The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-09-23
C ULTURED MEXICO
ExlLED JESUIT SAYS MEXICO
WAS THE FIRST CENTRE OF
LEARNING IN AMERICA.

1850 AAAANS 10 III SCI IAiC 1LulOpCdu wa
as "barbarous Mexico" are, perhaps,
excusable if they base their character
lzation solely on the pillage and rapine
OF the last few years, writes Joyce
Kilmer in the New York Times"
But according to the Rev. Gonzalo
Carrasco, S. j., Mexico is land in
which for centuries have hoGrished
literature, painting, sculpture, ana
architecture; land of ripe anu vigor-
Gus culture
Father Carrasco has good cause to
believe that his countrymen appre-
c1ate painting. For if he himself
were not q painter as we'll as a priest,
he might now be shut in tiny cell in
the prison at Tealoyucan, or lying in
an unmarked grave out in the cactus
covered mesa. He painted the por-
trait of General Carranza-and the
dreaded First Chief gave him in pay
ment life and freedom.
| found Father Carrasco at the
school of st. Ignatius Loyola, in East
Saith street, where number of his
paintings are on exhibition. He does
not speak English, carrying on in
Latin his conversations with his fell
low-priests, SO he talked to me
through an interpreter.
He has won fame as an educator as
we'll as an artist He has been at
various times rector of the college
and church of Puebla, of the novitiate,
Superior of the First Residence in
the City Of Mexico, and Of the scholas-
ticate at Tepotzotlah. At the time Of
his arrest by officers of Carranza,
Father Carrasco was rector of the
Collegium Maximum at Tepotzotlan.
The story of the events that led up
to the painting of General Carranza's
portrait is full of drama. Father Car
rasco and four other priests were ar
rested at Tepotzotlan on Aug. s, 1914.
The prisoners were put into a wagon
and taken to Tealoyucan. There for
six days Father Carrasco shared a
small room with thirteen other pris-
oners. No food was given them by
their captors, but friendly villagers
struggled into the room a few loaves
of bread and some bottles of water
After several days Imprisonment
Father Carrasco was brought before
one of CarranZas officers and told
that the First Chief had decided to
deal leniently with him because of his
artistic ability.
You are to be made said the Off
Ger, "the President of the National
School of Fine Arts. But, of course,
you must give up your religion.
will give you until tomorrow to decide
whether or not you'll accept this offer.
If tomorrow you tell me that you will
not accept it, you will be shot at
once"
The next morning came, and Faith
his religion for the sake of the prom
ised reward. Apparently his courage
impressed his captors, for he was. not
shot, but sent back to his college at
Tepotzotlan. There he found Car
rama and his soldiers in possession,
and there he made the studies Of the
First Chief which later, at the sug-
gestion of General Francisco Coss, he
used in painting the portrait. This
portrait pleased General CarranZa,
who sent word that the painter was
to be taken to Vera Cruz and allowed
to leave the country. So, instead of
death or hard Imprisonment, Father
Carrasco received the lesser sentence
of exile as a result of the talent that
had been trained in the National
Mexican Academy and in the Museo
of FL Paso at Madrid.
"In Mexico" said Father CarrascO,
were the first school, college. mu-
scum, hospital, botanical gardens,
school of engineering, and free pub
lie library on the North American
Continent. In 1861 the university Ii
brary, consisting of 10000 volumes,
was thrown open to the public. In
1903 Mexico City kept LOO free beds
in it's great hospital. And at that
time the population of Mexico City
was only 100000.
I'm educational matters, certainly
Mexico has a prouder history thai
the United States. The University
of Mexico was without doubt the
first institution for higher education
to be founded on the North American
Continent. d. Antonio de Mendoza
petitioned the Emperor Charles V for
the establishment of a university dur
ing his Viceroyship, which lasted
from 1885 to 1850. 1t was not opened,
however, until the Viceroyship of his
successor D. Luis de Velasco. The
opening day was the 3rd of June, 1858.
1t was given yearly endowment of
81 900 in gold from the mines, and
upon it were conferred all the facul-
ties and privileges of the University
of Salamanca. There were chairs OF
theology, canon law, civil law, art,
rhetoric, grammar, medicine, and Ian
guages."
rs this university still in exist
ence?"
NO" said Father Carrasco. ut
was closed in 1888 by President
Gomez Farias. Later presidents
made attempts to re-establish it, but
it was finally suppressed by the EN-
peror Macmillan in 1865. 1t had,
however, more than three hundred
years Of prosperous and beneficial
activity. Can any other university
or college on this continent equal
that record?
I'm literature, too, Mexico claimed
%Ia IF NJ