Our educational problem : the Jewish population and the Protestant schools

r Educational Problem

e Jewish Population

ANDTHE

Protestant Schools

ELSON I. REXFORD, MA, LLD.

LA

419
M6R4
19OOz
c. 1
ROBA

F PUBLISHING COMPANY
cGILL COLLEGE AVENUE
MONTREAL

Our Educational Problem

The Jewish Population

AND THE

Protestant Schools

ELSON I. REXFORD, M.A., LL.D.

\

RENOUF PUBLISHING COMPANY

25 McGILL COLLEGE AVENUE
MONTREAL

THE JEWISH POPULATION

and the
PROTESTANT SCHOOLS

* HISTORICAL OUTLINE

The rapid increase of the Hebrew population in our
City and Province is one of the most interesting fea-
tures of o\\r history during the past twenty-five years.

While this feature of our development has had a most
important effect upon the social and financial conditions
of our community life, the greatest disturbance is felt
in our educational system, which was originally organ-
ized exclusively for the Roman Catholic and Protestant
elements of the community.

The historical bearings of this question carry us back
for more than half a century, and in order to get a clear
understanding of the present situation it is necessary to
note the main features of the development of our educa-
tional system during the 19th century.

During the first quarter of the past century, two out-
standing efforts were made by the English Protestant
ruling minority of the Province to provide schools for
the rural districts which were largely French and Roman
Catholic. An act was passed in 1&01 providing for the
appointment of a permanent committee on education
under the name of "The Royal Institution." This com-
mittee was empowered to establish and manage one
free school in each parish or township. The masters
were appointed and paid by the Government. As the
members of the Royal Institution were largely English
and Protestant, it made little progress in establishing
schools in the French parishes. In the English sections
of the Province , however, these schools were more
successful, but they passed under the control of the

*A Paper read before the K. A. club of Montreal and
printed by request.

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

common school system as soon as it was established
and the work of the Royal Institution is now confined
to the management of McGill University.

The second important step in educational matters was
taken in 1824, when the Fabrique act was passed author-
izing each Roman Catholic parish to devote one quarter
of its annual Church revenue to the support of a school
for the parish. Under these two acts temporary pro-
vision was made for elementary education in a larsfe
number of the English and French sections of the Prov-
ince during the first quarter of the past century.

The first public elementary school act for the Prov-
ince was passed in the year 1829. This act provided
that five trustees, elected in each parish or township,
should have the management of schools in that district.
The act provided for a limited number of schools and a
grant of £20 was paid -by the Government to each
teacher on condition that the school was in operation
at least 90 days, and had an average attendance of 20
pupils. These schools were for the rural districts, they
were voluntary, free, and without taxation.

Although the schools established under this act took
their colour as to language and religious teaching, from
the communities which maintained them, they were
common schools, recognising no religious distinction in
the community. As these schools were supported by
the Government and the grants were paid through the
local member of the Legislature, the people in the
French districts of the Province regarded this system
as a political propaganda for the destruction of their
language and religion. The schools, therefore, under
this act met with only a moderate measure of success.
About 1300 schools, however, were established under
the provision of this act with an attendance of about
36,000 pupils.

Various amendments defining and elaborating the
provisions of this act were provided by the Legislature
during the next few years, but the absolute control of
these schools, which was given to the local members of
the legislature under this act, led finally to the rejection
was again left without any school system apart from

8 .

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

of the whole system in 1836, when the whole country
the Fabrique schools and those under the Royal Institu-
tion.

After the revolution of 1837 and the union of the
Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada under one legis-
lature in 1841, a new educational act was passed which
apolied to both Provinces. The administration of this
act was under the direction of a General Superintendent
with two Provincial Superintendents, one for Upper
Canada and one for Lower Canada.

Among the important provisions of this act of 1841,
we may note that it provided a system of common
schools and established a common school fund from
which grants were to be made for their support. It also
provided that the religion's minority in any community
might dissent, and establish schools of their own. Five
school commissioners, elected by the people, undertook
the management of the schools, examined teachers and
determined the course of study and the text books, but
the new and important feature of this act was the
establishment of the right of taxation for the support
of schools. This right of taxation, however, was not
entrusted to the five school commissioners elected by
the people, but to the Municipal Council in each district,
the members of which were appointed directly by the
Government. This clause of the Act was stoutly
resisted by the rate-payers, who protested against the
right of direct taxation beinp- given into the hands of a
body over whom they had no control. This clause of
the Act aroused such opposition that amendments were
introduced in 1846 and 1849 placing the power of taxa-
tion in the hands of the school commissioners elected
by the rate-payers. This act of 1846, with amendments,
contained the essential features of the acts under which
our Provincial school system is operated today.

The Government grant amounted to about $116,000.,
and was divided between 250 school municipalities in
proportion to their population. Each school board was
required to raise by taxation for the support of its
schools a sum at least equal to the Government errant.
This act of 1846 made special provision for the cities of
Montreal and Quebec. Two separate school corpora-
tions, one consisting of six Roman Catholic members

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

and one consisting of six Protestant members, all ap-
pointed by the City Council, were provided for the
administration and management of two separate school
systems for these two cities. There was no school tax
imposed in these cities, but the City Treasurer was
required to pay over out of the ordinary revenues of
the city to these school boards, an amount equal to the
Government grant, this amount to be divided between
the school boards in proportion to the population which
they represented. Unfortunately the City of Montreal
received only a small portion of the Government grant
to which it was entitled by population, because it was
thought capable of supporting its own schools, and there-
fore the amount paid over to these school boards by the
city council was utterly inadequate to meet the educa-
tional needs of the City.

From 1846 to 1860 the school system of the Province
was administered by a Superintendent of Education
who promoted the organization of school municipalities
and the establishment of schools, and distributed the
grants provided by the Legislature. During this period
24 school inspectors were appointed one for each
section of the Province, Roman Catholic Inspectors for
the Roman Catholic sections and Protestant Inspectors
for the Protestant sections. In the city of Montreal
one Inspector was appointed for the schools under the
Roman Catholic board and a second inspector for the
schools under the Protestant board.

It was also arranged at this time that the amount
voted by the Legislature for the encouragement of in-
stitutions of Superior Education should first be divided
into two funds, in proportion to the Roman Catholic
and Protestant population of the Province and then
these amounts should be distributed amongst the in-
stitutions according to their needs, efficiency, etc.

In 1857 three Normal schools were established, two
Roman Catholic, one in Quebec and one in Montreal, and
one Protestant Normal school in affiliation with McGill
University. Boards of examiners were also established
for conducting examinations and issuing certificates to
teachers. Two boards of examiners, one Roman O-
tholic and one Protestant, were provided for Montreal,
and the board of examiners provided for other districts

10

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

of the province could be organized in two sections as
circumstances required. In 1860 a Council of Public In-
struction was provided consisting of fifteen members,
eieven Roman Catholics and four Protestants, with
power to co-operate with the Superintendent of Educa-
tion in framing regulations, etc.

No separate school tax was yet provided for the city
of Montreal, but the city treasurer was bound to pay
over to the school boards annually, twice a.s much as the
Government grant received by these Boards for the pur-
poses of elementary education.

Among the discussions leading up to the Confedera-
tion of the Provinces in 1867, the question of safe-
guarding the educational privileges of minorities occu-
pied a very prominent place.

Sir A. T. Gait, the member for Sherbrooke, took a
very prominent part in regulating the educational
questions in connection with the Confederation of the
Provinces, and eventually resigned his position as a
member of the Government as a protest against what
he considered to be unfair treatment of the religious
minority in the Province of Quebec.

Section 93, of the British North American Act passed
by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and which
became effective on July 1st, 1867, placed the subject of
education wholly tender the jurisdiction of the several
provincial legislatures, subject, however, to limitations
expressed in 4 provisions of that section. The first of
these provisions limited the powers of the Provincial
Legislatures as follows : — "Nothing in any such law
shall prejudicially affect any right or privilege with
respect to denominational schools which any class of
persons have by law in the Province at the Union."

The writer has enumerated in some detail the rights
and privileges under which the Protestant schools of
the Province were functioning during the years preced-
ing Confederation, in order to bring out quite clearly
the rights and privileges with respect to denominational
schools which the Protestant minority enjoyed by law
in this Province at the time of the Union, and which
were specially safe-guarded from interference by the
Provincial Legislature after the coming into force of
the Confederation Act.

11

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

In 1869 the Provincial Legislature took up seriously
the whole question of Provincial education and passed
an act which greatly improved the educational status
of the Province. Among its various provisions the
following are important for our present discussion : —
It was provided that the Council of Public Instruction
should consist of 24 members, 16 of whom should be
Roman Catholics and 8 should be Protestants, and this
Council was to function in two committees, one
charged with the dnty of looking after the interests of
Roman Catholic schools, the other the interests of Pro-
testant schools. This act also provided that the boards
of school commissioners for the city of Montreal should
consist of six members, three of whom should be ap-
pointed by the Government and three by the City
Council.

