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 SCHOOLS

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SCHOOLS

was the timidity of the CathoHc gentry at the time that a deputation of them waited on the bishop to dis- suade him from so daring a measure — fortunately in vain. Within six years the numbers of the school rose to a hundred boarders, and for a century it was the chief centre where the Midland clergy received their early education. Previously to this, another school for small boys had been begun at Standon Lordship. The real revival of Catholic education in England, however, only commenced when the Catholic colleges beyond the seas, broken up by the French Revolution, ventured to return. In 1777 the British Government sorely needed Irish soldiers for the American war, and in 1778 the first English Catholic Relief Bill repealing the most galling of the penal laws was passed. In 1793 the College of Douai was seized by the agents of the French Republic. After temporary imprison- ment the professors and students came to England and were allocated at first to Old Hall, Ware, and then in part to Crook Hall, the future Ushaw, near Durham. There were differences of opinion among the English ecclesiastical authorities, some urging the continu- ance of the Douai community as a single college in the South of England, others advocating the claims of the North. However unpleasant at the time was the dis- agreement, it proved a solid gain to the Catholic Church in England. For the outcome was the start- ing of the two large colleges, St. Cuthbcrt's at Ushaw and St. Edmund's at Ware, both destined to have hon- ourable and fruitful careers and to be sources of much strength to the Faith. Each of them provides to-day for a community of over 300 students complete courses of humanities, philosophy, and theology, and educates lay as well as ecclesiastical pupils. About the same date FInglish Benedictine communities, compelled to return from Lorraine and from Douai, for a time re- sided at Acton Burncll, but separated later to found Amj)leforth College in Yorkshire in 1S03, and Down- side in 1S15, two schools which contine to do increas- ingly valuable work for English Catholic education. At the same time was begun, largely through the in- fluence of certain laymen of the Cisalpine Club, but acting in co-operation with Bishop Talbot, Oscott College, in the Midlands. After a successful history of three-quarters of a centur>' as a mixed school, it was converted into a purely ecclesiastical college, with courses of philosophy and theology. It trains the Midland clerg>' as well as a considerable number from other dioceses to-day.

In 1794 the Jesuit College, formerly at St. Omer, but subsequently transferred to Bruges in 1762, and thence to Liege in 1773, migrated to Stonyhurst, in Lancashire. In addition to the large educational in- stitution into which it developed at Stonyhurst this college became the parent stock of a prolific family. Starting with twelve boys, its numbers by 1S13 had risen to over two hundred and twenty. The first off- shoot was Clongowes Wood College, Ireland, in 1814, which speedily rivall(»(l the parent school in point of numbers, and was itself the mother-house from which successful colleges were started at Dublin, Limerick, Galway, and TuUabeg. Later on from this Irish cen- tre were founded several flourishing Jesuit schools in Australia. In Great Britain itself from the Stony- hurst root there originated during the nineteenth cen- tury, eight other secondary schools, all designed for the education of Catholic laymen: in 1841 Mount St. Marj^'s College, a boarding-school in Dcrbj'shire, now numbering over 200 pupils; in the same year St. Francis Xavier's College, a day-school at Liverpool, which has reached a roll of 400; in 1862, Beaumont College, near Windsor, also exceeding 230 pupils; subsequently large day-colleges, at Preston, 1864, at Wimbledonand at Stamford Hill, North London, in the last decade of the nineteenth century. St. .Moy- sius's day-college, Glasgow, which hits exceeded 300 pupils, was founded in 1859; and a Jesuit day-college

has been opened at Leeds early in the present century. Meantime at Stonyhurst itself in addition to the school, which now numbers some 350 lay students, there has been erected St. Mary's Hall, which is a house of philosophical studies and training college for the members of the society. It has been approved by the government as a recognized training college for secondary school teachers, and has some 60 Jes- uit students. The Jesuit theological College of St. Beuno in North Wales was founded from Stonyhurst in 1848.

Other secondary schools of note are St. Bede's, Manchester and St. Cuthbert's, Newcastle-on-Tyne, managed by the secular clergy; the Oratory School, started by Cardinal Newman at Edgbaston ; Ratcliffe College, conducted by the Rosminian Fathers; a Benedictine College at Ramsgate, and St. George's College, Weybridge, besides general successful schools managed by the brothers. Exact statistics in regard to secondary schools are impossible, owing to the in- definiteness of this term, which in England includes a wide variety of types and grades, from something just above the elementary school to Eton or Harrow. However, if we take the "Report of the 1910 Annual Conference of English Colleges" for our guide, we find t'lis li^t includes thirty-three colleges or secondary sc'nols for boys. All these are under the manage- ment of priests or religious. There are also in the country some Catholic preparatory schools for small boys and some small private institutions conducted by laymen, but these above indicated form substan- tially the present machinery of Catholic secondary education of boys.

Catholic girls' secondary education is similarly in the hands of religious. Old English foundations re- turning from abroad after the French Revolution, like the Catholic colleges, or new teaching congregations, opened convent schools for primary as well as for secondary education and have multijilied rapidly. The total number of Catholic girls' schools which may be fairly classed as secondary is, for the same reason, very difficult to determine. Over one hundred and forty are advertised in the "Catholic Directory", but many of them are very small institutions.

Relations of Catholic Secondary Education with the Government. — All Catholic secondary schools in Eng- land are voluntary institutions. They were founded independently of the Government. Until recent years none of them received any state support, and they were subject to no form of state inspection. In- deed secondary education, as such, did not receive any systematic support from the state in England prior to 1902; but a large number of non-Catholic schools possessed considerable endowments, many going back to Catholic times. During part of the past cen- tury, secondary schools, by fulfilling certain condi- tions, could earn grants from the Government Depart- ment of Art and Science; and a few Catholic schools derived some small funds from this source. But in the Act of 1902, the gf)vernment adopted a completely new attitude towards secondary education. It em- powered local authorities, i. e., county councils and urban councils, to build new secondary schools and to take over by voluntary agreement existing secondary schools, and to maintain them out of local rates as- sisted by imperial grants. On the other hand, vol- untary schools which fulfil certain regulations are en- abled to share in this state aid. This Act is fraught with important consequences, as it is clear from the history of primary education that the state contribu- tion will largely increase, and unless Catholic day- schools can secure their fair share of it they will be unable to sustain the competition. Practically the grants are obtainable only by day-schools. The con- ditions in regard to efficiency, staff qualifications, and equipment, with liability to inspection, are stringent, but a well-managed school can already secure a good