The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-06-12 00:00:00

ROMAN CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN
ENGLAND:

On Tuesday night the annual meeting of the West-
minster Diocesan Education Fund was held at St.
James's Hall, under the presidency of Cardinal
Manning, who was supported by, amongst others, the
Earl of Denbigh, Mr. Justice Day, Sir C. Clifford, Sir
Philip Rose, Bart., Colonel Prendergast, Mr. B. Mol-
loy, M.P., Mr. J. L. Carew, M.P., and a large number
of the Catholic clergy. The hall was crowded. Car-
dinal Manning, who was loudly cheered on rising,
first read
.a letter from the Duke of Norfolk from
Paris, regretting that he was unable to be at the meet-
ing. His Grace added that Catholic education was
peculiarly an Irish question in the larger towns of
England because it meant the guarding of the
faith of the poor Catholic children. The line
he has taken on the great Irish political ques-
tion, which was now engagina every mind in the
country, was one which he thought would be
for the good both of Ireland and England.
The Cardinal said they ought to be thankful to the
duke for that letter. (Hear, hear.) He had now to
state that the diocesan inspector had reported that
in the 189 parochial schools there were 21,000 chil-
dren, the average attendance 15,000. In the 10
poorer schools, four industrial and six reformatory,
there were 3000—making a total in the 211 schools of
24,500, and the average attendance 18,000. The
inspector further stated that the number of Roman
Catholic children in Board schools was exceedingly
small. (Cheers.) The Duke of Norfolk had estab-
lished a new school atßrentwood, and altogether the
inspector gave his testimony to the excellence of the
Catholic schools of the diocese. In conclusion, his
eminence pleaded the cause of the teachers who, he
declared, were entitled to better stipends, and to
enable the fund to give them required the help of
the laity. He wished to add, with rrference to the
Royal Commission of which he was a member,
that, after 15 years of unabated School
Board administration the voluntary schools
had at last obtained a hearing. And his.
wished also to say that the School Board for
London had always acted with the greatest consider-
ation for the poor Catholic children. Mr. Justice
Day, in moving "that the voluntary schools of Eng-
land are the shelter of religious liberty in education,"
said he was entirely in sympathy with the objects of
the meeting. The cause of Catholic education was
one which they all had dearly at heart, and it was
their interest, as well as their duty, to do all in their
power to protect their poor children from the destruc-
tion with which the Board schools threatened them.
Mr. B. Molloy, M.P., seconded the resolution, which
was unanimously carried. On the motion of Colonel
Prendergast, seconded by Mr. Carew, M.P., the next
resolution was passed as follows: "That no system
at variance with religious liberty can ever be accepted
by the people of this country." The last resolution,
carried on the•motion of Sir Philip Rose, seconded
by Mr. C. J. Roskell, .was as follows: "That in
the present conflict between Christian and non-
Christian schools, we are bound to redouble our
efforts to maintain and to elevate our Catholic
, education." A cordial vote of thanks to Cardinal
Manning was accorded amid cheers, and the meeting
was closed.