RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

Sir,—I take it that the prime object of discussing the subject of the introduction of religious instruction in the public schools, is to elicit as much light and as little heat as possible, or as it is said the maximum of light and the minimum of heat. Your Allora correspondent gives out more heat than light. It's truth he wants, objective truth—the truth of things as they really are, and their causes and not false conceptions of things and their causes. If he had made himself a little better informed he would not surely have fallen into such gross mistakes. He must think your readers very ignorant of the modern history of France, and the true state of the case with regard to the Atheistical tendency of the Government in that unfortunate country towards religion in general, and education in particular when he attributes the evils to the teaching of the Catholic Church and specially the Jesuits— who are a religious order in the Church. Every educated person knows that secularism in education took its rise in France, and is the first offspring of the French Revolution. It breathes the spirit of the promoters of revolution, whose principles were founded on anarchy, irreligion, and atheism, brought about chiefly by the writings of Voltaire, Rousseau, and the Encyclopedists. The exclusion of religion and religious training from the public schools, began in the French Revolution and spread to other parts of Europe, and was adopted in whole or in part in the American States, and later in Australia, and New Zealand. This secular policy of education arose naturally and logically, out of the anti-religious philosophy with which Voltaire, and Rousseau and their school sought to blot out Christianity. The French public school system is secular at present, and has been so more or less since the Revolution , and is, to a deplorable extent, aggressively atheistical, though professedly 'neutral' in religion. It is frankly based upon the principles of the Revolution.

The Rationalist Historian Lecky (no friend of Catholicism), in his "Democracy and Liberty," describes it very plainly; "The law of 1882," (he says), "severely excluded religious teaching from the public schools." "It was a deliberate attempt on part of the Government of a country, to de-Christianise the nation, to substitute for religion, devotion to a particular form of government to teach the children of the poor to despise and repudiate what they learned in Church."  "The system " (he adds), "was both intolerant and demoralising and the lamentable increase of juvenile crime in France is probably largely due to the new system of teaching." To this hour an open or covert propaganda of dogmatic unbelief is carried on in the secular primary schools and departmental training colleges of France, both by text books and oral instruction M. Viviani, Minister for Labour, avowed amidst the cheers of the Government, and its supporters in the Chamber of Deputies .November 8 1900 "All of us together, by our fathers our elders, ourselves, we have devoted ourselves in the past to a work of anti-clericalism, a work of irreligion. We have torn all religious belief from human consciences, we have extinguished in heaven the lights which it will never re-kindle again. Such has been our work, our revolutionary work, and do you think this work is finished ? On the contrary, it is beginning, it is boiling up, it is overflowing. How are you going to respond, I ask you, to the child, now grown into manhood, who has learned from your primary instruction— further completed too as it is by the after school works of the Republic—to contrast his own condition with that of other men? How are you going to respond to a man who, thanks to us, is no longer a believer, whom we have deprived of his faith whom we have told heaven is void of justice— when he seeks for justice here below?" ("Official Journal," 1900) Viviani's speech was placarded all over France, by order of Parliament, at the public expense.

And, as M. Paul Bert used his official position as Minister of Instruction for the purpose of propagating atheism on the school children of France, so did M. Briand for the purpose of disseminating atheism among the teachers.

As you sow so shall you reap. The French people have allowed the principles of the Revolution to grow in their midst, and has produced a crop of secularists, Socialists, Anarchists, and Atheists, who, though a small minority of the people, have by the covert machinations and manipulations of secret societies more especially Freemasons, honeycombed themselves into the public services and Government positions so that they now hold the reigns of Government in their hands.

