USA > Indiana > History of the Catholic church in Indiana, Volume I > Part 43
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IN THE STATE OF INDIANA.
The work of educating and christianizing the masses, carried on by the Catholic church from its very beginning, is happily exemplified in this day by the attitude of Catholics, even in the state of Indiana. That religion and secular education may go hand in hand for the betterment of all, the Catholic people cheerfully sub- mit to being taxed for the maintenance of Catholic schools, while at the same time, in common with their non-Catholic fellow citi- zens, they contribute their quota to support the public schools, which they can not use, thereby being taxed double in support of a thing to which they are falsley accused of being in constant and bitter opposition.
To thus pay a double tax for the support of education implies both a high sense of duty and a very keen appreciation of enlight- enment. It also tells of a moral obligation conscientiously recognized and discharged by Catholics, which finds a counterpart in no other christian community. Millions upon millions of dollars would not be annually expended for Catholic education in the United States unless the consciences of the Catholic people were alive to the necessity for such education, looking as well to the eternal sal- vation of the youth as to maintaining respect for authority and law among the masses by the enlightenment of the conscience through proper religious instruction imparted to the children in the schools.
It is the one ugly stain upon the page of American history ---- the crime of man against man-that the injustice of doubly taxing Catholics-taxing them for something they can not use-is not wiped out, is not righted, and righted at once, by the American people.
In Canada, on our northern border, there is a people the rul- ing majority of whom, from the standpoints of government and adopted laws, might be said to inherit more directly than do the people of the United States the spirit of religious persecution and proscription; yet the manner of control and management of the public-school system of that country is so considerate and fair to all classes and creeds, and so much on that account to be pre- ferred before ours, that the wonder is we have not long since, in a spirit of fairness, adopted it.
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One of the leading features of Canadian laws touching the expenditure of the money collected by taxation for school purposes is, that each body of Christians is entitled to and receives its pro- portionate share of said money, while the general government, in . taking care that this money is properly expended, requires only that obedience to reasonable regulations be rendered, and certain fixed educational standards be maintained and attained to. These things fulfilled, each form of religion is free to be taught in the schools, subject only to the choice of the people adhering to it.
In Canada, therefore, the Catholic people are not deprived of the benefits of state aid in matters of education, nor are they placed in the false and unjust position of being antagonistic to general education. These things being so, a better feeling obtains among all classes there, since, on this question, considerably vexed among us in the States, there is no discrimination in favor of or against any class or sect.
Neither in this country, in Canada, nor in any other country in the world, are Catholics in favor of ignorance and opposed to enlightenment. No man will assert the contrary who cares any- thing for his standing, or who has any character to jeopardize by such rashness. Those only who are victims of an inherited preju- dice and who care little for the truth, will be guilty of thus bearing false witness against their neighbors and against the Catholic church, to which the world owes so much.
In the language of an Indiana priest, Catholics are not opposed to universal education or to taxation for schools, or to compulsory education, or to methods and contrivances of whatever kind by which knowledge and enlightenment may be diffused through the masses of the people. In this direction Catholics are willing and anxious to go as far as others, but they, moreover, believe and hold religious knowledge to be the primal and most essential ele- ment of true human culture, and, consequently, that it should form the basis of instruction and discipline in the school, as in the fam- ily and the church. The work of molding and developing human character is difficult enough when these three centers of influence are in harmony and co-operation; but to bring them into antago- nism is to undermine the work of each.
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IN THE STATE OF INDIANA.
The purely secular character of the public schools is the result of circumstances, and not of a deliberate purpose; and its justifica- tion is sought for on the grounds of expediency and not in principle. But this does not affect the necessary tendency of such education to produce religious indifference and, consequently, destroy the power and vital influence of religion. A calm and dispassionate view of the state of religion in this country, and of the causes by which it has been brought about, is, of itself, enough to convince an unprejudiced inquirer that this assertion rests upon a solid basis of fact.