The Act also provided that a school tax, equal to
three times the share of the common school fund allot-
ted to the City of Montreal, should be levied annually
by an assessment on real estate in the City, and should
be known as the "City School Tax." For this purpose
it was ordered that the assessment roll of the City
should be divided into four distinct panels, first, Roman
Catholic ; second, Protestant ; third, Corporations, In-
corporated Companies, non-Roman Catholic, non-Pro-
testant, etc., and fourth, real estate exempt from taxa-
tion. This is the first point in our educational history
where the neutral panel appears, and in this first neutral
panel, or No. 3, all non-Roman Catholic, non-Protes-
tant rate-payers and all rate-payers whose religious
faith is unknown, and all real estate belonging partly
to Roman Catholics and partly to Protestants, and all
rate-payers who have declared in writing their desire
to have their property inscribed on this said panel, and
all firms and commercial partners who have not ex-
pressed a desire to be placed on the first or second panel,
were included.

This is the first legislation providing for Hebrew
rate-payers in the municipality of the city of Montreal,
and by this legislation the Hebrew rate-payers were
included in the Third or Neutral Panel.

In the following year, 1870, further amendments to
the Education Act were provided in which the City

12

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

school tax for the City of Montreal was fixed at one
fifth of a cent in the Dollar, and the following clause
was inserted concerning Jewish rate-payers : — "Not-
withstanding anything to the contrary contained in
section 29 of the Act 32nd Victoria, chapter 16, any
person belonging to the Jewish persuasion and owning
real estate in either of the cities of Quebec or Montreal,
shall be entitled, upon his delivering to the City Trea-
surer a request in writing, to that effect, to have his
real property inscribed, at his option, upon either of the
panels, No. 1 or No. 2 mentioned in the said section. "
This is the only legislation concerning educational
matters directly affecting the Hebrew rate-payers in
the City of Montreal during the next thirty-three years.

It would appear from the provisions of this section
that a Hebrew rate-payer would remain in the third or
neutral panel so far as the city school tax is concerned
unless he gave notice in writing that he desired to be
included in one of the other two panels, No. 1 or No. 2.

The practical working out of this provision of the
school law presents some interesting features. Wealthy
Jewish rate-payers found it possible to arrange with
the Roman Catholic school board to collect the school
taxes from the Jewish rate-payers and after deducting
a commission for their trouble to pay over the whole of
these taxes to the authorities of one of the Synagogues
of the City for the purpose of maintaining a school for
the instruction of the Jewish children in their religious
faith. In the mean time the general Jewish population
preferred the course of instruction given in the Protes-
tant schools and accordingly sent their children to fie
Protestant schools for their education. In course of
time these facts came' under the notice of the Protes-
tant Board of School Commissioners who took exception
to a scheme by which they were to provide the cost of
educating the children of Jewish parents while the
school taxes of Jewish proprietors were being paid into
the Roman Catholic board. The result of this agitation
was to secure to the Protestant Board of School Com-
missioners the school taxes of the Hebrew rate-payers
of the City.

13

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

The Protestant Committee

While these matters were under discussion in Mon-
treal, new developments were taking place in the educa-
tion department at Quebec. In 18/6 a new Education
Act was adopted by the Legislature, giving increased
powers to the Protestant Committee, and in 1882 a
change took place in the staff of the Education Depart-
ment which facilitated the development of the system
of Protestant education wider the Protestant Com-
mittee.

One of the questions that engaged the attention of
the Protestant Committee was the method of division
of education grants between the Roman Catholic and
Protestant institutions of the Province. According to the
Act of 1869 the Government grant for superior education
was divided into two sections, in proportion to the
Roman Catholic and Protestant population of the Pro-
vince, before the grants were distributed to the several
institutions. In working out this division the Roman
Catholics held that the grant should first be arranged
in three amounts in proportion to the Roman Catholic
population, the Protestant population and the non-
Roman and non-Protestant group, and then the
amount allotted to the non-Roman and non-Protestant
group should be divided between the Roman Catholic
group and the Protestant group according to population.
The Protestants took the ground that as the children of
the non-Roman and non-Protestant population looked
to the Protestant schools for their education, this neutral
group should be classed with the Protestants for the
purpose of division of Government grants.

This discussion reached an acute stage in 1888 when
a special meetin^ of the whole Council of Public In-
struction was called together to consider three groups
of suggested amendments to the school law ; one group,
proposed by the Roman Catholic Committee, one group
by the Protestant Committee and one group proposed by
the Superintendent of Public Instruction. This meet-
ing of the Council was held on the 18th of April, 1888.
and among the amendments proposed by the Protestant
Committee was the following: — "The words, 'religious
majority' and 'religious minority' mean the Roman
Catholic or Protestant majority or minority, as the case

14

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

may be, of persons whose names are entered upon the
assessment roll as rate-payers, and the word 'Protes-
tant' in this Act and in any Act affecting education in
the collection and distribution of school funds, shall be
held to mean all persons not professing the Roman
Catholic faith."

His Eminence the late Cardinal Taschereau declared
that if this resolution was submitted to the Council,
he would propose in amendment that the distribution
of the funds raised for the purpose of public instruction
should be made according to the. present population of
the Catholics and Protestants in the Province, observ-
ing that by the present distribution one-third of the
grants for Normal schools are now given to Protestants,
whereas a distribution according to the then present
population would reduce this share to one-seventh.

In view of this declaration the Protestant members
of the Council asked permission to retire to an adjoining
room, in order to take into consideration the position
in which thev would be placed by such a proposition,
and after consultation, an understanding was reached
according to which Mr. Heneker consented to withdraw
his proposition, provided the Cardinal would not submit
the one of which he spoke, to which the members of the
Council unanimously agreed.

This incident created intense feeling in the Depart-
ment of Public Instruction and when the Minutes of
proceedings were drafted by the joint secretaries it was
found impossible to reach an agreement as to the form
in which the minutes should be recorded, and a special
meeting of the Council of Public Instruction was called
for the purpose of confirming the Minutes. The
Minutes were confirmed, on division, all the Roman
Catholic members voting on the. one side and the Pro-
testant members voting on the other.

At this special meeting, His Eminence, Cardinal
Taschereau, introduced the following resolution, which
was seconded by Judge Jette; this resolution was
adopted on the same divisions : — "That it is not expe-
dient that any amendment should be made in the law
concerning Public Instruction with regard to the mutual
relations of the two committees of the Council of Public
Instructions, nor concerning the collection and the

15

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

distribution of sums provided by the Government or
levied under this law."

This incident probably represents the most acute
stage in the history of the Protestant Committee. The
Protestant Committee was practically helpless under
the cireujmstances because if the threatened resolution
of His Eminence, Cardinal Taschereau, had actually
been proposed and adopted it would have closed our
Normal school which was receiving one-third of the
total sum voted for the maintenance of Normal schools
at that time.

In the course of the correspondence the Protestant
Committee placed itself on record in reference to the
school tax of joint stock 'Companies in the following
terms : — "That this Board has always been of the
opinion that the school tax levied on Protestants hold-
ing stock in banks and other joint stock corporations,
should be applied exclusively to Protestant education,
and to this, as no more than just and right, and as is
allowed to Roman Catholic stock holders in Ontario,
they do still decidedly adhere.

The Protestant Board of Montreal.

During the last ten years of the Nineteenth Century
there was a large increase in the Hebrew population in
the City of Montreal, and the relation of the Jews to
the Protestant schools became a very acute question.
In order to settle some points in this dispute, action
was taken by a gror/p of the Jewish population against
the Protestant Board, in reference to Jacob Pensler's
claim to a Commissioner's Scholarship, and a decision
was rendered by Judge Davidson in February, 1903 to
the following effect.

"The annual reports of respondents, so far as put on
record, disclose that the main questions now before the
court in critical and litigious form have for many years
been a cause of disquiet to respondents. Previous to
1886 the entire body of Jews e'ected to contribute to
Protestant education and their children were admitted
on the same terms as Protestants. Then a dispute
between the different synagogues arose, in consequence
of which the members of the Spanish and Portuguese
Synagogue, representing $2,116.20 out of $2,700.00 paid
in school taxes by Jewish citizens, seceded from the

16

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

compact, which, it is fair to say, was a purely voluntary
one. They forthwith transferred all their properties
into the Roman Catholic panel and arranged to receive
back from the board of that faith 80 per cent, of the
results, which they afterwards used for a school of their
own.

As a result the Protestant board in subsequent years,
found itself educating 80 per cent. (174) of the Jewish
children, while only in receipt of ($600) 20 per cent, of
the Jewish taxes. Neither the Government grant nor
proceeds from the neutral panel were increased by
reason of this attendance. The school fees are nominal.
On this position of affairs warm comment was made in
the annual report of 1890. It was represented to be a
great injustice to the Protestant taxpayer. Harmonious
relations with the synagogue were subsequently re-
newed. Its members undertook to place their school
taxes in the Protestant panel and closed their school.
In return the board received their children, appointed
a teacher of Hebrew and paid $2,000 per annum to the
Baron de Hirsch Institute for educating pupils of the
Jewish faith unable to pay fees. Neither 9 Viet. (C.
1846) Cap. 94, nor any other law gave this synagogue a
right to represent the Jewish population. In 1899 the
Jewish scholars had increased to 749. The cost of their
education, beyond the net amount received from Jewish
taxes and fees, represented a yearly loss of over $10,-
000, which, according to the board, had, in great part,
to be paid out of receipts from Protestant parents. In
the scholastic year 1900-1901, according to a statement
of record, the nrimber of Jewish pupils in the schools
had risen to 1,153 representing a cost of $34,451.64. Net
receipts from Jewish taxes and fees amounted to $11,-
016.24. The net loss is placed at $23,435.40.

