Education in the New Possessions
The Pan-American Exposition, unhelped by the government, is making money. The National Educational Association, at its fortieth annual meeting recently held in Detroit, demands “provision for free education under the auspices of the Federal Government in all Federal territories, including the new possessions; it urges that all such public education in United States territory should be placed under the direction of the Bureau of Education; the school-house in every State and Territory should be the center of the educational life of the community, the place where literary and social meetings may be held, and where the public library should be housed; education should include the development of the ethical, physical, and æsthetic nature of the child as well as its purely intellectual nature; the system of education should include every grade of school, from the kindergarten up to and including the university, open to every boy and girl of our country.” The Outlook, from which the above is taken, remarks that if the first provisions had been carried out immediately after the civil war, we would not now have the present negro problem; if carried out in Utah, we would not now have the Mormon problem; but that they should be carried out in Porto Rico and the Philippines, or serious problems will arise there. But the government will not carry them out. The principal education of these islands, it may be safely said, will be in the hands of Roman Catholics. And mere education alone will not save. The government transport Thomas, which recently sailed for Manila, carried 600 American school teachers for the public schools of the islands. These teachers were selected with considerable care, and are all college or normal graduates with several years of experience in school work. Knowledge of the Spanish language was not required, as the Filipinos are anxious to learn English, and that will be the language of the schools. This consignment of teachers ought to prove the most influential “battalion” for good that has gone to that unfortunate country. The public school system now inaugurated is certainly an improvement upon former conditions. There is, however, one feature which is at least questionable, namely, the teaching of religion by priests or other ministers a half hour every other day to children whose parents so request in writing. This, however, is in keeping with the tendency at home to gradually but surely depart from the Protestant-republican doctrine of a separation of the Church and the State. Rev. James A. O’Connor, founder of the noted Christ’s Mission in New York City, has gone to Europe, to observe the work for the evangelization of Roman Catholics. His attention has been especially called to France, where it is said many priests have left the church. It is also said that in Austria even, thousands of Roman Catholics have turned away from the church and are organizing into independent evangelical churches. Mr. O’Connor’s mission was established especially to work for the conversion of Catholics, and as a temporary resort for priests who should accept the Protestant faith. Educated as they are, and persecuted as they are when they turn from Catholicism, they are often unprepared to cope with the difficulties that suddenly confront them on such a radical change in religion, in means of livelihood and general environment. “A Southern railway has issued an order that cigarette-smoking will not be allowed among its employees, and has given notice that nobody who is known to be a cigarette-smoker will be taken into its service. This is another sign of a growing disposition on the part of transportation companies to weed out not only men who use liquor and are liable to get drunk, but also men whose personal habits are offensive. There are plenty of men to be had in every line of work who are neither dissipated nor disagreeable in conduct, and the man who is open to criticism in either of these respects finds it constantly harder to get a job. Business principles force the improvement in character which is thus coming about, and the railroad companies prove civilizing agencies in a way that nobody ever expected.” Prof. Angelo Mosso says, in Nuova Antologia, Rome, Italy, according to the Outlook, that the Catholic universities at Washington were not founded so much because of actual educational needs, as to have in Washington a center of Roman Catholic influence and action; and that the American Catholic University was designed to oppose the educational ascendency of the Jesuits, who control the Georgetown University. At the present the Jesuits have 500 students, while the opposing Catholic university has only 160. The union among our Catholic friends is nothing of which to boast. A union consisting in superstition, excommunication, and anathema could not be otherwise. Among the interesting things at the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, is the Esquimau exhibit. There are present three tribes of Esquimaux, three teams of sledge dogs, five seal-skin topeks, five seal-skin kayaks (canoes), a whalebone igloo (said to be the only one), six snow igloos (houses), three Esquimau komatiks. These are all said to be genuine. But what are topeks and komatiks? Perhaps Manager Faber can tell us. The hot