Page:The "Conscience Clause" (Denison, 1866).djvu/39

35 ministers of the Church who shall in after-years be priests of the parish, and against the people of the parish. At least let a man do as he would be done by. If he likes, during his incumbency, to turn the Parish School into a secular academy, he can do it. But let him not, because he likes it, stamp upon the Parish School for ever what is, as a fact, alien to his trusteeship of the Parish School. Why a man acting thus will probably prevent his successors from having anything to do with the place which bears the name of the Parish School. They will have to found and build another place where the children of the parish may once more be taught "The Doctrine of the Sacraments and the Discipline of ."

The remaining point is, that it is "not safe" as respects the teaching of the Church to accept a "Conscience Clause." Much of the proof of this has been anticipated. But I add one thing,—I say then that for a Church child—for whom the parish priest is primarily concerned—you cannot do a more injurious and dangerous thing than to place him side by side in the same class with a child who is not only not of the same faith, but who is taught no faith, as by rule of "Conscience Clause."

To exhibit to a young mind two faiths side by side, as of equal value and co-ordinate authority, is bad enough. Possibly, to exhibit to it no faith at all may be worse. I do not know. Both are so bad that it is hard to choose; and for the teaching of the Faith itself, this suffers necessarily in the hands of those who teach, by the sense of the presence of children who have no part nor lot in it, but who are there as a kind of standing denial of the Truth. Their very presence, as such, in the school to be taught secular things only is an offence; an invasion of God's heritage, which is quite sure to bring its own punishment with it.

In one word, have a "Conscience Clause" and you have with it, and by it, the principle of "Secular Education" imported