At the Congress of Angers, in discussion on secularism, I solicited their testimony.

Our Cooperative Institute Modern School streamline its services: regular publication of the Commission Newsletters, office documentation, production and testing of our various editions, preparation of our new movies, cinema, cartoscope, etc … We do not want not narrow the scope of our activities by premature work plan that would constrain initiatives. The C.E.L. is a crucible in which bubbling, simmering. combine, merge, initiatives and experiences. It is this wealth of research and collaboration, which is the top brand of our great educational movement. The C.E.L. will be more than ever the great work of brotherhood Angers which revealed the power and Nancy will spend next year. Such a cooperative effort guess we’re like a standard where projects are successful, achievements, hopes and fears of our members. It is the synthesis of thousands of voices that reach us that we express in our items, we materialize in our works, which are always collective, cooperative. It is some homework market
of these restless minds who have told me of their fears, I would like to answer. There are Catholics first. At the Congress of Angers, in discussion on secularism, I solicited their testimony. Two comrades, Catholic public school teachers, came to say their agreement. And others after them have written to me in the same direction. I now get the following letter from two of our members: Dear Comrade, In your statement on secularism in Congress of Angers, you asked for the agreement of “sincere Catholic teaching on your line forever.” We believe that this conference illuminates the situation in a very suggestive way. In fact, your action is opposed to a double trend: 1. At the “reactionary” trend that we believe you are confusing too easily with the denominational school; 2. A classic secular trend, she relaxes a “bourgeois” republic. You are steeped in Marxism. The dialogue would be much easier between you and the Catholics if you declare it openly. We see very clearly that you prepare men for the Marxist society have exceeded the transitional stage of proletarian dictatorship. You seem to disregard this period that has already lasted a long time in Russia and, you know, is needed to eliminate capitalism. This constructive peace education may fall false, in full troubled period in the reign of Marxist concentration camps. We unite to work, as the saying Catholic comrade in Angers, that’s fine; but we want to know where we go. “The hand mill, says Marx, produces a society feudal lords, the steam mill, an industrial capitalist society. But these same men who shape society according to their methods of production, model also principles, ideas, depending on their social situation. “Transposed to our work, this text is significant. You often accuse of “plow plows donkeys.” You adopt the modern tractor and even once you change the soul of the class. This transformation, all those who have worked with you know, she’s wonderful, exciting. But it is precisely what we must exchange ideas. We have experienced the influence of the environment on the individual may be ameliorative. It creates in our classrooms this fraternity of work, the power of life is striking. You reach all your strength to this company will release the man by the organization of the environment in which he lives. Here is your faith; that’s not all ours. We have worked and are working with you. We believe in what you do, what we do together. In all that tends to make man better, simpler, truer, we agree fully. Your technical help us in this direction. But we do not believe in the absolute of this work. This is where we differ. There – according to our Christian faith – in the individual, be an inner life that escapes the transforming influence of the environment. What separates us from you is our belief in evil, sin. the redemption of man by the blood of Christ, it is our faith in the interior renovation of the Passover, passing from death to life. In short, this is what separates the Marxist faith of the Christian faith. “Our teaching, you say, it’s an act of faith enlightened by the experience in the release of children in the democratic society the people.” For the work to succeed fully, we need this society is achieved. You will answer: we are to achieve it. We ask you to think about it. No Marxist, the Russian experience proves, thinks reach this ideal society without going through a phase of wars and dictatorships Danger of an illusion already. You do not know which company are intended children are in class today. “Our moral, wrote Lenin, is derived from the struggle of the proletariat class.” Your morality in class, your action exactly tend in this direction. This is where we differ. We believe in meaningful justice for a man in itself, a human nature immutable part, while you believe in men historically conditioned, engaged in the future of a humanity on, It is experienced in modern classrooms eg when Nicolas (student you speak) is transformed by the environment in which it is immersed. We agree, while acknowledging that there is inside me, the medium does not reach, and which were for the old moral lessons. Everything depends on whether the man is called to subdue the earth to remove thereby logically look to religious illusions as that man is called to subdue the earth to affirm more clearly the radiance of divine glory. We must here mark both our common action and profound divergence. The more we are loyal, the more we are friends. In our secular school, it should know with whom we work, not differentiating by “tags”, but knowing their true personality. Therefore, answering your call, we try to step into a clarification which seems necessary not for the sake of vain polemics but to an unequivocal friendship. We ask you to publish this letter by the developed that seem necessary. We can thus identify the common bases of education we want to give. OTTMANN PIERRE JEAN GAUDARD, Fretigney (Haute-Saone). Vezelois (Terr. De Belfort). This is actually the question of faith that separates us Catholics. They “believe” them. That is to say, as an intellectual or emotional process they are persuaded designs whose own challenge is precisely the experience and the explanation which we, us, our way of life. If seeing as they are, the individual realities, social, economic, to explain the world without the aid of religion, by prudently stopped before the still gaping chasms that man is only beginning to scrutinize, if this fact characterizes Marxism, then we are Marxists, understanding that this word for us includes no bondage of any kind to a belief or dogma. Besides, that Marxism, if stripped of all the sins that all the charge both interested reactionaries and intellectualists unrepentant, would become a simple explanation of common sense that all workers understand and admit, even Catholics. Do not embarrass our discussion of political distinctions which we will not get out. We are educators. So we want to raise our children to humanity and the light, towards social justice and dignity; we do not work for a past of which we see weaknesses – and our generation that left two wars is paid to enjoy them! – but for a future that we may well, in broad terms, indicate principles. And these principles are, basically, those that defends and disseminates the C.E.L. since, on that basis, we work in complete agreement all together trends, for twenty years. It is not for us to say that we prepare our children for the practice of any religion or membership in a political conception.