Hence the reasons for the existence of parochial schools may be briefly summed up as follows: Education is the cultivation of the heart as well as of the intellect. Therefore, mere instruction in branches of knowledge cannot be called education, unless it be interwoven with religious teaching. Consequently, Catholic chil- dren cannot be thoroughly educated unless they frequent Catholic schools, where, by breathing a Catholic atmosphere, under Catholic teachers, with Catholic companions, and by exclusively Catholic training, they are prepared to encounter the dangers of the world into which they will eventually be thrown, and fitted to merit the rewards of the world to come.
In the Catholic schools of Indiana there is, according to figures given in the authorized almanacs for 1898, an average daily attend- ance of 25, 134 pupils. These figures, for reasons purely local and parochial, are not only very conservative, but actually low. A more correct estimate would be arrived at by the addition of at least one-third, making the total number of children attending the Catholic schools of Indiana just 33,512. The cost of educating these 33, 512 children, not including the large outlay for school- buildings, is quite an expense to Catholics, since they assume it in addition to the payment of their regularly assessed taxes for the sup- port of the public schools of the state. A low estimate of the annual expense for educating public-school pupils is $14 per capita. At this rate the additional burden which Catholics in Indiana are annu- ally called upon to carry for the education of their children is the large sum of $469, 168. This sum, necessary for the education of the 33, 512 children, if drawn from the public-school funds, which
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of necessity would be the case were there no Catholic schools, would shift the burden upon the shoulders of the general tax-payers. In consequence there would be a small-sized rebellion among them, since, even as things stand now, there is no little grumbling that such large amounts are demanded and spent in support of the state schools.
And yet the majority of non-Catholics are opposed to the existence of Catholic parochial schools, unmindful of the fact that, under the present unjust arrangements, these schools are a great saving to the general tax-payers, while they at the same time are the great conservators of good morals and the inculcators of unquestioned respect for authority and law. The saving of the mere cost of educating these children, the sum of $469, 168, is not all the saving by any means. The tax-payers are saved the great expense of building and maintaining schools to accommodate these 33,512 children, which would run away up into the millions of dol- lars, if we make the estimate on the basis of the cost of the public- school buildings in cities.
Whether it be on considerations of this kind, or on the higher grounds of principle and love for pure religion and good morals, it is but the truth to admit and aver that a very respectable minority of non-Catholics are not opposed to the existence of Catholic parochial schools, or to the principles and aims of Catholic educa- tion. On the contrary, they favor the system and they recognize the necessity for its existence if the youth of the land are to be properly equipped to fight the battles of life from the standpoints of Christianity and good citizenship.
The thoughtful and fair-minded among the general public have long since recognized the great benefits derived from education conducted according to Catholic methods. Hence the large num- ber of non-Catholic pupils who attend Catholic academies, col- leges and universities. The young lady who nowadays can not refer to her training as evidenced by her diploma from this or that convent is at a decided disadvantage. Her character and stand- ing are surely not heightened by the absence of such diploma.
Good habits, good morals, a sense of the importance of pure religion, if not of the gift of true faith and the highest intellectual (486)
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IN THE STATE OF INDIANA.
training and culture, are undoubtedly among the very important considerations which induce parents, not wholly consumed by prejudice (ignorance), to send their children to Catholic educational institutions.
As the object aimed at in this chapter is mainly to give some facts touching Catholic parochial schools in the state of Indiana, the following reference to parishes supporting schools, by whom taught, and the estimated number of pupils attending (1898), although incomplete, will be to the point and of interest:
ACADEMY P. O., ALLEN COUNTY.
St. Vincent de Paul's school, Academy P. O., Allen county, Ind .- This school, erected by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, is a one-story brick structure, 30 x 16 feet, and is sixteen feet high. It is situated near the Auburn road, eighty rods east of the church. It has one class room with a present attendance of eighty children. Some of these children live a distance of over three miles from the school. One Sister of the Holy Cross is in charge of the school, which is free to all children of the parish; the only expense connected with heir attendance is the obligation to sup- ply fuel during the winter. The present reverend director of the school is Rev. A. E. Lafontaine.
ALEXANDRIA, MADISON COUNTY.
