Mgr. Lepicier on Catholic Education

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 52, 30 December 1925, Page 27

Mgr. Lepicier on Catholic Education

His Excellency the Visitor Apostolic made an important pronouncement on Catholic Education at St. Joseph's College, Naini Tal, on October 1 (says the Bombay Examiner). St. Joseph's College held their annual sports that day. The running, jumping, putting the shot, and the other items were very keenly contested. Joseph Watts won the best man's cup in the senior division and Narry Lubeck in the second. The drill displays were wonderful. The whole College took part in the club swinging, maze drill, physical drill, and gymnastics and it was truly a great pageant. His Excellency very kindly gave away the prizes. Addressing his Lordship, Dr. Poli, Bishop of Allahabad, and the great crowd present, he said: "My Lord Bishop, Reverend Fathers,, dear Brothers, my dear friends. It has given me great pleasure to. be present at your annual celebration on the • day which marks the anniversary of my landing in India. I have been most interested both in the dramatic performance you gave last evening and in the athletic sports and drill displays, which you have so successfully gone through to-day. And my pleasure has been enhanced by the fact that I have been privileged to distribute to you, my dear young friends, the prizes due to your athletic skill, a skill which does credit both to yourselves and your teachers. It is not every year, my dear boys, that the Bishop of the diocese and a Visitor Apostolic from Rome are" present at your great celebration, and so, I am sure, you will long remember the words I am about to say to you. My dear young friends, you have truly done justice to your motto: "Certa Bonum Certamcn" fight the good fight. But I find that this motto on your College crest encircles an emblem, a sacred emblem, the sign and instrument of our Redemption, the Cross, which as it is meant to qualify the nature of your fight (which is the fight of faith "Certamen fidei" as St. Paul says) so it is destined to be for you a continual reminder of that other truly athletic fight, the fight of Holy Faith, the reward for which is not a gold or silver cup, but an endless bliss in ' the bosom of God. And in this saving combat I know yon are well' trained by your teachers in St. Joseph's College. =

It is a well known fact, that the Irish Christian Brothers, true to the Faith preach-... ed by St. Patrick, consider it a sacred duty • : to train their pupils in the principles of Catholic Faith by giving them a sound religious instruction. ... ;-; What I wish to emphasise is this, that the :: secret of your academical success, my dearest i*. hoys, is due to the intelligent, .loving, and 7 unceasing care of the Christian Brothers, whose devoted zeal is personified by the kind- )j heartedness and spirit of sacrifice of the >j Superior, Brother 'Connolly. This is what has in my estimation secured to St. Joseph's College one of the foremost places amongst our Catholic Educational establishments in this country. But if I may paint to the motive power of the Brothers' successs I firmly believe it to lie in the fact that they place religious instruction at the basis of all their endeavors. They are rightly convinced that if the know- - ledge' of Christian faith and morals,is con- :., sidered as the most important factor in a V Catholic College, the students, passing through its halls, will turn out not only ■?" clever young men, but also loyal citizens and "-'.- good fathers of families, who will do honor i to themselves and society. It is the ' Chris- "': tian Brothers' cherished conviction and tradi- 7 tion, that the most important factor in the "M formation of a man's character is a full : § religious instruction imparted to him in his 7 youth, when the memory is vivid and reten- 1 tive, the intellect not yet encompassed by p the cares of life, and the heart still pure, 1 buoyant, and generous. ", | The theory that a boy, when freedom and 1 mature age with increased mental and 1 bodily faculties are his, will be better able ; to grasp, the truths of our holy religion rrs' : "J a grievous mistake in the field of pedagogy. ;J Youthful years are truly called the disci- f plinary and formative period when the in- 'M fluence of a. teacher is readily caught and fl often felt for life. That period once elapsed, and our young men, thrown into the turmoil M of life, exposed to influences mostly baneful,' J 3 haunted by the anxiety of providing for the S future, the passions of the heart developed|9 —oh then, the thought of inquiring into the saving truths of xelieion will if » n^inn : >'-3