weather greatly affects the children of the icy north. The Presbyterians have taken hold of the idea of tent missionary work in the large cities, and are encouraged by the results. Special mention is made by the Observer of tent work in Philadelphia and of two tents in St. Louis. The city of New York has a new Sunday-closing movement. It is under the auspices of the Grocery Clerks’ Union, recently formed. Some three months ago the Benchmen’s Association of Butchers began an agitation for Sunday-closing, in order, as they claimed, that they might be enabled to attend church. The present movement of the grocery clerks is in harmony with that of the butchers, and appeals are being made to clergymen to assist them in the enforcement of their demands. Several years ago this paper called attention to the probability that labor unions would be extensively utilized in the scheme of enforced Sunday observance. They begin with the plea for recreation and religious privilege, but, as their influence increases, demand is made ostensibly in their interest for legal enforcement. France has at last passed the much-agitated bill for dissolving a lot of religious orders. The Chamber of Deputies, the popular branch of the legislative department of the republic, passed the measure some time ago, but the Senate delayed action until recently. The government is now authorized to dissolve these orders (Catholic of course), and escheat to the State. It is suggested, however, that the government will not press its rights, except in regard to a few, which, as M. Waldeck-Rousseau says, “employ their resources in raising up a generation of officers without republican feeling.” But the associations connected with the Jesuits will be especially watched, as the public suspects them, and there will be much dissatisfaction if they are spared. Postage-stamps in Brussels, Belgium, have printed on them in French and German, “Not to be delivered on Sunday.” This injunction is printed on the bottom of the stamp and is perforated, so that the person sending it may remove that part if he so desires. The New York Observer commends this idea to the New York Sabbath Committee, the American Sabbath Union, the Standing Committee on Sabbath Observance of the Presbyterian General Assembly, and the United States Government. But is there not danger in thus importing that “Continental Sunday,” against which we hear such vigorous protest? The Chinese Reform Association has for one of its objects to lift China from her antiquated customs, so that she may become a powerful nation as well as Japan, the acknowledged power of the Orient. One part of the proposed reform is to cut off the Chinaman’s queue, and this particular thing is meeting no small amount of opposition. It is hard to see that Pennsylvania is governed any better than the Southern States during the period of negro legislatures. The plunder is not in the form of State bonds, but in municipal franchises, far more valuable, because they are held to be contracts enforceable by the courts directly upon the municipalities.—San Francisco Chronicle. On the night of Aug. 6, burglars stole $275,000 in gold bullion from the Selby smelting works at Vallejo, Cal. They entered the vault through a tunnel that it must have taken them several weeks to dig. There is no clue to the perpetrators of the crime. A ledge of lithographic limestone was recently discovered on Chicagoff Island, Alaska. This is the only ledge of the kind that has been discovered in the Western Continent, and the owners consider it of as much value as a gold mine. As a result of the failures to settle the Steel Workers’ strike, the stock of the big steel combine dropped $35,000,000 on Aug. 5. This was done despite the strong efforts of the trust to keep its stock from falling below par. A crusade has been started in Milwaukee, Wis., against the ringing of church bells. It is affirmed that the loud clanging of bells and chimes of bells is disastrous to the nervous system of persons living near the churches. Recent despatches state that France is having a serious quarrel with Turkey over some Constantinople quays. The dispute is so serious that it is likely to break diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Dowager-Empress Frederic of Germany died Aug. 5. She was a daughter of the late Queen Victoria, and Germany feels that in her one of the most ardent supporters of true freedom is lost. Not less than 2,000,000 rats have been killed in oriental cities as a means of preventing the spread of the bubonic plague. Premiums have been given by the authorities to stimulate the slaughter. All the business houses except one, and ten residences, in the village of Calistoga, Cal., were destroyed by fire Aug. 2. The loss is placed at about $100,000. The Celtic, of the White Star Line, the biggest ship in the world, landed in New York Aug. 4, having made her initial trip in eight days and forty-six minutes. England fears an outbreak in her India possessions, and it is said that 40,000 troops are to be called from the South African war to assist in the fighting. The indications are that the withdrawal of the European troops will be the signal for new Boxer outbreaks in China. Phillips, the man who for so long controlled the corn market in Chicago, is said to be ruined financially.