the hands of the Church, though the larger institutions were founded by royal charter. The religious orders, especially the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Jesuits, were prominent in the work of education, the Jesuits being, from the latter part of the sixteenth century to the end of the eighteenth, the great educators of Spanish America. The expulsion of the Jesuits was a severe blow to educational work in colonial America. Their colleges were suppressed, or they exchanged masters, while their splendid libraries and collections of manuscripts were scattered.

But the end of Spain's rule on the American continent was nigh; for it did not long survive the actions of Pombal and Aranda. With the independence of the colonies a new era began in education. The state took charge of it generally, while the old orders began that decline from which they have only begun to recover in recent years. Although Church and state remained united, the influence of the former had waned, and it too often had to encounter a marked antagonism on the part of the latter. The principles of eighteenth century philosophy had done their work too well, and a party arose, known as liberal, which, in its extreme form, the radical, is inimical to revealed religion, and, consequently, to religious education. Hence the battle of the future, in Spanish America as elsewhere, must be fought in the arena of education.

To understand well the state of affairs in South America. it is necessary to treat separately of the different countries, as it is impossible to lay down any general statement that would hold good for all the republics. I shall only write of those countries with which it was possible for me to enter into personal contact, namely, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Panama.

BRAZIL

Since the days of the empire, Church and State have been separated in Brazil, and, consequently, there is a secular and there is a religious field entirely distinct from each other. There can be no doubt that, since the days of the Braganzas, Brazil has made rapid strides, while religion has been immensely improved. Where there were formerly less than ten bishops there are now about forty, while the general standard of the clergy has been raised, although vocations to the priesthood are few. It stands to reason that Catholic education has experienced the same influences for good.

My stay in Brazil was too brief to form a proper idea of the condition of education, either secular or religious, especially in its primary departments. The only primary schools I was able to visit were in the seaport town of Santos, and they were primitive indeed. One of these was a public school. A wretched little house served for the purpose, while a score or more of children occupied two small rooms on the ground floor. A delightful air of courtesy and amiability on the part of teachers and pupils made up, however, for the lack of elegance and comfort. One of the three schools visited, apparently the best of the three, was German. Although the children were absent, the general appearance of neatness and cleanliness made quite a favorable impression. I may remark, in passing, that German influence is very pronounced in Southern Brazil.

As far as personal observation is concerned, I was more fortunate in regard to secondary and higher education. Brazil may not boast of a university, though she possesses separate faculties, such as that of medicine in Bahia, in the old Jesuit College. This school of medicine enjoys quite a favorable reputation.

In Catholic higher education for boys, the Benedictines and the Jesuits stand foremost. The former are made

up of various nationalities, Germans being especially numerous; for the old Brazilian congregation has long since gone to pieces. The College of S. Bento at Rio de Janeiro is connected with the picturesque old abbey overlooking the harbor. It is a military college. Here, as in other similar institutions, army officers are detailed to drill the boys, and sixty days each year, spent in exercises, take the place of military service.

A no less flourishing college is one in the city of S. Paulo, the educational center of Brazil. The best families send their children to this college, which compares well with similar institutions the world over. It is attached to the Benedictine abbey, of which the head, heart, and soul is the energetic abbot, Dom Miguel Kruse, who, before entering the Order, was a secular priest in the United States.

Besides the gymnasium, or college proper, there is here, also, a faculty of philosophy and letters, in which higher studies are pursued, in accordance with modern methods. It is the ambition of the abbot to increase the efficiency of the institution, and he even dreams of the possibility of a university.

Another well-known educational center in S. Paulo, but under Protestant auspices, is the Mackenzie College, endowed by funds given in memory of John T. Mackenzie, of New York. Originally an adjunct to the Presbyterian mission, it is now independent, and supposedly nonsectarian; for in compliance with the wish of Brazilian parents religion is excluded from this and and some other Protestant institutions. The college is conducted on American models, and it has exercised a considerable amount of American influence.

URUGUAY

There is, probably, more hostility to the Church in Uruguay than in most other countries in South America,

although Church and State are united, and the bishop and seminary receive a subvention from the government. The Jesuit Fathers have charge of the seminary, but here, as in other countries of South America, there are few vocations to the priesthood. The public schools are neutral, and the teaching of religion is excluded, while the state university is said to be rationalistic in its tendencies.

ARGENTINA

This young country is wonderful in its developments, and its capital, Buenos Aires, justly counts as one of the great cities of the world. In point of population it ranks fourth in the Western Hemisphere. Education in Argentina has kept pace with the general progress of the republic, and public schools are found everywhere, while there is no lack of private institutions of learning. Primary instruction is obligatory, and, on the part of the government, gratuitous. There are also numerous public colleges for secondary education, under the auspices of the government, while higher learning has its seat in several universities, those of Buenos Aires, Cordoba and La Plata being the most prominent.

The University of La Plata, hardly seven years old, is truly wonderful, from architectural, artistic and educational standpoints. With its two thousand students, its splendid group of buildings, its valuable museum, and its astronomical observatory, it deserves to rank with the important universities of the world in a city of almost 100,000 population which is scarcely more than a quarter of a century old, and the founder of which is still living. La Plata with its university is a miniature and a copy of the entire marvelous republic, the remarkable progress of which must be attributed to the liberal and enlightened policy of the government which has encouraged foreign immigration and foreign capital.

Unfortunately, however, religion finds no part in the curriculum of Argentine state education, and much depends on the personal character of teachers and professors. While the atmosphere of Cordoba, with its venerable university, seems to be entirely Catholic, that of young La Plata is said to be tinged with rationalism.

Religion is not permitted to enter within the walls of the public schools as such, though the clergyman is allowed to instruct the children in catechism after school hours. Any one at all acquainted with the fundamental principles of education must see how inadequate such teaching is to lay the foundations of sound morality.

And yet, the government of Argentina today is not hostile to the Church, and the vast bulk of the population is Catholic, at least in name. And what is the Church doing to counteract the evil influences that surround her children? In the Church, as well as in the country at large, signs of increased activity are visible. It is quite natural that, depending so completely on the government, the Church in colonial times had fallen into somewhat of a routine. But, through friction with other nations, and by the necessities of the times, there is an awakening, although very much remains to be desired.

The parochial school system, as we understand it, is, in Argentina, still in its infancy. Last year there were only four parochial schools, strictly speaking, in the city of Buenos Aires, while about twenty-two existed in other portions of the republic. Still the extent of Catholic education must not be gauged by the number of parochial schools, for there is an abundance of Catholic educational institutions, many of them gratuitous, all over the country, some under private auspices, others more or less under the influence of the Church. In the city of Buenos Aires, with its 1,200,000 population, there are fifty-two Catholic schools for boys and about ninety-one for girls.