The action of the board in 1900 in so amending their
rules as to make the reception of all children save those
of resident Protestants, or of actual school tax con-
tributories, a matter of grace, instead of right, resulted
from acute want of accommodation and the distressing
load put upon revenue.

Serious consideration of the arguments ably presented
at the bar and of some others which have suggested

17

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

themselves to me, results in the following conclusions:
t. — All resident Protestants, whether real estate
owners or not, are entitled to the benefits of respon-
dents' schools. This right, although not written into
the statutes with actual words, is of their structure and
spirit. Either as the cause or as the result of its ex-
istence, the whole of the Protestant real estate in the
city must go into the Protestant panel, and the who'e
of the Protestant population, men, women and children,
is a revenue producing factor, because the more nu-
merous it is the greater the grant out of the public
funds and the payment from the neutral panel.

|2. Possibly a person of the Jewish religion, who owns
real estate and inscribes it in the Protestant or Roman
Catholic panel acquires rights in the schools thereby
adopted, although he is not beneficially counted as
regards the division of the Government grant or of the
proceeds from the neutral panel.

3. A resident of the Jewish religion who, although
an owner of real estate, has not optated as ID his school
tax, or who does not own real estate, cannot claim as
of right to have his children admitted to the public
schools.

4. If such admission is given it is by grace and subject
to whatever conditions the commissioners choose to im-
pose, inclusive of non-eligibility for the scholarship in
question.

There are now over ten thousand Jews in the city,
and, besides, a great many property owning taxpayers
who are neither Protestants nor Roman Catholics.
These numerous and important groups of our popula-
tion create problems which did not exist when the
foundations of our present edu/cational system were laid.
Their solution by the Legislature, if this judgment
correctly interprets the law, has become of pressing im-
portance."

After this decision, which practically declared that
the non-Roman Catholic and non-Protestant elements
of the community had no rights in the Protestant
schools, the Hebrew population arranged for a con-
ference with the Protestant Board of School Commis-
sioners. This proved to be a very important conference
[because of subsequent developments. The following

18

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

extract from the Minutes of this special meeting of the
Protestant Board of School Commissioners, held under
date March 2nd, 1903, is at once interesting and im-
portant : — "The Commissioners, after preliminary dis-
cussion, admitted to a conference a deputation of
Jewish citizens which had been appointed for the pur-
pose at a mass meeting held on the 24th February.

Mr. Max Goldstein, who had been appointed Chair-
man of the deputation, stated that for the first time the
whole Jewish Community of Montreal was represented
by it ; that it was the wish of that community to place
its educational interests in the charge of the Protestant
School Commissioners, and to acquire equal rights in
the Protestant public schools. He, therefore, asked
that in the event of this being done, provision should
be made by the addition of a conscience clause to the
regulations, so that no loss of marks should be sustain-
ed by Jewish pupils by reason of their absence from the
devotional exercises of the schools, or from the study
of Scripture, an alternative study to be substituted for
that subject.

He further stated that the Jewish community, recogn-
ising the insufficient means of the Board, would be pre-
pared to support any measure for increased taxation
which might be necessary, and were also ready to re-
medy the difficulty occasioned through the exercise of
their legal option by introducing such legislation as
would place the Jewish school taxes permanently in the
Protestant panel.

In the general discussion which followed, Mr Gold-
stein declared that the Jewish community, recognizing
their position as a minority, neither asked nor desired
that the Protestant Public School system should be
changed, in respect to its distinctive religions character
and constitution.

The other members of the deputation having signified
their acceptance of the position thus defined, the draft
of a resolution tentatively introduced by Rev. Dr. Shaw,
was then read, and a consensus was reached by both the
Board and the deputation on the following understand-
ing:—

19

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

1st. That the Jewish population shall, if so provided
by law, be identified with the Protestant system of
Montreal.

2nd. iAhat this system shall as heretofore be distinc-
tly Protestant, and therefore Christian.

.3rd. That the Protestant School Regulations shall
contain a conscience clause protecting the religious con-
victions of Jewish scholars.

Mr. Goldstein stated that a deputation of Jewish
citizens would proceed to Quebec on Wednesday, 4th
March, to meet the Premier on the following day, and
asked that a Committee of the Board should be appoint-
ed to accompany it. The deputation then withdrew,
after thanking the Board for the consideration shown it.

The following resolution, as recast, was then in-
troduced to the School Board by Rev. Dr. Shaw, and
carried : — "Whereas an action has recently been in-
stituted against this Board by certain Jews, and as a
result the judgment has in substance stated that by law
the Jews have no rights in the public schools of this
Province, either Roman Catholic or Protestant.

•We hereby declare our opinion that this glaring ano-
maly and injustice which deprive so large and respect-
able an element of our population as the Hebrew people,
of their rights as regards elementary education should
be removed.

Further we declare our readiness to co-operate with
our Jewish fellow-citizens in seeking such equitable
remedial legislation as will remove this unjust ine-
quality.

At the same time we must call the attention of our
Protestant constituents to the danger there is that their
rights may be be imperilled while the wrongs of the
Jews are being rectified. If the non-Christian elements
of the community are made a charge upon the Pro-
testant Board of School Commissioners, while the
revenue from them is so small, a burden will be im-
posed upon Ui's which will seriously prejudice the ex-
cellent school system that for some years we have been
laboriously striving to establish.

Tf the enactment be proposed that all citizens who
ire neither Protestants nor Roman Catholics have the
right 10 send their children to whichever system of

20

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

schools they choose, provided always that the school
taxes of such parties be distributed to the two systems,
according to school attendance, we cannot object to the
equity of such a remedy. At the same time the creation
of such rights, while perfectly just, does not bring to
this Board the relief it so urgently needs. It simply
means that the financial embarrassment heretofore f;lt
from this cause will continue. Indeed, it is morally
certain that with Montreal as a seaport of growing im-
portance, there will be landed here from Europe an in-
creasing number of people of various races, necessarily
of limited means, who, it is morally certain, will be to
a great extent an educational charge upon this Board.
In the absence of the single system of public schools
which generally obtains on this continent, this con-
stitutes an unjust inequality to our prejudice.

At the same time we hereby readily declare our will-
ingness to educate the children of all citizens who may
come to us, whatever their race or religion, provided
we have the means to do so, and consider that necessary
steps be taken at an early date to secure the necessary
revenue for the purpose."

In accordance with this agreement the Hebrew re-
presentatives with the consent of the Protestant Board
of School Commissioners secured the passage of an Act
in 1903 by the Quebec Legislature (3 Ed. VII, ch. 16)
which gave very important privileges to the Hebrew
population for school purposes in the Province of
Quebec. The main provisions of this Act are : — first,
that for educational purposes all Jews are to be regarded
as Protestants, second, that the school taxes of Jewish
rate-payers are to be paid into the Protestant panel,
third, that members of the Jewish population are to
enjoy all the rights and privileges of Protestants for
educational purposes, and fourth, a special conscience
clause in favour of children of Jewish parents attending
Protestant schools. At the same time the Protestant
Board entered by resolution into agreement with the
Jewish population protecting the children of Jewish
parents from suffering any loss through absence from
school on Jewish holidays. This Act is rightly regard-
ed by the Jewish population as their Magna Charta for

21

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

educational purposes, and they are very jealous of any
attempt to modify the terms of this Act.

It is important to notice in this connection that the
delegation which waited upon the Protestant Board of
School Commissioners claimed to represent and to
act for the whole Jewish population of the city of Mon-
treal. In the second place it is important to note that
it was specifically declared by Mr. Max Goldstein that
the Jewish community, recognizing their position as a
minority, neither asked nor desired that the Protestant
Pulblic School system should be changed in respect to
its distinctive religious character and constitution, and
thirdly that the Protestant Board called the attention
of the Protestant constituents to the danger there is
that their rights may be imperilled while the wrongs of
the Jews are being rectified.

It has been said that the Protestant Board applied
for the admission of the Jewish population under the
Protestant school system. An examination of the pre-
amble of the act of 1903 (3 Ed. VII., chap. 16) will
show that this is an entire misapprehension of the facts
of the case. Representatives of the Jewish population
applied to the Protestant Board and then to the Quebec
Legislature to be included under the Protestant School
System. The Protestant Board gave its consent under
certain conditions in order to relieve the Jewish popul-
ation from the intolerable educational conditions in
which they were placed ^according to recent judicial
decisions.

Jewish Representatives on the Protestant Board.

These statements are very significant in view of the
developments which followed. Notwithstanding the
representation made by authorized representatives of
the Jewish population in conference with the Protestant
Board of School Commissioners, definite steps were
taken by the Hebrew population, before three years had
expired, to revolutionize the whole system of manage-
ment of the Protestant schools of Montreal and to in-
troduce Jewish representatives on the Protestant school
board.

