St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-06

shame those of the timbered Hudson
or the forested Rhine, the force of nat
ure could hardly have gone further in
adding adoInment to this place. 1t is
not likely that those who selected this
spot did wiser than they knew, for GER
tain 1t is that natures beauties are not
without advantage from an educational
standpoint. There is no reason why the
rosy signals flying at evening from
strips of cloud, and the golden haze
OF the balmy air. and the declining light
falling upon the cities of st. Paul and
Minneapolis, and the cleaning waters
Of the Mississippi, and the full-orbed
gIories of the sunset skies, should not
appeal to the protoplastic imagination
of the dry -as-dust Levite and make him
fertile in poetic prose. Thus the in-
fluence of the students environments
NAV show itself subsequently in their
sermons. 1t was Whittier who wrote,
Beauty seen is never lost" and Gods
great pictures, hanging from the bluest
of skies and breathing through the muir
muring pines, leave their impress upon
the soul of the Seminarian.
A Magnificent Gift.
The inhabitants Of this city may read.
lily recall an announcement made fe W
years ago that James j. Hill, of st. Paul,
had undertaken to build a seminary,
and endow its chairs, for the education
of aspirants to the priesthood. The gift
was made so unostentatiously tina: 1t
was only by accident any mention of it
found its way into the newspapers.
Afterwards it became the theme OF
every tongue, and some expressed sur
prise and others admiration at the
broadness of man who is capable OF
endowing an institution for the educa.
tion of the clergy of church to which
he himself does not belong. The
motive of the gift is the giver's
own affair. But the story goes
that Mr.. Hill, having heard one
of Archbishop Ireland's sermons.
expressed wish that all the clergy
should preach such discOUrses. and that
this wish was the germ thought out Of
which grew the gift Of the seminary.
DR.. Albert Shaw, writing in the Re
view of Reviews of wealthy men who
make good use of their money, gave due
credit to Mr.. Hill for his generous gift.
President Hill does not theoriZe like
Andrew Carnegie about the duties Of
wealth, but he realizes its responsible
tiles and acts accordingly. The whole
amount given was 100000. OF this
sum S1S0,000 has been expended upon
the buildings; the remaining 1000
goes to endow the professors chairs.
The Buildings.
The plan of the seminary calls for
seven separate buildings. SIX of these
are finished and in actual use. The
seventh. the chapel, is not yet begun,
but Mr.. Gilbert, the architect, says it
will be a gem of ecclesiastical archl-
lecture. Nearest to the Mississippi
stands the administration building.
Here is the aula maXima for public &C
casionS; here also reside the rector and
the faculty. A tire-proof library con-
tanned in this building shows that food
for the intellect has not been forgotten.
A second building contains four large
lecture halls and great assembly room.
In these halls the professors dole out
their treasures of learning to eager
students. and mingle the learned lore Of
the past with the reader fruits of mod
ern research. There are two dormitory
buildings. each Of which has seventy
five suites of rooms. The refectory or
dining hall seats about $50 persons. In
these days of virile Christianity it Is
fitting that the body should be de-
veloped as we'll as the mind. The
stronger a man is the greater is his
sphere of usefulness, even though his
vocation be the ministry. And if in
any part of the country strong body
be specially needed to encase strong
mind it is in the Northwest. There is
a splendid gymnasium wherein the stu
dents can develop themselves physi-
cally for the trying laDOrS of mission
ary career. Thus culture is extended
to all the faculties Of the man, to the
ethical, to the 9Sthetical, to the intel
lectual and to the physical.
The chief feature of the buildings is
utility, perhaps one should also say du-
rability. If there be lack Of archltectu-
raj adornment, it is not missed, In view
of the object Of the institution. Ultra
fashion is not good form in clergys
man; neither is its absence conSpicu-
Gus in home where ministers OF the
gospel are trained. Forty acres of land
have been set apart for the new institu-
ton, so that the students of the st. Paul
seminary have ample opportunity for
recreation as we'll as for study.
The Alumni and Their Studies.
Nearly twenty students have taken
up their abode in the seminary. Most of
these are studying for the diocese Of
st. Paul, yet the neighboring diOceses
are represented among them. Of course
they are all church students, for the
seminary is solely intended for the ed
ucation OF aspirants TO the priesthood.
Their classical studies must be CON-
pIeted before entering the semin airy,
and the neighboring College OF St.
Of pursuing such studies. In the
upon a course of philosophy and the
natural sciences which lasts two years.
The course of theology continues for
four years, during WHICH time also the
Levites study Sacred Scripture, ecclesi-
astical history, canon law, pulpit ora
tory and other minor branches which go
| to make up a complete ecclesiastical
curriculum. Political economy also
forms part of the course followed in
the new seminary. That Is worthy of
note, as it is rarely taught in eccleSias-
tical institutions. Probably the idea
of introducing this branch is to
equip the young men to be
able to take part in those
questions which advance even the
temporal interests of their felloWman.
For churchmen recognize that the ma
tertal and the spiritual are closely con-
| nected, and whatsoever honestly ad-
vances the former may clear away
hindrances to the latter. 1t is said
that q postgraduate course will be
| added, so that the more intellectual
students may become ripe scholars be-
Al.