St Vincent Seminary - Symposium Yearbook (Latrobe, PA)

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fllllllllllll-I :llls , . - . , . ' Y , . ll 7 l Y 0 0 0 allllllllmg , ug.-,, 5--X T f . . . . . . . . . O 0 0 It . . . . . . . 1 illlllllllllllli Ellli glmlg .. 05455 past ten years there has certainly been great stimulus in the field of education and the incalculable value of the school has been displayed Devine professor of Social Economy at Col- umbia University in h1s book Misery and Its Causes says Elementary schools have come to be the great bulwark of childhood supplementing the home and the church reaching out imperatively for the child who would otherwise be in the factory. The presence of such a system is postulated for the ideal community by Devine: later he adds the most important factor in his treatment of education: The final condition, which I name not lightly, nor yet with misgiving, is religion. We, as Catholics, premise the presence of religion in all educational endeavor since the use of the word without its guiding and con- structive force implies a certain contradiction. Student bodies in all our schools have increased in amazing fashion, and each year shows larger enrollments. The school appropriations have been materially increased, being tripled in many states within the past few years. Country as well as urban centers have within easy access grammar schools, high schools and, not infrequently, colleges and universities. A stabilized industrial system for the greater part of the country has been a favorable adjunct in the presentation of educational facilities this, coupled with a greater prevalence of competitive scholar- ships, has placed the school within the grasp of many who other- wise could not hope for such advantages This healthy economic condition which has prevailed for the past decade has motivated many endowment funds. The natural conse- quencesp research and experiment in the field of arts and SCIGHCGS have tended toward specialization. The result of specialized endeavor is apparent in the life of a student when he becomes a responsible voting citizen, since this system aids in bringing the mind to a sharper focal point of action. A trained mind more easily dlagnoses the gist of a statement than one that is an 1n- tellectual storehouse of odds and ends. So it seems the method of education today enables man to bring more finely adjusted faculties to bear on problems which are, to a great extent, age- old. The evident result IS the more widespread application of the first prlnciples of logical thought. The development of education- al fac1l1t1es has directly aided the growth of the new citizen This will be shown after a general exposition of its indirect effect upon that other essential of sane national living: religion, the prerequisite of all salutary education and government. That these two forces religion and education, mutually react upon If-Rx A wi uf: V f T T .ir zr,,5u, w,.fff.sLg..zl glllg' . ,.,,, . E 5 gum l,lmul'Ef' inns, zllllllel 2 : ' .Ah GIIIMIII llllli llllll .-I ls qnlulll Ill!!

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1-5 :lllf 'lllllllllllll P Q4 independent thinking body politic. VVe do not here fail to recog- nize that a very large number of persons are still content to have political and economic problems either personal or of a more remote nature decided by party leaders or current periodicals. Because these numbers are so vast lt would lndeed be foolish to be blind to the great field as yet unsuitable for the sowing of advanced political ideas However the outlook is extremely encouraging, especially in view of the rapid culmination of years of endeavoring to show the people that their will, when prompted by sound thought, can be supreme. It is obvious that the last few years have seen a triumph of many principles former- ly termed figments of idealistic minds It cannot be affirmed that the new citizen is so constituted as to be always correct or even fair in his views or interpretation of opinions affecting moral, social, and political life. His many JUIIIIIIIIIIJ Jlllllll.l'llL 5 I - Ellllll: 4 ni nu Q, gllllllz - . Q , 4- . , 'lllllllllllilr O , D I , O I , I O I , . . I . ' . . . 931-2 X r . . . . . . . . .. I I D , . . . I Slllllllllllils A Z5 A u 2 I u I I ' : Hllllllltllllf' ' ' errors, some very flagrant, will be manifest as we consider his or, at least, legislation obtained by subterfuge and trickery But the new citizen recognizes the presence of problems and strives valiantly to cope with them, and it may be presumed that out of his earnestness there will arise a clearer concept of national life. As one prominent writer of the day stated when speaking of the great presidential campaign: Politics are being talked to an extent not known in America within a generation. More people will vote than ever before. The issues are not clearly drawn, but they never are. At any rate, people are thinking about national problems and arguing about them and fighting about them. It may be that after this cogitation many Americans will go to the polls and vote stupidly. The voter who does not comprehend is always with us. Yet there is something to be said for the man who comes to a foolish decision. I like him better than the man who reaches no decision at all-. It is evident that such a situation exists and it is precisely because of this fact that we have hope for the future. The causes for this new birth in our elective body are manifold and variedl A consideration of some of them both in their fundamental simplicity and devel- oped form brings the realization of a force capable of far-reaching effects. f V The prime factor in the development of a citizenry able to use suffrage intelligently is of course, education, 'education by means of institutions of learning, periodicalshand magazines This fact is quite undebatable. It is with the school as a force for that purpose that we are here chiefly concerned. Within the R2 ll54ill EIIIIIIIIIIIIE glllg gllllllg funn: 11 llllllllllill action with reference to what might be termed forced legislation:

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Illlitlillllll x W f' 5' -H 'fIF1i ft sl r EQ. f X Ml I gs eff: 1 r' 7 If s . u . . : V: U guuuuau P 7 . ill -51. i. . Kg--Ig , - , - : 5 lx 5 ,,, slams. Elunmuur V - X i b A f each other is s1mply a matter of history, and in spite of the derogatory statements found in the works of supposed scholars upon the result of their respective reactions, it can be safely postulated that the results are good. This mutual reaction has proven most salutary in respect to the new citizen, who has come to the realization of the existence of a potent factor in the social order. This factor is the churchg particularly the Catholic Church. Certainly her advances have been of an outstanding nature in the past few decades. It must be admitted that many people still have rather vague notions as to the position of the church in regard to themselves as individuals and as members of the state, but, at least, they recognize that she must have some place in the scheme of all things. The church will take that place proper to her when these ideas, now so vague, crystallizeg it is a cause of rejoicing that they now recognize some of her rights, for this is the first step. The haze chiefly envelops non-Catholics, fallen-away Catholics, and those who have become tepid in the practice of religion. Members of the church corporate are coming to an appreciation of the deeper and more sublime truths upon which Christ built His edifice. We have witnessed the many societies that have been formed in the last few years, the impetus given Catholic newspapers and periodicals, the interest displayed in missionary activity, and the larger number of catechists work- ing in many of our dioceses. The world saw a magnihcient sermon on the citizenship of Christ's subjects on the occasion of the Eucharistic Congress at Chicago. It is not possible for one to be a good citizen of the spiritual state and, at the same time, a poor member of the civil government. The narrow bigotry of certain sections is slowly giving way to an intellectual consid- eration of matters for them sometimes difficult of comprehension, and with this advent comes hope for the future. The views of a person can never be corrected unless he is willing to consider the reason why they should be altered Today we hear considerable discussion about church and state The refiection upon the unification or separation of church and state 1S further 1nd1cat1ve of common thought, even if merely speculative The questlons the non-Catholic asks himself are What is my position towards my church with regard to the state? What is my position, especially, with regard to the.Cath Ol1C Church and the state? The Catholic would ask the second question only Both are natural interrogations considering the modern trend of thought The reason for the first query is easily explained it has a close personal relation. But why the second? K-5 Rl ll56ll 3 1 u L: T N .. f m Ill 1 Q 2 BIIIIIIIMIIIIL --- mmmnmr