OPENING A CONVENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 272, 14 May 1912, Page 5

OPENING A CONVENT

THE CONFLICT WITH AGNOSTICISM. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wanganui, May 12. The ceremony of formally blessing and declaring open a new convent was performed this afternoon by Archbishop Redwood, in the presence of several thousand people. In the course of his opening address, the Archbishop said: "In our days, when error is so pretentious and aggressive, everyone must be as completely armed as possible with sound knowledge—not clergy only, but tlie people also—that • „ they may withstand the noxious influences of popularised irreligion. In 1 the great coming combat between truth and error, faith and agnosticism, ap imir I portant part of the fray must be borne * by the laity, and woe to them if they are not prepared—espe«ially in our era of popular' rights and liberties, when • every individual is an / active and in-> fluential factor in the hodv politic. J 'Alt- • should be fitted by suitable training' fof ' an intelligent and conscientious dia-_ charge of the momentous duties devoir-" j ing upon them. Oan anyone reasonably , deny that a sound civilisation must de-« -i pend upon sound education? Sound' edu- •' cation must develop what is best in man,, • j and make him not only clever, but good. I One-sided education—education with the best part, viz., religion, left out—will develop a one-sided life, and such a life \ will topple over, and eo will any social £■'{< system that is built on such lines. True .; civilisation requires that, not only phy- - sical and intellectual, but also the moral and religious, well-being of peoplfl should be promoted, and at least with equal care. "Take religion away from the people and morality will soon follow. Morality ' gone, even physical conditions will, ere long, degenerate into corruption whicK breeds decrepitude, while the people's in- , tellectual attainments would only serve to guide them to deeper depths of vice ' and error. That is so glaringly demonstrated in the past that it is amazing '■ that there can be two opinions about it. Many, unfortunately, say: 'Let religion , be the light and atmosphere of the home ! and church, but exclude it from the school.' What folly! Arc not childhood and youth the periods of life when' character * ought especially to be sub-' jectcd' to religious influence? And can we deny that the school system is so important a factor in the formation of the character of childhood and youth that its influence often outweighs those of the home and churcSh. Right-thinking men are being forced by reason and ex-1 perlence to recognise that the only pracv tical way to ensure a christian people is' to give our youth a chistian education."-'