The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-01-25
Public and ParochiaI Schools

Discussing this subject, the Chicago
! Tribune argues from a practical and
! economical standpoint exclusively:
! Trustee Gallagher of the board of
! education thinks that what is needed
in the public schools of Chicago is the
| scraping off of all pedagogical bar
! nacles. usually for short called "fads."
and the Introduction of a severe and
| vigilant economy, In both these mat
| tiers he holds up as models the schools
that are at present under parochiIl
management.
80 far as economy is concerned. the
comparison is not altogether fair The
parochial schools have certain advan-
tages of which the public schools are
deprived. In the first place, the Roman
Catholic ones are part and parcel of a
larger organization so fully equipped
with administrative machinery that the
additional labor and expense connected
with supplying instruction to children
is hardly felt. The Roman Catholic
Church, with its great religious socie-
ties. can make its school system an
easy and natural development, rather
than distinct and separa te enterprise.
In the matter of teachers, for in
stance. how easy the problem isl The
seminarians, the young priests. the
monks, the nuns, are ready to hand.
They can be used in one way as we'll
as another. They have devoted them
selves to the service of God and the
Church. They have taken vows of pow
erty and obedience. They are not con-
cerned about salaries. They do not
form protective associations They
work for the sake of the cause. If they
have subsistence they are satisfied:
and subsistence they would have
whether they taught or not Their en-
ergy can be diverted into any cham
mel. They can be placed in the hos
pital, in the chapel, in the slum, or in
the school. The place is Indifferent. It
is obedience and service that matter
One can see at once how useful for all
purposes such a system is The pa
rochial schools draw upon the Church,
and the Church is able to supply then
at the lowest possible expense with a
large and devoted teaching class.
Nor does the good fortune of the
parochial schools end here. One must
also remember that while those schools
share in the benefits of the effective
organiza ton of the Church they at the
same time profit by the energy and
enthusiasm of the individual priest.
The rector or pastor of the parish
whether Catholic or Lutheran-is re-
sponsible for his school, The manage
ment of it is largely in the hands. He
builds it up, he superintends it, he
enlarges it. He receives and dis
burses the money necessary to it's sup
port That money is hard to get, often,
and is spent judiciously. In all this
there is a personal element which is
seldom to be found in an enterprise
conducted by the state. 1t is frequently
said that there is no eight-hour day for
man who is in business for himself.
Neither is there one for the priest who
is managing his own parish. His per
sonal ambition, as well as his esprit de
corps, impel him to continual and un-
Wearied exertions.
These things must be considered in
comparing the public with the paroch-
ial system. 1t may be admitted that
if the board of education could exer-
else that implacable economy which
Mr., Gallagher recommends a great
many difficulties would disappear. But
while body of public officials NAV
reasonably be required to abstain from |
extravaganza, is it not somewhat un-
reasonable to expect them to attain in |
this matter to the perfection which so |
far in the history of the world has been
possible only under altogether different |
2"