The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1909-06-17
CATHOLIC SCHOOL
COMMENCEMENT


The manner in which the drills, songs
nd especially the Drama, "a He
rome Of the Revolution" were pre-
scented reflected great credit on the
very competent teachers In charge
of the school. The parish may he
justly proud Of the children, and Of
the work which the school has ac-
complished. II was n very superior
entertainment that would nave been
IA creditahle production for much
older children. Many remarked the"
perfect order observed ON the stage,
and the absence Of what Is commonly
known as stage-fright.
Just before the concluding number
on the program, the pastor, Rev.
Father Collins, addressed the au-
dience, giving the reasons why the
Catholic Church conducts her own
schools. 1.-THE Catholic Church. ."
he said, has always been foremost
in promoting education.
Even In those days which are
called THE Dark Ages education
was literally diffused, and we owe
all that we have In literature, science
and history TO the work of the much
maligened monks Of those days.
The monks Of the Catholic Church
wrote our literature, copied and pre-
served It, and were ii not for their
>eaTnestness in these matters we
/, would not even have copy OF the
Bible to-day. The first schools To
which the public was admitted. the
first public schools, were the schools
uf .the early Christians, aud from
those days on down through the ages
the Church has left her stamp upon
education; indeed it was she who
gave to the world every one Of the
great Universities Of Europe.
1.-THE reason why practical Catho-
lies do not send their children to the /
public schools is because they are
not satisfied with the teaching /
which is given in the public schools.
Education should dcvelope both the
moral and mental faculties Of the |
child--should he training OF the
heart as well as OF the mind.
"Our Catholic schools teach the
children all they need to know, all
that they would learn In the public
schools, for in the secular branches
we have almost the same course Of
study rs that used in the free
schools, and there Is ever kept be-
fore their minds that something
more than success in worldly way
is To- be striven for. our children
are taught to say our Father, and
to look up to their Father for all the
spiritual and temporal blessings Of
which We stand in need; they are
taught principles OF honesty and in
dustry; they are taught that the eye
of God sees them always, and the
hand that is raised against Christian
education is raised against good
citizenship and against God Him
self We believe that the eviron-
ment Of education ought 10 be re-
ligious, that the atmosphere breathed
by the children ought TO be such as
would bring them closer to their
Maker.
"If infidels and pagans aud in
differentists are satisfied with the |
teaching of the public schools 1t
surely cannot satisfy Christians.
The only place for the child of sincere |
Christian parents is in his denom-
national school. God is practically |
ignored In the public schools. 1t
would be utterly impossible to give
any religious instruction in the
schools and satisfy Jew and Gentle
and Christian, and the difficulty Is
overcome by casting God out of the
school.
aside from the moral consider
alton, the Catholic school il of
benefit to the city In financial way.
In the appropriation made for edu
cation this term about 81 40 will he
allowed for each child of school age,
and with 81 pupils in our school,
which costs the state nothing, we
bring into Pennington revenue of
Sll900; then counting one dollar for
each pupil as the teachers salary
(which would be very meagre) in S
months we save to the city $4,000.
"lf we should for any reason find
1t necessary to close our schools
the city would very probably be
Obliged to erect n school building for
us.
sin Bonnie Terre, this county,
there are go children in the Catholic
school, bringing u cash revenue
from the State appropriation amount
ing to 1922 90, a saving In teachers
salaries of $lS40.00 to the town of
| Bonnie Terre. Yet we get nothing