AMERICAN CATHOLICS AND SCIENCE 511 



from this. Little laboratory work was given, in part because of 

 lack of funds, in part because it was not regarded as important. 

 Students in early American Catholic colleges were not exposed 

 to a scientific atmosphere, and, consequently, few of them ever 

 thought of science as a career. 



With the increasing standardization in education and the 

 coming of the accrediting associations, the Catholic educational 

 system had to be reorganized and regular science courses in- 

 troduced into high schools and colleges. The quality of the 

 high school teaching left much to be desired, but it was not 

 worse than in the majority of American high schools. 



The colleges, although now offering distinct courses in 

 departments of biolog;^^ chemistry and physics, were often 

 poorly equipped and under-staffed, sometimes with second- 

 rate teachers. The reason for the first was lack of funds, for 

 the second, the failure to produce scientists. Some members of 

 religious teaching orders were sent to secular universities for 

 special studies in the sciences and many of them were out- 

 standing students. Great hopes were held out that they would 

 return to their own institutions and build up strong depart- 

 ments for the training of Catholic youth. But in most cases 

 they were made administrators and lost to science. Those who 

 were not immersed in administration were given so much teach- 

 ing and extracurricular work that they could do no research 

 themselves, far less interest their students in it. 



As for the few Catholic lay scientists available, the salaries 

 offered were so low that they could not make a decent living 

 for their families. Those who made sacrifices to stay encoun- 

 tered the same difficulties as the religious: too much teaching, 

 too little money for equipment, and lack of interest on the 

 part of students. 



The lack of interest is an important factor. A study of the 

 winners of the annual Science Talent Search among high school 

 students has shown that most of them became interested in 

 science at about the sixth grade. This would not have occurred 

 unless they were reared in homes in which science was held in 

 high esteem, or unless they had been introduced to it in gram- 



