A large proportion of these consists of colleges, or academies in which tuition is paid. Some are conducted by the members of religious orders and congregations, such as the Jesuits, Christian Brothers, Ladies of the Sacred Heart, the Salesian Fathers, the Dominicans, the Irish Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of the Sainte Union, the Visitation Nuns and others. To a number of these paid schools gratuitous schools are also attached. In Buenos Aires alone, education can be obtained free under the auspices of the Church in about sixty schools at least, not to speak of those connected with paid institutions. A considerable number of these belong to asylums, which are quite numerous. Similar means of education are found in the other dioceses of the republic in proportion to the population. A considerable number of schools in Argentina is maintained by the "Circulo de Obreros," a society of workingmen, established by the Redemptorist, Father Grote, for the benefit of the working classes. It will thus be seen, that although Catholic educational facilities are, perhaps, not in keeping with the seven millions of Argentina's population, the Church is working hard in the right direction. Catholic higher education is still in its infancy. With the exception of La Plata, of which the students are educated elsewhere, and the small diocese of Santiago del Estero, all the dioceses of Argentina have their seminary for the priesthood, that of Buenos Aires being in charge of the Jesuits. The college of the "Salvador" in Buenos Aires, under the direction of the Fathers of the Society, is one of the most important colleges of the land. During my sojourn in Buenos Aires a Spanish Catholic International Congress of Education, opened in this college, was one of the features of the great independence celebrations. There is a Catholic university in Buenos Aires, but it is still incipient and far from being in keeping with a country like Argentina. It has faculties of law and social science, and it is under the direction of Monsignor Luis Duprat. As a valuable adjunct to the work of Catholic education must be mentioned several societies laboring for its promotion. To these belong the Literary Academy of La Plata, composed of the San Salvador alumni, the Alfa y Omega, which has as its object the diffusion of good literature, the Association of the Good Press, with a similar object, the Central Committee of the Ladies for the Seminary, the Congregation of Christian Doctrine, the League of Catholic Instruction, and others. The last named strives to defend Catholic education, and to obtain religious instruction in the schools, subject to the state. CHILE Of all the countries of South America, Chile has, probably, been most energetic, in proportion to its means and population, in promoting the cause of education. Though not compulsory, instruction in Chile is imparted gratuitously by the state. At present there are about 2,275 elementary schools with over 4,000 teachers, and 172,000 pupils. Beside these the government subsidizes 118 private elementary schools. Primary schools exist in cities, towns, villages, and even hamlets of only 300 inhabitants. The society of the Proletariate School endeavors further to extend the benefits of education to the very poor. Secondary instruction is imparted in the National Institute of Santiago, which is a preparatory school for the university. It was founded in 1813. There are also lyceums or colleges in every town of importance. Chile has devoted great attention to pedagogy, with a large number of normal schools, the first of which was founded by President Manuel Montt. For a long time the German pedagogic system prevailed entirely; but, some years ago, the government engaged the service of two ladies, Catholics, to introduce the American system. These ladies, Miss Agnes Brown, a graduate of Ann Arbor, and Miss Caroline Burson, of St. Mary's, Indiana, have been quite successful. The state university of Chile has been developed from that of colonial times, the University of San Felipe. There exists, also, an institution, known as the University of Chile, founded in 1843, on the model of the Collége de France, the object of which is to centralize and direct the studies of the republic. It is divided into a number of faculties, including theology. Besides these general educational institutions, Chile is also rich in special schools, in which mining, agriculture, industry and commerce are taught. Prominent among these is the Quinta Normal, situated, with its various departments, in a beautiful park in Santiago. Chile possesses, also, its schools of music and the fine arts, and an institute for the deaf, dumb and blind. Although here, as elsewhere in Latin countries, there is a party inimical to the interests of religion, it has not succeeded in banishing it from the schools. Some of the larger institutions, like the normal schools, have a chaplain whose duty it is to impart religious instruction to the children. However, in spite of all this, much damage may be effected by anti-religious teachers. In 1900 the late Archbishop Casanova wrote in one of his admirable pastorals, which have been published in a neat volume by Herder in Freiburg: "It is true that the law orders that religion shall be taught in the schools, but, thus far, the results have not been satisfactory. "With what right is it permitted among us, that persons occupy professorial chairs, and direct public schools, who boast of their intention to wrest the Faith from the people, and corrupt youth by education?" He, consequently, urges that, according to the decrees of the Latin American Council, held in Rome in 1899, parochial schools be established, at least one for each parish. Some time before, in 1870, the Society of Catholic Schools of St. Thomas Aquinas had been founded in Santiago, with the object of establishing education upon a religious basis. Last year the Society had twelve schools in operation, besides a night school for adults. The diocese of Santiago possesses, also, its normal school for teachers. The "Centro Cristiano," the diocesan council for primary instruction, directs education in the same diocese. Diocesan seminaries for the education of candidates for the priesthood exist throughout the republic, that of Santiago being the largest in America, excepting, probably, the Seminary of Montreal. The Catholic University was founded in Santiago by Archbishop Casanova in 1886. It is now a flourishing institution, with faculties of law, mathematics, agriculture, industry, civil engineering, and so forth, the faculty of theology being located in the seminary. PERU The work of education in Peru is progressing, in spite of difficulties, and American influence is quite marked. The present educational system is undergoing a process of organization under the direction of an American, and American teachers, irrespective of their religion, are employed. Although religion enters into the curriculum, there is a tendency in some quarters to naturalize it, and to substitute so-called moral instruction for supernatural doctrine. The venerable university of St. Mark, the oldest in America, the cradle of which was in the Dominican Monastery of Lima, still exists. It calls itself to this day the "Pontifical University," as it was founded by Papal brief, but its founders would hardly recognize it now. Occupying one of the old Jesuit houses, its influence is said to be unfavorable to religion. The youth of the country have hardly any means to enjoy higher education under Catholic auspices. There are some Catholic colleges for boys and girls, conducted by the Jesuits, the Fathers of Picpus, the Ladies of the Sacred Heart, and others, but these are scarcely adequate. The normal school in Lima is under the direction of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart, in a part of the old Jesuit college known as the "Colegio del Principe." The native clergy in Peru, in steadily diminishing numbers, have all they can do in the work of the ministry, while those that come from the seminary in Lima, under the direction of the Spanish Fathers of Archbishop Clavel, of Santiago de Cuba, are few indeed. The only hope of Catholic education in Peru seems to lie in importations from abroad. COLOMBIA From Colonial times down, Santa Fé de Bogota, the capital of Colombia, has been a literary center. It has been called the "Athens of South America," and its college of the Holy Rosary was, at one time, justly famous. Colombia has witnessed the same struggle between the religious and the purely secular tendencies that have characterized the history of modern education in every country of the globe. Under President Mosquera the latter gained a signal victory, with the expulsion of the Jesuits, and other religious orders, and the complete secularization of education. But there has been a reaction, Colombia has retraced its steps, and, today, it acknowledges the importance of uniting secular with religious instruction. |