CARDINAL MORAN'S RECENT PEECH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 737, 9 February 1910, Page 5

CARDINAL MORAN'S RECENT PEECH.

• v THE VIEW siATBD; '; .;; (By OorrespoidehU ;^ : ;._ -. ■■'•■■ Auckland, February, B.' ; .iThe .controversy .'in New i South -Wales and the attack made by Cardinal Morari on the Minister for Education (Mri Hogue) on the question; of 'Scripture lessons- in schools, and also: in■regard : to'-'State assistance'to Catholic sohools, is one which arouses veryi keen interest in all. quarters, and some interesting interviews oh the subject were obtained by a "Star", representative this morning, "-■. "'. ■ <■ . . - ;■:•■. .;,■ A' leading .'Roman- .Catholic .authority, when interviewed:on the subject; put;the case- plainly , and. lucidly; from Shis point o£ view.; -"Thovßchool system of New South' Wales as in New Zealand ;ie maintained by a tax ' upon the people," he said.; "Therefore, as the; Catholics contribute .then full quota' of taxation to the Treasury,: they have a right : to say . what. manner of . education /.shall/ be', given to their .ohildre'n.".' No.j Catholic can ,con- : scientiously accept, a purely, secular system of-, instruction, ■ for, the; reason, that' the years which their' children' spend in , school practically constitutes, the period in whioh the character is 'formed. : No amount; of: /secular,'. .knowledge; such as reading, writing,.;and. arithmetic, 'and other, purely, secular, sciences (whilst perfectly right in,their oWn~.sphere) will form; the charaeter-'or-help.' usv to keep the commands of God, nor are they an incentive to repress evil inclinations./", We/lay more omphasi9 on the' formation of. character than upon purely secular knowledge, and, ..therefore,: the, Catholio cannot -cOB..scientiously accepts a purely "seoulnr sys< tern of instruction or attend public schools in which Scripture lessons are read,' thus turning them into iomething'in the nature of Protestant. Sunday schobls. To do so'would be antagonistic to Oftthblic prii> ciples. No Catholic parent,can .serid'-his child, to «Uch schools arid,, therefore; as the Catholics provide their own schools they, demand somo' allowance ; from th 6 Government:-,to' defray the■• expenses .of their schools... They do." hot; in';making this.demand, ask' for,-eompensation'forre-ligious' .iratrnction/imparted, .but' tnefaly -for the Secular, instruction which! is given by them. - under. Government supervision and inspection in New. Zealand. ■ We have' 12,000;.-ohildren in < Catholic ■'- schools, .and, taking the .cost; per head on' a: basis ■ of £i,■ the Government: i≤ saved an'expenditure" of something like -J260,000 .per year as a result of the Catholics running their own schools.' .tin the Government State schools- there ..are .141,091 children;-and their instruction costs ■ the country £710,000 per ; onnura, .--When-.'yon;. think of it, New. Zealand's' increased naval;, subsidy; of ■".- : only represents ■ what' the' Gor' vernment; saves -: ae. : . a-: rfisult'; of : . the* Catholics maintaining their own schools." Referring to the denial byJCardinal Moran that the lesson books provided for 'instruction were the joint/production, of .the Ahglican and Catholio prelates (Archbishop Whateley and Bishop Murray); the gentleman: in question ; pointed; out that. Cardinal Moran's knowledge of Bishop Murray in 'Ireland ■■ would'enahle : ;him .to speak authoritatively on what ■' was the real truth of:the matter,;and whether.'the lesson 1 in' question' ever,had the imprimatur of .Bishop' Murray;'..;.-.' , : V :