The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-11-04
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Evidence That the National
System Of instruction Is
Of Catholic Origin.
BASIS OF THE ASSERTION
Interesting Extracts From
Henry .Barnard's Book
Among the Churches.


The manner in which some people, out
side the Roman Catholic Church, talk
of our free school system, is very apt
to be misleading in some respects, says
the Intermountain Catholic h class
to which we refer is. no doubt, fully con-
WINGED that the public scnool system is
a natural product Of Professionalism
The following extract from a book en-
titled, National Education in Europe"
by Henry Barnard, LID, will prove
enlightening to some and of interest to
ALL
But not to Germany or any other
people, or any civil authority anywhere.
but to the Christian Church, belongs
the higher credit of first in~stttuting the
public school for the elementary educa-
tion of the poor, which was the earliest
form which this mighty element of mod
ern society assumed. After the third
century of the Christian era, whenever
a Christian church was planted. or re-
hgions were established, there it was the
aim of the higher ecclesiastical author
tiles to found in some form a school for
the nature OF children n youth for
the service of religion and duties of So
ciety. Passing by the ecclesiastical and
catecheticai schools, we find as early as
as, the Council of Watson strongly rec
ommending the establishment Of vii
lage schools. In SOC a synod at May
ence ordered that the parochial priests
should have schools In the towns and
villages that the children OF all the
faithful might learn letters from them.
let them receive and teach these with
the utmost charity. that themselves may
shine as the stars forever. Let them re-
ceive no remuneration from the schol-
ars, unless what the parents may vol
unfairly OFFER
A council at Rome, in 500, under Pope
Eugene II. ordered that there should be
three kinds OF schools established
through C-hristendom; episcopal. paro-
chial in towns and villages, and others
wherever there could be found place and
opportunity.
In S5 Lothaire I promulgated a decree
to establish light public schools in some
of the principal cities of Italy. In order
that opportunity may be given to all, and
that there may be no excuse drawn
from poverty and the difficulty Of repair
ing to remote places"
The third Council of Lateran, ITS,
says: Since the Church of God. as a
pious MOTHER, is bound to provide that
opportunity should not be withdrawn
from the poor. who are without help
from p~atrimoniai riches, be it ordained,
that in every cathedral there should be
a master to teach both clerks and poor
scholars gratis" This decree was en-
larged and again enforced by Innocent
III, in the year 1915. Hence. In all coll
leges and canons, one bore the title of the
scholastic canon. The Council Of Lyons,
In 1915, decreed that 'in all cathedral
churches and others provided with ade-
quate revenues, there should be establish
lished a school and a teacher by the Bish-
op and chapter, who should teach the
clerks and other poor scholars gratis in
grammar, and for this purpose a stipend
should be assigned him."
Such was the origin Of the popular
school, as now generally understood
everywhere the offspring and companions
of the Church.