  
,protestantism to check the ,national   
,crime--the murder of helpless          

innocents8 ,everybody knows1 who knows  
anything about the subject1 that among  
the ,roman ,catholic population this    
crime is hardly known4 ,the reason for  
the rare occurrence of this crime among 
,catholics1 is their religion4 ,the     
doctrine of the ,catholic ,church1 her  
canons1 her pontifical constitutions1   
her theologians1 without exception1     
teach1 and always have taught1 that even
 the intention of preventing or         
destroying human life1 at any period    
from the first instant of conception1 is
 a heinous crime1 equal at least in     
guilt to the crime of murder4  ,now as  
to the power of ,protestantism to check 
this crime1 ,dr4 ,storer1 the           
distinguished ,protestant physician of  
,boston1 says3 ,we are compelled to     
admit that ,protestantism has failed to 
check the increase of criminal abortion4
 7,criminal ,abortion1 p4 #ee47 ,there  
can be no doubt that the ,romish        
ordinance1 flanked1 on the one hand1 by 
the confessional1 and by denouncement   

and excommunications on the other1 has  
saved to the world thousands of infant  
lives4 7,ibid4 p4 #gd47 ,during the ten 
years which have passed since the       
preceding sentence was written1 we have 
had ample verification of its truth4    
,several hundreds of ,protestant women  
have personally acknowledged to us their
 guilt1 against whom only seven         
,catholics1 and of these we found1 upon 
further inquiry1 that all but two were  
only nominally so1 not going to the     
confession4--7,ibid47  ,it is1 then1 not
 ,protestantism1 it is the ,catholic    
,church alone that has the power to     
oppose herself to the propagation of so 
heinous a crime1 and prevent her        
children from shedding the blood of     
helpless innocents4  ,the third great   
evil which has made the most fearful    
inroad among us1 so as already to have  
extorted many a warning cry1 is the     
contempt of the marriage tie4  ,the     
family1 as ,i have said in a previous   
chapter1 is the groundwork of civil     

society4 ,if the family be ,christian1  
the ,state will also be ,christian2 and 
if the family be corrupt1 the ,state    
cannot remain long untarnished4 ,it is  
the holy sacrament of marriage that     
gives sanctity to the family1 and       
strength to civil society4 ,to reject   
that sacrament is to sow the seeds of   
revolution4 ,revolution in the family   
begets revolution in the ,state4 ,when a
 government1 which1 by its very nature1 
should restrain immorality1 allows the  
separation of man and wife1 it sanctions
 the right of revolution in the family1 
and sooner or later that government will
 feel the dire effects of its own       
corrupt doctrine4 ,now it is a matter of
 fact that the contempt of the marriage 
tie1 so prevalent in our country1 is    
owing to ,protestantism4 ,if any one    
wishes to learn how the ,continental    
,reformers regarded the ,sacrament of   
,matrimony1 let him read ,luther's      
sermon on ,marriage 7if he can do so    
without a blush71 or1 better still1 the 

dogmatical judgment of ,luther1         
,melanchthon1 ,bucer1 and the rest1     
giving permission6 to the innocent      
,landgrave of ,hesse to commit bigamy1  
pure and simple4  ,it is the ,catholic  
,church alone1 again1 that has always   
regarded the ,christian marriage as the 
corner-stone of society2 and at that    
corner-stone have the ,popes stood guard
 for eighteen centuries1 by insisting   
that ,christian marriage is one1 holy1  
and indissoluble4 ,woman1 weak and      
unprotected1 has1 as the history of the 
,church abundantly proves1 found at     
,rome that guaranty which was refused   
her by him who had sworn at the altar of
 ,god to love her and to cherish her    
till death4 ,whilst1 in the nations whom
 the ,reformation of the sixteenth      
century tore from the bosom of the      
,church1 the sacred laws of matrimony   
are trampled in the dust1 whilst the    
statistics of these nations hold up to  
the world the sad spectacle of divorces 
as numerous as marriages1 of separations

 of husband from wife1 and wife from    
husband1 for the most trivial causes1   
thus granting to lust the widest margin 
of license1 and legalizing concubinage  
and adultery2 whilst the nineteenth     
century records in its annals the       
existence of a community of licentious  
polygamists within the borders of one of
 the most civilized countries of the    
earth1 we must yet see the decree       
emanating from ,rome that would permit  
even a beggar to repudiate his lawful   
wife1 in order to give his affections to
 an adulteress4  ,the female portion of 
our race would always have sunk back    
into a new slavery1 had not the ,popes  
entered the breach for the protection of
 the ,unity1 the sanctity1 the          
,indissolubility of matrimony4 ,in the  
midst of the barbarous ages1 during     
which the conqueror and warrior swayed  
the sceptre of empire1 and kings and    
petty tyrants acknowledged no other     
right but that of force1 it was the     
,popes that opposed their authority1    

like a wall of brass1 to the sensuality 
and the passions of the mighty ones of  
the earth1 and stood forth as the       
protectors of innocence and outraged    
virtue1 as the champions of the rights  
of women1 against the wanton excesses of
 tyrannical husbands1 by enforcing1 in  
their full severity1 the laws of        
,christian marriage4 ,if ,christian     
,europe is not covered with harems1 if  
polygamy has never gained a foothold in 
,europe1 if1 with the indissolubility   
and sanctity of matrimony1 the palladium
 of ,european civilization has been     
saved from destruction1 it is all owing 
to the ,popes4 ,if the ,popes--says the 
,protestant ,von ,mueller--if the ,popes
 could hold up no other merit than that 
which they gained by protecting monogamy
 against the brutal lusts of those in   
power1 notwithstanding bribes1 threats1 
and persecutions1 that alone would      
render them immortal for all future     
ages4  ,and how had they to battle till 
they had gained this merit8 ,what       

sufferings had they to endure1 what     
trials to undergo8 ,when ,king ,lothair1
 in the ninth century1 repudiated his   
lawful wife in order to live with a     
concubine1 ,pope ,nicholas ,i4 at once  
took upon himself the defence of the    
rights and of the honor of the unhappy  
wife4 ,all the arts of an intriguing    
policy were plied1 but ,nicholas        
remained unshaken2 threats were used1   
but ,nicholas remained firm4 ,at last   
the king's brother1 ,louis ,,ii41       
appears with an army before the walls of
 ,rome1 in order to compel the ,pope to 
yield4 ,it is useless--,nicholas swerves
 not from the line of duty4 ,rome is    
besieged2 the priests and people are    
maltreated and plundered2 sanctuaries   
are desecrated2 the cross is torn down  
and trampled under foot1 and1 in the    
midst of these scenes of blood and      
sacrilege1 ,nicholas flies to the       
,church of ,st4 ,peter2 there he is     
besieged by the army of the ,emperor for
 two days and two nights2 left without  

food or drink1 he is willing to die of  
starvation on the tomb of ,st4 ,peter1  
rather than yield to a brutal tyrant1   
and sacrifice the sanctity of ,christian
 marriage1 the law of life of ,christian
 society4 ,and the perseverance of      
,nicholas ,i4 was crowned with victory4 
,he had to contend against a licentious 
king1 who was tired of restraint2       
against an emperor1 who1 with an army at
 his heels1 came to enforce his         
brother's unjust demands2 against two   
councils of venal bishops1 the one at   
,metz1 the other at ,aix-la-,chapelle1  
who had sanctioned the scandals of the  
adulterous monarch4 ,yet1 with all this 
opposition1 and the suffering it cost   
him1 the ,pope succeeded in procuring   
the acknowledgment of the rights of an  
injured woman4 ,and during succeeding   
ages we find ,gregory ,v4 carrying on a 
similar combat against ,king ,robert1   
and ,urban ,,ii4 against ,king ,philip  
of ,france4 ,in the thirteenth century1 
,philip ,augustus1 mightier than his    

predecessors1 set to work all the levers
 of power1 in order to move the ,pope to
 divorce him from his wife ,ingelburgis4
 ,hear the noble answer of the great    
,innocent ,,iii43  ,since1 by the grace 
of ,god1 we have the firm and unshaken  
will never to separate ourselves from   
,justice and ,truth1 neither moved by   
petitions1 nor bribed by presents1      
neither induced by love1 nor intimidated
 by hate1 we will continue to go on in  
the royal path1 turning neither to the  
right nor to the left2 and we judge     
without any respect to persons1 since   
,god ,himself does not respect persons4 
,after the death of his first wife1     
,isabella1 ,philip ,augustus wished to  
gain the favor of ,denmark by marrying  
,ingelburgis4 ,the union had hardly been
 solemnized1 when he wished to be       
divorced from her4 ,a council of venal  
bishops assembled at ,compiegne1 and    
annulled his lawful marriage4 ,the      
queen1 poor woman1 was summoned before  
her ,judges1 and the sentence was read  

and translated to her4 ,she could not   
speak the language of ,france1 so her   
only cry was ,rome6 ,and ,rome heard her
 cry of distress1 and came to her       
rescue4 ,innocent ,,iii4 needed the     
alliance of ,france in the troubles in  
which he was engaged with ,germany2     
,innocent ,,iii4 needed the assistance  
of ,france for the ,crusade2 yet        
,innocent ,,iii4 sent ,peter of ,capua  
as ,legate to ,france2 a ,council is    
convoked by the ,legate of the ,pope2   
,philip refuses to appear1 in spite of  
the summons1 and the whole of the       
kingdom of ,philip is placed under      
interdict4 ,philip's rage knows no      
bounds3 bishops are banished1 his lawful
 wife is imprisoned1 and the king vents 
his rage on the clergy of ,france4 ,the 
barons1 at last1 appeal against ,philip 
to the sword4 ,the king complains to the
 ,pope of the harshness of the ,legate1 
and when ,innocent only confirms the    
sentence of the ,legate1 the king       
exclaims1 ,happy ,saladin2 he had no    

,pope6 ,yet the king was forced to obey4
 ,when he asked the barons assembled in 
council1 ,what must ,i do8 their answer 
was3 ,obey the ,pope2 put away ,agnes   
and restore ,ingelburgis4 ,and1 thanks  
to the severity of ,innocent ,,iii41    
,philip repudiated the concubine1 and   
restored ,ingelburgis to her rights1 as 
wife and queen4 ,hear what the          
,protestant ,hurter says1 in his life of
 ,innocent3 ,if ,christianity has not   
been thrown aside1 as a worthless creed1
 into some isolated corner of the world2
 if it has not1 like the sects of       
,india1 been reduced to a mere theory2  
if its ,european vitality has outlived  
the voluptuous effeminacy of the ,east1 
it is due to the watchful severity of   
the ,roman ,pontiffs--to their          
increasing care to maintain the         
principles of authority in the ,church4 
,as often as we look to ,england1 that  
land of perfidy and deceit1 we are      
reminded of the words of ,innocent      
,,iii4 to ,philip ,augustus4 ,we see    

,clement using them as his principles in
 his conduct towards the royal brute    
,henry ,,viii4 ,catherine of ,aragon1   
the lawful wife of ,henry1 had been     
repudiated by her disgraceful husband1  
and it was again to ,rome she appealed  
for protection4 ,clement remonstrates   
with ,henry4 ,the monarch calls the     
,pope hard names4 ,clement repeats1     
,thou shalt not commit adultery6 ,henry 
threatens to tear ,england from the     
,church2 he does it2 still ,clement     
insists1 ,thou shalt not commit         
adultery6 ,fisher and ,more go to bleed 
out their life at ,tyburn2 still the    
,pope repeats1 ,thou shalt not commit   
adultery6 ,henry had two wives at the   
same time1 and1 after them1 took a new  
wife1 and killed off his old wife1      
whenever his beastly passion prompted4  
,the enslavement of the people followed4
 ,henry made himself head of the        
,church1 and bade the ,english nation   
recognize him as such4 ,the penalty of  
disobeying the tyrant was death4 ,the   

mass of the ,english yielded4 ,this     
adulterous beast--this ferocious        
monster--they accepted as their pope2   
and their children1 following in their  
steps1 accepted his bastard brood--of   
either sex--as their popes2 while the   
only and true ,pope1 the successor of   
,st4 ,peter1 the ,vicar of ,jesus       
,christ1 was rejected by them4 ,to such 
depths of servility and degradation do  
apostate nations fall4 ,the firmness of 
the ,pope cost ,england's loss to the   
,church4 ,it cost the ,pope bitter      
tears1 and he prayed to ,heaven not to  
visit on the people of ,england the     
crimes of the despot2 he prayed for the 
conversion of the nation2 but sacrifice 
the sanctity1 the indissolubility of    
matrimony1 that he could never          
do--abandon helpless women to the       
brutality of men who were tired of the  
restraints of morality--no1 that the    
,pope could never permit4 ,if the       
,court1 if the palace of the domestic   
hearth refused a shelter1 ,rome was     

always open1 a refuge to injured and    
downtrodden innocence4  ,one must obey  
,god more than man4 ,this has ever been 
the language of the ,popes1 whenever    
there was question of defending the laws
 of ,god against the powers of the      
earth2 and in thus defending the laws of
 ,god1 they protected against outrage   
the personal dignity1 the moral liberty 
and the intellectual freedom of man4    
,because there was a ,pope1 says a      
,protestant historian1 there could not  
any longer be a ,tiberius in ,europe1   
and the direction of the religious and  
spiritual welfare of man was withdrawn  
from the hands of royalty4 ,because     
there were ,popes1 the will of ,caesar  
could not any longer be substituted for 
law2 for the ,popes made the ,gospel the
 law-book of the nations4 ,now the      
,gospel teaches that all power comes    
from ,god2 that from ,god the sovereign 
derives his power1 to rule in justice   
and equity for the welfare of his       
subjects1 and that the subjects are     

bound to obey their rules1 for          
conscience sake4 ,hence1 adopting the   
great principal of action1 the ,popes   
have at all times condemned the spirit  
of rebellion1 and have anathematized    
those principles1 those factions1 those 
organizations whose aim is1 and has     
always been1 to overturn lawful         
authority and to substitute anarchy in  
the place of the harmony of legitimate  
government4 ,in conformity with this    
rule of action the ,popes ,clement      
,,xii41 ,benedict ,,xiv41 ,pius ,,vii41 
,leo ,,xii41 ,gregory ,,xvi41 and ,pius 
,,ix4 have condemned secret societies1  
whose object is the overthrow of civil  
and religious government4 ,but at the   
same time that the ,popes required from 
subjects obedience to their lawful      
governments1 they have ever defended    
subjects against the abuse of power1 or 
against the tyranny of unjust rulers4   
,in ,pagan times it had the appearance  
as if the people existed for the        
sovereign1 and not the sovereign for the

 people2 but in the days and in the     
countries where the spiritual supremacy 
of the ,pope was acknowledged by rulers1
 the ,pagan idea had necessarily to     
disappear1 for the ,popes gave the      
princes to understand that they existed 
for the people1 and not the people for  
them4  ,viewed in this light1 what a    
magnificent spectacle does the ,catholic
 ,church present to our admiration1 and 
how does the honest heart of downtrodden
 nationality yearn that these happy days
 may once more return6 ,taken mostly    
from the middle classes1 sometimes even 
from the most humble ranks of society1  
the ,popes ascended the ,chair of       
,peter2 and these men1 who had been the 
sons of artisans and mechanics1 but who 
had1 by their virtue and talent1 gained 
a merit which neither wealth nor a noble
 pedigree could bestow1 became the      
arbiters between nation and nation1     
between prince and people1 always       
prepared to weld together the chain of  
broken friendship1 and to protect1 by   

their power and authority1 the rights of
 subjects oppressed by tyrannical       
rulers4 ,it was indeed a blessing for   
,europe that ,nicholas ,i4 could curb1  
with an iron hand1 the tyranny of kings 
and nobles4 ,it was indeed a blessing1  
not for ,europe alone1 but for the      
world1 that there lived a genius on     
earth in the person of ,gregory ,,vii41 
who knew how to protect the ,saxons     
against the wanton lawlessness of       
,henry1 ,king of ,germany1 a monster who
 ground his subjects remorselessly in   
the dust1 and respected neither the     
sanctity of virginity nor the sacredness
 of marriage2 neither the rights of the 
,church1 nor those of the ,state2 whose 
very existence seemed to have no other  
aim but that of the leech1 to draw out  
the blood from the hearts of his unhappy
 subjects4 ,what would have become of   
,germany had there not been a power     
superior to that of this godless prince8
 ,it was ,gregory ,,vii4 who hurled him 
from his throne1 and restored to the    

noble ,saxons and ,thuringians their    
independence1 not by the power of the   
sword1 but by the scathing power of his 
anathema4 ,the same ,i may say of       
,boniface ,,viii41 and of ,innocent     
,,iii4 ,there was1 happily for ,europe1 
a ,court of ,appeal1 to which even      
monarchs were forced to bow2 and that   
court was ,rome4 ,it was to ,rome that  
the nations appealed1 when their        
independence was at stake or their      
rights were trampled upon4 ,and ,rome   
was never deaf to the cry of distress1  
whether it came from ,germany or from   
,france1 from ,england or from ,poland1 
from ,spain or from the shores of the   
,bosphorus4  ,and when the liberty of a 
nation was on the verge of destruction1 
and when emperors1 and kings1 and barons
 rode rough-shod over the rights1       
natural and vested1 of their subjects1  
forgetting the sacred trust confided to 
them1 became tyrants1 when neither      
prosperity nor undivided liberty were   
secure from that rapacious grasp2 when  

even the rights of conscience were set  
aside with impunity2 it was the ,popes  
of ,rome who buckled on the armor of    
,justice1 and humbled the pride of      
princes--even if1 as a consequence1 they
 had to say1 with a ,gregory ,,vii41    
,dilexi ,justitiam et odivi iniquitatem2
 ideo morior in exilio--,i die in exile 
because ,i have loved justice and hated 
iniquity4  ,the influence of            
,catholicity tends strongly to break    
down all barriers of separate           
nationalities1 and to bring about a     
brotherhood of citizens1 in which the   
love of our common country and of one   
another would absorb every sectional    
feeling4 ,catholicity is of no nation1  
of no language1 of no people2 she knows 
no geographical bounds2 she breaks down 
all the walls of separation between race
 and race1 and she looks alike upon     
every people1 and tribe1 and caste4 ,her
 views are as enlarged as the territory 
which she inhabits2 and this is as wide 
as the world4 ,jew and ,gentile1 ,greek 

and barbarian1 ,irish1 ,german1 ,french1
 ,english1 and ,american1 are all alike 
to her4 ,the evident tendency of this   
principle is to level all sectional     
feelings and local prejudices1 by       
enlarging the views of mankind1 and thus
 to bring about harmony in society1     
based upon mutual forbearance and       
charity4 ,and1 in fact1 so far as the   
influence of the ,catholic ,church could
 be brought to bear upon the anomalous  
condition of society in ,america1 it has
 been exercised for securing the        
desirable result of causing all its     
heterogeneous elements to be merged in  
the one variegated but homogeneous      
nationality4 ,protestantism isolates and
 divides2 ,catholicity brings together  
and unites4  ,the ,catholic ,church is a
 grand fact in history--a fact so great 
that there would be no history without  
it--a fact permanent1 repeating itself  
perpetually1 entering into the concerns 
of all the nations on the face of the   
earth1 appearing again and again on the 

records of time1 and benefiting1        
perceived or unperceived1 directly or   
indirectly1 socially1 morally1 and      
supernaturally1 every individual who    
forms part of the great organism of     
human society4  ,around this ,church    
human society moves like a wheel around 
its axle2 it is on this ,church that    
society depends for its support1 its    
life1 its energy1 like the planetary    
system on the sun4 ,show me an age1 a   
country1 a nation deprived of the       
influence of ,catholicity1 and ,i will  
show you an age1 a country1 a nation    
without morals1 without virtue4 ,yes1 if
 ,religion and ,science1 ,liberty and   
,justice1 ,principle and ,right1 are not
 empty sounds--if they have a           
meaning--they owe their energetic       
existence in the world to the ,catholic 
,church4  ,such is the power and such is
 the influence of ,catholicity4 ,yet ,i 
do not pretend that our ,catholic       
population is perfect1 or that in them  
you will find no shortcomings1 nothing  

to be censured or regretted4 ,certainly 
in our cities and large towns may be    
found1 ,i am sorry to say1 many         
so-called liberal or nominal ,catholics1
 who are no credit to their religion1 to
 the land of their birth1 or to that of 
their adoption4 ,subjected at home1 as  
they were1 to the restraints imposed by 
,protestant or quasi-,protestant        
governments1 they feel1 on coming here1 
that they are loosed from all           
restraints1 and forgetting the obedience
 they owe to their pastors1 to the      
prelates whom the ,holy ,ghost has      
placed over them1 they become           
insubordinate1 and live more as         
non-,catholics than as ,catholics4 ,the 
children of these are1 to a great       
extent1 shamefully neglected1 and       
suffered to grow up without the simplest
 moral and religious instruction1 and to
 become recruits to our vicious         
population1 our rowdies and our         
criminals4 ,this is certainly to be     
deplored1 but can easily be explained   

without prejudice to the influence of   
,catholicity1 by adverting to the       
condition to which those individuals    
were reduced before coming here2 to     
their disappointments and               
discouragements in a strange land2 to   
their exposure to new and unlooked-for  
temptations2 to the fact that they were 
by no means the best of ,catholics even 
in their native countries2 to their     
poverty1 destitution1 ignorance1        
insufficient culture1 and a certain     
natural shiftlessness and recklessness1 
and to our great lack of schools1       
churches1 and priests4 ,the proportion1 
however1 that these bear to our whole   
,catholic population1 is far less than  
is commonly supposed1 and they are not  
so habitually depraved as they appear1  
for they seldom or never consult        
appearances1 and have little skill in   
concealing their vices4 ,as low and     
degraded as this class of our ,catholic 
population may be1 they never are so low
 or so vicious as the corresponding     

class of non-,catholics in every nation4
 ,a non-,catholic vicious class is      
always worse than it appears2 a         
,catholic vicious class is less bad4 ,in
 the worst there is always some germ    
that1 with proper care1 may be nursed   
into life1 that may blossom and bear    
fruit4 ,yet1 if we look at the ,catholic
 population as it is1 and is every year 
becoming1 we cannot but be struck with  
its marvellous energy and progress4 ,we 
will find that population more          
intellectual1 more cultivated1 more     
moral1 more active1 living1 and         
energetic than any other4  ,the         
,catholic population of this country1   
taken as a body1 have a personal        
freedom1 an independence1 a             
self-respect1 a conscientiousness1 a    
love of truth1 and a devotion to        
principle1 not to be found in any other 
class of ,american citizens4 ,their     
moral tone1 as well as their moral      
standard1 is far higher1 and they act   
more uniformly under a sense of deep    

responsibility to ,god and their        
country4 ,they are the most law-loving  
and law-abiding people4 ,the men of that
 population are the most vigorous1 and  
the hardiest2 their virgins are the     
chastest2 their matrons the most        
faithful4 ,catholics do1 as to the great
 majority1 act from honest principle1   
from sincere and earnest conviction1 and
 are prepared to die sooner than in any 
grave matters swerve from what they     
regard as truth and justice4 ,they have 
the principle and the firmness to stand 
by what they believe true and just1 in  
good report and evil report1 whether the
 world be with them or be against them4 
,among ,catholics you will not find the 
flunkeyism which ,carlyle so            
unmercifully ridicules in the middling  
classes of ,great ,britain1 or that     
respect to mere wealth1 that worship of 
the money-bag1 or that base servility to
 the mob1 or public opinion1 so common  
and so ruinous to public and private    
virtue in the ,united ,states4  ,the    

mental activity of ,catholics1 all      
things considered1 is far more          
remarkable than that of our             
non-,catholic countrymen2 and1 in       
proportion to their numbers and means1  
they contribute far more than any other 
class of ,american citizens to the      
purposes of education1 both common and  
liberal1 for they receive little or     
nothing from the public treasury2 and in
 addition to supporting numerous schools
 of their own1 they are forced to       
contribute their quota to the support of
 those of the ,state4 ,thus1 to take a  
single illustration1 the public         
school-tax in ,cincinnati for last year 
amounted to #haj1jjj4 ,of this the      
,catholics--such is their proportion in 
that community--contributed #bcj1jjj1 or
 more than one-third of the whole rate4 
,this large sum--,l#afb1jjj--;goes to   
the management and formation of schools 
which the ,catholics of ,cincinnati are 
debarred1 by their consciences1 from    
entering4 ,they have therefore their own

 schools1 which they have built1 and    
support entirely at their own expense1  
without any assistance whatever from the
 ,state4 ,the education which they give 
is known to be excellent2 but it is     
based on religion1 and is not controlled
 by the ,state and paid officials4 ,the 
consequence is1 that not only are they  
not encouraged1 but they are actually   
taxed by the ,state4  ,thus1 for        
instance1 the ,cathedral ,school is     
obliged to pay to the ,state an annual  
tax of ,l#abj1 and the schools of       
another parish ,l#bjj4 ,the ,catholics  
of the ,cathedral ,parish have not only 
to pay the ,state school-tax1 and the   
heavy tax laid on their                 
school-buildings1 but they have to find 
#c1ejj annually to meet the current     
school expenses4 ,all this has to be    
collected by the clergy as best they    
can4  ,the non-,catholic has no         
conception of the treasure the ,union   
possesses in these thirteen millions of 
,catholics1 humble in their outward     

