The Irish standard., 1904-11-26
Went to Condemn, But Is Forced to Praise
After Faithful Comparison of
Results Obtained
Nothing Can Be Further From the Truth
Than the Assertion That They Teach
Only Religion.

time being lost in an assembly ROOM.
as the prayers are said in the class
rooms. After the noon recess the chill
dren have three or four minutes Of
prayer in their class rooms. The cur
riculum calls for only one-half hour
for instruction in Christian doctrine.'
That is all the religion taught in the
regular school. But there are Sunday
schools where the children get further
instruction in their religion. Before
dismiss this subject one word as to
the Bible. The pupils get knowledge
of the Old and New Testaments from
reading lessons, the books containing
all the leading events and features of
Biblican history.
"The public school children are dis
missed at o'clock p. m. In many
parochial schools the grammar grades
are kept until $3.50 o'clock p. m.
"In the matter Of school supplies
there is nothing lacking from the kin
dergarten to the graduating class.
"Do these parochial schools turn out
better educated children than those
from the public schools? Last sum-
mer while IS per cent Of the graduates
Of the parOchial schools who presented
themselves at the examination for en-
trance into the normal college were
admitted and many with honor) only
25 per cent Of the graduates Of the
public schools were successful. This
summer the Catholic percentage was
higher.
'In all the parochial schools visit
ed l was invited to examine the
classes in any subject contained in the
curriculum. Very few were below the
standard, while the large majority
were superior to the public schools.
know some public schools that cam
not be cxcelcd by the best Of the pa
rochial schools, for the reason that the
principals steal time from the 'frills
and fads' to give their pupils thorough
instruction in the essentials. For do
ing this they are liable to charges
should the district superintendent find
1t out and report the conscientious If
delinquent principal to the board of
associate superintendent, whom May
or Mcclellan has styled the masters
of the board Of education
"In the essentials peLmanship,
language (grammar), reading, arith-
metic, history and geography - the
parochial schools seem to me to excel.
They excel in drawing. The reason
for the superiority of the parochial
schools in these respects is simple. At
the end of school term (one-half
year, no child is promoted to a higher
grade unless the child has mastery
Of the subjects taught in the grade
in which he or she has been studying
for that term. In the public schools
the aim is to get results in the shape
of statistics. Fit or unfit, the child
is pushed into higher grade.
In the Catholic schools a backward
child is kept another term, or if neces-
sary whole year, in the same grade
until fit for promotion. In the public
schools forty minutes is wasted each
day in the first year on physiology,
hygiene and organized games for
or 7-year-old children, and thirty-three
minutes for grades Of the following
years. In the parochial schools all
through the course calisthenics are
given at intervals to relieve the pos
sible monotony Of study, but no time
is lost in taking children to the yard
to play organized games,' such as are
ordered by the board of superintend-
ents Of the public schools Play is as
natural as eating and drinking, and
the parochial scholars are not In
structed' how to get exercise out Of
fun.
GAS a rule, the parochial school pu-
pills are better spoilers and have a
clearer idea of the meaning Of the
words than the average public school
child.
"The parochial school children are
fairly we'll acquainted with the geog-