The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-10-08


try. 1t is equally evident that without
an adequate corps of religious teach
ers, schools cannot be had in suffi-
cient number, nor can the schools now
existing be maintained at standard eX-
cept at sacrifice on the part of our
nuns which, while heroic, is almost
suicidal. The Archdiocese is at pres
ent offering the advantages of Catholic
education to upwards OF $4,000 grade
school children. There are approx
mately $4,000 more children of the
Church in this jurisdiction who are
receiving their training under non
Catholic auspices. We are ambitious
to provide schools for this multitude
of boys and girls, but we can not hope
for the realization of our aims until
the present condition of teacher short
age is improved.
There are twenty one parOchlal
schools in the city of Saint Paul, and
fourteen in the city of Minneapolis.
Practically all these schools are crowd
ed to the doors, and hundreds OF
children are refused admission each
year principally because of the lack
of teachers to care for them. To be
sure, there is the problem of lack OF
room as well as lack of teachers. But
against this difficulty pastors would
be willing and anxious to provide were
it possible to procure the teachers.
In number of our primary class
tn hn fO,1nI CiYtU tn
seventy-five pupils. Educators agree
that it is unsatisfactory to place more
than forty children in a room, especial
ly in the lower grades. Our lower
grade teachers are, for the most part,
accomplishing very excellent things
for their charges, even under the adj
verse circumstances. They are main
tanning order and interest among the
little ones, preparing them with very
laudable care for the work of the high
er grades. But in so doing they are
spending themselves recklessly. They
are making unwise demands upon their
physical strength with the result that
all too frequently they are forced to
retire from school work after but a
few years in the service.
Again, lack of teachers compels
community superiors to send Sisters
into the class room Immediately upon
the completion of their novitiate. 1t
not unfrequently happens that these
Sisters have not finished the Normal
School training which the state prop
erly requires. In consequence they
are forced to do Summer School work
for number of sessions until fully
qualified, and at the close of a siren
uous academic year the arrangement
severely taxes the strength of the
Sisters
The insufficiency of teachers is re-
sponsible for two other weaknesses
in our schools, viz, the lack of Sister
Principals in some of the larger
schools, and of special teachers for
retarded pupils. These matters are
treated elsewhere in this report
The reverend clergy in general, and
the pastors of parishes in particular
are in position to render magnificent
service to the cause of Catholic edu
cation by fostering vocations to the
Eoly Sisterhood. Indeed, the matter
is almost entirely in their hands, and
tie Archdiocesan educational author
ties most earnestly appeal to them tC
u e their good Offices in this direction
The subject of the religious life might
be discussed more frequently from Oul
pllpits; literature portraying its beau
ties and blessings might be more wide
IT, distributed; greater care might bt
exercised to bring the matter directly
to the attention of the more likely
girls and young women of the parisl
in private conversation. In these ant
ether ways will serious thoughts o
vocation be engendered, and the grant
result will be more Sisters in our con
, vents, more teachers in our schools
: RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.
educational movement in America tn,
parochial school was maintained prin
cipally to afford protection to th
children of the Church against iniur
to their souls while engaged in tn
pursuit of secular learning. Attack
upon the Faith were frequent and vic
lent in the public schools of that time
and the bishops met the situation b
, establishing their own schools where
: in Catholic boys and girls could pre-
pare for material success in life unde
conditions which would not jeopardiz
j, their spiritual interests. Originally
then, the Catholic school was sol
of refuge or asylum, created more t
furnish shelter from the noxious il
: fiuences that existed in public institl
!, tions of learning than to present diree
opportunities for development in tn
ways of Catholic thinking and actin,
: Its chief function as a religious facte
? was negative; it's value was reckone
L not so much for what it accomplishe
= positively for the souls of it's ward
as for what it prevented from bein
accomplished in non-Catholic and ant
Catholic state schools Little was d
manded of it in the way of positive r
l. ligious training; if it substituted fo
e and augmented the catechetical i
II struction of the parish priest it CO
e tributed all that was expected of it
e the spiritual welfare of its pupils.
n was essentially an institution of sec
e. lar learning, but a safe one for tho:
is who possessed the gift of the Cathol
O. faith. Responsibility for the child