circumstances as the majority of them   
may be4 ,a true1 high-toned1 chivalric  
national character will be formed1 and a
 true1 generous1 and lofty patriotism   
will be generated and sustained in      
proportion as the force of ,catholicity 
is brought to bear upon our ,american   
people1 and the life of practical       
,catholics falls into the current of    
,american life4 ,catholics have their   
faults and shortcomings1 yet they are   
the salt of the ,american community1 and
 the really conservative element in the 
,american population4 ,in a few years   
they will be the ,americans of the      
,americans1 and on them will rest the   
performance of the glorious work of     
sustaining ,american civilization1 and  
realizing the hopes of the founders of  
our great and growing ,republic4  ,it   
must1 then1 be evident to every true    
lover of the ,republic1 that the ,state1
 were it at liberty to favor any        
particular portion of the community1    
should favor its conservative           

element--the ,catholics--instead of     
robbing ,catholics of millions of       
dollars1 to continue1 by godless        
education1 the impious work for the     
increase of the number of enemies of the
 ,republic2 it should rather supply     
,catholics with the means to bring up   
their children in the spirit of true    
freedom--in the spirit of devotedness to
 republican institutions4 ,but as the   
,state is neither ,catholic nor         
,protestant1 it should at least act     
justly and impartially2 it should not   
favor its own enemies2 it should not    
make a lie or a farce of our glorious   
,constitution2 it should no longer play 
the usurper and the robber2 it should no
 longer continue digging its own grave2 
it should not tax ,catholics any longer 
to support infidel                      
institutions--nurseries of all kinds of 
crimes--and thus continue to violate    
most atrociously the very letter and    
spirit of the ,constitution1 and to     
commit a direct outrage on the most     

sacred convictions of ,catholics4  ,it  
is the well-instructed practical        
,catholic that is alone capable of      
appreciating and realizing true freedom4
 ,ever foremost to concede the rights of
 ,god1 ever careful to trench on the    
rights of his fellow-creatures1 he is1  
for all this 7and precisely because of  
this71 well aware of his own rights and 
dignity as a man1 as a citizen1 and as a
 baptized ,christian--a regenerated son 
of ,god--and1 knowing his rights and    
dignity1 he dares maintain them6 ,he    
protests against godless education as a 
volcano that is destined to bury law and
 authority1 and bring about universal   
anarchy1 and prepare and establish the  
reign of antichrist4 ,we must1 then1    
have separate schools to educate our    
rising generation in a religious        
atmosphere1 and imbue them with the     
principles of ,christianity4 ,all those 
who oppose any longer the denominational
 system1 in any manner whatsoever1 are  
traitors to the ,republic and the worst 

enemies of the country1 and from        
henceforth the vengeance of ,god will   
not be slow to overtake them4 ,on the   
contrary1 he who will be first and      
foremost in promoting this noblest of   
objects--the establishment of           
denominational schools--may truly be    
called the saviour of the               
,republic1--the father of his country2  
he will be as great1 nay1 even greater1 
than ,washington himself4 ,upon him the 
blessings of heaven will descend in     
superabundance1 and his name will be    
blessed from generation to generation4  
,,footnotes3  ,g ,by ,an ,act to restore
 to ,roman ,catholics in ,upper ,canada 
certain rights in respect to ,separate  
,schools1 passed ,may #e1 #ahfc1 they   
provided that the ,roman ,catholic      
separate schools shall be entitled to a 
share in the fund annually granted by   
the legislature of the province for the 
support of common schools1 and shall be 
entitled also to a share in all other   
public grants1 investments1 and         

allotments for common school purposes   
now made or hereafter to be made by the 
municipal authorities1 according to the 
average number of pupils attending such 
school1 as compared with the whole      
average number of pupils attending      
schools in the same city1 town1 village 
or township4--,cap4 #e1 sec4 #bj4       
,,chapter ,,xiii4  ,,the ,,catholic     
,,priest ,,on ,,the ,,public ,,school   
,,system4   ,so far ,i have spoken as an
 ,american citizen4 ,i have shown to all
 my fellow-citizens the tree with its   
fruits--the ,public ,school system in   
broad daylight4 ,all who call themselves
 ,christians1 or who consider themselves
 men of common sense1 and warm promoters
 of the happiness of their              
fellow-citizens1 will agree with me in  
saying that the ,public ,school system  
is a tree of which we must say what ,god
 said to ,adam of the tree standing in  
the middle of paradise3 ,of the tree of 
knowledge of good and evil thou shalt   
not eat4 ,for in what day soever thou   

shalt eat of it thou shalt die the      
death4--7,gen ii4 #ag47 ,it is now time 
for me to speak as a priest of the      
,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,it is the    
duty of the ,catholic priest to teach   
the children of the ,catholic ,church   
the language of their spiritual         
,mother--the ,church4 ,this language is 
no other than that of the ,supreme ,head
 of the ,church--the ,pope4 ,now the    
language of the ,vicar of ,christ in    
regard to godless education is very     
plain and unmistakable4  ,jesus ,christ1
 our ,divine ,saviour1 has said3 ,what  
doth it profit a man if he gain the     
whole world1 and suffer the loss of his 
own soul8--7,matt4 xvi4 #bf47 ,what will
 it profit you or your children to gain 
all knowledge1 and to attain the        
greatest success in this world1 if1     
through your fault1 and through your    
exposing them to the danger of evil     
education1 they suffer the loss of that 
faith1 without which it is impossible to
 please ,god8--7,heb4 xi47   ,teaching  

of the ,syllabus4  ,guided by this      
principle1 our ,holy ,father1 ,pope     
,pius ,,ix41 has declared that          
,catholics cannot approve of a system of
 educating youth unconnected with the   
,catholic ,faith and the power of the   
,church1 and which regards the knowledge
 of merely natural things1 and only1 or 
at least primarily1 the ends of earthly 
social life4,h ,catholic parents cannot 
approve of an education which fits their
 children only for this life1 and       
ignores that life in which the soul is  
to live forever4 ,as faith is the       
foundation of all our hopes for         
eternity1 and as faith without good     
works is dead1 we cannot choose for our 
children an education which would       
endanger their faith and morals1 and    
consequently imperil their eternal      
welfare4   ,teaching of ,pope ,pius     
,,vii4  ,this is no novel doctrine1 as  
some assert4 ,in the beginning of the   
century1 the illustrious ,pius ,,vii41  
in an ,encyclical letter addressed to   

the ,bishops of the ,catholic world1    
,july #ajth1 #ahjj1 thus writes3--  ,it 
is your duty to take care of the whole  
flock over which the ,holy ,ghost has   
placed you as ,bishops1 but in          
particular to watch over children and   
young men4 ,they ought to be the special
 object of your paternal love1 of your  
vigilant solicitude1 of your zeal1 of   
all your care4 ,they who have tried to  
subvert society and families1 to destroy
 authority1 divine and human1 have      
spared no pains to infect and corrupt   
youth1 hoping thus the more easily to   
execute their infamous projects4 ,they  
know that the mind and heart of young   
persons1 like soft wax1 to which one may
 give what form he pleases1 are very    
susceptible of every sort of impression2
 that they keep tenaciously1 when age   
has now hardened them1 those which they 
had early received1 and reject others4  
,thence the well-known proverb taken    
from the ,scripture1 ',a young man      
according to his way1 even when he is   

old he will not depart from it4' ,suffer
 not1 then1 venerable brethren1 the     
children of this world to be more       
prudent in this respect than the        
children of light4 ,examine1 therefore1 
with the greatest attention1 to what    
manner of persons is confided the       
education of children1 and of young men 
in the colleges and seminaries2 of what 
sort are the instructions given them2   
what sort of schools exist among you2 of
 what sort are the teachers in the      
lyceums4 ,examine into all this with the
 greatest care1 sound everything1 let   
nothing escape your vigilant eye2 keep  
off1 repulse the ravening wolves that   
seek to devour these innocent lambs2    
drive out of the sheepfold those which  
have gotten in2 remove them as soon as  
can be1 for such is the power which has 
been given to you by the ,lord for the  
edification of your sheep4   ,rescripts 
of ,his ,present ,holiness ,condemning  
the ,queen's ,colleges of ,england4     
,our ,holy ,father ,pope ,pius ,,ix41   

consulting for the special wants of the 
,catholics of ,ireland1 has not ceased1 
almost from the very beginning of his   
glorious pontificate1 to repeat similar 
instructions in his apostolic letters to
 the ,irish ,bishops4 ,hence1 by his    
rescripts of ,october #ahdg1 and        
,october #ahdh1 he condemned1 from their
 first institution1 the ,queen's        
,colleges1 on account of their grievous 
and intrinsic dangers to faith and      
morals2 and since then he has frequently
 repeated his sacred admonitions1       
warning the bishops and the faithful    
people to beware of evil systems of     
public instruction2 and to secure1 by   
every means in their power1 the         
blessings of ,catholic education for the
 rising generation4   ,resolutions of   
,irish ,bishops in #ahbd and #ahbf4     
,nor have the ,irish prelates been      
unmindful of their duty in this respect4
 ,in #ahbd1 that is to say1 five years  
before ,catholic emancipation1 and in   
the midst of the struggle for that      

recognition of the existence of their   
people as citizens1 they presented to   
,parliament a petition1 from which ,i   
make the following extract1 which       
clearly shows their conviction of the   
necessity of religious education3  ,that
 in the ,roman ,catholic ,church the    
literary and religious instruction of   
youth are universally combined1 and that
 no system of education which separates 
them can be acceptable to the members of
 her communion2 that the religious      
instruction of youth in ,catholic       
schools is always conveyed by means of  
catachetical instruction1 daily prayer1 
and the reading of religious books1     
wherein the ,gospel morality is         
explained and inculcated2 that ,roman   
,catholics have ever considered the     
reading of the ,sacred ,scriptures by   
children as an inadequate means of      
imparting to them religious instruction1
 as a usage whereby the ,word of ,god is
 made liable to irreverence1 youth      
exposed to misunderstand its meaning1   

and thereby not unfrequently to receive 
in early life impressions which may     
afterwards prove injurious to their own 
best interests1 as well as to those of  
the society which they are destined to  
form4 ,that schools whereof the master  
professes a religion different from that
 of his pupils1 or from which such      
religious instruction as the ,catholic  
,church prescribes for youth is         
excluded1 or in which books and tracts  
not sanctioned by it are read or        
commented on1 cannot be resorted to by  
the children of ,roman ,catholics2 and  
that threats and rewards have been found
 equally unavailing as a means of       
inducing ,catholic parents to procure   
education for their children from such  
persons or in such schools2 that any    
system of education incompatible with   
the discipline of the ,catholic ,church1
 or superintended exclusively by persons
 professing a religion different from   
that of the vast majority of the poor of
 ,ireland1 cannot possibly be acceptable

 to the latter1 and must1 in its        
progress1 be slow and embarrassed1      
generating often distrust and discord as
 well as a want of that mutual good     
faith and perfect confidence which      
should prevail between those who receive
 benefits and those who dispense them4  
,the ,irish ,bishops again expressed the
 like sentiments in #ahbf4   ,address of
 the ,national ,synod of ,thurles4  ,a  
,national ,synod met in ,thurles in     
,august1 #ahfj1 and again the ,prelates 
spoke words of instruction1 of which    
recent sad events in ,france have       
furnished a new and most melancholy     
confirmation4  ,as rulers of the ,church
 of ,christ1 chief pastors of ,his      
flock1 religiously responsible to the   
,prince of ,pastors for every soul      
committed to our charge1 it forms1 as is
 obvious1 our first and paramount duty  
to attend to the pastures in which they 
feed--the doctrines with which they are 
nourished4 ,and surely if ever there was
 a period which called for the          

unsleeping vigilance1 the prudent       
foresight1 the intrepid and             
self-sacrificing zeal of our august     
ministry--that period is the present4   
,the alarming spectacle which the       
,christian world exhibits at the present
 day1 the novel but formidable forms in 
which error presents itself1 and the    
manifold evils and perils by which the  
,church is encompassed1 must be evident 
to the most superficial observer4 ,it is
 no longer a single heresy or an        
eccentric fanaticism1 the denial of some
 revealed truth1 or the excesses of some
 extravagant error1 but a comprehensive1
 all-pervading1 well-digested system of 
unbelief1 suited to every capacity and  
reaching every intellect1 that corrupts 
and desolates the moral world4 ,is not  
such the calamitous spectacle which the 
continent of ,europe offers to us at    
this moment8 ,education1 the source of  
all intellectual life1 by which the mind
 of man is nurtured and disciplined1 his
 principles determined1 his feelings    

regulated1 his judgments fixed1 his     
character formed1 has been forcibly     
dissevered from every connection with   
religion1 and made the vehicle of that  
cold scepticism and heartless           
indifferentism which have seduced and   
corrupted youth1 and by a necessary     
consequence shaken to its centre the    
whole fabric of social life4 ,separated 
from her heavenly monitor1 learning is  
no longer the organ of that wisdom which
 cometh from above1 which1 according to 
,st4 ,james1 is 'chaste1 peaceable1     
modest1 easy to be persuaded1 consenting
 to the good1 full of mercy and good    
fruits1 without judging1 without        
dissimulation1' but rather of that      
wisdom which he describes as 'earthly1  
sensual1 and devilish4'--7,james iii4   
#ae-ag47  ,it is1 we feel assured1      
unnecessary to observe to you1 that of  
all modes of propagating error1         
education is the most subtle and        
dangerous1 furnishing1 as it does1 the  
aliment by which the social body is     

sustained1 which circulates through     
every vein1 and reaches every member2   
and that if this aliment should prove to
 be corrupt or deleterious1 it will not 
fail to carry moral disease and death to
 the entire system4 ,hence the awful    
obligations we are under1 at the peril  
of our souls1 of watching over the      
education of the people whom ,god has   
intrusted to our charge4  ,listen to the
 emphatic words in which the present    
illustrious ,pontiff sets forth the     
dangers to which youth is exposed at the
 present time1 and the duties which are 
placed upon the pastors of the people in
 this regard4 ',it is incumbent upon    
you1' he says1 'and upon ourselves1 to  
labor with all diligence and energy1 and
 with great firmness of purpose1 and to 
be vigilant in everything that regards  
schools1 and the instruction and        
education of children and youths of both
 sexes4 ,for you well know that the     
modern enemies of religion and human    
society1 with a most diabolical spirit1 

direct all their artifices to pervert   
the minds and hearts of youth from their
 earliest years4 ,wherefore1 they leave 
nothing untried2 they shrink from no    
attempt to withdraw schools1 and every  
institution destined for the education  
of youth1 from the authority of the     
,church and the vigilance of her holy   
pastors4'--,encycl4 ,letter of ,pius    
,,ix41 eighth ,december1 #ahdi4  ,such  
are the words of the ,vicar of ,jesus   
,christ1 which show the responsibility  
under which we are placed1 and point out
 our duty to protect from the insidious 
snares laid for their destruction the   
lambs of the fold--that most helpless   
but precious portion of the flock of    
,jesus ,christ which the prophet        
represents as carried in ,his bosom4    
,mixed ,system again ,condemned4        
,again1 in #ahei1 #ahfb1 #ahfc1 #ahfg1  
and #ahfi1 the ,irish ,bishops renewed  
their condemnation of the godless       
system1 and demanded for their children 
the advantage of truly ,catholic        

education4   ,unanimity of ,catholic    
,bishops throughout the ,world on this  
,point4  ,the ,bishops of ,prussia1 of  
,austria1 of ,belgium1 of ,holland1 of  
,canada1 and of the ,united ,states1 in 
their pastorals1 their synodical        
addresses1 and in their other           
publications1 condemn with one accord   
the mixed system1 and declare that      
education based upon our holy religion  
is alone suitable for ,catholic         
children4 ,not to multiply quotations1  
it will suffice to cite the following   
extract from the address of the ,plenary
 ,synod of the ,church of the ,united   
,states1 held at ,baltimore1 in the year
 #ahff4 ,that ,council was one of the   
most numerous assemblies held after the 
,council of ,trent1 until the meeting of
 the ,general ,council of the ,vatican4 
,its decrees were signed by seven       
,archbishops1 thirty-seven ,bishops1 two
 procurators of absent ,bishops1 and two
 ,abbots4   ,,address ,,of ,,the        
,,plenary ,,synod ,,of ,,baltimore1     

,,united ,,states4  ,the experience of  
every day shows more and more plainly   
what serious evils and great dangers are
 entailed upon ,catholic youth by their 
frequentation of ,public ,schools in    
this country4 ,such is the nature of the
 system of teaching therein employed1   
that it is not possible to prevent young
 ,catholics from incurring1 through its 
influence1 danger to their faith and    
morals2 nor can we ascribe to any other 
cause that destructive spirit of        
indifferentism which has made1 and is   
now making1 such rapid strides in this  
country1 and that corruption of morals  
which we have to deplore in those of    
tender years4 ,familiar intercourse with
 those of false religions1 or of no     
religion2 the daily use of authors who  
assail with calumny and sarcasm our holy
 religion1 its practices1 and even its  
saints--these gradually impair1 in the  
minds of ,catholic children1 the vigor  
and influence of the true religion4     
,besides1 the morals and examples of    

their fellow-scholars are generally so  
corrupt1 and so great their license in  
word and deed1 that through continual   
contact with them the modesty and piety 
of our children1 even of those who have 
been best trained at home1 disappear    
like wax before the fire4 ,these evils  
and dangers did not escape the knowledge
 of our predecessors1 as we learn from  
the following decrees3  '7a7 ,whereas   
many ,catholic children1 especially     
those born of poor parents1 have been1  
and are still1 exposed in several places
 of this province1 to great danger of   
losing their faith and morals1 owing to 
the want of good masters to whom their  
education may safely be intrusted1 we   
consider it absolutely necessary that   
schools should be established in which  
the young may be imbued with the        
principles of faith and morality1 and at
 the same receive instruction in        
letters4'--,council of ,baltimore1 ,no4 
#cc4   ,teachings of the ,supreme       
,pontiff1 ,pius ,,ix4  ,in fine1 to show

 the union of the ,bishops throughout   
the world with the ,apostolic ,see in   
their teaching respecting education1 ,i 
add the words of the ,supreme ,pontiff  
,pope ,pius ,,ix41 in which1 replying to
 the ,archbishop of ,freiburg1 in       
,germany1 ,his ,holiness clearly        
expounds1 as the ,infallible ,teacher of
 the faithful1 the truth ,i am now      
developing for the instruction of       
,catholics3  ,it is not wonderful that  
these unhappy efforts 7to spread        
irreligious and revolutionary           
principles7 should be directed chiefly  
to corrupt the training and education of
 youth2 and there is no doubt that the  
greatest injury is inflicted on society1
 when the directing authority and       
salutary power of the ,church are       
withdrawn from public and private       
education1 on which the happiness of the
 ,church and of the ,commonwealth       
depends so much4 ,for thus society is1  
little by little1 deprived of that truly
 ,christian spirit which alone can      

permanently secure the foundation of    
peace and public order1 and promote and 
direct the true and useful progress of  
civilization1 and give man those helps  
which are necessary for him in order to 
attain1 after this life1 his last end   
hereafter--eternal happiness4 ,and in   
truth a system of teaching1 which not   
only is limited to the knowledge of     
natural things1 and does not pass beyond
 the bounds of our life on earth1 but   
also departs from the truth revealed by 
,god1 must necessarily be guided by the 
spirit of error and lies2 and education1
 which1 without the aid of the          
,christian doctrine and of its salutary 
moral precepts1 instructs the minds and 
moulds the tender heart of youth1 which 
is so prone to evil1 must infallibly    
produce a generation which will have no 
guide but its own wicked passions and   
wild conceits1 and which will be a      
source of the greatest misfortunes to   
the ,commonwealth and their own         
families4  ,but if this detestable      

system of education1 so far removed from
 ,catholic faith and ecclesiastical     
authority1 becomes a source of evils1   
both to individuals and to society1 when
 it is employed in the higher teaching1 
and in schools frequented by the better 
class1 who does not see that the same   
system will give rise to still greater  
evils1 if it be introduced into primary 
schools8 ,for it is in these schools1   
above all1 that the children of the     
people ought to be carefully taught from
 their tender years the mysteries and   
precepts of our holy religion1 and to be
 trained with diligence to piety1 good  
morals1 religion and civilization4 ,in  
such schools religious teaching ought to
 have so leading a place in all that    
concerns education and instruction1 that
 whatever else the children may learn   
should appear subsidiary to it4 ,the    
young1 therefore1 are exposed to the    
greatest perils whenever1 in the        
schools1 education is not closely united
 with religious teaching4 ,wherefore1   

since primary schools are established   
chiefly to give the people a religious  
education1 and to lead them to piety and
 ,christian morality1 they have justly  
attracted to themselves1 in a greater   
degree than other educational           
institutions1 all the care1 solicitude1 
and vigilance of the ,church4 ,the      
design of withdrawing primary schools   
from the control of the ,church1 and the
 exertions made to carry this design    
into effect1 are therefore inspired by a
 spirit of hostility towards her1 and by
 the desire of extinguishing among the  
people the divine light of our holy     
faith4 ,the ,church1 which has founded  
these schools1 has ever regarded them   
with the greatest care and interest1 and
 looked upon them as the chief object of
 her ecclesiastical authority and       
government2 and whatsoever removed them 
from her1 inflicted serious injury both 
on her and on the schools4 ,those who   
pretend that the ,church ought to       
abdicate or suspend her control and her 

salutary action upon the primary        
schools1 in reality ask her to disobey  
the commands of her ,divine ,author1 and
 to be false to the charge she has      
received from ,god1 of guiding all men  
to salvation2 and in whatever country   
this pernicious design of removing the  
schools from the ecclesiastical         
authority should be entertained and     
carried into execution1 and the young   
thereby exposed to the danger of losing 
their faith1 there the ,church would be 
in duty bound not only to use her best  
efforts1 and to employ every means to   
secure for them the necessary ,christian
 education and instruction1 but1        
moreover1 would feel herself obliged to 
warn all the faithful1 and to declare   
that no one can in conscience frequent  
such schools1 as being adverse to the   
,catholic ,church4  ,i exclaim with the 
great ,st4 ,augustine3 ,securus judicat 
orbis terrarum4 ,the ,bishops of the    
universal world1 united to the ,vicar of
 ,christ1 speak with authority2 their   

judgment cannot be gainsaid4 ,peter has 
spoken through ,pius2 the question is   
settled2 would that the error1 too1 were
 at an end6   ,testimonies of ,enemies  
of the ,catholic ,church4  ,however1 it 
is not from the ,bishops alone that we  
learn the dangers of bad education4 ,our
 opponents1 too1 the enemies of our holy
 religion1 deem no other means more     
efficacious for alienating our children 
from our mother1 the ,catholic ,church4 
,one of the greatest enemies of the     
,catholic faith in the first half of the
 last century1 ,primate ,boulter1 who   
took a chief part in founding the       
notorious ,charter ,schools1 writing to 
the ,bishop of ,london on the fifteenth 
of ,may1 #agcj1 said3  ,i can assure you
 the ,papists here are so numerous1 that
 it highly concerns us in point of      
interest1 as well as out of concern for 
the salvation of these poor creatures   
who are our fellow-subjects1 to try all 
possible means to bring them and theirs 
to the true religion2 and one of the    

most likely methods we can think of is1 
if possible1 instructing and converting 
the young generation2 for instead of    
converting these that are adults1 we are
 daily losing many of our meaner people1
 who go off to ,popery4  ,and with      
respect to mixed education in           
particular1 we have the opinion of      
another ,anglican prelate1 who1 in      
despite of his professions of           
liberality1 may be fittingly classed    
with ,primate ,boulter in his contempt  
for our people1 and desire to subvert   
our holy religion by the means of       
education--the late ,protestant         
,archbishop of ,dublin1 ,dr4 ,whately4  
,we are informed by his daughter1 that  
on one occasion he said3 ,the education 
supplied by the ,national ,board is     
gradually undermining the vast fabric of
 the ,irish ,roman ,catholic ,church44  
7,life of ,dr4 ,whately1 pp4 #bdd1 first
 edition47 ,again3 ,i believe1 as ,i    
said the other day1 that mixed education
 is gradually enlightening the mass of  

the people1 and that if we give it up1  
we give the only hope of weaning the    
,irish from the abuses of ,popery4 ,but 
,i cannot venture openly to profess this
 opinion1 ,i cannot openly support the  
,educational ,board as an instrument of 
conversion4 ,i have to fight its battles
 with one hand1 and that my best1 tied  
behind me4 7p4 #bdf47  ,the language of 
the ,church1 then1 and even that of the 
enemies of our religion1 is quite plain 
on the subject of godless education4    
,the good ,catholic understands this    
language of his spiritual mother2 he    
listens to it2 he repeats it to himself 
and others1 and he goes by it4 ,not long
 ago the ,catholics of ,ireland         
presented a requisition to the ,english 
,government to show their unanimity1 and
 their determination to secure a        
,catholic education for ,catholic       
children4 ,what a glorious array of     
signatures is attached to it6 ,there we 
find the honored names of the only      
,catholic lords that the operation of   

penal laws has left in that land ever   
faithful to the ,church4 ,there we read 
the names of the ,lord ,mayor1 and the  
aldermen and town councillors of the    
great ,city of ,dublin1 of many baronets
 and deputy lieutenants1 of several     
members of ,parliament1 magistrates1    
high sheriffs1 clergymen1 wealthy       
merchants1 and land-owners2 of men      
distinguished in the various scientific 
and literary professions or pursuits2 of
 country gentlemen1 traders1 artisans1  
and of all the classes that constitute  
the bone and sinew of the country4 ,in a
 word1 the requisition is signed by more
 than #cj1jjj ,catholics of every       
degree4 ,may it not be considered as a  
great plebiscite8 ,is it not a proof    
that the laity and clergy are all of one
 mind8 ,is it not a solid refutation of 
the foolish assertion of some           
,presbyterians1 that the ,catholic laity
 take no interest in the education      
question1 and that1 were it not for the 
priests1 the laity would be perfectly   

satisfied to accept godless instruction 
for their children8 ,those who attribute
 this baneful indifference to the laity1
 misrepresent and calumniate them1 and  
show their ignorance of their real      
feelings1 and of the efforts which      
,catholics in ,ireland1 in ,belgium1 in 
,germany1 and in other countries1 have  
made to have and to preserve a good     
,christian education for their children4
 ,the principal ,catholic gentlemen in  
,ireland some time ago published an     
important declaration1 presented        
afterwards to ,parliament1 in which they
 proclaimed their adhesion to the       
principles held by the true ,church in  
regard to education4  ,as for the       
,catholic laity of ,ireland in general1 
feeling1 as they do in a special manner1
 the signal blessing they enjoy in      
possessing the true faith1 and knowing  
that it is a priceless treasure with    
which1 far more precious than worldly   
substance1 they can enrich their        
children1 their love for ,catholic      

education is proved to evidence by the  
multitudes of their sons and daughters  
who throng every ,catholic school1 and  
especially every school in which the    
presence of ,christian ,brothers or of  
,nuns gives a guarantee that religion   
shall have the first place1 and shall   
impregnate the whole atmosphere which   
their little ones are to breathe for so 
many hours of the day4 ,they have       
proved1 also1 their dislike and fear of 
mixed education1 by turning their faces 
away from schools in which no expense   
had been spared1 on which thousands of  
pounds of the public money had been     
squandered1 but against which their     
,bishops deemed it their duty to warn   
them4 ,hence1 in several ,model ,schools
 erected in populous cities and towns1  
where the great majority of the         
inhabitants are ,catholics1 sometimes   
not ten1 sometimes not two of their     
children are found within the unhallowed
 precincts of those mixed institutions4 
,in fine1 the opinion of all the ,irish 

