The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-10-12
SEMI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT MT.
Sr MARN,S


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SEMLCENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT MT.
ST. MARI'S.
a short notice was given in the Ecciange, of
yesterday, of the proceedings at the semi-cent
nial celebration at Mt. st. Mary's. We give below
a sketch of the speeches. The exercises were con-
Quoted in the hall OF the college, DR.. M'Caffrey
presiding, and Rev. John MCloskey, the Vice
President conducting. The hall was crowded
Archbishop Hughes, the Bishops, and more vencra-
bic clergy, occupied the platform, the students
occupying each side The students band, led by
| Prot. Delman, furnished the instrumental music.
and the "Mountainccrs," a band of singers from the
! Pyrenecs, sang delightful choruses.
DR.. McCaifrey opened the exercises. bidding all
welcome, fcrvcntlv expressing gratitude to God for
blessing the efforts Of those ''who fifty years ago
commenced the labor" and giving ''praises and
/ glory to the Mother of God" whose name Dubois
and Brute had given to their church and college
! that they might secure her aid in their under,
| taking.
The President then introduced the orator of the
! day. ono of the Alumni Of the college. James
McShcrry, Esq, ofFrcderck, Maryland. who de-
| hvered the address. On coming forward. he was
| received with reiterated applause. On silence being
restored he said: "In this learned and most rev
| crcnd presence, surrounded by an audience in
| whose breasts eloquent memories thrilling at
! every heart-throb, ! might we'll shrink from the
duty assigned to me on this OCCASION did | not call
| to mind, here in this well remembered spot that
am son of the middle decade Of our common Alma
Matters life, and that You are in her, my elder and
my yOungerS brothers, Of the mountain school. met
together to celebrate the tieth anniversary of her
foundation.
They were assembled to celebrate golden we'd
ding. Fifty years ago that doubly gifted building
endowed bv science and religion, was welded to the
rude mountain side, and the sons of that mystic
! bridal were met to show how fondlv they remem-
hered the days they had passed within its walls
The speaker then proceeded to show the rapid pro-
gress of the Catholic Church in this country. from
the time it possessed only one bishop, one di0ceSs
and five pri0Sts to the present, when, although the
church free to teach and raise up apostles those
who predicted that brighter day was vet to come
when Catholicity would make patriotism mere pure
and bind the Union together and preserve the here
ditary liberty of the country, smiled upon as
| rash and visionary. Had Archbishop Carroll in his
! time, trusted to human means alone he might well
have looked sadly on his helpless diocess: but he
! trusted in God, and he knew that lie would bring
/ succOr to him in his abors and glorify his works.
John Dubois the founder of the collie ye of Mount
/ st. Marys, was born in Paris in August. l7G4 and
! educated in the same school with Charles Car
roll, of Carrollton. When the Young French priest
! Dubois, came to this country, and landed at Nor
folk, in July l19l, with letters of introduction from
Lafayette he was taken up by John Randolph,
/ Charles Carroll and Patrick Henry Dubois first
settled at Frederick. Maryland, and during his STAY
there his heart filled with the idea Of establish
| ing college, which he commenced in 1900 and in
1909 he took possession ofthrlitc log sapinarvwhch
he had erected at Emmttsburg, together with few
teachers and pupils. The college grew rapidly, and
! Dubois needed an assistant. Such one he found in
| Simon Brute, another Young French priest. The
| speaker dwet with great eloqueuce upon the life
and character of Brute, who was recalled to
France. and upon his return was chosen President
Of ST. Marys College at Baltimore, which he soon
| resigned to Join Dubois at the Mountain. What
manner of men did they raise? said the speaker
and pointing to the bishops and venerable clergy
on the platform, continued: Behold they are be
! fore the world, and let the world Judge them. The
speaker then gave a history of the growth of the
college. Its dimensions were soon found to be
too small for the increasing number of Students
and Dubois set about building more commo-
diOuS building of stone. On the 9th of June it was
ready for occupation, but the following morn
! ing the sun rose upon it in flames. Those who
that terrible sight describe it as one of the most
! fearful on which the eye ever rested; but there
one memory which will go down to the grave with
those who beheld it, and that was the calm face of
| Dubois himself who. while gazing on the sad spec
tacle of the destruction of his years of labor said
''The Lord gave and the Lord taketh away; blessed
is the name Of the Lord and added 'There were
defects in this building which will remedy in the
next" Those who witnessed his calm hcr0isn and
heard his words, so illustrative of sublime faith
and trust in God assisted him in his future efforts
and in 1920 he was enabled to open new building
for scholastic duties. Soon after he was made Bsh-
op of New York, and he obeyed the call. But he
consoled with the thought that he could be
still with the college in spirit and could return
! to mark its progress when of his own sons
should come to relieve him of that heavy bur
then weighing down his own weary shoul-
! ders and turning to Archbishop Hughes bear
| it with giants strength upon his own. In
| eighteen years Dubois sent forth forty eight mis-
sionaries from his Youthful seminary The founder
had gone forth, but the guardian angel still re-
manned, until at length he, too, called to the
! Epscopacy in the far West, at Nincenncs. Indiana
| The academy attached to the seminary attained so
much fame in all quarters that the college looked to
the Legislature for charter. The Rev. John b.