The following extracts from a circular issued by the
Protestant Board of School Commissioners under date
of March 6th, 1906, are very illuminating in this con-

22

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

nection: — "The Protestant Board of School Commis-
sioners of Montreal considers it its duty to call the
attention of the Protestant citizens to a, bill which is
row before the Provincial Legislature. This bill pro-
vides that in 1908 the Board, as now constituted, shall
cease to exist and shall be replaced by eighteen school
comnrssion-ers to be elected, one from each ward of the
City It is proposed that the new school commissioners
shall be elected by the proprietors, Protestant and
Jewish, who are municipal electors in each ward, and
all resident proprietors, Protestant or Jewish, of the
male sex, who are owners of immoveable property of
the value of $1000, are eligible for election to the office.
At present the Protestant Board of School Commis-
sioners for Montreal is composed of six members, three
of whom, the Very Rev. Dean Evans, Re\ . Dr. Shaw
and Rev. Dr. Barclay, are appointed by the Provincial
Government, the other three, Mayor Ekers, Alderman
Robertson, and Alderman Stearns, being appointed by
the City Council. In inviting public attention to the
proposed change, the Commissioners feel themselves
placed in a difficult and delicate position. While they
are unwilling on the one hand to appear to urge their
own retention in office, on the other they deem it their
duty to call the attention of those whose interests they
are appointed to represent to the proposed change, and
to the serious consequence which may ensue.

The members of the present school board, though not
directlv elected by popular vote, receive their appoint-
ment from those who are so elected. They are, there-
fore, a representative body. The Provincial Govern-
ment in selecting its representatives has usually appoint-
ed clergymen of the various Protestant churches, a plan
which has had, among other advantages, that of secur-
ing men expert and interested in secular education, as
well as in the maintenance of that religious training
which, under the law, is the distinctive feature of the
schools of this Province. It is the practice of the City
Council to appoint as School Commissioners three of
its own members who directly represent the citizens.
It is for the Protestant citizens to say whether the Board
so constituted has not been found effective for both
scholastic and financial administration.

23

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

Like other schools in the Province, those of Montreal
are divided on the basis of religious faith. The Roman
Catholic schools are administered by the Catholic
School Commission, composed exclusively of Roman
Catholics, and the Protestant Schools by the Protestant
Board of School Commissioners, composed exclusively
of Protestants. The members of other religious faiths
are not eligible to serve on either Board. The bill
under consideration proposes that Jews shall be eligible
for election as members of the Protestant Board of
School Commissioners. The immediate effect of this
change would be to place the Protestant Schools under
the administration of a body not distinctly Christian in
its character and composition. The ultimate conse-
quences of such a change must be both far-reaching and
revolutionary. It is true that Jewish children are now
admitted to the Protestant schools, under legislation
largely due to the support of the Commissioners, but
it is also true that before legislation was sought in this
matter it was agreed between the authorized represent-
atives of the entire Jewish community of Montreal and
the School Board at a conference held on the 2nd of
March, 1903, that "the school system should remain as
before distinctly Protestant and therefore Christian,"
the Jews being guaranteed freedom from attendance at
devotional exercises and allowed other soecially defined
privileges under a conscience clause. But apart from
the question of religious instruction in the schools, the
elective system of appointing school commissioners is
most perilous to the best educational results.

The bill provides that the city authorities shall take
the steps necessary for the election of school commis-
sioners in the same way and at the same time as for
the municipal elections, and that the expense thus in-
curred shall be retained from the share of the school
tax accruing to the Protestant Board. The diversion of
a part of the Board's income from educational purposes
and the application of the money, in unknown and un-
controlled amount, to the cost of an election in each
ward of the city, seems open to grave objection."

This attempt on the part of the Jewish community to
re-organize the whole system of Protestant education
in the city of Montreal, in their interests, through action

24

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

of the Provincial Legislature, failed to receive the ne-
cessary support and the movement was abandoned for
the time being. In 1909 these efforts were renewed
in a modified form, as appears from the circular, issued
to the Citizens of Montreal by the Protestant Board of
School Commissioners under date March 27th, 1909.

The characteristic feature of this new movement was
the proposal that the Protestant School Board of Mon-
treal should be composed of twelve members four of
whom should be appointed by the Government and eight
elected by Jewish and Protestant rate-payers, Jews
being eligible as members of the Board.

25

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

HIGH SCHOOL

197 Peel Street,

Montreal, March 27th, 1909.
Sir,

I am instrristed by the Protestant Board of School
Commissioners to submit for your consideration the
following representations respecting the bill now before
the Legislature under which it is proposed to change
the constitution of the Board by increasing the number
of Commissioners from six to twelve, and by providing
for their election by the Jewish and Protestant pro-
prietors of real estate in the City. At present the Board
is composed of six members, three of whom are appoint-
ed by the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, and
three by the City Council, generally from among the
Protestant Aldermen. The three appointed by the
Government have usually been, as thev are at present
clergymen of the several Protestant Churches, and so
possessing a certain representative character, and bring-
ing to their work, which in one of its sides at least, is
of a technical character, the qualifications of a univer-
sity training. In favour of the proposed change, it is
urged that the control of public moneys should be
vested in a body directly elected by the rate-payers.
There does not appear to be any complaint either of the
general policy or of the details of the administration of
the schools, nor any general distrust of the intelligence
or integrity of any of the gentlemen now serving as
School Commissioners. It is not the contention of the
supporters of the bill that the administration is, or has
been either dishonest, extravagant, or characterized by
the evils of patronage in the appointment of its servants
or the making of its contracts. Without overstepping
the limits of either truthfulness or modesty, the Com-
missioners may venture to affirm that the results of
their work justify both the principles of their adminis-
tration, and the method of their appointment. In par-
ticular, they may be permitted to regard with satisfac-
tion the harmony with which the members of the various
Protestant Churches, clergymen and laymen alike, have
worked together in a common cause, and upon the
common ground of a common Christian faith. Whether
a body elected upon the lines of the City Council, and
so representing sectional interests and ideas, would

26

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

command and merit public confidence in equal degree
with the present Board is a point upon which recent
events would seem to justify doubt.

The admission of Jewish citizens to the electorate, and
as a consequence, of Jewish representatives to the
membership of the Board, would immediately involve
the destruction of the Christian character of the adminis-
tration;. The employment of Jewish teachers would
logically follow, and as a result the religious instruc-
tion of Protestant children would, in certain cases, be
placed in non-Christian hands. It seems scarcely neces-
sary to characterize such an innovation as undesirable.
The proposed change in the religious character and con-
stitution of the Board, is, besides, directly opposed to
the agreement under which the Protestant Board of
School Commissioners, at the urgent request of the re-
presentatives of the entire Jewish community, assumed
the costly task of educating the Jewish children of the
City. That agreement provided that Jewish pupils
should be admitted, as of right, to the Protestant Public
Schools, and that the school taxes of all Jewish pro-
prietors should be paid into the Protestant panel. The
money contribution then made was not, and probably
is not now, sufficient to meet the cost of educating the
Jewish children attending the Protestant Schools. The
Jewish representatives then declared that they neither
asked nor desired that the Protestant School system
should be changed in respect to its distinctive religious
character and constitution. The bill now before Parlia-
ment sets aside the principel of this agreement, and in-
volves the destruction of the Christian character of the
administration. Should the measure become law, the
two school systems of the City will become much more
widely separated, one, the Roman Catholic, would still
remain Christian, while the other would be neither
Christian nor Protestant.

The Jewish supporters of the bill cannot plead that
their children are compelled to receive religious instruc-
tion from which they dissent, as they are iully protected
by a conscience clause in the agreement. If they are in
any way dissatisfied with their present position, the
remedy would appear to be the establishment of a
Jewish School Board, supported by the school taxes, of

27

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

their own faith, a change which, however, objectionable
from a national point of view, would certainly be pre-
ferred by many Protestant parents and rate-payers to
that now proposed. The present method of appointing
the School Board is by no means without parallel. In
New York, Baltimore, Buffalo, St. Paul, San Francisco,
Washington and Chicago the members of the Board of
Education are appointed by the Mayor. The School
Board of Philadelphia is appointed by the Judges of the
Court of Common Pleas. In New Orleans, the Board,
as in Montreal, is appointed in part by the City Council,
and in part by the Governor.

The selection of School Commissioners by vote would
prevent many men of administrative capacity and largre
educational experience, who are now willing to serve
from entering upon a municipal campaign, while any
property-owning qualification would render ineligible
for office most of the Protestant clergymen of the city,
besides many others eminently fitted.

The gentlemen who are now serving as School Com-
missioners are placed in a peculiarly difficult and deli-
cate position. On the one hand, they are unwilling to
appear to plead for their own retention in office, while
on the other, they cannot but regard the proposed legis-
lation as highly injurious to the best interests of educa-
tion, both moral and intellectual. The duty of repres-
enting to their constituents the facts and circumstances
of the case undoubtedly devolves upon them, and that
duty they have now discharged. It rests with those
citizens who may be in accord with their principles and
satisfied with their past administration to signify, in-
dividually or collectively, by representations through
the press and to the members of the Legislature and the
Government, their wishes with regard to the proposed
change. The absence of any general and immediate ex-
pression of dissent will undoubtedly be interpreted as
at least passive support of the bill.
I am, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

H. J. SILVER,
Secretary-Superintendent
Protestant Board of School Commissioners
oc the City of Montreal.

28

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM
The City Council and Jewish Representation.

These efforts of the Jewish population to secure re-
presentation on the Protestant Board of School Com-
missioners by popular election met with some support,
but they were unable to convince the public and the
members of the Legislature that this movement was
really in the interests of education.