,catholics on this subject of education 
is so well known1 that nearly all of the
 ,liberal candidates who sought their   
votes at the last elections for the     
,house of ,commons1 declared in their   
electioneering addresses their adhesion 
to the principle of denominational      
education1 and their determination to   
uphold it1 and push it forward in       
,parliament4  ,and with good reason are 
they steadfast in those principles1 for 
they know the necessary connection      
between good education and the          
maintenance of religion in their        
country4 ,and they are determined to    
struggle for the establishment1 in      
,ireland1 of a sound ,catholic system of
 public education1 and never to relax   
their efforts till they obtain the      
recognition of this1 their own and their
 children's right1 even as they wrung   
,catholic emancipation from a hostile   
,parliament4  ,thus the ,catholic laity 
practise what their pastors teach2 and  
in ,ireland and other countries1 both   

pastors and people are united in holding
 that nothing so effectually destroys   
religion in a country as a godless      
system of instruction1 whilst they      
believe1 at the same time1 that a good  
,christian education contributes to     
preserve true religion1 and to spread   
the practice of every virtue and of good
 works through the land4  ,though the   
,catholic ,church and her children are  
so anxious for the progress of          
knowledge1 and have made such sacrifices
 for the civilization and enlightenment 
of the world1 yet they do not           
indiscriminately approve of every system
 of education4 ,every one knows how much
 is done in our days1 by the enemies of 
religion1 to poison the sources of      
knowledge1 and to undermine religion1   
under the pretext of promoting the      
liberal arts and sciences4 ,in order to 
give a proper impulse to study1 by      
securing protection for it1 some insist 
that the full control of public         
instruction should be given to the      

government of each country1 to be       
carried on by ,ministers of ,state1 or  
public boards2 others attach so much    
importance to the development of the    
intellectual faculties1 that they call  
for compulsory and gratuitous education1
 in order to give a great degree of     
culture to all classes2 and others1 in  
fine1 demand an unsectarian education1  
pretending that ,god should be banished 
from the school1 and children brought up
 without being subjected to any         
religious influences4 ,the ,catholic    
,church and her pastors1 being charged  
to feed the flock of ,christ with the   
food of truth and life1 and to preserve 
the lambs of the fold from the contagion
 of error1 cannot approve such systems1 
which seem to have been invented by the 
fashion of the day1 a desire of         
innovation1 or a spirit of hostility to 
religion4  ,it was to ,his ,church1 and 
not to the ,state1 that ,jesus ,christ  
gave the command1 ,go and teach all     
nations4--7,matt4 xxviii47 ,as the      

,father hath sent ,me1 so do ,i send you
 also4--7,john xx47 ,feed ,my lambs1    
feed ,my sheep4--7,john xxi47  ,the     
office of the ,church is to teach and   
sanctify all men4 ,she receives the     
child on its first entrance into the    
world1 and1 by means of holy baptism1   
makes it a child of ,god4 ,like her     
,divine ,bridegroom1 she says3 ,suffer  
the little children to come to me4  ,now
 the ,christian school is the place and 
the provision made for the training of  
those who are baptized into the         
,christian faith4 ,they have been made  
children of ,god1 and as such they have 
a right to four things belonging to them
 by a right of inheritance1 to which all
 other rights are secondary4 ,they have 
a right to the knowledge of their faith2
 to the training of their conscience by 
the knowledge of ,god's commandments2 to
 the ,sacraments of grace2 and to a     
moral formation1 founded on the precepts
 and example of our ,divine ,saviour4   
,these four things belong1 by a ,divine 

right1 to the child of the poorest      
working man2 by a right more sacred than
 that which guards the inheritance of   
lands and titles to the child of the    
rich4 ,a child of ,god1 and an heir to  
the kingdom of heaven1 holds these four 
things by a higher title2 and his claim 
is under the jurisdiction of a ,divine  
,judge4 ,but the school is the place and
 the provision for the insuring of these
 four vital parts of his right to the   
,christian child4 ,they cannot be taught
 or learned elsewhere2 there is no other
 place of systematic and sufficient     
formation4 ,and if so1 then the school  
becomes the depository of the rights of 
parents1 and of the inheritance of their
 children4 ,the school is strictly a    
court of the ,temple1 a porch outside   
the ,sanctuary4 ,it cannot be separated 
from the ,church4 ,it was created by the
 ,church1 and the ,church created it for
 its own mission to its children4 ,as   
the ,church cannot surrender to any     
power on earth the formation of its own 

children1 so it cannot surrender to any 
the direction of its own schools4  ,it  
was the ,church1 as ,i have shown in the
 second chapter1 that gave life and     
being to ,christian education2 and      
education must remain under the         
guardianship of the ,church1 if it will 
not cease to be ,christian4 ,history    
shows us that it is the ,church that has
 civilized the nations1 and it is the   
,church that keeps them from falling    
back into their former degradation4     
,learning was not diffused among mankind
 until the ,church removed the veil of  
sin and ignorance1 made man really free1
 and widened the narrow limits of human 
thought by showing to man the infinite1 
the eternal destiny that awaited him4   
,this supernatural light--this freedom  
of the children of ,god--is the very    
foundation1 the very lifespring of      
civilization4 ,the ,catholic ,church1   
then1 far from being opposed to         
education1 is its great and most zealous
 promoter4 ,but she cannot help being   

opposed to the ,pagan system of         
education adopted in the ,public        
,schools of this country4  ,it is clear 
that this plan takes away the right of  
parents1 whom ,god has charged with the 
care of their children1 and it must     
necessarily interfere with the proper   
management of families4 ,in the second  
place1 it ignores the rights of the     
,church1 to whom ,christ gave the       
commission to teach all nations4 ,in the
 third place1 since governments1 as     
constituted at present1 have no         
religion1 the teaching they give must   
tend to infidelity4 ,in the fourth      
place1 if governments take into their   
hands the management of things which do 
not appertain to them1 the probability  
is that they will neglect1 or carry on  
badly1 the great temporal affairs which 
it is their duty to attend to4 ,in the  
last place1 experience shows that       
education carried on by the ,state is   
most expensive1 and that it opens the   
way to intrigues and frauds4 ,to confirm

 all these observations1 it is          
sufficient to refer to ,france1 where   
,state influence has been supreme for   
the last seventy years in university    
education1 and where the ,government has
 exercised an exorbitant control over   
every branch of public instruction4     
,what has been the result8 ,literature  
has fallen away1 the number of schools  
has decreased1 the ,french language has 
decayed1 whilst moral corruption has    
penetrated the heart of the country1 and
 infidelity of the worst kind has been  
patronized and encouraged among the     
teachers of youth1 and the highest      
honors have been decreed to ,littres and
 ,renans1 and other decided enemies of  
,jesus ,christ4 ,may we not read the    
condemnation of all such proceedings in 
the lurid flames of the burning ,capital
 of modern civilization8 ,now1 is it not
 clear that the primary object of       
education must be frustrated in the     
mixed system which proposes to unite    
children of all religions in the same   

school1 and to treat of nothing in the  
class hours that could offend any of    
these discordant elements8 ,if there be 
a ,jew in the school1 you cannot speak  
of the ,gospel2 if there be a           
,mahometan1 nothing could be said       
against polygamy1 and other degrading   
doctrines of the ,koran2 due respect    
must also be paid to the teaching of    
,arians and ,socinians1 who deny the    
,trinity of persons in ,god1 and the    
,divinity of ,christ2 and to the        
opinions of ,calvinists and ,lutherans1 
of ,methodists and other sectaries1 who 
assail almost every point of revealed   
religion4 ,in this case1 how can the    
atmosphere of the school be religious2  
and must not children living in it grow 
up in ignorance both of the dogmas and  
practices of religion8  ,this result may
 not be unacceptable to those who are   
outside the ,catholic ,church1 because1 
not acknowledging any ,divine authority 
to guide or rule them1 they have no     
certainty in doctrinal matters1 and they

 do not attach any importance to        
external discipline4 ,but how different 
is the case with ,catholics6 ,we have   
many distinctive doctrines1 such as the 
,real ,presence in the ,blessed         
,eucharist1 the power of remitting sin1 
the ,divine origin of the ,church1 and  
the primacy and infallibity of the      
,pope1 all which it is our duty to learn
 and to believe4 ,we are also bound to  
observe many precepts1 to hear ,mass1 to
 pray and make the sign of the ,cross1  
to go to confession1 to fast and        
abstain1 and to obey other commandments 
of the ,church4 ,if these doctrines1 so 
sublime1 and so far above the           
intelligence of man1 be not continually 
inculcated on the mind of a child1 how  
can he know them1 or believe them as he 
ought8 ,and if the practices referred to
 be not frequently urged on his         
attention1 will he not ignore or neglect
 them because they are hard to flesh and
 blood8 ,and what will be the case where
 the ,protestant pupils in a school are 

in a considerable majority1 and the     
teacher of the same religion8 ,will not 
the ,protestant children turn the       
doctrines and practices of the          
,catholics into ridicule8 ,and will not 
the example1 and the words1 and the     
gestures of the heterodox master1       
especially if he be kind and friendly1  
produce impressions dangerous to belief 
on the youthful ,catholic mind8 ,is it  
not probable that a ,catholic boy1      
observing how his master1 to whom he    
looks up with respect1 is accustomed to 
act1 will easily persuade himself that  
there is no necessity of going to       
confession1 or fasting1 or making the   
sign of the cross1 or performing works  
of mortification8 ,indeed1 the          
probability is that ,catholics educated 
in such circumstances1 if they do not   
abandon their religion altogether1 will 
be only lukewarm1 indifferent1 or       
dangerous members of the ,church4  ,and 
here let me direct your attention to    
another dangerous tendency of godless   

education4 ,in this system all          
religions1 true or false1 are treated   
with equal respect2 not only ,anglicans 
and ,presbyterians1 but ,wesleyans and  
,plymouth ,brothers1 and the followers  
of every other small and miserable sect 
that has started into existence in      
modern times1 are put on a footing of   
equality with the true ,catholic        
,church1 which traces its origin back to
 its ,divine ,founder1 has existed in   
every age1 defied the fury of           
persecution and the ravages of time1 and
 numbers under its sceptre two hundred  
millions of faithful children spread    
over the world4 ,and is not this to     
proclaim that there is no difference    
between light and darkness1 no          
preference to be given to ,christ over  
,belial1 to truth over heresy1 and error
 and infidelity8 ,in a word1 is not this
 to teach indifference to religion1 or1 
what is equivalent1 that no religion is 
necessary8 ,what shall ,i now say of    
books so compiled as to meet the        

exigencies of godless education8 ,have  
they not the same tendency to promote   
ignorance of1 or indifference to1       
religion8 ,no religious dogmatical      
teaching1 no inculcation of pious       
practices1 no mention of the great and  
sublime mysteries of ,catholicity can be
 admitted in them1 lest some things     
should be said offensive to any sect    
that sends children to the school4 ,this
 suppression of ,catholic truth is most 
detrimental to our poor ,catholic       
children1 many of whom never read any   
books except those which they use in    
school1 and learn nothing except what   
they meet with in those books1 or hear  
from their master4 ,is not this a       
serious loss8 ,is it not a great evil   
for ,catholics to be brought up in      
ignorance1 not only of the doctrines1   
but also of the history of the ,church  
to which they belong1 and of the life   
and deeds of so many ,christian heroes  
whose virtues illustrated the world8    
,how far superior is the system of the  

,christian ,brothers1 and other         
,catholic educational institutions6     
,their books make continual reference to
 the mysteries of religion1 they depict 
the glories of the ,church1 the         
majesties of the ,apostolic ,see1 and   
continually inflame the youthful mind to
 the practice of good works1 by         
proposing to them the lives and virtues 
of holy men1 and by continually         
reminding them of their religious       
duties1 of the end of man1 and of other 
great motives calculated to induce them 
to serve ,god4 ,in regard to this       
matter1 ,i shall merely add that the    
common school-books have been generally 
compiled by ,protestants1 that scarcely 
any extract from ,catholic authors is   
admitted in them1 that they contain many
 ,methodistical stories1 that their     
language is that of the ,protestant     
,bible1 and that they contain many      
things offensive to our love of         
religion4  ,do you want to see what man 
without ,god--without religion--can do8 

,read the history of the last eighty    
years in ,paris4 ,you have there one    
simple phenomenon--generation rising    
after generation1 without ,god in the   
world4 ,and why8 ,because1 without      
,christian education4 ,first1 an        
atheistical revolution2 next1 an empire 
penetrated through with a masking       
philosophy and a reckless               
indifferentism2 afterwards came         
governments changed in name and in form1
 but not in practice1 nor in spirit4    
,the ,church1 trammelled by protection1 
her spiritual action faint and          
paralyzed1 could not penetrate the      
masses of the people1 and bring her     
salutary influence to bear upon them4   
,she labored fervently2 her sons fought 
nobly for ,christian freedom2 thousands 
were saved2 but for eighty years the    
mass of men has grown up without ,god   
and without ,christ in the world4 ,these
 outbursts of horror1 strife1 outrage1  
sacrilege1 bloodshed1 are the harvest   
reaped from the rank soil in which such 

seed was cast4 ,all this is true4 ,but  
how did souls created to the image of   
,god grow up in such a state8 ,they were
 robbed3 robbed before they were born2  
robbed of their inheritance1 and reared 
up in an education without              
,christianity4 ,let this be a warning to
 ourselves6 ,we are told that a child   
may be taught to read1 and to write1 and
 to spell1 and to sum1 without          
,christianity4 ,who denies it8 ,but what
 does this make of them8 ,to what do    
they grow up8 ,the formation of the will
 and heart and character1 the formation 
of a man1 is education1 and not the     
reading1 and the writing1 and the       
spelling1 and the summing4 ,physiology1 
astronomy1 chemistry1 anatomy1 and all  
other sciences with sounding names1 and 
of ,greek etymology1 will not teach our 
children the respect1 love1 and         
obedience due to parents4 ,they will not
 teach them modesty1 which is the       
brightest ornament of woman1 and renders
 the relation of man with his fellow-man

 harmonious and pleasant4 ,they will not
 teach them industry and purity1 which  
insure peace and happiness in the family
 circle4 ,they will not teach them the  
fidelity which the espoused owe to each 
other1 nor the obligations contracted by
 parents towards their children1 nor    
will they teach them to know1 love1 and 
serve ,god in this world1 in order to be
 happy with ,him forever in the next4   
,for fifteen hundred years ,christians  
served ,god and loved man1 before1 as   
yet1 they received this cultivation of  
our age2 and we1 because we have it so  
profusely1 are forgetting the deeper and
 diviner lessons4 ,the tradition of     
,christian education in this country is1
 as yet1 unbroken4 ,it has1 however1    
been greatly undermined4 ,it will be    
completely broken if we ,catholics do   
not strive1 to the best of our power1 to
 preserve it4 ,we ,catholics1 therefore1
 believe that it is our most sacred duty
 to bring up our children in the        
discipline and correction of the ,lord4 

,we hold that it is our most            
conscientious obligation to bequeath to 
our children the most valuable of all   
legacies--good religious impressions1   
and a sound religious education4 ,we    
hold that religious education is the    
most essential part of instruction4     
,now we know that religious education is
 not1 and cannot1 be given in our       
present school system4 ,our present     
system of common-school education either
 ignores religion altogether1 or teaches
 principles which are false and         
dangerous2 and if it gives any religious
 education1 it consists merely in       
certain vague1 unmeaning generalities1  
and is often worse than no education at 
all4 ,instruction without religion1 is  
like a ship without a compass4          
,ignorance is1 indeed1 a great evil2 but
 of the two evils1 it is even better1 in
 some respects1 for our children to     
remain ignorant1 than to acquire mere   
worldly knowledge without any religious 
training2 for without religion they grow

 up a burden to themselves1 and a pest  
to society4  ,human nature is prone to  
evil2 and the rising passions1          
especially in youth1 need religious     
influence to check them4 ,there is a    
vast difference between teaching the    
child's head and forming his heart4     
,mere instruction in reading1 writing1  
and arithmetic will never teach a young 
man to control his passions1 and to     
practise virtue4 ,such instruction may  
do for ,pagans1 but it will never do for
 ,catholics4  ,we can say that1 so far  
as our ,catholic children are concerned1
 the workings of our ,public ,school    
system have proved1 and do prove1 highly
 detrimental to their faith and morals4 
,so strongly has the conviction of this 
been impressed upon the minds both of   
the pastors and parents1 that most      
strenuous efforts1 and even enormous    
sacrifices have been made1 and continue 
to be made1 in order to establish and   
support ,catholic parochial schools4 ,in
 many cities of the ,union there is1 at 

the present moment1 in daily attendance 
at these schools1 an average number of  
between eighteen and twenty thousand    
children4 ,the annual expense for the   
maintenance of these schools does not   
fall short of one hundred thousand      
dollars2 while the amount expended for  
the purchase of lots1 and the erection  
of proper school buildings1 etc41       
considerably exceeds a million4  ,the   
,catholics of ,new ,york subscribed1 in 
#ahfh1 #acb1jjj for the support of their
 own school1 and1 besides1 they had     
contributed a million and a quarter of  
dollars for the sites and the buildings 
of ,catholic schools4  ,nothing but the 
deepest sense of the many dangers to    
which the religious and moral principles
 of the children are exposed1 could     
prompt ,catholic parents to make such   
pecuniary sacrifices1 or assume such    
onerous burdens2 for it has to be borne 
in mind that1 while they are thus       
obliged1 through conscientious motives1 
to support their own schools1 they have1

 at the same time1 to bear their share  
of the taxation imposed for the support 
of the ,public ,schools4  ,all this is  
true2 yet ,i can scarcely refrain from  
expressing my surprise at the extremely 
abnormal lethargy manifested by so many 
,catholics1 both in high and low places1
 regarding a duty1 the chief one        
incumbent upon them as members of the   
family1 as citizens1 as ,christians and 
as ,catholics4  ,now the cause for the  
indifference existing among our people  
on the question of ,catholic education1 
may be attributed to a false process of 
reasoning4 ,they argue3 it will cost    
money4 ,true2 but it is not by ,state   
aid1 or ,city aid1 that the work of     
,catholic daily instruction and         
education in parochial schools is to be 
carried on4 ,these schools are to be    
supported1 as our churches are1 by the  
alms of the faithful4  ,the ,catholics  
of other countries have their duties to 
perform1 different1 in part1 from ours1 
but demanding great self-sacrifice4 ,we1

 too1 except we be bastards1 and not    
sons1 must make our great sacrifices4   
,the first1 the most pressing1 is that  
of supporting a good ,catholic          
education4 ,in neglecting ,catholic     
education1 we lose that which money     
cannot buy4 ,can we conceive of a       
parent1 a ,catholic parent1 so cruel1 so
 depraved1 and so ,god-forsaken as to   
sacrifice his child1 both body and soul1
 and devote him to eternal destruction1 
through eagerness to spare the paltry   
pence that a proper education might     
cost8 ,it seems quite certain that if we
 wait for just appropriations from the  
,state before we shoulder the burden    
ourselves1 wait for it to compel us to  
accept of ,catholic education1 we shall 
find ourselves in a very unfit condition
 to appreciate the favor2 and from      
present indications1 this generation1 at
 least1 is likely to pass away before   
such interest will be manifested in our 
behalf4  ,now we must be persuaded that 
if we allow one generation to be brought

 up in unbelief1 and the course of      
tradition to be once interrupted1 the   
following generations will fall into a  
darkness and ignorance worse than that  
of ,paganism2 living here without a     
,god1 and quitting this world without   
any consoling hope of a blessed         
immortality4  ,so it proved1 not long   
ago1 with an unhappy wretch1 the child  
of parents that had forgotten the law of
 their ,god1 and sent her to one of the 
,public ,schools in a town on the ,north
 ,river4 ,she played the harlot1 when   
she grew old enough1 and then sought to 
add to this the crime of a horrible     
murder--the murder of the child that was
 of her own flesh and blood4 ,in        
procuring its murder1 she lost her own  
life4 ,in the den of the                
monster-abortionist1 and finding herself
 dying1 one of the vile attendants now  
declares that she shrieked and begged   
for a ,catholic priest4 ,the ,jew into  
whose murderous gripe she had put       
herself1 found some means to quiet her  

cry1 and she died without seeing a      
priest4 ,god will keep ,his word6 ,he   
has said1 ,because thou hast forgotten  
the law of thy ,god1 ,i will forget thy 
children6  ,i do not say that ,catholic 
parents are obliged1 under the pain of  
mortal sin1 to have any secular         
education given to their children4 ,but 
,i do say that they are forbidden1 by   
the law of the ,catholic ,church1 to    
send their children to any schools where
 the ,catholic religion is not practised
 and taught4  ,if neglect to comply with
 the law of ,god and of ,his ,church1   
neglect to receive the sacraments at    
certain times1 and under certain        
circumstances1 is a mortal sin1 is it   
much less a sin to neglect the proper   
education of our youth1 upon which1 to a
 great extent1 their entire future      
depends8 ,and if the sacraments are     
refused to persons persisting in sin1   
should not a sin of this great character
 be also considered in the conditions   
requisite for the worthy reception of   

the sacraments8 ,i hesitate not to      
pronounce this matter of education a    
matter of conscience1 and it should be  
treated accordingly by those who have   
the charge of souls4 ,we see            
ecclesiastical edifices of great        
magnitude1 splendor1 and expense1       
erected everywhere by ,catholics1 but   
for what purpose8 ,to attract           
non-,catholics8 ,bosh6 ,a ,catholic can 
hear ,mass in caverns1 in catacombs1 or 
under hedges1 as they have often been   
obliged to do2 but if we lose our       
children there will be none to hear it  
anywhere1 nor any to offer the ,holy    
,sacrifice1 even in our most gorgeous   
cathedrals4 ,where will be our          
,catholics8 ,scandal and disgrace will  
be the order of the day4  ,i do not wish
 it to be understood here that ,i       
entertain any1 even the least1 doubt of 
the indefectibility of the ,church1 or  
of the faithful fulfilment of the       
promises of ,christ2 for the ,church    
will exist in spite of man4 ,but again  

