Codex Lethbridge
Transcription: 13
Transcription:
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of the Roman Catholics to a seperate [sic] school being established. They were however persuaded to consent on the understanding that a convent would be established here… We believe that the possession of such institutions is too high a price to pay for the burden of seperate [sic] schools… at any event the establishment of one in Lethbridge is certainly at the present time premature… can the assembly not mitigate the evil by providing that no sep. [sic] school shall be entitled to Government assistance unless it has at least thirty attendents [sic] the children of resident ratepayers? – etc.
In the next issue of the Lethbridge News, father VanTighem answered in the following manner:
To the author of the Lethbridge News.
Dear Sir.
I have been somewhat astonished by what there appeared in your last issue, against the establishment of a Catholic School in Lethbridge. As I regard your article rather a fanatical utterance than anything else, with sorrow I am compelled to answer it.
You state that “so far one public school system …has worked well et. et –” Do you mean to say that until now there were none but protestant public schools in the N.W.T.? If so, you must be very ignorant on historical matters of the past in these Terr… and let me say that long before you came here, a quarter of a century before you made your appearances in the N.W.T. we had a good number of catholic schools established.
Dear sir, you are somewhat too young to try to prevent us going on doing the good works begun by our valiant missionaries. Many will have had a hearty laugh at
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your statement that: “Public feeling governed on a basis of common sense is strongly opposed to the sep. school system” Perhaps it may be so for those who are not acquainted with our school laws, or for fanatics without common sense; they may be opposed to Catholics having their schools as well as Protestants.
But it seems, by what you say, that the ratepayers are to be burdened with taxes by the establishment of our school. Now, I am at a loss to see, if any one could be wronged except the Catholic ratepayers who are erecting the school. How then could they take the necessary steps for the establishment of the school?
And you have found out how this happened, saying:
In Lethbridge …a vigorous opposition was made by most of the R. Catholics…, Now, Dear Sir, I regard this assertion as a personal insult; giving the public to understand that I have forced the Catholics to erect a school. That there was a vigourous opposition is untrue, false. There was not the slightest opposition, and let it be know [sic] to the public now, that when we held the first and second meetings according to the Ordinance, there was not one to vote against the school. How then can you call this: “the doings of a few malcontents of the religion… By making such “false” statements you not only insult me, but every Catholic of this place.
As to your vain assertion that “they were persuaded to consent on the understanding that a convent was to be established, All our Catholics can give testimony of what R. Fath. Leduc said to them when he addressed the first meeting that, perhaps after two, three years, a sisterhood could be sent here. But they all asked for the sisters at once, and, Dear Sir, if it had not been for an
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of the Roman Catholics to a seperate [sic] school being established. They were however persuaded to consent on the understanding that a convent would be established here… We believe that the possession of such institutions is too high a price to pay for the burden of seperate [sic] schools… at any event the establishment of one in Lethbridge is certainly at the present time premature… can the assembly not mitigate the evil by providing that no sep. [sic] school shall be entitled to Government assistance unless it has at least thirty attendents [sic] the children of resident ratepayers? – etc.
In the next issue of the Lethbridge News, father VanTighem answered in the following manner:
To the author of the Lethbridge News.
Dear Sir.
I have been somewhat astonished by what there appeared in your last issue, against the establishment of a Catholic School in Lethbridge. As I regard your article rather a fanatical utterance than anything else, with sorrow I am compelled to answer it.
You state that “so far one public school system …has worked well et. et –” Do you mean to say that until now there were none but protestant public schools in the N.W.T.? If so, you must be very ignorant on historical matters of the past in these Terr… and let me say that long before you came here, a quarter of a century before you made your appearances in the N.W.T. we had a good number of catholic schools established.
Dear sir, you are somewhat too young to try to prevent us going on doing the good works begun by our valiant missionaries. Many will have had a hearty laugh at
[End page]
[Right page]
your statement that: “Public feeling governed on a basis of common sense is strongly opposed to the sep. school system” Perhaps it may be so for those who are not acquainted with our school laws, or for fanatics without common sense; they may be opposed to Catholics having their schools as well as Protestants.
But it seems, by what you say, that the ratepayers are to be burdened with taxes by the establishment of our school. Now, I am at a loss to see, if any one could be wronged except the Catholic ratepayers who are erecting the school. How then could they take the necessary steps for the establishment of the school?
And you have found out how this happened, saying:
In Lethbridge …a vigorous opposition was made by most of the R. Catholics…, Now, Dear Sir, I regard this assertion as a personal insult; giving the public to understand that I have forced the Catholics to erect a school. That there was a vigourous opposition is untrue, false. There was not the slightest opposition, and let it be know [sic] to the public now, that when we held the first and second meetings according to the Ordinance, there was not one to vote against the school. How then can you call this: “the doings of a few malcontents of the religion… By making such “false” statements you not only insult me, but every Catholic of this place.
As to your vain assertion that “they were persuaded to consent on the understanding that a convent was to be established, All our Catholics can give testimony of what R. Fath. Leduc said to them when he addressed the first meeting that, perhaps after two, three years, a sisterhood could be sent here. But they all asked for the sisters at once, and, Dear Sir, if it had not been for an
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