II. FAMILY IN THE CAODAI
NEW LAW (continued)
3. Protecting
and educating the disciples’ future generations
Ah! What
would the world be to us if the children were no more?
HENRY WADSWORTH
(American poet, 1807-1882)
From East to West, past and present, all sages, worthies, and
superior men always value, love and take care of the future generations of
families, nations, and mankind. For instance:
According to Analects (5:26),
when his disciple asked Confucius to tell his wishes, the Master said, “I would like (…) the young to be given
nurturance.”
On 11 December 1946, the United Nations took the initiative in
establishing the United Nations
Children’s Fund, an international organisation which works for children’s
rights, survival, development and protection. In 1953, its name was changed to
the United Nations International
Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
Herbert Hoover, American President, was quite right by saying, “Children are our most valuable natural resource.”
Guan Zhong (725-645 BC), a very eminent politician once said,
“The best one-year plan is nothing else
than growing crops. The best ten-year plan is nothing else than growing trees.
The best whole life plan is nothing else than rearing people. Growing one then
harvesting one, it refers to crops. Growing one then harvesting ten, it refers
to trees. Growing one then harvesting a hundred, it refers to people.” [1]
The New Law of course pays very much attention to protecting and rearing
children − the future generations of families, Caodaism, society, and the
nation.
Taking precautions against a small, parentless child becoming forlorn,
the New Law provides that there shall be a person responsible for sponsoring
the child in substitution for his or her parents.
This sponsorship shall not be delayed until the child’s orphanage;
contrarily, every parish should attend to the matter as soon as there is a
newborn.
Article Eleven in Secular Law stipulates, “A newborn should have godparents chosen so that it can be nurtured in
case of orphanage.”
Caodaism is an endogenous religion founded in South Vietnam in 1926 and
developing in decades of unceasing war, when bombs and bullets as well as
poverty were major factors pushing a great deal of children to orphanage. Thus,
parallel with Article Eleven mentioned above, Caodaism did take care of orphans
with concrete activities.
In 1927, with very scanty money when starting the Holy See construction
in the wilds of Tây Ninh province, the earliest Caodai Church
Le Caodaïsme en Images (Caodaism in Images) by Gabriel Gobron provides some photos of
orphanages, children’s refectory, gifts of sweets and cookies shared out to
orphans… at the Tây Ninh Holy See.
Pics 1-2. Orphanage at the Tây Ninh Holy See.
Pic 3. Children’s refectory at the Holy See.
Pics 4-5. Gifts of sweets and
cookies shared out to ophans.
The New Law also pays attention to the education of disciples’ children.
Education is a sacred mission to which everybody is obliged to contribute.
Victor Hugo (French author, 1802-1885) said, “He who opens a school door closes a prison.” [2]
In Caodai communities, for the sake of future generations, the New Law
requires compulsory education. Article Thirteen in Secular Law stipulates, “Parents are required to send their children
aged from six to twelve years to school for general and religious education.”
In order to have enough facilities to support compulsory education,
Article Twenty-Three, Chapter VI, Religious Law, stipulates, “Schools will be established in Caodai
communities to provide religious and general education.”
Inaugurated in November 1926, the new religion was just at its beginning.
However, to carry out the New Law, in September 1928 the Caodai Tây Ninh Church
In 1931, the Đạo Đức
School
In 1932 the Đạo Đức
School
During the years 1933-1940, the Đạo Đức School
Le Caodaïsme en Images (Caodaism in Images) by Gabriel
Gobron provides two elementary classes circa in the 1930s, held at the Tây Ninh
Holy See.
Elementary classes in the
1930s, at the Holy See. Below: Mr. Võ Tấn Lộc, teaching at the Lê Văn
Trung Elementary and Secondary School during 1970-1975.
In 1941, the French army occupied the Tây Ninh Holy See and closed the
Đạo Đức School
Around September 1946, the Tây Ninh Church
reestablished the Đạo Đức
School
In 1952, the Đạo Đức
School
In the same year (1952), to admit newly successful elementary graduates,
the Holy See opened twelve grade 6 classes, two of which were for pupils from
outside Tây Ninh province. In school year 1952-1953, grade 6 classes were
merged with another local school, where His Excellency Phạm Công Tắc
(1890-1959) chaired its new school year opening ceremony in September 1952. On
this occasion, he named it Lê Văn Trung
Free School, which later was renamed Lê
Văn Trung Elementary and Secondary School.
The Đạo Đức
School
[See
plate 7, page 8H.]
Besides the Đạo Đức School situated in the area of the Tây Ninh Holy See,
the Caodai Church
The above description of the educational activities carried out by the
Tây Ninh Holy See shows that the New Law was seriously and earnestly
implemented in the context of Caodaism, a newly-founded religion facing a
variety of inevitable difficulties.
Returning to Article Twenty-Three as quoted above, the New Law correctly
puts much importance on educating disciples’ children. It regards the heavy
responsibility of educating children as an obligation binding on every person,
involving the participation of disciples’ families and the Caodai Church
Francis Keppel (American educator, 1916-1990)
said,“Education is too important
to be left solely to the educators.” His words
imply that besides national educational institutions, both social and religious
organisations should have legitimate rights to directly participate in the
cause of children’s education.
In any disoriented society (due to focussing too much on
material values), religions should be allowed to open their own schools so that
they can, parallel with general education, add part of their basic ethics in
order to train children virtuously and thus, they can bring long-lasting,
sustainable values to society.
III. CONCLUSION
In summary, with legitimate and humane measures to protect disciples’
families in normal and unexpected cases, protect and educate future generations
of disciples’ families, the Caodai New Law entirely shows its good will as well
as efforts to help disciples successfully build and consolidate their own
healthy, happy families.
For humans, there is nothing closer and more intimate than their
families. Stipulations on family prescribed in the New Law are evidence of
humanistic value of the Caodai New Law.
Nhiêu Lộc, 01 September 2014
HUỆ KHẢI