Having failed to secure representation through the
action of the Legislature, the Jewish representatives
next turned their attention to the City Council, who
held the appointment of three of the six members of
the Protestant Board. Having succeeded in electing'
one of their number as a member of the City Council,
they undertook to influence the French Roman Catho-
lic majority in the Council to over-ride the wishes of
the Protestant minority, and to appoint a Jewish re-
presentative to the next' vacancy on the Protestant
Board. This movement took definite shape in 1916, and
aroused a great deal of interest among the Protestant
rate-payers of Montreal.

The Education Committee of the Anglican Diocesan
Synod addressed the following resolution, with a cover-
ing letter from the Lord Bishop of the Diocese, to
Mayor Martin : — "The Education Committee of the
Synod of the Diocese of Montreal, representing the
Church of England in Canada in Montreal respectfully
prays that the vacancy in the Protestant School Com-
mission be filled by appointing an Alderman who is a
Protestant, and protests aerainst any other than a Pro-
testant, however well qualified in other respects he mav
be, and would urge the injustice to the Protestant rate-
payers of the City of Montreal of any other appoint-
ment than that of a Protestant.

The Presbytery of Montreal under date May 18th,
1916, gave special attention to this subject and on the
motion of the Rev. Dr. Campbell, seconded by the Rev.
Dr. Dickie, it was unanimously resolved "That the
Presbytery of Montreal hereby protests against the pro-
posal that the City Council appoint to the Protestant
School Board of Montreal anyone who is not a Protes-
tant as an invasion of the rights granted by the British
North America Act to both Roman Catholics and Pro-

29

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

testants of Quebec to control their own schools."

In consultation with the representatives of the lead-
ing Protestant communions of the City, a carefully
prepared letter was published in the Montreal Gazette
setting forth the main features of the situation and
urging the Protestant population of the Citv to oppose
the proposed appointment by the City Cotvncil. A joint
Committee representing the leading Church commu-
nions of the City waited upon the City Council and
presented a four page typewritten petition setting forth
in much detail the historical bearings of this question,
and urging upon the City Council that in discharging
the delicate and important duty of appointing members
of the Protestant Board of School Commissioners of
Montreal they safe-guard the Christian and Protestant
character of the School Board. The petition was sup-
ported by the following signatures : — The Lord Bishop
of Montreal, the Dean of Montreal, Chancellor David-
son, the Rev. Canon Rexford, the Rev. Wil-iam Robin-
son, the Rev. J. J. Willis, the Rev. Dr. Bruce Taylor,
the Rev. Dr. Campbell, the Rev. Dr. Duncan, the Rev.
Dr. Rose, George Campbell, and Henry F. Armstrong.
The Petition was presented and explained by Chancellor
Davidson.

As a resnlt of this opposition the efforts of the Jews
to secure representation were unsuccessful and a Pro-
testant was appointed to fill the vacancy on the Board.
The following year, 1917 Alderman Weldon's term of
office expired and the Jewish representatives came back
with fresh determination to secure the appointment of
a Jewish Alderman as their representative on the Pro-
testant Board. In the meantime however, the Pro-
testant community had bee;i aroused to the importance
of the whole question and the informal gatherings of
representatives of the different Church communions in
1916 had been reduced to a definite organization for the
purpose of studying this whole question.

Under the direction of this Joint Committee petitions
were circulated in the different Protestant Churches of
the city rcging that ex-Alderman Weldon should be re-
appointed to the Protestant Board on termination of his
office on June 30th, 1917. The fo1lowine outline report
of the work of the Joint Committee, which was issued,

30

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

indicates the important work done by this Committee
and the satisfactory results that attended its efforts : —

"In harmony with the resolution of this Committee of
April 3rd and April 13th asking for Joint Conferences
with the representatives of the other Protestant Com-
munions of the city upon the questions arising out of
the relations of the Jewish population to the Protestant
schools of the city, the first Joint-Meeting was held
in the Synod Hall under date April 27th at which there
was a fairly representative attendance of the different
Protestant Communions of the city. The Rev. Dr.
Rexford was called to the Chair. The action of the
Chairman in convening the Conference was approved.
It was unanimously agreed to recommend to the City
Council that Ex-Alderman W. S. Weldon be reappoint-
ed to Office, and it was agreed to arrange for a deputa-
tion to lay matters before the City Council. It was
further agreed that the Conference be held on May 18th
at which the attendance of leading representatives of
all the Protestant Communions should be secured.

"On May 3rd it came under our notice that immediate
action was necessary as the City Council proposed to
make its appointment on the following Monday, May
7th, and a very fuli and careful presentation of the whole
case was presented to the City Council by members of
the delegation. Before making the appointment the
City Council referred the matter to its Law Officers for
a Legal opinion and the City Council was informed
that, while the appointment of a Jewish representative
might be made under the Quebec Act, such appoint-
ment would be contrary to the provisions of the Con-
federation Act and therefore illegal. Mr. W. S. Weldon
was accordingly reappointed as a member of the Pro-
testant Board of School Commissioners.

1 On Mav 18th, 1917 the 2nd Joint Conference was held
at which there was a thoroughly representative attend-
ance of the various Protestant Communions of the city.
The whole situation created by the demands of the
Jewish population for representation on the Protestant
Board of School Commissioners was thoroughly dis-
cussed and as it had been suggested by the representa-
tive of the Jewish population that a Conference might be
helpful it was unanimously agreed that a Committee

31

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

of live representatives be appointed with full power to
act, the Chairman and Convener to be the Rev. Dr.
Rexford, and the other members, George A. Campbell,
Esq., K.C., Rev. Dr. Bruce Taylor, Rev. Dr. E. I . Hart,
Chancellor L. H. Davidson; that this Committee ar-
range a meeting with the representatives of the Jewish
population to 'discuss, in harmony with our conversa-
tions of this afternoon the educational questions arising
from the relations of the Jewish population to the Pro-
testant Schools of Montreal. It was agreed that the
Committee named should point out the following
possible courses open : —

1. To go on as present.

2. To withdraw the Jewish children from the Pro-
testant Schools and require a separate Jewish Panel for
all other than Roman Catholic and Protestant children.

3. In case the Jews secured the appointment of a
Jewish representative to the Protestant Board an In-
junction will at once be taken out against that person.

"On the evening of May 29th, 1917, a Conference was
arranged with the representatives of the Jewish popula-
tion and was held in the Synod Office. The Official
Report of that Committee of Conference is given below :

On October 25th the third meeting of the Joint Com-
mittee was held to receive the Report of the Committee
on Conference with the Jews and for other purposes.
The rough draft of the Report was considered, some
amendments in form suggested and the Committee ad-
journed to meet at the call of the Chairman. The ad-
journed meeting has been called for Thursday, Nov.
8th, when reports of the Conference will be considered
and the best methods of putting before the public the
information necessary for the formation of an intelli-
gent opinion on this subject will be discussed."

Report of the Conference. When the Jewish represent-
ative found that their efforts to secure representation
on the Protestant Board through the City Council had
failed they then applied to the Joint Committee for a
conference in order to consider the whole situation. A
conference was accordingly arranged to be held at the
Synod Hall on Tuesday evening, May 29th, 1917 at
which the Joint Committee was represented by the Rev.
Dr. Bruce Taylor, the Rev. Dr. E. I. Hart, George A.

32

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

Campbell, Esq., K.C., and the Rev. Dr. Rexford, Dr.
L. H. Davidson who was also a member of this Com-
mittee, was detained by illness, but submitted a letter
of suggestions. The Jewish representatives were Max-
well Goldstein, Esq., K.C., and others.

"Mr. Goldstein opened the Conference with a long
statement in which he expressed a preference for Na-
tional Schools with religious teaching excluded, but
said that under the circumstances there was no desire
to disturb the Christian Character of these Schools at
present. He urged that as Jews were paying taxes
and providing a large portion of the children in attend-
ance it was only British fair play that they should have
a voice in the administration of the Schools. In the
presence of an overwhelming French Roman Catholic
majority it was desirable that Jews and Protestants
should work together, perhaps they could be given equal
rights in the schools, each having its own religious
teaching at a common hour.

"He urged that the idea of a separate Jewish panel
with separate schools for children of Jews is not in the
interests of the Community nor in the interests of the
Jewish population, as it is important that the Protestant
and Jewish population should work together for the
promotion of the non-Roman Catholic interests of the
community.

"In answer to the question whether the Jewish popu-
lation felt that they had any grievances as to the
manner and spirit in which the Protestant Board had
carried out the agreement of 1903, he admitted that their
constituency was well satisfied, and that any difficulties
that arose were of minor importance such as unwise
remarks of teachers and the adjustment of marks in
elective subjects.

"When asked what practical suggestions they had to
make in view of the provisions of the Confederation Act,
and the legal opinion obtained by the City Council,
they suggested that these legal questions should be left
in abeyance and that a Gentleman's aoreement should
be entered into for a period of ten years by which two
Jewish representatives should be appointed on the
present school Board, and that at the end of this decade,

33

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

the question should be reconsidered in the light of then
existing conditions. Upon being pressed as to the
ultimate issue of the present educational condition he
did not hesitate to express the conviction that in the
near future Jewish representatives would issue in
Jewish control and that the Protestant parents of this
city would be sending their children to a system of
schools administered by a Board controlled by Jewish
representatives."

