The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-14


as the occupants OF different planet.
Here the church took the lead. No school was
built or even contemplated without it's partcipa-
ton and control. The opportunity to use schools
for the propagation OF the faith was too tempting
to be resisted. Hence they were not only founded
under direct ecclesiastical auspices and controlled
by the clergy, but they were invariably used to in
doctrinate the native races in all the tenets of the
Roman Catholic faith.
Each of the religious orders We'd in an effort to
establish schools of various grades and adapted
the classes which were chiefly in view TIE first
school established in Mexico the College Of st.
John Lateran, its object being especially to reach
the indians. The next school was the Imperial
College of Santa Cruz, established in Mexico in
1887. Afterward came the larger College OF Al
Saints, founded in 1856.
Let me remind DR.. Goodwin that Harvard
College was not founded until 1888, over full
century after the College of st. John Lateran
had been founded in Mexico.
No order was so intensely devoted TO education
as the Jesuls. Other orders W re quite as ag
gressive in their eYangestic zeal, and others IN
the publishing interest: but in the New World as
In the Old the Jesuits far exceeded all others in the
establishment of schools and their wise distri bu-
ton of educational forces. Father Sanchez was
the provincial of the new country in 1876 and in
labors in season ard out Of season he endeav-
ored to cover the whole country with a net
work of schools. New arrivals of Jesuits aided in
the work of education. Each school became the
center OF q new propaganda.
OF all the schools founded by the Jesuits the
College OF ST. Hdelfonso was the first. II
established directly after their arrival IN 1872.
But Immediately afterward, In the same year, the
great National College of ST. Peter and st. Paul
was begun. This, in the later centuries, became
the common center of the whole educational
system OF the new country, In 1916 the Jesuius
established large institution OF learning at zaca-
tecas, and in 1859 one at Guadalaiara. They
also founded one at San Luis PotoSi by special
gifts, the inhabitants afterward giving impor-
tant adjunct of a hermitage. 4 little after this
came the Jesuit college at Queretaro, and similar
institutions at Patzcuaro and Valladolid AT both
these institutions the jealous Father Francisco
Ramenz labored. his term OF service covering a
period Of sixty years.
MExIco's EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
The present condition of education in Mexico
may be learned from the following extracts
from 'The Republic of Mexico in 1876; the
Character. Habits, Costumes and Vacations of
its Inhabitants" written in Spanish by Antonio
Garcia Cubas, and translated into English by
George +. Henderson The author deals on
page 33 with public instruction. The figures
in brackets have been introduced from the
Statesmans Year Book, 1898:
Primary instruction in the schools of the repub-
lie consists of the following branches Reading
writing Spanish grammar morality and good
manners, and moreover, in the girls schools,
neede-work and other useful abors. In some OF
the States the study Of geography national history
and drawing also obligatory, While in the
schools that are not supported by the Government
notions of algebra and geometry, elements OF gen
eral and natural history, ornamental and IneaI
drawing and the French language are taught.
The mum Der os primary schools in the whole of
the eepublic reaches S103, instead of 5000 that
existed in 1870 OF the number referred to, ac-
cording to the work OF Senior Diaz Covarrubias,
603 are supported by the State Governments 524O
by the municipal authorities, 97S by private
D0ratl0nS individuals, III by the Catholic
clergy, besides 1851 private establishments that
are not gratuitous and lS4 not classified.