,i say that ,catholics are violating a  
most sacred duty in not providing       
facilities for ,catholic education4     
,this1 ,o ,catholics6 is what the money 
you are making so rapidly ought1 in     
generous part1 to be devoted to4 ,so you
 will think1 at a day fast coming1 when 
your bodies will be buried sumptuously1 
your souls forgotten by the living1 and 
the estates you have hoarded with so    
much industry shall have become1        
perhaps1 the objects of disgraceful     
law-suits among your heirs4  ,dear      
,catholics1 let us cast off our         
lethargy2 let us be unitedly active in  
this matter2 let us discard the flimsy  
arguments of liberal ,catholics who     
would discourage the enterprise1        
regarding every such as our most        
dangerous foe4 ,let us make our voice   
heard and our actions felt1 and bring up
 our children in a manner creditable to 
ourselves1 an honor and consolation to  
their parents1 a blessing to society1   
worthy members of the ,church of ,god1  

and candidates for the kingdom of       
heaven4  ,,footnotes3  ,h ,hant         
propositionem auctoritate ,nostra       
,apostolica reprobamus1 proscribimus    
atque damnamus eamque ab omnibus        
,catholicae ,ecclesiae filiis veluti    
reprobatam1 proscriptam atque damnatam  
omnino haberi volumus et                
mandamus4--,syllabus1 ,prop4 xlviii4    
,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,,answers ,,to        
,,objections4   ,there are some who     
assert that there is no sectarian       
teaching in the ,public ,schools1 and   
consequently a ,catholic may send his   
children to them without exposing them  
to any danger4 ,now even supposing there
 really were no sectarian teaching in   
the common schools1 even then a         
,catholic parent cannot send his        
children to such a school without       
exposing them to the greatest danger4   
,those who approve of the ,public       
,schools because nothing sectarian is   
taught there1 act like a certain        
husbandman who wished to transplant a   

fine young tree to a certain part of his
 garden4 ,on examining the new place1   
however1 he found that the ground was   
filled with poisonous ingredients1 which
 would greatly endanger the life of the 
tree4 ,he therefore transplanted the    
tree to a sandy hill1 where there were1 
indeed1 no poisonous ingredients1 but   
where there was also no nourishment for 
the tree4 ,now will any one assert that 
the young tree was not in danger of     
perishing in this new place8 ,and will  
any one assert that the faith and soul  
of a child are not in danger of being   
ruined in those godless common schools8 
,even if ,protestantism is not taught   
there1 infidelity is taught and         
practised there1 and infidelity is even 
worse than ,protestantism4  ,but is it  
really true that ,protestantism is not  
taught in many of our ,public ,schools8 
,this is unfortunately far from being   
the case4 ,napoleon ,i4 introduced the  
,public ,school system into ,france1 in 
order1 as he honestly declared1 to      

possess the means of controlling        
political and moral opinions4 ,puritans 
and ,freemasons1 in this country1 have  
clearly the same end in view in         
upholding the present system of ,public 
,schools4  ,in the early days of ,new   
,england1 and even of several of the    
other ,american ,states1 the ,puritans  
always used the ,public ,schools as a   
powerful means of spreading their       
peculiar doctrines4 ,when they were     
stripped of this power by the liberal   
founders of ,american independence1 they
 still struggled for many years to      
accomplish1 by indirect means1 the      
injustice which they dared not maintain 
openly4 ,we all remember how the poor   
,catholic boys and girls of the ,public 
,schools were harassed by colporteurs   
and proselytizers1 who carried baskets  
filled1 not with bread for the poor     
hungry children1 no1 but with oily      
tracts1 cunningly devised to weaken1 or 
even destroy1 the religious faith of    
those poor little ones4 ,in some schools

 even1 ,catholic children were urged and
 enticed to go to the sectarian         
,sunday-schools1 and pictures1 cakes1   
and sweetmeats were liberally promised1 
in order to induce them to go4 ,teachers
 were selected with special regard to   
their bitter hatred of the ,catholic    
,church1 and their zeal for evangelical 
propagandism4 ,some years ago1 in ,new  
,orleans1 when the school-board was     
composed of bigoted sectarians1 many of 
them sectarian preachers1 all the       
,catholic teachers1 male and female1    
were turned out of the schools1 merely  
because they were ,catholics4  ,and even
 if ,catholic children are not always   
expressly taught doctrines opposed to   
their religion1 nevertheless the        
school-books which they use are1 as ,i  
have said1 frequently tainted with      
anti-,catholic prejudices and           
misrepresentations4 ,nothing can be more
 evident than the decidedly             
anti-,catholic spirit of ,english       
literature in all its departments4 ,it  

has grown up1 ever since ,england's     
apostasy1 in an anti-,catholic soil1 in 
an anti-,catholic atmosphere1 and from  
an anti-,catholic stem4 ,it is          
essentially anti-,catholic1 and tends1  
wherever it comes in contact with       
,catholic feelings and principles1 to   
sully1 infect1 and utterly corrupt them4
 ,sound knowledge1 a sound head1 strong 
faith1 and great grace--all these       
combined--may indeed preserve one whom  
the necessity of his position may lead  
into un-,catholic schools2 but no one   
will deny that this anti-,catholic      
literature must exercise a most baneful 
influence over all those who1 without   
sufficient preparation from nature or   
grace1 plunge into it1 in the pursuit of
 amusement or knowledge4 ,protestant    
ideas will not make the ,catholic turn  
,protestant1 there is not much danger of
 that1 but they will tend to make him an
 infidel2 they will destroy his         
principles without putting others in    
their place2 they will relax and deaden 

the whole spiritual man4  ,in these     
schools1 ,catholic children are taught  
that the ,catholic ,church is the       
nursery of ignorance and vice2 they are 
taught that all the knowledge1          
civilization1 and virtue which the world
 now possesses1 are the offspring of the
 so-called ,reformation4 ,they learn    
nothing of the true history of ,spain1  
,portugal1 ,italy1 ,france1 ,ireland1   
,austria1 and the other ,catholic       
countries of ,europe2 they learn nothing
 of the true history of ,mexico1 and the
 various ,catholic countries of ,north  
and ,south ,america4 ,they never hear of
 the vast libraries of ,catholic        
learning1 the rich endowments of        
,catholic education all over the world1 
for ages2 they never hear of the        
countless universities1 colleges1       
academies1 and free schools established 
by the ,catholic ,church1 and by        
,catholic governments1 throughout       
,christendom4 ,where is the common      
school book whose author has manly      

honesty enough to acknowledge that even 
the famous universities of ,oxford and  
,cambridge were founded by ,catholics1  
and plundered from their lawful         
possessors by an apostate government8   
,moreover1 ,catholic children are often 
singled out by their school-companions1 
and sometimes even by their teachers1 as
 objects of ridicule4 ,now what is the  
result of all this training8 ,the       
consequence is1 that either the         
,catholic children become ashamed of    
their holy religion1 and despise their  
parents1 or1 if they have the courage to
 hold out1 their tender minds are       
subject to numberless petty annoyances2 
they must endure a species of martyrdom4
 ,this is no exaggeration2 ,i have it   
from good authority4 ,practically       
speaking1 the present common school     
system is but a gigantic scheme for     
proselytism and for infidelity4  ,now we
 intend that our children shall be      
taught to love and revere their holy    
,church4 ,we wish to teach them that    

that ,church has been1 for over eighteen
 hundred years1 the faithful guardian of
 that very ,bible of which ,protestants 
prate so loudly1 and which they dishonor
 so much4 ,we wish our children to learn
 that the ,catholic ,church has been1 in
 all ages1 the friend and supporter of  
true liberty2 i4e41 liberty united to   
order and justice4 ,we wish them to know
 that the ,catholic ,church has ever    
been the jealous guardian of the        
sanctity of marriage2 that she has      
always defended it against brutal lust1 
and heathen divorce courts4 ,we wish our
 children to know1 moreover1 that the   
,catholic ,church holds the sword of    
vengeance uplifted above the heads of   
the child-murderers1 and the            
perpetrators of unnatural crimes4 ,we   
wish our children1 in fine1 to regard   
the ,church as the only hope of society1
 the only salvation of their country1   
the only means of preserving intact all 
the blessings of freedom4  ,the ,public 
,schools are not only seminaries of     

infidelity1 they are1 moreover1 in many 
cases1 hot-beds of immorality4 ,in these
 schools every child is received1 no    
matter how vicious or corrupt he or his 
parents may be4 ,one mangy sheep1 as the
 homely proverb says1 infects the whole 
flock4 ,so one corrupt child in a school
 is capable of corrupting and ruining   
all the others4 ,and1 in fact1 where    
have our young people learned the       
shameful habit of self-abuse1 and many  
other foul1 unnatural crimes1 that are  
bringing so many thousands to an early  
grave8 ,ask those unhappy victims1 ask  
our physicians throughout the country1  
and they will tell you that1 in almost  
every instance1 it was from the evil    
companions with whom they associated in 
the common schools4 ,ah6 you will see1  
only on the ,day of ,judgment1 how many 
unnatural crimes have been taught and   
propagated1 from generation to          
generation1 in these very hot-beds of   
iniquity4  ,but1 ,father1 some one will 
say1 what harm can there be in sending  

children to ,public ,schools8 for many  
of the teachers are professing          
,christians1 and exert a continual      
,christian influence4  ,but many more   
are non-professors1 and exert an        
anti-,christian influence4 ,go and visit
 those schools1 and you will soon be    
able to tell the religious status of the
 teachers in charge1 by the general tone
 of the exercises4 ,one presided over by
 a zealous ,methodist resembles a       
,methodist ,sunday-school1 or conference
 meeting4 ,another1 under the care of a 
smart young man1 delighting in love     
songs1 boating songs1 etc41 has the     
general tone of a young folks'          
glee-club4 ,in another1 in which one of 
the professors is an atheist1 it is a   
matter of common remark among the boys  
that ,prof4 ---- said there was no ,god4
 ,in another1 one of the teachers is    
overheard sneering at a child because   
she believes in our ,lord ,jesus        
,christ1 and has a reverence for        
religious things4  ,what ,i have just   

said is true4 ,i have it from good      
authority4 ,it is therefore no          
recommendation at all for the ,public   
,school system to say that many of the  
teachers are professing ,christians4    
,even the very fact that many of the    
teachers in the ,public ,schools are    
good ,catholics1 is no recommendation   
whatever for these schools1 for it      
matters nothing1 absolutely nothing1    
whether the teacher be ,catholic or not2
 according to law1 no teacher is allowed
 to explain a single dogma of ,catholic 
faith4 ,now the dogmas of our holy faith
 have been revealed1 and1 in order to be
 known1 they must be taught4 ,ordinarily
 speaking1 education is necessary to    
learn and preserve the faith4 ,the      
,catholics of ,ireland1 indeed1 by the  
special assistance of ,god1 preserved   
their holy faith1 though they were not  
permitted1 by a bigoted government1 to  
receive the education they needed and   
desired4 ,but in this country1 where    
there is no such prohibition1 where     

parents are free to send their children 
to ,catholic schools1 it is presumption 
in them1 it is a rash defiance to the   
ordinary laws of ,god's providence1 to  
neglect the daily systematic training of
 the minds and hearts of their children1
 in conformity with ,catholic           
discipline4 ,julian the ,apostate       
forbade ,catholics to be educated in    
their holy faith1 for he knew very well 
that there is no more certain means of  
destroying the faith than by not        
suffering it to be taught4  ,it is      
almost certain that wherever there are  
no ,catholic schools1 wherever the      
,catholic religion is not taught and    
practised in school1 there the ,catholic
 religion will practically die out1 as  
soon as immigration from ,catholic      
countries ceases4  ,bishop ,england has 
asserted that the ,catholic ,church     
loses more1 in this country1 by         
apostasy1 than it gains by conversions4 
,archbishop ,spalding1 of ,baltimore1   
asserted one day that1 in one body of   

,methodist ministers1 he observed seven 
or eight who were children of           
,catholics1 and they were the smartest  
preachers among them4  ,neglected       
children of ,catholic parents become the
 worst enemies of the ,catholic ,church4
 ,the young man who set fire to ,st4    
,augustine's ,church1 in ,philadelphia1 
,pa41 was a ,catholic1 and he gloried in
 being able to burn his name out of the 
baptismal record4 ,by a just punishment 
of ,god1 these neglected ,catholic      
children will become our persecutors4   
,it is not sufficient to teach the      
,catechism in church or at home4 ,no6 it
 is not the knowledge of the faith1 but 
the daily practice of it1 that produces 
,catholic life4 ,nothing but the        
constant practice of our holy religion  
can train our youth to withstand the    
dangers of this age1 and this country4  
,it is not necessary to argue this      
point4 ,look at the tens of thousands of
 ,catholics who never think of going to 
,mass on a week-day1 and who often      

neglect it even on ,sundays and holy    
days4 ,look at all those who never think
 of visiting our ,lord in the ,blessed  
,sacrament2 who never go to confession  
more than once or twice a year1 and     
sometimes not even that4 ,do they not   
prove1 beyond a doubt1 that the         
practical habit of devotion was not     
taught them in their youth8  ,look1 on  
the other hand1 at those congregations  
who1 in the tender1 susceptible time of 
youth1 were in the habit of going to    
,mass every day before the opening of   
the school4 ,see how1 when the bell     
rings1 a goodly number of them find     
time1 even on week-days1 to assist at   
the most holy ,sacrifice of the ,mass4  
,in such congregations there is indeed  
,catholic life4 ,these pious ,catholics 
carry the blessing of heaven with them  
wherever they go4 ,amid all the cares   
and troubles of life they are gay and   
cheerful1 whilst others grumble and are 
sad4 ,the religious doctrines and       
practices learned in youth1 can seldom  

or never be blotted out4 ,the question  
of ,catholic schools is a question of   
making the country ,catholic4 ,if this  
means be neglected1 all other means will
 avail but little4  ,there are others1  
again1 who assert that the discussion of
 the education question should be put   
off for the present as yet1 under the   
pretence that our adversaries are as yet
 too numerous1 and that it is well for  
us to do nothing until their feelings   
are more in our favor4 ,if we are to    
wait until it will please them to say   
that our claims are just1 the day will  
never dawn when our rights shall be     
admitted2 darkness cannot coalesce with 
light1 vice with virtue1 or ,belial with
 ,christ4 ,will those who deny the      
,divine authority of the ,church1 assail
 her doctrines1 and seek her            
destruction1 ever cordially assist us in
 obtaining from our rulers a system of  
public instruction not dangerous or     
destructive to our faith8 ,if we consent
 to defer the education question until  

the torrent of bigotry will be dried up1
 we shall be laughed at1 and compared to
 the simple peasant who determined to   
sit on the bank of a great river and not
 to attempt to pass it until all its    
waters should have rolled by2 or we     
shall be compared to the careless farmer
 who allows rank weeds to grow up in his
 garden1 together with the good plants1 
till at last the good plants are dwarfed
 and smothered by the noxious weeds4 ,in
 my opinion1 our own policy with those  
in authority should be to insist on our 
rights in season and out of season2 and 
even when our claims may have been      
slighted or rejected1 to continue our   
demands until every grievance shall be  
removed4  ,we must make great exertions 
to obtain the object of our desires1 and
 display great energy in our            
proceedings4 ,we have numerous and      
active enemies to contend with--men as  
enthusiastic in a bad cause as the      
,pharisees of the ,gospel1 who compassed
 earth and sea to make a proselyte1 but 

who cared very little for his moral     
progress1 once they had secured his     
adherence to their views4 ,however1 we  
are not left alone in our struggle for  
religious education4 ,with us we have   
the sympathy of the ,catholics of the   
world1 who are fighting the same battle 
as we ourselves1 and cheer us on by     
their example4 ,we have with us the     
blessing of the successor of ,st4       
,peter1 who has repeatedly approved of  
the justice of our cause1 and we have   
the sanction of ,christ ,himself for the
 safety of the lambs of whose folds we  
are laboring4 ,but omitting all this1 ,i
 believe that the most influential and  
distinguished members1 lay and clerical1
 of the ,anglican body1 are with us1 and
 that the principal liberal and         
enlightened ,protestants of the ,union  
wish us success4  ,the ,state does not  
interfere with the free exercise of our 
religion1 neither should it interfere   
with our system of education2--two      
measures of great importance1 well      

calculated gradually to promote the     
public welfare of the country4 ,if the  
,state seriously wishes to check the    
growth of revolution1 or to stem the    
growing torrent of communism and        
infidelity1 they ought to discountenance
 infidel institutions1 and give schools 
to ,catholics1 in which they may uphold 
the true principles of authority1 human 
and ,divine1 in accordance with the     
traditions of the ,catholic ,church of  
,america1 and thus strengthen the       
foundations not only of religion1 but of
 society in general4  ,again1 some will 
say1 ,i do not see why people can object
 so much to ,public ,schools2 ,i myself 
went there1 and ,i think ,i am as good a
 ,catholic as any one of those who were 
educated at ,catholic schools and       
institutions4  ,if you really have tried
 to be a good ,catholic1 if you have    
complied faithfully with all your       
religious duties1 you will have to avow 
that it is all owing to the beneficial  
,catholic influence under which you were

 placed during the time of your         
scholarship1 and afterwards4 ,if you    
escaped the general contagion of        
unbelief and vice1 remember that it is  
owing to a kind of miracle of ,divine   
,protection4 ,but what ,i have said in  
reference to ,public ,schools shows     
sufficiently that such a protection is  
extended to but few children--it is an  
exception to the ordinary course of     
,divine ,providence1 and ,god is not    
bound to grant it to any one4  ,a       
certain friend of mine--a man of great  
learning and experience--wrote to me one
 day1 that he himself had been1 in his  
youth1 subjected to college training2   
that1 be it by nature or by grace1 or   
both combined1 he resisted and escaped4 
,but1 he adds1 from my observation and  
experience1 ,i would say it did require 
a miracle for ,catholic youth to escape 
the damnable effects of a non-,catholic 
school education4 ,i have had           
opportunities1 in this line1 that many a
 priest has never had4 ,i assert that a 

,catholic boy of tender years1 and      
perhaps careless training1 can be       
preserved from moral contamination1 in  
public and mixed schools1 by nothing    
less than a miracle4 ,i will not chop   
logic with any one about it4 ,it is a   
matter of fact4 ,i therefore assert it  
as of ascertained result1 that in most  
cases--especially in those cases where  
there are enough of ,catholics together 
to have a school of their own--their    
frequenting a school without religion   
will land most of them in utter         
carelessness of their religion4  ,grace 
does not destroy nature4 ,and it is     
nature that--       444 as the twig is  
bent1 the tree inclines4  ,but let me   
ask you1 ,how can you think that you are
 as good a ,catholic as others2 you who 
object to the teaching of the ,church1  
to the persuasion of all sensible men8  
,indeed1 your language betrays you4     
,your very language convinces me still  
more of the necessity of having         
,catholic schools where our children    

learn the language and imbibe the spirit
 of their spiritual mother--the         
,catholic ,church4 ,the ,public ,schools
 are none the better for your having    
frequented them4 ,let us suppose a      
father wishes to send his children      
across the ocean4 ,now he knows for     
certain that the vessel which is about  
to leave for the old country will be    
wrecked2 he also knows that a few of the
 passengers will be saved1 as it were1  
by a miracle1 but he knows not who they 
are4 ,will he send his children by that 
vessel8  ,now the ,public ,schools are  
like a large vessel4 ,the greater part  
of those who have embarked in it have   
suffered shipwreck in their faith and   
good morals4 ,what father1 then1 will be
 mad enough to send his children by this
 vessel1 across the ocean of time1 to   
their heavenly fatherland8  ,there are  
others1 again1 who assert that we must  
not attempt to have ,catholic schools   
until we can afford to conduct them so  
as to compete with the ,public ,schools4

  ,the point in question is godless     
schools1 which are condemned on account 
of being infidel in principle4 ,even    
with all their faults1 our schools are1 
it must be conceded1 not infidel1 but   
,christian schools4 ,we are at liberty1 
there1 to teach our children our holy   
religion whenever we wish4 ,we can give 
them good books1 and bring them up in a 
religious atmosphere4 ,if we do for the 
establishment and organization of       
,catholic schools what we can1 ,god will
 not hold us responsible for the loss of
 those of our children who did not      
profit by their religious education1    
while1 on the contrary1 we remain       
accountable to ,god for those who1 for  
want of a ,catholic education1 suffer   
shipwreck in their faith and morals1 and
 are lost forever4 ,in the sight of     
,god1 the above excuse will avail us    
nothing4  ,some1 even most of our       
schools1 may have been more or less     
defective in the beginning4 ,well1 what 
was the ,church at the time of the      

,apostles8 ,there were then no gorgeous 
cathedrals as nowadays4 ,the ,christians
 were instructed and sanctified in the  
,catacombs1 and in poor private         
dwellings4 ,so1 in a country like ours1 
the kingdom of heaven is compared to a  
mustard seed4 ,churches and schools are 
insignificant in the beginning2 but1 by 
degrees1 more life and splendor is      
infused into them1 and they grow up to  
perfection4  ,we honor and venerate the 
,apostles as the corner-stones of       
,christianity4 ,happy1 thrice happy1    
those pastors who lay solid foundations 
for future ,catholic life by            
establishing nurseries--,catholic       
schools--for its maintenance and        
propagation4 ,their reward will be like 
unto that of the ,apostles4 ,our        
successors will bring our feeble        
beginnings to perfection4 ,this is the  
natural course of things4 ,we may not   
have the happiness to witness a         
plentiful harvest from the seed that we 
have sown with so much toil and labor2  

but we should nevertheless bear in mind 
that those bishops and priests who have 
the happiness of laying the foundations 
of future ,catholic life in our country1
 resemble our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,who
 suffered ,his ,apostles to perform even
 greater miracles than ,he ,himself had 
wrought4  ,i know the above objection is
 more frequently made in the ,new       
,england ,states than anywhere else4    
,now it is a well-known fact that the   
,yankee race is fast dying out4 ,they   
have either no children at all1 or only 
one or two4 ,hence it is that the larger
 portion of the ,public ,school children
 are the children of ,catholic parents4 
,these ,states foresee that were the    
,catholic children to leave their       
schools1 their ,public ,school buildings
 would soon be empty1 and stand there as
 eloquent monuments to tell on the folly
 of the ,states for having erected them4
 ,now in order to keep the ,catholic    
children at their schools1 and thus keep
 up their fine lucrative establishments1

 they have1 in several places1 taken in 
the ,catholic priests as members of the 
,school ,boards4 ,truly1 the children of
 this world are wiser in their          
generation than the children of light4  
,these priests1 by accepting the honor6 
of membership6 of the ,school ,board1   
give1 thereby1 at least a tacit         
approbation of the godless ,public      
,schools4 ,thus the ,state1 by          
conferring this privilege6 throws dust  
into the eyes of the people4 ,it is1    
therefore1 quite evident that were this 
tacit approbation of the ,catholic      
clergy withdrawn1 were they to erect    
,catholic schools1 the godless schools  
would soon be emptied and suspended1 and
 there would hardly be other but        
,catholic schools4 ,the ,catholic       
teachers of the ,public ,schools would  
follow our children1 and would be too   
happy in teaching on ,catholic ground1  
and according to ,catholic principles4  
,should a sufficient number of children 
be left for the ,public ,schools1 this  

would be no reason whatever to fear that
 our ,catholic schools could not compete
 with the ,public ,schools2 for1        
generally speaking1 ,catholic children  
are more talented than those of         
,protestants or infidels4 ,the reason of
 this is easily to be seen3 they have   
been baptized2 the veil of sin has been 
raised from their souls1 and the        
,catholic life which they lead makes    
their minds brighter1 more quick to     
perceive1 and to understand what is     
difficult4 ,about six months ago the    
priests of ,st4 ,james's ,church1 in    
,new ,york1 exhorted the parents to take
 their children out of the ,public      
,schools1 and send them to ,catholic    
schools4 ,what happened8 ,three of the  
,public ,school teachers came and       
complained to the priests that the      
brightest gems of their school had left1
 and that1 on that account1 they could  
not have the exhibition which they      
intended soon to give4 ,a short time    
ago1 at an exhibition in ,boston1 it was

 a ,catholic young lady that took the   
prize medal4  ,and after all1 the       
principal object for getting up         
,catholic schools is not to show off    
their superiority to1 or their equality 
with1 infidel schools--this is not even 
a secondary end--we want ,catholic      
schools to preserve our ,catholic       
religion1 our ,catholic traditions1 our 
,catholic spirit and morals2 we want    
them to raise in them children for      
heaven1 not for hell2 children for ,god1
 not for the devil2 children for a happy
 eternity1 not for everlasting          
damnation4 ,that's all4 ,hence ,jesus   
,christ1 on the ,day of ,judgment1 will 
not ask parents and pastors of souls    
whether their schools could compete with
 infidel schools1 but whether they did  
all in their power to secure the eternal
 welfare of their children by a good    
,catholic education4  ,father ,john de  
,starchia1 ,provincial of the ,friars   
,minor1 made regulations more favorable 
to worldly science than to the spirit of

 piety and religion1 attaching1 as he   
did1 more importance to the education of
 the mind than to that of the heart4    
,st4 ,francis of ,assisium upbraided him
 for it1 but in vain4 ,so the great     
servant of ,god cursed the ,provincial1 
and deposed him at the ensuing chapter4 
,the saint was entreated1 by some of his
 brethren in religion1 to withdraw this 
curse from the ,provincial1 a learned   
noble man1 and to give him his blessing4
 ,but neither the learning nor the noble
 extraction of the ,provincial could    
prevail upon ,st4 ,francis to comply    
with their request4 ,i cannot1 said he1 
bless him whom the ,lord has cursed--a  
dreadful reply1 which soon after was    
verified4 ,this unfortunate man died    
exclaiming3 ,i am damned and cursed for 
all eternity6 ,some frightful           
circumstances which followed after his  
death1 confirmed his awful prediction4  
7,life of ,st4 ,francis of ,assisium47  
,such a malediction should strike terror
 into the hearts of all those who attach

 more importance to the cultivation of  
the mind than to that of the heart1 and 
on that account prefer godless ,public  
,schools to ,catholic schools4  ,again1 
one may object3 ,the religious          
development does not necessarily suppose
 a literary development too4 ,a person  
may be illiterate1 and yet learned in   
the science of the saints1 and a man may
 be learned in science1 and ignorant of 
his duty towards ,god and his           
fellow-creatures4 ,there were1 are1 and 
will be members of the ,catholic        
,church1 who1 ignorant of science1 of   
book-learning1 did not become infidels1 
but exhibited a practical faith         
throughout life1 and died in the odor of
 sanctity4 ,divine faith does not       
require as a companion1 in the          
individual ,catholic1 a knowledge of    
profane literature1 but humility1       
compunction1 self-denial1 and a contempt
 of the world4 ,schools are therefore   
not absolutely necessary for our        
children4  ,as far as the little profit 

is concerned that mere book-learning    
does towards enabling the masses of     
mankind to accomplish the great end of  
their being--the salvation of their     
souls--,i am disposed to go all lengths 
with him in this4 ,but he and ,i must   
both acknowledge that the whole current 
of ,catholic influence and practice has 
set in favor of book-learning and of    
schools4 ,the ,popes have been constant 
in this line1 and ,catholic ,bishops    
have acted in the same direction4  ,but 
grant that school learning is of little 
account4 ,something even harder is said 
of riches4 ,there is no woe on those    
that spend their time on book-learning2 
there is a woe to them that are rich6   
,nevertheless1 ,catholics1 as others1   
strive to acquire wealth4 ,so that they 
do it honestly1 the ,catholic ,church   
does not condemn it4 ,book education1   
like riches1 is a means of advancement  
in the world4 ,the instructed are1 on   
the whole1 of greater consideration than
 the uninstructed4 ,the business of the 

