ate-school, it is the indirect teaching which is most insidious and
most dangerous. It is the moral atmosphere, the tone of thought
permeating these schools that give cause for alarm. It is the
indifferentism with regard to all religious belief we most of all fear.
This is the dominant heresy that, imbibed in youth, can scarcely ever
be eradicated. It is one that already has in our large towns and
cities decimated Protestant Churches."

Even the provision of optional religious instruction at the dying hour
of the class-day cannot redeem the neutral school. In fact the Survey
of School conditions in Saskatchewan conducted by Dr. Foght, in 1918,
revealed there a state of things which in our mind is an eye-opener in
the matter under examination. Out of over 4,000 schools not more than
212 reported as availing themselves of the law on religious
instruction. We leave to the reader to draw the conclusion these
recent statistics suggest.

To conclude this already too lengthy argument, facts are vindicating in
every country the saneness of the Catholic view-point on religious
instruction and atmosphere in the school. The alarming increase of
religious indifference, the rising tide of anarchy, the universal
feeling of unrest, have prompted the unequivocal admissions of leaders
of thought as to the moral failure of the neutral school.

Mr. William Jennings Bryan, in an address before the constitutional
convention of Nebraska, a few years ago, brought this striking
indictment against the State educational system of the United States.
"The greatest menace to the public school system of to-day is, in my
judgment, its Godlessness. We have allowed the moral influence to be
crowded out. When I say moral, I mean morality based upon religion.
We cannot build a system of morality on any other than a religious
basis. We have gone too far in allowing religion to be eliminated from
our schools. I would not have religion taught by public school
teachers, but all sects and creeds should have equal opportunity to
furnish at their own expense to students whose parents desire it, such
instruction not to interfere with the hours of school. Our people will
be better citizens and stronger for their work if along with the
trained mind there is also an awakened moral sense."

In a recent report of the Interchurch Movement, based on a survey of
American Education, prevailing conditions that now threaten the safety
of State and Church ar