These schools attended by $4,000 scholars of
both sexes In 1883 there were 1o,726 primary
schools with 543,977 pupis.l
Secondary instruction SIS well as professional
education are under the charge Of the state with
subsection to the programmes established BY law
which prescribes the liberty of education and pro-
fessons. In the republic OF Mexico there are 105
establishments of secondary and professional in
structon, in the following form: One special pre-
paratorv school in the City OF Mexico, 10 civil col
leges OF Jurisprudence, 20 schools of medicine and
pharmacy, 10 schools for engineers. naval schools
3 commercial schools, 3 academies of arts and
sciences agricultural schools, academies OF fine
arts. 2 conservatories OF music and defamation,
military college, "a seminartes supported by the
Catholic clergy, school for the blind, school for
the deaf and dumb, IA secondary schools for girls;
total number Of such institutions, i05, with an at
tendance OF 14,S0e pupils. In 1889 the number
attending these higher schools was Il GOO
The number OF professors and employees in the
public instruction in 1875 S770. There are
20 public libraries I72 in 1901 with $4,000
volumes, and private libraries with from 1000 TO
5000 volumes innumerable. Their are
museums of antiquities paintings and natural his
There rs institutions dedicated the cultiva-
tion of the arts and sciences, of which 20 are
scientific, meteorological observatories, Fl liter
airy, 20 artistcal and three OF mixed character.
In the year 1874 there were l64 Journals and
magazines OF which rs were Sclentlhc, literary,
arts,ical. 20 religious and lis political lin 1890
3l7 newspapers
CRIME IN MEXICO.
The Rev. Mr.. Goodwin, who does not scruple
to bear false witness against his nejghbor,
speaks of vice in Mexico. Now | do not pre-
tend to say that the Mexicans are angels, but
/ do say that in manners and morals they far
surpass Massachusetts. From STUDY of
Mexico" appleton IL Co., 1890, by David A.
Wells take the following:
For every crime against life or property in
Mexico a greater number OF similar that
have taken place in the United States could be
cited. Moreover, horrible crimes have been com
miUted in the United States, some of which have
not been even passed through the Imagination of
OF the remains of the phanthropic capitalist, A.
T. Stewart, in order TO get a ransom for them.
Permit me to remind Mr.. Goodwin that there
is class of crimes for which Massachusetts is
noted and which is entirely unknown in
Mexico. Ii he wants definite inform alton |
refer him to DR.. Fitch. the same who was
tongue-lashed by Miss Anna Shaw. The empty
,seho0lhouses and the childless homes of Puri-
tan New England tell the tale. God has given
the country over to the Irish and TO the French
Canadians because they remember the CON-
mandment, Thou shalt not kill. At this
very moment the Roman Catholics form the
majority of the population of Massachusetts,
II we are to ascribe its prosperity to religion
Catholics have as much claim to the merit as
the Protestants. Every day it is growing
more Catholic and every day it is growing more
moral.
These considerations, MI Editor, will serve
to show you how baseless are Mr.. Goodwins
structures against Mexico. He evidently
knows nothing about the country, and know
ing nothing there is no curb on his magma
ton. Your readers may learn from that
country what the Catholic church does with
heather people when she comes in contact
with them. She preserves them, educates
them, civilizes them little by little, and under
her fostering care they increase and multiply.
Let me now draw your. attention to what the
Christianity of Massachusetts did for q
heather people, who were far more amenable
to good influences than the savage Aztecs and
let tell for Mr.. GoodWin's benefit the story of
HOW THE PREACHERS CONVERTED HAWAII
Over century ago Hawaii was visited by
Captain Cook, but not until 1919 was any
attempt made to Christianize the natives In
the interval English, French and American
traders found their way to the islands, and the
infiltration of their Christianity such as it
was, led to an official rejection Of idolatry so
that the first American preachers who arrived
in 1920 found no organized religion to oppose
their propaganda
In their dealings with the gentle and docile
natives these sons of New England showed no
scruples about the union of church and state
Royal authority had effected the destruction
of the Old heather superstition OF the islands.
royal authority was invoked to establish
the new Bible superstition from beyond
the seas. The gloomy and forebodinc Cal
vinism, which agrees with the leaden skies and
storm-swept shores of New England was forced
upon groWn-up children who lived in sun
shine and laughter and passed their careless
days, fower-erowned beneath the palm trees
or floating on the long, lazy swell OF the tepid
ocean which bathes their island home The
native games, the native dances, the native