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lxxix His Divino Son; to prosent them to cach generation in the way that Will move their miniis and hoaris to embrum and love them; todefend them, When necessa , against every attack of error. Fromthis it is obviolis that the priost should have a Wide acquaintance missi every depariment os learning that has a Maring on religiolis truth. Hence in our age, When so many miste ing theories are put sortii oneVery Side, When every depariment of natural truth and fact is activolyexplored sor objections against revealed religion, it is evident homextensive and thorough Ahould be the knowlodgo of the minister otthe Divino Word, that he may be able to fhοW sortii morthily tho avty, the superiorib, the necessiw of the Christian religion, and toprove that there is nothing in ali that God has made to contradictanything that God has taught. Hunce tho priore Who has the n te ambition of a taining to thohigh levet os his holy ossico, may woli considor himself a stud ni althis liso; and of the leis e lioum Which he in find amid tho dutiis of his minist , he will have very seW that he in spare sor misceli
ilio Church in this count has been to Mnd sortii as rapi ij aspossibie holy, Malous, hard orking primis, to supply the nec is of the multitudes calling sor the ministrations of religion. Sho has noton that account neglected to prepare them sor their divine work by afuit te education, her numerous and admirabie seminarios testist; but the murae of Atudy Was osten more rapid and restricted thun shedestred. At proserit our improvin circumstances mine it practicable
ested as oursolves in the accomptishment of thoso great resulis. This
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proportioned to the dignity and incredures of the object for which youoffer it. And here me remind those among our Catholic peopte in Whom God has Men pie ed to give wealth, that it is thoir duW and their privilege to considor stemselum the Lo s steWarda, in the uae ofwhat His Providenre has placed in their haniis; that thoy should be remost in holping on the work of tho Chur in os Christ during lise, and malle sum to have God among their heim when they die; a me recommend to them as specially useful the seunding of schola inips, cither in thoir diocesin or provinciat Seminaries, or in Our
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practicabie, it is our destre, not lem than stat of the Holy See, thatthey should go into effeci. For we havo the fultost confidonee in thowisdom With wllicli tho Church devised these laws, and wo heartilyrejoice at every approach lowariis persect organiration in the portionof the vineyard over Which we havo jurisdiction. This has Mon tofomo degrue accompilahed by regulations enacted during recent years, and stili more by the decreos of the present Councit. But whilo it is our destro to do ali on Our pari stat both justice and affection can prompt, for fully securing ali proper righis and privileges to our primis, let ua reminit you, beloved brethren, that onyour conduci must their happinem chieny depend. A gratefies and pious floch is sum to make a happy pastor. But is the peopte do notrespond to their pastor's geat, is they are cold and ungratesul and dissidii ying, thon indoed is his tot sad and piti te. Since, there re,
ablo to thom as it is to you; stat it is not for themselves, but sortho nosci of the parish church or Achool, whicli are intended sor yourbenefit, or of the paristi poor, Who are your charge, that they have topleta; and that, While they are to bear in mind the advisability of spmring of money as seldom as possibie, you must be mindfui tomise yοur generosi inual to the need, and thereis inve both your pastore and yourselves the painsul necessi of frequent appinis. And here me deem it proper to say a seW morci conmming churinproperties and chi in debis. The maniter of holding the legat titioto these properties is different in disserent places, amor ling to the requirements of locat civit laws; but whethor tho titio bo hold by the bishop, or by boards os dio san or paristi trustem, it almus remiam true that the properties are held in trust sor the muroh sortite bonefit of the people. One generation bilys or bullds, another
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generation improves and ador , and incli generation usis and transmits for the use of outem yet to come bishops and priosis
having the burdon of the administration and Ming incrediy res n-sibio sor iis salthful perseman . In tho disinargo of this dub it osten becomes necessary to contractolturcii debis. Wliore the multiplication of the Catholic population has been so rapid, rapid mork had to be done in erecting Aurin and schoola. And is, under Auch circumstances, pastore had to mait fili ali tho means more collected besore beginning the work, agonoration mould be lest Without necessa spirituat aliis, and mi ibo lost to tho Churoh and to God. We fully recognixe, beloved brethren, lioW strictly we are bound to prevent me contracting os debla without reat necessity; and this me have eniteavored to effectis caresul legislation. Stili, despite ali our essoris, it must inevitablyhappen that the burden imposed on by our gigantic t k of providing sor the spirituat manis of the present and the rising generation mill always M licavy, and wili meigh umn us ali. Butthe special Provideum os God to arci our munt , Whicli has madesto mork and the need so great, has never Alled hithorto to inspireour peopte missi a gini equat to the demand. You havo rivallod yo pastora in the ardor of their destre for the bullding up of tho Churinos Christ and the extonsion of His K in Om; and we are confidentinat you mill preserve your mal unto the end, and transmit itundiminishod to your children. It is our earnest Wish that existingdebis aliould bo liquidatod as Eoon possibi' in order that themoney noW spent in paying interest may be employed in the grint improvemenis stili to be made, and repecialty in helping on theglorious Work of Christian education.