,catholic ,church is to see that this   
source of power is not turned to the    
destruction of those that acquire it4   
,besides1 ,i fully agree that1 as a     
universal proposition1 school-learning1 
or book-learning1 is not necessary to   
the salvation of souls--which is the    
great end of human life4 ,so far1 the   
objection is correct in saying that     
,catholic schools are not1 as a         
universal proposition1 necessary for    
,catholics4  ,but1 in hac providentia2  
in a condition in which ,catholics1 like
 others1 are striving that their        
children may obtain the mastery1        
book-learning is1 like money1 a grand   
element of strength and of              
consideration4 ,this is what those in   
care of souls must look to4             
,book-learning and wealth are neither of
 them against faith4 ,they are simple   
elements of power--physical             
paraphernalia4 ,the great thing is1 how 
they may be used6  ,again mark6 ,i do   
not say that it is of strict obligation 

for ,catholics to send their children to
 any school4 ,for the comparatively few 
that have at once the means and the     
disposition1 ,i hold that there is no   
education like that received under the  
parental roof4 ,there is the true home  
of sturdy independence in men1 and of   
affectionate and chaste devotion in     
women4 ,moreover1 it is a great good    
fortune for conscientious parents1 with 
growing childhood around them1 to have  
the charge and responsibility of these  
children4 ,it is education for parents  
as well as children4 ,it brings the     
strong element of parental affection1 in
 aid of all other motives for living a  
good life1 as an example to beloved     
young ones4 ,we mourn that ,catholics1  
at least1 so seldom1 when they have the 
means1 make their own houses the schools
 for their own children4 ,but this can  
be done by few1 comparatively4 ,nor can 
select and private schools1 with few    
scholars1 and those picked ones1 be had4
 ,as a matter of fact1 the children of  

most ,catholics must receive whatever   
school instruction they get1 in large   
and general schools4  ,god may1 by a    
miracle1 preserve the faith in a whole  
nation1 as ,he really did in the ,irish1
 because they were forbidden to use the 
ordinary means whereby ,catholics bring 
up their offspring in the faith4 ,but1  
when ,irish men and women come to this  
country1 where there is no prohibition  
of their having ,catholic schools1 and  
having their children educated in them1 
it is1 as ,i have said1 a rash defiance 
of the ordinary laws of ,god's          
,providence1 to neglect the daily and   
systematic training of the intellects of
 their children in conformity with      
,catholic discipline4  ,there are some  
who say they pay taxes1 and they1 of    
course1 would like to profit as well as 
others by their contribution to the     
school fund4 ,it is nothing but right   
that they should2 but they cannot1 and  
ought not1 to do so upon the conditions 
imposed on them4 ,the ,christians of the

 first centuries paid taxes to the      
,roman ,empire1 for they had been taught
 by their ,divine ,master to render unto
 ,caesar what belonged to ,caesar2 but  
rather than refuse to render to ,god    
what belonged to ,god1 rather than give 
up their faith1 or expose themselves to 
the danger of losing it1 they went to   
the lions4  ,at a later period1 the     
,irish1 so much taunted for their       
ignorance in reading and writing1 paid  
heavy taxes to the ,british ,government1
 and1 be it said to their honor1 they1  
for a time1 deprived themselves of the  
most useful knowledge1 not on account of
 their opposition to schools1 but       
because when the teachers of their      
choice were hunted down by government   
officials1 and shot like wild beasts1 if
 caught in the act of teaching1 they    
refused to go to the ,state schools1    
which they could not attend without     
betraying the faith of their ancestors4 
,we also pay taxes1 and will continue to
 do so in submission to a most unjust   

law2 but1 thanks be to ,god6 we are at  
liberty to seek legal redress1 and our  
exertions should increase until it is   
obtained by those very means which were 
used to establish godless schools1 viz43
 the press1 lecturing1 preaching1 etc41 
to form1 again1 public opinion in favor 
of ,christian schools1 and electing such
 men to legislatures as are down upon   
godless schools1 and advocate the       
establishment of ,christian schools for 
the well-being of our country4 ,in the  
meantime1 in order to preserve the true 
faith1 and save the world from the      
deadly indifference into which it is    
falling1 ,catholic schools must be got  
up1 and kept up1 at any cost4  ,finally1
 there are some of the clergy who say1  
,it is so much trouble to get up        
schools1 and to support them--where to  
get the teachers1 and the money to pay  
them4 ,true1 it is troublesome to       
establish schools2 but we have to live  
on troubles4 ,our very troubles become  
our ladder to heaven1 if borne for the  

sake of ,jesus ,christ4 ,if we do not   
wish to undergo troubles and trials of  
every kind for the sake of ,jesus1 and  
for the salvation of those for whom ,he 
shed ,his heart's blood1 we should not  
have become priests4 ,our right and     
claim to heaven can be established only 
by following our ,lord1 and by carrying 
our cross after ,him4  ,as to the fear  
of not getting money for building and   
supporting schools1 let us look at those
 magnificent school-buildings in every  
city and town of the country4 ,where did
 those priests who built them get the   
money8 ,it was no angel from heaven that
 brought it4 ,the parents of the        
children that are educated in these     
schools gave it4 ,let us rest assured   
that money will not be wanting to a     
priest if his zeal is great enough to   
show to parents the absolute necessity  
of ,catholic schools1 in order to save  
their children from becoming scourges   
for society in this life1 and from      
becoming victims of hell in the next4   

,let a priest unite great charity and   
affection for children1 and he will at  
once lay hold on the hearts and money of
 their parents4 ,those parents who have 
no money to offer1 will most willingly  
offer their labor for so noble a work4  
,this has been our experience for years 
in every place where we took charge of a
 congregation4 ,let every child--the    
poor excepted--pay from thirty to forty 
cents a month4 ,the money thus collected
 will cover all the expenses for        
teachers1 and for the books of the poor 
children4 ,parents are but too happy to 
have a priest who takes a lively        
interest in the temporal and eternal    
happiness of their children4 ,for the   
promotion of this happiness1 parents    
will give to the priest the last cent   
they have got--nay1 their own hearts'   
blood1 if necessary4 ,this we have      
witnessed many times4 ,we have          
established schools in country places1  
where the people made very little money2
 yet they were but too happy to give us 

money for the building and support of   
schools4 ,there are hundreds of priests 
who can say the same of themselves4 ,and
 should there be refractory characters  
who do not care about a good ,catholic  
education1 let us refuse them           
absolution1 as penitents who are not    
disposed for the worthy reception of the
 sacraments4 ,we cannot scruple to do   
this4  ,the voice of common sense1 the  
voice of sad experience1 the voice of   
,catholic bishops1 and especially the   
voice of the ,holy ,father1 is raised   
against1 and condemns1 the ,public      
,school system as a huge humbug1        
injuring1 not promoting1 personal virtue
 and good citizenship1 and as being most
 pernicious to ,catholic faith1 and     
life1 and all good morals4 ,a pastor1   
therefore1 cannot maintain the contrary 
opinion without incurring great guilt   
before ,god and the ,church4 ,he cannot 
allow parents to send their children to 
such schools of infidelity and          
immorality4 ,he cannot give them        

absolution1 and say1 ,innocens sum6 ,for
 he must know and understand that       
parents are bound before the ,almighty  
to raise their children good ,catholics1
 to plant in their hearts the seed of   
godliness and parental obedience2 this  
was their promise at the baptismal font4
 ,they are bound in conscience to redeem
 this promise2 but they cannot do this1 
so long as their children go to the     
,public ,schools2 for it must be        
conceded that children attending these  
godless ,public ,schools are in         
proximate occasion of sin1 and this     
occasion is in esse for them4 ,this     
being so1 parents cannot receive        
absolution unless they remove from their
 children this occasion of sin4 ,i do   
not see1 says the ,archbishop of        
,cincinnati--and many other bishops say 
the same--,i do not see how parents can 
be absolved1 if they are not disposed to
 support ,catholic schools1 and send    
their children thereto4  ,duty compels  
us--says the ,bishop of ,vincennes1     

,ind41 in his ,pastoral ,letter of      
#ahgb--;duty compels us to instruct the 
pastors of our churches to refuse       
absolution to parents who1 having the   
facilities and means of educating their 
children in a ,christian manner1 do1    
from worldly motives1 expose them to the
 danger of losing their faith4 ,this    
measure1 however1 being very rigorous1  
we intend that it shall be recurred to  
in extreme cases only1 and when all     
means of persuasion have been exhausted4
  ,as for teachers1 there are everywhere
 many young ladies who have received a  
splendid education1 and who would feel  
but too happy to become teachers for our
 children1 and bring them up in such a  
manner as to fit them for business in   
this life1 and for heaven hereafter4    
,but why so many objections8 ,it was in 
the following manner that two bishops   
silenced all such objections1 and made  
,catholic schools spring up all over    
their dioceses in a short time3 they    
told their priests that1 were they not  

to have schools within a certain limited
 time1 they would dismiss them from     
their dioceses2 and that1 should their  
parishioners not be willing to provide  
the means for establishing and          
supporting ,catholic schools1 they would
 withdraw from them their priests4 ,this
 looks like believing in the ,catholic  
,church4 ,from the moment that the      
priests saw this determination of their 
bishop--the people were overjoyed at    
it--,catholic schools1 and1 with them1  
,catholic life1 sprang up1 and diffused 
itself at once all over the two         
dioceses4  ,let1 then1 everyone of our  
clergy take courage1 and the ,lord will 
dispose the hearts of the rich and the  
poor in his favor2--the hearts of the   
rich to provide him with means1 the     
hearts of the poor to aid him1 by their 
prayers1 in the promotion of so noble a 
work as is the establishment of good    
,catholic schools4     ,,chapter ,,xv4  
,,zeal ,,of ,,the ,,priest ,,for ,,the  
,,catholic ,,education ,,of ,,our       

,,children4   ,it is a matter of fact   
that the ,protestant movement was       
chiefly directed against the ,papacy1   
and that it involved a hundred years of 
so-called religious wars4 ,this movement
 gave the princes who took the side of  
the ,church an opportunity1 of which    
they were not slow to avail themselves1 
to extend and consolidate their power   
over their ,catholic subjects1 and to   
establish in their dominions monarchical
 absolutism1 or what we may choose to   
call modern ,caesarism4  ,under plea of 
serving religion1 they extended their   
power over matters which had hitherto   
either been left free1 or subject only  
to the jurisdiction of the spiritual    
authority4 ,they were defenders of the  
faith against armed heretics2 and they  
pretended that this excess of power was 
necessary1 in order to succeed in their 
undertaking4 ,a habit of depending on   
them as the external defenders of       
religion and her altars1 of the freedom 
of conscience1 and of the ,catholic     

civilization itself1 was generated2 the 
king took the place in the thoughts and 
affections of the people that was due to
 the ,soverign ,pontiff1 and by giving  
the direction to the schools and        
universities in all things not          
absolutely of faith1 they gradually     
became the lords of men's minds as well 
as bodies4 ,in ,france1 ,spain1         
,portugal1 and a large part of ,italy1  
all through the seventeenth century1 the
 youth were trained in the maxim--the   
,prince is the ,state1 and his pleasure 
is law4 ,bossuet1 in his politics1 did  
only faithfully express the political   
sentiments and convictions of his age1  
shared by the great body of ,catholics  
as well as of non-,catholics4 ,rational 
liberty had few defenders1 and they were
 excluded1 like ,fenelon1 from the      
,court4 ,the politics of ,philip ,,ii4  
of ,spain1 of ,richelieu1 ,mazarin1 and 
,louis ,,xiv4 in ,france1 which were the
 politics of ,catholic ,europe1 scarcely
 opposed by any one1 except by the      

,popes1 through the greater part of the 
sixteenth and the whole of the          
seventeenth centuries1 tended directly  
to enslave the people1 and to restrict  
the freedom and influence of the        
,church4  ,trained under despotic       
influences by the skilful hand of       
despotism1 extending to all matters not 
absolutely of the sanctuary1 and        
sometimes daring1 with sacrilegious     
foot1 to invade the sanctuary itself1   
the people were gradually formed        
interiorly1 as well as exteriorly1 to   
the purposes of the despot4 ,they grew  
up with the habits and beliefs which    
,caesarism1 when not resisted1 is sure  
to generate4  ,the clergy1 sympathizing1
 as is the case with every national     
clergy1 with the sentiments of their age
 and nation in all things not strictly  
of faith1 had little disposition to     
labor to keep alive the spirit of       
freedom in the hearts of the people1 and
 would not have been permitted to do it1
 even if they had been so disposed4     

,schools were sustained1 but1 affected  
by the prevailing despotism1 education  
declined2 free thought was prohibited2  
and it is hard to find a literature     
tamer1 less original and living1 than   
that of ,catholic ,europe all through   
the eighteenth century1 down almost to  
our own times4  ,as the ,catholic       
religion was professedly patronized by  
the sovereigns1 the ,church1 in         
superficial minds1 seemed to sanction   
the prevailing ,caesarism4 ,the clergy1 
because they preached peace1 and thought
 to fulfil their mission without        
disturbing the ,state1 came1 for the    
first time in history1 to be regarded as
 the chief supporters of the despot4    
,they who retained some reminiscences of
 the liberties once enjoyed by ,catholic
 ,europe1 and the noble principles of   
freedom1 asserted in the ,middle ,ages  
by the monks in their cells1 and the    
most eminent ,doctors of the ,church    
from their chairs1 became alienated from
 ,catholicity in proportion as they     

cherished the spirit of resistance1 and1
 unhappily1 imbibed the fatal conviction
 that to overthrow the despot's throne  
they must break down the altar4 ,rightly
 interpreted1 the old ,french           
,revolution1 although bitterly          
anti-,catholic and infidel1 was not so  
much hatred of religion1 and impatience 
of her salutary restraints1 as the      
indignant uprising of a misgoverned     
people against a civil despotism that   
affected injuriously all orders1 ranks  
and conditions of society4 ,the         
sovereigns had taken good care that an  
attack on them should involve an attack 
on religion1 and to have it deeply      
impressed on their subjects that        
resistance to them was rebellion against
 ,god4 ,the priest1 who should have     
labored publicly to correct the issue   
made up by the sovereigns in accord with
 unbelievers1 would have promoted       
sedition1 and done more harm than good2 
besides1 he would have been at once     
reduced to silence1 in some one of the  

many ways despotism has usually at its  
command4  ,the horrors of the ,french   
,revolution1 the universal breaking up  
of society it involved1 the persecution 
of the ,church and of her clergy1 and   
her religious1 which it shamelessly     
introduced in the name of liberty1 the  
ruthless war it waged upon religion1    
virtue1 all that wise and good men hold 
sacred1 not unnaturally1 to say the     
least1 tended to create in the minds of 
the clergy and the people1 who remained 
firm in their faith1 and justly regarded
 religion as the first want of man and  
society1 a deeper distrust of the       
practicability of liberty1 and a deeper 
horror of all movements attempted in its
 name4 ,this1 again1 as naturally tended
 to alienate the party clamoring for    
political and social reform still more  
from ,catholicity2 which1 in its turn1  
has reacted with new force on the       
,catholic party1 and made them still    
more determined in their anti-liberal   
convictions and efforts4 ,these         

tendencies1 on both sides1 have been    
aggravated by the ,european revolutions 
and repressions1 till now almost        
everywhere the lines are well defined1  
and the so-called ,liberals are1 almost 
to a man1 bitterly anti-,catholic1 and  
the sovereigns seem to have succeeded in
 forcing the issue3 ,the ,church and    
,caesarism1 or ,liberty and ,infidelity4
  ,certainly1 as religion is of the     
highest necessity to man and society1   
infinitely more important than political
 freedom and social well-being1 ,i am   
unable to conceive how the ,catholic    
party1 under the circumstances1 could   
well have acted differently4 ,their     
error was in their want of vigilance and
 sagacity in the beginning1 in suffering
 the political ,caesarism to revive and 
consolidate itself in the ,state1 or the
 sovereigns1 in the outset1 to force    
upon the ,catholic world so false an    
issue1 or to place them in so unnatural 
and so embarrassing a position4 ,the    
truth is1 the ,catholic party1 yielding 

to the sovereigns1 lost1 to some extent1
 for the eighteenth century1 the control
 of the mind of the age1 and failed to  
lead its intelligence--they who should  
always be first and foremost in every   
department of human thought and         
activity4  ,that the struggles in       
,europe have an influence on the        
,catholic clergy and laity in this      
country1 cannot be denied4 ,as yet many 
of our ,catholics1 whether foreign-born 
or native-born1 seem scarcely to realize
 the fact that they are freemen1 and    
possess1 in this land of freedom1 equal 
rights with their fellow-citizens of    
every other denomination4 ,they have so 
long been an oppressed people1 that     
their freedom here seems hardly real4   
,and unhappily even some of the clergy  
seem to be too timid and backward in    
defending boldly and publicly those     
doctrines of our holy faith which are   
opposed to the popular errors of our    
infidel age4 ,so far we have1 thank     
,god1 been enjoying full religious      

liberty2 but it will depend mainly on   
the ,catholic clergy to maintain this   
liberty1 by upholding the religious     
principles upon which all true liberty  
is based4 ,in order to maintain these   
principles they must defend liberty of  
education to the utmost1 and must not   
cease to remind the ,state that it is   
its solemn duty to govern a free        
,christian people in a ,christian       
manner1 and according to the            
,constitution of the ,republic2 and     
that1 under no pretence whatever1 can it
 violate this ,constitution in so vital 
a point as is the education of our      
children2 and that it is a constant and 
crying injustice to tax ,catholics for  
the support of godless schools4 ,we must
 not yield any of our constitutional    
rights2 if we do1 the ,church will be   
implicated1 by degrees1 in the same kind
 of struggle which is now becoming so   
serious in ,europe4  ,now in order to   
meet with success1 let us take up the   
press4 ,in our country1 unfortunately1  

an unchristian press is guaranteed the  
fullest liberty1 and the evils that flow
 from that liberty are widely spread4   
,it is certain that this unrestricted   
freedom of the press1 which every one is
 ready to abuse1 and which allows every 
one to constitute himself a teacher of  
the public1 can be defended neither on  
principles of reason nor of faith4 ,it  
becomes1 therefore1 not only our        
privilege1 but our solemn duty1 to      
combat the unchristian by a really      
,christian press--a matter on which the 
,church1 and the ,head of the ,church1  
have spoken in an unmistakable manner4  
,if ,catholics have not thorough        
,catholic papers1 they will take        
periodicals which are not ,catholic4 ,to
 have even one good paper1 through which
 we can give expression to our thoughts1
 is a great blessing and a great gain2  
but that certainly does not enable us to
 give our voice that weight in the      
questions of the day to which it is     
entitled4 ,a great deal has1 of late    

years1 been done for the establishment  
of ,catholic journals1 and much good has
 been accomplished by them4 ,but far    
more might have been done had the       
,catholic press received more support   
both from the clergy and laity4 ,it is  
so easy for the clergy to give this     
support by encouraging the ,catholics in
 general1 but especially the members of 
so many excellent ,catholic             
associations1 to subscribe to such      
periodicals4 ,one word from the priest  
on the usefulness of having a good      
,catholic paper and magazine in the     
family1 will induce a hundred times more
 ,catholics to become subscribers1 than 
the longest appeal of a newspaper       
editor4 ,the stronger the ,catholic     
press becomes1 the more the attention of
 the nation is called to it1 the more   
shall we secure their respect for us and
 our religion4 ,yes1 it is absolutely   
necessary in a country like ours1 where 
religious tracts from ,protestant       
societies1 and pamphlets and periodicals

 of the most obscene character1 are     
flying over the land like leaves before 
the autumn wind1 that ,catholic journals
 should be called into existence on     
every hand1 and that no sacrifice should
 be spared to do so1 and to encourage   
those already in existence4 ,if the     
clergy only take the matter in hand1    
they will find those willing and able to
 carry the matter through4 ,let us use  
our talents1 as ,god shall grant us     
grace and ability1 that we may1 by so   
powerful a means as is the press1       
disseminate the principles of truth1 in 
order to contend with error4 ,the light 
of truth is far more calculated to      
dispel the darkness of error1 than the  
light of the sun is to disperse the     
darkness of the night4 ,why are there so
 many talents lying idle among us8 ,why 
so many pens that move not1 when they   
should be burning with love for ,god1   
and for the welfare of their fellow-men8
 ,why so many tongues that are ever     
silent1 when they might1 day after day1 

preach the good tidings of the ,gospel  
of ,christ8 ,let us rest assured ,god   
has given to us1 to every man his       
vocation1 his sphere of action and holy 
influence1 wherein he can proclaim to   
those around him that faith which maketh
 wise unto salvation4 ,let us not be    
cowards1--let us show as much           
determination and courage1 let us       
sacrifice as much for the propagation of
 truth as its enemies do for the        
dissemination of error2 bearing1        
however1 always in mind that the manner 
in which we must combat error ought to  
be charitable2 for otherwise it is not  
calculated to command respect1 and make 
a salutary impression4 ,it is thus that 
our fellow-citizens of other            
denominations will come to understand   
that we appreciate our liberty1 and know
 how to use it for the benefit of the   
public4  ,but all rights and liberties  
avail nothing1 in the end1 if ,catholic 
education itself is not what it ought to
 be4 ,and the great battle that is      

waging1 that education may not be       
deprived of its ,christian character1   
can be won by us only on condition that 
teachers1 and educators themselves1 as  
well as parents and the clergy1         
understand precisely the full bearing of
 the question4  ,to-day1 more than ever1
 we need a thorough ,catholic education4
 ,the enemies of our religion are now   
making war upon its dogmas more         
generally and craftily than at any      
former period4 ,their attacks1 for being
 wily and concealed1 are all the more   
pernicious4 ,the impious rage of a      
,voltaire1 or the solemn sneer of a     
,gibbon1 would be less dangerous than   
this insidious warfare4 ,they disguise  
their designs under the appearance of   
devotion to progressive ideas1 and      
hatred of superstition and intolerance1 
all the better to instil the slow but   
deadly poison4 ,by honeyed words1 a     
studied candor1 a dazzle of erudition1  
they have spread their gossamer nets of 
seduction over the world4 ,the press    

teems with books and journals in which  
doctrines subversive of religion and    
morality are so elegantly set forth1    
that the unguarded reader is very apt to
 be deceived by the fascination of false
 charms1 and to mistake a most hideous  
and dangerous object for the very type  
of beauty4 ,the serpent stealthily      
glides under the silken verdure of a    
polished style4 ,nothing is omitted4    
,the passions are fed1 and the morbid   
sensibilities pandered to2 firmness in  
the cause of truth or virtue is called  
obstinacy2 and strength of soul1 a      
refractory blindness4 ,the bases of     
morality are sapped in the name of      
liberty2 the discipline of the ,church1 
when not branded as sheer mummery1 is   
held up as hostile to personal freedom2 
and her dogmas1 with one or two         
exceptions1 are treated as opinions     
which may be received or rejected with  
like indifference4  ,nor is this        
irreligious tendency confined to        
literary publications2 it finds numerous

 and powerful advocates in men of       
scientific pursuits1 who strive to make 
the worse appear the better cause4 ,the 
chemist has never found in his crucible 
that intangible something which men call
 spirit2 so1 in the name of science1 he 
pronounces it a myth4 ,the anatomist has
 dissected the human frame2 but1 failing
 to meet the immaterial substance--the  
soul--he denies its existence4 ,the     
physicist has weighed the conflicting   
theories of his predecessors in the     
scale of criticism1 and finally decides 
that bodies are nothing more than the   
accidental assemblage of atoms1 and     
rejects the very idea of a ,creator4    
,the geologist1 after investigating the 
secrets of the earth1 triumphantly tells
 us that he has accumulated an          
overwhelming mass of facts to refute the
 biblical cosmogony1 and thus subvert   
the authority of the inspired record4   
,the astronomer flatters himself that he
 has discovered natural and necessary   
laws1 which do away with the necessity  

