The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-10-21
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY.
Wealth of Scientific Literature and
8 Laboratory Equipment.

/ Every candidate for the Doctors de-
gree of the Catholic University OF
/ America, is required to prepare dis
! sertation embodying the result Of some
original investigation, and Offering
real positive contribution to knowledge
This is productive scholarship. The
student is not only made familiar with
the present state of his chosen science,
he is also made a capable worker in it's
| field. The years Of training through
! which he has passed on the way to his
| degree, have developed in him the abil-
| ity to conduct independent research,
and formed in him the habit of keep
! ing abreast of his particular science
by an intelligent perusal of its liter
ature.
The two great factors, after a capa-
BILE professor. in the attainment of this
high standard of scientific activity. are
| the library and the laboratory. The
| former makes known to the student
the present condition Of science, and
states the problems which the latter
provides him With the means of solv-
ing.
During the few years that have
| elapsed since the founding of the Cath
| olic University Of America, it has stead
| lily amassed a wealth Of scientific liter
ature, and increased its laboratory
| equipment, until it has now acquired a
certain prominence in both these fea
! lures of university development.
The general library OF the university.
| in Caldwell hail. contains about 10000
! volumes, chiefly on theological sub
|, jects, though all works of general inter
est are also kept on its shelves. This
| collection OF books has come 10 the uni
versity partly by purchase and partly
| by donation. in the form of becuests
| OF deceased benefactors, and gifts from
! various publishers and friends OF the
| institution.
Scattered throughout the various de-
partments of the university are many
smaller libraries. These are the work
| ing libraries which contain the more
| technical literature of the various
| branches of science in close proximity
| to the seminars and laboratories in Or
| der that the student may obtain, with
| out delay, information at first sources,
| bearing upon problem under discus
| sion on investigation. The private IL
braries of the different professors are
| generally combined with the depart
mental libraries. Several of these small
er libraries are notably complete in the
| literature of their respective subjects.
| The library Of Moral Theology includes
/ the extensive and exhaustive collection
of books gathered during his long ca
reer as q professor by the late DR.. Bou-
I
| the chair of Moral Theology at the uni
versity. The Chemical library is espe-
cially rich in the periodical literature
of the science, and it is possible to ver-
| ify therein more than 80 per cent of the
references given in the various dictior-
aries and treatises The students of
| the department of Semitic and Egyp-
tian Languages and Literatures have
at their disposal the private library of
| fhp rrOfpSS0r containing non iiff-
ciously selected volumes treating ex-
clusively of Oriental studies, including
/ many Oriental manuscripts, cuneiform
| tablets and documents not yet pub
| lished.
! The laboratories of the university,
| having been organized exclusively for
| research work, offer the student ample
| facilities for a practical knowledge of
| the various sciences. Several of these
! laboratories compare most favorably
with the best in the land in point OF
equipment for rapid and accurate work.
| The Psychological laboratory is one of
few such institutions in this country,
and it has already given to the world
some creditable work.
The Chemical laboratory occupies
| four large rooms, each devoted to some
| special branch of the subject, and all
are supplied with the most recent
devices and conveniences for investi-
cation.
The equipment of the Physical labor
atory represents the productions of the
leading instrument makers of the
world, and additions to it are being
made as rapidly as is consistent with
careful selection Connected with the
physical laboratory is a large work.
shop. supplied with steam power. ina
chimes and tools, which, in charge of