Your representatives replied : —

1. ''That the Jewish population might rest assured that
the Protestant rate-payers of the city would never
consent to hand over to Jewish administration and
control the splendid educational system and equipment
which has been built upon the sacrifices of half a
century.

2. That your representatives believed that the Pro-
testant population were prepared to go forward under
the compact of 1903 as understood by the Protestant
Board.

3. That if the Jewish Population were not satisfied
with the present arrangements your representatives
believed that the Protestant population would be pre-
pared to co-operate with them in securing the repeal
of the Act of 1903 and the establishment of a Jewish
panel for School purposes.

4. That your representatives would resist by all legi-
timate means any attempt to appoint Jewish repres-
entatives on the Protestant Board of School Commis-
sioners of the City of Montreal as -contrary to the speci-
fic provisions of the Confederation Act.

5. That the charge of lack of British fair play in
resisting the appointment of Jewish representatives
upon the Montreal Protestant Board cannot be justified
in the face of the following facts : —

(a) That when the Jewish population of the city
were without means to provide educational facilities
for their children the Protestant Board undertook to
receive the Jewish children into their schools and to
provide for their education ;

(b) That in providing for the Jewish children the
Protestant Board .granted them not only all the privi-
leges enjoyed by the children of Protestants, but also

34

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

special privileges because of their religious faith;

(c) That a large amount of tax from Protestant rate-
payers has been employed in providing educational facil-
ities for Jewish children which wouuld otherwise have
been used in providing facilities for Protestant children ;

(d) That the introduction of a large number of Jewish
children into our Protestant schools has seriously im-
paired the value of these schools as institutuions for
Protestant education and has led many Protestants to
withdraw their children from these schools.

"In .the light of these facts the refusal of the Pro-
testant population to go further and by the appoint-
ment of Jewish representatives on the Protestant Board
to hand over the administration of their splendid system
of schools to a Board which would eventually be con-
trolled by Jewish representatives, is no lack of British
Fair Play, but a reasonable precaution in the interests
of self-preservation."

After this conference with the Jewish representatives
nothing further was heard of the proposal to secure
Jewish representation on the Protestant Board of School
Commissioners. The Joint Committee, however, con-
tinged its work, and in March, 1918 issued a small
twelve page folder giving a historical sketch of Pro-
testant education in Montreal with special reference to
the Jewish problem., but without recommending any
definite policy. This folder, which was signed on be-
half of the Joint Committee by Robert Campbell, E. I.
Hart, T. W. Davidson, M. F. McCutcheon and Elson
I. Rexford, was widely circulated in the different Pro-
testant congregations of the city.

More Recent Developments

The phenominal growth of the Jewish population of
Montreal has at length created an important crisis in
the working of the Protestant School system of the
city. The latest returns from the School Board show
that 13,954 Jewish children are in attendance at the
schools under the Protestant Board. As the annual
cost of education under the Protestant Board is over
$60.00 per capita, the education of the Jewish children
of the city forms an annual charge upon the budget of
the Protestant Board of Lbout $837,240. As the taxes

35

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

received from the Jewish rate-payers are quite inade-
quate to meet even half of this expenditure, it has been
felt that there is an injustice in calling upon the rate-
payers of the religious minority to bear the whole
burden of this extra expenditure for the education of
Jewish and other non-Roman and non-Protestant
children. The Protestant Board therefore felt com-
pelled to represent to the public and to the Govern-
ment that while they had carried this ever-increasing
burden during the past twenty years, they felt that a
crisis had been reached where it was absolutely neces-
sary that some relief should be provided for the Pro-
testant minority.

In this connection the Chairman of the Protestant
Board recommended, in an interview given to the Gaz-
ette in October, 1922, that the provisions of the act of
1903 regarding Jews be repealed, and that non-Roman
and non-Protestant tax-payers pay their taxes into the
neutral panel, and that all non-Roman and non-Protes-
tant children be given rights of attendance in the Roman
Catholic or Protestant schools, which they may choose,
and that the cost of education of such children be the
first charge on the neutral panel, and that such cost
of education be based upon the actual per capita cost
determined by the division of the total expenditure of
the respective boards providing the education, by the
total enrolment of the system. This appeared to be a
satisfactory solution and it was received with general
approval.

In this connection the contents of the three panels of
city property for school taxes 1921 may be of interest: —

Panel Valuation Rate Yield

No. 1. Roman

Catholic 289,301,992 - 7%, = $2,025,113.94

No. 2. Protes-
tant 161,680,031 — 10% = $1,616,800.31

No. 3. Neutral . 250,554,931 — \0%: = $2,505,549.31

701,536,954 $6,147,463.56

It is interesting to note that while the Protestant

panel and the Neutral panel pay a school tax of 10

Mills in the Dollar, the Roman Catholic panel pays only

7 Mills in the Dollar. Because of this fact the amount

36

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

of school taxes paid by the third or Neutral panel is
much greater than the school tax paid by either the
Roman Catholic or the Protestant Panel.

Un order to bring these facts before the attention of
the Quebec Government a. conference was arranged
with the members of the Cabinet at the close of 1922
at which there were present representatives of the
Roman Catholic Board, representatives of the Protes-
tant Board and representatives of the Jewish popula-
tion of Montreal, and representatives of the Protestant
Committee. After much discussion and consultation
an agreement was /reached upon the main points,
and MJ: — I*a*rrrrnteati was charged with the responsibi-
lity of drafting the Bill. In conference with Dr. Par-
melee , the English Secretary of the Department of
Public Instruction, the Bill was prepared — the main
points of this Bill may be briefly summarized as
follows : —

1. The Act of 1903 was repealed.

2. Two systems of schools were continued in the City
of Montreal.

3. All non-Roman Catholic and non-Protestant rate-
payers were to pay their taxes into the Third or Neutral
panel at the rate fixed for the Second, or Protestant
panel.

4. The children of non-Roman Catholic and non-Pro-
testant parents may attend either system of schools
subject to the payment of the prescribed school fees.

5. The cost of the education of the children of non-
Roman Catholic and non-Protestant parents should be
paid out of the Third or Neutral panel.

When this proposed Bill came r(p for consideration,
the Jewish representatives approved of the new finan-
cial arrangement, but entered a most emphatic protest
against the repeal of the Act of 1903, which they re-
garded as their educational Magna Charta. After an-
other strenuous conference at Quebec, between the
parties interested and the members of the Government,
it was finally agreed that the financial arrangements
suggested should be carried out ; that the other clauses
of the Act of 1903 should remain, that the Jewish rate-
payers should be indicated by a special mark in the
assessment Roll and that the Act of 1903 may be re-

37

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

pealed by Order in Council after the first of July, 1924.
Before this second Bill reached its final form the
Jewish representatives secured changes in the financial
clauses in favour of their status as Protestants. The
main points of this second Bill (13 Geo. V., chap. 44)
may be summarized as follows : —

1. The educational status of the Jewish population is
preserved as under Act 1903.

2. The taxes of Jewish rate-payers are to be paid into
the Second or Protestant panel.

3. The excess cost of educating Jewish children above
the taxes paid in by Jewish rate-payers is to be charged
upon the Third, or Neutral panel, according to a per
capita rate.

4. Other non-Roman Catholic or non-Protestant rate-
payers are to pay their taxes into the Third, or Neutral
panel, and they may use either system of schools, but
the total cost of the education of their children is to be
paid from the Third, or Neutral panel at a per capita
rate.

5. The Act of 1903 may be repealed after the first of
July, 1924, by an Order in Council.

The following is a statement of the school taxes for
1923 under the new act.

Panel Rate Valuation Taxes

No. 1. Roman

Catholics.. .. 7 Mills $309,897,770 $2,169,128
No. 2. Protes-
tant 10 " $167,966,976 $1,671,473

No. 3. Neutral.. 12 " $263,763,029 $3,177,424

Above figures are given subject to adjustment of the
taxes under the Protestant Panel, No. 2, the Jewish
Proprietors contribute $368.794 while the cost of educat-
ing the 13,954 Jewish pupils enrolled with the Protes-
tant Board at $60 per capita is $837,240

Some Difficult Problems

The problems which the Jewish educational question
presents for solution at the present time, are many and
various. The financial problem, which was dealt with
at the session of the Legislature 1922 was perhaps the
most pressing.

38

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

The school taxes of the Jewish rate-payers, provide
less than half the cost of the education of their children.
The religious minority has, therefore, been paying from
three to four hundred thousand dollars annually in
order to provide efficient schools for the Jewish popula-
tion, and in order to meet these extra expenses the Pro-
testant school tax of the City had been increasd to 10
Mills in the Dollar, while the Roman Catholic school
tax remained at seven Mills in the Dollar.

While the Act of the Legislature of Session 1922
compensates the school board in a large measure for
this extra expenditure, it still leaves three different
rates of taxation for school purposes on the rate-payers
for the City of Montreal namely, 10 Mills in the Dollar
for Protestant rate-payers, 12 Mills in the Dollar for
Incorporated Companies, and 7 Mills in the Dollar for
Roman Catholic rate-payers.

