St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-30
THE PoUGHKEEPsIE PLAN.

ears MS voice is Cne voice OIL The OTeaG
Spirit.
THE POUGHK EEPSIE PLAN.
One of the most difficult problems that
American editors have had to deal with is to
construct plan of public education accept
able to both Catholics and Protestants. The
most successful approach 10 plan recon-
cling both denominations is that adopted
by the Poughkeepsie school board and
which has been in successful opera
tionN for thirteen years. In late
number of the Christian Union appeared an
article written by o. d. M. BAKER, presi-
dent of the Poughkeepsie board of educa-
ton, in which the writer gives a descrip-
ton of the Poughkeepsie plan. In 1878 the
two parochial schools which had been MAIN
tanned in Poughkeepsie under the charge of
the Catholic church were discontinued and
an agreement entered into between the
board of education of the city
whereby the buildings were leased
to the city, during school hours, at
the nominal rent of 81 per year. the board
of education agreeing to keep the buildings
in repair and to pay the insurance. Public
schools were then established in the build
ings and have been maintained ever since.
They have been conducted in the same
manner and under the same rules as the
other public schools of the city. In all
matters of school work, procedure, disci
plne and in the recognition of absolute and
unquestioned control by the civil authori
ties both of teachers and pupils, there
has been no distinction between these and
the other public schools of the city. The
teachers have always been examined, en-
ployed and discharged without any sugges-
tons from or consultations with any of the
owners of the buildings. The members of
board Of education are all Protestants, and
during these thirteen years there has been
no Catholic member of the board, nor has
Catholic ever been a candidate for position
on it. The schools are situated, however, in
that part of the city where the
Catholics reside and the children who at
tend them are largely of Catholic parent
age. The city is not subdivided into dis
tricts, as here in st. Paul, and parents are
permitted to select any school of proper
grade they may desire their children to at
tend. All the teachers employed in
these schools are understood to be of
Catholic affiliations, but they have
been selected by the board in the
exercise of an untrammeled judgment.
A number of the teachers are sisters of
charity who are women of high scholastic
attainments, and their work has been very
cfa 4La Of ha
ment the owners of the buildings have con-
troll of them, except during school hours
and after the close of school each day
catechetical exercises are conducted there
with such of the pupils as chose to
| remain, or who may come there for
| that purpose from other schools.
But pupils attending school are
not restricted in any way in entering or
leaving the buildings prior to or after school
hours. In summing up the reasons why
| in his opinion, this plan has resulted so
satisfactorily, President BAKER says: Il
think the arrangement has largely been sue
cessful by reason of the very judiciOus action
of the Catholic people here in not attempt
ing to exercise influence, control, or partici-
paJe in the management of the public
| schools, and in allowing a Protestant board
to- freely treat and dispose of this serious
question. This fact of non-interference has
strengthened the board by relieving it
| from any feeling of insecurity on the part
of the Protestant citizens and enabled it
to proceed in such manner as in the judy
ment of its members for the time being was
best under the circumstances, to so arrange
that all the children of the city should
equally obtain the opportunity to receive
the common school education contemplated
by law"
When asked for his opinion Father M
Ian, pastor of Catholic church IN Pough-
keepsie. pronounced the plan satisfactory.
| So did Father MCSwEENEY of New York,
but he says that if the system should be-
come general he would insist that Catholic
teachers should be provided for children of
| Catholic parentage. President BAsCOM of
the Wisconsin university, President ELIOT
| and Prof. HALL of the Johns Hopkins uni
versity all give their Endorsement to the
plan. Rev. DR.. HOWARD CROSBY of New
York emphatically opposes it. He says cit
| is virtually the state teaching religion and
there is no safety for our country but in a
non-religious elementary education in the
public schools" Rev. A. p. PEABODY of
Cambridge favors the plan, and while he
does not give it an unequivocal indorse-
ment Father T. S. PRESTON, noted
Catholic clergyman Of New York says that
''it is an approach to justice"
CONGRESSIONAL CHIN MUSIC.
If the members of congress had arisen
| yesterday morning, have taken their baths
and then have gone back to bed and slept
through the day, it would have been more
sensible than to have wasted the day, as
they did, in listening to their own chin
music The closing days of session are
| ordinarily devoted to business, and the
wind mill is shut down. But yesterday
was an exception in an expiring session.
The cavern of the winds was opened in the
congressional halls and the public treasury
is out just that much money for the benefit
Of the congressional conceit. If this con-
gress only knew in what contempt it is
held by the country it would close the front
doors at once and slip out through the
back window.
|