The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-12-06
The Archbishop ireland Memorial Fund

and Memorial Fund
bly, room on Selby avenue, and, again
ON Monday evening in the library
room of the Pro-Cathedral school in
Minneapolis. On both occasions there
was a general discussion, much enthu-
siasm and an almost unanimous agree
ment that the plan was timely, neces-
sary and worthy of the great name
with which it is to be associated.
Our Opportunity.
No diocese in this country has
more complete or adequate material
preparation for a thorough and COM
prehensive system of Christian educa
tion than has the Archdiocese of st.
Paul Here almost the whole educa-
tional effort is lin the hands of dio-
cesan authorities. Our SO parochial
schools, our high schools of various
kinds and quality, our st. Thomas Col
lege for men, st. Catherine College
for women, all crowned by the st.
the diocese without any other than
diocesan direction or inspiration. 1t
is an unequalled opportunity to at
tempt, for the advantage of every unit
in the system, work of coordination
and consolidation such as has not been
attempted elsewhere, but such as
must be attempted sooner or later
everywhere if we are to be allowed
part in educational work
Supervision.
The first criticism that any compe-
tent judge would make of our paro-
chial schools is that they are unsys-
tematized isolated units, without any
relation one to another-without the
economies of combination, the help
of mutual conference, the stimulus of
methodical comparison. Adequate
supervision is essential-supervisi
by one or several competent teachers
with authority, with ideas and with
tact This deficiency has been long
remarked and lamented. 1t is now.
proposed to raise a capital sum of
from 100000 to $150,000 to provide
the income necessary to maintain the
office of supervisor with adequate
equipment and provision for inciden-
tai expenses.
Normal School.
Our Catholic schools have capital
i2ed the sacrifices of the various Sis
terhoods who teach in them. We ex-,
pect and we usually receive the best,
but we do little to deserve it.. The
meagre salary OF grade school
teacher, if she is a religious, even now
not in excess of $500, is the capital
from which her community clothes
and boards her, pays railroad ex-
penses, insures her against the illness
and inactivity of old age and derives
the funds for enabling her to improve
herself in her chosen profession. The
weeks Of vacation are usually spent
by religious in close and oftentimes
costly studies. Has not the time come
for this Archdiocese to provide a
normal school for the religious who
are to teach in its schools, to eStab-
lish a standard, and to exact a mini
mum of qualifications in the teaching
orders that will be leaven to our
whole educational effort? A normal
school would not make many of our
teachers any better than they are, but
in it's universal inclusion it would
make for uniformity, for method, for
economy. 1t is hard to conceive of
less sum than 100000 being required
for this work
Our Preparatory Seminary.
A year ago last October Mr.. Tim
othy Foley laid aside 100000 for a
on condition that a sum of S15O,O0O
was raised to endow it. Nothing has
yet been done to fulfill this condition,
though one year of the four allowed
by the deed of gift has since elapsed.
If we do not raise this $150,00O, We
will lose this splendid gift of 100000.
Priests of the diocese who are most
aware of the dearth of priests in this
diocese are the keenest for this de-
partment of our proposed campaign.
There seems to be not the slightest
doubt that the sum of $150,000 and
more for this purpose can be readily
raised. Last year there were 420 boys
in the Sth grade of the parochial
schools of Minneapolis and st. Paul,
not to speak of the diocese which
would probably bring the number up
to 600 Yet this September only five
young men entered the seminary from
| this diocese to study for the priest
hood.
Our High Schools.
! When we speak of high schools we
| think of the day schools in st. Paul
and Minneapolis. There is an English
| high school for boys, the Cretin of St.
| Paul-this year crowded to repletion
with an entrance class of over ZOO
Let us remember that in 1918 there
were 2S3 eighth grade boys alone in
| the schools of st. Paul, and 1877 in
the schools of Minneapolis. When
will the day come that we will have
| free Catholic high schools for boys
and girls in both cities? Something