mental and moral training, and education is dangerous
to the individual and to society unless it embrace these
two parts. The history of the last two hundred years,
with its bloody revolutions, its fearful crimes, its wit-
ness to the increase of disorders of the worst kinds in
every grade of society, is enough to warrant the con-
clusion that mental development alone serves only to
put deadly weapons into the hands of madmen for the
destruction of their fellows.

Catholic education, then, aims mainly at the heart ;
and by preserving its purity, by elevating its desires, by
ennobling it with the hopes of immortality, by re-
pressing the gross passions which would lay waste the
whole nature body and mind and soul if left unre-
strained, it gives to the mind that tranquillity, that
vigor, which enable it to grapple successfully with the
difficulties of science, and thus secures the end of all
true education. It aims at planting in the heart such
principles of rectitude as will forever after serve as a
guide, a check, a warning, a stimulus ; pointing always
to the end to be reached eternity; deterring from the
devious by-paths which are so artfully contrived to
deceive the unwary ; whispering, like a guardian angel,
of evil wherever it appears, and however it is diguised ;
and urging onward and upward along a path which is
arduous indeed, but on which faith reflects the light of
heaven. And surely this must be confessed to be the
only effectual means to prevent evil ; for unless there is
in the heart a love of virtue above all else, an esteem of



RATIO STUDIORUM. 153

what is true and good above every merely temporal
advantage, and a firm resolve never to sacrifice duty or
virtue to pleasure, interest, honor, or any thing whatever
that is unworthy of an immortal spirit, all laws will ever
be in vain, all vigilance will ever be eluded, and vice
will prevail among men.

3. THE IDEA OF ST. IGNATIUS.

It is for this noble end that St. Ignatius desired to
see young hearts placed at his disposal, hearts, such as
God had made them, untainted as yet by the breath of
vice, minds unsullied by the knowledge of evil, so that
he might have the first forming of the character, plant-
ing the good seed and watching its growth, aiding its
development till it reaches perfection. Hence his plan
of studies begins with the elementary branches, sup-
posing only such knowledge of the vernacular as a child
of ten or twelve years has ordinarily acquired at home ;
and then he gradually leads his pupil upward through
the several grades of literature, classical erudition,
science both physical and mental, till the student is pre-
pared to enter upon the special professional course
which he may have chosen. If then the choice falls on
theology, St. Ignatius provides him with a thorough
course of ecclesiastical science in every branch. And, to
say the truth, this is the main object of the colleges: to
train up a succession of virtuous and learned men for
the defence of religion and the service of the Church,
though by no means excluding others who are destined
for other walks of life, and who, entering them with the
principles instilled into them during their preparatory
years at college, will always be an ornament to their
faith, and will exert their influence, on all occasions, in
favor of truth and justice.



154 SYSTEM OF STUDIES.

4. GENERAL PLAN OF STUDIES.

Thus we see that St. Ignatius comprises in his scheme
of studies the entire range of human knowledge, each
separate part complete in itself, each preparing the way
for another, higher and better, and all united into a
system at once beautiful and strong, varied and yet
one. The foundation is laid by the knowledge of
words, their meaning, their forms, and etymology.
Words are next marshalled into sentences, which syn-
tax renders correct, precise, perspicuous. Copiousness
of diction, as well as elegance, is taught by poetry and
rhetoric, whilst the main object of these arts is fully de-
veloped in the various kinds of poetical and oratorical
composition. And thus far the many accessory sources
of erudition have been kept open to the youthful
mind, history, geography, antiquities, in addition
to the elementary branches of mathematics, all tending
to train, to enrich the mind, and to furnish materials for
future use.

Next comes logic, which teaches the art of reasoning;
metaphysics, in its various divisions, so little esteemed,
and yet so worthy of constant study, the science of the
mind, the highest and noblest of all sciences purely
human. Along with this, the physical sciences and the
higher mathematics, for the study of which the mind is
only then sufficiently developed, claim the student's
attention. Thus, the whole sphere of what nature offers
to man's knowledge is embraced in the course of phi-
losophy. And all this which has been hitherto accom-
plished, though magnificent in itself, yet receives its
crown and its ultimate perfection from theology, and
has its centre there. Theology is the end of all, be-



RATIO STUDIORUM. 155

cause God is the end of all, as He is the source of all
truth, whether of matter or of mind, of earth or of
heaven.

5. THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY.

This gives us the only true idea of a Catholic educa-
tion, as well as of a Catholic university, whence that
education is to be derived. Theology, the queen of
sciences, is and must be the centre to which all else
tends ; the key-stone of the arch, the ratio essendi of all
the rest; the bond of unity, the source of light, the
synthetic object of the entire system. It is true that not
every student of the Catholic college is destined to be
a theologian ; nor is it desirable that he should be one,
in the sense that he should devote himself to the ser-
vice of the altar, though it were well if every Catholic
were sufficiently versed in theology to taste the beauties
and the sweetness of his faith, to explain and defend it
when it is misrepresented and attacked. But it is true
that in so far as he remains below the standard, in so
far as he fails to complete the curriculum, in so far his
education is defective and unfinished. If the object of
education were limited to this life, to this world, and to
material interests, we could be satisfied with such
studies as would enable us to draw the greatest amount
of profit or pleasure from material things. And this,
unfortunately, is the tendency of modern thought and
modern education. But if education is to have tempo-
ral interests for its secondary object only, whilst its
chief end should be to prepare man for his eternal des-
tiny, to lead matter and mind, body and soul, back to
God who gave them ; if God is the end of man and of
all life, then, without doubt, modern materialism in
education, as well as in every thing else, is leading man-



156 SYSTEM OF STUDIES.

kind back to barbarism, and is sacrificing man's best
interests, and crushing out his noblest aspirations.

We do not here intend to disparage the study of the
natural sciences, and the proof of this is abundantly
evident from the scheme of studies proposed by the
" Ratio Studiorum," where all due prominence is given to
these branches ; nor do we deny the many advantages
derived from the wonderful progress made in our day,
in all that regards material development. But let us
.not degrade our humanity by clinging exclusively to the
world, by a total neglect of the noblest of all sciences,
the science of the mind, and the science of God. Let
us study nature, and learn the secrets that lie concealed
in air and sea, in forest and field, in rock and pebble
and shell, in the starry vault above our heads, and in
the prolific bowels of the earth under our feet; but let
us study all this magnificent mechanism without for-
getting its great author, " who has left the world to our
disputations," and "whose invisible being and perfec-
tions are made manifest by the visible creation of His
mighty hand." Nature must lead us to God, and the
study of nature must be subordinate to the higher study
for which man was ordained ; for God is the centre of
all, and all must tend to Him, or be worthless and
dangerous.

6. OPPOSITION TO THE SYSTEM.

Such is the grand ideal of education, according to St.
Ignatius, and it is at this ideal that his followers have
aimed in their efforts. It would be difficult to say what
would be the condition of the human mind to-day, what
effect this education would have produced on the public
and private life of the nations, if this system had been



RATIO STUDIORUM. 157

allowed to prevail. But it was doomed, like every thing
else that sprang from the creative zeal of Ignatius, to
be a sign of contradiction, an object of attack from
every quarter. The Reformation dreaded it as its most
dangerous opponent ; the worldly powers, jealous of the
influence of the Church, looked on it with unconcealed
distrust ; whilst the great universities felt that a formid-
able rival had appeared, that would in time eclipse their
fame and diminish their emoluments.

The Reformation was forced, in self-defence, to break
loose from all the traditions of Catholic science. It could
not retain the scholasticism of the olden time, nor the
dialectics of Aristotle, which were fatal to its claims and
pretensions. Hence it decried scholasticism as a
superannuated tissue of puerile distinctions, and it in-
vented an inductive philosophy of its own, which has
ended in rationalism and materialism; and education in
every branch was infected with the spirit of innovation,
which has gone on changing and remodelling, with new
names, new systems, new text-books, till we never know
what new idea will be born from one day to another, to
live for a little while, and then give place to another.
The result of it all has been a loss of depth and solidity,
a flimsiness of petty branches multiplied without end,
studied without preparation, and therefore learned with-
out profit. Education, as it is called, has become
shallow. Depth of thought has been replaced by
prettiness of expression ; great literary works are rare ;
and science, the boast of our age, is limited to physics,
mechanics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, and the
like, all material in their object, and pursued with a view
chiefly to their application to matter.

Hence flow, also, the disrepute into which classical



158 SYSTEM OF STUDIES.

studies have fallen, and the ignorant prejudices which
have settled in the public mind against them. Latin
and Greek, it is said, are of no use in business or
mechanics ; it is a waste of time to apply to them ; give us
the substantial parts of a good business education, or of
science, such as mathematics, chemistry, and others,
out of which a man can draw a livelihood : as if educa-
tion had no end in view beyond dollars and cents, or
comfort and good living. But it is useless to refute such
notions, whether we consider the minds which are im-
bued with them, and are, by their ignorance of the
subject, incapable of being enlightened, or the minds
which reject them, and which, therefore, know the full
value of classical studies, and the important part they
play in all true education.

/. ADAPTATION OF THE SYSTEM TO THE TIMES.