St. Mary's School. - Here the present rector, Rev. Joachim Baker, in 1896, erected a substantial brick structure, 45 x 65. The same is a two-story building, with basement, and is a combination of church, school and Sisters' residence. The school, under the direction of Sister M. Jovita of the order of the School Sisters de Notre Dame, of Milwaukee, was opened in September, 1897. The children are taught in two rooms on the first floor, which have all modern improvements and are well-lighted, heated and ventilated. This building was erected at a cost of $8, 500. It is conducted as a free school, the salary of the teachers being paid from the church funds.
As all beginnings are hard, thus also here. The energy of priest and Sisters will soon demonstrate to the parents the benefits
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of a true Christian education. The hope is expressed that par- ents will not only allow girls, but also the boys, to complete their course of studies, so that the 157 pupils may soon increase to double the number and that the boys who need education so much in our days may not be denied by avaricious parents what they need to fit them for time and eternity.
ANDERSON, MADISON COUNTY.
St. Mary's School .- The buildings now occupied for school purposes in St. Mary's parish are merely temporary. The original frame school-house was removed to give place for the new church; in 1876 the old church was converted into a school, and this, in turn, will be removed before long to give place to a new school- house. The two frame structures now in use as schools contain four class-rooms and can accommodate 300 children. The present enrolment is 266 pupils.
During the first year of its existence, the school was taught by lay teachers; but in 1877 the Sisters of the Holy Cross assumed control of it, and under their management it has developed from a single class-room into a flourishing school of four rooms, employ- ing four teachers. The average annual expense for maintaining the school is $850, which amount is taken from the funds of the congregation, the school being free. The average expense for each pupil is $4.75. The reverend director of the school is Rev. D. J. Mulcahy.
ARCOLA, ALLEN COUNTY.
St. Patrick's School, Arcola, Allen county, was erected in 1883 by Rev. Father Hartman at a cost of $1,560. It is a one- story brick structure, 40 x 30 feet, located twenty feet west of the church with a main entrance on the north side. It contains one school-room, which has a seating capacity for forty children, and was occupied in 1883, Miss Wolford acting as teacher. It is now taught by three Sisters of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, who have sixty-six pupils in charge. The value of the school ground is $100 and that of the school-house $1,560. Rev. R. J. Pratt is the present pastor of Arcola.
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IN THE STATE OF INDIANA.
ATTICA, FOUNTAIN COUNTY.
St. Francis' School. - This school, under the direction of Rev. Chas. Lemper, is taught by the Sisters of St. Francis of Joliet. The school numbers fifty-three pupils. It is supported partly by monthly dues and partly from the church funds. Since 1887, the last report, improvements have been made in the play grounds and in the interior of the building, so that comfort and health of teach- ers and pupils are well provided for. The consistent and system- atic training daily given has proved a blessing to the parents and children of Attica.
AVILLA, NOBLE COUNTY.
St. Augustine's School .- In 1860 Rev. H. Schaefer, the first resident priest in Avilla, put up a little frame school-house, at a cost of $200, and later built a school-house, 16 x 20 feet, ceiling seven feet high, and in 1868 an addition of fourteen feet was built to the school. The first teacher was a Mr. Lette, who was succeeded by Miss Christina Romarque, and she, in turn, by H. Buscher, John Everharde, E. Spoth and August Vogeding, and then was placed in the hands of the Poor Handmaids of Christ. At present the en- rolment is 133 children, taught by the Sisters of St. Francis. The present two-story brick school-house, 28 x 58 feet, erected in 1878, by Rev. D. Duehmig, at a cost of $3,000, contains three school- rooms and has a seating capacity for 150 children. The average annual outlay for the school, including salary of teachers, is $550, which amount is derived from monthly membership fees of St. Joseph's School society, supplemented by funds of church. The school is free to all children of the parish, many of whom attend it from a distance of three, four and five miles. The average ex- pense per pupil is about $5. The present value of the school ground is $300, and of the building $3,600. One-fourth part of the school-building is reserved for dwelling apartments of the Sisters. Rev. D. Duehmig, who has had charge of St. Mary's congregation since May 12, 1867, is the present reverend director of the school.
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BLUFFTON, WELLS COUNTY.
St. Joseph's School .- The property on which this school-house stands was purchased, in 1881, by Rev. F. Koerdt, and consists of two lots, with a frontage of 116 feet and a depth of 167 feet. The building is a one-story frame structure, 18 x 20 feet, was erected at a cost of about $350, and was originally used as a private residence.
