The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-10-09
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND EDUCATIONAL
FUND
Continued from page ~

Continued from page u g.
are being won over to the side of
religious education in the schools,
largely because of the public schools
helplessness in the matter of moral
training.
We Must Go Forward.
This, then, is manifestly not the
moment for us to consider the ques-
tiOn Of reversing our school policy.
Yet it is well for us to bear in mind
! that if we go on We must go on with
our eyes open to the difficulties of the
work In the first place, our school
| policy by keeping us together, keeps
us apart from our fellow citizens who
outnumber rs and who, through the
/ to suspect US. Then as we increase
the number Of our schools and the
number of pupils, we attract the at
tcntion and frequently the unfavorable
criticism of the professional educator.
| He usually does not know us except
| ny DOuIc JCl lUlC SAdiiJlS IlldL
been brought to his attention, some
school below grade, some school where
only a foreign language is taught,
some pupils not a credit to any school
| If he generaliZes from these casual
contacts, his prejudice against us in
creases. What can we intend by hav-
ing schools of our own, he reasons, un.
less it be something that is not ap-
parent and that therefore is not for
the good of the State? He fancies our
teachers are all unframed and our
equipment inadequate.
Men of this type usually hold pc.
sitions of great responsibility and in
fiuence and are in the way of doing
us much harm. They may or may not
be associated with attempts like that
which is being made in Michigan now
| to do away with parochial schools
But such a contamination, however
achieved, would seem to the most OF
them both very natural and very de-
sirable
Their normal method of activity is
through the State legislatures and
Federal Congress. They are not only
consulted on the form of laws but are
invited to participate in the framing
Of legislation that deals with educa
ton. They will respect us and act
with due caution in coming to con
clusions about our educational work
if they know that Catholics are q
unit on the question of Catholic
schools and that they know their
rights and use them in the defense oil
their schools when they are attacked
One of the most desired objects OF
this Educational Campaign is t6
arouse our people to the sense oil
their duty and their ability to stand
for Christian education in this arch
diocese.
Is Improvement Needed?
The best defense of our schools is tt
improve them, to let them speak fol
themselves. Do they need improve
ment? OF course they do. 1t is nj
dispara cement of their work or thei
WOlll W dulllL .Cll1o I1OW Sdl IhCJ
be improved? The very first criti
cism of the most friendly critic of the
schools is that they are isolated each
unit associated with parish and none
with a system. The schools are there
fore no help to one another since
they have no necessary connection
one with another
Need of Supervision.
That is defect which is easily rem
edied by supervision. But the super
visor should be trained for his w0rl
and his Office adequately stated
There are ninety-tWo elementary AM
grammar schools in this archdiocese
and if the work is well done, no on
man can possibly attend to it all. Mex
year our first superintendent will in
augurate the work in the archdiocese
AS it develops, propose to give hin
the assistance that he needs and t
provide fund large enough to loo
out for his office without resorting t
: diocesan collections
Need of Standardization.
+ The work of supervision instantl
; suggests standardization all on
+ schools doing the same work in tn
) same grades and all working together
r But you cannot standardize the pupil
: of the schools unless you standardiz
7 the teachers. You standardiZe teach
t ers in their preparations and teacher
i are prepared in Normal School. w
i have in round numbers $4,000 chi
dren in our elementary schools wit
between 500 and 600 teachers. TIL
: most of these have teachers certif
Gates acquired laboriously by usin
their vacations or rare leisure hour
S for the meeting Of the tests of tn
S State. 4 propose to make it easy fo
the Sisterhoods Of the diocese to pr,
b pare their candidates for teaching
!, to have diocesan normal school col