CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN SAVANNAH, GA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 3, 17 May 1873, Page 12

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN SAVANNAH, GA.

(American paper.) The City pf Savannah, Georgia, is, so far as we know, the only one wherein Catholics receive pay for conducting schools for Catholic children in accordance with those Christian principles which ought to lie at the foundation of all institutions. We hear a great deal from unthinking people concerning the harm that is to come to the cause of popular education, from Allowing Catholic schools to participate in the school fund. The Superintendent of the Savannah Public Schools, Mr W. H. Baker, has.lately published his annual report for 1872, in which is found the following notable paragraph :—: — " The system by which the Catholic schools were placed under the supervision and charge of the Board has proved most satisfactory to all concerned, and has not been jarred by the slightest discord." This is highly satisfactory information, says our worthy contemporary, the ' Morning Star,' of New Orleans, and is well worthy of being pondered. In the first place it will be news, probably to many, that there is any such combination of schools in Savannah, and a few items of information as. to how it came about might not be amiss. In March, 1869, Bishop Verot and other Catholics sent to the Common Council of Savannah o communication on the subject of the disposal of the Education Fund, in behalf of the Catholic Free School Association of the place. This was in pursuance of a former petition for a partition of tho school fund. That petition had been referred by the Council to the Board of Education, and i-eported on adversely by that Board. J Bishop Verot continued his pursuit of this object, backed by the Catholic Free School Association and all the Catholics of Savannah, until finally, on the 16th of May, 1870, the Board of Education and the Savannah Catholics agreed upon the following compromise, which was, no doubt, the one actually adopted by the Council, and now in operation. 1. The Catholic schools shall be receive! under the control of the Board of Education. 2. Teachers in tho Catholic schools shall be in all cases members of the Catholic Church, but be subject to examination and apuointment by tho Board of Education. 3. The text-books used in these schools shall be the same as are used in the other public schools, except books on history, geography, and reading books. 4. These schools shall be opened with reading the Scriptures and the Lord's Prayer. Such versions of Scripture may be used as the teacher may prefer. 5. The school buildings shall be under the control of the Board of Education. 6. The Trustees of the Catholic school buildings shall have power to withdraw them from the Board of Education at the end of any school year, whenever they are dissatisfied with the arrangement, provided that Ihey shall giv,e three months' notice of such withdrawal. 7. In cases of such withdrawal the Board of Education may remove all apparatus, books, movable fixtures, and furniture which they may have furnished for these schools. 8 r lhe Board of Education shall have full control of the discipline, instruction, nnd general management of these schools, the same as of the other schools under their care ; including, also, the lengths of sessions, the anangement of schools, courses of study, work and duties, and all the interests of the schools. 9. The teachers of these schools will be expected to attend the meetings of the Normal class the same as the members of other public schools. They will give respectful attention to the suggestions and instructions of the Superintendent, and are expected to exert themselves to carry out his view in the management and instruction of their schools. • 10. The holidays shall be such as are usually given in Catholic ■chools. We see the result of this compromise in the extract found at tho head of this 1 article, and taken from the report of tho Superintendent of Education : "It has proved most satisfactory to all. Not the Brightest discdrd-" In these days, and in this Colony, when the enemies of Catholic

Education, however divided among themselves in other respects, always unite whenever Catholic Education is concerned, to oppose, should not a Free School Association, such" as the successful one of Sarannah be formed for the Colony ? • ' ■'