The school was first opened in the church and taught there for a few months, the chief object being to prepare fifteen children for first holy communion. From July, 1881, to July, 1883, it con- tinued to be taught by the first teacher employed, Miss Philomena Wolford-at present Sister M. Joseph, of St. Agnes convent, Fond du Lac, Wis. The enrolment of pupils was twenty-two-eleven boys and eleven girls. The number of pupils was small, while the cost for each was about $10 a year, an expense too great for the ten families comprising the parish to defray; hence, the school was discontinued in 1883. At present Bluffton is a mission, attended once a month from Sheldon. The entire property is free from debt. The present value of the school-ground is $1,750, and of the school-house, with its appurtenances, $2,000.
CEDAR LAKE, LAKE COUNTY.
This is a " district " school, but as only Catholic children attend and only Catholic teachers are employed, instruction in catechism and Bible history is given daily by the teacher and until now the pastor has found no difficulty in giving instruction in relig- ion. There are two school-rooms, but, as only one is occupied, it is a convenient matter to assemble children for religious instruc- tion. The pastor has the say in the selection of teacher. He says: "Should this with the privilege of Christian instruction be denied I will start a parochial school." The word, phonic, top- ical and inductive methods are employed. The school numbers thirty-three boys and twenty-three girls.
CHESTERTON, PORTER COUNTY.
St. Patrick's School is a one-story brick structure, 52 x 26 feet. It was built in 1888, by Rev. H. F. J. Kroll, at a cost of - (490)
IN THE STATE OF INDIANA.
about $600, and contains two school-rooms, which have a seating capacity for 120 children. At present, however, but one school- room is in use, as the number of children in attendance does not exceed eighty-three. This school has always been taught by secular teachers, the first being Patrick Frawley. The average annual expenditure for the school, including the teacher's salary, is $500, paid from pew rent, and the average annual cost per pupil is about $7.93. The present value of the ground used for school purposes is $1,000, and of the building, with appurtenances, $1,000. A new building, however, is now in process of construc- tion, to cost $3, 125, under the direction of Rev. Frederick Von Schwedler, the present rector.
COLUMBIA CITY, WHITLEY COUNTY.
St. Joseph's School .- In 1866, the first Catholic school was erected in Columbia City, by the Rev. H. V. Schaefer, at a cost of $1,000. The present two-story brick structure, trimmed with Bedford stone, was put up in 1887 by the present zealous pastor, Rev. A. M. Ellering. It is 32 x 54 feet, main building, with a wing of 20 x 30 feet, and contains two class-rooms on the first floor and a sodality or school-hall on the second floor, running the full length of the building.
At present eighty pupils answer to the daily roll call and are taught by two Sisters of St. Agnes, whose mother-house is in Fond du Lac, Wis. Religieuse of this order have been in charge of the school since 1879, the first teachers having been Sister Alexia and Sister Claudine. The estimated annual expense of the school, including the salary of the teachers, is about $500. The annual aver- age expense for each pupil is from five to seven dollars. The income proper, for the support of the school, consists of a tuition fee from the children whose parents can afford to pay fifty cents or $1.00 per month; but, as many of the parents are too poor to pay even this small amount, the present pastor pays one-half the salary of the teachers from his own scanty means. The value of the school ground is $2,000, that of the school-house, with its furniture, is $6,500; and the original cost of erecting the teachers' dwelling
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was $1,000. The present reverend director of the school is Rev. A. M. Ellering.
CRAWFORDSVILLE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
St. Bernard's School. - In 1863 this two-story structure was erected, at a cost of $5,000, and placed in charge of Sisters of the Holy Cross. It contains three class-rooms, and has seating capacity for 150 pupils. At present 121 pupils are in regular attendance, and are taught by three Sisters of the Holy Cross order. The amount required by the Sisters to defray the expenses of the school is derived from a monthly tuition fee of $1.00, paid by each child whose parents can afford the contribution. Chil- dren of poor parents have all the advantages of the school free of charge. The average annual expense for each pupil is $7.50. The present value of the school grounds is $5,500, and the estimated value of the school-building and its appurtenances is $8,000. Very Rev. John Dempsey is director of the school.
