SIR,—May I appeal to all mothers to take their very important share in the saving of our schools; this must not be assigned merely to the heads of Catholic soeieties where the lay effort is concerned. Not every mother need understand all the details of suggested educational measures. But we must all realise that our Catholic schools are in danger because an influential section of public opinion urges a system which would deny the rights of parents to have their children educated by teachers of their own Faith.
The Holy Father has reminded us that by education we are " fashioning the souls of children," and the schoolteacher takes a most important share in this work while the children are still very young and impressionable. They must therefore be taught by Catholic teachers in the atmosphere of a Catholic school which turns the mind and heart towards God. Can we imagine our children being educated—their souls being " fashioned "—by teachers who may not even believe in God, in classrooms where no crucifix or holy picture is to be seen?
If any Catholic mothers have so far done nothing to prevent this from happening they can begin now.
We must all unite together; (1) in prayers for the saving of our schools, in which the whole family must join and which should also be said at every parish meeting of the U.C.M. and every sodality meeting. (2) By strengthening our loyalty to our schools; we must not dwell on the relatively small disadvantages sometimes caused by their lack of funds—although these should in justice be remedied since Catholic parents pay the same rates and taxes as everyone else; but meanwhile we must never cease to remember the treasures which only our Catholic schools can give to our children, and we must make it clear to everyone wherever we are that we love our schools and are determined to keep them. (3) By responding wholeheartedly if the leaders of our Catholic societies ask our help in the campaign to save the Catholic schools by a united expression of opinion. With regard to this we • have to be " ready and willing" and prepared to make efforts to attend any meeting connected with the subject either in the parish or on a larger scale.
But meanwhile we must never slacken in our prayers and loyalty but must increase and strengthen both. They are our schools and they must be saved for our children.
THERESA &anemia., National President Union of Catholic Mothers. Crosby Hall,
Blundellsands, Liverpool.
FOOD VALUE OF BREAD SIR,— -Ma), I join Mr. Lowe in correcting still more wild statements that have appeared under the heading " Murdered Food "?
(1) Bread made of steel-roller milled flour does not necessarily lack the vital germ. In the production of National wheatmeal flour it is compulsory to feed back the whole of the germ and the finer bran, to give at least one International unit of vitamin B per gm. Only the coarse bran is missing—not the " live cream"!
(2) The statement that the germ has more " food-value than all the remaining 98 per cent." is meaningless. Man does not live by vitamins alone ; the 98 per cent. of the wheat berry provides 98 per cent. of the energy value of the food, which is as " vital " as the vitamins in the germ.
(3) Although the wheat-germ is a rich source of vitamin B1 and E. and nicotinic acid, it contains no vitamin or pro-vitamin A, and cornparatively little riboflavin (the vitamin often termed B2). Cereals are not a good source of this latter vitamin.
trust that Mr. Bowles, with his passion for scientific exactitude, will welcome these corrections.
HERRERT F. RANCE, Ph.D., B.Sc.
Gray's Cottage, Candlemas Lane, Beaconsfield, Bucks.