A Great Civic Service

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2, 12 January 1905, Page 19

A Great Civic Service

In Australia an ( d New Zealand the Catholic Church has a practically complete monopoly of religious primary education. In the United States the good work is shared, although to a relatively small extent, by the Lutherans and the Jews. The recently issued report of the United States Commissioner of h/ducation states (says me ' New World ') ' that 16.0.09,361 pupils attended the public schools 'during the last fiscal year, and that the cost of education now averages 22.75 dollars 1 (abokit £4 10s) a year lor each pupil the country over. The same report states that during the same time 1,093,876 pupils attended the .private schools. As everybody ktiows, the private schools are chiefly parochial scho<olS| ; consequently the bulk of this class of attendance belongs to them. The " Catholic Directory," m tact, sihows that 1,000,000 pupils are attending those schools. If these were sent to the public schools, of course it would cost 22.75 dollars a year to educate Uhem. Simce they were not, obviously the State was saved this 22.75 dollars, per pupil, or a total of 22,750,,000 dollars (about (£4,55-0,000) all told. What it saves in cost of putting up school buildings is simply incalculable. 1

cjatholics in Australia ana j\ew Zealand are, in proportion to uieir number, rendering at least an equally valuable senvice to the State. With our American contemper ary we might aak : 'lias the State no gratitude for tins immense service ? Ought it not to admit tranltiy tliat ot all me religious organisations laboring in Bftis country the Uatholic Church is the roost helpful ? Not only is wie Church dorog its lull duty in aiding the development ot social order, it is giving the State actual assistance lor which the latter should be grateful wnaj, ouiei Churen in America is donating such vast sums annually to the cause ol education? '