The Irish standard., 1891-07-25

cation would become reality. Indeed
the Government reckon that two thirds
of elementary schools would, under
their new provisions. BECOME free. So
that. taking the application of the prin
ciple to all schools alike there is really
the removal of the stigma in regard tc
s'charity"; though why Catholics in
these da rs should be so sensitive on the
point-seeing that their forefathers
founded the grandest public schools
! Winchester, Christ Church Hospital,
New College, Oxford, and many other
colleges, on the principle of a perfectly
free education-it really is not easy to
comprehend.
Features of the new bill, or rather
possible results from 1t, in which Cath
ollcs are necessarily deeply interested,
may be said to pe such as the following
First; it is admitted, it is painfully real
ized that English Catholic schools have
not been success, so far as tie higher
standards in education are concerned.
| Up to ''Standard Three" (quite young
standard), Catholic children have been
able to hold her own; indeed, their per-
centage up to that point has been the
highest, when compored both with the
school boards and with other schools.
Yet afterwards, both in number and
in quality, Catholic ''passers' have be-
gun to go down and down, till they
have got to quite the bottom OF the
lists. 1t may be gratifying to know
that in the first three standards, Cath
olic children leave all other children
behind; but it is Illuminating to know
that in the fourth, fifth and sixth stan
dartls they suffer most inglorlous
defeat, If some 40 Or so per cent of
Catholic children, when they leave
school, are behind other children in
mental culture, they start in the race OF
life sadly handicapped, and thus suffer
gross injustice from their own guar
dians. Now, one great cause OF this
injustice has been that Catholic children
have left school just when they were
beginning to learn what they would
most want; their parents thinking that
to earn some immediate pittance was
more profitable than to 60 on paying
for higher standards. And this evil
would be at least mitigated by the not
having to pay anything for the year or
two OF extra free education. SO, too,
by placing more funds at Catholic dis
posa], it would become possible to have
what are 80 greatly needed-"con-
tlnuation schools" for boys who have
left school, or might Schools which it
would be (morally) compulsory for
Cayholic bows to attend, up to the time
when they should be fifteen or sixteen
Confraternities and Sodalities are ad-
mlrable things. as a moral inducement
to young people to keep straight; but
education, both moral and INTEL ectual.
means something more than leaving the
young to choose their pastlmes.
And from this point we may pass to
|
olic eachers-q quite as important, if not
even more so, than is free schooling.
The absolute necessity of raising the
standard of mental culture in Catholic
teachers; of largely increasing the num-
ber of such cultured teachers, till every
boy shall have a competent instructor;
of providing more generous stipends for
good teachers; and also of forming
some sort of pension fund for teachers.
so that the aged or the infirm may be
provided for; these are points which
have engaged the solici5ude OF the
Catholic hierarchy, ever since the year
1870. Catholic training colleges are
not helped as are Protestant training
colleges; yet it is manifest that until all
teachers enjoy the sams advantages, a
fair rivalry cannot be instituted between
a II scholars. And the new bill would
at least facilitate an equality.
: The immense work which has already
been accomplished by Catholic schools
leaves still an immense work to be ac-
comp]ished. True, in the last quarter
Of century the attendance at the
parish schools has risen from Il 600 to
10000; true, about 5000 children have
been rescued from the streets, and have
been committed to ref0rmatory or III :
dustrial schools; true, the Sisters OF
different houses have given q careful
educati IN to more than 5000 Catholic
children who were accounted lost;
aud considering the state Of affairs in
1870, such success has been quite satis-
factory; yet the wastes OF England
have only partially been gathered, and
this. too, solely from the want Of Cath
II CONTINUED on Fifth Page.)