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Sib,— What has appeared In the press lately is an uufloubted proof that there in a (lenire to strike a fatal blow at the Catholic schools of M.-inltoLa. Tho ques- tion is so importanl that, in spite of many ottier engrossjnp: occupations, I would say something in reply. The very importance of the matter demands its discussion to oe conducted in a calm und impartial man- ner. Unfortunately the adversaries of the Catholic schools do not always exhibit that fairness which is undoubtedly re- quired in a question of such moment. The law i» spoken of without l)eing cited, and its sense is distorted in order to make it obnoxious. Manv statistics are invoked, and though, in many instances, quite opposed to the facts, they are pre- sented as conclusive. Appeals to the pas- sions are freely made, promises of a reduc- tion in taxation are held out as a bait, and all that in order to create the impression that if the Catholics are made to pay more for the education of their children, that the burden of the Protestant will be re- duced. Fair minded people may be (zlad to hear something on theCatholic side of the ques- tion, 80 as to enable them to judge if the actual laws are injurious to some part of our population, and if there is a reason- able cause to alter them in such a way that they will become a standing injury to conscientious convictions of Catholics. I have no wish to accuse anyone, my sole aim is to engage in a sacred duty imposed upon me by my position itself. I have no idea of exhausting the subject in the following remarks. 1 may have, and as others have, to come for- ward again to defend our rights. To-day I merely intend to contradict cer- tain assertions which have come to my knowledge, through the newspapers. I propose dividing my observations into four different parts. 1— SOUltCES OK INCOME FOR TUK ELEMEN- TARY SCHOOLS OF MANITOBA. The actual law shows great impartiality and great respect for the equal rights of the population of the Province, in the way that its two sections can obtain the benefits granted by the law. Our statutes point out three sources of income for the common schools of the Province. Legislative grant.— The flrfit resource of the school's income is the legislative grant, and this is the way the law provides lor its distribution between Protestants and Catholics. Section S3.— "The school trustees in each school district, shall in each year, cause to be made a census ot the children in such school district from the age of five years to the age of fifteen, both Incluoive. . . . And such census after being certi- fied by the secretary-treasurer of tho school district under oath . . . shall be presented to the proper superintend- ent, whose duty it shall be to forward same to the Provincial Stcrctary." Section H-i.— "The sum Kppropriatcd by the Legislature for conuuon school pur- poses shall be divided between the Pro- testant and Roman Catholic sections of the Board of Education, in proportion to the number of children ... as shown in the census returns." The division in made by two members of the Govern- ment. Such is tlie law, it recognizes that the grant for education is for the benefit of the school population of the province- it acknowledges that each child has an equal right, and provides for each child receiving an equal share of the public money granted for educational purposes. There cannot be surely a mode of apportionment more just, more equitable and more in con- formity with equal rights than the basis recognized by our legislation. This year every child on the census received a little more than ^5 each, and as long as one does not receive more than auoi her there can be no injustice—the Protestant can- not complain, and the Catholics ought to be satisned, all the children are on a per- fectly equal footing; the law does not favor one more than another, and could not without manifest injustice take from the children of one section to give to the children of the other. It may occur, and does occur, that in isolated settlements there are greater difflculiies to support ti o schools, but this is e(iually the case for Catholics as for Protestants. It is for tlie interested parties and their respective sections of ihe board to remedy the difticulties as far possible, while the law fixing the appoint- ment of public money for the whole pro- vince cannot rest on a better basis than the one on which it now stands. (b) Assessments.- The second source of Income for the schools is the result of the taxes levied on the ratepayers, Protest- antH or Catholics, and that In conformity with the decision of the board of «chool truHtfeH rf)">«ctively. Every otlier re- quentof the law havinx been complied with, the iruBlecH iipply to the municipal authorities to secure the amount they thinli npceHHurv for the working of the hthoolK under their care. The law Is very expllrlt in KimrdlngtheHchool and muni- cipal ftuthorities againnt the danger of levv- inglftXPHfromraU payersforrhebeneHt ofa a Hiliool which in not under the control of their section. Tho following quolalion in cle*r enough to whow the spirit of the law and to remove all misapprehension. in clnuBi; 'Mih, I read: "In no case shall a Protestant ratepayer be obliged to pay for a Catholic school, or a Catholic rate- payer for a Protestant school." Thepro- vision of the law is perfectly clear and in- teliiulble, and how is \* possible that men who outht to be serious, can say or write, "Tho Protestants of this country have been directl? taxed to educate the child- ren of Catholics. "No, such is not the case, the Protestants are taxed for the education of their own children and the Catholics the same for theirs. The ad- versaries of Cat hallo schools must rely to a great extent on prejudice, or ignorance, when arguing on affirma- tions so contrary to law and prac- tice. I >he'a say that the second source of revenue for tho support of element- ary schools as directed by the law secures equal rights to Protestants and Catholics, without any priviieae in favor of one over the other. (c) Taxes from incorporate bodies.— The third source of income is from the taxa- tion imposed on associated or incorporated companies. This point merits particular attention. The companies, whose title Is that of individuals, are treated by the law as if they were individuals, so that if John & Co. are Protestants their taxation goes to the Protehtant schools, but if they are Catholic l-!ie Catholic schools get the benefit. That is perfectly clear in the law. "Religious, benevolent, or educational incorporations, shall pay their respective' assessments to the schools of their respective denomina- tions," as provided fn clause 30, and that, even when no individual name is known or given. "With regard to ordinary and mercantile corporations, clause 28 says: "The cor- porations situated in a locality whore dif- ferent school districts are eatablished shall be assessed only for tlie school district of the majority; yet out of such assessment the council of the local municipality, city or town shall give the school district of the minority a part of such assesHU'ent, in proportion to tho number of children of school age.' This disposition of the law has its inconven- iences as well as its advantages when we consider such a place or company apart, bat it is impossible to find it unjust when It is examined in relation to the whole Province and to all its inhabitants. Companies are formed undeniably to benefit pecuniarily their shareholders; rtuch shareholders do not rely exclusively on a portion of the community to stfcure business. They look up to the whole popu- lation and never refuse customers because they are Catholics, why than should not Catholics share with the Protestants out of the taxes of such corporation who de- sire their profits from both sections'? A division seems most just. But how should .e taxes be divided, except according to population ? But tho taxes are in favor of the school population. Therefore it has seemed natural to the legislators who framed'the school act of Manitoba to take the two sections of the school population as the basis of tho division of the money levied on companies who have no other character than that of mercantile institution. To attribute secret motives to the legislators who framed the school law is certainly, to say the least, not an act of good taste. To justify a change in the law, an appeal is now made to the cupidity of the taxpay- ers, 'the desire to save money may in- duce many to swallow the bait, but men who consider cautiously and fairly the actual disposition of the law cannot say that an unjust preference is secured by anyone. Human laws, as humanity it- self, are never perfect; it Is easy to criti- ciise or even to destroy; but it is always a difficult task to build up and endeavor to make perfect. The study of the provi- sions of the law for elementary schools convince me more and more that the mo- ment that our schools are divided between Catholics and Protestants, It is difficult, if not impossible, to find an arrangement that will safeguard in a more complete manner than the actual law, the equal rights of the two sections of our popula- tion. 2— MANAGEMENT OF THE SCHOOLS. T have examined in the preceding article the sources of income w be used for ele- mentary education in Manitoba, and I have pointed out the fairness of the law in safe-guarding the equal rights of the children of thecountrj. I will i*ow ex- amine the management of the schools and see how our actual school laws stand in that same respect. Our schools are man- aged by the board of education, by the superintendents, by the trustees and by the teachers; let us view how.