The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-10-23

Colleges. The last twenty years hav,
witnessed transformation in tn,
grounds, in the buildings, in tn,
/ growth of the College.
| Sacrifices Of Past.
| Great hearted Archbishop Ireland
| it's founder and it's benefactOr, usint
| all the prestige of his famous name
sought and received from near ant
far gifts and donations, for the Col
]ege. He drew from diocesan sources
$4,000 at various times to meet its
obligations and to erect it's noble
chapel The priests of the diocese
came to his support in the Jubilee
Fund, and from friends for the most
part outside the diocese a large sum
was raised to pay for the new resi-
dence Hall and provide a meagre en-
doWment
But when the Drill Hall and Theatre
were erected, the College undertook to
pay the major portion of the $4,000
that the building cost. Is it any won
der that today the obligations Of the
College are around $4,000? That
an inheritance of notes from long dis.
tant times, coupled with the necessity
Of repairing an equipment that is be-
ing rapidly worn out and compulsion
to provide the minimum Of material
expansion which the rapidly increasing
body of students made necessary, have
ALI had their part in this staggering
figure of Indebtedness? /,
Parting of Ways.
Meanwhile, the College is at the
parting of the ways. Not to go for
ward is to go back. Mot to seize the
opportunity of the moment is to lose
it forever. 1t is under the necessity
of building. 1t must build at once. 1t
cannot properly house it's students. 1t
must strengthen it's College life. 1t
needs first a College building. 1t needs
Dining Hall. 1t needs a hall for
Science 1t needs a hall for recrea-
ton. But it cannot satisfy all these
needs at once. It can, and that we
hope shortly to attempt. But we must
pay our debts, and we must build up
an endowment. The College should
have not less than $1,000,000 endow-
ment This summer, out of the clouds,
100000 of that amount came. More
will come if we have the courage to
ask it. Alumni of st. Thomas, what
are you going to for the College of
your dreams? What are you going to
do to make it what you think it ought
to be, to give it the means of living
and the assurance of life, and best of
all the sense that you are behind it?
The College does not need praise.
Knowing it's own trials and how it met
them, it is Indifferent to blame. But
with the dawn breaking, what are the
sons of the old school going to do for
their mother?
What Will You Do?
If they do what they can, they will
do a noble thing-their contribution
will be large. How many Of you will
give 500 a year for five years? How
many 5000 or $3.50 or $500 or $1,000 for
the same period? You smile. Big
things are done in a big way. The
best-that is done is done in the spirit
of sacrifice. But whatever you can
do, do it now. If you have felt that
st. Thomas should have done more
than it did, now is the time to say SO
but let your money talk. 1t did all
it could do with what it had. 1t sin
cerely desires to develop, to become
strong College for Catholic young
men at this most favored site in the
Northwest. 1t wants the advice, the
suggestions, the helpful criticism OF
the Alumni. You will have voice in
it's councils. Two of the Alumni will
hereafter be on its Board of Trustees
The College exists for you and yours
It wishes to get your view point. To
gether, you can build up the ideal col
lege for educated Catholic laymen who
will be men of force, of influence, ant
of Catholic Culture in their communi
ties in the future.
But this is not the moment fol
prophecy as it is not the moment fol
recalling the past, but it is the mo
| ment-the anxious, mOment-for &C
! ton. Pass sentence of life or dealt
on your Alma Mater. Members of thu
Alumni, you are the jury and you
College awaits your verdict.
/ +AUSTIN BOWLING,
| A .cL - DE-,