The Irish standard., 1908-10-03
The Present System is Both Unjust as Well
as Un-Amer;can Declares the
Great .Prelate.
Gives Figures Showing the Injustice to Cath
olics, With Reasons For
Hoped-For Change.

In an article contributed to the New
York Times Cardinal Gibbons pre-
sents some telling arguments for the
Catholics claim for religious educa-
tion in this country. We use the .crm
Catholic claim advisedly, for III ougl;
some affect to think that the position
here outlined has not received the en-
dorsenent OF the hierarchy Of this
country, yet a few will look for higher
sanction for it than that of the Cac-
dinat Archbishop of Baltimore. In the
course Of his argument the Cardinal
says:
l do not believe that many Of us
realize how heavy a burden Catholics
have beer carrying patiently for long
years, owing to the double taxes they
pay for schools, first to the State, and
then for parochial schools.
Let me itclnize few facts for you,
showing what Catholics have paid ard
are paying for their schools, that re-
,1igion may be taught there. Accord
ing to the United States census report
for 1899 for New York State the va;us
of school property per capita of pupils
in average attendance was $117. The
cost of teaching and supervision per
capita of pupils in average attendance
was $21. The total cost of schools
per capita of pupils in average at
tendance was $3S.86.
Catholics pay faithfully their share
of this, and yet over and above that
they by themselves for conscience
schools, books, ETC., for 100000
American Catholic children, whom
they teach without any cost to the
State. And what would that amount
to according to the States cost of op-
Grating schools in New York, as gives
above? AS each child costs the Safe
of New York nearly $39 annually, and
as Catholics school 100000 children
free of cost to the country, Catholics
annually save to the United States
over $5O.0O0,000. In other terms, they
present our government each year five
battleships of the Dreadnaught class.
Or again, as we saw above from the
United State census for 1899 for New
York state, the value of school prop
erty per capita of pupils in average
attendance was $117.. Supposing that
out of 100000 children schooled ty
Catholics in parochial schools 100000
is the average daily attendance; then,
if next September these Catholic chill
dren went to the public schools the
country would have to lay out $117,-
100000 simply to get schoolhouses to
hold them.
Again, multiplying the $50,000,000
that Catholics now annually save our
country by the number Of years thai
they have been doing this, say since
the civil war; even cutting it in two
as probably accurate average for
former years, when our population
was less, and we have forty times
s50,00O,O0 equaling $2000,O00,000, and
dividing this by two we have $1,000
100000 that Catholics have saved the
United States since the civil war.
Must this so OH forever? "How lons.
o Lord, how long!" And while Cath
olics are willing to go on with the
present system of paying their share
of taxes for the State public: schools
and also for the parochial schools, and
would never resort to violence or an
archy to cure what they, nevertheless,
hold to be, if not against strict justice
and legal right, yet contrary to ethics
and charity, still they desire and hope
for and trust. that their fellow coun-
trymen will be fair and charitable
enough soon to give them something
better =.
But Catholics are not alone in this
wish for religion in our public schools,
for the Lutheran Almanac" for 1904