Catholics and Protestants Follow Jews in Education Drive

The example of the Jewish Education Association in driving home the necessity of religious education for New York’s Jewish children has been followed by leaders in the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. An appeal was issue yesterday to the citizens of New York of all creeds that all of New York’s children have “the priceless boon of religious education”. The appeal was in the form of a “New Year’s greeting”, and was signed by the Rev. Dr. D. de Sola Pool, Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, 99 Central Park West, of the Jewish Education Association, acting for the Jewish group; Mgr. Michael J. Lavelle, rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, for the Catholic group, and “Watson S. Moore, a Methodist laymen, who is President of the New York Federation of Churches, for the Protestant group. It is the first time that these three faiths have ever united in a religious enterprise. In making public the appeal, Mgr. Lavelle made the following statement.

“Our Jewish brethern have been giving extraordinary attention recently to the large number of New York’s children who seem to be growing up without religious instrucgion of any kind. They have made strenuous efforts among the people of their own faith to arouse interest upon this subject. Next, they invited cooperation from the Protestants, through the Federation of Churches, and from the Catholics, through Archbishop Hayes.”