Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-23
CARDINAL WON
ALLEGIANCE OF
HIS STUDENTS
Rev. ]. B. Culemans Gives Intimate
Glimpse Of Primate in Uni
Versity Days.

To have known Cardinal MERCER
as a teacher, guide, intimate assO-
ciate, counselor and friend-this
was the privilege Of Rev. J. B
Cu1emans, pastor Of the Sacred
Heart Catholic church Of Moline
at the time Of his student days in
the University Of Louyain, where
the now great primate was then
an instructor in philosophy and
metaphysics.
That readers of The Argus may
Pshare with him. not an understand
ing of the deeds and achievements
of Cardinal MERCER, for these are
already known to all the world,
but a more intimate insight into
the personal traits and character
of the man, Father Culemans has
described him as the students OF
the University of LOuvain knew him
then.
Cardinal MERCER was a man
who marveIously attracted the stu
dents" he said. He was gifted
with what we term personal mag
netism, for want of a more SPECIFIC
term. l cannot say just what the
qualities were that drew US, be-
yond the fact that we all felt the
wonderful attraction of his person
atty and cana under its sway.
BY this power of personality and
his natural gift as a teacher he
made interesting to the students
what would otherwise have been,
TO most of them. a subject abstruse
and difficult. They used to flock
around him and listen spellbound
while he discussed the most alb
stract of philosophical theories.
Somehow he made them clear and
Understandable.
Was he almost a chum to the
students?" Rev. Culemans was
asked.
Not almost-altogether," he re-
piled. He used to take long walks
with them. He used to encourage
them in their problems and lead
them on in their endeavOrs. When
they played pranks, he dealt with
them patiently and gently"
What these pranks were, Father
Culemans refused to specify. but
thought that, college youth being
alike the world over, some of the
younger generation might under
sand
The method Of the great teacher
in the classroom, Rev. Culemans
described as an informal lecture
method. which never carelessly
passed over a difficult problem, or
left a detail of his topic obscure.
BY question and reiteratiOn, he
made sure of thorough understand
ing in the minds of his students.
His method was abreast of the
times" he said He kept in touch
with the newest scientific discOv-
cries. He places books and maya
zines from all parts of the world in
the hands of his students. And he
always emphasized that they should
take nothing on faith, that they
should think through and investi-
gate the problems of philosophy for
themselves. He was a great de-
fender of the value of the human
reason"
Unyielding Persistence.
One of the traits in the character
of Cardinal MERCER which became
most evident in his heroic conduct
Of the war. that quality Of unyield
ing persistence which dafied the
Germans. was manifest in his earl
fer days at Louvain, when he over
came the opposition to his manner
Of instructing, in the mother tongue
instead of the ancient Latin, in
which metaphysical courses had
been offered, and won the firm sup
port OF all
His bigness OF mind. his kindli-
ness, his fearlessness. his humility,
these are the qualities which, in
>1he opinion of the Moline church
man, have made Cardinal MERCER
the idol of the whole world.