^all this to secure equal rights to the Protestants and Catholics. (a) The Board of Education— There is in the general board of education a Protest- ant wecliou entirely composed of Protest- ants; that section has " under its control and management the Pro- testant ftchools of the province; the power of making such regulations as may be deemed fit for their general government and discipline; to arrange for the proper examination, grading and U- censing of its leacherH; to Heleot all tha bookH, mapH and (^lobeu to be UHed; to ap- point iiiHpoctorH, etc., etc." The general nianat;(emeiit of the Protectant hc>]>oo1h Ih tlien entirely in the hamiH of I'ro'.ehtania. The part of the Government ^r^nts, ap- portioned toProte8iant chlldrtn.is also ta the handM of the Protestant section of the board for the partition ini;' >Hod by the re- quirenirfuts of thc-lr section and accordinjj; to law, for the ^renter benefit of the Pro- tCHtAnt Hchools. C.cholicK have nothing to do, and do not wish to have anything to do, with I^rotestaut HchoolB, they Hce them wit^h pleasure In full enjoyment of their legitimate righiB, but at. the name thne the aame Catholics claim the benefit of enjoying similar rightH, and the law guarantiees what tlicy ('.e- sire, by placing the Catholic *(chools under the control of the Catholic section of the board of education with exactly the same power and responsibilities. The niemhe/s of the Protestant section, we are glad to say, deserve the confideuce of their co- religionists and outside of their personal worth, they are earnest in the cause of education, they are faitiiful to their trust and everybody must be satfstied that they neglect nothing that can be done to pro- mote the success of the schools under their control. Several of them wre well versed in the theory and practice of edu- cation and none will ever consent to a sacriflce of Protestant interests in their schools. It Is true that the Catholics en- joy a parallel advantage, but as they have an equel right to it we fail to see why they should be deprived of that enjoy- ment. (b) The Superintendents— There is a Protestant superintendent of education and a Catiiolic, both appointed by the Lioutenant-Govemor-ln-Counc>.l and se- lected respectively out of the mambers of the Protestant and Catholic sections of the board of education. The superintend- ent s "have, as the executive officers of the bo^rd of education, the general supervision and direction of tbs schools of tneir sec- tions, Ic is for each of tliem to fill a re- quisition to the government for all pay- ments authorized by his section of the board of education, and many other duties fully expressed in t he law. Who could iuinc^ine tliat the Protestant i>uper- intendeub would tolerate any encroach- ment on the part of the Catholics against the rights of the Protestant schools ? Each superintendent has charge of the accounts of his section, and they all must pass through his hands. He reports tliem to his section and the re- quisitions for payments are made ac- cordingly, and one may be pretty cer- tain that not one cent of the government grant for Protestant schools will be paid to the Catholic schools. The Catholic superintendent will undoubtedly do the same and the equal rights of the two sections of the population are thus well protected and saie-guarded against any attempt aiming at their violation. Is not this all tairan evident »hat the Protestant, trustees will not allow Catholics to share in those moneys and vice versa. (d) Teachers.— The teachers in the Pro- testant schools are selected by trustees. They must have been previously recog- nized by the Procestant section of the board of education, they must have given proof of their fitness for the pomtion, and jt is evident that their action, in th« care of the children, must be in ac- cordance with Protestants ideas, with Protestant interests, and give full securities to the parents. The Catholics have the same advantages, but nothing beyond; and parents, as a general rule, are exceedingly anxious as to the religious kind of training that is given to their children, it is certain that nothing in that direction can satisfy them except by giv- ing the children teachers of tneir own choice. Let, then, Protestant and Catho- lic schools be taught respectively as they are, and it is the only practical way to give equal rights to the whole population and to meet the views of .the parents, whose legitimate claims cannot be disre- garded. 3. SOME REASONS WHY THB ASSKSSMENT IS DIFFERENT BKTWEKN CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT SCHOOL DISTRICTS. There are many reasons to explain the difference which exists in the expenses of the schools under the control of the two sections of the board of education, and these reasons must be considered in the gathering of statistics, to give a full and adequate idea of the standing of the two sections. Statistics are very good, but to be a sure guide they must be coDiplete; a man may be lame on account of an un- sound leg, but he would still be more lame with a beautifully shaped le«, if he hns but th6 one; just the same with statistici^ they are lame if they rest on unaoond and falM finurcK. They would equalW be un- exact If hawed only on one part of the In- formation they are suppoHed to give. Therefori, I think propfr to brinn before the publ.c Home Inforuiatton which Is iKnored, or at least not alluded to In the controvorHy which Ik Rolug on with regard to our Hchool ayHtem. (a) Debts. The different school boards have equal rl«hts to incur debtH^ and they are perfectly juHtlflable to do hu If Huch In the wl8h of the ratcpayerH who elect them, and If they act In accord anre wit h the pro- vlaions of the law. Hut thoy must ha ready to bear the cousequenoeH of mucIi, and after they have run deeply into debt It la Rurely perfectly unfair to complain that they have heavier aHHeHsment, as they have to provide for iutercHt and Hink- in« fundH. Now, the Protestant school boards have decided to borrow lftrp;e sums of money, and, if I am not wrongly in- formed, the aKgregatA obi igat ions in that rpspect amount, to about half a million of dollars. Observe, please, I do not blame the Protestants of the country for having shown, to that extent, their anxiety to secure at once large school accommodation, etc.; that was their con- cern as it iH their right.aiid I have not the remotest idea of even passing a remark on their conduct, but the debt Is incurred, it is incurred not for Catholics, who have not the remotest reason to stiare in the beneflts acquired by the borrowed money. Having no right to the benedt. they may be pardoned to decline the obligation of paying for the same, or even the odium derived from the comparison between their small liabilities and that of their fellow-citizens. The aggregate amount of debts incurred by all the Catholic school district of the province does not reach $6,000. Con- sequently the tazen to pay the interest and provide for ninking funds is insigni- ficant compared with tnat accepted by the Protestant population, through their re- presentatives iu their different school Doards. The whole debt for Catholic purposes being only one-eightieth part of the amount duo by Protestant schools, no Monder that the taxation is entirely dis- proportionate; but why is not this bit of Knowledge recorded along side of the fig- ures given by opponents to Catholic schools? Such figures being incomplete and entirely one-sided, can convey but a very inadequate idea of the real state of things. (b) Help to save expenses to school dis- tricts. Before entering on this topic I unhesitatingly admit tnat I may be ig- norant of tacts which would, naturally, change what I am going to say. If such be the case I will be thankful for beirg famished with accounts referring to the subject, and will b<* the first to acknow- ledge any error and to correct it. I judge from what I see and hear travel- ling through the country, and any error, If there be any, comes from the fact that I avoid scrullnizliig In the carrying out of Protesiant schools. I am under the im- presHion that all the expenses wlih regard to schools and school accommodations are nuHtaiued i)y ratepHyers among Protest- ants. If I am not mistaken, the beautiful building, valuihio urrounds adapted to school jmrpones in Winnipeg, Brandon, and elH«'vvhere, not only belong to Hrhool boards, but have been secureti to the ex Eense of the ratepayers, and consequently avo contributed largely to Increase school taxation among Protestiints. Should things be an I think they are, I re- neat that I find no fault in the system, but nevertheless it, is anotherexplanation, taking tlie province as a whole, of the difference of school taxation, between the Catholic and Protestant populations. The Catholic school districts besides what they possess and have paid for, enjoy the advantage of school accommoda- tions for a value of over one hundred thouHand dollars, of which the ratepayers have nut furnished one single cent, and this undoubtedly, is another fair explana- tion why their taxation is reduced to a certain degree, and this ought to have been mentioned along with figures given, if intended to convey a complete ioTea of the condition of our schools. (c) Savings with regard to teachers. I naturally aclmit that high price is one of the ways to secure the services of well qualified persons for teaching, and it seeras to be the only resource at the com- mand of our Protestant friends. Over and aside of thin onlinary way of securing good teachers, the Catholics have an ad- vantage that they highly appreciate, and which is not «;ntirely despised by Protest- ants of standing and enlightenment. The advantage I allude to is tn. ore secured by the valuable services of persons, who do not teach for the sake of tr.oney or for making a living out of it, but who do teach as a sacred duty towards (rod and society, and who teach either for nothing or for the small amount barely giving them food and clothing. This consideration goes a good way a gainst taxation, and is another factor of the ditrerence which exists between the two sections oi our school system. Any person will admit that this does no harm to Protestantt while it does a great deal of good to Catholics. The raising of the salary of these teachers would undoubted- ly Increase the taxation among the Cath. olics, but would in no way diminish that, of the Protestants, and the cause of edu- cation would gain nothing by it. Ideas on this topic arc so erroneous among some people that saving expenses to ratepayers with regard to teacherh, means poor teaching. Such men seem to ignore completely that there were, there are and there will be thousands and thousands of the very best qualified teach- ers who never received and will never re- ceive one dollar from any government pay« Iden ft bo far I wh( rati istU takt , i«»K ' oft fair soni (d bon t.hi exc Uig vld or Cat coll It I. ed goo of (irikxxt or any aHHeRRnient levied on rate* payor I will examine oUewhere aome of the Idoas .HUtfKeHted Uy wliat ban JuhI h(>ett nbove ntAted, but It 1h undeniahio that ait far aH money Ih roncurned the loarhcTH who aHk leHHari^ a Having renoun-ti to the* ratepayer!