of admitting that a ,divine ,hand once  
launched the heavenly bodies into space1
 and still guides them in their courses2
 the stenographer has studied the       
peculiarities of the races2 he has met  
with widely-different conformations1 and
 believes himself sufficiently          
authorized to deny the unity of the     
human family2 in a word1 they conclude  
that nothing exists but matter1 that    
,god is a myth1 and the soul the dream  
of a dream4  ,thus do men attack these  
sacred truths1 which cannot be shaken   
without greatly injuring1 and finally   
destroying1 the social edifice4  ,now1  
when we see the snares so cunningly laid
 to entrap our youth1 can we wonder that
 so many of our ,catholic young men1    
even after they have been educated at   
,catholic colleges1 are caught in them1 
and fall into infidelity8 ,a short time 
ago1 a gentleman of great learning1 and 
a celebrated convert to our ,church1    
told me that he had the greatest trouble
 to keep his son from falling into      

infidelity1 though he was naturally     
inclined to piety4 ,he said that he had 
him educated at one of the best colleges
 in the country1 and that he felt       
surprised at the fact that so many of   
the young men educated there had become 
infidels4 ,i cannot1 he said1 account   
for this1 otherwise than by presuming   
that the religious training there is not
 solid enough2 that the heathen world is
 too much read and studied2 that        
principles somewhat too lax are in      
vogue2 that the truths of our religion  
are taught too superficially2 that the  
principles which underlie the dogmas are
 not sufficiently explained1 inculcated1
 and impressed upon the minds of the    
young men1 and that their educators fail
 in giving them a correct idea of the   
spirit and essence of our religion1     
which is based on divine revelation1 and
 invested in a ,body divinely           
commissioned to teach all men1          
authoritatively and infallibly1 all its 
sacred and immutable truths--truths     

which we are consequently bound in      
conscience to receive without           
hesitation4  ,now what ,i have said of  
certain colleges applies also1          
unhappily1 to many of our female        
academies2 they are by no means what    
they should be1 according to the spirit 
of the ,church2 they conform too much to
 the spirit of the world2 they have too 
many human considerations2 they make too
 many allowances for ,protestant pupils 
at the expense of the ,catholic spirit  
and training of our young ,catholic     
ladies2 they yield too much to the      
spirit of the age2 in a word1 they      
attend more to the intellectual than to 
the spiritual culture of their pupils4  
,but what is even more surprising than  
all this is1 that some of our ,catholic 
clergy1 and among them some even of     
those who should be first and foremost  
in fighting for sound religious         
principles1 and seeing that our youth   
are carefully brought up in them1 are   
too much inclined to yield to the       

godless spirit of the age--to the       
so-called liberal views on ,catholic    
education1 which have been clearly and  
solemnly condemned by the ,holy ,see4   
,they tell us poor people in the world1 
that1 if we are careless in bringing up 
our children as good ,catholics1 we are 
worse than heathens1 and have denied our
 faith6 that1 if our children are lost  
through our neglect1 we also shall be   
lost4 ,i would like to know whether ,god
 will show ,himself more merciful to    
those of our clergy who take so little  
interest in the religious instruction of
 our youth2 who make little or no       
exertions to establish ,catholic        
schools1 where we could have our        
children properly educated2 who1 when   
they condescend to instruct them1 do so 
in bombastic language1 in scholastic    
terms which the poor children cannot    
understand1 taking no pains to give     
their instructions in plain words1 and  
in a manner attractive for children4    
,as the pastor is1 so is the flock4 ,we 

enjoy full religious liberty in our     
country4 ,all we need is good1          
courageous pastors--standard-bearers in 
the cause of ,god and the people4 ,we   
would be only too happy to follow them1 
and to support and encourage them by    
every means in our power4 ,what an      
immense amount of good could thus be    
achieved in a short time6 ,our religion 
never loses anything of its efficacy    
upon the minds and hearts of men2 it can
 only lose in as far as it is not       
brought to bear upon them4 ,what is most
 wanted is not argument1 but instruction
 and explanation4  ,i can hardly account
 for this want of zeal for true         
,catholic education in so many of our   
clergy1 who are otherwise models of     
every virtue1 than by supposing the fact
 that their ecclesiastical training must
 have been deficient in many respects1  
or that they must have spent their youth
 in our godless ,public ,schools1 where 
they were never thoroughly imbued with  
the true spirit of the ,catholic        

,church--the spirit of ,god4  ,i have   
quietly1 for some time1 studied1 as far 
as ,i was able1 the prevailing spirit of
 our people2 noted the remarks and      
efforts of a few ecclesiastics1 laics1  
and ,catholic periodicals 7and1 alas6   
how very few7 made in behalf of the     
sacred obligation of education1 and     
endeavored to compare the results with  
the efforts1 and the observation made is
 sadly disheartening4  ,examine the     
,catholic almanacs1 the census of the   
various ,states1 or those of the ,united
 ,states1 and ascertain1 first1 the     
number of ,catholics in the country2    
second1 the number of those between the 
ages of six and twenty-one years2 then  
divide this last number by the number of
 ,catholic schools1 including colleges1 
academies1 convents1 parochial and      
private schools1 and the quotient will  
be what8 ,indifference to ,catholic     
education6 ,in other words1 this simple 
operation in vulgar arithmetic          
demonstrates that in no country claiming

 to be enlightened can be found thirteen
 millions of ,catholics with such an    
inadequate number of schools as we have1
 or are likely to have1 if a policy     
widely different from that which        
prevails at present be not early        
inaugurated and steadily pursued4 ,it   
is1 indeed1 true--and ,i willingly1     
cheerfully admit the fact--that most of 
our priests1 and nearly all our bishops1
 are exerting themselves zealously1     
strenuously1 and with marked success1 in
 the cause of education4 ,but not all   
the priests2 not all the bishops are    
enlisted in the cause2 nor are all in   
positive sympathy with it4 ,all may be1 
perhaps are1 agreed in believing that   
,catholic education is necessary2 but   
all are not agreed as to the necessity  
of ,catholic schools in which it may be 
secured4 ,unanimity exists as to the    
end1 but not as to the means to that    
end4 ,and this lack or absence of       
unanimity1 especially among those whose 
peculiar province it is to shape and    

direct ,catholic sentiment1 has         
produced1 and continues to produce1 the 
most injurious consequences4  ,many of  
the clergy are not opposed to the       
,public ,schools1 nor do they feel      
reluctant to publicly make known the    
faith which is in them1 when an         
opportunity presents itself4 ,many are  
opposed to these schools1 but theirs is 
a negative opposition2 that is1 they are
 not in favor of them4 ,they believe    
that ,catholic schools are better and   
safer1 but they do not consider it a    
duty incumbent on themselves to         
undertake the labor and trouble         
inseparable from the establishment and  
direction of parochial schools4 ,these  
reverend gentlemen are simply neutrals2 
that is1 if men may1 or can1 be neutral 
on such a subject4  ,thought is free1   
and it may1 perhaps1 be impossible to   
have entire unanimity in matters of     
opinion only2 but if one of the ends    
sought to be attained by the ,church be 
the securing to each child a ,catholic  

education1 it is very evident that the  
establishment of schools should not be  
left to the discretion or whim of the   
several pastors4 ,upon subjects far less
 important than that of schools1 the    
statutes in many dioceses are clear1    
explicit1 binding4 ,is there any reason 
for their silence on the subject of     
education8 ,our bishops have not only   
the power1 but the will1 to enforce such
 matters of discipline as they deem     
necessary4 ,this granted--because too   
clear to be denied--does it not follow  
that the establishment of schools maybe 
made obligatory upon pastors8 ,let      
discipline be made uniform1 and we will 
not witness such an anomalous condition 
of things as exist at present4 ,duties  
are never in collision2 obligations     
never clash4 ,there is but one right    
thing to be done1 but one right cause to
 pursue1 all things considered2 and     
whatever is in conflict with this cannot
 be a duty1 whatever may seem to be its 
claim4 ,in some parts of this country1  

the sacraments are refused to those who 
decline to have their children attend   
,catholic schools where such are        
convenient2 but there is not1 so far as 
,i am informed1 in those parts1 any rule
 making it obligatory upon pastors to   
establish such schools4 ,in other       
sections1 to withhold the sacraments for
 such a cause is unthought of4 ,the     
consequence is that many ,catholics are 
at a loss to understand why it is that  
an act which subjects them to such      
severe punishment in one diocese should 
in another not call forth even a mild   
reproof--pass unnoticed4 ,in actions    
indifferent in themselves1 it may be    
wise1 when in ,rome1 to do as the       
,romans do2 but where principle is      
involved1 such an easy adaptability     
cannot be encouraged4  ,in this laxity  
of discipline1 and in this want of      
uniformity1 in this wide difference of  
opinion among those who give direction  
to ,catholic sentiment1 and who speak1  
as it were1 ex cathedra1 may be found   

some of the causes for the indifference 
existing among our people on the        
question of ,catholic education4  ,but  
it is so convenient to allow things to  
go on in the old way1 and so hard to    
establish anything new4 ,yet a thing    
which1 in the great struggle between the
 ,church and antichrist1 is one of the  
most powerful means of victory1 is      
really worth the highest sacrifice4     
,indeed1 the establishment of thorough  
,catholic schools is the most important 
step that can be taken by our clergy to 
solve certain social questions1 and     
which can be solved only on ,catholic   
principles4 ,the greatest social danger 
of the age1 is the dechristianization   
and demoralization of the rising        
generation4 ,this dechristianization and
 demoralization are1 to a great extent1 
the cause of the wretchedness of        
society1 and make that wretchedness     
almost incurable4 ,what enormous        
dimensions has this evil assumed under  
the present godless system of education 

in the ,public ,schools6 ,but even the  
evils resulting from this system might1 
to a great extent1 be healed1 if the    
clergy labor1 with the zeal and fire of 
apostolic times1 to have good schools1  
and imbue our children therein with     
thorough ,christian knowledge1 with     
fervent piety and earnest devotion4 ,oh6
 if the children of light were only as  
wise as the children of the world1 we   
should witness wonders4 ,it is true that
 evil makes its way in this world better
 than goodness does1 but it is also true
 that goodness does not prosper1 because
 those who represent it take the matter 
too lightly1 or do not go about it as   
they should4 ,more is often done for the
 worst cause than men are willing to do 
or to sacrifice for the best4 ,a great  
deal has of late years been done for the
 establishment and maintenance of       
,catholic schools4 ,let us sincerely    
hope that a great deal more will be     
done1 and more universally2 and need    
requires us not only to pray1 but to    

work with all our strength1 with        
inexhaustible patience and devotion1 at 
the establishment of ,catholic schools1 
and make1 for this noblest of objects1  
sacrifices not less generous than those 
made by infidels in behalf of godless   
education4  ,it was thus that the good  
old gentleman spoke to me4 ,he uttered  
great truths4 ,his language is that of  
all good ,catholics in the country4 ,i  
have often heard it4 ,it is no          
exaggeration to assert that the         
salvation of those of our clergy who    
have charge of congregations depends1 in
 a great measure1 on the solicitude with
 which they promote the thorough        
,catholic education of those children   
who are confided to their care4         
,therefore1 ye shepherds1 hear the word 
of the ,lord3 ,thus saith the ,lord     
,god3 ,behold ,i ,myself come upon the  
shepherds1 ,i will require ,my flock at 
their hand4--7,ezek4 xxxiv4 #i1 #aj47   
,if our ,lord will require ,his flock at
 the hands of their pastors1 ,he will   

undoubtedly require from them a stricter
 account of that part of his flock for  
which he has always shown a particular  
predilection1 that is1 for children4 ,it
 was to children that ,he gave the      
special honor of being the first to shed
 their blood for ,his name's sake4 ,he  
has given them to us as a model of      
humility1 which we should imitate3      
,unless you become like little children1
 you shall not enter the kingdom of     
heaven4 ,he wishes that every one should
 hold them in great honor3 ,see that you
 despise not one of these little ones4  
,why not8 ,for ,i say to you1 that their
 angels always see the face of ,my      
,father who is in heaven4--7,matt4      
xviii4 #aj47  ,he wishes every one to be
 on his guard1 lest he should scandalize
 a little child3 ,it were better for him
 that a mill-stone were put about his   
neck1 and he cast into the sea1 than    
that he should scandalize one of these  
little ones4--7,matt4 xviii4 #f47  ,he  
says that the love1 attention1 and      

respect paid to a child1 is paid to     
,himself4 ,and ,jesus took a child and  
said to them3 ,whosoever shall receive  
this child in ,my name1 receiveth       
,me4--7,luke ix4 #dh47  ,he rebuked     
those who tried to prevent little       
children from being presented to ,him1  
that ,he might bless them3 ,and they    
brought to ,him young children1 that he 
might touch them4 ,and the disciples    
rebuked those who brought them2 whom1   
when ,jesus saw1 ,he was much           
displeased1 and saith to them3 ,suffer  
the little ones to come unto ,me1 and   
forbid them not3 for of such is the     
kingdom of ,god4 ,amen ,i say to you1   
whosoever shall not receive the kingdom 
of ,god as a little child1 shall not    
enter into it4 ,and embracing them1 and 
laying ,his hands upon them1 ,he blessed
 them4--7,mark x4 #ac-af47  ,the        
motives1 then1 that should induce every 
priest to devote himself zealously to   
the spiritual welfare of youth1 are3    
,first1 the great interest which ,jesus 

,christ takes in children2 and second1  
the more abundant fruits reaped from the
 care bestowed upon the young4  ,the    
,son of ,god came into the world to     
redeem all who were lost4 ,but do       
children profit by ,his abundant        
redemption8 ,do they draw from the      
source of graces that are open to all8  
,will they be marked with the seal of   
,divine ,adoption1 and be nourished with
 ,his own ,flesh in the ,sacrament of   
,his love8 ,will they be counted1 in the
 course of their career1 among the      
number of ,his faithful disciples1 or   
among the enemies of ,his law8 ,will    
they one day be admitted into ,his      
kingdom8 ,will they be excluded8 ,is it 
heaven or hell that will be their lot   
for all eternity8 ,it is we priests1 and
 almost we only1 that are expected to   
solve these problems4 ,children are the 
noblest portion of the flock that is    
confided to our care4 ,their fate is in 
our hands4 ,if our zeal is not active in
 their salvation1 ,jesus will lose1 in  

them1 the fruit of ,his sufferings and  
death4 ,how many are deprived forever of
 the sight and possession of ,god1      
because they have not received a good   
,catholic education4 ,who is to blame8  
,has the pastor sufficiently instructed1
 warned1 and watched over them8 ,how    
many lose their baptismal innocence     
almost as soon as they are capable of   
losing it1 grow up in vicious habits1   
grow old in sin1 and die impenitent at  
last1 because they were neglected in    
early youth1 were not subjected to the  
amiable yoke of virtue6 ,bonum est viro1
 cum portaverit jugum ab adolescentia   
sua4--7,thren4 iii4 #bg47 ,if the first 
years of life are pure1 they often      
sanctify all the after life2 but if the 
roots of the tree are rotten and dead1  
the branches will not be more healthy4  
,adolescentes1 cum semel a malitia      
fuerint occupati1 quasi incaptivitatem  
essent adducti1 quoquo diabolus jusserit
 eunt4--7,s4 ,chrys4 ,hom4 #ai in ,gen47
 ,education is the mould in which a     

man's moral1 intellectual1 and religious
 character is formed4 ,man will become1 
in his old age1 what education made him 
in his youth4 ,adolescens juxta viam    
suam1 etiam cum senuerit1 non recedet ab
 ea4--7,prov4 xxii4 #f47 ,all is a snare
 and seduction for youth4 ,if the fear  
of ,god1 the horror of evil1 the maxims 
of religion1 are not profoundly engraven
 in the soul1 what is to protect young  
people from their passions8 ,what can be
 expected of a young man who has never  
heard of the happiness of virtue1 the   
hopes of the future life1 and the       
blessings or the woes of eternity8 ,now 
who will give the ,christian education1 
if not the pastor8 ,can we rely on the  
parents8 on ,sunday-school teachers8    
,oh1 priests6 we are almost the only    
resource of these poor children4 ,can   
we1 knowing1 as we do1 how much ,jesus  
,christ loves them1 can we1 ,i say1     
resign ourselves to leaving them in     
their misery8 ,the kings of the earth   
have their favorites1 said ,st4         

,augustine4 ,the favorites of ,jesus    
,christ are innocent souls4 ,what is    
more innocent than the heart of a child 
whom baptism has purified from original 
stain1 and who has not1 as yet1         
contracted the stain of actual sin8     
,this heart is the sanctuary of the     
,holy ,ghost4 ,who can tell with what   
delight ,he makes of it ,his abode8     
,deliciae meae esse cum filiis hominum4 
,look at the mothers who penetrated the 
crowd that surrounded the ,saviour1 in  
order to beg ,him to bless their        
children4444 ,they are at first         
repulsed2 but soon after1 what is their 
joy when they hear the good ,master     
approve their desires1 and justify what 
a zeal1 little enlightened1 taxed with  
indiscretion6 ,ah6 let us understand the
 desires of the ,son of ,god4 ,suffer1  
says ,he to us1 suffer little children  
to come to me4 ,what6 ,you banish those 
who are dearest to ,me8 ,they who       
resemble them belong to the kingdom of  
heaven4 ,if you love ,me1 take care of  

,my sheep1 but neglect not ,my lambs4   
,pasce agnos meos4 ,despise not one of  
,my little ones4 ,videte ne contemnatis 
unum ex his pusillis4--7,matt4 xviii4   
#aj47 ,i regard as done to ,myself1 all 
that is done to them4 ,qui susceperit   
unum parvulum talem1 in nomine meo1 me  
suscipit4--7,ibid4 #e47 ,o ,saviour of  
the world6 the desire to be beloved by  
,thee1 and to prove my love for ,thee1  
urges me to devote myself to the        
,catholic education of our children4    
,how great and consoling are not the    
fruits of zeal1 when it has youth for   
its object6 ,the good pastor never      
despairs of the salvation of his sheep1 
whatever may be their wanderings2 he    
knows the power of grace1 and the       
infinite mercy of the ,lord4 ,but what  
difficulties does he not encounter when 
he undertakes to bring back to ,god     
persons advanced in age6 ,children1 on  
the contrary1 oppose but one obstacle to
 his zeal--levity4 ,all he needs with   
them is patience4 ,their souls are like 

new earth1 which waits only culture to  
produce a quadruple4 ,they are flexible 
plants1 which take the form and         
direction given to them4 ,their hearts1 
pure from criminal affections1 are      
susceptible of happy impressions and    
tendencies4 ,they believe in authority4 
,a religious instinct leads them to the 
priest4 ,they adopt with confidence the 
faith and the sentiments of those who   
instruct them4 ,oh1 how easy to soften  
that age1 in speaking of a ,god ,who has
 made ,himself a child1 and ,who died   
for us6 to awaken the fear of the ,lord1
 compassion for those who suffer1       
gratitude1 divine love1 in souls        
predisposed1 by the grace of baptism1 to
 all the ,christian virtues6 ,ask the   
most zealous pastors1 and all will tell 
you that no part of their ministry is   
more consoling than that which is       
exercised for youth1 because the fruits 
are incomparably more abundant4         
,although all my efforts for the        
sanctification of an old man1 ever      

unfaithful to his duties1 should be     
crowned with success1 they could not    
help his long life being frightfully    
void of merits1 and a permanent revolt  
against heaven4 ,but if there be a child
 in question1 my zeal sanctifies his    
whole life2 ,i deposit in his soul the  
germ of all the good that he will do1   
and ,i shall participate in all the good
 works with which his career will be    
filled4 ,all believers have come out of 
one single ,abraham4 ,from one child1   
well brought up1 a whole generation of  
true ,christians can proceed4 ,in this  
little flock that surrounds me1 ,god    
sees1 perhaps1 elect souls on whom ,his 
,providence has formed great            
designs--pious instructors1 holy        
priests1 who will carry far the         
knowledge of ,his name1 and aid ,him in 
saving millions of souls4 ,in what      
astonishment would the first catechists 
of a ,st4 ,vincent de ,paul1 of a       
,francis ,xavier1 be thrown1 had they   
been told what would become of those    

children1 and what they would one day   
accomplish6 ,but even supposing that all
 those confided to me follow the common 
way1 ,i have in them the surest means of
 renewing my parish4 ,to-day they       
receive the movement1 in fifteen years  
they will give it4 ,they will transmit  
good principles1 happy inclinations to  
their own children1 who will transmit   
them in their turn4 ,behold1 it is thus 
that holy traditions are established1   
and a chain of solid virtues            
perpetuated2 ages will reap what ,i have
 sown in a few days4 ,it is by these    
considerations that the greatest saints1
 and the finest geniuses of             
,christianity1 became so much attached  
to the education of youth4 ,st4 ,jerome1
 ,st4 ,gregory ,pope1 ,st4 ,augustine1  
,st4 ,vincent ,ferrier1 ,st4 ,charles   
,borromeo1 ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 ,st4
 ,joseph ,calasanctius1 ,gerson1        
,bellarmin1 ,bossuet1 ,fenelon1 ,m4     
,olier1 etc41 believed they could never 
better employ their time and talents    

than in consecrating them to the        
education of the young4 ,it is          
considered honorable and useful to      
educate the son of a monarch1           
presumptive heir to his crown4444 ,but  
the child that ,i form to virtue1 is he 
not the child of ,god1 inheritor of the 
kingdom of heaven8--7,gerson47 ,believe 
me1 said ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 the   
angels of little children love those    
with a particular love who bring them up
 in the fear of ,god1 and who plant in  
their tender souls holy devotion4 ,have 
we always comprehended all the good that
 we can do to children by our humble    
functions8  ,but if we wish for the end1
 we must also wish for the means--for   
,catholic schools4 ,they are the        
nurseries of the ,church1 as novitiates 
are the nurseries of religious orders4  
,the chief pastoral work of the ,church 
is to be done in the school4 ,the school
 must be the chief solicitude of the    
priest4 ,he must consider no trouble too
 great1 no sacrifice of time and        

convenience too much1 in order to secure
 good attendance and efficiency in the  
school4 ,neither sick calls1 nor any    
other ecclesiastical duties1 should be  
allowed to interfere with the school4   
,he must be the life and character of   
the school1 and it is principally he who
 must administer correction4 ,the       
authority of the priest1 his interest in
 the school1 and his relation towards   
the parents1 are far more persuasive and
 effectual as corrections1 than         
scoldings and penances inflicted by the 
master and mistress4  ,it seems to me   
that we cannot insist too much upon the 
vital importance of the ,catholic       
school4 ,a priest's time is never better
 employed than when three or four hours 
of it are daily spent in school--and    
that so regularly1 that his presence in 
the school is looked for alike by       
teachers1 children1 and parents--and    
when he then occupies another portion of
 his day in looking after the           
defaulters1 and in talking with parents 

over the school duties1 and the future  
prospects of their children4 ,thus the  
parents feel that in sending their      
children to be educated there1 they are 
not turning them over to a number of    
paid teachers1 nor even to ,brothers and
 ,sisters1 but to the clergy themselves1
 for their education4 ,this personal    
interest and solicitude of the priest   
reacts upon the parents as well as upon 
the children4  ,a pastor1 then1 wishing 
to secure the salvation of the best part
 of the flock of ,jesus ,christ1 must do
 all in his power to establish good     
,catholic schools1 and oblige parents to
 send their children to them1 and not to
 ,public ,schools--to the grave of      
,catholicity4 ,it is then1 also1 and not
 till then1 that we shall see more young
 people called to the priesthood1 and to
 such religious orders as devote        
themselves especially to the education  
of youth4 ,in ,europe1 the bishops and  
priests1 together with the laity1 fight 
for the liberty of educating the        

children according to ,catholic         
principles and customs4 ,in this        
country1 our religious liberty is as    
great as it possibly can be4 ,now not to
 profit by this liberty1 is for the     
shepherds of the flock of ,jesus ,christ
 to incur the greatest guilt2 it is to  
be like that ungodly ,bishop of ,burgos1
 who1 on being told by ,las ,casas that 
seven thousand children had perished in 
three months1 said3 ,look you1 what a   
queer fool6 what is this to me1 and what
 is that to the ,king8 ,to which ,las   
,casas replied3 ,is it nothing to your  
,lordship that all these souls should   
perish8 ,oh1 great and eternal ,god6    
,and to whom1 then1 is it of any        
concern8--7,life of ,las ,casas1 by     
,arthur ,helps47  ,to be destitute of   
ardent zeal for the spiritual welfare of
 children1 is to see1 with indifferent  
eyes1 the ,blood of ,jesus ,christ      
trodden under foot2 it is to see the    
image and likeness of ,god lie in the   
mire1 and not care for it2 it is to     

despise the ,blessed ,trinity2 the      
,father1 who created them2 the ,son1 who
 redeemed them2 the ,holy ,ghost1 who   
sanctified them2 it is to belong to that
 class of shepherds1 of whom the ,lord  
commanded ,ezekiel to prophesy as       
follows3 ,son of man1 prophesy          
concerning the shepherds of ,israel3    
prophesy and say to the shepherds3 ,thus
 saith the ,lord ,god3 ,wo to the       
shepherds of ,israel4444 ,my flock you  
did not feed4 ,the weak you have not    
strengthened2 and that which was sick1  
you have not healed3 that which was     
broken1 you have not bound up2 and that 
which was driven away1 you have not     
brought again2 neither have you sought  
that which was lost3444 and ,my sheep   
were scattered1 because there was no    
shepherd3 and they became the prey of   
all the beasts of the field1 and were   
scattered4 ,my sheep have wandered in   
every mountain1 and in every high hill3 
and there was none1 ,i say1 that sought 
them4 ,therefore1 ye shepherds1 hear the

