CATHOLIC EDUCATION

New Zealand Tablet, 28 July 1910, Page 1186

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Dr. James J. Walsh, the well-known educator, delivered a brilliant address on Catholic Education’in New York on May 19. The address was replete- with facts, interesting in its revelation of the mighty work being done by Catholics in educational developments. Among other facts', Dr. Walsh pointed out that before Harvard College was founded in 1636 there was a complete university in Mexico and another in Peru. Harvard was the first University in the United States to reach the roll of 1000 students in 1869, but the Peruvian University, under Catholic training and direction, then had -2500, students and the Catholic Mexican University had 1300. Before there was any printing done in’ the present United States, the printing press was busy in Mexico. Six printing presses were turning out books there by 1540, and the first book published there was in 1525. _ At this Mexican University 300 years ago there were scientific courses. The peoples of America were studied ethnologically; the plants and animals were studied and classified • astronomy was taught, and a full medical course of three years’ preliminary collegiate training and four years in medical study was established and is continued to this day. Priority of Catholic education historically considered has been followed by pre-eminence of it to-day in thoroughness'and in leading the minds of students towards God. The disintegration of Protestantism and shattering of Christian beliefs by college professors at non-Catholic colleges were illustrated by the speaker in several ways. To prevent Catholic young men at such institutions from having their faith endangered, Newman Clubs, composed of Catholic students, were being formed. Dr. Walsh had founded the first twenty years ago. He was now an honorary member of seven, established at various universities. Three Catholic Universities had over 1000 students each, and three others in the United States were almost at the thousand mark. At Fordham University the new medical department was turning out graduates, every,man of whom won a hospital appointment in open competition with the best from other colleges. The medical department of the University of St. Louis was likewise making a great record. Catholic education was on the increase, in results, in popularity, in numerical enrolment of students, in thoroughness of work, and in the appeal its training makes to non-Catholic minds.

Dr. Walsh estimated that 40,000 members of religious Orders were engaged in Catholic education, each of whom received but board, clothes, and lodging, totalling about £4O a year. Allowing that each of these persons, on an average, was worth £l4O a year for wages, he estimated that these 40,000 were worth, in wages, over what they received, the annual sum of £4,000,000. Employing the usual method of getting at the capital value of that which will produce or is worth £4,000,000 annually, and taking 5 per cent, as a fair return on capital, he computed that these 40,000 religious teachers represented a capital value of £80,000,000. That vast sum, irrespective of buildings, land, equipment, and accessories, as also lay teachers, gave some conception of, what Catholics were putting into education of their own for the love of God and the continuance of faith.