The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-06-16

Ia, preached the graduating sermon
taking for his subject The Academi
Spirit" on Sunday last. He said il
:, part:
However we may differ abou
r the exact function of highe
schools, they exist alone TO
truth. Hence the basic elemen
in the university spirit, or, as i
may be called, the academic spirit
should be love of truth accompanied
by intellectual honesty. Thereby uni
versities are protected against shan
and pretence, and individual members
are strengthened in their high and no
BILE work. A second element in the
academic spirit is reverence for truth
Their cause is holy; hence the tricks OF
competition must be forever barred
from the university. Universities are
protected against fraud and the deg
radiation of scholarly standards and
methods only when their spirit is
marked by reverence for the cause
which they represent. A third element
is the sense of responsibility to truth
for the opportunities enjoyed in uni
Versity organization; since that should
appear in both teacher and student.
| Hence the academic spirit is essential
ly intOllerant of idleness, laziness, in
| ertia. A fourth element is the sense
| of limitations; scholars recognize limi-
| tations, are never exclusive, nor mar
row nor intol1erant. Another element
is loyalty TO the university. loyalty to
| it's ideals and purposes, and to itself
as an institution. Secondary elements
in the academic spirit are found in
methods of work. in thoroughness, ac-
( curacy, patience"
The speaker traced the relation of
this spirit to the spiritual life of the
I tN1lFaV IrI,-.rr
vices which may be rendered by the
genuine academic spirit to the work of
personal sanctificatiOn. Concluding, the
speaker called attention to the unique
character of this university as Cath
Ole, and showed that solid, consistent
Catholicity must be an element in the
spirit fosteTed.
The comforting of degrees by Cardi-
nal Gibbons, the Chancellor of the uni
versity, took place in the assembly
room, McMahon hall, on Thursday.
BY CARDINALS HAND.
Graduation day attracted a large and
distinguished gathering to the Catholic
University of America. The assembly
hall of Mcmahon hall was the scene
of the exercises, and the stage was
occupied by leading dignitaries of the
church in this country, as well as rep
resentativeS of educational institutions
of several foreign governments. Among
the decorations of the stage was a
beautiful Papal flag on which was
painted the Papal insignia, the gift of
the Sisters of the Holy Cross Academy.
Cardinal Gibbons, the chancellor of
the university, who conferred the de-
grees, clad in his respondent scarlet
robes and wearing the beretta, sat in
the center of the stage, with Right Rev.
Mgr. Conaty, rector of the university,
at his right, and Rev. DR.. Garrigan,
vice rector, at his left. Others on the
stage were Archbishop MartineIIi, the
papa1 delegate. and Drs. Rocker and
Marchetti of the papal legation; Bishop
Foley of Detroit, the Spanish and Hal |
tan ministers, Baron Ambrozy of the |
Austrian legation, representatives of |
the German embassy and Chinese le- |
cation, Mr.. Gerald Lowther of the Brit /
ish embassy, President Whitney, S. j.: |
Revs. Edward McTammany and Tim |
othy O'Leary, s. j., and DIR. Faust of /
Georgetown University; Rev. DR.. Fink /
Of Gonzaga College, DR.. Charles Clinton /
Senator Maginnis of Montana, Mr.. /
James ]. Power of. New York and Mr..
Loeffier of Pittsburg, Hon. Terence V.
Powderly, Mr.. Wood, attorney general
IF Alaska; Revs. James F. Mackin, Eu-
gene Harmon and Joseph F. Foley of
D. c.; Revs. j. DeWolf,
Louis O'Donovan, Joseph c.. MalIon
md F. E. Gegot of Baltimore, Very
Rev. Walter Elliott, G. S. P, president
st. Thomas college; very Rev. J. B.
OescrueX, S. M, president Morist Col
eye; Very Rev. P. ]. Franciscus, c.. S.
=, president Holy Cross College: Very
Rev. Godfrey Schilling, O. F. NJ, SUI
College of the Holy Land;
Very Rev L. NJ. Dumont, S. S., presi-
lent Divinity College, and Rev. Henry
Chapins, S. S., and the teaching
orps of all the schools of the uni
-ersity in full academic dress.
CONATY's ADDRESS.
Monsignor Conaty opened the exer- (
ises with Introductory remarks, in (
which he began by reviewing the work t
f the year, which was the beginning
f the second decade of the existence c
f the institution as university. The S
tendance Of students had been larger {
han ever before. Continuing, Mgr. I
onaty said: \
THE university has been ENCOURAGED t
l its financial efforts during the year d
y the magnanimous action VT Arch Il
ishop Keane, my worthy predecessor.
With a singlemindednes and devoted I
ess which have never been surpassed. {
:, may say, equaled, he has accepted C
lie burden of laboring for the compile T
on of the endowment fund, the foun-
atoms of which he so successfully j
id several years before. a
The organization of the university t.
now vast one, its work very COM c
heated, the burdens of every day de- +
and1ng close attention from those in A
large OF the administration. To COM L
etc the organization, to perfect it in
alters OF detail, to watch and care for o
Improvement and development. de- 3
ands the close attention of the rector. A
Id 1t is truthful to say that in it's pres G.
II condition it may be satisfactorily +
impaired with any other institution y
eIore passing from the financial out Y
DIX, L may mention that among the o.
atures or the years work figures the
II OF $4,000 by Mr.. Michael Cudahy u
Chlcago, member of our board Of ~
ostees; the establishment ny New III
1gland of the Archbishop Williams OF
ar and by st. Louis of the Arch %
Snop kenrick chair, each intending u
De gift of $4,000. Besides these y
yeral individual gifth of $4,000 and 81
veral for smaller amounts have been ID
celved by Archbishop Keane for the =.
neral endowment. Following the ex- e.
1ple set by the Total Abstinence I'm -
OF America and the Ancient Oorder -
HloernlanS, the knights of Column -
S are about to endow a chair of III
ner1can histry and the Catholic -
nights of America a chair of English "
erature for similar sum. This gives r.
brief outline of, the financial effort
Lde by the university during the year. an
REALIZING ITS IDEALS. at
1t is not necessary for me to empha- u ~
e how successfully the university La
attempted to realize it's ideals. In ne
mind of the great pontiff, who gave e.
1stifutions - 80 Sae4t.i Gu IL IT'S les
fer of ed,,ce+ior1o1 So 80 - De we