The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-10
B. H. s. FACULTY IS GUILTY OF
 PRETTY
That Is Finding of Special Committee. On, Father
 McElroy's Charges
ACoUITs TEACHERS OF OFFENSIVE INTENTION
Conflicting Evidence On Some Charges Text Book
 Supported By Catholics

Supported By Catholics
 Thg committee of the Board of Education to which was referred the complaint of Rev. Charles J. McElroy, That matters offensive to Catholic put pfIs were being taught in the Bridge port High school reported it's finding fo the board at the meeting held last evening. In regard to q specific charge made by Father McElroys that "a certain teacher gave instructions to her class that indulgences were sold by authority of the Catholic church, the committee finds as follows:
 eYour committee did not concern itself with the historical question but are unanimously of the opinion that a discussion df a controverted histor- teal matter which is liable to be of Eensfve to a member of any church should not be al1owedNto take place in class room. The teacher who was in charge of the class explained that the bell terminating the recitation rang in the midst of the discussion and that if she had three or four minutes more the matter would have been cleared up to the satisfaction of everybody and that the discussi on was precipitated not by her, but by a member of the class"
 The committee finds that a wrong impression was allowed to be carried
 
 that the principal of the high school who was present during the discus sion should have recognized the inn proprtety of permitting such discus sion to proceed but acquit both teach CT and principal of any intention to offend Tn regard to the other charges contained in the complaint of the clergyman, the committee finds that the evidence was conflicting and in it's report cites the evidence
 - nr-.-. - ~~1- -~e4@ the report of the committee shows that the bnel has the highest Csstlze- lic approval zan4 there is attached to the report of the committee an edi- forfaI review of the book which ap- peared in the Catholic World of Feb ruary. 1904. and the Honniletic Month 1y for January, 1904
 These reviews follow:
 THE HoAEILETIC MONTHLY: The continued necessity incum bent on Catholic reviewers of protesting rzafnst the unfairness, sometimes un- conscious, occasionally delib erate, which disgraces many historical textbooks covering the modern per- Rod, is not an agreeable task. One is, ronsequent1y all the more ready to extend a generous appreciation to a, volume coming from non-Catholic sources which evinces a respect for the spirit of fair play. And this praise fs due to MT. Myers latest book. The Reformation, the great religious wars. the French Revolution, and all the other thorny questions of later times, are handled in. a manner that can not be accused of wounding the suscepti- biIfties of Catholics. It is true that in some cases MT. Myers apprecia- k1on Of events is not made from the Catholic standpoint A Catholic writer would have emphasized many facts favorab1y to the Church, which receive no relief at MT. Myers hands. As a single instance out of several. one might cite the resistance offered by the Pope to the tyranny of Ma po1eon, especially with regard to the embargo against England. But the sum total of these negative shortcom- 1ngs is not great, and would easily be corrected by teacher employing fhe book would it be advisable to introduce into Catholic schools such a book as this, which refers to the evils which preceded the rise of Protestant xsrn, temperatelys and much less Strongly than the best Catholic his 4orian7 With a 1audab1e apprehen- nl0n Of the danger of .sscandalum par xuIorum." our Catholic textbooks usal- ally preserve a complete silence on this and kindred topics. still, it must be remembered, that nowdayS great many Of our boys and girls will not have grown much older, before they encounter in all sorts of books, in tn e newspapers and from their associates explicit and too often exaggerated views of a trend contrary to what they have been taught. Then comes a shock which Is often injurious, and which might have been prevented if 5udfcious preparation had been made for it. The exhortation addressed by the late Pope to Catholic historians to state truth in all candor, does not perhaps. apply to the makers of school textbooks Still the fact remains that there Is no little Hanger incurred by leaving the young people to learn af- forward in a distorted fashion, from hostile inforrnants what they might have learned without any danger, and without any misrepresentation from their own teachers. In his general treatment of events MT. Myers has displayed thorough ability for his task; his condensation preserves proportion and perspective: and scarcely any thing of even subordinate importance Is overlooked A large and well se- lected bibliograplly is added to each section. Here however, we have to observe that the proportion of Catho- lie writers mentioned is q1nduly sean ty
 CATHOLIC WORLD For this pres @nt edition we can say that it is as fair and as just, and to all intents and purposes about -as accurate, as any popular manual can be, and that qualities to many similar works that have come from the pens of Catho iics-
 Mr Myers, for example, has appar- entity put the wrfting-or the revision of his page on esindulgences'' in the hands of a Catholic scholar, for he has
 fcnnxfnued on Page 2.)