Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/22

 used in  that  diocese,  and  approved  by  Cardinal  Vaughan  when  Bishop of Salford,  the  questions  and  answers  are  arranged,  not  in  the  mechanical order with  which  we  are  familiar  in  the  ordinary  Catechism,  but  in subjects. Here we  have,  I submit,  a valuable  hint  which,  if  judiciously acted upon,  cannot  but  greatly  simplify  the  work  of  learning  and,  what is more  important,  of  understanding  the  Catechism.

The incidental  mention  of  the  Catechism  for  the  Diocese  of  Rottenburg  suggests  another  point  — and  it  shall  be  the  last  — on  which  I wish now to  touch. This Catechism  has  in  common  with  our  own  one  notable feature. Underlying both  is  the  remarkable  principle  of  embodying the question  in  the  answer. When this  principle  was  first  introduced into the  English  Catechism,  it  was  looked  upon  as  the  golden  key  that would unlock  the  portals  of  knowledge. It was  imagined  that  the  automatic action  of  dovetailing  the  question  into  the  answer  would  serve as a sort  of  plastic  medium  for  transferring  to  the  mind  of  the  child the connexion  between  question  and  answer  that  exists  on  paper. The physic process  by  which  this  result  was  to  be  achieved  was  doubtless wrapped in  mystery;  but  as  an  expedient  for  bridging  over  the  abyss between mind  and  matter,  the  device  was  certainly  ingenious. It looked very plausible,  and  no  one  could  say  that  it  might  not  succeed. Its short-lived existence,  however,  has  but  confirmed  the  old  axiom  that  an automaton  will  never  produce  life  or  intelligence. No one  nowadays dreams that  it  has  realized  the  great  expectations  that  were  formed  from it. Nay, if  I may  speak  as  one  less  wise,  I should  say  that  the  soundness of  the  principle  is  very  widely  called  in  question. Instead of smoothing  away,  as  many  object,  it  has  multiplied  the  difficulty  of learning  the  Catechism  by  increasing  the  matter  of  the  answers,  already in many  cases  too  bulky  ; and,  what  is  far  worse,  by  giving  such  undue prominence to  the  question,  it  has  thrust  the  answer  into  the  background, and thus  the  answer  is  smothered  or  strangled  in  the  question. Now, which is  the  more  important  factor  in  a Catechism: the  question  or  the answer? The answer  to  this  question  is  too  obvious  to  need  stating; for surely  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  answer  is  of  primary,  and  the question of  only  secondary  importance. The question  is  of  value  only inasmuch as  it  draws  out  the  answer. It is  the  answer,  therefore,  that  should be to  the  front,  and  the  question  in  the  background. Whereas when  the question is  put  in  front,  and  the  answer  in  the  rear  — when  the  question is made  to  overshadow  the  answer  — the  natural  order  is  inverted.