Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-11-08
Nom Catholic Writer Who Sees
Hope i'm the Catholic
Schools.
Where Public Opinion Is Based
On Religion Citizens Are
Patriotic.
COLER'S PLAN FOR EDUCATION

i
has devoted considerable serious
attention to the matter of education.
He has been writing and talking
intelligently and forcefully upon the
topic for several years, and he is
generally pretty well equipped with
facts to substantiate his contentious,
says the Providence Visitor. When
he was Comptroller of the City of
New York he made a few observa-
tions on things in general and his
philosophic temperament led him to
seek the causes for present-day con-
ditions. Though a Methodist in re-
ligion, his persuasions on a good
many subjects are decidedly Cath
Ollie; his attitude on the question of
the necessity for religious instruc-
tion in the class room agrees per-
fectly with the position long held by
the church and tentatively recon-
mended by the best educational
minds outside of her His book,
Two and Two Make Four" and an
earlier pamphlet entitled Socialism
In the Schools" are not only well
worthy of perusal but stamp their
author as a man who knows whereof
he speaks, and one deservedly en-
titled to a respectful hearing. He
delivered an address in Lawrence a
short time ago, advocating in sub
stance to 'let every creed control its
own schools, and to let the State pay
per capita for the education of each
child so educated"
Whenever public opinion and re-
| ligion are mentioned in the same
breadth, there are patriotic Ameri-
cans who Immediately begin to take
notice. CONSERVATION and agitation
lead some to denounce parJShiQI
schools as un-Ameriean; others Nc
claim against the preposterous pos
sibility of compelling Protestants to
contribute to the support of Catholic
institutions; others again proclaim
lcategorically the impossibility oe
ever evolving any school scheme
wherein the secular and the relig-
ious may be given attention under
the same roof and on the same day.
And all agree that Catholics are
looking for something, they are not
going to get, in the line of re-
muneration from the State, for
Teaching the young.
Mr.. Coler recommended per
, capita plan of payment for de-
nominational schools. 1t is figured
out to the fraction of a cent how
much the education of each child
costs the State. The amount of the
bill is easy to determine. The pay
ment of the same may come bye and
bye. The other proposition. about
letting every creed conduct it's own
schools, does not seem to offer as
easy solution. He would not, how
ever, compel every denomination to
establish and maintain separate in
stitutions of learning in every place,
for this would be needless proce-
dure and a hopeless impossibility.
His position is that of an OBJ
servant and fair-minded Protestant.
l-who knows, as he has declared, that
the Catholic church can stand up
against the State-supported schools
and Professionalism can not. His plea
Ia for the life of non-Catholic Chris
ianity in its unequal contest with
agnostic lnfidelity. Catholics we're
ahead of the age when they settled
the education matter for themselves.
They Just went out and built their
schools and paid for them and sup
ported them. Protestants may do
likewise sometime in the indefinite
future, II there be any of them left
with notions of the value of their
creeds, At present 1t is not their
way. They prefer to have the State
pay the bills incurred by the train
ing of the few children they have.
Their ministers, their conventions,
their best thinkers are decided upon
the need of daily religious instruc-
tion, IL morals are to be safely
guarded. Kant purely philosophic
morality has become an exploded
Theory. The sanction OF a divine
law is needed to make the many
straight and keep them so. Religion
Is the only sure foundation for moral
living, and the old truth is en-
phatically asserting itself in these
our days. The need for the relig-
lous school is becoming more and
more recognized; II would be cow
ardly as well as senseless to consider
It's establishment out of the question
because OF the difficulties appearing
I'm the way, Other nations do fairly
} we'll In maintaining separate sec
tartan schools. and moreover is not
the public school system itself but
a comparatively recent departure
from the plan advocated by Mr..
lColer2