The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-10-21

ture, endless resources and numb erlessl1
educational establishments, has just dis 3
covered, with oyerpoweriDgs surprise,
that the Catholics not only have real
schools, but actually can get good. genul-
inc work out Of them. With bewilde1 ed
amazement the Protestant world sees
the educational work OF the Catho les
standing up untlinchingly side by side
with the best productions OF the pubic
schools and manfully holding it's own
before the eyes Of the world in every re-
quislte of breath, variety, thoroughness
and excellence of execution.
That this surprise is always OF paia-
table nature would be too much to as.
sert, but can Understandings testify
to the fact that many fair minded Pro
testants have not hestitated to express
their sentiments on the subject in lam
guage that left no doubt as to the genu-
ineness Of their convictions. One In
starce of the kind will just recall. In
our Philadelphia booth we have excep-
tional opportunities of hearing how tie
wind blows on educational topics. Oc-
cupying the southwest corner, it is q
tent on the border, the first to catch the
glance of the stranger and the last to
arrest him on his departure. Singularly
naive remarks are, therefore, continually
breaking on our ears, the honest western
folks having little scruplee in readily
enunciating whatever thought comes
uppermost in their minds. The instance
referred to occurred about two weeks ago.
Early in the afternoon man stopped
in the doorway, looking around With
some curiousity. For few minutes he
kept on chewing tobacco, in al absent
minded sort of way but at last, catch
ing my eye, he began to talk
Il amt no Catholic When almost a
boy was Klow-nothinx, aud I'm now
an A. A. Of good standing. I'm
Kentucky man..
Such speech, of course, made me
look at him with some curiosity.
He was well worth examining. He
was over six feet i'll stature, but sroop-
shouldered, and he moved with shamb-
ling gait. Wearing soft felt hat, with
gold twisted band, and navy blue clothes,
with brass buttons, he was probably a
G. A. r. als frame was laulky, his face
lantern jawed, his complexion dark, and
thin gray goatee dangled from square
set chin, but his eyes were large and IN
telligent and his look was decidedly
honest. In fact he strongly resembled
the welI~known figure chat the funny
papers give us of "IIncIe S no. WHO, by
the way, looks tar more like plu,ks
southern colonel than cunning, whit
thing Yankee.
Seeing me listening with great atten-
tention he resumed: II don't know
much about the Catholics, but l always
considered them to be bad lot, and
that the country could be we'll rid Of the
whole darned pack L always under
stood they were ignorant and heard that
the priests wished to keep them 80, or if
they couldn't do that altogether, that
they allowed them to be educated up TO
a certain line, beyond which no one
should be allowed to pass. This is what
! thought ali along, but now / don't
think it quite fair for rae to go away
without letting you have piece Of my
mind. got into your Catholic exhibit
by accident. I haven't been IN it more
than quarter of an hour, certainly not
halt an hour. But what saw made me
open my eyes. In that quarter of an
hour learned more about you Catholic
fellows than / did in all my previous
life, and I'm no chicken. What have
been able to 500 of !, our children's books,
the style they're written in and the
amount of education you've got into
them satisfies me once for all that the
information I've been receiving on that
subject hain't been quite correct."
"You are very kind to say SC" said I.
seeing him hesitate about going on fur
Their.
'That amt it," be resumed. "What
I've got to say I'll say; it's only fair.
Them books of yours are full Of good
school " rk, and as for your priests
drawing line and saying you must not
pass it, the only line / have been able to
make out is OF such nature that once
you. bring man or boy to it all hi
can't keep him from crossing it. amt
nc scholar myself, though I'm member
of our school board, but amt no fool,
neither, by darned sight.
II can tell good school work when /
see it, and from what I have seen of
yours and the tremendous amount of it
though I've been here, as I told you
not quite half an hour-I have made up
INV mind that Won Catholics mini nn