Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1892-09-05
The CITY SCHOOLS.
An Interesting Communication from
the President of the School
Board.

an open letter at the request OF Mr.. Larkin
G. Read, the president Of the city board
of education. Mr.. Real Informs the
New MEXICAN that he has submitted this
letter to the Very Rev.Archbishop j. B.
Salpointe and that the archbishop fully
understands the contents thereof. The
letter is published simply for the lnforma-
ton OF the people and in lstice to the
board OF education of this city IN order
that the matter may be fully understood.
The New MEXICAN does not propose to
have ally religious discussions in its
columns; it is newspaper aud hence
publishes the letter as matter of news
and not as matter of discussion:
To the Editor of the New Mexican.
SANTA FE, N. NJ, Aug. 20, 1S92,-Sr:
Inasmuch as the RI Rev. j. B. SaIpointe,
has seen fit to take exceptions to the
action OF the board of education OF this
cityrespecting the employing of teachers
for the city schools, by pastoral letter
read on last Sunday, at the st. Francis
cathedral, with all due Difference to that
high dignitary Of the Catholic church, to
which alec belong, allow me to present
the boards side of the case, and let the
public give the verdict.
His lordship says that this board has
employed protestant teachers.
To this | answer in the negative, and
further assert that we have no right, under
our statutes, nor under the constitution
OF the United States to employ either
protestant Catholic, Methodist, or
EpiscopaIian teachers, but teachers OF
good moral character, able to teach, be
their religion or politics what it may. We
have employed experienced teachers Of
whom any community may well be proud
graduates of normal schools; some of
them Catholics, some not.
He says that ia former times, when
Catholic teachers were allowed to teach,
they would, after school hours, teach
pupils their catechisn, and that now
even that chance is taken away from
them.
As to this say that, under our laws,
the same right had the Presbyterian and
Baptist, etc., to have their religion taught
after school hours and inasmuch as you
could rot get theologian for each one of
these denominations, 1T can readily be
seen Tic. 4 wa wrong, as nobody had
the right to teach religion in schools that
were supported by tax payers of various
and distinct religious beliefs. A wrong
will never make right,
His Grace also affirms that the Sis
ters of Loretto were not to have any of
the public schools any more, and quail
fes as all ingratitude the action of the
board in not employing them, etc.
answer-none would have had more
pleasure than this board to employ them.
In fact this board went out of its way TO
accommodate them. and |, personally,
informed them of the date on which the
examination OF teachers would be held.
Besides, the notice for said examination
appeared daily in the DAILY New MEXICAN,
for fifteen consecutive days, prior to the
examination day, viz, the 10th of August
last.
On that day the committee on exami'
nation waited for the sisters till about 10
O'Clock a. m.-the other eight candidates
waiting as well-when the committee
sent special messenger to the sisters,
who shortly after returned and stated the
sisters had said that they would not come
to the examination. The examination
went on without them. OF the eight ap'
plicants four obtained third grade certif-
icate, and three of these were appointed
as assistant teachers at a salary of $50
month.
About three or four days after the ex-
animation, two members of the board,
Rev. J. II. Defouri and j. Quinlan (Bro.
Patrick) asked for another examination
for the sisters, and committee on ex-
animation was appointed. Meanwhile
applications for teachersnips highly rec
commended by Catholics and non-Cath-
olcs from abroad were acted upon by the
board, and the teachers appointed. The
proposed examination had nothing to do
with the appointment of teachers, and
inasmuch as these had been already ap-
pointed, it was moved, seconded and car
ried that the proposed examination be
dispensed with, the majority Of the board
objecting to abandoning their business to
have an unnecessary examination. IT,.
Now, that is the sum total of the action
of this board in the premises. lam ready
and willing, at any time, to give further
information ON the subject and prove it
by the record.
This board has nothing to do, under
the law, with any 1000 due the Sisters |;
if it had, it would pay it most cheerflly.
| am Catholic and as such | yield the
palm to none but am, also, an American
citizen, and as such, l have to obey the
laws under which live-the most gener-
ous, the most liberal laws ever drafted by
man. Laws which made it possible tor
this great nation to lead all others in edu-
cation, in progress, in happiness. Edu-
cation has done this. Let us let well