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Trata to pelure, n i 32X Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be Diitireiy included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, Ijft to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The follov 'ng diagrams illustrate the method: 1 2 3 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAs i des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, ii est filmi d partir de i'angle supirieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 in •r ">•! CIRCULAR LETTER oi^ tp3:e Rt. Rev. James Rogers, D. D., BISHOP OF CHATHAM, .iL.ID^^IE3IISr3- SIIS r^LOCEZ f I^ Cease fyilkr opposiiioii to llie MMm M Law, (IN ORDER TO AVOID OTHER EVILS.) i -A-nsriD To icoi'k luidyr it so lus to (jaiu its aelviion:lt>cl()e(l lulraiitacjes, icliilG still protcstiiig against its radical defect. Gm at CMtliaiii, I B., Jaonarf, 1876. IMilXTKD AT THE "ADVANCE" OFFICE, CHATHAM, N. R ^ [CIFiCri-AH.] (11 s'i'iiAM. N. p.., .Iamauv :ii!i), IS7(). TvKV. AM> Dk.AI! Sii! : Kver bince the so calletl iioiiSectiiriaii Scliool Law was first proposeil in tiic New I'liinswick liOgislatiuu, up to the pieseiit, we liave not ceased to reinoiisttiite in every i'easoiial)le, Iegitiiiiat«! ami coiistitutioii.il iiiiumer ayaiiist that ehaiaeteristic ptiiici- j)le of the said Law, l)y wliich distinctive denioninational religious teai'iiing ami inthience are to be excluded from the education of chi'drcn and youth in the common schools of the Province, which are snp[)orlt'd l>y geneial and compulsory taxation. In a country like onrs, where the population is divided into so many Ueligiou.s Dominations, each enjoying its ci\il right of existance, yuiiranteed to it hy the [jiin- ciple of freedom of conscience of the Civil Constitution, to exclude "Sectarianism"" is to exclude all Religious Denominations from the schools and make them simply noir- religious or purely secular-. 'J'his is really a violation of that furidamental pr'incii)le of our Political Constitu- tion which recognizes and grrarantees the rights of conscience to all citizens. To tr'eat all the ditferent Ueligioiis Denominations alike by eipially excluding all is to administer ecpially to all, not justice and r'ight, luit injustice and wrong. It is like the case of an I'lstate in cliancer'y which belongs to several rightfiU heirs who have undoubted claims ; Imt because of the trouble, l)y no means insurriioinitable, which it retjuires to adjust those claims, the .Jir.) "Suffer little cliihh'en to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. ' (Matt. XIX. U.) Thus Christians are bound to seek for themf:' ^s and childr'en. In (lt(\nisf plKcc, the Kingdom of (iod and His justice ; that is the Knowledge and pi-aotice of His law. They aie l)Ound to consider all the wealth, secular' knowledge and advantages of tiie world a.s nofh'nnj in comparison with the saving of their' souls and the souls (.'f their' children. 'I'hey ar'e bound to eorisidei' it criuiinal, for'l)idderi by .Jesus, to iinpecU' little children fr'om coming to Him. Now, all these precepts ate ignor'ed, nay \ir'tiially i-ontr'adiited and violated by the system of education which forliitls sectarian, that is religious teaching in the i!onmion schools. In these schools all the cliildr-en of school age, say fr-om 7 to 14 years, of the Pr'ovince, that is, all its firture population, are expected to s^iend five days of each week during the seven years of their school life, receiviirg the impressions, imbibing the knowledge, and accjuiiing the habits, mental, moral and physical, wliich are to mould and fix their whole future indi\idnal char-acter's. lUit of tliese im^nessions, of this knowledge, of the nieirtal an the firtur-e man "Sectariiuiism," tlrat is religiorr in any pur-cticular- or definite forrrr, must constitute no part I Is not this a in )-^x ll igr.iiit \iol:iti()ii of th(> r-iglits of c(ms,Me;ici' of all Chr'istian.s llll f V ill tlie I'loviiice wlio lut' tiixeod-created lirst parents, Adam and Kve. But now Christian Legislators and their Christian electors could sincerely wish to enforce this non-sectarian, that is necessnrily iioii-.'eligious or ])Uiely secular education for the school-going youth - that is the whole future jiopulation of the country is sticli a parodox that one (an hardly ( redit it to lie possible I And yet this parodox is not a mere fancy ; it is an accomplished fact, a stern reality which the proceedings of last year in (ilouce.-.ter, hotli at Caraipiet and in tlie Court House at l>athuist liut too pal|)al)ly prove. Notwithstanding the respectful petitions sent to the Legislature and the jiersistant legal and constitutional remon- strances made by the whole Catholic population and many others eomjirising nearly half of the po])ulation of the I'rovince, tlie non-S(!etaiian Schocd f^aw was enacted hy the Legislature and approved at the suhsetpient general election \)y the majority of the electors of the l*r(;vince. The K\eciiti\ e (ioveinment have given proof of their determination to carry this Law into effect and to employ for that pui'pose all the lesources of CTOvernment at their disposal — i-evemies, Militaiy force, the Courts of Justice, &e., Ike. Therefore, in the present tcnpei of the CJovernment and of the majority of the po[nilation of our Province, we have no alternative but to cease the active opposition which however conscientious and justitiaMe, is foun<' to he not only unavailing hut has given occasion to men esteemed otherwise just and kindly disposed to outrage and oppress tlitir fellow citizens, nay, even to v>iong their own children as well as those f)f others, oy dejiriving them of that reiil'y most ])riceless hoon, a religious education I They are l)tnt upon carrying out their own will, be it right or wrong, which they ha\e made into law, and which they will follow up by eni]>loying all the ])owerful means yilaced at the disp(,s-al of (ir.vernment to enforce law. In order then not to gi\e even'iim )ceiit occasion to greater evils, we must simply tolerate what we cannot prevent. Thus, while still protesting against the olijeetionaMe feature of the School Law in (juestion, we consent, through necessity, to vvi rk under it, ho])ing that the good judgment and a delicate sense of right on tiie part ot our fellow citiwns adniinistering the law will do much practically to neutralize its radical defect and utilize w hatever acknowledged advantages it may otherwise jiossess. 1 beg to remain, LJev. and Dear Sir, I'aithfully Yours in .1. ('., t.lAMlCS LOtlKllS, P.isiioi or Chatham.