The Irish standard., 1902-05-10

The Catholic Citizen. of Milwaukee,
in last weeks issue. published the fol-
lowing portions of letter addressed
to Il prelate of the Catholic Church in
this country by an American now trav-
cling in the Philippines. The names
of the prelate and of his correspondent
have been furnished in confidence to
the Irish Standard by the editor of the
Citizen. After an introduction rela-
tive to personal matters, the American
in the Philippines gives the following
information about the public school
system in the islands and how it is
conducted:
''To begin with. the head of the
whole educational system is Rev. DR..
Fred. w. Atkinson. a Protestant cler-
gyman whose record in selecting only
Protestants and notably Protestant
clergymen for his leading assistants is
sufficient proof of his bigotry. by
his works we shall judge him. He
has placed the city schools Of Manila
in charge of Rev. Mason S. Stone. a
Vermont Protestant. Il Presbyterian
clergyman, who in turn has appointed
only Protestants as principals and
teachers in the public schools of this
o;+ pv,11 f@x-n
Catholic teachers Qadies) in this city
and seventy Protestants to teach Cath
oic children and to supervise the edu-
cation of Catholic youth. This is heart
breaking and it makes me indignant
and shall and will protest in Gods
name and the name of justice against
indignant for this is not all. In order
to provide for 4 Protestant corps of
native teachers. it was planned and
the plan is in operation. to fix these
native candidates for teachers while
they are attending the Normal schools.
1t is not enough to offer as an induce
ment q double salary to native teach
ers who apostatiZc and attend Protest
ants Sunday schools double the salary
that. is given the native teachers who
remain true to the Catholic faith. but
they give the choice of positions to
these apostates in the provinces The
bigoted Protestant division supcrinten-
dents and city superintendent have
done this and are doing it all over the
archipelago to-day in order to make
the native teachers tools in pfoselytiZ-
ing the children.
''The educational department Rev.
Atkinson ct all has established sys-
fem of Normal schools for the islands
with the head schools in Manila. and
placed ut the head of this system Rev.
Il. B. Bryan. a most bigoted Protest
ant clergyman He has several times
occupied the pulpits in the newly
erected Protestant churches here and
denounced the corrupt Catholic friars
and the Catholic Church of the is
iitHuS. HIS DISOl HID IL tol pS VI
Protestant teachers for his assistants.
selected with a view to getting his
plans of proselytizing native cand-
dates to work to his satisfaction. Not
one Catholic is to he found among any
of the American teachers who are en-
plnyed in the education and training of
native teachers. 1t seems their plan is
to give these natives the impression
that to become american they must
become Protestant, and this is why
only Protestant teachers are permitted
to take charge of this most important
work in Normal schools.
'Now what of the results? I have
found upon personal investigation ut
the Normal school that the most bitter
abuse of the Catholic religion and the
frars is served up to edify these big
OTIS in the form of essays and comro-
sitions. have asked to be permitte
to carry away with me as my property
some of these essays to send you as
proof, but my requests have been re-
fused. l am not to be turned down
by these bigots, so I visit the school
and make my daily investigation as it