Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-28
NEARLY A THOUSAND.
A Big Delegation of Western PENN
sylvania Priests and Laymen
FORTHE GERMAN NCATHOLIC EVENT.
Meetings Held in Pittsburg, and Policy
Decided Upon,
AS T0.THE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL MATTER

The third annual convention of the Ger
man Catholics of the United States will be
held in Cleveland Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
Great preparations are being made by the
German Catholics all over the country to
attend. The most active part is being taken
by Father Muhlsiepen, Vicar General Of
the Diocese of st. Louis. A letter has been
received from him by Rev. Father j. B.
Dufner, of St. Peters Church, Southside,
requesting a meeting of all the priests in
Pittsburg. Several meetings have already
| been held by the priests and laity in St.
Philomena School Hall, and the last one is
to take place on Friday, Rev. Father Duff
ner presiding.
There will be at least !, 900 representatives
present from this end of the State. Nearly
all of the German priests will attend. The
leading discussion will be on the parochial
school question. In the agitation of
the question, in this city especially, by
the Protestants, the German Catholics have
been lost sight towing good deal to their
nationality and having less to do or say in
public than their neighbors in the Roman
Catholic Church. In many respects the
than with the English speaking Catholics.
PERPETUATING THEIR LANGUAGE.
To a DISPATCH reporter yesterday Rev.
Father Duffner explained the latitude of
the German Catholics toward the public
schools. He said that they were not at all
sntagonistic to the public school, but that
with the Germans the parochial school was
necessary now as means of perfecting the
German language and the religious instruc-
tioD of the church. The parishioners
of the churches are all Germans,
many of them not speaking English. If the
children, did not attend the paroehial
schools, when they grew up they could not
half understand their parents.
Another thing, the children of all parish
toner's are required to attend the parochial
school until after their confirmation, which
is usually at the age of IL, and then they
go where they please, whereas, attendance
is not required SO vigorously at the public
schools. In the parochial schools half of
the day is spent in reading German and
half English, the geography and arithmetic
being all in English.
AoUAINT PROPHECY.
Rev. Mr.. Duffner thinks the German
parochial school system better than that of
the puDllc school as 1t now is. He says
that in probably 20 years or so, the native
speaking Germans will have all died and
all will then speak one language and the
great object of the parochial school will
have been done away with. This will all
depend on the immigration. however.
The discussion of "The Freedom of the
Parochial SCHOOL, seems to have been in
anticipation that legislation was liable to
be enacted making attendance to the COM
mon school compulsory, is against such
measure. Rev. Father Duffner pointed to
the fact that there was something over J, 800
pupils in the parochial schools of the South
side alone, supported by the parishioners of
the churches in addition to the taxes for the
common schools. If these were thrown upon
the public for education he believed it
would require more buildings and teachers
and make a much greater tax on those out
side of the church.