CROWN POINT, LAKE COUNTY.
St. Mary's School. - The first school in Crown Point was a one-story frame building, put up by Rev. H. Meissner, in 1875, at a cost of $1,000. The first teacher employed was Ad. Ger- lach. Later the school passed into the hands of two Sisters of St. Agnes, from Fond du Lac, Wis. In 1890, after the completion of the present church, the old one was remodeled into a school-house of two rooms, to which two rooms have since been added, and the attendance is now 130 children, under the supervision of four Sis- ters of St. Agnes. The annual outlay for preserving the building in order and for defraying the salary of teachers is $550, which amount is derived from tuition fees of fifty cents a month from pupils who are able to pay, supplemented by funds from the church. The present value of the school ground, including play ground, is $600. The value of the school-house with appur- tenances is about $2,000, and the value of the Sister's dwelling, erected by the congregation, is $1,000. The average annual expense for each pupil is about $6.95. The present reverend director is Rev. Philip Guethoff.
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IN THE STATE OF INDIANA.
DECATUR, ADAMS COUNTY.
St. Joseph's School is attached to St. Mary's church, and was first opened in a small frame building, erected for the purpose by Rev. Jacob Meyer, in 1858. It contained but one room, which, at that date, was sufficient school accommodation for the number of Catholic children in Decatur.
In 1880 this frame structure was replaced by the present two- story brick-building, 60 x 46 feet, at a cost of $5,600. It is situ- ated twenty feet west of the church, on the corner of Madison and Fifth streets, with its main entrance on the east side. This school- house contains four cheerful, well-ventilated class-rooms, fully supplied with all school necessaries. Many of the children live in the surrounding country at a distance of from one to five miles from the school. Four Sisters of St. Agnes, from Fond du Lac, Wis., took charge of the school in 1880, upon the completion of the new building, and it is now under the care and able management of eight of these Sisters. The present value of the school ground, including a spacious play-ground, is $2,000, and the value of the school-building, with its appurtenances, is $6,700. The present director of the school is Rev. H. Theo. Wilken, who, in 1893, added a new school-building, with two rooms, and the present attendance is 333 pupils.
DELPHI, CARROLL COUNTY.
St. Joseph's School .- The first Catholic school in Delphi was erected, in 1863, by Very Rev. A. B. Oechtering, at a cost of $800. It is a one-story brick structure, 45 x 35 feet, and contains two school-rooms. The first teacher employed in the building was Mr. Sullivan, who was succeeded by Mrs. Wilson. In 1876, upon the invitation of Rev. John Bleckmann, who had succeeded to the pas- torate of St. Joseph's church, three Sisters of Providence assumed charge of the school. In addition to the fitting up of the school Father Bleckmann rented and furnished a house for the teachers. A few years later the " Daly" property was purchased, and then a senior department for girls was opened in the Sisters' dwelling- house.
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When Rev. H. A. Boeckelmann took charge of the parish in 1885 he sold the Daly property and bought property next to the school, on which stands a frame building. 47 x 27 feet. The senior class of girls was removed to this building, which also contains the dwelling apartments of the Sisters. The three school-rooms now in use have a seating capacity for 124 children, with an attendance of 117, under four Sisters. The average annual expense for repairs, fuel, etc., is about $80, which amount is paid from church funds. The money required for the maintenance of the teachers is derived from tuition fees of fifty cents or seventy-five cents a month from children who are able to pay. The average annual expense per pupil is $5. The value of the combined lots now used for school purposes is $3, 300, and the value of the buildings is about $4,700. The present reverend director of the school is Rev. C. M. Romer.
DUNNINGTON, BENTON COUNTY.
St. Mary's School, at Dunnington, is taught by the Franciscan Sisters, of LaFayette, and has an attendance of 147 pupils. The school is free, the salary of the teachers being paid from the church funds. In this rural district the pastor and Sisters labor hard to give the dear little ones that elevation of the intelligence and heart which is given to the more favored children of larger cities. And here also has it been well understood that the character of the instruction given in the school will largely shape the condition and needs and aspirations, both spiritual and temporal, of the com- munity.
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