Government Support for Catholic Indian Schools
Father Stephan, of the Catholic Indian Bureau of Washington, has created a sensation by his report to the Board of Indian Commissioners. He reported thirty-nine boarding schools and thirteen day schools for which the government had given $69,935, and five private schools maintained by the church at an expense of $50,000. Then he criticised the Protestant denominations, which have declined further assistance from the government, stating that their action was an effort to secularize the government contract schools, and characterized it as "hypocritical, and a covert effort to drive the Roman Catholic Church from the field." There is no doubt that his deduction is correct. The Protestant churches had admitted the principle of government support of religion until it was demonstrated that the Catholics could beat them all at the game, and they suddenly discovered that the principle was wrong. And, when it is too late to retrace their steps, they will find out that the Roman Church has all the advantage in every effort to advance the interests of religion "through the gateway of politics," and that in all such efforts Protestants are simply playing into the hands of Rome.