The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-05-03
Catholic Educational Directory

uses to which our body of differen-
tiated statistics may be turned:
% We can compare the Catholic
elementary school enrolment with
the public elementary school enroll
ment, to determine if the same pro-
| portion exists as between the Cath
Ole and non-Catholic population in
given district. We can compare the
Catholic high school enrolment with
the public high school enrolment, to
note if perchance there may not be
! falling off here in comparison with
| the proportion Of the Catholic and
nOn-Catholic groups in the population.
We can compare the Catholic college
enrolment With the enrolment in
non Catholic institutions within a
given area and consider wisely, our
findings.
(2) Wherever a falling off occurs
We have ready made for us a distinct
problem of inquiry. In the measure
to which we keep up our proportion
ate quota in the various educational
blocks, just in that proportion will our
prestige as a Catholic unit be meas
ured in national affairs. The falling
off in any block is serious. 1t is im-
portant that we place ourselves in a
way TO visualize our status whether
up or down.
(3) If for period of two, three or
| five years an institution in any of the
| three blocks falls behind in enroll
ment, we have another serious prob
lem presented. The condition must
Ibe improved. Our statistics will
prove to us more conclusively than
| learned arguments that something eff
fective must be done to strengthen
these weak links in our chain if our
manifest duty to the Catholic cause
is not to fail by defect.
"a We can compare the enroll
ment in the Catholic schools in any of
the blocks with the number of Cath
olics enrolled in the non-Catholic in
situations of these respective blocks
The result of this comparison will
convince us that much constructive
work must supplement missionary zeal
if our ambition to see every Catholic
young person in a Catholic institution
can even approximate realization.
90 There will result a distinct
clearing of The educational horizon
for each individual institution, and
perhaps it is just this clarity of out
look that our efforts stand most in
need Of at the present. An elemen-
tary school will realize it's tremen-
dOus mission and will endeavOr to
achieve it fully, without aspiring to
overlap into the domain Of the high
schools. The high school will take up
the product CT the elementary school
and carry it up to the point of gradu-
ating part Of its pupils into lifes uni
versity, and another part into the
standard college or professional
| school.
| We need a Catholic educational di-
rectory as specific in it's information
regarding our Catholic educational in
situations as the American Catholic
directory is specific in it's province.
! This same educational directory might
, we'll join hands with the Catholic
Press Association and list the names
and addresses of our Catholic news
papers and magazines.
We cannot afford to forget tnat
State and national legislation will for
ever be busy with the school problem.
It is well for us TO have our differen-
tiated forces in mind and hand to
plan how most efficiently to serve the
Catholic cause under present and flu
ture legislation and how to oppose
most effectively with fully organized
united front legislation that is likely
to prove detrimental to our cause.
We need some marshaling of our
forces, exactly as they stand, at least
on a paper field Our directory can
not fail to develop in every class-ele-
mentary, secondary and collegiate-a
consciousness of it's province and of
it's power that is now decidedly lack
ing. We owe this inspiration that
comes from an exact presentation of
facts to those who are laboring so de-
votedly in the cause. Let us supple
ment their splendid devotion with a
bit of practical business method and
we can treble and quadruple the good
that is now being done.