The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1896-02-15 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS & THEIR  STATEMENTS.  CATH OLIC VOLUNTARYISM,  TO THE EDITOR OF THE BIRKENHEAD NEWS.  SIR —lt is rather presumptuous in a layman attacking two holy fathers like the Catholic Bishaps of Salford and Liverpool on the score of their misstatements at the Queen's Hall on the 4th inst., but like a conscientious publican, who nails a false coin to the counter at once, I beg of you to nail in that of the Birkenhead News one of their mis-statements, especially that made by the Bishop of Salford. Speaking of the "voluntary" schools which were built and maintained and finished at the cost of thaw friends without receiving a farthing from the publics rates. Let us begin with the shores of the Mereey at Liverpool. Before the Act of 1870 came inte force, and in certain months of grace the following sums were credited or paid to Liverpool Cathol ice for school building and furnishing—Holy Crows, £1,280 ; St. All an's £998 ; St. Anne's, £909; St. Francis Xavier's, £1228, St. Michael's, £728; St. Mary's, £1,017; StSilvester's, £1,306; St. Patrick's, £603; St. Thomas, £l3B, in all £8,027, no bad start to make at the public coat, L. Bilsberian. Though born with these silver spoons in their mouths, a number of the schools have been since half starved as regards subscriptions, Holy Cross having on its treasury just £4O, or about Is. a scholar, by the last published return • St. Alban's, a single sovereign or a farthing a head of attendance; and St. Michael's 50s. less, Id. a head; St. Sikester, not returning a single sixpence; St. Patrick's, a little lees than 6d.; St. Thomas, about sd. Other Roman Catholics schools, not in part built with public money figure even more deplorably. All Saints, with £4, under 3d. a head. Bishop Gosses Memorial not to education but its starvation returning, nil.. Our Lady following suit, and the . . .  practising, and St. Anthimy, all returning nothing. Such is the story of maintenance by, Catholics of their " voluntary" Liverpool schools. The good Bishop did not point out that save quite exceptionally the 26 Catholic schools, with 22,000 children in average attendance are free, and receive the 10s. fee grant in addition to the 17s. 6e1.1 close on £30,000 a year, from Government. Such is Catholic voluntaryism in Liverpool. But in Birkenhead they seem to have neglected the tide of Denominational fortune in 1870 during the interval Mr. Forster gave them, and yet it is to their credit that their subscriptions for Birkenhead Schools have far exceeded those of any other party. One school only, "Our Lady," had £l,lOO public money. All honour to them for what they have done in the past. They have well deserved the eulo/rium of an inspector in his report 17 years ago. With them, he says, seal and devotion take the place of money. Their schools are in the first rank; their pupil teachers in the first place." When money cannel be found and zeal does not exist, it would be well for thesupporters of "voluntary "schools to consider what good they are doing, either to their own denomination, or education. By continuing the unequal struggle, suicide then becomes the most graceful act of the voluntary." Well, sir, Churchmen went perforce through the "happy despatch after starving their schools for fifteen years. Their friends being now in office, the two "pacers" are attempting the impossible, viz., that schools shall be further subsidised whose teachers must be selected not for their competency as educators but for their ability to teach a creed to begin with, that of developing mind to have a back seat. A system in which out of 14,000 or 15,000 schools, no teacher can call his soul his own, or can have more security of tenure than the good will of his parish priest can never last. The whole scheme is an anachronism, and it is a curious proof of the fact that Manitoba, the British colony, that as become a British granary, has just declared by a general election, that sectarian education forced upon her in 1870 shall exist no more.—Yours truly, February sth, 1696.  AN