The Irish standard., 1891-07-25
FREE SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND.
What the Governments Proposed Edu-
cation Policy Will Do For
Catholic Schools
THE OLD SCHOOL BOARD SYSTEM,

What It Forbade and What 1t En-
ioyed On All Government
Schools.
The present PROPOSAL OF the Govern
ment, that elementary education shall
be free both tor voluntary and for board
schools" leads us to think of the many
difficulties which Catholics have brave
IL conquered in their efforts to mature
Catholic education. "Brayely con.
quered" is, perhaps, not too strong a
phrase, when remembering both the
prolonged struggle and the slender
means. It is forty -four years since the
s'Catholic Poor School Committee was
founded, and under circumstances that
were, to say the best of them, depress-
ing. 1t was in the year 1S47 that the
Catholic Church entered into compact
with slowly-yielding and extremely
unwilling British Parliament for the
conduct of purely Catholic education.
After twenty years had passed, it was
found that the voluntary schools had
multiplied to the number of 12,0O0 an
advance, of course, embracing all kinds
Of Christian schools, or, as they are
popularity termed, UNCONVENTIONAL.
Then came the Introduction of the
School Board system, which forbade
any distinctive religion to be taught,
and so acquired for all government
schools the epithet Of Goddess, which
was, perhaps, rather more negative than
it was accurate.
This School Board system approprl-
ated Stats aids from which Cath olics
were of necessity excluded; though at
the same time Catholics were expected
to contribute to the board schools, 10
the ordinary way Of payment of public
school rates. Yet, spite of all such
drawbacks. Catholic schools have been
SO multiplied that two YEARS ago there
were 9l2 inspected schools, with accom-
mediation for 800, 256 children, and with
an actual attendance of about 100, 600.
TO show the energy OF practical effort
it may be mentioned that the fifteen
dioceses into which Catholic England
IS now divided are expendlng annually
81, 100000 in the support and in the
management of their schools. Romem'
bering the proportion Of poor Catholics
to rich Catholics, such an outlay must
be regarded as creditable. Still it has
always been felt to be a burden that.
while Catholics must of course mainly
support their own schOOls--the Govern
ment contribution being but fractional
they should at the same time be bound
to assist ID supporting the School
Boards, which most certainly do not
reciprocate the service. To take an ex-
ample Of this inequality, tho Catholic
rate-paYer of Liverpool contributed
during the past year about $A5,0O0
towards the board schools, while at the
same time they educated almost as
many children as did the board schools,
without receiving anything for their
maintenance. It has been estimated
that in Liverpool alone the Catholic
rate payers have paid the School Board
during the last twenty years as much
money as would bave built twenty COM
modious Catholic schools, as we'll as
have paid the expenses Of their manage
ment. Here. then, we have a great and
crying evil. It is, in its way, like the
old grievance of the Irish Church Es-
tablishment, and should be as ruthlessly
dealt with in simple justice. The Gov
ernment appears to be now apprehend-
ing this. The new Education Bill is a
confession.
"ro aim at distributing fairly the
grants between all descriptions of
schools, whether voluntary or board
Schools is the professed object Of the
Government in their new measure.
"ihe best basis on which to rest the
settlement of the great question con-
tinued the same spokesman for the Gov.
eminent, lis to give fee Of ten shil
lings per head for each scholar in aver
age attendance in elementary schools
This sounds liberal. Yet, so far as
Catholic authorities have thus far
spoken, it would seem that the pro-
posal, while approved in point of prln-
ciple, is not considered to 60 far enough
in application. There is also some diff
ference of opinion as to the effect on
the parental miod Of the idea Free
Some high authorities affirm that if
schooling were absolutely free, parents
would not appreciate what they did not
pay for; and that this would be partic-
nlarly the case in Scotland, where
pauper education IS thought inglorious.
Indeed, most parents among the poorer
classes would resent the idea Of parish
relief Government relief has the same
characte of comps arlson] !, because in re- g