Marcely, is at ali, secondary to the in chla destre sor the education os the clero, is her solicitudo sor the oducation of tholaity. It is not sor themselves, but sor the people, stat the Churchwishes her clemy to M learned, as it is nes for themselves only, butfor the peopte that they are primis. Popular education has always en a tales objoot of the Chi chla caro; in sach it is not too muchio say that tho histo of the murali, work is the history os civiligation and education. In the rude ages, When semi-burbamus chieD
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lxxxiii inins Mastod of their illitera , sho suomedia in diffusing that love of learning whicli covered Europe milli Achools and universitim; and thus hom the barbamus tribes of the early middie ages, Ahe bulli up the civiliged nations of modem times. Even subsequent to the religious dissensio of the siri nili centurn Whatever progrem hasbeen made in education is mainly duo to the impetus which she had pressio ly given. In our oWn country, no illistanding the many difficultios attondant on fidit boginnings and unexampled groWth, already find her Achoola, academiis and colleges eve Where, bulliand sustained by voluntary contributions, oen at the cost os great sacrificos, and comparing savorably with the best educational institutions in the land, sor completen a of equipment and thorou mom ostra ing. Τheso facta abundantly attest the Churta's destre ser popularinstruction. The Naub of truth, the resining and elevating influences of knowledge, are meant sor ali, and Ehe wishos illem to bobrought wistin the reach of all. Knowledge enlarges our capaci both sor solLimprovement and sor promoting the welsare os oursello men; and in Eo nobio a Work the Churin wishes every handio be buV. Knowledge, too, is the best mea n against perniciolis errore. It is only a litile learning V that is a tangemus thing.VIn Mys like oum, When error is so pretentiolis and aggremiue, eVeryone n ει to completely armed as possibie With sound knowl-
ων,-uot only the clero, but also the peopte that they may be ableto mittatand the noxious influencos os popularigod irreligion. In the great coming conabat belween truth and error, betwoon Faith and Agnosticlam, an important pars of the sev must be borne by thelai , and Me to them is they are not meli prepared. And is, in theoiden Mys of v satage and se dom, tho Church honored overy individual, no mauer hoW humble his position, and labored to givo himine enlightenment that would qualist him sor higher responsibilities, . muta more noW, in the era os populis righis and libertim, When eve individuat is an active and influentiat sactor in the h politio, d sino destre that ait should bo siti ted by sultable training sor an intolligent and conscientious discliarge of the important dulios that may
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mahe him not only clevor but g d. A on sidod education Mildovolop a on sided lise; and Auch a lise Will surely topple over, and so mill overy sociat system that is bulli up of such livos. Τrue civiligation requires that not only the physical and intellectual, but also the morai and religious, mell-being of the people Ahould be improved, and at least mitti eques care. Τahe aWay religion from a pmple, milmorality Wili Mon solioW; morality gone, even inela physical conditionwill oro long degenerate into the corruption Which bretas decrepitude, whilo thoir intellectual attainments Would only serve as a lightto guido them to demer depilis of vice and ruin. This has boon sooston demonstrated in the history of the past, and is, in sare, M selLevident. stat ono is ammed in find any differetice of opinion a ut it. Α civiligation Witliout religion, mould be a civiligation of thostrumle sor existen , and the a vivat of tho 1ittest,'' in Which cunning and strength would be me the substitutes sor principie, Viriue, conscience and duty. AS a matter of Aci, there never has been a civiligation worthy of the name mithout religion; and Dom the facta of history tho laws os human nature in eastly be inferred. Henue education, in Order to sester civiligation, must soster religion. NoW ilio sum great educationat agencies are the homo, the Churin, and tho school. Three mouid men and Aliam society. There re inoli of them, to do ita pari Meli, must soster religion. But many, unsortunatoly, While avoWing that religion Ahould bo tho light and ths atmosphore of the homo and of the Chureli, are content to sis it excluded Dom the school, and even advocate as the best Achool systemthat whicli necessari ly excludes religion. FeW Aurely mill deny that childhood and youth ars the porioda os life When the character oughtespecialty to be subjected in religiolis influences. Nor in me ignore the palpabio saci that the school is an important factor in the formingos Ohildhood and youin, o important that iis influence When notharmoniging with the influences of homo and Churin, is osten seundio ou-eigh and neutrallae them both. It cannot, theresere, bed irable or Qvantagmus that religion Ahould bo excluded Dom thoschool. on the contrary, it ought to be there one of the clites agen-cios for moulding the Dung life to ali stat is true and virtuo , and holy. To fhut religion out of the school, and k p it sor homo and the Churin, is, logically, to trian up a generation that wili considerreligion good sor home and the Church, but not for tho practical
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not be imagined. Religion, in order to elevate a pe apte, fliould inspire thoir whole life and ruto their relations With one another.