A second problem is presented by the status accorded
to the Jewish population under the Act of 1903. This
status is of doubtful interpretation. The Jewish popula-
tion claims that under this Act members of the Jewish
population enjoy the same rights and privileges as Pro-
testants, and are, therefore, entitled to representation
on the School Boards of the Province. Ihe legal ad-
visors of the City Council have declared this Act ultra
vires as it contravenes the principles of the Conderation
Act. In this opinion other eminent counsel concur. The
legal aspects of this question have naturally attracted
much attention. The act of Confederation guarantees
to any class of the community that enjoyed the privi- 1
lege of denominational schools at the time of Con-
federation the continuation of these priv:leges. The
Protestant minority in this Province had a system
of Denominational schools in operation at the time of
Confederation. In 1903 the Local Legislature passed V
an act declaring that for educational purposes all lews
shaU be regarded as Protestants and shall enjoy all the
rights and privileges of Protestants under the Protes-
ta^t school system.

The question arises — Does the incorporation of the
large Hebrew element of the population in the Protes-
tants Schools so impair the value of these schools
as institutions for the training of children of Protestants

39

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

as to constitute a violation of the guarantees given at
Confederation to the Protestant minority for the con-
tinuation of their denominational schools? There is
important legal opinion in favor of this position.

If for example the Provincial Legislature should pass
an Act declaring that for educational purposes all English
speaking Roman Catholics should ,be regarded as Pro-
testants and should enjoy all the rights and privileges
of Protestants in the Protestant school system of the
Province — no one would hesitate to say that siiich an
act was a violation of the guarantees given to the Pro-
testant minority in this Province at Confederation. But
if the incorporation of a non-Protestant, but Christian
element of the population is illegal, the incorporation
of a non- Protestant and Hebrew element of the popula-
tion with full rights and privileges as Protestants
would appear to be a greater violation of the guaran-
tees of Confederation.

The Protestant Board of School Commissioners
demands that all uncertainty in this matter shall be re-
moved and that the absolute and exclusive control of the
Protestant Schools of the City by a Board comnosed of
Protestant members be preserved as guaranteed by the
Confederation Act.

The Jews recognize that under the Act of 1903 they
have secured a very remarkable concession and estab-
lished an educational statins which differentiates them
from all other non-Roman and non-Protestant elements
of the community, and they are, therefore, utterly op-
posed to the abrogation of this Act.

Again the fact that the Jewish element of the com-
munity provides a large percentage of the "Protestant"
school population has seriously impaired the reputation
of these schools as desirable institutions for the educa-
tion of Protestant children, with the result that many
Protestant rate-payers have felt compelled to turn to
other institutions for the education of their children.

The large number of religious holidays regarded by
the Jews as "fetes d'obligation" seriously interferes with
the working efficiency of the Protestant schools. It
aooears that some agreement was entered into by the
Protestant Board in 1903 which guaranteed Jewish

40

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

pupils from educational loss through absence on Jewish
holidays.

Another serious problem presented by the Jewish
situation is the question of employment of Jewish
teachers under the Protestant Board. The present act
says that the Jews should be treated in the same manner
as Protestants, and that they should enjoy the same
rights and privileges as Protestants. And now that the
Jewish children are passing through our High Schools
in large numbers and are finding their way to Mac-
donald College for training as teachers, the Jewish
population are demanding that their young women shall
be given situations as teachers under the Protestant
Board.

It is said that at the present time there are about
seventy Jewish teachers so employed. But the employ-
ment of such teachers is beset with many difficulties.
Many of them being from a foreign population speak
English imperfectly, and even Jewish parents, in brinp--
ing their children to the Protestant Schools, often ask
that they shall be p1aced under Gentile teachers. More- x
over in mixed classes it does not seem reasonable to
place Christian children under direction of these Jewish
teachers.

Again the question of religious instruction and char-
acter building presents serious difficulties in these
Jewish-Protestafrt schools. The [first period of. each
day in the elementary schools is set apart for religious
instruction and character 'development, specially design-
ed for Protestant pupils. It is not fitting that the
Jewish pupils should receive all of this instruction, and
it is most undesirable that this instruction should be
given to a few Protestant pupils in the presence of a
large number of Jewish pupils who are simply listeners
and onlookers. Moreover a large proportion of the
Jewish population profess to be very much concerned
because their children are receiving no adequate reli-
gious instruction under the existing system, and th^'r
point out that the special Jewish schools conducted
after school hours reach only a small percentage of the
Jewish school population. They ask for special courses
in the Hebrew languauge and literature under special
teachers trained and appointed by themselves. One

41

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

section of the Jewish representatives recommends that
this teaching should be done after school hours and that
the remuneration of these special Jewish .teachers select-
ed for this purpose be undertakn by the School Board.
These are some of the outstanding elements of the
Jewish educational problem which face the Protestant
School Board at the present time. It is not too much
to say that we have reached a crisis in the Protestant
educational history of the City which demands the
earnest attention of well-wishers of the social life of
our community.

Additional Legislation Recommended.

Another element which must be considered in con-
nection with the Jewish educational problem is the
great change that has taken place in the composition of
the non-Roman and non-Protestant sections of our City
population. Large numbers of members of the various
Eastern Churches have been added to our population in
recent years, as well as numbers from China and Japan,
etc., until the non-Roman, non-Protestant elements of the
community, exclusive of the Jewish population, are
almost as numerous as the Jewish population in 1903,
when it was considered advisable to secure special
Iegis1ation in order to meet their needs. The whole
situation is, therefore, changed and the Protestant
Board is asking that fresh legislation be secured that
shall cover all the non-Roman and non-Protestant
population of the City.

The legislation that was secured at the Session (1922)
was manifestly of a temporary character, and the 8th
Clause of the Act provides that the Act of 1903 may be
repealed by Order in Council after the first of July 1924.

In anticipation of further discussion of this important
question the Protestant Committee appointed, in Sept.
last 1923 a Sub-Committee to consider the questions in-
volved, to confer with parties interested and to report
to the Protestant Committee, in order that the Com-
mittee might be in a position to give advice if consulted
upon this matter by the Government.

,Since the first of October last (1923) numerous meet-
ings and conferences have been held by the Protestant

42

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

Board of School Commissioners, the Sub-Committee of
the Protestant Committee and Jewish representatives,
concerning the education of non-Roman Catholic and
non-Protestant members of the community. The Sub-
Committee of the Protestant Committee has held at
le^st ten meetings and conferences during the past six
months upon this question. During the progress of
these negotiations a Bill has been prepared by the Protes-
tant Board of Schools Commissioners and presented
to the Legislature. This Bill of the Protestant Board
is very similar in its main features to the first Bill
agreed upon in 1922. The various conferences held be-
tween the three interested bodies have been both in-
teresting and illuminating. The conferences with dele-
gations from the Jewish population of the City have
been remarkaVe for the ability and courtesy with which
their representatives presented their case.

The main points which have emerged in these discus-
sions may briefly be stated as follows : — The Protestant
Board of School Commissioners urged., 1st, that they
should have absolute and exclusive control of the Pro-
testant School system of the City, 2ndly, that they are
willing to provide educational privileges for children
of the non-Roman, non-Protestant population of the
City and 3rdly, that the extra cost involved in extending
the privileges of their schools to this section of the
population must be borne by the community at large
through the Third or Neutral Panel.

The School Board is of opinion that the only satisfac-
tory way to provide for these privileges is to repeal the
Act of 1903 and provide a new Bill similar to that in-
troduced at the session of the Legislature (1923).

The Jewish representatives are divided into two
groups taking different attitudes towards this important
question. They are both agreed that the Act of 1903
was a most erenerous concession on the part of the Pro-
testant Board at the time and they are also agreed that
the Protestant Board has faithfully carried out its part
of the contract of 1903 and that they are grateful for
what has been done in this connection. They are
divided, however, as to the policy to be followed for the
future. The representatives of the Uptown. West end
Jewish population are .'n favour of continuing the

43

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

present arrangement. They believe that the difficulties
which occur from time to time in the administration
can all be adjusted by conferences. Unless the Pro-
testant Board is contemplating some radical change in
the present organization they are in favour of con-
tinuing the present regime

The other group of representatives, the East end
Jewish population, desire to dissolve the present
compact and establish Jewish schools under a separate
Jewish panel. The presentation of the question by the
representatives of this group was clear, clever and most
interesting. Their leader, Mr. Fistche, pointed out that
the schools under the Protestant Board are denomi-
national schools and their character is guaranteed under
the Act of Confederation. The Fathers of Confederation
guaranteed the rights of religious minorities and this
guarantee should be held sacred. It ill-becomes a
small Jewish minority to suggest a change in the char-
acter of these schools in order to meet their peculiar
requirements. Mr. Fistche stated that the Jewish
children were receiving a splendid secular education in
the Protestant Schools, but that they also felt the ne-
cessity for religious education for their children. He
said "You Protestants are not satisfied with the working
of the present scheme, and you are appealing to the
Legislature ; we Jews are not satisfied with the working
of the present scheme and we feel that the time has
come when we must ask for a separation for Jewish
schools maintained under a separate Jewish Panel of
taxation." He said "You Protestants have no wish to
send your children to Roman Catholic schools for
obvious reasons, neither are we satisfied to send our
Jewish children to Protestant schools for their educa-
tion. You wish your children educated as Protestants
along Protestant lines; we wish our Jewish children
educated in Jewish schools along Jewish lines. Your
Protestant schools cannot turn out good Jews. You
are restricted in your religious education for your own
children by the presence of Jewish children in large
numbers in your schools. We as a matter of fact, have
no religious teaching for our children. Both religions
are good, but no religion is bad. Our special schools
for religious teaching meet the needs of only a small

44

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

part of our population. We are an ancient people, we
have a rich and extensive literature, we have traditions
and a Jewish nationality, which we feel should be pre-
served. OUT children are growing up largely ignorant
of the rich inheritance that is available, and we_ there-
fore feel that we owe it to our children to see that they
are provided with separate schools in which they may
be made acquainted with this inheritance from their
fore-fathers. Whether this frank statement was
"bluff" or a play for position was difficult to determine;
but it was certainly clear, clever and courteous.