 word of the ,lord3 ,behold1 ,i ,myself 
come upon the shepherds4 ,i will require
 ,my flock at their hands4--7,ezek4     
xxxiv4 #b-aj47 ,to be destitute of this 
zeal for the ,catholic education of our 
children1 is to hide the five talents   
which the ,lord has given us1 instead of
 gaining other five talents4 ,surely the
 ,lord will say3 ,and the unprofitable  
servant cast ye out into the exterior   
darkness4 ,there shall be weeping and   
gnashing of teeth4--7,matt4 xxv4 #cj47  
,what a shame for pastors of souls to   
know that the devil1 in alliance with   
the wicked1 is at work1 day and night1  
for the ruin and destruction of youth1  
and to be so little concerned about     
their eternal loss2 just as if it was   
not true what the holy ,fathers say1    
that the salvation of one soul is worth 
more than the whole visible world6      
,since when is it1 then1 that the price 
of the souls of little children has been
 lessened8 ,ah1 as long as the price of 
the ,blood of ,jesus ,christ remains of 

an infinite value1 so long the price of 
souls will remain the same also6 ,heaven
 and earth will pass away1 but this     
truth will not4 ,the devil knows and    
understands it but too well4 ,oh6 how he
 delights in a priest who is called1 by 
,jesus ,christ1 the hireling1 because he
 has no care for the sheep1 and who     
seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the   
sheep and flieth4--7,john x4 #ab47  ,on 
the ,day of ,judgment1 such a priest    
will be confounded by that poor man of  
whom we read1 in the life of ,st4       
,francis de ,sales1 as follows3 ,one day
 this holy and zealous pastor1 on a     
visit of his diocese1 had reached the   
top of one of those dreadful mountains1 
overwhelmed with fatigue and cold1 his  
hands and feet completely benumbed1 in  
order to visit a single parish in that  
dreary situation2 while he was viewing1 
with astonishment1 those immense blocks 
of ice of an uncommon thickness1 the    
inhabitants1 who had approached to meet 
him1 related that some days before a    

shepherd1 running after a strayed sheep1
 had fallen into one of these tremendous
 precipices4 ,they added that his fate  
would never have been known if his      
companion1 who was in search of him1 had
 not discovered his hat on the edge of  
the precipice4 ,the poor man1 therefore1
 imagined that the shepherd might be    
still relieved1 or1 if he should have   
perished1 that he might be honored with 
a ,christian burial4  ,with this view he
 descended1 by the means of ropes1 this 
icy precipice1 whence he was drawn up1  
pierced through with cold1 and holding  
in his arms his companion1 who was dead1
 and almost frozen into a block of ice4 
,francis1 hearing this account1 turned  
to his attendants1 who were disheartened
 with the extreme fatigues which they   
had every day to encounter1 and availing
 himself of this circumstance to        
encourage them1 he said3 ,some persons  
imagine that we do too much1 and we     
certainly do far less than these poor   
people4 ,you have heard in what manner  

one has lost his life in an attempt to  
find a strayed animal2 and how another  
has exposed himself to the danger of    
perishing1 in order to procure for his  
friend a burial1 which1 under these     
circumstances1 might have been dispensed
 with4 ,these examples speak to us in   
forcible language2 by this charity we   
are confounded1 we who perform much less
 for the salvation of souls intrusted to
 our care1 than those poor people do for
 the security of animals confided to    
their charge4 ,then the holy ,prelate   
heaved a deep sigh1 saying3 ,my ,god1   
what a beautiful lesson for bishops and 
pastors6 ,this poor shepherd has        
sacrificed his life to save a strayed   
sheep1 and ,i1 alas6 have so little zeal
 for the salvation of souls4 ,the least 
obstacle suffices to deter me1 and make 
me calculate my every step and trouble4 
,great ,god1 give me true zeal1 and the 
genuine spirit of a good shepherd6 ,ah1 
how many shepherds of souls will not    
this herdsman judge6 ,alas6 how just and

 how true is this remark4 ,if we saw our
 very enemies surrounded by fire1 we    
would think of means to rescue them from
 the danger2 and now we see thousands of
 little children1 redeemed at the price 
of the blood of ,jesus ,christ1 on the  
point of losing their faith1 and with it
 their souls2 and shall we be less      
concerned and less active for these     
images and likenesses of ,god than for  
their frames1 their bodies8  ,we hear a 
little child weeping1 and we at once try
 to console it2 we hear a little dog    
whining at the door1 and we open it2 a  
poor beggar asks for a piece of bread1  
and we give it2 and we hear the ,mother 
of our ,catholic children--the ,catholic
 ,church--cry in lamentable accents3    
,let my little ones have the bread of   
life--a good ,christian education--and  
we do not heed her voice4 ,we hear      
,jesus ,christ cry1 ,suffer the little  
ones to come unto ,me1 by means of a    
,catholic education2 we hear him say3   
,woe to him who scandalizes a little    

child--who makes it lose his            
innocence--his faith--his soul1 by      
sending it to godless schools2 we see   
,him weep over ,jerusalem1 over the loss
 of so many ,catholic children1 and we  
hear ,him say3 ,weep not over me1 but   
for your children2 and neither ,his     
voice nor ,his tears make any           
impression4 ,we say with the man in the 
,gospel1 ,trouble me not1 the door 7of  
our heart7 is now shut1 ,i cannot rise  
and give thee4--7,luke xi47 ,if an ass1 
says our ,lord1 falls into a pit1 you   
will pull him out even on a             
,sabbath-day2 and an innocent soul1 nay1
 thousands of innocent children1 fall   
away from ,me and pass over to the army 
of the apostate angels1 and become ,my  
and your adversaries1 and you do not    
care4 ,oh1 what great cruelty1 what     
hardness of heart1 nay1 what great      
impiety6 ,if we were blind1 we should   
not have sin2 but as ,jesus ,christ has 
spoken to us on the subject of education
 through ,his ,vicar on earth1 through  

so many zealous bishops1 through sad    
experience1 nay1 even through many of   
those who are outside the ,church1 we   
have no excuse for our sin of suffering 
devilish wolves to devour our youth in  
our country4 ,my watchmen1 says the     
,lord1 are all dumb dogs1 not able to   
bark1 seeing vain things1 sleeping1 and 
loving dreams4--7,isa4 lvi4 #aj47 ,truly
 the curses and maledictions of all     
those who led a bad life1 and were      
damned for want of a good ,christian    
education1 which we neglected to give   
them1 will come down upon us6 ,what     
shall we answer8 ,and he was            
silent4--,matt4 xxii4  ,marvellous1     
indeed1 have been ,god's gracious       
dealings with this poor land of ours1 so
 very far above what we could have      
dreamed or hoped for some years ago1    
that we may say in all truth that the   
finger of ,god has touched us4 ,that    
touch has quickened ,catholic life in   
our land to a wonderful extent2 not1    
indeed1 as yet1 with the great          

exuberance of ,catholic ,european       
countries1 but nevertheless with almost 
exulting gladness2 for to-day there are 
few indeed of our cities and towns in   
which at least the pulse of ,catholic   
life does not beat strongly4  ,but why  
have these great things been done for   
us8 ,why has our ,catholic life been    
increased and strengthened so           
wonderfully1 except to win more souls to
 ,christ1 to bring more of the ,american
 people into closer union with ,god8 ,if
 this be so1 then we must not leave our 
,lord to work alone2 we must be         
fellow-workers with ,him1 by helping    
forward the growth of holiness1 the     
progress of the spiritual life1 the     
poverty of the ,cross1 the spreading of 
,his ,spirit in opposition to the formal
 and self-indulgent spirit of the age1  
and this by every means in our power2   
and1 above all1 by multiplying amongst  
us ,catholic schools and institutions4  
,what the future may have in store for  
the ,church in ,america we cannot tell2 

whether1 when more of ,god's ,spirit has
 been poured out upon us1 our sons and  
our daughters shall prophesy1 and our   
young men shall see visions1 and our old
 men shall dream dreams1 as in the days 
of old2 but of this we may be sure1 that
 in exact proportion as our clergy exert
 that mighty energy which springs from  
the living faith that overcomes the     
world1 in order to leaven the mass of   
the ,american people1 and to build up1  
throughout the length and breadth of the
 land1 temples and schools to ,god's    
holy name1 and altars to ,his honor1    
will be the manifestation of the kingdom
 of ,god with power and majesty in the  
midst of this ,american land1 and the   
grasp of ,god's ,church upon the hearts 
and minds of this ,american people6     
99       99       99       99       99  
,i have now only to add that ,i submit  
this1 and whatever else ,i have written1
 to the better judgment of our ,bishops1
 but especially to the ,holy ,see1      
anxiously desirous to think nothing1 to 

say nothing1 to teach nothing but what  
is approved of by those to whom the     
sacred deposit of ,faith has been       
committed--those who watch over us as   
being to render an account to ,god for  
our souls4  ,now1 should the ,prelates  
of the ,church deem this publication    
ever so little calculated to promote the
 great cause for which it has been      
written1 the compiler will believe      
himself amply rewarded for his labor1   
and he will feel extremely grateful if  
they encourage its circulation by giving
 it their special approbation and       
recommendation4     ,father ,michael    
,mueller's ,books1  ,,for ,,sale ,,by   
,,patrick ,,donahoe1  ,,and ,,all       
,,catholic ,,booksellers4   ,,the       
,,blessed ,,eucharist ,,our ,,greatest  
,,treasure4 ,price1 #a4ej4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,letter  
from ,archbishop ,spalding4  ,we have   
read with much pleasure and with great  
edification this valuable work1 composed
 by one of our ,redemptorist ,fathers in

 ,baltimore4 ,we have found the matter  
solid1 well digested1 and instructive1  
and the style simple1 earnest1 and full 
of unction4 ,the examples are1 in       
general1 appropriately selected as      
illustrations of the text2 and many of  
them are very edifying1 and even        
touching4 ,these are1 of course1 to be  
received1 according to the author's     
timely protest in the beginning1 with   
the wise reserve expressly ordered by   
the ,church in regard to such matters1  
in the well-known ,bull of ,urban       
,,viii42 but1 with this necessary       
precaution1 such legends are profitable 
unto edification1 as the way of teaching
 by example is much more compendious1 as
 well as much more impressive1 than that
 by word or writing4 ,it is refreshing  
to find1 in this cold utilitarian age1 a
 work issued from the press so full of  
,catholic life1 and so glowing with the 
fire of ,catholic love4 ,believing that 
its extensive circulation and diligent  
perusal will be promotive of piety1 and 

will be useful to all classes both      
within and without the ,church1 we      
earnestly recommend the work to the     
faithful people under our charge4       
,,martin ,,john ,,spalding1 ,archbishop 
of ,baltimore4       ,baltimore1 ,feast 
of ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 #ahfh4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,letter from ,bishop ,luers4  ,rev4 and 
,dear ,sir3--',the ,blessed ,eucharist1'
 of which you have kindly sent me a     
copy1 is truly a charming work4 ,it     
should be in every ,catholic family4    
,yours truly in ,christ1       ,j4 ,h4  
,,luers1 ,bishop of ,fort ,wayne4       
,fort ,wayne1 ,january #bc1 #ahfh4      
,from the ,banner of the ,south1        
,augusta1 ,georgia4  ,we have read this 
beautiful book2 we have tasted the      
sweetness of its thoughts1 and we are   
reading it again4 ,there is a humility  
about its style so like ,his humility   
who dwells with us in the ,holy         
,sacrament3 deep thoughts in plain      
words--doctrinal sublimities in language

 so simple1 that a child1 without       
effort1 may understand4 ,it is indeed a 
book of piety1 and it will fill many a  
heart with love for the ,great ,mystery 
of the ,altar4       ,,rev4 ,,father    
,,ryan1 of ,augusta1 ,ga4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,letter  
to the ,editors of the ,baltimore       
,mirror4  ,messrs4 ,editors of the      
,baltimore ,mirror3--,if you have room  
in your columns1 permit me1 through     
them1 to say a word or two about ,father
 ,mueller's book1 ',the ,blessed        
,eucharist4' ,but how shall ,i begin8   
,to say it is great1 good1 or grand1 is 
not enough4 ,the nearest ,i can come to 
expressing what ,i feel about it1 is to 
say1 next to receiving the ,blessed     
,eucharist1 is the perusal of this      
inestimable book4 ,i wish to say to     
every reader of the ,mirror1 buy the    
book4 ,no matter how great a sinner you 
are1 the hope of speedy relief is       
pointed out to you here2 no matter how  
weak and discouraged you are1 the way to

 strengthen you is shown here2 no matter
 how dear the privilege is to you of    
receiving the ,blessed ,sacrament1 it   
will become doubly dear after reading   
this book4 ,to the rich ,i would say1   
buy two copies and give one to your poor
 brother2 his prayers and blessings will
 well repay you for the trifling        
expenditure4 ,to the ladies ,i would    
say1 spare yourself a bit of ribbon and 
buy the book4 ,to the gentlemen1 a few  
less cigars or drinks1 and buy the book4
 ,every single page of it is worth the  
price of the volume4 ,could dear ,father
 ,mueller have heard the prayers and    
seen the tears of a poor old lady who is
 crippled1 and cannot go to church1 when
 it was being read to her this morning1 
he would be rewarded as ,i know he      
wishes to be4 ,to one and all ,i say1   
buy the book4       ,,cecelia4          
,harrisburg1 ,pa41 #ahfh4   ,,prayer    
,,the ,,key ,,of ,,salvation4 ,price1   
#a4ej4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,letter from ,archbishop   

,spalding4  ,the ,book on ,prayer1 ,key 
of ,salvation1 is a collection of       
beautiful jewels4 ,it is a truly        
admirable book4 ,in point of intrinsic  
merit1 it is superior to its            
predecessor--the golden book on the     
,holy ,eucharist--making due allowance  
for the difference of subject4 ,it is   
replete with interest and solid         
instruction1 and is specially well      
adapted for spiritual reading in        
religious communities and in families4  
,we take much pleasure in recommending  
to our diocesans this excellent work of 
,rev4 ,m4 ,mueller1 ,c4,s4,s4,r41 which 
appears in a second revised edition4    
,m4 ,j4 ,,spalding1 ,archbishop of      
,baltimore4       ,baltimore1 ,ash      
,wednesday1 #ahfi4   ,,our ,,lady ,,of  
,,perpetual ,,help1 ,,in ,,the ,,work   
,,of ,,our ,,redemption ,,and           
,,sanctification4 ,with an ,historical  
,account of the ,origin and ,effects of 
the ,miraculous ,picture4 ,price1 #dj   
cents4         99       99       99     

99       99  ,letter from ,james ,a4    
,mc,master1 ,editor and ,proprietor of  
,new ,york ,freeman's ,journal4  ,,my   
,,dear ,,father ,m,ue,l,l,e,r1--,i have 
read the manuscript you were so kind as 
to leave with me1 on ',our ,lady of     
,perpetual ,help4'  ,i will say1        
sincerely1 that ,i think it even more   
valuable1 and more interesting1 than    
your book on the ,blessed ,eucharist1   
that has done so much good1 and is liked
 so much by pious souls4 ,more than this
 it cannot be needed to say2 but ,i will
 add that1 in my poor judgment at least1
 it is so desirable to have it speedily 
published1 that ,i wish the angels may  
tickle the lungs of any one that1 beyond
 what is necessary1 delays its          
production4       ,affectionately and   
humbly yours1       ,,james ,a4         
,mc,m,a,s,t,e,r4       ,new ,york1 ,may 
#ai1 #ahga4   ,,the ,,golden ,,rule2    
,,or1 ,,the ,,book ,,for ,,all4 ,price1 
#b4jj4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,from the ,boston ,pilot1  

,nov4 #be1 #ahga4  ,the author of this  
excellent work is the ,rev4 ,michael    
,mueller1 ,c4,s4,s4,r4--a name          
deservedly held in great esteem in the  
,catholic community4 ,we shall not      
praise the author for his eminent       
qualities1 for we do not wish to give   
him pain4 ,but of his work1 which we    
have carefully examined1 we must say    
that it will compare favorably with     
,rodriguez1 ,nigronius1 and ,cassian4   
,true1 it is written for ,superiors of  
,religious ,communities1 yet it will    
prove eminently useful to ,pastors and  
,directors of ,souls4 ,father ,mueller  
exhibits a knowledge of ,religious and  
,ascetic ,economy truly wonderful4 ,we  
bespeak for this work a wide            
circulation4 ,it is a book of that      
enticing class that1 once taken up1 it  
will not be laid down until read        
through1 from ,a to ,z4 ,dry as the     
subject may appear1 it is so handled    
that the ,utile ,dulci must needs be    
felt by all readers4 ,again we thank    

,father ,mueller for this new addition  
he has given to the stock of our        
,american ,catholic ,literature and     
profitable reading4       ,,rev4        
,,father ,,finotti4  ,from the ,new     
,york ,freeman's ,journal4  ,this book  
will be very valuable to ,superiors of  
,religious ,houses1 for whom it is      
primarily intended4 ,but it is the book1
 also1 for a great many others4 ,it is a
 book for ,catholic ,pastors of         
parishes--for they have governmental    
responsibility of souls4 ,it is a book  
for priests who sit in the              
,confessional1 for these1 too1 have to  
deal with all sorts of temperaments and 
of characters4 ,but it is a book1 also1 
for ,catholic parents--for these1 by    
,divine order1 have the care and        
responsibility for the right training of
 their children4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,from the         
,pittsburgh ,catholic4  ,this is a work 
which will be very acceptable to the    
,superiors of ,religious ,orders4 ,in a 

clear and forcible manner the reverend  
author has laid before us the awful     
responsibility1 with its trials and     
consolations1 which rests on the        
shoulders of all those who are called to
 rule and direct the various characters 
that enter the religious state4  ,the   
art of arts1 and the science of         
sciences1 is to rule--to govern men4    
,with this beautiful as well as profound
 saying of ,st4 ,gregory1 the reverend  
author opens his first chapter4 ,around 
it he hangs all the wisdom which many   
years of study and experience have      
enabled him to collect4  ,we have every 
hope that the work will meet with a     
well-merited reception4 ,it may truly be
 called the ',golden ,rule1' since it   
embraces all the duties of ,superiors4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,from the ,baltimore ,mirror1 ,nov4 #d1 
#ahga4  ,this excellent work1 by a      
talented and respected clergyman of this
 city1 although written principally for 
the instruction of those who have charge

 of religious communities1 will prove of
 immense benefit to all in authority1   
whether clerical or lay2 and while the  
director of souls will find in it much  
sound advice1 the parent1 the teacher1  
will treasure it as a safe guide in the 
performance of duties too often little  
understood4 ,if it is hard to learn to  
obey1 still harder is it to learn how to
 govern4 ,the perusal of ',,the ,,golden
 ,,rule' will do much towards avoiding  
the misuse of the 'brief authority' with
 which one is clothed4  ,the book bears 
the ',imprimatur' of the ,most ,rev4    
,archbishop of ,baltimore1 and its      
typographical execution does credit to  
the publishers4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,from the ,new    
,york ,tablet1 ,nov4 #aa1 #ahga4  ,this 
is truly a golden book1 full of sublime 
instruction for the governing and the   
governed1 not only in religious         
communities1 for whom it seems specially
 intended1 but amongst ,christians in   
the world4 ,it is a work of the highest 

importance1 and ought to find a place in
 the library of every religious house4  
,,triumph ,,of ,,the ,,blessed          
,,sacrament2 ,,or1 ,,history ,,of       
,,nicola ,,aubry4 ,price1 #ej cents4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,from the ,boston ,pilot4  ,this is a   
valuable work4 ,father ,mueller is a    
writer well-known to the ,catholics3 his
 writings have proved most acceptable   
for their solidity and practicalness4   
,this is a timely production1 when1 by  
an inexplicable inconsistency1 the      
agency of spirits is asserted1 and their
 existence denied4 ,the history of      
,nicola cannot be contradicted2 and page
 #aad contains the clearest exposition  
of the nature of ,spiritualism          
7spiritism71 and the conclusive proofs  
of its agency4       ,,father ,,finotti4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,from the ,new ,york ,tablet4  ,this
 little book is full1 from beginning to 
end1 of extraordinary and intense       
interest4 ,the narrative contained in   

the first part of it is one that shows  
in a remarkable manner the dread power  
of ,our ,lord in ,his ,sacrament of the 
,altar1 a power which the infernal      
legions recognize1 and before which they
 tremble4 ,the second part gives a short
 but deeply interesting account of      
modern spiritualism1 as the form which  
divination1 sorcery1 and devil-worship  
has assumed in our days4 ,it is written 
in a simple1 agreeable style1 that makes
 it pleasant to read4   ,,the           
,,religious ,,state4 ,price1 #ge cents4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,from the ,pittsburgh ,catholic4  ,this 
is an excellent little work--one which  
should be read by all4 ,it shows the    
origin of the religious state1 and the  
advantages to be derived by a life      
solely devoted to the service of ,god4  
,the many objections that are frequently
 put forward against religious orders   
are answered in a clear and brief       
manner4   ,,the ,,catholic ,,priest4    
,price1 #ej cents4         99       99  

99       99       99  ,from the ,new    
,york ,tablet4  ,the priest is measured 
in every light which the various        
obligations and phases of his sacred    
character throw around him4 ,his mighty 
proportions on the world's stage are    
drawn with power1 and thorough          
appreciation4 ,not a single grade in his
 ministry but is educed with a fine     
distinctness1 from the position in which
 he is the dear friend and adviser of   
his flock1 up to that awful height in   
which he is permitted to touch1 with his
 consecrated hands1 the ,body and ,blood
 of his ,lord and ,god4 ,written in a   
strain of fervent enthusiasm1 it is1 for
 ,catholics1 a book to be read and      
cherished4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,from the ,pittsburgh      
,catholic4  ,this is a small volume of  
#afc pages4 ,in it the learned author   
shows us how1 by the institution of the 
,sacred ,priesthood by our ,divine      
,lord1 the priest is constituted the    
light of the world1 the salt of the     

earth1 the guide1 father and friend of  
the people1 and the obligations the     
faithful are under to hearken to his    
counsels4 ,we wish the volume an        
extensive sale4         99       99     
99       99       99   ,,the ,,our      
,,father4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,price1 #ej cents4  
,,public ,,school ,,education4 ,price1  
#a4ej4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,,in ,,press4   ,,charity  
,,to ,,souls ,,in ,,purgatory4          
,,devotional1 ,,instructive1 c4  ,the   
,instruments of the ,passion of our     
,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,paper1 #ge cts4  
,cloth4 #a #ej  ,catechism of the       
,christian ,religion4 ,by ,rev4 ,s4     
,keenan4 #a #ej  ,instruction of ,youth4
 ,by ,gobinet4 #a #ej  ,preparation for 
,death4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4 #j #ge       
,instructions on the ,commandments4 ,by 
,st4 ,liguori4 #j #ej  ,reflections on  
,spiritual ,subjects4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4
 #j #ge  ,discourses ,addressed to      
,mixed ,congregations4 ,by ,rev4 ,j4 ,h4
 ,newman4 #a #jj  ,wiseman's ,sermons on

 the ,devotion to the ,holy ,eucharist4 
#j #be  ,the ,golden ,treasury4 #j #ge  
,the ,imitation of ,christ4 ,by ,thomas 
,a',kempis4 ,from #cj cts4 to #a #ej    
,treatise on ,prayer4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4
 #j #cj  ,the ,spiritual ,combat4 #j #cj
  ,familiar ,instructions4 #j #cj       
,river's ,manual4 #j #ge  ,the ,rosary  
and ,scapular ,book4 #j #ej  ,epistles  
and ,gospels for the ,festivals         
throughout the ,year4 #j #cj  ,the      
,forty ,hours4 ,paper1 #aj cts4         
,flexible cloth4 #j #ae  ,the           
,immaculate ,conception4 ,by ,j4 ,d4    
,bryant1 ,m4 ,d4 #a #jj  ,the ,month of 
,mary2 or1 ,devout ,meditations4 ,by    
,ferran4 #j #fj  ,the ,month of ,mary4  
,by ,muzzarelli #j #cj  ,a ,manual of   
,instructions and ,prayers for the      
,jubilee4 #j #je  ,the ,child's ,month  
of ,mary4 ,flexible cloth1 #bj cts4     
,paper4 #j #ab  ,the ,glories of the    
,virgin ,mother4 ,from the ,latin of    
,st4 ,bernard4 #j #fj  ,introduction to 
a ,devout ,life4 ,by ,st4 ,francis de   

