Le Louisianais. [volume] (Convent, La.) 1865-1883, 1868-05-16
Education.

and so extensively treated, that, were it one of
less vital virtue, the public interest in it, might
be supposed to flag. We had however, a, ST.
Mary Jefferson College, on las, Sunday, a prac.
Teal reinsurance that, at least, some of our
people are fully sensible how immoa>urabiy
this subject affects the present and future of
o"r common country.
The time and the occasion were auspicious
Tho day, one OF the ~ioveIiest Of lovely May
Spring, and, thence, so appropriately dedicated
TO the incomparah'y beautiful Virgin Mother,
whose devoted children, throughout Catholic
Christendom, unite in ,cs,ifying to her their
flial love-clo,hing their sa.ntations in choi.
cest wo.ds:-
''The E. lantine and Myrtle, the sweet Forget-me-not,
The Lily Of the Valley, to grace thy wreath, are
drought"
The occasion too, was equally favorable
the festival appointed by the Church, for the
celebration of "The Patronage of st J~osepli',
by Divine appointment, the guardian and
protector Of the life of Jesus!
1t canno, be doubted that there is n peculiar
fitness in selecting this day for paying the Gus.
tomary ANIMAL compliments To the Pre>iuen, Of
the College, whose duties and responsibilities,
in relation TO The youth under his care, are
somewhat analogous TO those exercised by St.
joseph towards the Infant Savior.
Qnite a number Of Observation-Disclosures
Of this and the a~djacen, parishes. and patrons
Of The Institution, pattook If lie College hos
pitalilies, in which 1.-THE feast of reason and the
flow of soul' fairly ou,rivaled the material
f~easting. Intellectual converse, wit and hu.
NOR, toast and sen,i'nen', ahonnded every
subject-grave and gay Gave The %snperla-
lively grare one politics. was, in ,nrn, dis
cussed, until the guests themselves seemed to
forge the substaniials Of the entertainment il
the superior enjoyment Of a truly agreeable
and happy reunion.
In the evening, the pupils If the College
entertained a vast assemhlage with a Literary
Exhibition, consisting chiefly Of selections
from The comic Moliere, and prefaced by com.
plimeniary addresses 10 The President. We
exaggerate nothing in declaring that The all.
dresses, reci'a,ions, dialogues, and little dra.
mas, were rendered in a highly creditabIe
manner, which demonstrated, at once, the ap-
titude and application of The young gentlemen,
and the immense labor bestowed on their train
ing. And here, we may observe, that The Col.
lege Faculty inertia commentator, which,
for obvious reasons, We feel it impossible 10
bestow npon them. Gentlemen of retired Ia.
bits in the world, but no, Of it their whole
lives devoted 10 Religion and Education the
greater glory Of God, and the temporal and
eternal interests of man-what can we say of
them adequate TO their deserts, without offend
ing their modes,y ? Like the APOSTLE, they
hold the maxim,-"all for God'', whence they
have no anxiety about worldly recnmpense -:
and we will not risk their diSplcasnre by
sounding too loudly, the trumpe, of their fame.
Enough, thpt their solici,nIe for the initilec.
tual and moral advancement of their young
charge, is paral|eled ny the nnremiuing, indie
fa,igable, attention with which they pursue this
onerous duty.
OF the competency Of the Mari>t Fathers,
we need say nothing special. A very little
honest reflection mnst be all convincing on
this point. 1t would indeed be something
extraordinary, nay, wholly inconceivable. that
men, who, in the first place, TO Fl, them for
their ecclesiastical calling, had necessarily re.
ceived a superior education, and whose after
lives are given up TO study and teaching,
should not be competent instructors. Bnt the
Conductors of St. Mary jefferson College, no,
eot;sHod with This Il. ~ demonstrates .I.:. =.
termination to meet all the requirements Of
the age, by employing experienced Professors
for what are deemed the speciali,ies Of a
modern education.
"a modern education! Shall we be accused
Of captiousness, when we record our %convic-
ton that the popular understanding of this
subject, is somewhat erroneous? We know
not. But we do know that the fact is patent
enough to every one who chooses to examine
it with candor. Look al the uninterrupted
floods Of yellow.covered trash, called, Ly a
great stretch Of courtesy, "~Iiterary produce
tons. that periodically inundate the land, and
are devoured with a v%oracity tina, knows no ap.
peasing! What, but an erroneous education.
could ever create and maintain a demand for
this terrible moral pestilence ? Books, books,
books !-produced ad nauseam books, remark
able chiefly for the facility with which they
mangle honest regulations, minister TO depra-
witty, and scott at what the best men the world
ever saw, held most sacred these, the ema.
nation of some Northern School. ma'am or pc.
dagogue, frantic with a new ISM, which mnst
be developed, RICH, or wrong, are put into the
hands Of our young people, who read, read,
read and then believe themselves and, in
fact, are sometimes reputed, intelligent!
Now, every human being has his prcjudices,
and, doubtless, we have ours; but we do not
think that we are moved ~ any undue cr IN.
fair prejudice, when we declare that all North.