In answer to further inquiry as to the real nature of
th.» religious education which they desire for their
children, Mr. Fistche said : — 1st that the Jewish educa-
tion that they desired would occupy at least one hour
or one hour and half daily, 2nd, that it would include the
language and literature of the Hebrew race together
with the customs and traditions, etc., of their ancient
religion. 3rd, that the ordinary Jewish class teachers
now employed in these schools are not competent to
do this work in the ordinary course, It cannot be
carried out in school hours by the regular grade teachers
as is done at present with the religious education given
to Protestant children. 4th, that the religious educa-
tion which they require for their children must be given
by specially trained Jewish teachers who might do the
work after school hours, and they indicated that if the
present scheme was to be continued the expenses of
these special Jewish teachers might be borne by the
Protestant Board.

The attitude of this second group became less defi-
nite, however, as the discussion proceeded. They in-
timated that if the Protestant Board contemplated no
radical change in the present order of things, the
present scheme might be continued provided special
provision was made for Jewish religious education.

The members of the Sub-Committee of the Protestant
Committee, representing as they do the Protestant
educational interests of the who1e Province, naturally
approach this question from a somewhat different angle.
Being more intimatelv associated with the Government
and the Legislature they are naturally more concerned
with the probable reaction of the Government and the
Legislature to the proposed legislation.

45

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

The Sub-Committee of the Protestant Committee
gave its general informal approval to the contents
of the several sections of the proposed Bill, 1923, but
suggested that an effort >be made to secure these results
through amendments to the present Acts rather than
by a repeal of the Act of 1903. This attempt brought
out into clear light the fact that the only effective way
of dealing with the ultra vires clauses of the Act of
1903 is by repealing them, as provided by Section 8 of
the Act of 1922.

It is maintained that it is impossible for the Legisla-
ture to give the Jewish population all the rights and
privileges of Protestants in educational matters with-
out destroying the Protestant denominational character
of the schools of the religious minority in contraven-
tion of the principles of the Act of Confederation. The
most that can be done for the Jewish population under
existing conditions is to provide standard educational
privileges for the children of the Jewish population
under certain conditions. It is held therefore that the
Act of 1903 must be repealed. Section 8 of the Act of
1922 provides a short method of doing this by Order
in Council.

The Protestant Board of School Commissioners in-
troduced a Bill at the Session of the Legislature 1923
which proposed to secure this repeal by regular action
of the Legislature. Repeated conferences between the
members of the Protestant Board and representatives
of the Protestant Committee failed to discover any more
satisfactory solution of the present situation.

During: these discussions of the Jewish educational
problem certain outstanding questions have arisen con-
cerning which there has been much discussion. First,
it is urged very strongly that it is unfair that the Jewish
population should be taxed for the support of schools
without having representation on the Board of School
Commissioners. To this it may be replied that the Pro-
testant Board of School Commissioners has no power
of taxation ; that it is an administrative Commission,
appointed bv two elective bodies, namely, the Legisla-
ture at Quebec and the City Council of Montreal ; that
one of these elective bodies has the power of determin-
ing the standard of taxation, and for this body the

46

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

Jewish population has the right of voting and of re-
presentation; that the school taxes are actually levied
and collected by the second elective bodv, the City
Council, for which the Jewish population has votes and
representation. The Protestant Board of School Com-
sioners is, therefore, an administrative Commission
without power of taxation, appointed by elective bodies
to do certain definite work for them. There is no case
here of taxation without representation.

In the second place a separate school panel has been
suggested as a solution of the present difficulties. At
first sight this appears a simple solution of the situa-
tion, and would be welcomed by a large section of our
Protestant population, but it would not be in the in-
terests of the community at large, and it is probably
not practicable at the present time. The Jewish popula-
tion now provide about 40% of the children of the Pro-
testant schools, while they pay only about 20% of the
school tax. In other words, they would require to
double their school tax in order to maintain efficient
schools. Again the establishment of a separate panel
for Jewish rate-payers would involve a complete or-
ganization for a Jewish system of schools from the
Department of Public Instruction through the Protes-
tant Committee, school inspectors, Normal training
school and boards of school commissioners. The 'Gov-
ernment and the French Roman Catholic majority of
the Province find great difficulty in managing two
systems of schools for the Province under the existing
law, and they would be strongly opposed to face the
additional difficulties and implications involved in the
organization and administration of a third system of
schools.

In view of the serious difficulties involved in this
suggested solution of the Jewish educational problem,
some believe that we should organize at once a move-
ment looking to the establishment of national schools
and the consequent repeal of the educational provi-
sions of the Act of Confederation. The logical force
of such a recommendation naturally makes a strong
appeal, but when we consider more carefully what is
involved in the effort to secure National schools for
this Province with the religious element eliminated and

47

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

one language adopted as the dominant language of the
schools, and when we consider the possibility of secur-
ing an amendment to the Confederation Act upon those
educational questions which have proved most critical,
most contentious and most bitter in the general admin-
istration of the Provinces it is a brave heart that will
face these suggestions as a possible solution of our
present difficulties.

In this discussion much has 'been made of the fact
that the school taxes from Jewish rate-payers are not
sufficient to cover the cost of the education of children
of Jewish parents and that the excess has to be made
up from the school taxes of other sections of the Com-
munity. This is not, however, a unique situation.
There are many sections of the city of Montreal whose
school taxes do not cover the cost of the education of
their children. Our school system is based upon the
principle that the real estate of the City is responsible
for the cost of education of the children of the City.

The real injustice arises from the fact that the small
Protestant minoritv in the City has been charged with
the financial responsibility of providing- educational
facilities for the children of a rapidly increasing Jewish
population whose school taxes are inadequate to meet
the cost of their education. If this cost of Jewish
education were distributed over all the real estate of the
City all injustice would be removed. The new provi-
sion of the Act of 1922 which makes the Third or
Neutral Panel responsible for this excess of school ex-
penditure has in some measure removed this injustice.

We might reasonably expect, however that as the
school taxes from Jewish rate-payers are quite inade-
quate to meet the cost of the education of the Jewish
children that the Jewish population would be moderate
in their demands upon the Protestant Board. As a
matter of fact, however, they are asking for their
children greater privileges than those enjoved by Pro-
testant children. iFor example, they claim that the
grade teachers of the Jewish faith cannot give satisfac-
tory religious instruction to their Jewish pupils. Such
instruction must be given by specially trained teachers
prepared and appointed by the Jewish authorities, but
paid by the Protestant Board, whereas the best that

48

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

we are able to do for Protestant children is to provide
them with such moral and religious instruction as the
regular grade teachers are able to impart.

:We have apparently reached a crisis in the educa-
tional history of the Province which deserves the most
careful consideration of all who are interested in the
development of our social life.

The Bills submitted to the Legislature by the Pro-
testant Board of School Commissioners present a well
denned policy.

First — The Protestant Board asks to be placed
in full and undivided control of the Protestant Schools
of Montreal as guaranteed by the Confederation Act.

Secondly— They ask that the Act of 1903 be repealed,
as it is intolerable that a School Board conducting large
financial transactions should be operating under an act
that has been declared ultra vires by eminent jurists.

Thirdly — They are prepared to provide for Jewish
children an education in respect to efficiency and quality
equivalent to that provided for Protestant children.

Fourthly — That in order to protect the interests of
Protestant children in relation to Jewish holidays and
moral and religious instruction it is necessary to arran-
ge that certain classes and certain schools shall be ex-
clusively Protestant or exclusively Jewish.

Fifthly — That the excess cost of the education of all
non-Roman Catholic, non-Protestant children shall be
a first charge upon the Third or Neutral Panel.

This programme has received very general approval
as a generous and effective solution of a somewhat
acute and complicated situation. In the Conferences
of 1922 it received the support of representatives of the
Roman Catholic Board of School Commissioners, of
the Protestant Board of School Commissioners, of re-
presentatives of the Protestant .Committee, and of sev-
eral representatives of the Jewish population

The sub-Committee of the Protestant Committee ap-
pointed in 1923, expressed informally its general appro-
val of the main provisions of the Bill, but out of respect
for strong representations attempted to secure the same
results by Amendments to the existing Acts.

When the matter came before the Protestant Com-
mittee no action was taken upon the merits of the pro-

49

OUR EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM

posed legislation, but in view of the wide difference of
opinion, both within and without the Committee, the
Protestant Committee recommended that no action be
taken on this question at the then current session of
the Legislature. Unless the Jewish population are pre-
pared to avail themselves of these generous proposals
of the Protestant Board there appears to be no practi-
cal alternative but the establishment of a third or
Jewish system of schools in this Province, to the great
disadvantage, not only of the Jewish population, but
of the whole community.

50