Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 17.djvu/787

 WE8TMIK8TEB 771 WE8TMIN8TEB

Tuberculosis Sanitarium at Deninar, a Children's West Virginia, until tlie middle of October, when it

Home at Elkins, and a Ck)lored Orphan's Home at was sent to San Antonio (Fort Sam Houston) . Here

Huntington. the regiment remained until it was returned to the

Rbugion. — ^The latest (1916) Census of Religious State and mustered out. When the war with Ger- Denominations gives the foUowine statistics: all man^ broke out the entire militia was drafted into denominations, 427^865 members; Methodist Episco- service, received their training at Camp Shelby, p^dians 82,551; Baptists, Northern Convention. Mississippi, and joined the American Expeditionary 62,459; Catholics 60,337; Methodist Episcofial Forces. The West Virginia members of the national Church, South, 53,020; United Brethren in Christ army were incorporated into the 8Qth Division at 29,426; Disciples of Christ 10,227; Methodist- Camp Lee, Virginia. In all. West Virginia con- Protestant Church 18,948; Baptists, National Con- tributed 55,777 soldiers (1.48 per cent) to the United vention, 16,238; Presbyterians 27,349. The value States Army, of church property was $15,472,996. For Catholic

statistics see the articles on the dioceses of Wheeuno Wastminstor, Archdiocese of (WESTMONAsrrER-

and Richmond. iensis; cf. C. E.. XV — 592d), erected and made

Recent Leoiblation and Histort.— {The ques- metropolitan in 1850 when it comprised the counties tion of the Virginia debt rose with the formation of of Miadlesex, Hertfordshire, Essex and London north Vest Virginia and has been an important issue in of the Thames. In 1917 the county of Essex was recent politics. At the time of its separation from formed into th^ separate diocese of Brentwood. The Virginia, the new State agreed to assume a just por- suffragan sees of Westminster are Brentwood, North- tion of the |>ublic debt of Virpnia prior to 1861. anipton, Nottindiam, Portsmouth and Southwark. Various negotiations failed to adjust it^ there were During the World War Cardinal Bourne in his divers judgments, some in favor of West Virginia capacity of Archbishop of Westminster stood forth as and some against. Virginia instituted suit in the the representative and spokesman of the Catholics of Supreme Court, which tentatively fixed West Vir- the British Empire, and his patriotic services and ginia'sshareof the debt at $7,182 ,57. 48, leavingthe statesmanlike utterances commanded universal re- question of interest for later adjustment. West spect. Besides taking the lead in providing the verv Virginia then created a West Virginia Debt Commis- large number of mUitfSy and naval chaplains required , sion to reduce if possible the amount of the debt, he paid personal visits repeatedly to the front and to preparatory to oontmgent arrangements for payment, the fleet. Finally he undertook a journey through the On 14 June, 1915, ihe Court issued a judgment against East in which he did much to allay apprehensions and West Virginia for $12,393,929.50. including accrued remove misunderstandings. The public position he interest and for 5 per cent thereafter until paid. In won himself before the non-Catholic public was shown June, 1916, Virginia asked the Supreme Court for a .in the confidence placed in him by the ministers of writ of execution by levy on pubUc property in West state, by his election to the Athenaeum Club under Virginia. This the court denied m order to give West speciid circumstances of honor, and notably on the Virginia a reasonable opportunity to pay the judg- occasion of his episcopal silver jubilee in 1921, when ment. In February, 1917, Virginia filed application he received messages of congratulation testifying to for a writ of mandamus against the Legislature of the esteem in which he was held by the rulers and rep- West Virginia to compel a levy of a tax to pay the resentatives of foreign powers as well as those of his judgment. On 1 January^919, the debt was own country, men of ail classes and creeds joining in $14,562,867.16. In March West Virginia agreed to this manifestation of good will. Since the war he

Eay $1,062,867 in cash and arranged to pay the rest has carried out extensive works at the diocesan semi- y an issue of bonds. n&ry» St. Edmund's College, Old Hall, where he has West Virginia has been the scene of several strikes, spent many thousands of pounds in thoroughly repair- those of 191 1 at Cabin Creek and Paint Creek and the ing and largely remodelling the college buildings, some collieries of Kanawha Valley were serious enou^ to of which &te back to the Eighteenth Century. As call out the militia and to cause martial law to be his own personal act of thanksgiving to God for the declared. On this occasion the miners won the strike, victory won by the Allies he has added to the college nearly every one of their demands being nanted. church, at his private expense, a spacious and beauti- Recent legislation includes a state wide prohibition ful jubdee chapel. In 1918 he issued a notable pas- amendment to the constitution (1912), an inheritance toral on the Social Question which continues to influ- tax (1913), the creation of a Public Utilities Com- ence recent Catholic thought and writings on this mission, a workmen's Compensation Act (1913), the momentous subject. The same year on 27 August, establisnment of a State Roads Commission (1915), one of the Archbishop's Auxiliaries died and his suc- of a Board of Children's Guardians 1919), to receive cessor as provost was Rt. Rev. Joseph Butt, who was and place neglected boys under sixteen and ^rls consecrated titular Bishop of Cambysopolis 24 Febru- under eighteen, a Child Welfare Commission (IfiSl), ary, 1911. The second auxiliary ^ Rt. Rev. Manuel also a Bureau of Negro Welfare and Statistics (1921), BidweU, was consecrated titular Bishop of Miletopolis the establishment of a State industrial s<^iool for 8 December, 1917.

colored bovs from ten to eiditeen years of age. Besides the diocesan seminary, St. Edmund's Col-

The age of consent was raised to sixteen in 1921. lege Hall, and the foreign missionary college at Mill

The marking of the West Virg^nia-Maryliund Boun- Hul. there are in the diocese: a training college for men

da^ was finished in 1912. Ratification of the Federal teachers in elementary schools, and ei|^t other insti-

suftraoe Amendment was defeated on 12 February, tutions engaged in secondarv education. For girls

1920; but the prohibition amendment was ratified on there are ^ secondary schools and 1 training college

10 January, 1918. During the European War the for teachers. Public elementary schools number 88,

United States (government completed at an expense of of which 84 (including 151 departments) receive gov-

$60,CX)0,000 two great war industries, a projectile emment grants. In 191^21 there were 27,904 chil-

Slant at Charleston and a hish explosives plant at dren on the books of these schools ^he figures in pre- ritro, sixteen miles down the Ranawha. vious editions of the Catholic Enctclopbdia for At the time of the trouble ¥rith Mexico in 1916 the 1890 and 1900 include schools now in the diocese of Second infantry regiment of the West Virginia Militia, Brentwood. Amongst residential charitable institu- was called into the United States service for dutv on tions for children are schools certified by the govem- the Mexican border and after remaining in the State ment, which are under the administjration of the West- mobilisation camp at Kanawha City, d^rleston, minster Diocesan Education Fund, and are used