They are persecuting the Church and the clergy, and driving the religious orders out of the country out of hatred of Christianity, but their work is sure in God's own good time to recoil upon themselves, and arouse the Catholic spirit of France, for France is a Catholic nation still, though the Government is for the time being held by a handful of secret societies. Pius IX. pointed out the errors and dangers to society and religion arising chiefly out of the principles of the Revolution, and condemned them in his famous "Syllabus of Errors." Among the errors condemned were : Communism, Socialism, secularism in education, and secret societies. His successor, the great Leo. XIII., was assiduous in exposing to the world the same errors and condemning them, and the present Pope Pius X. is no less concerned for the welfare of society and religion in a practical way. Yet, notwithstanding all this, your correspondent says the teaching of the Catholic Church is the cause of all the mischief in France. He says : "For a century, at least, the Roman Church has had the control of the schools in France. They were filled with Jesuit teachers. The children of the country were in their hands. The Bible was only allowed to be read and interpreted under the careful guidance and according to the voice of the Church. This is a simple matter of history (the writer's history), which any man, be he Catholic or Protestant, can test for himself. For generations the schools of France were taught according to the dogmatics and traditions of the Roman Church. We have seen the "sowing," what about the "reaping"? My appeal is not to ancient history, but to the history of to-day. What fruit is the Church of Rome reaping in France to-day as the result of her hundred years' teaching in the schools of that nation? This, for one thing : The French people have cast out the Church; they have closed tho schools, and scattered the Jesuit teachers. Why? Because, in their judgment, Jesuitical teaching is subversive of that which is highest and best in the national life and character (of Freemasons). What is the judgment of the rulers" ? &c. &c. . . . .  .  "With all her dogmatism, with an her jealous supervision of Bible teaching, with all her denials of the right of private judgment and liberty of conscience, the one result of her century's teaching in France is an appalling crop of atheism and indifference to matters of faith in general." It would be hard to beat that for ignorance and error, bigotry and falsehood. It does not square well with the truth on the matter. She represents the tenets and tactics of a small section of Protestants, a very small section, it is to be hoped, for tho honour of our rational nature. The principles of the Revolution spread into the neighbouring countries, specially Holland and Belgium, and established in 1867 a "secular national education" which was at once branded as atheistical. The Dutch Protestant majority then did what the Catholic minority are now doing in Australia—they established schools of their own at their own expense. By 1888 (says Lecky) they had "no less than 480 Bible schools supported by voluntary gifts, with 11,000 teachers and 79,000 pupils. In the battle for religious education the Catholics and Dutch Protestants united and forced the Government to grant State aid to religious schools. In Belgium religious instruction is now obligatory in State aided institutions for primary and secondary education. Germany is very liberal in giving State aid to denominational schools, so is the British Government. In Newfoundland and in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, in Canada, denominational schools (Catholic and Protestant) are maintained out of the public funds. Why cannot Protestants and Catholics unite in Queensland for the same purpose and demand State aid for religious schools? Your correspondent need not worry over the poor benighted Catholics who follow the guidance and authority of the Church in matters of religion, and prefer to hear Her voice when any difficulty arises about the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, and the doctrine contained in them, rather than their own individual reason or fancy. They believe that God meant something definite in His revelation, whether written or unwritten, to mankind : and they believe that the Church was divinely instituted for and is divinely guided by the Holy Spirit in declaring and teaching mankind what that definite doctrine is, as necessary to believe for salvation. God has so appointed it, and so it is. "He that hears you hears Me, and he that despises you despises Me. He that believes and is baptised shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be condemned." They believe also the promise of God to be with the Church for all time to guide her in teaching the truth in faith and morals, so that the faithful may not be obliged to believe what is false. This is the bulwark of the Catholic, relying on which he feels secure in the true freedom in which God has made him free in doing His holy will. The Protestant principle of private interpretation of the Scriptures as the veto of faith, casts its followers on the wide sea of the world, to paddle their own canoe, without helm, pilot, or compass, wafted by every wind, stormed by every passion, and led by every error. For these reasons, Catholics do not believe that the State has any right to give or teach any system of religious instruction in the public-schools; or for that matter any other body of teachers, unless commissioned and authorised by the Church, as far as Catholics are concerned, and without relief to Catholics. The Protestant may glory in his freedom of conscience, but freedom of conscience, like liberty, may be taken in a false sense, and may lead to license and anarchy in the religious order as false liberty leads to license and anarchy in the social order. The cry of the promoters of the French Revolution was "Liberty," which led to anarchy, and all the horrors of the Reign of Terror ; so also did the authors, of the Protestant reformation raise the cry of "freedom of conscience," and "private' judgment," in matters of religion as opposed to the authority of the Church; and we know the results brought about by the endless multiplication of Protestant sects. And it is well known also that the promoters of the French Revolution and the Protestant reformation had very little respect for the liberty of conscience of others who opposed their will. The guillotine, the block, and the hangman's rope was the only hope held out to them. True freedom is founded on the just rights we owe to God and our fellow man ; and true freedom of conscience is founded on the will of God, revealed to us by Himself, and taught by His Church. And when an appeal is made to the traditions of Protestant forefathers, it should not be forgotten that the Catholic Church had a tradition of 1000 years before Protestant forefathers were heard of. She (Catholic Church), has seen the rise and fall of many Dynasties and Heresies, and she is destined, if the word of God goes for anything, to see the rise and fall of them all. Protestantism, at best, is only a break water to rationalism, secularism, atheism, and infidelity. Catholics do not believe in such principles being propagated to the children in the public schools, hence they have schools of their own, where religious teaching may be given in its fulness.—I am, sir. &c.,

JOHN HEGARTY, B.A., The Presbytery, Dalby.   

February 5, 1910.

The Brisbane Courier 9 February 1910,