On Tuesday the 9th of March, there will be given in the City Hall Charlottetown , for the purpose of raising funds towards furnishing the parsonage near Southport in connection with the Episcopal Church, an entertainment. This will consist of a fancy and refresh¬ ment tables during the afternoon, and conclude with a concert in the evening composed of sacred and secular music under the direc¬ tion of Mrs. Wentworth Stevenson. If the Charlottetown public will kindly patronize the above, it will be the last time they will be called upon for any aid towards this mission. Mr. Galbraith 's band will be in attendance during the evening. In 1950 the old Southport School was bought and renovated to serve as a church for the Catholic community. Previously, area Catholics were attend¬ ed to by the clergy of Basilica in Charlottetown until Southport became a parish in 1963. The first resident pastor was Monsignor McMahon, who was followed by Father Faber MacDonald (now Bishop of Grand Falls, Newfoundland ), Father Daniel O'Hanley , Father Pierre Arsenault , Msgr. William Simpson , and the present pastor, Father Francis Cameron . The parish has grown from 90 families to nearly 650 in 1982. This rapid growth necessitated adding an annex to the building, and the celebration of four masses on weekends. The Roman Catholic Church, through its religious services, Sunday School classes, parish council, Catholic Women 's League and the Knights of Columbus, fills a very important place in the lives of its parishioners. Education Prior to 1852, when the Free School System was introduced in Prince Edward Island , schools were mainly supported by voluntary subscription, and with such local assistance as could be had. Because of this the whole system was weak—the teachers were ill-prepared, and the curriculum lacked uniformity. Later, when the Free School System became established, residents were required to pay taxes in order to defray the running expenses of the schools, including the payment of teachers supplements, fuel, and janitor service. However, there were many dissatisfactions with this system, as expressed by John Arbuckle , Inspector of Schools, April 11, 1861: "Schools closed at ir¬ regular periods; penurious, selfish persons refusing to pay their portion of 31