Evening star., 1909-07-12
Many Educational Institutions
on Banks of Historic River.
GETAWAY DAYS ARE HERE
Boys and Girls Hurrying Home After
Commencements.
INSTITUTIONS FOR CATHOLICS
Splendid ablishments and Aristo-
cratic Cottages Where the Young
Idea Is Taught to Shoot.
BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
/ Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald
/ POtGHkEEPSIE. y. Y. July ,. 1909
! During those rare days in the month
of June each year the baggage express
companies at the towns and villages
along the Hudson have their hands--or it
would be better to say their wagons-full
of large and heavy trunks.
| That is the season when the rich folks
! from New York and other cities migrate
to their summer homes. and when the
| students at the numerous semnaries and
schools that line both banks of this great
river HE themselves homeward for their
vacations.
Experience has taught those whose
| business it is to look after such things
! how to handle the traffic i'm the easiest
| way. Two or three weeks before COM
mencement special agents of the railway
company make their appearance, like the
/ boards of examiners and trustees, to ar
| range for the shipment of large guam
| titles of human freight and it's adorn
| mentS to destinations throughout the
country.
/ There are twenty or more large schools
for girls along the east bank of the Hud-
| son. beginning with Mount ST Vincent.
|
teen hundred students. and running down
to the exclusive cottage schools. where
| fifteen or twenty. or even smaller num-
| ber, of rich girls of the American aris-
| tocracy are trained for social success
| Special trains special cars are ar
| ranged, to which the railway people as
| sign young women from the different
schools who have the same or neighbor-
| ing destinations. and deliver them safely
| in Chicago or ST. Louis or wherever they
] are expected. to the proper consgnee.
Sometimes teacher goes as a chaperon,
but that is hardly necessary.
Departure From West Point.
| At West Point on graduating day
train is waiting on a side track under
| the cliff. AS soon as a cadet receives his
diploma he rushes to his room. throws off
| the gray uniform he has worn for four
years, climbs into a suit of ''cits.' which
| he has not donned for two years grabs
| his new suit case and starts for the little
station on the river bank.
| When everybody has reported to lie
class president the conductor is notified.
| The train starts for New York with as
! hilarious a cargo of passengers as can be
| imagined. Rooms have been engaged for
them at one of the hotels several months
| in advance. dinner has been ordered and
seats have been reserved for the evening
performance of one of the theaters, where
| the performers usually interpolate apprO-
pirate topical songs and gags" which
are not too profound for military genius
/ to appreciate.
| After the play the boys take the
| town. In the morning they separate
! forever, each going to his own home for
a few weeks vacation before he receives
a permanent assignment to some regi-
ment in the regular service.
Vassar Girls Get Away.
One interesting sight at Poughkeepsie
| ant &c to fln h.ap
gage wagons with stacks of trunks as
high as a load of hay on their way be-
tween vassar College and the railway
station. A thousand girls have good
many trunks, an average of three each,
| and arrangements are made to check
! them directly from the college to their
| destination; but they have to be ready
three days in advance of departure;
Commencement is Wednesday and most
| of the girls get away that night or
| Thursday morning on special trains or
| special cars attached to the regular trains.
| y the trunks have to be ready Monday
morning, and from an early hour that
day until Wednesday night every express
wagon in Poughkeepsie is engaged in
| hauling them.
The same scene occurs at every one of
| the many schools along the Hudson.
There are several at Poughkeensie be-
sides the college, and Peekskill is an edu-
c: tional center-the Oldest | believe on
| IT,. river-and some of the Peekskill
schools are famous. There are more than
| twelve military schools for boys of all
ages the Hudson in addition to West
Point, and back in the country. on both
sides. in places like Englewood, n. j., and
Briar Cliff. which is near the Connecticut
! boundary line, are we'll known educational
| institutions for both boys and girls.
At the Catholic Schools.
The tCatholic Church and its various
| charitable and educational orders are buy
ing up hotels and securing other advan-
| tageous sites for schools, converts and
colleges for both sexes. There are no
better real estate investors in the world
than the religious orders.
| Go wherever you will. in every country
and zone of either hemisphere. YOU will
find the finest building sites occupied by
monasteries, converts and schools of the
Catholic Church This same rare judg-
ment and foresight is illustrated in a re-
! markable degree on both banks of the
| Hudson river.
| The first and one of the most conspic-
1 uous objects of interest on the New Jei'
sey side of North river opposite the city
| of New York is ST. Michaers Monastery
of the Passionist Fathers, which is a copy
1 of ST. Paul's Cathedral at London, and
| has big dome. On the other side of the
river at Manhattanyille, beyond the River
| size QflNe, Is the convent OF lne
| Heart while st. Nincent's Academy. near
| i onkers, to which | have already alluded,
next to West Point Military Academy, is
| altogether the most conspicuous building
on the Hudson.
| The Sisters of St. Francis purchased the
old Cozzen's Hotel at Highland Falls,
| just south of West Point, two years ago
for 100000. They have put on S20O000
worth of Improvements, christened it
Lady Cliff Academy and have about 300
young women there to educate under
about twenty sisters. Most of the pupils
come from rich New York families.
The old Prospect Park Hotel at the foot
of the Catskils, which has been one of
| the most popular summer resorts on the
| III udson for many years, has recently been
purchased by the Franciscan Fathers
| who are Transforming it into convent
| The Redemptorist Fathers have a theo-
| logical seminary on the west bank of
| the Hudson, near Esopus, where about Il
hundred young men are preparing them
selves for the missionary field.
| The Marst Brothers also have mis-
sionary school and a community of about
seventy near Poughkeepsie.
Converts on the West Bank.
ST. Agnes Convent, on the Jersey side
opposite New York, is well known in
stitution; the Sisters of Mercy have one
at Tarrytown: Sisters of st. Mary main
tain the orphanage of st. joseph, with
615 boys and 400 girls. near Peekskill:
the Sisters of ST. Francis have a school
there dedicated to "Our Lady of the
Angels: there is a large convent north
of Fishkill; the Sisters of the White