The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-04
TAUGHT ATHEISM, THEY SAY.
cRnbDRsN CALLED TO BACK UP
HATHNR PROUT,S STORY.


A@@NN-
evcr. Deny N and Declare That the
Institution Ii simply Non-scctartsn.
American born children, all Of whom
are near their teens, testified yesterday
afternoon In the study Of the Rev. Father
John T. Prout. pssboro o the Roman Catholic
Church Of St. John Nepomuk, In East Sew
enty-frst street, that they are taught in
school that there 10 no God. Father Prout
sat at his dess and did the Quizzing and
reporters were the fury.
William Sehanex, a towhead who lives at
1884 First avenue, was the first to the bar.
william sehAnek.' began Father Prout.
what 10 10 the teachers tell you at the Boz
hemian freq school where you 20 on
Wednesdays and Saturdays to read In
Bohemian booksp"
THAT there's no God. Father and no
angels replied William. Like the other
youngsters, be talks English we'll. And
they say that going to church is foolish"
Robert Kellner OF 400 East SeVenty-third
street said that he, too, had been told not
to 90 70 church. The teachers had warned
him. he said. that a patch would grow
on his tongue II he did.
In h books they put a pencil mark
through wherever ii said Cod" went on
Robert, %and IL we forgot and read Che word
anyway they sometimes hit us with a stick
Annie Jelinek came next. what about
you Annie2' began Father Prout; Annie
was chook full Of Information ana jumped
right past him into her testimony.
II learned that I shouldn't believe in
God, that there wasn't any use in going to
church. that the teachers would like Father
Prout tell IL he can bow a souls going to
get clear from earth To heaven and how
lang IL takes
You see," concluded the prizes. after
several had testified. they're all agreed.
Nevertheless one boy who was questioned,
Barney Trnka Of tT2 East Seventv-flfth
street, had said that he coul not remember
any such stheistic TEACHINGS.
The Bohemians around here are down
on he and trying to make trouble" said
the priest. They claim that I want this
Bohemian free school to teach only Roman
Catholicism and that I'm mao because
they won't do 1t. But put this down:
Catholicism hasn't anything to do with it.
l tell you they're teaching atheism unde-
filed.
The other side Of tho picture was re-
vealed when the reporters. chaperonci by
Thomas Capek. president Of the Slavic
/. Alliance, went around 10 the school on
East Seventy-third street.
ElK0I nlIllTNl CillllTen are Taught IIpTP.
Harry Prous. who is the nearest to n principal
the institution has, seemed PANIED when
Capek translated the staten ents Of the
children "a heard in Father Prout's study
Its silly. Ii isn't true" he asserted.
why, look for yourself and see that il isn't
true. 8 the children-ask any of them.
They'll tell you
A Bohemian reade shown to the re-
| porters had woodcut likenesses of Presi-
dents Roosevelt and Mckinley and of a lot
Of Bohemian patriots. The Bohemian word
for God was pointed out twice. In hadn't
been crossed out.
This il a non-sectarian school," ex-
planned Mr.. Prous. W admit all any,
body who wants to learn Bohemian. Re-
ligion hasn't anything to do with it. Catho-
lilo or Protestant. It is true that where
church prayers are found in our books the
prayers are cut out entirely. But we nave
never struck out the word God and have
never taught atheism in any way"
This fuss in the Bohemian colony is
double barrelled just now. Father Prout
is disliked by some influential leaders for
his stand on the school question. Incl
dentally, he has a school of his own going
at his church which has a large Bohemian
attendance. The other part of the fight
centres around Father Prout's work az
member of the the committee which passes
on the books that are bought for the Car
negie free public library at S~eventy-eighth
street and Avenue A.
Half Of the books in thisli library are printed
in the Bohemian tongue. Father Prout OBJ
jected to the presence of Machar's Col
gotha," of lola and of Oscar Wilde. The
rest of the censors didn't mind having such
writings around. They wanted to put
Father Prout of the committee, but found
that hi constitution didn't allow 1t. So
the committee, with Father Prout present,
voted last night 10 disband.