,sales4 #j #ge  ,the ,holy ,communion4  
,by ,dalgairns4 #b #jj  ,questions of   
the ,soul4 ,by ,rev4 ,i4 ,t4 ,hecker4 #a
 #ej  ,aspirations of ,nature4 ,by ,rev4
 ,i4 ,t4 ,hecker4 #a #ej  ,an ,epistle  
of ,jesus ,christ to the ,faithful      
,soul4 #a #jj  ,the ,apostleship of     
,prayer4 ,by ,rev4 ,h4 ,ramiere4 #a #ej 
,manual of the ,apostleship of ,prayer4 
,by ,rev4 ,h4 ,ramiere4 #j #ce  ,love of
 ,religious ,perfection4 ,by ,rev4      
,joseph ,bayma1 ,s4 ,j4 #j #ge  ,a      
,pilgrimage to the ,shrine of ,st4      
,theresa4 ,by ,rev4 ,canon ,dalton4 #j  
#ae  ,all for ,jesus4 ,by ,faber4 #a #ej
  ,the ,blessed ,sacrament4 ,by ,faber4 
#a #ej  ,growth in ,holiness4 ,by       
,faber4 #a #ej  ,the ,creator and the   
,creature4 ,by ,faber4 #a #ej  ,the     
,foot of the ,cross4 ,by ,faber4 #a #ej 
,bethlehem4 ,by ,faber4 #a #ej          
,spiritual ,conferences4 ,by ,faber4 #a 
#ej  ,the ,precious ,blood4 ,by ,faber4 
#a #ej  ,ullathorne on the ,immaculate  
,conception4 #j #fj  ,an ,explanation of

 the ,devotion to the ,immaculate       
,conception4 ,by ,faber4 #j #aj  ,the   
,means of ,acquiring ,perfection4 ,by   
,st4 ,liguori4 #j #be  ,memorial to     
,preserve the ,fruits of ,first         
,communion4 #j #aj  ,via ,crucis2 or1   
,holy ,way of the ,cross4 ,from #e cts  
to #j #ae  ,little ,testament of ,our   
,lord and ,blessed ,virgin4 #j #ae      
,devotion to the ,pope4 ,by ,faber4 #j  
#ae  ,good ,thoughts for ,priest and    
,people4 ,by ,rev4 ,t4 ,noethen4 #b #jj 
,the ,garden of ,roses and ,valley of   
,lilies4 ,by ,thomas ,a',kempis4 #j #ej 
,christian ,catechism of an ,interior   
,life4 ,by ,rev4 ,j4 ,j4 ,olier4 #j #ej 
,think ,well ,on't4 ,by ,challoner4 #j  
#ca  ,manual of the ,sodality of ,b4 ,v4
 ,mary4 #j #de                          
#j #ij  ,manual of the ,sodality of ,b4 
,v4 ,mary1 and ,sacred ,wreath4 #a #be  
,manual of ,devotion to the             
,arch-,confraternity of the ,most ,holy 
and ,immaculate ,heart of ,mary4 #j #cj 
,a ,treatise on ,general ,confession4 #j

 #de  ,the official ,documents          
,connected with the ,definition of the  
,dogma of the ,immaculate ,conception4  
#b #ej  ,a ,treatise on the ,love of    
,god4 ,by ,st4 ,francis of ,sales4 #a   
#ge  ,the ,manual of the ,children of   
,mary4 ,from #ej cts4 to #a #ej  ,the   
,spirit of ,st4 ,francis de ,sales4 #b  
#jj  ,crasset's ,meditations for every  
,day in the ,year4 #a #hj  ,the         
,sufferings of ,our ,lord ,jesus        
,christ4 ,by ,father ,thomas of ,jesus  
#b #jj  ,the ,knowledge and ,love of    
,jesus ,christ4 #c vols4 #g #ej  ,the   
,spirit of ,st4 ,vincent de ,paul4 #b   
#jj  ,the ,sufferings of ,jesus4 ,by    
,catherine ,emmerich4 #j #fj  ,spiritual
 ,progress4 ,by ,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 ,cummings1
 ,d4,d4 #a #ej  ,selections from the    
,writings of ,fenelon4 #a #be  ,the ,ark
 of the ,covenant4 ,by ,rev4 ,thomas ,s4
 ,preston4 #j #fj  ,scenes in the ,life 
of the ,blessed ,virgin4 #j #ch  ,the   
,little ,month of the ,holy ,infancy4 #j
 #fc  ,the ,confraternity ,manual4 #j   

#de  ,the ,difference ,between ,temporal
 and ,eternal4 #b #jj  ,the ,practice of
 ,christian and ,religious ,perfection4 
,by ,rodriguez4 #c vols4 #d #jj  ,the   
,christian ,virtues4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4 
#a #jj  ,meditations on the             
,incarnation4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4 #j #ge 
,the ,visits and ,spirit of ,st4        
,liguori4 #j #ge  ,visits to the        
,blessed ,sacrament4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4 
#j #ch  ,eternal ,truths4 ,by ,st4      
,liguori4 #j #ge  ,glories of ,mary4 ,by
 ,st4 ,liguori4 #a #be  ,saintly        
,characters4 ,by ,dr4 ,nelegan4 #a #jj  
,the ,elevation of the ,soul to ,god4 #j
 #ge  ,spiritual ,maxims of ,st4        
,vincent de ,paul4 #j #ch  ,the ,spirit 
of ,christianity4 #j #ge  ,hay on       
,miracles4 #a #jj  ,butler's ,feasts and
 ,fasts4 #a #be  ,the ,youth's          
,director4 #j #ej  ,sancta ,sophia4 #a  
#be  ,on ,prayer4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4 #j 
#ej  ,hours ,before the ,altar4 #j #ej  
,manual of ,prayers for those ,seeking  
the ,true ,church4 #j #ge  ,month of    

,november4 #j #ch  ,the ,seraphic       
,staff4 #j #be  ,the ,rosary of the     
,blessed ,virgin4 #j #aj  ,the ,scapular
 ,book4 #j #aj  ,devout ,instructions4  
,by ,goffine4 #b #be  ,month of the     
,sacred ,heart4 #j #ej  ,the ,love of   
,mary4 #j #ej  ,love of ,christ4 ,by    
,st4 ,liguori4 #j #ej  ,the ,rule of    
,life4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4 #j #ej  ,mater
 ,admirabilis4 #a #ej  ,seven ,words of 
,jesus ,christ on the ,cross4 #j #aj    
,instructions and ,stations for the     
,holy ,season of ,lent4 #j #aj  ,a      
,general ,introduction to the ,sacred   
,scriptures4 ,by ,dixon4 #d #jj  ,a     
,treatise on ,baptism4 ,by ,most ,rev4  
,f4 ,p4 ,kenrick4 #a #jj  ,banquet of   
,theodulus4 #a #jj  ,the ,blessed       
,eucharist our ,greatest ,treasure4 ,by 
,mueller4 #a #ej  ,lectures on the      
,eucharist4 ,by ,wiseman4 #a #ej        
,lectures on ,holy ,week4 ,by ,wiseman4 
#a #jj  ,lectures on the ,doctrines of  
the ,church4 ,by ,wiseman4 #b #jj       
,catholic ,christian ,instructed4 ,by   

,challoner4 ,flexible4 #j #be           
,considerations on the ,world4 ,by ,rev4
 ,b4 ,s4 ,piot4 #j #ej  ,catechism of   
the ,vows4 ,by ,father ,cotel1 ,s4 ,j4  
#j #ej  ,devotion to the ,holy ,guardian
 ,angels4 #j #ej  ,devotion to the      
,heart of ,jesus4 ,by ,dalgairns4 #j #ge
  ,furniss' ,tracts4 #a #jj  ,glimpses  
of ,heaven4 #j #ae  ,grounds of ,faith4 
,by ,manning4 #j #dj  ,devout           
,christian4 ,by ,hay4 #a #be  ,sincere  
,christian4 ,by ,hay4 #b #jj  ,joy of   
the ,christian ,soul4 ,by ,damphoux4 #j 
#dj  ,lacordaire's ,letters to ,young   
,men4 #a #ej  ,little ,month of ,st4    
,joseph4 #be cts4 and #j #dj  ,spiritual
 ,exercises of ,st4 ,ignatius4 #a #ge   
,meditations for a ,retreat of one ,day 
in each ,month4 #j #fj  ,panegyric of   
the ,blessed ,aloysius4 ,flexible4 #j   
#be  ,poor ,man's ,catechism4 ,flexible4
 #j #ej  ,prayer1 the ,key of our       
,salvation4 ,by ,mueller4 #a #ej  ,pious
 ,exercises and ,practices in ,honor of 
the ,sacred ,heart of ,mary4 #j #ab     

,pious ,exercises and ,practices in     
,honor of the ,sacred ,heart of ,jesus4 
#j #ab  ,reflections on the ,passion4   
,by ,hearne4 #j #ge  ,the ,soul on      
,calvary4 #j #ge  ,the ,mission and     
,duties of ,young ,women4 #j #fj  ,the  
,month of ,mary4 ,by ,gratrey4 #j #ej   
,anima ,devota4 #j #fj  ,bona ,mors4    
,flexible4 #j #be  ,christian           
,perfection4 ,by ,damphoux4 #a #jj      
,christian ,sanctified by the ,lord's   
,prayer4 #j #cj  ,confidence in the     
,mercy of ,god4 #j #ej  ,devout         
,communicant4 #j #fj  ,hornihold on the 
,commandments and ,sacraments #b #jj    
,hours of the ,passion4 ,by ,st4        
,liguori4 #j #fj  ,love of ,christ4 ,by 
,st4 ,liguori4 #j #fj  ,spirit of ,st4  
,liguori4 #j #fj  ,visits to the        
,blessed ,sacrament4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4 
#j #ge  ,way of ,salvation4 ,by ,st4    
,liguori4 #j #ge  ,homilies on the ,book
 of ,tobias4 #j #ge  ,interior          
,christian4 #j #fj  ,lenten ,monitor4 #j
 #fj  ,little ,treatise on the ,little  

,virtues4 #j #de  ,manual of ,st4       
,augustine4 #j #ch  ,meditations of ,st4
 ,augustine4 #j #ej  ,soliloquies of    
,st4 ,augustine4 #j #ej  ,confessions of
 ,st4 ,augustine4 #j #ge  ,month of     
,mary4 #j #dj  ,memorials of a          
,christian ,life4 #j #ge  ,borgo's      
,meditations on the ,sacred ,heart4     
,flexible4 #j #ej  ,net for the ,fishers
 of ,men4 #j #jf  ,nouet's ,meditations 
for every ,day in the ,year4 #b #ej     
,oratory of the ,faithful ,soul4 #j #ej 
,office of ,holy ,week4 #fj cts4 and #a 
#jj  ,portraiture of ,true ,devotion4 #j
 #cj  ,reeve's ,practical ,discourses4  
#a #ge  ,sacred ,heart of ,jesus and    
,mary4 ,by ,lanzi4 #j #fj  ,sincere     
,christian's ,guide4 ,by ,gother4 #j #ej
  ,sunday ,monitor4 #j #ej  ,spiritual  
,director4 ,by ,st4 ,francis de ,sales4 
#j #ej  ,spiritual ,consoler4 #j #ej    
,challoner's ,meditations for every ,day
 in the ,year4 #b #jj  ,the ,month of   
,mary4 ,by ,kenrick4 #j #ee  ,rules of  
,christian ,life4 #a #ge  ,st4          

,liguori's ,spiritual ,works4 ,thick4 #j
 #hj  ,the ,catholic ,pocket ,library4  
,by ,st4 ,liguori1 #ac vols4 comprising3
   ,divine ,love and the ,means of      
,acquiring ,it4 #j #bj   ,consolation   
and ,encouragement of a ,soul4 #j #bj   
,means of ,acquiring ,perfection4 #j #bj
   ,conformity with the ,will of ,god4  
#j #bj   ,conversing ,continually and   
,familiarly with ,god4 #j #bj           
,practice of ,meditation1 and ,practice 
of ,perfection4 #j #bj   ,rules of a    
,christian ,life4 #j #bj   ,practice of 
,christian ,virtue4 #j #bj   ,obligation
 of ,children and ,parents4 #j #bj      
,explanation of the ,sacrament of       
,penance4 #j #bj   ,novena to the       
,sacred ,heart of ,jesus4 #j #bj   ,the 
,virtue of ,chastity1 and the ,enormity 
of the ,sin of ,impurity4 #j #bj   ,the 
,injuries done to our ,neighbor1 c4 #j  
#bj     ,in ,paper covers1 #aj cts4 each
  ,devotions to the ,heart of ,jesus4#j 
#ij  ,hell ,opened4 #j #cj              
,instructions on ,matrimony4 #j #fj     

,mary1 the ,morning ,star4 #j #ej       
,griffet's ,meditations4 #j #ej  ,novena
 of ,st4 ,anthony4 #j #ae  ,path of     
,perfection4 #j #hj  ,sinner's ,guide4  
#a #be  ,sinner's ,conversion4 #j #de   
,the ,ursuline ,month of ,mary4 #j #ej  
,the ,glories of ,mary4 #j #ej  ,the    
,glories of ,jesus4 #j #ej  ,the        
,glories of ,st4 ,joseph4 #j #ej  ,the  
,glories of the ,holy ,angels4 #j #ej   
,young ,catholic's ,guide in the        
,preparation for ,confession4 #j #jh    
,the ,year of ,mary4 #a #ej             
,meditations of ,st4 ,ignatius4 #a #ej  
,sacerdos ,sanctificatus4 ,by ,st4      
,liguori4 #j #hj  ,sodalist's ,friend4  
#j #hj  ,the ,religious ,soul ,elevated 
to ,perfection4 #j #fj  ,month of ,st4  
,joseph4 #j #ej  ,the ,little ,offices4 
#j #ej  ,mere de ,dieu4 #j #ej  ,man's  
,contract with ,god in ,baptism4 #j #ej 
,guide to ,salvation4 #j #dj  ,sacred   
,heart ,mission ,book4 ,o #ge  ,the     
,little ,manual of ,devotion to the     
,sacred ,heart of ,jesus4 #j #dj        

,despondency in the ,pursuit of ,piety4 
#j #fj  ,a ,treatise on the ,catechism4 
,by ,hamon4 #j #fj  ,marriage and       
,family ,duties4 ,by ,abp4 ,purcell4 #j 
#be  ,stations of the ,cross4 ,prepared 
by the ,jesuits4 #j #bj  ,devout ,manual
 of the ,holy ,family4 #j #ch  ,shadows 
of the ,rood4 ,by ,bonus4 #j #ge  ,the  
,hidden ,treasure1 or the ,holy ,mass4  
#j #ej  ,the ,sacramentals of the ,holy 
,catholic ,church4 ,by ,barry4 #j #ge   
,the ,imitation of the ,sacred ,heart4  
,by ,arnoudt4 #b #ej  ,a ,manual of the 
,catholic ,religion4 ,by ,weninger4 #a  
#be  ,the ,four ,gospels ,examined and  
,vindicated4 ,by ,bishop ,heiss4 #a #be 
,the ,day of ,first ,communion4 #j #aj  
,a ,treatise on the ,scapular4 ,by      
,colgan4 ,half bound #j #ej  ,the ,month
 of the ,holy ,angels4 #j #ej  ,bishop  
,david's ,retreat4 #a #be  ,practical   
,piety4 ,by ,st4 ,francis de ,sales4 #a 
#be  ,easter in ,heaven4 ,by ,weninger4 
#a #jj  ,the ,christian ,armed4 #j #ej  
,roothan's ,meditations4 #j #ej         

,following of ,christ4 ,from #fj cts4 to
 #b #ej  ,the ,graces of ,mary4 ,o #fj  
,the ,christian ,instructed4 ,by ,father
 ,quadrupani4 #j #ch  ,the ,little      
,testaments of ,jesus1 ,mary1 and       
,joseph4 #j #be  ,novena of ,st4        
,patrick4 #j #be  ,cardinal             
,lambruschini1 on the ,immaculate       
,conception4 #a #jj  ,the ,art of       
,suffering4 ,o #ch  ,perry's            
,instructions for the ,use of           
,catechists4 #j #ij  ,revelations of    
,st4 ,bridget4 #j #ej  ,the ,clock of   
the ,passion4 ,by ,st4 ,liguori4 #j #de 
,true ,spiritual ,conferences4 ,by ,st4 
,francis de ,sales4 #a #ej  ,office of  
the ,blessed ,virgin4 7,in ,latin and   
,english7 #j #ch  ,a ,short ,treatise on
 the ,rosary4 ,by ,heaney4 #j #ej  ,the 
,complete ,sodality ,manual and ,hymn   
,book4 ,by ,young4 #a #jj  ,guide for   
,catholic ,young ,women4 ,by ,deshon4 #j
 #ij  ,the ,great ,day4 #j #ej  ,the    
,school of ,jesus ,crucified4 #j #ge    
,appeal to ,christian ,young ,women4 #j 

#ej  ,life ,pictures of the ,passion4 #a
 #ej  ,particular ,examen4 ,by ,brother 
,philippe4 #b #jj  ,difference between  
,temporal and ,eternal4 #b #jj          
,paradise of the ,earth4 #a #ej         
,devotions to the ,sacred ,heart of     
,jesus4 ,by ,franco ,s4,j4 #j #ij  ,in  
,heaven we know our own4 #j #fj  ,segur 
on ,holy ,communion4 #j #ce  ,choice of 
a ,state of ,life4 #j #ij  ,the ,our    
,father4 ,by ,veith4 #a #ej  ,jesus and 
,jerusalem4 ,by ,sister ,m4 ,f4 ,clare4 
#a #ej  ,the ,catechism ,illustrated4 #j
 #ge  ,familiar ,discourses to the      
,young4 #j #ge  ,memoirs of a ,guardian 
,angel4 #a #jj  ,the ,happiness of      
,heaven4 #a #jj  ,the ,holy ,communion1 
,it is my ,life1 c4 #a #jj  ,the ,love  
of ,jesus1 or ,visits to the ,blessed   
,sacrament4 #j #ej  ,devotions to ,st4  
,joseph4 #a #jj  ,instructions on the   
,mass4 ,by ,sullivan4 #a #ej  ,the      
,vatican ,council and its ,definitions4 
,by ,manning4 #a #be  ,meditations on   
,st4 ,joseph4 #a #ej  ,the ,attributes  

of ,christ4 #a #ej  ,meditations on our 
,last ,end4 #a #ej  ,resume of          
,meditation4 #b #jj  ,meditations on the
 ,litany of the ,blessed ,virgin4 #a #ej
  ,beauties of the ,sanctuary4 #j #ge   
,,controversial4  ,plain ,talk about the
 ,protestantism of ,to-day4 ,by ,segur4 
,paper #be cts4 ,cloth4 #j #fj  ,short  
and ,familiar ,answers to the ,various  
,objections ,commonly urged ,against    
,religion4 ,by ,segur4 ,paper #be cts4  
,cloth4 #j #fj  ,trials of a ,mind in   
its ,progress to ,catholicity4 ,by ,dr4 
,ives4 #a #jj  ,the ,bible ,against     
,protestantism and for ,catholicity4 ,by
 ,dr4 ,shiel4 #a #jj  ,five ,lectures on
 ,catholicity and ,protestantism4 ,by   
,dr4 ,nichols4 #j #ge  ,manning's       
,shortest ,way to ,end ,disputes ,about 
,religion4 #a #jj  ,sure ,way to ,find  
,out the ,true ,religion4 #j #be        
,grounds of the ,catholic ,doctrine4 #j 
#be  ,the ,bible ,weighed in the        
,balance and ,found ,wanting4 ,by ,dr4  
,blake4 #j #dj  ,works of ,rev4 ,d4 ,w4 

,cahill1 ,d4 ,d4 #a #jj  ,an ,exposition
 of the ,apocalypse of ,st4 ,john1 the  
,apostle4 ,by ,rev4 ,e4 ,putnam4 #b #jj 
,an ,exposition of the ,principles of   
the ,catholic ,religion4 #j #aj         
,gropings after ,truth4 ,by ,huntington4
 ,paper #be cts4 ,cloth4 #j #ge         
,problems of the ,age4 ,by ,rev4 ,a4 ,f4
 ,hewitt4 #b #jj  ,apologia ,pro ,vita  
,sua4 ,by ,dr4 ,newman4 #b #jj  ,reason 
and ,revelation4 ,by ,rev4 ,t4 ,s4      
,preston4 #a #ej  ,dr4 ,newman's ,answer
 to ,dr4 ,pusey's ,eirenicon4 #j #ge    
,moehler's ,symbolism4 #d #jj  ,the ,see
 of ,st4 ,peter4 ,by ,allies4 #j #ge    
,the ,comedy of ,convocation4 ,paper #be
 cts4 ,cloth1 large edition4 #a #jj     
,spalding's ,lectures on the ,evidences 
of ,catholicity4 #b #jj  ,the ,primacy  
of the ,apostolic ,see ,vindicated4 ,by 
,kenrick4 #c #jj  ,a ,vindication of the
 ,catholic ,church4 ,by ,kenrick4 #a #be
  ,protestantism and ,catholicity       
,compared4 ,by ,balmes4 #c #jj  ,the    
,genius of ,christianity4 ,by           

,chateaubriand4 #b #ej  ,hughes and     
,breckenridge's ,oral ,discussion4 #b   
#ej  ,the ,bible ,question ,fairly      
,tested4 #j #ge  ,divine ,faith1 and    
,natural ,reason4 ,by ,baine4 #a #ej    
,the ,gentle ,skeptic4 #a #ej  ,kirwan  
,unmasked4 ,by ,abp4 ,hughes4 #j #ab    
,travels of an ,irish ,gentleman in     
,search of ,religion4 ,by ,moore4 #a #ej
  ,law and ,wilberforce's ,reasons for  
,submitting to the ,catholic ,church4 #j
 #cj  ,manual of ,controversy4 ,o #hh   
,milner's ,end of ,controversy4 #j #ge  
,the ,clifton ,tracts4 #d vols4 #c #jj  
,the ,convert4 ,by ,brownson4 #a #be    
,principles of ,church ,authority4 ,by  
,wilberforce4 #a #be  ,letters to an    
,episcopalian on the ,book of ,common   
,prayer4 #a #jj  ,our ,faith the        
,victory4 ,by ,bishop ,mc,gill4 #b #ej  
,the ,protesting ,christian4 #j #ae  ,an
 ,amicable ,discussion on the ,church of
 ,england4 ,by ,trevern4 #b #jj  ,answer
 to ,rev4 ,g4 ,s4 ,faber's ,difficulties
 of ,romanism4 #a #jj  ,defence of      

,catholic ,principles4 ,by ,gallitzin4  
#j #fj  ,letters to a ,protestant       
,friend4 ,by ,gallitzin4 #j #fj         
,difficulties of ,protestantism4 ,by    
,fletcher4 #a #jj  ,exposition of the   
,doctrines of the ,catholic ,church4 ,by
 ,bossuet4 #j #fj  ,letters to a        
,prebendary4 ,by ,milner4 #j #fj        
,letters ,concerning the ,roman         
,chancery4 #j #ge  ,notes on a          
,protestant ,catechism4 #j #jf  ,poor   
,man's ,controversy4 #j #ej  ,short     
,history of the ,protestant ,religion4  
,by ,challoner4 #j #ej  ,spirit of      
,religious ,controversy4 ,by ,fletcher4 
#j #ej  ,tracts4 ,by ,dr4 ,lingard4 #a  
#jj  ,hughes' and ,breckenridge's       
,controversy4 #b #jj  ,a ,vindication of
 the ,end of ,controversy4 ,by ,milner4 
#a #jj  ,baxter's ,most ,important      
,tenets of the ,catholic ,church4 #j #cj
  ,a ,protestant's ,objections4 #j #fj  
,unity of the ,episcopate4 #j #hj       
,white's ,confutation of the ,church of 
,englandism4 #a #be  ,charity and       

,truth4 #a #be  ,a ,catholic's ,apology1
 c4 #j #ej  ,galileo and the ,roman     
,inquisition4 #j #cj  ,the ,touchstone  
of the ,new ,religion4 ,flexible4 #j #ae
  ,italy and the ,papal ,states4 ,by    
,cardinal ,wiseman4 #j #be  ,fifty      
,reasons4 #j #be  ,papist               
,misrepresented4 #j #be  ,campbell and  
,purcell's ,debate4 #a #ej  ,development
 of ,protestantism4 #j #ej  ,on the     
,apostolical and ,infallible ,authority 
of the ,pope4 ,by ,weninger4 #a #ej     
,catholicity1 ,protestantism1 and       
,infidelity4 ,by ,weninger4 #a #be  ,why
 ,men do not ,believe4 ,by ,laforet4    
,paper1 #cj cents4 ,cloth4 #a #jj       
,vicker and ,purcell's ,debate4 #a #jj  
,christianity and its ,conflicts4 ,by   
,marcy4 #b #jj  ,conversations of a     
,catholic ,missionary with ,americans4  
#a #be  ,bossuet's ,variations4 #c #jj  
,religion in ,society4 #a #ej  ,pope and
 ,maguire's ,discussion4 #a #be         
,cobbett's ,legacies4 #j #fj  ,ward's   
,errata of the ,protestant ,bible4 #j   

#ge  ,his ,holiness1 ,pius ,ninth1 c4   
,by ,rhodes4 #j #ch  ,liberalism and the
 ,church4 ,by ,brownson4 #a #jj         
,catholic ,doctrine1 as defined by the  
,council of ,trent4 #c #ej  ,newman's   
,grammar of ,assent4 #b #ej  ,the       
,invitation ,heeded4 ,by ,dr4 ,stone4 #a
 #ej  ,the ,question ,solved4 ,by ,dr4  
,hannan4 #a #be  ,the ,visible ,unity of
 the ,catholic ,church4 #e #jj  ,a      
,catholic ,servant's ,apology4 ,paper4  
#j #je  ,mc,guire's ,lenten ,lectures4  
#j #ej  ,letters to a ,protestant       
,friend4 #a #be  ,points of             
,controversy4 ,by ,father ,smarius4 #a  
#ej  ,order and ,chaos4 ,by ,marshall4  
#j #be  ,rome and ,geneva4 #j #be       
,anti-,janus4 #b #ej