Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-30
FIRST WARD RIVALRY.
The Governor Will be Asked
to Attend the Opening
OF REV. SHEEDY'S SCHOOL.
The Dedication Exercises Will Last
Fully Five Days.
DUQUESNE DIRECTORS TROUBLED.
Legislation Necessary to Dispose Of the
Public Property.
OF REV. SHEEDY'S SCHOOL.
DIRECTORS TROUBLED.
NEW PHASE OF THE SCHOOL PROBLEM

At the several masses in his church yes
terday Rev. Father Sheedy delivered
short talk to his parishioners on the ency
clical issued by Cardinal Gibbons on tn
subject of parents sending their children t.
the public schools. Father Sheedy statet
that the public press had led people to be
lieve that the Cardinal had issued an orde
prohibiting Catholic children from attend
ing the public schools. He stated that M
such order had been issued by Cardina
Gibbons, or he would have somt
official communication in regard to it. HI
stated that the only order known about il
was the general legislation promulgated by
the Council of Baltimore. II there were
any additional or supplementary order:
issued, thew would come through Rt. Rev.
Bishop Phelan. He stated that the enemies
of the parochial school system " ere greatly
ehagrined at the construction the press pat
upon the encyclical and the way it was ac-
cepted by parents.
Father Sheedy is now at work upon the
programme for the exercises attendant upon
the opening Of his new school on Penn
avenue.
A LENGTHY OPENING.
The opening will last about one week,
and will not only be a new thing in this
city, but will be replete with novel and
interesting features. Governor Beaver and
all the city and county officials will be
invited to be present the first day and make
addresses. The invitation will be mailed to
the Governor in few days.
The idea of inviting the Governor and
others is taken from the st. VIncent's
School opening, conducted by Bishop Foley,
of Detroit, several weeks ago. The build
ing is one of the finest in Detroit, and at
the opening Governor Luce and a number
of the State and city officials were present
and made speeches appropriate to the occa-
sion. The event was a marked one in the
city of Detroit and did much to cement the
feeling between Catholics and Protestants
about parochial and public schools.
The formal opening of Father Sheedy's
school will probably occur on Thanksgiving
Day, the date not yet having been fixed.
The dedication ceremonies will probably be
conducted by Bishop Phelan. All the
prominent persons in ecclesiastical and
civil lite in the city will be invited to at
tend A special invitation will be sent to
those who contributed to the fund for the
erection of the schoo:. A great many of
these are non Catholics
DONATION OF A FLAG.
To show the patriotism of the school,
Nicholas Brady. prominent business and
Grand Army man of the First ward, has
donated large silk American flag to be
placed upon the dome.
In the evening there will be a concert,
etc. On the second evening an elaborate
banquet will be served in the school hall.
1t will be interspersed with vocal and in
strumental music. Upon the following
evening bazaar will be held, at which
recitations and tableaux will be given. On
the fourth evening a light dramatic enter
tainment will be given and the opening
will close with an operetta on the night fol-
lowing. If the building is finished in time
the school year will begin November 1.
The plastering is now being done and the
roof finished.
A matter which is now bothering the di-
rectors of the First ward is what will likely
become of their school after the parochial
school gets under way. The latter will be
able to accommodate nearly 400 children, or
more than the Catholic school population of
the ward. This is about $50, and majority
OF the children are now attending the public
school. When the new school opens these
children will be drawn off, and the public
school will be almost depleted.
FEW CHILDREN LEFT.
The directors expect that there will be
between 80 and 100 children LEFT in the |
public school, and in time this number will |
dwindle down to almost nothing. Superin- |
tendent Luckey states thatthe falling off in |
the number of children attending the school |
is due to the fact that their parents have |
moved to the East End and other places. |
Former dwellings have been converted into
workshops and foundries. and in o short
time there will be few families left
At present there are teachers and 1
principal employed by the city In the
school. The law allows 40 pupils as the
minimum number to each teacher. When
the new school opens, of the teachers
now employed will have to be dropped
If it should come to pass, as expected.
that there will be no children going to the
public school, the board of directors will |
have a school building on their hands with |
no way of getting rid of il. The building
and grounds belong to the taxpayers of the |
ward, and there is no law allowing the di- |
rectors to dispose OF the money arising from |
the sale of the property. Superintendent |
Luckey holds that special legislation will be |
necessary to get rid of the building, and the |
directors saw they are ready to hear sugges-
tions. In Philadelphia all school property |
is controlled BY the Central Board. When |
one district is depopulated the buildings |
and grounds are sold and the proceeds used |
to erect new buildings in other new dis
tricts.
FATHER sHEEDY's PLAN.
Father Sheedy does not think that special |
legislation is necessary to dispose of the |
property should it be found necessary to do |
so. When interrogated about the matter
yesterday be said:
81 do not think there is any need of |
special legislation, as L am satisfied that |
the taxpayers would get the worst of it any, |
way. If it is found necessary to sell the |
building and grounds it could be done. A |
trustee could be appointed to hold the funds. |
AS long as these funds last let the taxpay-
ers of the ward be exempt from public
school taxation. Let the district be con-
nected with the Second or Fourth ward
schools as a sub-district. We would be as
sessed our shore to maintain the sub-dis-
trict, and this could be paid from the funds
held by the trustee. As long as the funds
lasted the taxpayers of the ward would
really be exempted from taxation"
A statement furnished by one CT the d.
rectors OF the school shows that the receipts
last year were S4,730 0S. The running ex-
penses were s., 492 p. This statement is for
the year ending June z, 1889.