campaign against any change to the “free and unsectarian” education system in P.E.IJ°

Confusion and bitterness ensued as candidates and voters tried to sort out who was for and against which issues. The outcome was a victory for James C. Pope and his coalition of Conservatives and Liberals. The voters in the Fourth District of Prince County gave Mr. Pope a large majority?‘ Mr. Pope had succeeded in getting union with Canada, a grant to finance the railroad, and the Catholic vote.

This marks a turning point in the voting patterns in the five communities. Henceforth they would give the majority of their votes to Conservative candidates, especially in Pro- vincial elections. Obviously the perception that the Con- servatives would be more sympathetic than the Liberals to Catholic demands was the major factor in this change. As early as 1870 the Catholic newspaper, The Herald, told its readers that the progressive spirit of the Liberal Party had moved over to the Conservative Party!2 In addition, the Pastor at St. Malachy’s, Father Patrick Doyle, was a Con- servative, and a Canadian nationalist, and had great in- fluence in his parish]3

So on July 1, 1873 Prince Edward Island became the seventh province of the Confederation of Canada, and thereby was solved the financial problems attached to railroad construction. But the thorny issue of financial assistance to Catholic schools remained. Arguments and insults were exchanged in press and pulpit. Finally, it became the main issue in an election in August, 1876. Can- didates divided into a majority opposed to assistance to Catholic schools, and others who were in favor of religious schools, and perhaps financial support on a per capita stu- dent basis. The result of the election was a victory for those who favored a public and non-sectarian school system. Two strongly committed non—sectarian candidates were elected

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in the Fourth District of Prince County: John R. Calhoun and Walter C. Lea.14 This political decision was translated into educational policy the following year in a new Public Schools Act which prohibited the use of public money for religious-based schools and colleges. The law, however, did not prohibit the teaching of religion outside regular teaching hours when parents and trustees in particular districts so desired it. And this policy prevailed there after in Island schools.

The controversy seems not to have had any negative im- pact on the five communities. In fact, in 1871 Somerset was upgraded to a Grammar School. A Grammar school, in ad- dition to the basic elementary studies, provided instruction in Mathematics, Greek, French and Latin, and thereby prepared graduates to go on to college. A report from 1873 described the school at Somerset as follows:

The school house is a superior one, and one well equip— ped for a Grammar School. It is a two-storey building, well-furnished, with an apartment in the upper story that might serve as a classroom. Attached to the building is a suitable outhouse and a spacious playground enclosed by a row of trees.

The number of pupils in the higher branches at the pre- sent is small but this is due to the fact that some of the advanced scholars had not attended the current quarter; and some had gone to other institutions to complete their studies.”

To alleviate a shortage of qualified teachers on the Island, the government offered interested students five months of tuition-free training at Prince of Wales College, Charlot- tetown. Between 1877 and 1889 thirty-one students from the five communities took advantage of the offer and ob- tained teaching licenses, usually a third class, or beginn— ing, license]6 The schools could also proudly point to more