*, and to tabulate complete Htat- IhUch, the Havlnu thUH efTectod ouaht to be taken Into coDHidorat ion; and while ralH- luK a cry among the Protestant H becaune of their anHesHment with regnrd to Hchool, falrneHH would require tOHtate all the rea- HonH why It Ih ho. (d.) Collegiate Schooln.— It muHt be born In mind that till the monieH npent by thu trustees of i ■ Catholic hcIiooIh are excluMively Hponi or elementary nchoolH. Higher education among CatliolicH Ih pro- vided otherwiHo than by legiHlative grant or aHHeHBment levied on the rati-payers. Catholic truHteeB have not to provide for collegiate or Intermediate depiirtmentH. It Ih not necoHaary to tell any penton vers- ed In the matter that this by ItHelf goen u good way to explain why a larger portion of the leglHlutlve money, and a Huiallor uh- nesHment, are shared In by the Catholic flchoolH, compared with the ProteHtantw, who having to provide for collegiate or In- termediate MchoolH, V \t of the same fund, receive lesa and give more for their purely elementary echoolH. But why do not CatholioH do an Pro- testanU ? To this I will Himply auHwer: Why do not Protewtantu do as CatholicH? Our friendH wiHh to have collegiate and intermediate departmentH supported out of the loginlatlve grant and assesgmcnt; very well, let them satisfy themselves, but we may ask them not to grumble against others, after having chosen themselves to spend a part of their school income khM way. Catholics have the "■ arae right to act, and they do act otherwise, and as they chose for themselves and thereby do no harm to others, I think they could be let alone. Human affairs ought not to l)e considered under one aspecv only; men can act in a different manner from others and act as wisely. Business men have different methods, and with a variety of proceedinKS may arrive at the aame gen- eral result. Uniformity and complete similitude do not always develop all the faculties, contrast does not prevent har- mony, emulation promotes success more than monopoly. (e) Number of Schools— It is evident that the number of schools is one of the reasons whv the ansessment is largely different. The number of schools is not a necessary result of the system of educa- tion in itself, but rather of incidental cir- cumstances. The Protestant section has under its control 103 schools, with a school population of lees than 15. while the Cath- olic section have but 4 schools in such cir- cumstances. 104 Protestant schools have a scliool population from 16 to 20 child- ren each, while the Catholics have only 9 with a similar population. The moment there is such disproportion in the number ol even Icf^ser schoolM, it is natural that a larue usHessment l>e the rt-Hull; but itup' posing thai the ratholicH multiply their schools and that they would bring tlioir number to be to the I'rotestant schools exactly the pro^^ortion to that of the children of the two sectlonti. That will in no way alter the taxa* tlon of Protestants. Therefore I cannot MP« why they should lie excited against the ratholic Hchools, us if really Catt)olics were helping theuiselvos out ot their poc- kets. Bui are net Catholics increasing the number of ihelr schools J They are, but not with the same rapidity as Protostanls do and that for two reasons quite difler- ent one from the other, they are numerous in their settled districts and too few when scat tered through the country. In many InHt-ances the Catholic settlers could not secure a rea8onal)le attendance, and then they do not care to establish a school district. Many new Catholic sottleis would rather go in u settled part of the country and their presence, while increasing the school population of existing districts, does not necessitate the erection of new ones. There is, in this reaped, as in many others, great difference betwcci; the views of the two sections of the popula- tion, each one believing In the superiority of its own choice. People coming from Ontario believe In square blocks near to or far from any neighbor, they come for farming and large areas is what they chiefly consider, and to obtain that object, they a'-o ready to sacrifice many other considerations, while others are guided by certain social consider- ations, they like close neighbors, they dread isolation, they would lather be near a church and conseouently near a school, they find the prairie too mild, isolation too lonesome, and if they have a little money in their pockets, they would rather pay for a piec(* of land in an old settle- ment or any established poirt of the coun- try, rather than to take a homestead in an unoccupied or thinly set vied part. There are exceptions, the exceptions constitute the Isolated population unable to form school districts, wliile the main body of the new comers merely increase the at- tendance in already formed scf .ol dis- tricts. All this may be ba«l to Catholics and good to Protestants, it is a matter of taste and choice, but it is in no way the result of the school law, nor could it bo materi- all aJfcred by school regulations. From the tenure of this article it is obvi- ous that debts are one great "''use of the disproportion in taxation, although no- body can think of forcing the Catholics to pay the debt of others. Help gratuitously given to elementary Catholic schools in the shape of school ac- commodation, etc., has undoubtedly al- leviated of as much, the burden of the i Calhollc rdtepayern, hut our frlendR hare no idua, F am Murt*, of takiti^ that iidvan- tat«4 from uh. Thu Hulf-dtiiiiil of many C'llhnllc «onthiue to enjov the Mamv priviloi^u. Inllux of pupulntiou will Hoou IncreaHe the numbtir of Cuthoiic; hcIiooIm, and iu« fur an 1 can H«>e. I may nay that in a near futurt? they will ht> in a fair proportion with othurH, ho there Im no noed of fearini^ that the CalholicM will pay too little, whfiu eHporially they do not aHK otherH to i)ay for them. OBJK( IToNfl ANHWERKI). (a) "FHCtn from the i-eoHUs," nnyn one of the newHuapt-rH, "ou^ht to Matinfy any ••reaHonHhlo mind of the alisurdiiy of fur- "ther tolt'riitiui>c Houarate or denomina- "lional sfJiooU.' Im that ho ( Im the Catholic ntinority of Mauiloba no "indig- nitlcant" ux to In-, tr».;ated that wuy'f To the man who wrote thin I will ask : Do you think that the I'loteHlantmiuortty of Que bee 1h ho Hnmll that the Catlioli*- majority could ri^litly and fairly frumtt a HyHtem of Bchools accordiriK to their own vlewH In the matter, and force it upon the Haid Protestant minority? You know what would b« the result thpouf;h the whole Dominion and all Proteutanl counlrien, if the majority of Quebec would attempt to deprive the Protestant minority of iheir acquired rights with regard to the educa- tion of their children. The Catholics of Quebec, except forced to it, as a measure of retaliation, will never think or dream of Huch an injustice, while we plainly see tiiat loo many Protestants of Munltolja do not shrink from the responsibility of doing such an injurious and unconstitu- tional wrong to the Catholic minority of the Prairie Province. You make an appeal to the census, but like some other statistics, your appeal is lame and one sided. You acknowledge that, the Catho- lic population is 11,051, you acknowledge also that thfc balance of the population of the province, exclusive of the Indians, is 88,3i5. Well, these two fractions of our population gives the Catholic element a larger proportion than that of the Protest- ants ofQutbec compared with the Catholic, portion of the same province. Yes, the Catholic minority of Manitoba is in pro* portion, lar^';e^ than the Protestant min- ority of the Province of Quebec, »nd that even in counting among the non-Catho- lics of the two provinces, the Jews, those without religion, or witliout any given re- ligion. Look in the census of the Dominion for 1881 and you will easily establish the ratio. The Catholics of Quebec numl>ered 1,170,718, while the non-Catholics of the ^said province merely attained 188. JWi). Now, complete ths proportion with 88,32.5 non-Catholics of Manitoba compared with 14,651 Catholics in the same province and the result will show that we are less "insiffniflcant" in Manitoba than are the Protestants in Quebec, and conHflqucntly that the Catholics have just as much riglits here ah Protestants have there; and the ell'ort to do away with the Catholic schools In Manitoba would •>« as unconstitutional, aH unju*tt and shameful as any attempt wliirh would tend to de- prive the PrntebtautH of Quebec of similar acquired rights. (I» The adversaries of denominational HchooU ufllrm and repeat that what they call public, common or national schools are far superior to separate, frt- e or itide- pendent schools. Those who make sucli atllrmation, as a rule, have never put a foot in a Cath(»lic school, they have never examined and studied their curiculum, they have itever inten in a position or have never desired to know anything about them: they know notliing but their own schools, and, with the Helf-roramendatlon which characturixes men who know noth- ing but themselves and their immediate surroundings, pronounce the schools of others to be of no value. Catholics have some reasons to console themselves of what their adversaries aflffrm gratuitously. Catholic parents or their true friends cannot be so stupid Or so blind as to be ignorant of what is going on in their midst, and if, in realitv, the educwtiion in their schools was so Inferior, they would provide for the deficiency. I, sometimes, meet with people who boast much of the superiority of their educational system, and I must confess that 1 fail to perceive the application of their wonderful theor- ies. Two modes of education may differ in their details and be equally good or equally bad, or superior in one point and inferior in another. The Catholic system is better known among its promoters and supporters than by people who have no chance or desire to become ftc- quainted with it. It ' is a big, big aflair to have a full knowledge of a system of education, its result on