THE PAGANS OF MERRY ENGLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 182, 22 September 1876, Page 13

THE PAGANS OF MERRY ENGLAND.

Englishmen have the coolness to send missionaries to all parts of the world to " convert" from the Catholic faith, to indifference if not to Anglicanism, any souls who, if left alone, might become Christian through the instructions of Catholic missionaries. At the same time there are two awful pagans within their own doors — the pagan child and the pagan man. We ask attention* to this testimony from a Unitarian American writing to a New England paper, the ' Boston Christian Register, and we ask, is Cardinal Manning's zeal for Catholic schools in England unreasonable ? Here are a couple of tit-bits which have come to us from the North and the South, and deserve to sit down, for a brief immortality, in the ' Register.' One of our friends, walking his rounds the other afternoon, met a little girl of twelve or fourteen, when, the following took place :—: — Coming from school, hey ? Yes. Is it a Board School or Church ? Board School, sir. What is geography ? It tells about nouns. I Do you go to Sunday-school.? Yes, sir. Who was Jesus Christ ? Our Lord. What do you mean ? [No answer.] Where was Christ born ? On the Cross. No. He died there, did He not ? Yes. What did He die for ? To save sinners. How did he save them ? [No answer.] What good did Christ's dying do sinners ? I don't know, sir. What do you learn about the devil ? (No answer, and question twice repeated. At length, expostulating^, with a wild look all round) : — " Please, sir, teacher says that if we talk about he (with great awe) we shall go to he." Another friend, being from home when an afflicted, and yet a prudent, secularist called, received the following. If the above gives a glimpse of the hopeful conditions of our Board and Sundayschools in this shining land, this letter illustrates the state of grace -.and trust arrived at by a large class of hard-headed worshippers, know all about it, and call themselves secularists : — " Dear i»r. , This day I called at your residence to respectfully ask ' yc»u to officiate at my father's funeral, which, unhappily, will take place on Thursday, the 15th inst., at 4 p.m., in chapel yard . I have asked permission of the minister, which he readily granted. If you accede to my humble request, as I have a mother and two sisters whom I most dearly love ; and as I have six brothers who are equally beloved, and as we all tenderly, fondly, aye, and passionately loved our father ; and further, as we shall probably all be there, do not, I beseech you, harass up our already lacerated feelings by dwelling too much, on the emotional part of humanity. I can assure you that my father's Book of Life was so written that when, on the brink of eternity, Memory paused to review its pages., Conscience smiled, and folding up the volume marched on, having no fear of, and asking no favors in, a Hereafter. Hoping that yov will come, and that your terms will be moderate, I am, etc., etc."