Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-10-31
Lack of Religious Training Re-
sponsible For Criminality
Among Juveniles.
Non-CathOlics Showing Anxiety
and Activity I'm Numerous
Places.
ACT OF GARY SCHOOL TRUSTEES

Teach God in the schools; read the
Bible in the schools moral training
must begin in the school; without
God there can be no religion, no
morals; irreligion, indifference, law
lessness, immortality are due to lack
OF Christian teaching to the child;
our youth are irreligious because
they know not God. These and like
declarations have appeared in re-
ports OF meetings, sermons and writ
ings regarding American education.
not from Catholics, but non-Cath-
olics, including Protestant ministers,
in the past few weeks. Now comes
the report of the Prison Reform Con-
gress, in which a speaker declared,
with approval of his hearers, that the
vast majority of prisoners knew
nothing Of God, of religion or morals,
and that this and the increase of
criminality among juveniles was due
to the lack OF proper religious teach
ing in the school.
The Catholic church has always
SO declared and protested against
education excluding God and morals;
and protests proving unavailing, has
founded and maintained schools COM
bining God and morals with educa-
tion. These schools are supported
by the Catholic people who also pay
their taxes to public schools. The
Catholic church has been condemned
and prescribed for nothing SO much
as its position on education, due to
Ignorance of the history of the
church and of educational progress,
and the prejudice born of repetition
OF the falsehood. Prejudice, like fog,
shuts out the light for a time.
The light is breaking. Results, as
attested by the universal irreligion,,
defiance of God and law, disregard
of morals and right, increase of
crime and anarchy, and the cause
and remedy are sought by right
thinking people. Though they do
not admit 1t, their words and the
means they suggest and adopt accord
with the teaching and practice of the
Catholic church regarding education.
In various parts of the country nom
Catholic denominations are maintain
ing schools where their children are
taught of God and morals; Secular"
schools, as they term the Catholic
schools. We approve their course,
and may they succeed and grow
throughout the country. These
schools are for the present limited to
communities where the church men,
bership is numerous with the means
for maintaining them. But the nom
Catholic church members are show
ing anxiety and activity elsewhere,
claiming the aid of public school
managers and insisting upon the
right to have their children taught
OF God. religion and morals. The
following dispatch from Gary, Ind,
shows what members of the Chris
tian and Methodist churches have
been granted by the School Trustees:
Public school children in Gary,
Ind, where an advanced system OF
training keeps them under the eyes
OF their teachers from morning till
night, entered upon a new phase of
their school life with the opening of
the sectarian school of the Christian
church. Methodists will open a
similar school to teach their own
creed and other denominations are
expected to follow. The church
schools will be recognized by Super
intendent Writ, OF the public schools,
to the extent that the public school
hours will be modified to allow those
who wish to attend the church
schools. The Christian church school
is under the direction of Myron G.
Settle. Of New York City, and Harry
Webb harrington, of Boston. will
have charge of the Methodist school.
The Gary authorities, in granting the
needed hours from regular school
hours, recognized that among the
steel mill workers there existed a
demand that their children should
receive instruction in the creeds OF
their fathers"