individuals, families, or even on socie- ty in general. Long experience, deep knowledge, broad views are required, be- sides a fiound intellect, to comprehend the multiple aspects of an educational system. I have no hesitation to say that the scribes who arraigned the Catholic school with such levity prove that they themselves are not prepared for such an important task. At all events. Catholics cherish their Institutions, and they aie the most interested, they think that it rests v,rith them to decide, happy as they are to find now and then out of their bodv ample proof to corrob .irate their own con- victions. We win select one which Is re- corded in public documents by the Gov- ernment of Manitoba, and which wo are sure, is veiy little known among the would-be destroyers of Catholic schools In our midst. In the fall of 1885 Sir Charles Tupper visited the province with the view of having It taking part in the inter-colon lal exhibition which was to take place in England during the follow- ing year. The Catholic section of the I' Board of Kdaoation wm iuyitcd to help in I ho exhibit. The proposition »t flrHt wan met with little favor, ir waM after vaca- tion; the Hohooln had hardly orfcanixed for the new yeiir; thero w»h no time to pre- mre anything now; nevertholeHH, the Canadian cornrnlHHloiier waa no preaalnK, IhutohjectlonH wore overruled, au'l a col- lection WHH made in Hoine of the nearcHt HchuolH out of the wor of the pupilH of ihc previouH year, .'ho nioHt ailvtiiioed had left their ciaHHex, nome of > he bent woric had Im'.ou Iom*. or carried awav, and none had lHM»n prepared in view of i)io ex hlbllloo. KiM;lit,Hr)K>n|HfuruiHhcdHanii)l< Hof their work In dlll'erent branches, the whole waH forwarded to England, it waa fxhibiled there, it nttrauted ho much at- lenMon that every article exhlbilod wan examined, reexamined in auch a way that whu.i they were returned their oondiiiou proved that thuy had paaaod through a Kri'at inany ha.i«la. A dlptonia of m*a : "Colonial and Indian KxiiiniTiON, 1886. "Canadian Section, "London, 29th July, 188C. To T. II, Bernier. Esq. "My Drak Sir,- I duly received your letter of the 3rd inst., and thank you for the memor- andum which you have prepared on beiialf of your aection of the Manitoba educational ex- hibit. I shall bo pleased to receive a thousand copies of the memorand urn and to see that they are aarefuUy distributed. The exhioit which yon have taken such pains to colleot has already attracted conHiderable attention, and 1 do not doubt it will add to the aueocHS of the Dominion at the exhibition. I remain, yours faithfully, [Signed) Chas. Tuppkk.' I Is it poasiblef "Can anythitui good come from (that sort of) NaxarethT' Yes, f iendn, com«^ and hch tiiat Sir Charlea Tupoer does not hesitate to say that the exhibition of the ordinary v, of the pupllH of Catholic Mcbools of Manitoba will "add to tho Huccess of Die Dominion at the exhibition," If you aiv. not MatiM- (led with Huch leHtimoiiicH, listen to the following remarks published in the Can- adian Gaxette of London on the lib of No- vember, IHMtl: "It Ih gentnalb l>ellev(>r that of all the hIh tei- provincru, thai of Mahitobs Ih the h'aHl ud vancc'd lownrdn civilization. We already know tha*. In many r<'HprrtH HUoh i»» not the case: t)Ut if we consider the excellent KehiilHHtlc^ exnihi- t ion of that provinc". we Hue in what dctciee thai liupretMion In erroncuuh, eapoeially in tho matter of i ducation. "Tlie coileotlfin oonlainH Huniples of Ik>oUh, exervUMiB, Bcliolastle materia!, ^utc., etc,, oom- (iiK from the ( ' it.hulin sehools .aH w<-ll aH from th»i I'rotestant KclioolH of the provini-e. "Tho exeollenee of the work, and especially of the gcoKi'iiphical cluirtH. is Ineontestible. TIUh iti the niuie pleasiriK if we consider the faet tliat many exhibits me dated from the rni:rl88t and tho heginning of the year 18M;'>. it s evident tho exhil)it. is composed of the ordi- nary duties of tho schools in all the parts of the nrovinee, and not of work specially prepared for the oecusion." "No pretention has been made io eclipse tho school exhiliits of ihe other provinces; but tho collection that is under our eyes donotcs that in one of the n\OHt recently "organized" pro- vinces of tlie t'onfederation there exists a school system, which, although respectbig tho faith an.1 religious oonvictions of tne poi'Ula lion, olfers to every one an education capat)le of titling for the highest rank of the sooicly, tho child wh() is placed under its care." (c) That school of Brandon I ! I— The Brandon fc^ m of the Hth instant serves il« readers v>nh a piece of queer informa- tioi!. It speaks of the convent of Brandon as If there wore in that institution an average attendance of only 20 pupils with Ave teachers, and he exclaims: '"Imagiue live teachers ii a school ol twenty chil- dren, or one teacher for each fc ii- pupils !" Undoubtedly such a state of alTairs would i»e very funny; I regret to spoil the fun, in positively affirming that the statement is not wha^ it ought to be. Looking at the last report publisheo by the Covernment for the Catholic section of the board of education I find, that dur- ing tiie two ternm provided for du ''ig the year 1888, there were on the roiiofthe Brandon school 83 pupils; the family and first names being given on the school re- port, as well aH the age of the children and all the Information lequired; the register of tho school during the year, taking "00 days as the basis of the calcula- tion, given an average attendance of 50 children; two sisters were employed in in- culcating to the Kl children theknowledge required by the cuiiculum According to regulations, 83 children of different grades are a suffJcent number to consider the school Jis a double one, requiring two teachers, and entitled on that account to a double share of Government grant; this is all for the school of Brandon if it were 8 merelv an elementarv school, and, In fact, it is all that falls under the law of educa* tion. There is no provision in the law forbid- ding an elementary school from enjoyinj? more privileges if the opportunity is of- fered; and especially when nothing is taken for that object, either from Govern- ment grant or from ratepayers. The The Catholic school of Brandon secures such advantages to those of the pupils whose parents wish that their children might enjoy them. Instrumeulal music is not one of the branches prescribtid by the curiculum of I the elementary schools, but many young ' ladies of Brandon have a special taste for ' such an acquirement, and in the convent | they find a good sister able and willing to satisfy such tastes and that sifter is the I third teacher, t.nd it is known that she j has plenty of work. Ornamental draw- ing, painting, embroidery, fancy needle work and many oti er such things, very pleasant to young ladies of refined dis- positions are not on the programme of elementary schools, but they are taught in the Brandon convent, and to avoid in- terfering with the teaching of ordinary branches another sister is in charge of the department; that brings the number of teachers to four. Another lady of the convent is also there for the creneral supervision ; to answer the calls of visit- ors, so preventing the sister to be disturb- ed during class hours. Thatsisterbeinglike her compauions,awell accomplished teach- er, is there to help or replace them in case of sickness or other emergencies, so that ' no time could be lost, nor the progress of children retarded. This last one is the fifth teacher spoken of and as well as the third and the fourth mentioned above, is not the teacher of the ordinary courscand consequently receives no part of the Gov- ernment grant nor from the assessment levied on ratepayers. I confess my inability to find fault with the arrangement of such a school, and I wonder if any man versed in educational matters would dare to, I do not say ridi- culize, but even to speak against an in- stitution because it is thus provided, though receiving through the law merely the support given to the ordinary elementary schools. I know the con- vent of Brandon, it is a beautiful house with fine class rooms, well lighted and well ventilated; the educa- tion and tho training given there are su- perior'. The whole establishment is un- doubtedly a credit to the eastern part of the ciiy. and a valued benefit to the pdiool population. But that school is a terrible burden, it costs so much to the country 1 Well, as we have said above, that school is considered as two schools, receiving from the government grant what is prescribed by law, that is to say $150 each, also the portion of the balance of the government grant which the law prescribes to divide according to the aver- age attendance, that brings the amount of public money to $425 or about; and as tills and other such accounts are publish- ed every year in the Blue Books of Mani- toba, it does not require a very extraor- dinary amount of intelligence or care, nor a new system of passing the public accounts to arrive to its discovery. If the Catholic ratepayers, as the Sun says, realy add only $150.00 to the Government grant, surely they are very fortunate, because then the whole amount paid to the good sisters woult be altogether $575.00; there- fore, here is a body of English ladies, per- fectly qualified to give a high education and training to children; who give accom- modation in a fine house of their own, on a beautiful spot; who furnish it, heat it, keep It in repair and good order; who give priQiary education to the children oil the district, who supply the school with tlie necessary stafi'; and all that for $575.00. I would like to know how many effec- tive schools with such a number of chil- dren cost less than the school of Brandon. Besides, .the money given was taken from the part of the legislative grant already apportioned to the Cathoiic schools, consequently it was the money belonging to and under the control of the Catholic section, and if the money had not been given to the school at Brandon it would have been given to some other Catholic school. According to the report " for 1887, the amount of public money given to the Sis- ters of Brandon was" for the first term $114, and for the second $123, the in- crease for 1888 was due to the change in the law. (d.) Reserve Fund. — Another cry