! Purcell, now Archbishop of Cincinnati then Prcsi-
dent, obtained charter for the college in 1890, and
the students then felt they longer pupils of
an academy but coegians; and the speaker re-
membercd well how they threw up their leathern
! caps, now only myth in the college, when it was
announced to them that they were students of
chartered university. Mr.. Purcell
called away to be made Bishop of Cincinnati;
and here the orator pronounced beautiful
eulogum on the virtues. piety and learning of
! the present Archbishop Of Cincinnati. But there
was another of the Mountain who had gone
forth to meet the foes of the church, and the SLAM
derers had grown pale at the name of the lionhear
| ed Archbishop of New \ Ork. After the retirement
of Archbishop Purcell, DR.. Janison and Rcy. Thorn
Butler were successfully Presidents; after which
the College was placed under the control Of the
present President DR.. McCaffrcy under whom the
institution is more fourishing than ever, and that
was his best cuugiurn. The speaker then alluded to
the progress of the Catholic church in this country
In Archbishop Carroll's time there were but eight
| cen priests miniSterng to 100000 people; now
| there were three archbishops-two Of them sons
of st. Marv's-and eight bishops, presiding
over ten diocescs and G00,00O souls. This
College bas sent out since its establishment
thirteen bishops, one hundred priests and two
| thousand lay students. Of the lay students some
have been distinguished in the halls of Congress,
some have earned diplomatic honors some are to
be found in the ranks Of our merchant princes,
many have become great in the walks of literature,
others have adorned the judicial ermine and others
have turned back the assault of hostile masses and
both land and have poured out their biood in
defence of their country's flag. And here, pen,
voice and sword judicial ermine, philoSophic lore
the cassock, crozer, mitre, all gather to add
n brighter lustre to the old mountain home
| Here many hearts return to pay their homage
| to the saintcd dead, mindful of the blessings
they have received through their tolls and labors.
Dubois Brute. names holy to many memories -
How great the triumph of those your children who
! can look back from this day to the period of your
early struggles, which they bore and suffered with
you. Founder and guardian angel are not here in
body with their children to enjoy this triumph: but
their names are breathed by many voices, whisper
ed in the gentle breezes of this sacred spot hymned
by the murmurng mountain streams and gushing
fountain, green on every stone, written-but not
in sand-on mountain pathway, remembered by the
wailing dirge of the funeral pine, the bending
chesnut and the ragged oak as their branches sigh
at the touch of the mournful winds, a requiem for
| them who walk no more beneath their shade. But
their spirits still here watching and bless
ing the grea- work they well commenced, and
their devotion, their energy, learning, and their
love and hope, like the prophets mantle, have de-
scended upon those who grew up at their feet, and
learned from them to bear it maufully to its final
and assured success.
The band then performed overture medley
composed by Professor Dielman and the noun
taineers Song, in admirable style. Les Adieux
des Montagnards. Mr.. Geo. II. Miles, of Baltimore
then read satirical poem full of excellent point
and witticisms, entitled "Aladdin's Palace" which
elected much applause. The "Catalanne Bolero'
was then sung by the Mountaineers. and the Pres-
dent introduced DR.. Pise, of Brooklyn, who read a
Latin ode TO the alumni. About 200 guests sat
down to the banquet.
When dinner was announced, the President rose
to propose the first toast, and said Gentlemen after
the intellectual treat you have had to-day, both in
oraory and poetry, it would i'll become me to make
any remarks, except what rthink justly belong to
the occasion. In company like this composed as