Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-04
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
Annual Commencement EX-
ercises Held This Morning.
DEGREES AW ARDED
THOSE WHO RECEIVED THE
HoNoRs OF THE INSTITUTION. =.
Eloquent Remarks by the Rector,
Bishop conaty, and by
Cardinal Gibbons.
DEGREES WARDED

There were many participants today in
gala occasion at the Catholic University. 1t
was the graduation day. marking the close
Of the scholastic year and the beginning of
the summer vacation. The grounds about
the noble group Of buildings were clothed in
the opulence of vegetation which nature
displays in the opening month OF summer.
The great trees which formed the setting
of the scene, and which cast the shade of
their branches over the lawns. were stirred
by the breezes which tempered the heat of
the and prevented the weather from
being oppressively warm.
Amid such surroundings the groups of
people who had come to attend the exer-
cises found their way to the hall in the
Mcmahon memorial building. The windows
and doors were wide open, and the cool air
freely passed through, stirring the folds of
the drapery of the university colors with
which the walls were covered, and adding
much to the comfort of the assemblage.
The American colors. with the coat of arms
of the university in the center.were draped
over the arch OF the platform recess, while
on the wall at the rear OF the stage was a
large painting of the pope, the American
flag and the papal colors being placed at
each side
Upon the platform were seated the men,
bers of the faculties. the rector of the uni
versty and the chancellor.
The Mexican ambassador was an interest
ed spectator, was DR.. E. NJ. Gallaudet,
the president of Gallaudet College. Gen.
Vincent was in the audience. and the first
to receive a doctors degree in theology
from the university. Rev. Dr. Lucas of
Blossburg, Pa. returned to visit his alma
mater.
Bishop Conaty's Remarks.
After thanking the audience for their
presence at the exercises. the rector, Bish-
op Conaty, spoke of the satisfactory work
done at the university during the year in
following the schedule as announced in
the year book. He also said that the finan-
cial condition of the university was salts
factory. Notwithstanding the many rumors
that have been sedulously circulated Ihere
has been received during the year. outside
the regular revenues of the university. vi
600 in general contributions-sN.0OO of
this sum being the bequest of Mrs. Rey-
burn of Baltimore. and si.I60, from the
estate of Annie Doherty of New York. OF
this sum $4,000 has been paid on the gen
eral debt Over $4,000 has been added to
the endowment fund in scholarships; the
Archbishop Hennessey scholarship for
Dubuque; the Dane scholarship for Bos-
ton, and the Lindesmith scholarship for
Cleveland. Besides this guarantee tund
for the wiping out of the indebtedness OF
the university has been established by the
bishops, and $500 has been received for
this fund making a total of over SJ2,o0O
over and above the regular revenue. In ad-
dtion to this the university has, by the
will of Mrs. Sarah Ferris Devlin of Bos-
ton, obtained $4,000 for a professorship; by
the will of Timothy Riordan of New York
scholarship is endowed. and the university
is made residuary legatee of the will, and
I we also receive scholarship, and are made
resduary legatees of the will of Mrs Eliza.
beth Herman of Cincinnati. BY the will OF
Hamilton Willis, at one time OF Boston,
but a resident of London, England. at the
time of his DEATH the university Is made
one of three legatees in property estl-
mated at about 100000.
The university today possesses property,
land and buildings, upon which $l,2OO.OOO
have been expended. and our trust funds
aggregate $S6O,00O The total Indebtedness
is $19J,OO0, with an asset In the properly
recently. sold in Long Branch of $27,OO.
which leaves the net Indebtedness of the
university at the present moment sl6S, UOo
at per cent. On a property on Wnlcn 81
200 900 are invested this Is certainty a
satisfactory condition in view or the eX-
traOrdinary expenses which the university
for fourteen years has been obliged TO
make over and above its regular revenue.
What the university needs today Is one
million dollars, in addition to It's trust
funds 1t needs a library building for its
valuable collections of books. and 1t needs
a church The endowment fund is the most
pressing need. There should be no doubt
as to the ability of the Catholics of this
country to raise that million dollars, pro-
vided interest is awakened to the import
ance of the work. With 14.0O0.OoD OF Cath
considered an extravagant demand. AS
Archbishop Ireland recently said in Peoria.
there should be $20,OO0.OOO instead of S2OOO,-
600. A hundred thousand people giving $40
apiece would make the million; a thousand
giving 500 each would do the same and
so on Rev. Joseph H. Mcmahon. Ph.D.. of
New York has been selected by the trustees
to act in conjunction with the rector in
bringing this matter of the endowment fund
to the attention Of our people. Let US be
in earnest about 1t. Let the association
which is being formed at the present time
assume a national character, that every
friend who values the place of the church
work earnestly cooperate by his contribu-
ton to this fund for a period Of five years,
and there will be no question as to all the
means needed to place the university in
position to do the work demanded of 1t.
Universities, like business enterprises, can
not work satisfactorily upon the small cap
ital first invested The university. like any
business enterprise, is pressed by the law
the success of each succeeding year depends
upon the increased capital to meet the bust
ness of educational demands. The Catholic
University, with small trust funds. has done
a tremendous work. and all question of its
being handicapped in the future should be
answered by the generosity Of the great
body of the Catholic priesthood and laity.
Let all friends of the university unite i'll
establishing and developing great national
association for five years at least, and let
each member of the association bind him
sell TO contribute $IOo to the fund. 1t may
be in five installments, or 1t may be given
at once, according to individual means and
individual generosity. In Gods name now
let us work to raise this million dollars,
which is very Insignificant when we think
of the millions that are placed at the dis
pcsal of our great American universities
Let our Catholic university be equipped to
do the work of God and of science | have
no doubt as to the result. once our people
are awakened to the need of generous CO.
operation.
During the past year the university has
been signally honored by a special letter
from the holy father, given to his eminence,
our cardinal chancellor in June of last
year The letter was but another proof of
the great love and interest of our holy
father In the success of the university. It
was also a recognition of the university
which caused the holy father to bestow
episcopal honors upon the rector as also
to summon, by episcopal honors, the vice
rector to the government of the newly es-
tablished diocese of Sioux City Right
Rev. Bishop Garrigan for fourteen years
has been associated with the university
He was with it at it's beginning he
watched over its development and its
growth. He superintendent the erection of
it's buildings and cared for them He gave
the best years of his life to everything