POLES
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POLES
occasioned the first Polish Congress, held in Buffalo
in 1896. A second was held in the same citj' in 1901,
and a third in Pittsburg in 1904. These congresses
sought to find remedies for the sad conditions then
prevailing, and the efforts of the promoters were
largely confined to inducing the Holy See to give the
American Poles bishops of their own nationalit}-.
A fourth congress, differing radically from the three
preceding, inasmuch as its spirit was purely secular,
was convened under the auspices of the Polish Na-
tional AUiance on the occasion of the unveUing of the
Pulaski and Kosciuszko monuments in Washington,
12 May, 1910. The congress, which was ignored
by the clergy and the Catholic organizations, declared
itself in favour of educational institutions for the
Polish youth which would be utterly removed from
"clerical" influence. Many attempts have been
made to federate the various Polish organizations,
but they have invariably failed. Bishop Rhode has
fathered the last attempt at federation, which seems
likely to succeed because unity is being sought along
purely Catholic lines.
The growth in numbers and efficiency of the Polish parochial schools is a storj- of faith, patriotism, un- paralleled generosity, and supreme endeavoiu- on the part of Polish clergy, religious communities, and laity, who came with no asset but their willing hands and the faith of their fathers. The Poles take care of themselves. Where they have contributed to the building of non-Polish churches and schools, they are quick to establish schools for their own children as soon as their numbers warrant the attempt, which with them is much earlier than with those of any other nationality. The Poles realized very early that their children who attended schools other than Polish, however much they succeeded, ceased to be an asset to the Polish community in its endeavours to lift itself above its present condition. The Polish schools in America are a distinctly new world product. Con- sidering the shortness of their American historj' the Poles have a larger proportion of native clergy and teaching nuns than any other class of American Catholics. Fully 9.5 per cent of the teachers in the Polish parochial schools are American by birth or training. The Poles cannot be satisfied with teachers other than Polish. Hence their Americanization is a development and not a veneer. This factor of a native clergy and teaching corps thoroughly American in thought and speech, and thoroughly Polish in their sj'mpathies with the incoming thousands, makes for a healthy conservatism, and precludes ^-iolent rup- tures with traditions of the past. The Pohsh parochial schools are performing a task which could not, because of a multitude of circumstances, be satisfactorily performed by any other, however superior from a purely scholastic standpoint. The most formidable obstacle to more rapid progress is the ever-increasing tide of immigrants. Clergj' and teachers must contend with parents whose poverty and old-world viewpoint are factors in keeping the children at home upon every pretext, and with- drawing them for ever on the day of their First Com- munion. The constant increase in the number of children necessitates the erection of new schools, in Bpite of the parents' inability to contribute to their support, increa-ses the shortage of teachers, makes for overcrowding and inefficiency, because the religious communities, to satisfy the demands made upon them, must send into the class-room the young nun to whom it has been impossible to give a thorough training. These hardships fall with double force upon the newly-organized parishes. The older religious communities, several of which have reached a high degree of efficiency, cannot supply the in- creasing demand in the schools already under their charge, and hence the new parishes must content themselves with teachers such as the more recently- XII.— 14
established communities can afford. The presence
of lay teachers in the Pohsh schools is evidence of the
inadequacy in the number of the Pohsh nuns. The
necessity of teaching in two languages doubles the
work of the teachers, and yet it is this very sj'stem
which will most intelUgently adjust the Poles to their
American surroundings. The establishment of Pohsh
schools, especially in the Middle West, nearly always
coincides with the organization of the parishes. The
first building erected is usually made to serve as
school and church for some years until a church can
be built, when the first building is used entirely for
school purposes.
The first Polish school in the United States is that in Panna Maria, Texas, established by Father Bakanowski, C.R., in 1S66. The first teacher w-as Peter Kiolbassa. The second school was that of St. Stanislaus's Parish, Milwaukee, which dates from 1867. St. Stanislaus's School in Chicago was placed in charge of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 187.3. The accompanying list of statistics affords striking evidence of the gro^sih in numbers of the Polish schools since that time.
Besides the parochial schools the Poles maintain the following institutions of higher education: SS. Cyril and Methodius's Seminary, Orchard Grove, ^lichigan, founded by Fathers Leopold Moczygemba and Joseph Dqbrowski. The seminary was estabhshed in Detroit in 1887, and was transferred to Orchard Grove in 1909. Professors, 17; students, 350. St. Stanislaus's College, Chicago, founded by the Resurrectionist Fathers in 1891, a day and boarding school, professors, 15; students, 210. St. Bonaven- ture's College, Pulaski, Wisconsin, foimded by the Franciscan Fathers in 1889, professors, 7; students, 45. St. John Cantius's College, Brookland, Wash- ington, D. C, founded in 1909, embraces scholasticate for the Missionaries of the Divine Love of Jesus, and is affiliated vdxh the Catholic University of America. St. John Cantius's College, Erie, Pennsylvania; founded in 1909, maintained by the Society of St. John Cantius, which is composed of Polish priests and laymen. Pennsylvania Polish College of St. John, Philadelphia, founded in 1908 bv Rev. John Godrvcz, D.D., Ph.D., J.U.D. The Academy of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Chicago, founded in 1887 bj' the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Twenty nuns form the teaching staff; students, 150. The number of Polish students at various other insti- tutions is verj- considerable, especially in day-schools in our large cities. Nearly one-third of the student body at St. Francis's Seminar}', St . Francis, Wiscon- sin, are Poles. Several of our non-Polish Catholic institutions, notably the L'niversity of Notre Dame and St. Francis's Seminary, have introduced the study of the Polish language, literature, and history into their curricula. The teaching of Polish has likewise been introduced in the pubhc schools of se\-eral of our large cities in which there is a large Pohsh population.
One hundred of the Polish clergy are members of rehgious communities. Of this number 65 are mem- bers of Polish communities or provinces. — (a) Fran- ciscan Fathers (O.F.M.), Commissariate of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pulaski, Wisconsin: fathers, 8; professed clerics, 7; no\nce clerics, 4; professed brothers, 18; novice lay brothers, 1 ; brothers of the Third Order, 3. (b) Franciscan Fathers (O.M.C.), Province of St. Anthony of Padua, Buffalo, New York: fathers, 20; clerics and students, 44; lay brothers, 16. (c) Fathers of the Resurrec- tion: priests, 33, of whom 27 are Poles; brothers, 21. (d) Missionaries of the Divine Love of Jesus, Wash- ington, D. C, 1. (e) Vincentian Fathers (CM.), Polish Province of the Congregation of the Mission, Chicago: fathers, 8.
Polish priests, members of other congregations and