against the Catholic schools is that the section of the Board of Education which controls them, have secured a reserve fund to facilitate their management. The fund was increased according to circum stances, and over $2,000 of interest have brought the whole to ov^.r $13,000. As ordered, at the time, by the law, the money as placed in a chartered bank, with tht' knowledge and approval of the Government, a yearly account was given to the Government, there was no secrecy about it; the section counts a member of the Government in its ranks; he knew the details of the whole affair, so it required no effort on the part of the public men co know everything about the said fund. The moment the Government asked to have that money placed in their hands it was immediately done,and there the money is, Badly disposed people may find fault with a saving of money, as others will blarao for expenditures. Anything these days is resorted to to reach one's end. But how could one section of the board have thought of a reserve fund? The ans- wer is very easy. It is simply because the law directed that it. could be done. The 90th clause of the school law says: "Each section of the board may reserve "for uuforseen contingencies a sum not 9 "exceeding ten per cent of its share of the "appropriation. Such is the law, it may Beem very foolish to some as it seemed tolerably wise to othere; at all events the Catholic section being empowered by the law, took that course and reserved for un- forsuen continp;encies a sum a little less than ten per cent of its share of the dilT- erent appropriations. But why have they done so? The answer is this: From the beginning of the province it was found, and the experience is not altered at this date, '.hat the teachers of our scliools, be- sides the insofflciency of their salary, had often to serve a full term of five months before receiving even anything on account on their salary, and after the terms were over, sometimes they had to wait two months and more before their well-earned wages were paid, this seemed a great inconvenience which could Only be remedied, and in fact was remedied, in having a reserve fund. The moment an accourt became due and approved by the section if the Board, thw superin- tendent paid it out of tie reserve fund; and when the Government thought it convenient to give an installment of the voted money, it was deposited In the bank to fill up again or increase the reserve fund, and so forth from term to term and from installment to installment. By act- ing that way, tne Section of the board avoided what is always unpleasant, to apply repeatedly to the Government offi- cers and many times to be delayed by them. They avoided also, which is of more grave consequence, the painful obligation of delaying the payment of the money due to the teachers and others who had served the cause of education. If this is a fault, I accept the responsibility, as chairman of the Catholic section of the Board of Edu- cation; but I cannot abstain from stating that a Government, which would and such a condition of affairs in all the state de- partments.when '.t is explicitly authorized by the law, should easily acquiesce In the results it has brought about. This is called "misappropriation" by certain par- ties and the remittance of this reserve fund is also, with bad taste, called "dis- gorging," but I trust that the fair play and good sense of the public will give the action of the Catholic section of the board in this matter, its true appellation and will view it in its proper light. I must confess, in conclusion, that I had some difficulty in abstaining from the expression of the feeling of indignation j raised in my mind by the way which we, I as Catholics, are treated by many of cur { opponents; it is plain and evident that all I the dangerous commotions just now being raided has nothing else in view but to Injure Catholics as Catholics. I do not know what is in store for the Catholics of this country,but I unhesitatingly say that while abstaining from attacks on others, the Catholics are fullv determined in taking their stand. With the help of Divine Providence, under the protec- tion of the constitution, and strong with the sacredness of their cause, they will, to protect their rights, go to as great lengths as others to injure them. The gravest consequences may result, but the responsibility will rest on those who pro- voke the contest and who boast that* 'they do not care for the letter of the constitu- tion." With thanks, Mr. Editor, I remain Your obedient servant, t Alex., Arch, of St. Boniface, O.M.I, St. Boniface, 21 August, 1880. w ARCHBISHOP TACHE Thinks his Ideas with Regard to Religi jus Instruction in Schools fully Corroborated in England. » ♦ » To tho Editor of the Free Press. SiK,— In the beginning of the establish- ment of Canadian authority in this country, there was little difficulty in pecurinf? denominational scliools. Aftt^r they had been acknowledged by law, efforts wore made to change their charac- ter, hut since 1877 nothing was attempted publicly in that direction. During these last twelve years, tne cause of education lias made great progress in Manitoba ; the fact is, there are few new countries, if any, which have a larger development in that direction. Visitors of intelligence are in reality very much astonished at tho harmonious and efficacious work of our system; as a rule tho population is satisfied with the management of tJie schools, by the respective Boards, and if we can judge this manage- ment by the result, surely there is not much reason for complaint. I am perfectly aware that the system in itseli does not meet the views' of everyone. There are men, earnest and honest, who would like that it had never been estab- lished, but these very men, precisely for the same roasonfv, are anxious to avoid rash measures or violation of the rights of others. Since last week there has been a good deal of talking and writing about the question of scliools. Without attaching too much weight to what might have been said under certain impulses, or to please certain parties, I am fully aware of the importance of the question, and feel con- fident that no government will attempt any measure violating the acquired rights of any important section of the people of Manitoba. I cherish the idea that: our public men are not to be guided by the narrow ideas of bigotted individuals who think it is a glorious thing to attack others and a meritorious one te do liarra to their neighbors- Ignorance is so great among such nar- row-minded men that they think and they say that our system of schools is to be changed because it admits of religious in- fitvuction in conformity to the wishes of the parents, and to show more blindness they say that the ideas which have been predominant in our system are " mediH'- val relics, fit for priestly ridden people; that they are ideas behind the times, and not in accordance with the spirit of the acp; anti-British, and unworthy of an English country." These, and similar repeated attackshave suggested to me the thought of bringing before these men the knowledge of what has occurred in England at a very recent date, and siiow thereby that the views, entertained by Catholics and many Pro- testants in Manitoba with regard to reli- gious instruction in elementary schools, are not so advtrse to English wishes and practice as the adversaries of our schools believe and say. Of course, I have not the presumption of furnishing information to educated men, who devote some attention and time to the cauHe of education, but I think I will say somethinK now to many who had no chance to consider the facts I am about to recall. These facts am going to speak of are in connection with:— 1. The Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the working of i he elemen- tary education acts in England and Wales. 2. The work accomplished by that com- mission. 3 Conviction expressed by the commis- sioners. 4. Some of their conclusions and recom- mendations. Of course, I can only touch on the sub- ject in a very light and inadequate man- ner. The gigantic work of that commis- sion is shewn by the reports, of which a copy lies on my tahle and is contained in nine large qualo volumes, forming nearly five thousand pages and mostly in double columns. It may seem ridiculous to en- deavor to bring within a small compass, adc quate information with regard to such a labor, but as the work is, inaccessible to most, I hope I may he pardoned in writing a few lines in ref erencu to it. 1. ROYAL COMMISSION, The 15th of January, 1886, a commission was oppointod to enquire into tho work- ing of the Elementary Education acts, England and Wales, and that by a royal proclamation which leads as follows: Viftorifi R. Victoria by tho grace of God, of the United Kinydomof Great Britiiin andlrc'and, Queen, dcfcnfler of the faith. To our rit at truBty and well btlovcii cnuncillor, Sir Ficharrt Asshoton Cross. Knight Grand Cross of our most honor- able Order of the Bath, one of our principal secretaries. There are given tho titles of nobility of ofti- ciiil or social position of twenty-one other members of tho commiasion, whoso names are re- peated below an.l onr triJBty and well beloved George Shlpton. Ksq. Greeting. Whereiva wo hii\ o decmod if. expedient that a coininiMsion should forthwith iasuo to eiKiuiio iii!.() the worUinff of the Klemcntary Kihiiyitioii acta in Kniiland and Wules. Now. know )-e, tliat we, rcposinR Kreat trust and conlldonco in your knowledge and ability, have authorized and appointed, and do by iirenenta iiuthorizo anrl appoint you the wiid "-^ir llichard Aaslieton (-'ross, Henry Ed- ward MjiiininK, I'tirdinal Arohbiflhop: Dudlcv Friineia Sluart, Earl of Harrowby; Fred- eric Eiiil Ik-fuirhanip; Froderi.?, Bishop of I-ondfin: Charles Howycr, Uaron Norton, Anthony Jcihn Mundella, Sir Francin Kichard Hundford. Sir John Lubhoeli, Sir Bernhard .SiinmelHon, .lames Harrison Rigpr. llobert VVilliiini Dale Hohert UreRory. Henjaniin Frednrick Smith, Thomas Daniel Cox Morse, Clmrle.s Henry Alderson. .John Gilbert Talbot, Sydney I'lmr'.na Burton, Thomas Edmund Hol- ler, Honiard CIsarles Mol.oy, Samuel Rath- bone, Henry lliehard and (Jeorprc Shipton, to beoun ommiHsionera for the ourpose afore- said. And for the better clf'ecting the purpose of thin our e(Hnn\isi=ion, wo do, by these presents, give and K' ant unto you, or any six or more of you, full power to eall h.ifore you Hueh pc sons as you shall judge lile assured that such a commission commands respect and atten- tion, not only in England and Wales, but through all the immense domains of Her Majesty. Lot us review what has been accom- plishsd by this commission of Royal ap- pointment, composed of men of distinc- tion and ability, and entrusted with a sacred cause. 