The Portland daily press., 1893-12-06

Here in this city, annually, children of
Catholic parentage are obliged to with
draw from our public schools. Archbish-
CD Satolli did an excellent service when
he strictly forbade bishops or prizes is to
exclude from the sacraments as unwor-
thy, those parents who send their chill
dren to our common schools The fact
that the apostolic delegate felt called up
| on to utter the prohibition, shows how
the so-called rights of the parents have
been respected. In fact this argument
is simply used as parochial school
stalking horse. The state allows the
parents to vote upon school matters; the
church does not Which is more careful
| of parental rights?
Having reached this point Mr.. Nc
Gowan incidentally remarks that this is
question of education" Just so. He
also advises "a study of facts We did
that at the First Parish church on
Thanksgiving day. The parochial school
has arecord. Italy was it's home. Did
it teach Italy to read and write? No. it
left eighty out of every hundred of her
people unable to read and write. Ask
that question of Spain, Portugal, Mexi-
CO, Guatemala, San Salvador, Costa
RIGA, Argentine Republic, Chill, Brazil.
Venezuela and Ecuador. The parochial
school does not succeed in general edu-
cation.
Beyond what has been said, consider
the fact that these countries which have
SO thoroughly tested the parochial
school system, have repudiated it, In
states like Mexico, Costa RIGA and Chilli,
parents who send their children to pa
rochial schools are fined. Now, Mr..
MCGOWAN, what does this ststudy of
facts" show? If this is "a question of
education thenI repeat it, the paroch-
ial school is failure.
Nor is this verdict against the paroch-
ial school from these countries one of
religious bigotry. Those who speak for
the common schools here are charged
| with religious hatred. Such a charge
| cannot be laid at the door of Italy, Next
| co, Argentine Republic, Chill and Uru-
quay, These people are intensely devot
| ed to the Roman Catholic church, and
yet they have abolished the parochial
| school and the state is doing the educat-
| ing. Nor has the parochial school failed
in Catholic countries alone 1t failed in
England, Sweden and Germany, which
are Protestant. These are the facts in
the case, and they are not overstated.
Mr.. McGowan's statement in regard to
| England and Germany favoring a denom-
| national system ofeducation is simply
not in accord with the facts, as anyone
knows who is informed on the subject.
| But Mr.. MCGOWAN comes nearer home
and speaks of ''the progressiveness of
parochial schools in the United States"
| He triumphantly points to the exhibit at
the Worlds Fair; says that Methodist
bishop declared it the besti exhibit Of
school chlldren's work, and then asks
my opinion upon it as "a minister of the
| gospel" / saw the exhibit but I dis
| cover that my opinion in regard to edu-
cational matters does not seem to have
| much weight with Mr.. MCGOWAN. will
therefore point him to a professional and
critical estimate that will be better than
| my own. The New York Independent
| selected Sophia Antoinette Walker to
write up the art exhibits at the World S
Fair. The Independent says that Miss
| Walker is not tinctured by any bigotrv
| that might warp her judgment, and that
| she is thoroughly competent as an artist
and a critic. This is what she says:
There is a large exhibit from Catholic
| schools of a decidedly stale and impotent
| character. In fact, the art work is "a
| nightmare, and proof thatthe teachers
! do not know what is being done outside of
| their immured and sequestered domain.
| Let US hope that they will visit their ex-
hibits and compare them with the work
of non-seetarian institutions. aad, if so,
| the Worlds Fair is not in vain"
| But to come still nearer home. What
| about the efficiency Eof the parochial
! schools of this city? Remember the COM
parison between the common and
| parochial schools has been challenged
| OF course, it is difficult to obtain. data
| But there is one time when the graduates
of the two systems come into competi-
| lt1on, and when the comparisons may be
studied in these two systems, undergo
examination as candidates for positions
| as teachers i'll our common schools they
meet on common footing Not to 90
back of the present year, the records of
our board of education have a significant
result to show. Last summer there were
| twenty candidates before the board for
examination. Out Of that twenty there
We're three..who failed to pass the exami-
nations The three who failed were the
Representatives of the parochial schools.
| One of these had had High school train
ing in addition to the parochial school
studies. There was no unjust discrimi-
| nation. The exaIninat III papers were
preserved and any citizen has a right to
see them would not say that such a
test ought to be conclusive for it does
not represent enough in number upon
which to fairly base an average, but I
am creditably informed that there is a
marked superiority in scholarship among
| the graduates of our common schools, as
shown by these annual examinations.
This is another study of facts.n
Beginning with the right of the parent,
Mr.. McGowan's article glides into the
advocacy of the parochial school, and at
last reaches its goal in the public school
funds. This is the objective point in all
this agitation against the common
schools. The division of the school
funds, as the PRESS has SO Frequently
and ably shown, is the real danger to our
i public school system. 1t can Withstand
| detraction-it will be known by its
fruits. 1t does not suffer when children
are withdrawn from 1.-THE children are
the victims But when its financial life
L..