TEACHERS: RELIGIOUS OR LAY

SIR,—May I set at rest some of the misgivings of " Lay Teacher in Convent School " who wrote in your issue of February 6?
In my Column 7 article of January 9 I freely acknowledged my indebtedness to the care and stimulating personnlity of one or two excellent priests who gave me my religious training. I said however, that I was horrified on leaving school and travelling about to find how few Catholics had had such an effective training : and I also pointed out that my own apprehensions were corroborated by the constant complaint of such official bodies as the assembled University Catholic Societies' Federation (see C.H., January 2, 1942) and a large cumber of plain unofficial Catholic individuals, some of whom have written in these columns about it.
One fel tile source of complaint is that little is done to fit the ordinary Catholic for the ordinary lay world, and few indeed of our Catholic secondary schools can be said to pay mote than lip service (if that) in response to the Pope's constantly reiterated demands for the prompt establishment of an effective lay apostolate. To this complaint of others I add my personal belief that the admitted ineffectiveness of so many Catholics is due to the absence in schools of a thorough and enterprising lay teaching body in a responsible position'. I have never suggested that the religious teacher should be altogether removed ; but I do maintain that even in teaching religion the lay influence should be included, while in the teaching of secular subjects it should predominate. Indeed, I have never gone so far as one of our Archbishops who, if the words of another Archbishop to me are to be believed, over ten years ago told the assembled Catholic secondary school heads of England (all religious) that their work was done and it was time room was made for lay successors. Indeed, in Italy the Pope has agreed to the teaching of religion in schools by the ordinary State (lay) teachers only. I have not made any demand that we should go so far here, though I think these two precedents are valuable.
And if it be maintained that Catholic parents prefer to send their children to schools run by religious, my answer is that that is art arbitrary and unproved statement.
Parents haven't got the choice. I don't choose to send my family to a non-Catholic school, yet I do want a secondary education for my children; therefore I must perforce send them to a school maintained by a religious body, because no other Catholic secondary schools are available. Indeed think I am right in saying that there are not half-a-dozen lay. Catholic secondary schools in this country. So most Catholic parents desirious of providing a secondary education must have recourse to religious-run schools, especially as according to Church law a threat of excommunication hangs over parents who willingly prefer a non-Catholic to a Catholic secondary school. Where is the choice? And if non-Catholics send children to convents, it is not for religion and not for secular training, but because admittedly such children stand a good chance of coming out well-trained in decorum and the niceties of etiquette. This is an undoubted advantage, but it is not enough in itself ; and even pifolsh yiou. think so, it is far from proved that the similar Catholic atmosphere of a lay religious school would not provide a similar Your correspondent's letter is valuable because it shows that, in some schools with which she is familiar, it is customary to employ unqualified or poorly qualified !ayfolk. When ad many highly qualified Catholic layfolk are unemployed, how does this come about? Your correspondent must admit either that the schools she mentions are not typical (in -which case her argument falls flat) or that they are typical (in which case I am right in my contention that Catholic schools do not always choose to get the best staff available). I should like to point out also that I was referring to recognised schools when I declared that the lay staff is usually better qualified than the religious. A staff of graduates plodding along competently will win the approval and recognition of the B. of E., but there is a world of difference between a " scraped " pass degree teacher and a first-class honours graduate, no less than between your rule-of-thumb pedagogue and an inspiring and enterprising teacher. klook at the confidential reports of inspections of schools will usually bear out my affirmation.
I am glad to know that, presumably in Some distant land, " Convent and Monastery " schools can be said generally to have the most up-to-date equipment and methods; but it is rather strange that educational authorities (including Catholic ones) don't publicise the details of their progress and research for the edification of others.
Your correspondent's most unsatisfactory inference, to my mind. is that, because elementary Catholic school staffs are appointed by Managers subject to the approval of the Local Authority, therefore all must be fair and square. It often is fair and square ; but 'either a large and representative body of Catholics are liars or there is in fact a great deal of favouritism. If pressed, I could provide quite a number of suspicious cases; and I have had brought to my notice recently a most unsatisfactory case of appointment to a Headship. The parish priest had his own candidate in view, a person without any experience even as an assistant. When the time came for the applications to be considered before the local education authority, it was discovered that other candidates' applications had been entirely withheld in order to ensure the favourite's appointment. Fortunately, in view of the public outcry, the appointment was not ratified. So it appears all is not always well even where Managers appoint. It is only in a case of extremely glaring injustice like this that the local authority actually steps in.
An out-and-out Catholic education is what I passionately desire, with the able assistance of progressive religious teachers; but I personally fee! that the practical needs of our age make it necessary that now at last effective heed should be paid to our late Holy Father's words by the installation of the best teachers of all kinds in our schools, especially lay teachers who are part of the world and best able to train others to take their part in it.
E. 3. K.