Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-11-26
xxw CATHOLIC SCHOOL BUILDING.
The sister. Of b. Fr.nsi..

All enterprises having for their object
the education and moral welfare of the
public always receive the hearty appro-
baton and Endorsement of THE ARGUS,
and as the school Of the Sisters of 81
Francis, in this city, has recently taken
a progressive step which augurs wen lor
its future prosperity and usefulness a
brief reference to it may not De inAppro,
pirate. For the past two years TINS scnool
has been in existence here A goodly
number Of scholars has been in attendance
br, the working capacity of the school has
been greatly curtailed by the want of prop
er accommodations This drawback has
been effectually remedied by the erection
of two story frame building, on Broad
way near the corner of Rock River street.
1t has been fitted up with the proper
school furniture desks, ETC., and is now
occupied by the school,, under the super
vision of the Sisters OF St Francis Am
pie accommodations are afforded for two
hundred pupils. The principal studies
will be in the English branches, but atten-
ton will also be given to German. The
cost to the Catholics, for the grounds,
building and fitting up of the same, has
been about $4,000
The upper hall of the school building
viii be used by the three societies of the
parish, viz St Mary's, st. Patrick's and
Temperance societies. The latter is new
society inaugurated Sunday evening by
about thirty young men, who expect to
make large accessiOns to their number
The society has for its object the promo
ton of the cause Of temperance by exam
pie and attention to religious duties 1t i,
a laudable enterprise, and will undoubtedly
do much towards effecting reform and
intoxicating temperance principles among
the young men of our city.
Since the Christian era the Roman
Catholics have been the pioneers and lead
ers throughout the world, in the cause O
education, but in this country they ART
subjected TO peculiar hardships in that
matter. They help, by their taxes, Il
support the public schools and then they
support their own schools by private con
tributions. Equity would require that thu
amount of money they pay in the way o
school taxes should be returned to them
In answer 10 this, however. it NAV be sale
that the public schools would b,
broken up, by this course, fo
the reason that every other so
ciety would make the same claim. An,
! it can also be said that the public school
} are open to all and there is no necessity
for the Catholics or any other socie.y .,
keep up separate schools These answer,
are sufficient TO prevent any return of tn,
money and we do not allude to it for the
purpose Of advocating a return of the
money, but only to show the peculiar
hardship under which Catholics labor
Most Catholics believe in schools different
ly conducted from the public schools o.
: this country, and those who do so believe
Of course prefer their own schools. By
looking at their tax receipts they can tel
precisely what they pay to support school.
10 which they send no children. We sup
pose everybody knows that our public
schools could not accommodate all the chill
dren. If the pupils of the Catholic school
the German school, and the Lutheran
school, were to be sent to our publ,
schools somebody's children would have II
stay at home. We allude To these thing
only 10 show that all societies which sup
port their own schools are not only reliev
ing our public schools from oyercrowding
but are paying to support both They d.
so, too, without finding any falkland 70
this reason they are entitled to the NOR
credit We trust that the Sisters of st
Francis may be so encouraged by all GU
people that they will never regret havin!
opened a school here