The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-24
MAY THEY TEACH CLASSICS?
THE QUESTION TAKEN TO ROME BY
THE CHRIsTIlN BROTHERS.
A Deoision Expected Soon In the Contro-
versy over the Right OF the Order TO
Teach Classics in Their schools In spit"
of the Rule Established by DE In Sale

verry Over the Right OF the oroer 10
Teach Classics in Their schools In spit"
of the Rule Established by DE In sshs'
The Christian Brothers and others Interested
In Roman Catholic educational affairs In This
country are looking for a decision from Rome
upon the question Of the teaching oil tho ciossics
in tho Brothers schools The question has been
a subject OF dispute now for several years, and
while no one interested knows Just when the de-
csion will come. II is regarded a. likely that It
will be made known before long. The matter
was presented to the Sacred Congregation OF
Bishops and regulars at Rome In June, both
sides submitting briefs then. All the Sacred Con
gregations convene In the fall on Nov. 4. and the
case OF the Brothers and the classics was to be
taken up then In due order rs one Of large impor
tance and far reaching effect Although much
has been said and written about II from time to
time, the real issue s only imperfeciy understood
outside Of the order The case before the Congre
cation comprehends more than the question OF
teaching the classics in the Brothers schools
but the other points Of government and internal
organization and the Brothers consider them
private matters The point in which responsible
officers Of the church, laymcn and the public
generally have an interest Is that Of the teaching
Of the classics In the schools which the Brothers
manage.
dispute among the Brothers and IL has been said
also that the teaching Of tho classics has been
stopped in their schools in this country by orders
from the Superior Gencra al In Paris Neither state.
ment Is correct There are very material differences
OF opinion among the members OF the order as TO tho
particular matter Of policy under discussion.
but there Is nothing approaching disobcdience In
the ranks Neither has the teaching Of the classics
been stopped The quality Of obedience Is 40
marked in the order that Brother In this country
became martyr TO H. and its general OBJ
seryance revealed changes so important as TO
give rise TO the stories Of a disturbance in tho
order that have appeared at times The Brother
referred TO went down in the steamship La Bour.
gognc because he would not vary one iota from
tho instructions calling him from the Golden
Gate TO Paris
To get anything like an adequate understand
ing Of the important issue now awaiting adiudi-
cation at Rome. IL is necessary TO go back TO the
foundation Of the order Of the Christian Brothers
by NJ. de la Sale in 1881. At that time the yer
nacular was not taught At all in the schools Of
the Church. Latin was taught and it's teaching
was necessary to make the education given
Of service, as scientific. theological and edu-
cational books were written in that language
But most Of the pupils left school at too early
an age to acquire a satisfactory knowledge nf
Latin. and as they had not q competent under
standing Of the vernacular either. he la Sale
set out to establish new schools where the Yer.
nacular should be taught and where tn. poorer
classes might acquire some beneficial education.
lie started an order Of teachers but they wcro
men brought UP under the pre-, ailing conditions
and felt themselves bound TO teach Latin. de
la Sale gave that plan up and started another
order in which II was forbidden by the regula-
tons to teach Latin. He wanted the vcrnacular
and the elementary sciences taught That order
is the Order Of the Christian Brothers The
conscrva tism that marks all Catholic orders and
the Church itself has prevented the regulation
t9rSdd,nS the teaching Hl Of Ln,,n from being
regulations, some Of which require that school
shall begin at : o'clock in. the morning and end
at o'clock and others Of which prescribe the
Observance of holidays that have ceased to be-
The order founded by he la Sale grew and
spread; in spite Of the fact thnt his free schools
Established The Brothers went into the other
Latin countries and into Germany and Austria.
about 40 600 Of them. the order being the largest
II is said. In the Church There are more than
a thousand Of them in the United States There
are in the order men Of almost every nationality
including Chinese. In Colombo. jeylon. they
have an institute presided over by. an American
all II whose associates are Cingalrse In most
u the countries where tho brothers went their
plan Of work operated well, other orders sup
piled classical education. A, the present time
In some countries the question 81 n classical rdu
cation would not arise in the schools maintained
and iV hs ned Sses the fn ""d
n different set Of conditions altogether from those
prevailing In Southern Europe When they
came here something more than Atty, years ago
they speedily found that To do the work they wanted
to do they must adopt IN their schools the spirit
Of the country and o. the school systems Of the
The regulations, lust ns Il invariably happens
N living organizations and thcse grew into Gus,
IN the regulations Of the order, answered tho
purposes of the order, and escaped challenge
Tor many years
The poin, where question was raised over
50 much OF this change in practice as regards
The teaching Of the classics was reached few years
outgrowth. There are four divisions Of the |
unitcd States In the governmental scheme cf !
nh sr9 9Ih snsdn is separate division,
4 aliiax was taken from Canada and annexed the |
liyison Of New York because Of the greater sym.
French Canadian general methods In Hall,
"a. h9rmST pupil q The BIo,hs.s who had grown
,bs sum for f the ' @ OF cSs sSS hsc
q be under the management Of the Brothers |
The, money COULDN'T be used otherwise The |
,oege should Ne started and f c"Isd upon " the e
oIothers OF ms division to go ahead with the |
nut when they have not men enough 10 Justify |
I, and as they could not supply full force Tor
he management and maintenance, Of the col
icre suggested To the Archbishop that he should |
ry to get some II the Brothers in Europe 10 come
'ver, and offered II certain number were Sc
'uIed to furnish enough more to make up tho
olege quota,
In these negotiations the question arose as
% the teaching Of the classics IN the proposed |
lew institute or college The European Broth |
m approached chiefly French, wanted no elias
lies taught no Latin except the reading knowl-
dRo OF IL necessary TO an understanding Of the |
prayer book, which the regulations of the order
'ermt The Americans wanted the Same system Of
eachinE that prevails here and that IL also what
he Haligonians wanted. The question was re-
erred TO the General Chapter which the order
lolds once In ten years Al the chapter one
ote IL allowed for every two hundred members
y he Brothers in this country have six votes
those OF England and Ireland Joined with them,
packing up their position. but the French Brothers,
rho vastly outnumbcred them voted them down |
md tho matter was carried TO Rome where IL
I'LL H. -
On the death OF tho Superior General Of the
rider n new one came TO that office in Paris
3rother Gabriel Marie lie believed that the
american brotherhood had gone altogether wrong
nd ho ordered some sweeping changes. Ten |
4 the Brothers were ordered abroad and scattered
rom Egypt 10 Russia, from the Mediterranean
o the Indian Ocean. Brother Justin of Man.
Iatthn College. the head or visitor Of the New
FORK division, was ordered To Toulouse Brother
(uinunian OF the same institution was sent Ia |
,amur Belgium, Brother Potamian, President
y Manhattan College, was sent to Nantes and