A Reader.
Answer.—1. There was a Don Carlos in the sixteenth century. He was the son of Philip II., of Spain; was born at Valladolid in 1545, and recognized as heir to the throne in 1560. But owing to his dullness at school, and distaste for study, the King deemed him unfit to reign over his subjects, and invited the Prince’s cousin, the Archduke Rudolf, to Spain, intending to educate him for the throne. Jealous of this usurper, Don Carlos conceived a strong dislike to all the King’s counselors, whom he plotted to destroy. But having foolishly divulged to his confessor that he intended to murder some one, that some one was suspected to be the King. The stupid Prince was tried and convicted of high treason, and left to the mercy of the King. Philip declared that he could make no exception in favor of such an ungrateful son, but there is found no formal record of any sentence of death. Don Carlos died soon afterward, at the age of 23. 2. The Don Carlos who has of late years been causing so much trouble in Spain, as a pretender to the throne, is the eldest son of the brother of King Fernando VII. His wife is Princess Marguerite, of Bourbon, daughter of Duke Carlos III., of Parma. He is a brother of the ex-Queen Isabella, and uncle to the present King.
EDUCATION AND CHRISTIAN BENEVOLENCE.
Wexford, Mich.
What proportion of the benevolent and educational institutions in the United States are built and operated by Christians, and what by infidels?
F. J. Hall.
Answer.—In the report of the United States Commissioner of Education for 1880 the following statistics of schools in the United States not under State control are given: One hundred and sixty-two commercial and business colleges, generally self-supporting, and unconnected with, or not dependent on, Christian or other benevolent organizations or private benevolence. There were 232 kindergartens, most of which were private schools and self-supporting. Such as were charity schools, like the free kindergartens of certain cities, were supported, for the most part, by Christian benevolence. There were 1,264 “schools of secondary instruction,” such as seminaries and academies; 355 asylums for orphans, 142 theological schools, and 227 “institutions for the superior instruction of women.” Most of all four classes of schools were and still are under the direction of Roman Catholics, Protestants or Hebrews. Of the 364 universities and colleges, only eighty are marked non-sectarian, and to these institutions are attached nearly all the 310 theological, law, and medical schools. There are forty-nine schools of science, (mining, engineering, agriculture, etc.), endowed with the National land grants, apportioned to the several States under act of 1862, the States providing in nearly every instance the grounds, buildings, apparatus, etc., and supplementing the income of the endowment fund. Even many of these schools, such as Purdue University, Indiana, Illinois Industrial University, and others, are indebted to private individuals, or county and city subscriptions for handsome contributions in money, lands, etc. Then there are thirty-five schools and collegiate departments of science not endowed by the National land grants or State grants, but almost wholly the product of private benefactions, the benefactors in nearly all cases being pronounced Christian philanthropists. The benefactions to educational institutions of the United States, (mostly denominational), in the years ending with 1880, amounted to about $60,000,000.
If by “infidels,” you intend persons who disclaim all faith in Christianity, then it is doubtful if any of the above institutions were founded or are sustained to any degree worthy of mention, by an infidel. Even Girard, the founder of Girard College was not an out and out atheist or deist, though he was bitterly opposed to all existing sects, and had a strong aversion to the clergy of every denomination.