The Jersey City news., 1906-02-24
High School Committee Re-
.iects Their Petition to Ad-
NIT Children On Their
Certificate
SUPERINTENDENT TO EXAMINE
REPLY OF THE BOARD OF EDU-
CATION TO THE PETITION SAYS
AooUIEsoENcE WOULD LOOK
LIKE DISCRIMINATION.

fused to grant the request of Catholic
pr;ests of the city that graduates of Pa
rochial schools be admitted to the High
school on certificates of the priests as 70
qualification. Tha communication of
Monsignor John A. Sheppard. D. D., and
others eulogizing the request. had been
referred to the Committee on High
School and the Committee on Teachers
and S.-laries The petitioners were IN
vited to meet the joint committee in CON
ference but letter received from Mon
s;gnor Sheppard was interpreted to the
effect that the Catholic clergy refused to
meet ta conference with the joint COM
m:tasa The letter in reply to the invi-
tation to the Catholic clergy to meet the
Joint committee in conference was as
foAows:-
exhibit c. St Nj Micsael,s ea.s ReetoFy, Rector
Jersey City.
February r. 1905.
"Dear Sir-We. the reetors of jersey
City. rae in receipt of your kind inv. .bation
TO meet the Joint committee des gnated 60
give us hearing on Friday, FEBRUARY
is. 1905.
.Our petition states our position very
clearly. and we have NO desire TO stir
I'D religious amnesty on question
which might have been, and may easily
be. settled by your Board. We have sut-
1icfent confidence In that competent body
CO. i taa1 r&f1lv
Yours sincerely,
ssJNO. A. SHEPPARD. v. g.,
Tor the Reetors.
The Joint committee of the Board of
Education Recommended that the Super
intendent be authorized to provide for
the admission of all applicants who are
graduates of private schools. on the basis
of an examination. or to admit such cam
didates on his certificate if, after in
speeting and testing their record and
school work. ,in the manner followed in
the public schools provided that all the
means and opportunities necessary to
the application of such inspection and
tests shall be afforded him), he is salts
fed that their qualifications are equiva-
lent to those possessed by graduates of
the Grammar Schools.
..The claim has been made in support
of the request Of the petitioners that the
plan they ask US TO adopt has been tried
in Boston and is now pursued there. with
satisfaction to all concerned. Your COM
mittee has investigated this claim, and
has ascertained that the Boston plan diff
fers frCzn the plan now proposed by the
petitioners in the vital point that the
power or discretion of determining the
fitness of high school candidates from
private schools is lodged in the Board of
Supervisors Of Boston, school authority
consisting of the Superintendent of
Schools and :ix Supervisors, represented
IN our system by the Superintendent of
Schools. The language of the rule of the
Boston Board of Education is as fol-
lows
Graduates of private schools whose
standards are satisfactory to the Board
of Supervisors may be admitted by GER
sificade to the High School
TO the principle embodied III this rule
there can be no possible objection, be-
cause the power to judge of the fitness
Of the applicant is lodged in officers of
your committee has embodied in the rec
onlmendation made above"
The petition is as follows
To Superintendent Henry Snyder and
the Board Of Educat ton
At meeting of the Rev Rectors of
the Catholic churches Of Jersey City,
held in st. Lucy's Rectory, 615 Grove
street, it was formally resolved that this
appeal be made to Superintendent III.
Snyder and the Board of Education. and
that our petition be framed in the follow
ing res6lation:@-
city are educating free of expense to our
city, a0688 children, thus imposing
heavy but voluntary burden on our peo-
ples and
Whereas, our schools, both in method
and grade work, have made rapid strides
and today with schedule of studies ar
ranged as nearly as possible with that
of our public schools afford our children
a complete grammar course and thorough
~ fit them for High School; and
Whereas, we desire for the building
up of cur school system TO give our chill
dreu graduating an opportunity TO enter
the field of higher education and for
this purpose pledge ourselves to supply
any difference existing between our
schedule and that of our public schools
SO as to render cur system more efficient
be it resolved.
That we, the Rectors of the Catholic
churches CT our city, and by our office
principals of our schools, respectfully PEI
fition yeHr Honorable Body to extend to
our Parochial School children graduating
the right to enter High School on our ap-
Respectfully submitted by the under
John A. Sheppard. v. O., ST. Michael's
Church; Rev. John J Boylan, st. Lucy,s
Church; Rev. Joseph 81. Meehan. All