Evening star., 1908-01-24
GROWTH OF TRINITY
Wonderful Progress of Local
College for Women.
NOW RANKS WITH THE BEST
Under Care of Sisters of Notre Dame
of Namur.
HISTORY OF A NOTED ORDER
Exclusively Devoted to Education.
How It Came to Be Founded.
Great Expansion.
BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS.

Herald.
The city of Washington has the only
institution for the higher education of
women under the care os the Roman
Catholic Church. 1t is called 1.-The Mi
racle' because of it's remarkable. growth
and the favor it has received from sources
that We're supposed to be hostile to its
purpose. 1t was founded in 1900 by the
Sisters of Notre Dame of Namur. an
order devoted exclusively to education,
with its headquarters at that historic
city in Belgium About twelve years ago
three young women of Roman Catholic
families. one from the south and two
from the north. applied for admission to
the lectures at the Catholic University OF
America. They based their request upon
two reasons. both of which seemed to
Bishop Conaty just and reasonable-first
because that university institution was
founded by woman, and second, because
there was no other at which Catholic
women could obtain university educa-
tion.
The trustees. who are archbishops and
other members of the hierarchy in the
United States, took the proposition to
Rome, where 1t was represented that
young women of CATHOLIC families would
be likely to seek instruction in Protestant
CcIltSbS uHltSS llleN 'ouid Iltiu tludl
vantages within their own church. The
suggestion was favorably received by his
holiness. Leo XIII. and Cardinal Ram
polla. the papal secretary of state. who.
1t is unnecessary to say. is one of the
broadeSt as well one OF the greatest
men of the century. and Bishop Conaty
and the trustees of the Catholic Univer-
sity were authorized to found insti-
tuition at which philosophy. the natural
sciences. the languages. mathematics and
az hn1 h. hnG hp
according to the most approved modern
methods of higher education, and offer
the same advantages that were given by
non-Catholc colleges of the first rank.
1t was decided to locate the institution
in the immediate vicinity of the univer
sty. which is the center of Catholic edu-
cation in America, in order that the stu
dents might have the benefit of the in
struction of professors on its staff. A
site of thirty acres on what was known
as Bluebeard. hill. across the street from
the university was purchased for $40
COO. and the sisters of Notre Dame de Ma
mur were invited to take charge of the
movement.
Foundation of the Order.
This order was founded in 1906 by Julia
Billiart of Picardy and the Niscountess
Bleu de Bourbon, Baroness of Gain
court. The latter lady-in- waiting to
Marie .Antoinette. was condemned to
death during the French revolution and
the date was fixed for her execution.
Fortunately FOR her and for the world.
Robespierre fell a few hours before she
was to go to the guillotine. and in the
confusion caused by his death her SEN
tence was overlooked. Julia Rilliart was
Il peasant and the niece of IL simple cure
in the interior OF France. who was pro-
.ound student and gave her the benefit of
his learning.
At the close OF the French revolution.
which failed because it was goddess. those
two women accidentally came toge ther and
joined in an effort to bring the people
of France back to the church. They
decided. that the best way was to begin
with the children and started a little
school at Namur. The first child novice
was sent through the streets ringing a
beil to attract attention and telling the
othe:. children that she met to run
home and get their faces washed and
then come to the sisters. who would tell
them something they wanted to know.
That is the way the order be gan. and
it has grown to be one of the largest
alI most important educational agencies
in the world. The mother house at Ma
mur, magnificent place. stands upon
ground given to the nuns by the grand
father of Count Lichtervelde, recently Bel
gian minister to Washington, and for
mad director in Trinity College.
The order has had a distinct curriculum
since 1919 considerably higher than that
of any other, and every five years it has
baen advanced to keep pace with the de-
velupment of science and educational
methods. In 1910, when educational dis
abilities were removed from Roman Cath
olics in England, the nuns of Namur
We're invited to compete for Queens Col
lega. London. They won the competition
and have since furnished tire staff of
teachers for that institution. In 1890.
whel the educational disabilities OF Cath
olic;s were removed in Scotland. they
entc red into competition there. and have
obts ned control of several public insti-
tutions. They teach in all the public
schools of Liverpool. and may be found
in other cities of the United Kingdom.
They have a normal school at Liverpool
to train their teachers. and afterward
send their most brilliant graduates to
Oxford. Cambridge and ST. Andrews,
E,di.! burgh.
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
came To the United States in 1910. es-
tabished their headquarters at Cincinnati,
and now have forty-eight establishments
and more than 500 teachers scattered
through the different states, including
Trinity College. which. as l have told
you. is the only institution in the world
of it's grade under the jurisdiction of
the Roman Church Since it's foundation.
however, the Convent of the Holy Cross
at Notre Dame, Ind, and st. Angela's
Cole ge at New Rochelle. n. Y, have
aQGed SeNeTdl " luSlI regular
curriculum.
tablishment of Trinity.
Sister JULIA the provincial of the order
in the United States. came to Washington
at the invitation of Bishop Conaty In 1897,
purchased the site with money already in
the treasury of the order. and proceeded
to raise about 100000 for the building and
endowment The building was designed by
Sister Mary, who is the architect of the
order AID has erected all of it's schools
and houses. for several years, although
Edwin F. Durang assisted her with the
specifications and working drawings, look
ed after the contracts and Superintended
the construction. The only large sum con-
tributed was 100000 from Judge and
Mrs. NJ p O'Connor of San Jose, Cal.
who have dCne more for the institution
than any other patron. They became in
terested in the work of the siSterhood
many wears ago in California. and built an
orphanage for it at San Jose. They have
given literally to other institutions under
its care, and in 1904 presented to Trinity
nearly 100 oil paintings copies of the great
masters, with a carefully selected collec-
ton of engravings and photographs,
number of pieces of marble. bronze and
mosaics. valued at $1JO,0O0 and erected a
gallery to shelter them
Mrs Sullivan of Providence, r. l.,
daughter of Mr.. Bannigan. who was called
the rubber king, founded library of Eng
lish literature for the students and con-
tributes 10oG new volumes every year.
The librarian and other members of the
faculty furnish list of the books that
- 5ac;ra5 Tho Countess Taary nf Naw