; : be relegated to the second place and fail V^-tqjrouse, interest. "*-< You deserve high praise then, dear 8r0.,: ~: thers, for having understood that religious t l —: instruction is, for youth, that which really '•"'..'• matters. As Our Lord promised that to "' those who seek first the Kingdom of God and . His justice, all other things would be added, ' so we now rejoice in the success of this Col- ; lege, a reward, due, as I believe, to your .earnestness in teaching Catholic doctrine to . Vthe youth entrusted to your care. , 7 There is yet another point in your method 7 which calls for a special encomium, and that is that you adapt your instruction to the ... ; mental capacities of your boys. It is evident that ; a deeper and more scientific knowledge - .of our holy Faith should be imparted to the ; /grown students I see around me. They need .;to be- taught something of apologetics, in order that, as St. Peter recommends, they ■ : may be able to the Faith that \>C is in them. They need to-be put on their guard against the fallacies of unbelievers and " i the baneful moral teaching of self-constituted masters. ~~ Indeed the law of morality, as proclaimed :-:; by the Church should never be considered as - independent of the dogmas of our holy Faith. Faith and morals are not two separate provinces. They are but two distinct aspects of -one and the same eternal truth, proclaimed by-our Divine Lord. Hence the teaching of morals, to be really efficient, should be joined ; in our schools to the teaching of the dogmas of our holy Faith. Morals, if not based ' upon Faith are calculated to mislead manP kind. That is why moral teaching, based on ""Xreason and nature alone, is incapable not ': only of leading a man safe through the pit- -: l falls .of life, but often leads him into many errors. I have said the teaching of Faith and morals-should be adapted to the capacity and .;_ .age of the learner. Just as the young man, ;.'. whose mind has been developed by a well- * : regulated and' carefully graded course of ■'-' studies, is prepared to grasp the higher ;S truths of our Faith such as the motives of /credibility of revelation, the infallibility of -'.•■'." the Catholic Church, its historical develop- .-'; ment, so also has he the right to be taught : what Catholic morals arc concerning the im- .;'• portant duties awaiting him in life, and ■>'/- the dangers which await him in his earthly ..-./journey. ' The times in which we live are truly peril- -_■ r ous. Some persons heedless of all laws hu- - man and divine teach pernicious doctrines which are repugnant and even repulsive to ';' all who are endowed with an ordinary sense -f-' of what is decent and pure. Our grown ./Catholic children should be' guardedly warn--7; ed against these doctrines. /-;" '■■-':' I can only encourage you, dear Brothers, to continue in your efforts to bring up true i; Christians and worthy citizens! We all '-" - know and admire your spirit of self-sacrifice. ' my part I pray God that He may ever go^bless and prosper your efforts. And you, my |P dear boys of St. Joseph's College, I again y jv>congratulate you, while I choose to address /. you in the words of the beloved apostle, "I ;. J; write unto you, young men, because you are V strong, and the word of God abideth in '_"* you."

BOOK NOTICES The Song Book of the Gael. Collected by Elinor Hull. Tablet Office. Price, 6/6. This is the best anthology of translations from the Irish we have seen. The selection covers a vast range, from the early dawn of Celtic literature down to modern times. Reading the poems one is amazed at the tender love of nature revealed by the.lrish poets in the distant centuries. There are poems that sing the wars and the feats of the heroes, while others echo the sorrows of women weeping for their dead. There are love songs, the enchanting airs of which have drifted down to us through the ages. There are lyrics of haunting loveliness which once heard can never be forgotten. Here are the great old songs on the wings of which the spirit of patriotism was supported during dark days. Here, too, are tender prayers, breathing a fervor of devotion rare in our time. There are prayers before meals and after meals, prayers for going to bed and prayers for rising, invocations of Mary of the graces, of the Child Jesus, of the Blessed Trinity, of Bride, the "Mary of the Gael,'* and of Michael whose powerful aid our fathers sought, just as the whole Church does to-day in the prayer said after every Mass. Poems of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus. Paper, 3/6; cloth, 5/-. Burns, Oates, Washbourne. St. Teresa, who .founded the Carmelite monastery long age, was a writer of prose and verse. In the Order there has been preserved a traditional love of song, and so it was that when the St. Teresa of our day showed that she had the gift as well as her great patroness, she was encouraged to mako the most of it. It will surprise many to learn that she was no mean poet. Her verses were primarily meant to be sung by the nuns, and thus they depend a good deal on mush. But nobody who reads them can fail to be impressed by the delicacy of her taste a id by the elevation of her thoughts. The songs sing of themselves, and the stanzas have the freshness and the beauty of showers of roses. They combine a deep spiritual sense with charming simplicity, and, of course, the pervading note of them all is love My heaven lies within the small white host, Where Jesus veils for very love His light; The Source Divine of life I love the most, Where my sweet Saviour hears by day and night. 0 sacred moment, when in tenderness Thou comest that I live transformed in Thee! Union of love, wine from celestial press, 0 that is heaven for me! St: Joan of Arc: A Study of the Supernatural in Her Life and Mission, by Chanoine Roussell. Burns, Oates, Washbourne. Price, 6/-, * • Not only the ecclesiastical authorities but great French generals and leading men ,of letters in. France, have congratulated the author of this interesting study of the heroine of France It reads better than any romance, and it is a worthy tribute to the most romantic of all • the saints. Not only does the author give us a faithful and brilliant biography, but he also deals effectively