We must, however, take the world as it is, and apply
the system of education to it in every way in which it
is willing to receive it. For the main object is ever the
same, the training of truly Christian generations; so
that St. Ignatius gives secular knowledge, not as an end,
but as a means to an end. He teaches youth what it
desires to learn, in order that he may, at the same time,
teach it what he wishes it to know, that higher science
which fits it for an immortal destiny. In his day, edu-
cation had received its fullest development, through
the gradual progress from the monastic and cathedral
schools of the Middle Ages to the grand universities of
Paris, Salamanca, Bologna, Rome, and many others
scattered over the face of Europe. The spirit of inno-
vation had just begun to invade some of these centres
of Catholic thought, and was threatening others. St.



RATIO STUDIORUM. 159

Ignatius made haste to counteract it. He seized upon
all that was good in the system, which five centuries had
matured, and embodied it in his plan ; this was the
simple, but comprehensive course of the old schools:
grammar, the humanities, rhetoric, philosophy, and theol-
ogy, with their several accessory studies, a course
which had been followed by all the youth of Europe
who were educated and were destined to exercise an
influence over their fellow-men in after life.

Ignatius then adopted this plan and introduced it
into his colleges, with such precautions, regulations,
and details as made his students secure against danger
from without, and promoted their advancement, not only
in learning, but also in virtue.

We may regret that education has changed since
those days, and that we have lost the thoroughness of
work then accomplished ; but such regrets are vain.
St. Ignatius knew that all human things are subject to
vicissitudes. They rise, gradually reach their acme,
only to descend again ; and then, perhaps, to rise again
at the bidding of some master-mind. But at all times
it would be necessary to have men of strong Christian
principle, and that practical faith which alone can
triumph over temptation ; and as education would ever
be the chief means to the end, Ignatius would suit his
course of studies to all times and to all changes of cir-
cumstances, without, however, opening the door to wild
schemes, or mere apparent improvements. He pro-
vided for the adaptation of studies to various times and
countries ; but he would have changes made wisely,
prudently, with due consideration of what was in itself
the best, as well as of what was required, or what could
be attempted at each epoch.



160 SYSTEM OF STUDIES.

Hence we now see more time devoted, more promi-
nence given to the natural sciences ; the exact sciences
have always held a high place in the course. Hence,
also, room has been made for the commercial course,
from which the learned languages are excluded for the
sake of such studies as immediately prepare the young
man for the counting-house. Special courses of modern
languages are introduced, the fine arts are cultivated,
and the sciences which prepare young men for mechani-
cal pursuits or engineering are promoted. In a word,
as the object is to give a Christian education to as
many as possible, every one who applies should be able
to find in the Catholic college or university the course
of study which he or his parents desire, as the one
which will best prepare him for his future occupation
or station in life. The Jesuit college is not, then, a bed
of Procrustes, into which every mind is forced and com-
pressed, and there fashioned and shaped into one dead
uniformity, but a wide and spacious nursery, where
each plant finds its congenial soil, and is not only
allowed, but helped to develop its own beauties and its
own virtues.

8. THREE COURSES OF STUDIES.

This naturally divides our studies into three distinct
departments, the classical, the commercial, and the
scientific. The first is the one best suited to prepare a
young man for all the uncertainties of the future. It is
not often that a lad of fourteen has a definite idea of
what he is to do when he reaches manhood ; and even
if he has it, there are many accidents which may turn
him aside from his purpose, or make it desirable for
him to alter his course. The wisest plan is to study in



RATIO STUDIORUM. l6l

such a manner during the few irrevocable years of
youth, that when manhood comes, with its prospects,
its offers, its laudable ambition, or its disappointments
and its dire necessity, the student will be ready to meet
it in whatever shape it may present itself, and may
stand among his fellows a full-grown, a noble man.

The classical course is so arranged that it embraces
all the studies and all the advantages of the others, and
its effect on the mind is such that all its powers are
elevated and strengthened, as well as disciplined and
habituated to work. We must never forget that educa-
tion differs essentially from instruction, and its office is
less to fill the memory with facts, or the understanding
with knowledge, than to develop the faculties of the
mind, and prepare them for the work of life, and to
repress the bad passions lest they should blast the bud-
ding promise, and to cultivate the virtues which will
adorn the character, ennoble every energy, and secure
man's happiness both here and hereafter.

The details of this course, the branches included in
its scope, and the class-work assigned to each of its six
years are set down in the annual catalogues of the
university, so that it is deemed unnecessary to repeat
them here ; suffice it to say that this course alone, fully
and successfully gone through by the student, entitles
him to the Baccalaureate of Arts, a step to the
second, or Master's Degree, after two years more
devoted to professional studies or to a literary career.