2. TUB WORK OF THE COMMISSION, The work of the commission is im- mense, and will give just cause of sur- pri*" to those wlio believe that the ques- tion of education can be fairly and suMi- ciently discussed in a political speech, or a careless letter to the press, or by a fanatic who thinks it is only necessary to appeal to passions. I invite those who are not acquainted with the eflbrts of the said commission to pay some attention to the short analysis I take the liberty of publishing, and which sufHces to give a striking proof of the con- sciousness with which a matter of snch great moment as the cause of education is approached in thci very heart of the British Empire. The Royal Commissioners immediately after tiheir appointment set to work with a zeal worthj' of thernseWes and of the trust with which they had been honored by their beloved Sovereign. Tho inquiry began on the 20th of January, 188(1, and lasted until .July, 1S88. Tlie commission- ers themselves state in their reports to Her Majesty, the sources from which they gather their information avid say : "After considering the numerous applications re- ceived from persons desiring to give evi- dence before us, we determined to sum- mon representatives of all public bodies who were in any way concerned with the administrative and working of the ele- mentary education actn, and of all classes of persons whom these acts most immed- iately affect, in addition to such other witnesses as, eitlier from their special knowledge, or from their experience, we thought likely to furnish valuable inform- ation. No representative witness, so far as we know, has been precluded from giving evidence before us." "Mr. Pat;rick Cumin, Secretary to Your Majesty's Education Department, was the first witness called, whom we hoard at great length. "We next examined several of Your Majesty's Chief Inspectors of schools; and these witnesses were fpUow. 8 ed by representativea oi tho leading edu- cational HocietieH." "ThirWen consecutive meetinjrs were exclusively devoted to the evidence of tho elementary teachers. In many instances, doubtlesH, they express tho views of a larf^c and inlluer-'~'-i,l organization of their professional bretnren whose carefully for- mulated opinions had been, at an early wtatu of our inquiry, placed in our hands." "Tne management of Public Elemen- tary schools was tho subject which next occupied our attention; nine managers of (litferent liinds of schools appeared before UH, and gave us the benefife of their long and varied exoerienccs." After these tho representatives of school boards were called. Our next group of witnesses consisted of representatives of voluntary schools. These gentlemen were followed by an equal number of members of school attendance committees. "The Welsh bi-lingual difllculty has re- ceived our attention. "Full e ''.denco has also been tendered to us on the subject ot the religious in- struction given in public elemeitary schools. Six of the leading advocates of the policy of separating religious from secular instruction in daily elementary Hchools, five of whom belong to ditterent uon-conformiHt bodies, also appeared be- fore us." The first report of the commissioners was presented to Her MajcHty in 18H(j, the second in April, 1887, and the third in July, 1887. The three are the minutes of the evidence gathered from tho oral witnesses mentioned above. Tho three reports fill three large quarto volumes in double columns, with an aggregate num- l)er of 2,421 pages; to arrive at that result the Iloval Commissioners sat for 95 long days; they called 151 witnesses; scrutiniz- t>d their ideas and views on education by asking 59,809 questions, to which these witnesses gave as many replies. Besides the 95 days devoted to hearing oral testi- mony, the Commissioners sat 51 other days to complete their work. They conducted "an important statisti- cal inquiry on an extensive scale; having come to tho conclusion that the opinion of the country as a whole on the working of the Education Acts ought to be ascertain- ed, and that valuable documentary in- formation might be obtained from maga- gets and teacher^ of public elementary schools, both voluntary and board, as well as from school boards, wo obtained per- Tuission to employ a stalf for that purpose, under the superintendence of a statistical oillcial. We accordingly issued circulars addressed to managers of voluntary Mchools, school boards and teachers. A circular was also addressed to the prin- cipals of all the existing training col- leges." The knowledge thus acquired was tabu- lated and was reported to both houses of parliament in 1888 and tills a quarto vol- ume of 487 pages. Not satisfied with such an accurauiatioti of testimony, the royal commission pub- lished further information obtained In answer to inquiries made by another cir- cular nddresHcd to tho principals of train- ing colleges in England and Wales in re- ceipt of a government grant; tho answers being published in a separate volume. To this may be added 95 papers furnished to the commission and published by their order. The commissioners, to facilitate the study of their wonderful work, caused an index to evidence and also a digest to this evidence to bo prepared, the two covering no less than 580 pages, quarto. Interesting reports, from outside of the n^other country, were obtained through Her Majesty's diplomatic agents, and are reported by the commissioners in a separ ate volume of 3J^5 passages. These accounts of the condition of elementary education in certain foreign countries were appreciated by Her Majesty's com- mission, and widely differs from certain notions recently published. True, the German empire has been consolidated in such a way that, in some respects, it is foremost on the list of nations; but it woujd be a great mistake co believe that this result has been obtained by the state divorcing from religion or banishing tho teaching of religion from its schools. The Royal comuiiaaion proves othervviHc:— "In Prussia in all the elementary schools the religious instruction is com- pulsory as well as the other branches of instruction. Tho religious instruction is given by the teacher, exceptionally by clergymen and by special teachers of reli- gion." "The religious instruction is obligatory on all the scholars. Also for tho religious instruction of the minority provisions are made, partially at the expense of the state; for this purpose means are regular- ly granted by the government." "Saxony— lieligious instruction is gi\en in the schools of the state. lu Protestiuit schools by the master; in Catholic schools by priests." "The religious instruction is obligatory on all the scholars. But a minority of Catholic scholars would be taught by a local Catholic priest." "Wurtemburg— The schools of the state give religious as well as secular instruc- tion; the third part of tho school time is devoted to religious Instructions. Tho greatest part of tho religious instruction is given t)y the teacher." "The religious instruction is not obliga- tory on all the scholars; the minority may take part in the religious instruction of the majorit.v; but if the parents prefer that their children may not do so they may be excused." "Bavaria.— In the schools of the State religious education fornis part of the curi- culum, and is given by the pariah priest." "The religious instruction is obligatory on all the scholars." Inexhaustive other informations are s% ! furnished by the royal comraiBsIon, not only about the German Empire, but oven many othei countries, and no doubt it is desirable to see its interestluK reports within reach of the men who wish to speak and ^rite t.bout reliKloun instruc- tion and moral traiuliiK in Hchools, partly or wholly, supported by the State. The above analysis, short as it is, suf- rtcos to prove that, very likely, there are tew aiuonp; those who talk about educa- tion laws, who have taken so much trouble as the royal coinmisaiou of Eng- land to satisfy themselves what direction ought to be jziven in order to secure the good of individuals, tlie happiness of families, and the welfare of nations. I invite my countrymen, whosoever they may be, to weigh the conviction arrived at by the royal commissioners, after an in- vestigation of such magnitude, that it couid be considered as a waste of money, time and intelligence, wore not the great cause of education at stake. 