BISHOP MORAN ON EDUCATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 65, 15 February 1884, Page 2

BISHOP MORAN ON EDUCATION.

m In his '^pastoral 7cfr 1884, Bishop Morari writes as ■ follows to his flock.:rOn many previous occasions wo called your attention to the allituportant question of education, and urged on you the necessity of providing Csitbolic Schools for Catholic children. It is consoling .and encouraging to be able to bear witness to the docility and zeal --with which you have responded to this call. Although comparatively few and poor, you established manjf excellent schools for both 'sexes at" yd'ur o v va sole expense. But though much has been done, very much still remains to be done. Renewed exertions/ -'•' therefore, will be demanded of all ; and the faithful of this dibcese mast' fcorttinue to make great sacrifices m order to hand down to their children . the &itb once delivered to the JSaints, " and without which it is impossible, to please God." ( Hebrews tu.,' v. 10). <■ U£T r You must trust.in r <xod,an J d your own exertions alone. The law of'tbe country taxes us for education, and excludes us from ihe public schoolrooms and all participation m public education,except on the condition of apostacy from our principals.- This is an efficacious exclusion.; for all sincere Catholics, and impose on then* the" iniquitous^btfrden of ,double taxation. 'iSut what makes this "burden more particularly-: 1 ' hard to bear is tlte — serious consideration that it is' a. professedly Christian people which; abandoniug-Charistian principles deliberately sanctions ' and enforces a :system of education which- ignores |ohrist, the Christian Church, the "family, and Christian society. We, Christian* and Catholics, cannot accept for our* children an unchristian and consequently an anti-Christian system of education. To dp §q : w<o.ulfUbe to deny the divinity of Qhrist ana proclaim Him an imposter ; to prove ourselves not the pastors and par^ts^pf.children, but their mosO .cruel enemies V and to proclaim ourselves, ; ,b;efore Heaven and earth, the degenei ate and apostate sons of faithful, self sacrificing fathers. No, my dearly beloved brethren, better suffer ; anything,- ;I hbwereir * painful, rather than incur the disgrace and awful responsibility' of sudh un6h>istian conduct. Fathers, mothers, and guardians of children, your most important obligation is to bring up 'your children m "the discipline and fear of the Lord," and_your neglecting to do so, by failing' to discharge your pei4oiikl obligations towards- them, of instruction correction, and example, or by expos.— ing them, to^ttie loss' of fiithTind'moraU iky m goaless schools amounts to all the criminality Resulting from. the loss of faith. " He," gays the Apokier « who neglects his own,' particularly those of his own household, has not the faith, and has become worse than an infidel.**