with the misrepresentations of St. Joan for which athestio criticism has been responsible. It is all done in a masterly manner by"a man who • is master of his subject. Hence, it is riot surprising that the book : has been.' welcomed by writers like Rene Bazin, Maurice Bertrand, etc. ■'. * ? • v^J Flights and Adventures of Paver and Mcintosh, by Lieutenant Raymond J. P. Parer. (Stevens, Melbourne). This book tells the true story of the adventures of two youths who performed the most daring feat of modern timesthe flight from England to Australia in a single-engine machine. It has 'been done by sheer pluck and determination but it is not likely that it will be done again. The account of the experiences of the two young heroes reads better than any' novel. It is indeed the; chronicle of a great adventure. ±M ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS Anxious.—(l) In the circumstances you mention it is not a mortal sin. This is a subject on which it is better to consult a confessor. (2) The origin of Masonry is wrapt in obscurity. Organised as it is to-day, it may be said to have begun with the foundation of the Grand Lodge in. England, in June, 1717. Curious. —(1) There are all sorts of stories about O'Connell's youthful extravagances. Most of them cannot be substantiated, so we had better reject them and remember •that he lived and died. a devout Catholic. (2) It is said that he was a Mason as a young man. The first sovereign to join this society was the Catholic German Emperor, Francis I, the founder of the Austrian line that reigned up to the War. The first active steps against it were taken by Protestant Governments. (3) The Papal pronouncements against it were by Clement XII, in 1738; Benedict XIV, in 1751; Pius VII, in 1821; Leo XII, in 1825 ; r Pius VIII, in 1829; Gregory XVI, in 1832; Pius IX, several times during his reign ; Leo XIII, several times. (4) Napoleon became Consul in 1799. He ill-treated Pius VII, but by his Concordat he restored to the Church the buildings .seized by the Directory, and religion flourished remarkably during his Consulship. The clergy had reasonable liberty and numerous new Congregations of men and women grew up. (5) Much of the hatred for 7 the Church was due to its clinging to the old regime. Read Belloc's • French Revolution for a really sound insight into the conditions. There is no authority for Carlyle's statement, about such a law, but no doubt the feudal lords ... did things just as bad. Dunedin Reader.— there was a Roman emperor named Gallien. His full title was Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus. . He was the son of Valerian. He was born about, the year 219 A.D., and died at _ Milan, March 4, 268.": He was "indolent and fond of sport, especially fishing. -He 1 granted full liberty to the Christians who had suffered under his father. The other ;. man of the same name (in past centuries) was Galien, a Dominican monk, who pro-" fessed philosophy in: the University of Avignon. He died at Le Puy in the year: 1762. He ; wrote a book on aerial naviga-

"■■' ' tion. His scheme was to construct a large ;*L cube-shaped vessel of strong canvas coated *; with wax and tar. It never came off in If; : his day. But it was the germ of modern p balloons. ||| Inquirer The feast of fools used to be 1 held, in many parts of England and £U- France, about January 1. It was known by •:/,. various names, such as Festum fatuorum, H \ Festum stultorum, Festum hypochondriaEl - corum, and in English, the Feast of Asses. H Its almost blasphemous extravagance H brought on it the condemnation of the jg. medieval Church. Possibly the Morris Dancers, or the Mummers, have some con- £:.. nection with its ritual. The Mummers t- were common enough in Ireland as ..lately Hi as twenty-five years ago. C*>