3, CONVICTION KXPUESSEU. The conscientious ' conviction of the royal commission is expressed in their final report is a volume of 500 pages, by itself a most valuable source of inform- ation and a kind of synopsis of the whole inquiry conducted with such s?eal, patient labor, and wonderful results. The final report is divided into seven parts. Part 1 deals with the existing law. Part II relates to the existing state of facts. Part HI treats of the machinery for carrying on elementary education. Part IV. is coutlned to the education and instruction given in public elemen- tary schools. Part V. deals with government examin- ation, ihe parliamentary gi-ant, &o. Part VI. treats of 16cal educational aurhorilies. Part VII. consists of a summary of leading conclusions and recommenda- tions. Or,ly two of the seven parts have a gen- eral character, the five oth rs being of more local application. I will quote large- ly from Part IV., that is to say, from chapter flrst of that part, on religious and moral training; and which covers from page 112 to 127. The divisions with let- ters prefixed are mine, and the quotation is taken passim, but continues through the chapter. (n) Paramount Importance of Ileligious and Moral Training in JSchools— "Having been commissioned by Your Majesty to inquire into the working of the Eliement- ary Education acts, we should fail in our duty did we Jiot review the religious and moral effect of the present system, and of the provisions made by law for enabling and controlling religious as well as secu- lar instruction. While the whole commis- sion is animated by one and the same de- sire to secure for the children in the pub- lic elemcutidry schools the best and most thorough instruction in secular subjects, suitable to their years, and in harmony with the requirements of their future life, it is also unanimously of opinion that their religious and moral training is a matter of still higher imporl^ance alike to the children, uie parents and the aation, though tlie views of its members differ as to the method whereby this object of su- preme moment sbould be attained." <0.) The parents insists Religious In- srructionin school3-"Upon the importance of giving religious as well as moral in- struction, as part of the teaching in day public elemontary schools, much evidence was brought before us. * * * All the evidence is practically unanimous as to the desire of the parents for the religious and moral training of their children. (c.) Religious instruction given in Eng- lish schools. "The answer we have receiv- ed to circular A 3, testify that out of 385 school boards, 348 give daily religious in- struction, and 123 have religious examin- ations; and out of 3,49(' teachers of depart- ments who have sent in replies to circular D, 3,161 say that they giV'e daily religious instruction, and 2,372 say examinations in religious knowledge are held annually. (d.) Sunday school and home religious instructions d ericient. —" We must add that though we highly value the influence of Sunday schools, it is admitted that many scholars in elementary schools do not either attend them or any place of wor- ship, and that their parents are often too ignorant or too indifferent to give their children any religious instruction. Such children, therefore, are entirely dependent upon instruction in the day schools for any knowledge of the scriptural truths which ought to be the common heritage of all the people in a Christian country. W^e hope that the religious and moral training in all board schools may be raised to the high /itandard which has been at- tained already in many of them, and that it will be made clear that the state, while scrupulously maintaining its provisions for safe-guarding the rights of conscience, does not wish to discourage any of the managers, teachers, and meml)ers of school boards, connected with any of the elementary schools of the country who are endeavoring to bring up their children in love and obedience to God;" (e.) Inspection of religious instruction recommended.—" The need for annual in- spection of religious in jtruction in board schools corresponding^ to that made by the diocesan inspector in church schools, in presence, especially of the strong compe- tition to which religious instruction is ex- posed by the restriction of the govern- ment examination to secular subjects, has been recognized in evidence before us by the representatives of many important school boards; and we gather |:hat a move- ment is extending itself for securing that an annual examination should be held v/ith a view to test the efficiency of k,he scriptural instruction." i i. 5 it a parent's con- scientious feeling may be equally injured, and should be equally respected and pro- \ ided for, in the case where he Is compel- led by la\A' to send his child, for all his school time, to a sc hool where he can re- ceive no religious teaching. "This grave injury to conscience, may easily now arise in the ease, where a single board or voluntary school suflices for the whole school supply of a district, or where only one school is within a reasonable distance of a man's home. In that school, as we have seen it, at this moment the case, with a certain number of voluntary and board schools, the Bible may not be read or tauclit, and there may be no rfjllgious teaching." (h) Proposed to pronibit religious in- structions in schools repudiated— " Tlie views of those who would remove from day elementary schools, all religious teaching and observance have received our attentive consideration." "Those who hold this view in fa^or of purely secular schools did not shrink from urging before us, through the witnesses who represented them, that the state should take the extreme step of prohibit- ing religious instruction in public elemen- tary schools." "Even those witnesses however, who strenuously advocated the secularisation of public elementary education, most em- phatically declared that they regarded re- ligion as the trua basis of education, and only contented for its exclusion from the day school in the belief that it could he provided in some other and bett/er way.' "In questions of this character it is im- {(ossible to have negative provisions which lave not also a positive side. Thus, for children to attend day schools in which no religion** teaching was given would, in the opinion of those who think that the daily lessons should be accompanied with religious teaching, be practically leading them to undervalue the importance of re- ligion. They would hold that the impres- sion left upon the children's mindfe would be that reliaion was a matter of inferior moment, at all events to that secular teaching which they were acquiring day by day.' "In support of the contention that reli- gious instruction should be excluded from the day school, it was further urged by Dr. Crosskey that it makes an undesirable tax on the teacher's energies. But, on the other hand, we have had brougnt before us trustworthv testimony, some of it from teachers themselves, tnat, as a body, they would consider it a great loss if they were debarred from givifig Bible lessons to their scholars. Moreover, the religious instruc- tion given by teachers, we have been told by til'" Rev, J Duncan, greatly increases the moral influence of the teacher. The moral character of teachers themselves. Archdeacon Norrls, formerly Her Majes- ty's inspector of schools In various popu- lous counties, thinks, would suffer if they were forbidden to impart religious in- struction, add finally, against the attempt, on this or any other ground, to prohibit teachers from giving moral and religious instruction in their schools, Mr. Cumin, secretary of the committee of council on education, emphatically protests. He be- lieves that many excellent teachers would absolutely refuse to be restricted in their teaching to secular subjects." "It was urged that relieion was dis- honored by being included in a programme consisting chiefly of secular suojects." "But we have no evidence tending to show that-4hese results actually occur, and it can hardly be supposed that if such were found to be practically the result, religious bodies and school boards would still continue to make such great efl'orts as we find they now do in order to main- tain an efticient system of religious in- struction in the schools for which they are responsible. On the other hand, we have positive evidence that children who have received religious teaching in the day school are better nrepared to profit by Sunday school teaching and to become themselves teachers in Sunday schools." "But were there more weight due than we have been able to attach to these and other like reasons for prohibiting element- ary teachers from giving religious in- struction in the day school, there are posi- tive arguments of Kreat value in favor of the principle of religious instruction being given by the teachers. We have spoken of the evidence tending to show that teachers, as a body, would strongly op- pose its removal out of their hands. Even more to be considered, "n our judgment, are the wishes of the parents." "A large body of witnesses, consisting among others of Her Majesty's inspectors, teachers and managers, speaking both for board and voluntary schools, deposed be- fore us to the great value which the parents generally set on the religious in- struction given to their children in the day school." "We are convinced that if the state were to secularise elementary education, it would be in violation of the wishes of the parents, whose views in such a matter are, we think, entitled to the first consid- eration. « * * * 6 "Many other children would have no othor opportunity of bein^ tftu«ht the ele- mentary doctrineH of Christianity, aH they do not attend Sunday Hchools, and their parentH, in the opinion of a nunil>er of wltncBses, are quite unable to teach them. (i) No elHclent Hubstituto for the system of utilizing school staff and the hour« of school attendance f " reiiKious inmruc- tlon. "But thpse who contemplate this change and advoc-ate the exclusion of religious teaching from all public elementary schools state that they look to supply the void thus created by other and, as they think, by better means. It is not asserted by them with much confidence that the duty of educating children religiously can be w.'iclly left to their parents. Abundant evidence from all classes of witnesses is before us, tending to show that many par- ents are unable to undertake this branch of their children's education, even if they were willing, and that if it were left to them it would be omitted. "We concur with those w ituesses who gave It as their opinion that without the ordinary school staff it would be inipos- slble to give efficient religious instruction on any large scale, to large bodies of chil- dren. The clerk of the school board of Liverpool exprensed his conviction that ministers of all deuorainaiions would be quite inadequate to deal with the instruc- tion of that vast and growing population, and that to forbid religious Instruct ion during the regular hours of school would be most disastrous. * * * - "But after hearing all that could be said for it, we cannot recommend the plan thus suggested of religious instruction to bo given by voluntary teachers, on the -school preinises, out of school hours, few the success of which, even those most anxious to try the experiment will not be answerable. It would, in our opinion, be no ellicleut substitute for the existing sys- tem of utilizing the school staff and the hours of school attendance for this pur- pose, a system which has taken deep root in the country, and appears to give gen- eral satisfaction to parents." (j.) Greater support should be given by the state to the moral element of training in English