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PAGE 6-B—THE BULLETIN, September 19, 1959. TWO FOCAL POINTS (Continued from Page 2) UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION There is a danger of placing too much emphasis on Baltimore since the historical foundation of Christian education can be traced as far as the institution of the Church itself. It is hardly necessary at this date to re mind anyone of the great schools of learning established by the Church in the Middle Ages. The reformation of a bar baric society was, in a word, its achievement. The first opportunities for education within the boundaries cf the present United States weie provided by tire Spanish friars in Florida and New Mex ico. The common practice of creating a school in connection with a church began in the very earliest days of Catholic mis sionary activity in the New World. In my own home town of Wabasha, Minnesota, St. Felix School which I attended for 12 years and from which I graduated was established long before Baltimore and well be fore the erection of a church building. But Baltimore is the historical focal point of Catholic educa tion in the United States be cause it applied in a practical way to this country the Catholic doctrine regarding education which had anticipated it for over 1C00 years. The glory of Catholic educa tion in this country is not in numbers. It is not in the tax money it might save nor is it to be appraised exclusively in Catholic terms. The society whose basic laws encourage re ligious beliefs and practices has the right to expect a positive contribution from religious groups in return. And Catholic education has made and will continue to make, in an increas ing degree, as its school system improves, a valuable and unique contribution to our country. The unique contribution of Catholic education to American life and welfare lies in its end—- the education of the whole man. It seems to me the perennial philosophy is expressing itself more and more in our national thinking. There appears to be more of a recognition of late democracy in this country, and perhaps the country itself, can not survive in this new age with a society of specialists. That apart from survival, a great culture is not produced in a society grounded exclusively in individualism. BROAD AREA “No man is an island” — this is true in any society, but never more true than in a democracy. The very idea of democracy sup poses a broad area wherein in dividuals not only adjust but contribute their separate inter est, abilities, and tastes for the common good. To be sure, the human ascent is constantly sub ject to the gravitational forces, so to speak, of conformity. But for a democracy to survive and advance, it is incumbent that its citizens contribute a part of themselves — the better part -— to the whole. In an age following upon the greatest slaughter of human lives in human history, in an age when man is awed by the atom and stunned by Lunik, in an age when man is dis illusioned with the fruits of his freedom; in such an age, is there the greatest need for liberal education. Liberal in the sense of that which liberates the individual from all that is base, and impure in his makeup and which points him towards the higher reaches of his nature. The whole man educated — mind open to all sources of truth, heart open to all peoples, his entire being activated by those forces that separate him fro mthe rest of created nature. For the Catholic graduate, of course, the ultimate liberation will come in the union with Him who created us for Him self; “and our heart is restless, Lord, till it rest in thee.” love Ahead (Continued from page 5-B) for Catholic interests when cir cumstances demand. The Asso ciation also serves as an impor tant contact between Catholic and non-Catholic education. .Another area of national re cognition is the participation of Catholic educators in national programs. There is hardly a na tional commission or committee or an international body for that matter that does not have in its membership one or more prominent Catholic teachers or administrators. Major issues facing Catholic schools may be grouped under five headings; the State, cost, teaching staff, curriculum, and junior colleges. Although the State, National or one of the 49 has so far re cognized the rights of the Cath olic Church in education, there is present the danger of state interference through taxation, standards, investigation of autho rity, and political partisanship. An alert leadership and con stant study of proposed legisla tion provide one answer. The financial support of Cath olic education is a tribute both to the contributed services of the Religious teacher and the sacrifices of the Catholic par ent. Increased expenses of edu cation on the parochial school level are now being further ad vanced for high school and col lege. In a way the parent is be ing called upon to meet three educational expenses where be fore the cost was confined chiefly to one. Should not all Catholics, parents and non parents, be asked to aid all three levels of Catholic educa tion? The reply to this question may be the solution. There is a teaching shortage in the elementary schools of major proportions. More vacan cies are expected in the high school and college by 1965. More vocations to religious life and permanent and well paid lay teaching staff are needed. Steps are being taken in both directions but the problem is not near a solution. The curriculum is undergoing new developments. There is the danger that technology and ap plied sciences and also modern languages may outweigh the basic liberal arts program in cluding religion. A balanced curriculum is sought. A fairly recent threat in the making is the rapid develop ment of public community jun ior colleges. Such institutions may compete against enroll ments in the freshman and sophomore years of existing Catholic colleges and universi ties. So far no comparable Catholic junior college program has been initiated. There is need for more discussion and study of the problem. It is heartening, indeed, to re cord here the progress and the problems of Catholic education in the United States. They both show the highlights of Ameri can Catholic schools, the leader ship of the hierarchy, the dedi cated services of the teachers, Religious and lay, and the sac rifices of the parents, all joined to prepare our youth to be loy al American citizens and God fearing men and women. ST. LEO COLLEGE PREP SCHOOL Accredited High School Conducted by the Benedictine Fathers Ideal Location St. Leo, Paceo County, Florida 11 High Masses Daily Redcmptorist Purgatorian Society Flu* Other Benefits 1225 E. Eager St. Write Baltimore 2, Md. Bed Wile, j~ iiiiieij J Fashions for the Entire Family Best Wishes in t. ;j JsiO. U ikl fra m - 5? u *3 a. 5 iilisas!! is i yi w 41? ftsal % OF SAVANNAH :Si iLLONS |P a n § |p 3 |p ft; m la ife 1 tfe ® & 126 Broughton Street, East Savannah, Georgia Established 1870 Phone 8972 Sullivan - Fleetwood Realty Company RENTALS - SALES - LOANS 224 E. BAY STREET SAVANNAH, GEORGIA READY TO FACE THE WORLD The world of the first grade, that is. These graduates of Catholic kindergarten don’t know what they are in for—the ALPHABET and even reading simple sentences before the year is over! And they will even have a bit of real preparation for facing the world -—Catechism. Parents And Faculty Associated (Continued from page 4-B) is constantly available for oth er assistance. The programs are recommendations. Stimulation is provided at the national lev el, with each affiliate electing that phase it wishes and adding any diocesan or pastoral pro gram directives. A field-tested manual is an other service provided by the national association. Its primary purpose is to foster the organi zation of new home and school associations; to assist already existing groups to evaluate their activities; to dissipate any hesitancy of school officials and of parents in the formation of properly oriented home and school groups; and to encourage within Catholic education the recognition of the essential need for cooperation between home and school, especially through organized effort. The manual ; provides a sample constitution and bylaws, installation cere mony, and suggested agenda for meetings. In the functional home and school association one notes the purpose of coordinating the ef forts of parents and teachers in the process of education, with no mention of fund raising. The national association sees the support of the school as a paro chial function and not solely that of parents with children in school. REPORTS PROVE WORTH That home and school associ ations have fulfilled their ob jectives may be gathered from some of their reports this year. ■Activities include the writings of teen-age codes after study of common behavior problems among students; scholarships for lay teacher training and es tablishment of teachers’ aide programs; cooperation in Stay- in-School campaigns and in safety drives; participation in community projects such as the Mayor’s Committee on Human Relations and the Mothers’ March; service as critics in pro grams for decency in print; check on neighborhood theatres and recreational facilities; es tablishment of health councils; provision for summer libraries; and sponsorship of “vocation vacations” at convents and sem inaries for young hopefuls; and restoration of family liturgical practices. These program fea tures were initially the subject of survey, discussion, workshop or group study and demonstra tion at home and school meet ings. Correspondence relating to t'he needs of home and school associations may be directed to the headquarters of the Nation al Council of Catholic Women, 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington 5, D. C. TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMAN’S ASSOCIATION