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6 THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA CATHOLICS AND EDUCATION; A DEBATE Note: An incident of the recent political cam paign in Georgia, about which we can now talk with out being accused of “being in politics,” was the use of an article that appeared originally in The Chris tian Index, a religious organ published in Atlanta, and which arraigned the Catholics as being opposed to education. As soon as the article appeared it was answered by the publicity department, and it was believed the matter was closed, even though the editors of The Index never printed the reply nor even acknowledged receiving it. However, a candi date for congress in one of the superheated districts saw fit to have The Index article reprinted in various papers. Thereupon our reply was printed in such papers, as paid advertising. It attracted much atten tion and is reprinted below because it is considered a fair statement of the Catholic attitude toward the Smith-Towner bill and education generally. Readers of The Bulletin are asked to familiarize themselves with the article, as this question is a live one. The reprint is taken from The Augusta Herald, one of the papers in which the candidate had The Index article published. The headlines are as printed in The Herald: (From Augusta, Ga., Herald, August 21, 1920.) THE CHRISTIAN INDEX INDORSES NATIONAL AID FOR COMMON SCHOOLS. In Its Issue of Augusta, 12, 1920, The Christian Index Has the Following as Its Leading Editorial. ROMAN CATHOLICS AND PUBLIC EDUCATION. The opposition of the Roman Catholic Church to a bill now pending before the American congress, and the attitude of the leaders of this Church towards all questions affecting the attitude of our people in their support of our public school system, is momentous. This attitude of the Catholics is illustrated in cer tain recent developments which our people will do well to study. / It will be remembered that there is now a bill pend ing which proposes certain federal aid for our public school systems throughout the nation. This bill sets forth the basis of this distribution of national funds as follows: That a fund of one hundred million dol lars be appropriated for the support of our public schools. Fifty million to be used in providing an equalization basis for every State; by this is meant the guarantee of the children of those States which have a low scale of funds for education the same priv ileges as the children of the States which already af ford a high basis of school privileges; seven and a half million for the removal of illiteracy; fifteen million for the preparation of teachers; twenty million for physical education and seven and a half million for Americanization. Of this total fund it is provided that Georgia would receive $775,000 for work among our illiterates; $1,438,000 in providing a basis of equalization of school privileges; $567,000 for phys ical education; $8,589 for Americanization; $362,000 for the preparation of our teachers. Georgia would receive a total allotment of $3,152,525. Very well, some details of this bill have been given in order that we might be understood in what is to follow. Is federal aid for public education desirable? On the first blush, the average man will want to think a moment to see what is meant by the proposal. The first thing to remember is the fact that we already have federal aid for agricultural colleges, and have had it for several years. Georgia, and every other State in the nation, enjoys this aid. A second thought would cause us to desire to know what our school people think of federal aid. They are in the business. They have to study the problem. They naturally take a position which they believe is for the weal of the people. What do they say? The National Education Association has voted with enthusiasm and insistence that such a bill be enacted. The Georgia Education Association, at its session in Macon this spring, unani mously voted for the passage of such a law. Our superintendent of schools in Georgia, Mr. M. L. Brittain, has given his hearty indorsement to the ef fort to secure federal aid and is lending his thought and time in working for its enactment. Our leading statesmen are giving closest attention to the ques tion and many of them have declared their belief that it is the one solution of our great educational problem. Is there opposition to the bill? Yes. Where does it come from? The Roman Catholics. The Cath olics give two reasons in their opposition to the bill, or to any such bill. It is widely published from their leaders that one basis of opposition is the fact that the Catholic Church stands for State’s Rights and that federal aid for our public schools would mean federal control of our public schools. Cardinal Gib bons has had much to say about this particular phase of the question. Of all people who might be certain to believe in States’ Rights, as an abstract principle, certainly Baptists, Southern Baptists, would be the first to come into one’s mind. But is the question of States’ Rights relevant? We have federal aid for our agricultural schools at this time. It has been opera tive for some time. Has any one heard of the fed eral government taking any hand in the control of our schools that in any way weakens the rights of the separate States in the administration of the funds? At this point we desire to quote from the proposed bill: “All educational facilities encouraged by the provisions of this Act and accepted by a State shall be organized, supervised and administered exclu sively by the legally constituted State and local edu cational authorities of said State, and the secretary of education shall exercise no authority in relation thereto except as herein provided to insure that all funds apportioned to said State shall be used for the purposes for which they are appropriated, and in ac-