schools. "As to the moral training given in the schools, the opportunities permitted to Her Majesty's inspectors of inquiring into the eiiiciency of moral training have been under the existing arrangements neces- sarily limited." "We are strongly oJ* opinion that much greater support should be given by the state to the moral element of training in our schools. » » » We recommend therefore that general fundamental and fixed instructions should be laid down as to moral training, making it an essential condition of the efficiency of a public ele- mentary school." "And as we have found with regret that in recent years this branch of the inspec- tor's duty has not received the attention it deserved, we therefore think it neces- sary to make it a distinct recommenda- tion that it Hhould be considered the first duty of lier Majesljs inspectors to in- (julfe Into and report upon the moral training." "After hearing the arguments for a wholly secular education, we have come to the following conclusions: "(1.) That it is of the highest importance that all children should receive religious and moral training. (2.) That the eii- dence does not warrant the conclu;jlon that such religious and moral training can be amply provided, otherwise than through the medium of elementary schools. (U.) That in schools of a denom- inational character, to which parents are compelled to send their children, the pa- rents have a right to require an operative conscience clause, so that care be taken that the children shall not suffer in any way in couseciuence of their taking advtn- tage of the conscience clause. (4.) That Inasmuch as parents are compelled to send their children to school It Is just and desirable that, as far as possible, they should be enabled to send them to a school, suitable to their religi- ous connections or preferences. (5.) We are also of opinion that It Is of the highest importance that the teachers who are charged with the moral training of the scholars should continue to take part in the religious instruction. We should re- gard any separation of the teacher from the religious teaching of the school, as in- jurious to the moral and secular training of the scholars." May I respectfully ask those who might read the above quotations to pause over the and say if really they could consider as unprogressive, or unreasonable, or ad- verse to the enllghtmeut of the growing generation, the men who conscientiously entertain the same views as the Royal Commission with regard to religious in- struction in the elementary schools. 4.— CONrLUSION A.ND RECOMMENDATION. Part VII. of the final report consists exclusively of a summary of leading con- clusions and recommendations. It seems that the convictions expressed and the conclusions arrived at, as (quoted above from Part IV. of the report, could be con- sidered as sufficient recommendation on the part of the commission. The distin- gulsned com uiissloners judged otherwise, and wishing to see their views carried in- to effect, they thought proper to have Part VII. of their report, exclusively filled up with their conclusions and recom- mendations. Some are mere repetitions of what had been said before; neverthe- less, the commissioners attached such im- portance to them that thdy did not shrink from repeating them again. They brought the same conclusions and recommendations from number 1 to 198. I will select out of them thirty numbers mtion necGH. enda tlrnt to In- moral which h&ve a more direct rolatlon with certain objections raiaod aKainut our Hcltool la«vH and their application. The numberH, the reader will Hee, donotall follow one another.but each one in quoted fully. The whole of the 11)8 numberH can be found in the final report from paKe 'JOS to pa^e 22.'i, Here are my quotatiouH : "(2'i) That in framing regulationH for /Ixing the qualiflcationH required of teachers, it will be desirable to bear in mind that there are some with a natural aptitude and love for teaching, who have not received a college training, but who could not be excluded from the profession without a loss to our schools." ''(2r)) That the employment of women of superior social position and general cul- ture as teachers hs'' a refining and excel- lent efFect upon scL. j." "(^'.\) That, to encourage managers of voluntary schools as well as Kchool boards to extend the advantages of central class leaching to their pupil-teachers, extra grants should be oftered to those man- agers or boards who successfully' adopt that course." "(44) That whilst recommending that facilities sliould be afforded in one or oth- er of the ways suggested for the establish- ment of day training colleges, «ve think that no portion of the cost of establishing or maintaining new day training colleges should fall upon the rates." "(45) That, in their proposals, the fol- lowing points will require serious atten- tion of parliament:" "(1) The question of security for the re- ligious and moral instruction of those will) are to be trained as teachers." "(57) That while we desire to secure for the children in the public elementary schools the best and most thorough in- struction in secular subjects, suitable to their years and in harmony with the re- quirements of their future life, we arealeo unanimously of opinion that their relig- ious and moral training is a matter of still higher importance, alike to the children, the Daren ts and the nation." "(58.) That there can be no doubt, from the statement of the witnesses, whether favorable or hostile to teaching religion in schools, and from the teatimony aflford- ed by the action of both school boards and voluntary schools, as to the opinion of the country generally on the subject of religi- ous and moral training in day schools, and that all the evidence is practically unani- mous as to the desire c^ the parents for tJie religious and mor training of their children." "(59.) That to secularise elementary edu- cation woule be a violation of the wishes of parents, whose views in such a matter are, we think, entitled to the first con- sideration." "(HO.) That the only safe foundation on which to construct a theory of morals, or to HLCure high moral conduct, is the re- ligion which our Lord .Jesus Christ has taught the world. That as we look to the Bible for instruction concerning morals. and take its words for the declaration of what is morality, so we look to the same inspired source for the sanctions by which men may be lead to practice what is there taught, and for instruction con- cerning the helps by which they may be enabled ta do what they have learned to be right." "(61.) That the evidence does not war- rant the condusion that religious and moral training can be amply provided otherwise than through the medium of elementary schools. "((}2.) That, in the case of a consider- able number of children, if they do not receive religious instruction and training from the teachers in the public elementary schools, they will receive none, and that , this would be a matter of the gravest con- cern to the state." "(0.3.) That all registers should be marked before the religious teaching and observances begin, scrupulous care lielng taken, in accordance vvith the letter and spirit of the Education Act to provide for the ca«e of children whose parents object to such teaching and ob-servances." "((>!.) That it is of the highest import- ance that the teachers who are charged with the moral training of the scholars should continue to tftke part in the re- ligious instruction, and that any separa- tion of the teacher from the religious teaching of the school would be vtjry in- jurious to the moral and secular training of the scholars." "(65.) That wa cannot recommend the plan which has been suggested of religious instruction to be given by voluntarj' teachers on the school premises out of school hours. That such a plan would lie no eflicient substitute for the existing sys- tem of utilizing the school stall' and the house of school attendance for this pur- pose, a system which has taken daen root in the country, and appears to give gen- eral satisfaction to the parents." "06.) That the state cannot be construc- tively regarded as endowing religious ed- ucation, when, under the conditions of the act of 1870, it pays annual grants in aid of voluntary local effort for secular instruction in schools, in which religious instruclioa forms part of the programme." "(09) That inasmuch as parents are com- pelled to send their children to school, it is just and desirable that, as far as possi- ble, they should be enabled to send them to a school suitable to their religious con- victions or preferences." "(70) That in schools of a denomination- al character to which parents are compell- ed to send their children, the parents have a right to require an operative conscience clause, and that care be taken that the children shall not suffer in any way in consequence of their taking advantage of the conscience clause." "(71) That the absence of any substan- tiated case of complaint and the general drift of the evidence convince us that the ooDHclence clause In carefully obnerved both l)y teach«rH ami nmnagorH." "(72) That wo roco^crilMo, i>«verfholesB, the linportftTjce of reinovinK, if poHMlbl«, any Huspicloi. of unfair play or undue in- tluenco in the adrjilniHtrallou of the con- Hclence clause from I he niindsof thoHu who | entertain such iinpreHHions. And any further precautionn which minht tend In that direction, without comproinislng still hl>:o as a specitic subject; to adopt an optional Hoheme to take the place of ICiigiisb as a class subject, founded on the principle of suVtstltutIng a graduated system of trans- lation from VVelsh to Knullhli, for the present retjulrements In English Krani- mar; to teach Welsh along with English as a class subject; and to Include Welsh among the languages in which candiaates for Queen's scholarships and for cenill- cates of merit may be examined. ' (109.) "That the Introduction of elabor- ate apparatus for gymnastic exercises into playgrounds Is not to b« recommended. {iiiH.) That the Slate should continue to recognize voluntary and board schools as to«;ether forming the national provision for elementary education; and that both ought to continue to participate In (!!(|ual conditions in the parliamentary grant." I need not repeat that the comn\i'