The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-05-20
BIG0TS CAUSE ARREST OF
SISTERS.

Oh Easter Monday, three SISTERS
OF St. Joseph were placed under
arrest i'll 81, Augustine, Fla, for
teaching negro children how to
read and write and giving them
instruction iii religion.
The arrest was made under the
provisions Of a law, enacted i'll
1913, prohibiting white persons
from teaching negroes. This law
was passed ostensibIy for the pur-
pose OF changing the management
OF negro school which was be
ing conducted at Orange Park,
and at the time Of its enactment
it was understood that the law
was unconstitutional, though it
was never put to the test In
order to be on the safe side, the
late Bishop Kenny of st. Angus
tine took the matter up with
prominent lawyers to see il it
would prevent the Sisters from
continuing the work Of teaching
negro children which they had
carried Gu for many years, and
he was. advised that the law was
unconstitutional.
The Sisters continued their
work IN the negro schools and no
effort was made 10 enforce the
law until last month when six
negroes petitioned the Governor
to enforce it. All Of the negroes
with the exception OF one. plead
ed ignorance of what they We're
doing As soon as the petition
reached Governor Trammell, he
ordered Sheriff Perry to arrest
the Sisters and the Sheriff had no
alternative but to carry out the
wishes Of the Chief Executive.
Accordingly, Sister Thomasine.
Superior Of the school, and Sisters
Scholastica and Beni@nus, her as
sistants, were takc1 to the court
where a plea OF mot guilty was
entered on their behalf by Noble
Calhoun, Il Protestant lawyer
Sisters SchoIastica and Benignus
were allowed to 90 on their own
rcccgnlzancc, but bail to the
amount Of twenty-five dollars
was demanded for Sister Thomas
me- When no bail would be
given she was ordered beld III the
custody of the sheriff who, instead
Of committing her to jail, allowed
her to return TO The convent IN
the meantime habeas corpus pro.
ceediDgs bad been instituted BY
MIR Calhoun, and the date Of the
hearing was set for May !. Ow-
ing to the heavy criminal docket
the case had to be postponed.
The arrest of the Sisters is
deplored not only BY the Catholics
who constitute only four per cent
Of the population OF Florida, but
by the better class OF citizens
irrespective of creed. 1t was
engineered by anti-Catholic bigots
working ! through ignorant ne
groes. 1t is an evident case OF
bigotry OH the part OF the prose
cution, for while the law prohibits
white people" from teaching
negroes it has been enforced only
against the Sisters. while nothing
has been done to the white teach
ers Of the State Institute for The
Blind III st. Augustine who have
violated, and continue TO violate
the law under which the Sisters
were arrested.
The State Of Florida enjoys al
unenyiable reputation Oh account
Of the anti-CathoIic bias Of SC
many of its citizens and THIS
proceeding against the Sisters
will prove, to the satisfaction OF
every doubter, that bigotry is
rampant within It's borders. Its
future growth and prosperity as
a state is jeopardizcd by the anti
Catholic attitude of its officials
and the sooner the respectable
people Of Florida realize the situa-
tion and remedy il, the better
The whole country. will watch
with interest the outcome Of this
Iunjustified prosecution Of defence
less Sisters whose only crime i
| to try to educate the negro and
make him a worthy and represent
alive citizen. If the whites, aud
Especially if Catholic Sisters, will
not educate and train the negro
who will do the work Florida
owes it to itself and to the Repub.
lie to wipe this stain from its
escutcheon and the quicker ade
quate reparation is made-for this
lunjustable discrimination against
| the teaching sisterhoods Of thc
Church, the more laudable will b.
the efforts OF those who secure
| it.
AS We read the story Of othel
DAYS when nrioe4e were few and