Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/21

 yet, as  Frassinetti  rightly  contends,  the  first  and  chiefest  step  in  catechizing is  to  give  children  a grand  and  exalted  idea  of  God. Even the Middle Catechisms  do  not  require  their  pupils  to  soar  to  such  metaphysical heights  as  we  expect  our  infants  to  scale.

To some  it  will  seem  that  both  methods  are  right,  if  each  be  kept in its  place:  that  we  need  both  a digest  of  theology  and  a religious primer. At the  same  time  it  is  respectfully  insisted  that  the  two  works are so  different  in  scope  und  material  that  any  attempt  to  fuse  them into one  is  foredoomed  to  failure. Surely, all  must  allow  that  religious teaching comes  first,  theological  explanation  a long  way  second,  and theological terms  are  to  be  admitted  only  when  they  cannot  be  kept  out.

Thus we  have  again  veered  round  to  the  previous  question: whether it is  better  to  have  one  Catechism  or  several ? Those who  maintain  the necessity of  having  several  Catechisms,  or  several  grades  in  the  one Catechism, can  at  all  events  appeal  to  the  example  of  St.  Paul,  who prescribed milk  for  the  weak  and  solid  food  for  the  strong.

There is  yet  a third  point  on  which  we  need  light,  and  that  is  the disposition and  order  in  which  the  material  should  be  set. In what order should  the  Catechism  be  arranged ? On a metaphysical  or  a practical plan ? The order  followed  in  the  English  Catechism  is  severely  metaphysical, and  consequently  children  do  not  learn  till  late  many  things that they  require  to  know  early. Take, for  instance,  the  Sacrament  of Penance  and  the  Christian’s  Daily  Exercise. These occur  in  the  latter part of  the  Catechism. And yet,  children  require  these  long  before this stage  in  the  Catechism  is  reached,  that  is,  if  the  present  order  be followed. And what  is  the  result? That children  have  to  be  learning two parts  of  the  Catechism  concurrently:  one  for  school-work,  and another to  fit  them  for  the  Sacraments  they  are  about  to  receive. Thus the school-work  is  a drag  on  the  Sacraments,  and  the  Sacraments  a drag  on  the  school-work,  whereas  they  should  be  a mutual  help  one  to the  other. A question proper  to  be  discussed  in  Catechetics  is  how far this  double  system  is  a waste  of  energy,  and  how  far  it  would  be advantageous  to  arrange  the  school  Catechism  on  a more  useful  principle, that is,  broadly  speaking,  in  the  order  in  which  it  is  required. In the Catechism for  the  Diocese  of  Rottenburg  the  Sacraments  follow  immediately on  the  articles  of  the  Creed. This, at  all  events,  is  a step  in the  right  direction. For obviously  children  receive  the  Sacraments,  and therefore require  to  know  about  them,  before  they  need  a detailed knowledge of  the  commandments. But still  greater  advance  has  been made in  the  Diocese  of  Salford. In the  manuals  of  Religious  Instruction