The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-08-22
| PROsELYTIz|NG CAMPAIGN

lie MEXICO THROUGH EDUCA
TIoN-WHAT THE CHURCH Dir
IN SPITE OF PERSECUTION.
The Protestant denominations are
not slow to take advantage of the sit
uation in Mexico, which has, since
the inception of the Revolution, taker
a change for the worse as far as tht
Church is concerned, says Press Bull
letin of the Central-Verein. In the
State of Saltillo, in Chihuahua, in
Nuevo Leon, and in others the Church
has been prosecuted, the priests anc
religious orders have been either driv
en- out or made to feel the hatred Of
the revolutionaries. Villa has declar
ed that he will drive the last priest
from the country, and he and his col
leagues have promptly set about put
ting the threat into practice.
While the Catholic clergy are thus
seriously handicapped, the perform
ance of their duties being even made
utterly impossible, five Protestant de-
nominations have determined to avail
themselves of the disadvantage in
which the Catholic clergy is placed
Announcement was recently made that
the Methodists, Baptists, Presby.
terians, Congregationalists, and the
Church of the Disciples have formed
an alliance to carry on educational
and missionary work in Mexico. A
comprehensive program, we are in
formed, has been outlined, and pre-
liminary arrangements for it's execu-
ton have been completed According
to the Indianapolis Sun, it is part OF
this program, and the most important
part, to establish at least two hundred
elementary schools, high school for
each sex in each missionary district,
and a central university, and to pro-
vide teachers for these schools and for
for Sunday schools as we'll.
The Indianapolis Sun gives it as it's
opinion that this arrangement will
confer upon Mexico what it needs
most-education." "After ALL we
read, Mexico today doubtless stands
in greater need of enlightened educa-
ton than of anything else-even re-
ligion." The enterprise is lauded be-
cause it proposes to give education
first and evangelization last, and, at
that, evangelization without creed. Of
course, the school will be the foreruh-
ner of the church. The enterprise
means simply that proselytizing will
be conducted under the guise of educa-
ton, with the aid of those who are
using every means at their command
to fetter or prescribe the Catholic
Church, and have robbed the churches
and institutions as often as an oppor-
tunity presented itself Villas declar-
alton that he proposes to govern the
Church in Chihuahua himself proves
anew the animus of the revolutionary
elements towards the Church by
which these sects are profiting.
The entire plan savors greatly of
bitter religious bias and embodies an
accusation against the Catholic
Church, which has for the past four
centuries labored, to the extent of her
and the liberty granted her by
successive governments, for the edu-
cation and the religious advancement
of the people of Mexico.
In view of the insinuation that the
Church has been backward in advanc-
ing the cause of education in Mexico
it may be well to recall that the first
books printed in the New World were
not printed by the descendants of the
Pilgrim Fathers in New England, but
by Catholics in Mexico City. That
the first university in the New World
was the Catholic University at Mexico
City, which was spoken very highly
Of by the noted traveller, Alexander
Won Humboldt, as late as one hundred
year ago, when many now famous
American schools were still in their
That there are at present
numerous good schools in Mexico, a
number far greater than that which
LuO pIOpOSS W
open. The statistics furnished by the
Catholic Directory, however made
luate, show that there are so semi
naries and colleges, 81 academies and
s41 schools in 20 Mexican dioceses
selected at random out of the total of
30. And this list does not include the
orphan asylums, etc., in which chill
dren are taught. 1t would be only
fair if the self-called saviours of Mex
leo were to recognize the labors of the
Church for the education of the peo-
pie, and if the press would realize and
that the allied denomina-
lions, even if they should attain any
success worthy of the name-which
may well be doubted-will by no
means be the pioneers of education in
'benighted" Mexico.