off a dustcart. Catholic
Christianity believes that there is a Divine army or league upon
earth called the Church; that all men should be induced to join it;
that any man who joins it can save his soul by it without ever
opening any of the old books of the Church at all. The Bible is only
one of the institutions of Catholicism, like its rites or its
priesthood; it thinks the Bible only efficient when taken as part of
the Church. . . . This being so, a child could see that if you have
the Bible taught alone, anyhow, by anybody, you do definitely decide
in favour of the first view of the Bible and against the second.

Discussing a few years later whether it was possible or satisfactory
to teach the Bible simply as Literature he put his finger on the
Catholic objection. "I should not mind," he said, "children being
told about Mohammed because I am not a Mohammedan. If I were a
Mohammedan I should very much want to know what they were told about
him."

While as for the unfortunate teacher: in case a child should ask if
the things in the Bible happened, "Either the teacher must answer him
insincerely and that is immorality, or he must answer him sincerely,
and that is sectarian education, or he must refuse to answer him at
all, and that is first of all bad manners and a sort of timid
tyranny . . ."

Chesterton's Liberalism received a further shock from the fact that
Liberals, in attacking the Bill, were attacking also the Catholic
faith and raising the cry of No Popery. In a correspondence with Dr.
Clifford he reminded him of how they had stood together against
popular fanaticism during the Boer War.

There are two cries always capable of raising the English in their
madness--one that the Union Jack is being pulled down, and one that
the Pope is being set up. And upon the man who raises one of them
responsibility will lie heavy till the last day. For when they are
raised, the best are mixed with the worst, every rational compromise
is dashed to pieces, every opponent is given credit for the worst
that the worst of his allies has by his worst enemy been said to
have said. That horror of darkness swept across us when the war
began. . . .

Beyond all question this is true--that if we choose to fight on the
"No Popery" cry, we may win. But I can imagine something of which I
should be prouder than of any victory--the memory that we had shown
our difference f