Jesuit education: Its History and Principles Viewed in the Light of Modern Educational Problems

About this book

Robert Schwickerath’s work is a scholarly survey of Jesuit education that begins by confronting the scarcity of reliable English‑language material on the subject. Citing contemporary critics and the author’s own concern for accuracy, the introduction explains that the book will draw directly from primary sources, the Jesuits’ Constitutions, the Ratio Studiorum, and related documents, while also referencing the opinions of non‑Catholic scholars. Schwickerath frames his study within the pressing educational debates of the early twentieth century, such as elective curricula, the role of the classics, and moral instruction, and promises to assess the Jesuit system against these modern problems.

The text reflects the meticulous, citation‑heavy style of an early‑1900s academic treatise, written in clear, unadorned prose despite occasional translation roughness. Readers interested in the history of pedagogy, comparative education, or the Catholic intellectual tradition will find its exhaustive chapter layout and extensive primary‑source quotations valuable, while those seeking a narrative or literary account may prefer a more concise overview.

Opening lines

Mr. Quick, the English educationist, asserts that “since the Revival of Learning, no body of men has played so important a part in education as the Jesuits.” And yet, as the same author says, “about these Jesuit schools there does not seem to be much information accessible to the English reader.” (Educational Reformers, pp. 33-34.) It is true, indeed, that during the past few years much has been said and written about the Jesuit schools; in fact, they have occupied the attention of the public more, perhaps, than ever before. However, with the exception of the excellent book of Father Thomas Hughes, S. J. (Loyola and the Educational System of the Jesuits, 1892), most of what has been offered to American and English readers is entirely untrustworthy. …

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