influence of religion. From tho fhelter of homo and school, theyouin must soon go out into the busy ways os trado or tramc orprofessionat practim. In ali these, the principies of religion Ahould
animato and direct him. But he cannot expect to learn these principies in the mork-hop, or ossice or the muniin mom. There re
ences of homo and school, bosore ho is launched out on the dangemus Aea of list. Ali denominations os Christians are noW a-kening to this great truth which tho Catholio Church has never mased to maintain. Mawn and experience are forcing them to recognim that the onlypractical Way to secure a Christian people, is to give the youth a Christian education. The avo ed enomiis of Christianity in somo European muniries are banishing religion Dom the schoois, in orderio eliminato it gradually Dom among the people. In this they arelogical, and we may Weli profit by the temon. Hence the cry for Christian education is going up Dom ali religioua dies throughout
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lxxxvi CONCILIUM PLENARIUM BALTIMORENSE III.
rest illi this desere bo remediod. No paristi is completo tili it has Echoola adequale to the needs of ita children, and the pastor an lpeopte os such a paristi inould seel that they have not accomptishod their entire duty untii the want is supplied. But then, We must alao persect our schoola. - repudiate theidea that tho Catholic schoes need bo in any respect inferior to any other Achool Whata ver. And is histerio, in some places, our pmple have actod on the principio that it is Miter ω have an imperfectCatholic school than to have nono at ali, let them noW pvsh theirpiniscWorthy ambition stili surther, and not relax their efforis tillineir schools be elevated to the highest educational excellen . Andme implore paronis not to hasten to take thoir children Dom school, but to givo them ali ino time and ali the Quantages that in haveste capacity to profit is, so that, in aster lise, thela children may rise up aud ill thum bl sed.VTAE CHRISTI AN HOME.
We need hardly remind you, beloved brethren, that whilo homo life would not, M a rule, M sussicient to supply the absence os goodor muntoraut the evit os dangerous influences in the school, it isequat ly truo, stat ali stat the Christian school could accomptishmould lvi inadsequato Mithout the comperation of the Christian home. Christi in schools How the Med, but Christian homes must fidit preparetho soli, and astematas sester the Ared and bring it to maturity. 1. Christian Marriasse. he basis of tho Christian homo is Christian marriage; that is, marriage entered into according toreligion, and cemented by God's bl sing. So great is the linportunis of marri ago to the temporal and eternat welsare of man kinit, that, asit had God sor iis Foundor in the old Law, ω, in the New La , it was mised by Οur Divino Lord to the dignit y of a sacrament of the
Christian religion. Natural likings and instincis have their omvalue and weight; but they ought not by themselves to M a decisi vo motivo in so important a step as Christian marriam; nor are they asase guarantee sor the proper fulfilment of the high onds for whlehmarriage mas ordianed. That Christian hearis and lives may bo
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4. Good Re div.-Let ins adornmenis of home be chaste and holy pictures, and, stili more, Mund, interesting and profitable bookA. No indelicato representation should evor bo tolerated in a Christianhomo. Αrtistic merit in the work is no excuse sor the tanger thus prosented. No child ought to be subjecto 1 to temptation lis iis omparenis and in ira own home. But let tho walla bo boautisod withwhat will hoop the inmates in mind of our Divino Lord, and of His suinis, and with such other pictures of the great and the good millbe incentives to civio and religious Virine. The sanae remark applies equalty to books and periodicats. Notonly inould the immorat, the vulgar, the sensational novet, theindecently illustrared neWspaper, and publications tending to weahensaith in the religion and the Church of Jesus Christ, be absolutetyoxcluded from every Christian home, but the dangerousty excitingand morbidly emotional, Whatever, in a Word, is calculated to impatror lowor the tone of Aith or morais in the youthsul mind and heari, should bo carefully banishod. Parenta would M aure in Warn and withhold thoir children Dom mything that Would mison or sichentheir bodios; tot them M at least aes Walchful against whatever muld ison their soliis. Lot the samily book holves bo weli supplied with what is both ple ani and whol ome. Happily, the store of Catholic literature, as meli as Works Whicli, though not writton is
Catholim nor treating of religion, are pure, instructive and elevating, is now Ao large that there in be no excuse sor running rish or mastingono's timo with What is inferior, ininted or Auspicio . Remember,