The Irish standard., 1915-04-24
THE SILVER JUBILEE
OF CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
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thousands in Europe, some of them
going back to the 18th century.
"Popes, princes and towns lavished
privileges and immunities of many
kinds upon universities, which some
times seeded. At Bologna, mostly of
law, who were older and richer than
elsewhere for a long time, governed
and elected the professors annually,
paid them, determined their duties,
and mulcted them for long list Of
shortcomings. The church stood for
freedom, not only of teaching and
learning, but for university autonomy,
and it often did so against its own
local authorities"
The speaker characterized briefly
some of the main features Of student
life and custom, such as initiating
new students, tagging, the spontan-
eous organization of student societies,
modes of financial control, endow-
ments, the daily life of students, the
development of an established profes.
sorate, characterized briefly the great
themes and texts and how they were
treated, described the hardships of
students, and the usual poverty of in
stitutions, their inner organizations,
the pedagogic methods in the chief
texts and subjects and dwelt briefly
upon the services of scholasticism to
the world.
In conclusion he urged that In no
ways had universities rendered such
measureless services to the community
and to the world, or been in closer
touch with all vital interests about
them than the typical institutions Of
these days, and urged that the study
of their development should always
be made not only part of culture
history, but of the study of education,
and that the main features of their
work should be included in the modern
studies of theology, law and medicine.
Very Rev. John Cavanaugh, presi-
dent of Notre Dame university, Notre
Dame, Indiana, represented the Cath
Ollie colleges and universities, and
j spoke on 1.-THE Mission of the Uni
versity," saying:
"The church, as such, has no apos-
tolate to art or science. Her mission
Is to save souls; her business Is with
the sins and sorrows of men. If she
had never inspired an artist or stimu-
lated scholar her course throughout
the Christian centuries might have
been victorious and brilliant. Even il
she had repressed the artistic impulse
in men and discouraged science, her
career might still have been gloriously
successful. In the purposes Of God,
her destiny is rounded out when she
teaches men divine truth, when by her
sacraments she floods their souls with
grace, when by her moral precepts she
guides their actions.
"The church, then, has no direct
mission to scholarship or refinement
or the arts of civilization. But in the
fulfllment of her sublime destiny as
the guide and teacher of mankind, she
has felt constrained to make use Of
all the aids and instrumentalities by
which men may be influenced for their
betterment, and hence the church is
actually found in history to have been
the fruitful mother of universities, her.
self the supreme school of philosophy
and music and poetry and eloquence
and sculpture and painting and archi-
lecture. 1t was she who inspired Au-
gustin and Aquinas; for her Palestrina
sang; Dante, the glorious voice Of ten
silent centuries, is merely her theology
set to music; the golden speech of
Chrysostom and Bossuet and Lacor.
daire was uttered in her service. To
body forth her white and beautiful
thought Michael Angelo and Canova
populated the world with images OF
grace and strength; to express her
spirit Raphael and Angelica painted
At her call the cathedral builders with
minds anoint of God, first dreamed
their dream of beauty before stone
and glass and wood, at the bidding OF
industry, leaped into their places to
fulfill the architects dream. In the
sunshine of her favor the historic uni
versities of the world blossomed out
of the believing mind and the loving
heart Of her children. Each form of
exalted human endeavor had its work
to do for mankind in her service; and
so 1t must ever be.
What, then. is the mission OF this
great school? They who baptized her
in the lustral waters of faith crystal
liked her meaning and her destiny
when they named her the Catholic
University Of America. AS Catholic
she is child of the church; as uni.
versity she is the alma mater of learn.
ing; as existing in America she is
dedicated to democracy. Her mission
is to perpetuate the ancient friendship
of the church with science and democ.