Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-09
BISHOP KEANE CRITICIZED.

| NEW YORK, May S.-There is a feeling
of dissatisfaction among Catholic clergy
men of this city at the selection of pro-
| fessors for the new Catholic university at
| Washington made by Bishop keane
rector of the university, during his recent
trip to Europe. He has almost entirely
| ignored Americans. In fact, from the Sc
| lections made, some of the American
Catholic priests are inclined to think that
Bishop Keane has formed the idea that
the United States is still missionary
country" as the papal bulls call it. The
professors of dogmatic and moral the
ology have been selected from Germany
and France respectively, and the
professors of scriptural history and phil
osophy from other European countries.
| The Only compromise was made IN the
selection of Charles Warren Stoddard, an
| American, as lecturer on English lit
erature In a word the divinity school, the
| only portion of the university which goes
into operation next fall is left entirely to
| foreigners.
The clergy of this city are 10th to express
their opinion about Bishop keane'S action,
as his course has been approved by the
Holy See. Yesterday Bishop Keane de-
clared that Americans would be chosen
for professors later, when the Americans
ber." This remark has not moderated
| the disappointment of the local American
Catholic clergy. II has, in fact, added to
their indignation, since the bishop gave
utterance to distasteful idea which they
had only suspected as the basis of his &C
tions.
1t is confidently asserted that the rec
tors selections will not meet with the ap-
prevail of Cardinal Gibbons, who has
shown himself TO be the most thorough
American in the hierarchy of the United
States, and takes every occasion to express
American IDEAS and those who know best
say that he will protest against the selec-
ton of men who have no American SYM
pathies and have meyer set foot on AmeIi-
can soil.
The Sun saws: SIN the Commercial Adj
vertiser today appears an article On Bish-
op Keane and the Catholic university, al
leging that he has imported foreign fac
ulty with monarchial and reactionary
ideas to teach young Americans; that
there is no Americanism in the university;
that there is feeling of dissatisf ction
among the priests OF New York at his
course; that they won't meet with the APP
prevail of most of the other bishops, etc.
In an interview tonight Bishop keane
said: "This article is a monstrous
absurdity. I did not individually have
the selection of the professors. Nothing
sixteen bishops and archbishops who con-
stitute the board of management of the
university. We have many able men
among the bishops and priests of the
United States, but they are engaged in
their dioceses and semlnarles and could
not be spared for the peculiar kind OF
teaching required in university, train
ing which is certainly not to
be had in the busy life OF
parish work. The only man so equip
ped here at present is Monsigneur
Corcoran, of Philadelphia, and he was one
of the first asked to Join the faculty. He
declined on account of his age and health.
While we have drawn from abroad, it is
the desire of the bishops, as well as of the
pope, that we ishould use American brains
entirely as soon as possible. The report
that the professors were selected because
of their monarchial training is con-
temptible absurdity. Everyone who
knows me knows that my opinions are the
opposite OF monarchial; that | am out
and out American, thoroughly i'm
bued with the doctrines of our
American democracy and the principles of
popular sovereignty established by our
American constitution. Every cardinal
in Rome and the pope himself is sure of it,
There is no functionary in Rome, ana least
of all the pope, that has the slightest wish
that we should make tendency to mon
archial teaching, for he fully appreciates
that the American constitution contains
tue highest form of government for our
country. In all details and characteristics
the university will always be thoroughly
American"