The Irish standard., 1920-05-22

~, By N. c. W. G. News Service.)
Washington, May 1O.-There has
been much speculation as to why Pres.
ident Wilson did not see fit to make
public Mr.. Lind's report on Mexican
conditions. There will be less wonder
over the concealment now that Mr..
Lind has testified before the Senate
Committee and has exposed the ex-
tent of his knowledge and the char.
acter of his opinions.
Mr.. Lind's knowledge of Mexican
conditions was disclosed to be aston
ishingly defective and his opinions
based as they were on wrong informa.
tion-to be somewhat ridiculous.
Mr.. Lind charged the Catholic
Church with responsibility for the lack
OF education of the Mexican masses.
Seemingly he was ignorant of the fact
that, since the adoption of the Con.
stftution of 1867, the church has had
no power to direct education in Mex
leo. He declared the reports of the
treatment of nuns and priests by the
revolutionists were "some false and
very many greatly exaggerated" al
though, as is we'll established by sworn
testimony and generally known, out
RACES committed against priests and
nuns were Of such extent and charac.
ter that large numbers of them were
forced to seek refuge in the United
States and many of them are still in
this country afraid to return.
To Judge Kearful's query as to where
he got his information that the Cath.
olic Church had not performed its
proper function In respect to education
in Mexico, Mr.. Lind said:
Il did not say it had not performed
its proper function, but say now that
l think 1t very unfortunate that q
larger effort by those in a position to
exercise power has not been made
to establish and maintain popular ed.
ucation."
The inference is that tho Catholic
Church was in a position to exercise
such power. The fact is that the
Catholic church in Mexico was strip.
ped of its power by the Constitution of
1857 and since the revolution it's
priests Snd nuns have suffered perse.
cution and outrage and it's chruches
and other buildings have been seized
and desecrated.
Il do not agree with opposition in
the United States to our public school
SYSTEM" said Mr.. Lind. Again an in
ference that the Catholic Church is
fostering such opposition.
The Catholic Church has no more
opposed the public schools in this
country than 1t has opposed the "odu-
cation of the masses" in Mexico. Mr..
Lind ought to know that to be true
and probably does. Where can he
find an act or an utterance of a Cath.
olic against the public schools? Let
him produce it. Catholics in the
United States not only don't oppose
the public schools, but they support
those schools with their taxes. In ad.
ditton, these Catholics, whom Mr. Lind
would picture as the foes of popular
education" maintain more than 5000
schools for above 100000 of their own
children; all Of which schools are
kept up to the standard Of public edu-
cation in the localities where they are
maintained. II Catholics did not bear
this double taxation the States would
be unable to give education to hum
dreds Of thousands and the number
of illiterates would be threateningly
increased. And besides primary
schools, American Catholics are operat-
ing academies, colleges and universi.
ties without cent of expense to the
state. Catholic parents and educators
believe that religious training is a vital
part of education, and since, in all the
circumstances, such spiritual culture