CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE SCHOOLS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 86, 12 April 1911, Page 4

CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE SCHOOLS.

TO THE EDITOR". Sir, — "-Rational" must imagine that those who desire the State to be truly national, and neutral, in religion have n-ever read history, and are ignorant of what the Catholic Church has done when it was united with the State, and was the State religion. Has it abandoned its policy? Why did it object to the separation of Church and Sta.te in Fiance and Portugal and Italy? Its goal is a Catholic theocracy. Bishop Cieary was quite right in insisting on the underlying principle of those who hold different views on State Education being declared, and what the Catholic view is no one can deny. It condemns, and has ever condemned, a "Godless" State. It desires the- Church, that is the Eoman Catholic Church, to bo united with the State, nay to dominate it. The claim for State aid for Catholic schools is a carrying out of the bame principle. At present it does not make this demand, but were it in a. majority it would malce the demajid. And what the results of Catholic education, and a Catholic State Church, have been history tells us. What nations amongst Christian nations have been the most ignorant? The number of illiterates in liussia, Spain, Portu, gal, and Italy can tell us ; and what of South America compared with Worth America? Wherever the schools areunder Catholic rule the people are more ignorant than where they are under secular control. The secularists' goal is a neutral State. It is really amusing to read "national's" defence of the Catholic Church refusing to allow a Protestant church 'in .Home or Madrid. This is the reply : "I supposfe- he (A. Burgess) would find fault with the New Zealand Government for being tardy in granting permission to the Chinese or Japanes-e to assume power in New Zealand." Is Eational so ignorant as to think that the eases are parallel t If so, he must have been educated in a ■■ Catholic school. The State iti New Zealand, being neutral in religion, never opposed the Chinese- having their Confucian temples wherever they were, and years ago they had them on the West Coast and elsewhere. Further, the- Protestants that wanted a church iti. Madrid were Spaniards, and in Rome were Italians. However, I hope Protestants will note that soms Catholics in New Zealand do not think it wrong to prohibit freedom of worship in countries where the majority are .Roman Catholics. — I am, etc., A. BUEGESS.