9. THE COMMERCIAL COURSE.

But, however desirable these studies are for all who
aim at a high rank among their fellows by means of
superior education, it is nevertheless true that many



l62 SYSTEM OF STUDIES.

students either refuse to pursue them, or are not per-
mitted to do so. For those it became necessary to
provide another course of studies, less arduous and
more brief than the other, and embracing only such
branches as would be useful in the ordinary avocation
of commerce or business life.

This is called the commercial course, and it runs
through four years, or less, according to the proficiency
of the student when he enters the college. Here he
finds all the ingredients of a good English education,
besides rhetoric, mathematics, physics, and chemistry
( not, however, so fully as in the classical course ), and
those studies which are of immediate reference to busi-
ness, as book-keeping, commercial correspondence,
etc. On the successful completion of these studies,
the degree of Master of Accounts is conferred on the
deserving candidates.

Penmanship forms an essential element in all the
lower forms of both courses, and is daily taught by an
experienced professor.

IO. THE SCIENTIFIC COURSE.

But as certain branches of science are not fully
developed in the commercial course, as, for instance,
physics and chemistry, and as the study of mental and
moral philosophy, which is of such paramount impor-
tance, hardly enters into the commercial course at all
beyond logic, it was desirable to furnish an opportunity
for the more thorough study of those branches to such
members of the commercial department as might have
the time and the means to avail themselves of the
advantage.

For this purpose a scientific course was introduced in



RATIO STUDIORUM. 163

1877, and this is open to the graduates of the commer-
cial course for one year after their graduation, during
which they attend lectures on metaphysics, ethics,
astronomy, and higher mathematics, besides continuing
natural philosophy and chemistry, and English litera-
ture. At the end of this year a thorough examination
tests the success of the students, and such of them as
have stood the test are rewarded with the degree of
Bachelor of Science.

It has already become evident that the introduction
of this course has supplied a want, and that it will not
only remain as a permanent department in the univer-
sity, but will gradually develop and increase in impor-
tance, in proportion to the demands of students and to
the means which will be at command for the purpose.

II. OPTIONAL BRANCHES.

Optional branches also form a part of the plan of
studies, such as the modern languages, chiefly the
German and French, which are considered the most
useful in our country. Spanish and Italian classes can
be formed whenever they are called for by a sufficient
number of pupils. These languages can be taken or
not, as may seem best to parents or students, and only
one of them at a time is allowed to each student, lest
he should be engaged on too many subjects at once.
By taking each language for two years of either course,
a sufficient knowledge of them can be acquired without
detriment to other studies.

12. THE FINE ARTS.

The fine arts, music, drawing, and other accomplish-
ments are at the option of students, so that no part of
a refined education is wanting.



164 SYSTEM OF STUDIES.

13. ASSOCIATIONS FOR MENTAL, MORAL, AND PHYSICAL
IMPROVEMENT.

As additional means for improvement, both moral
and mental and physical, a number of societies or asso-
ciations exist, with the approval of the faculty, among
the students : the Sodalities, for the moral ; the Students'
Library, the Reading-Room Association, the Philalethic
Debating Society, for the mental ; and the usual games
and gymnastic exercises for the physical development.

The Philharmonic Society, in its two branches of
brass band and orchestra, and the Society of St. Caecilia
for vocal music, afford ample facilities for the cultiva-
tion of musical talent in the young amateurs.

Weekly exercises in elocution in all the classes,
monthly declamations in public by several speakers
chosen for the purpose, and occasional dramatic per-
formances are the means employed for the very impor-
tant object of training the students to elegance and
pnpressiveness of public speaking.

14. THE PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT.

Finally, the preparatory department descends to the
elementary branches of education, for the benefit of
such youthful pupils as are not yet prepared to enter
even the lowest class of either the classical or the com-
mercial course ; and they remain in it only so long as
may be necessary to fit them for the course they are
destined to follow.

15. CONCLUDING REMARKS.

Thus, we see that the "Ratio Studiorum" is as com-
prehensive in its scope and as thorough in its efficiency
as can be desired by any true friend of education, in its
best and widest sense.



RATIO STUDIORUM. l6$

Let us merely add, not in a spirit of self-laudation,
but as a mere matter of fact, that the statement here
given of the plan of studies pursued in the St. Louis
University is not merely prospective, or a system to be
aimed at in the future, not as yet really and fully in
practice, but one which is at this moment in full opera-
tion in its every detail, under a faculty of twenty-six
officers and professors.

The libraries and cabinets of philosophical apparatus,
and of specimens in the various departments of natural
history, are the growth of fifty years, during which
additions have been continually made to them, partly by
the liberality of benefactors, partly by such means as
the college itself could appropriate to the development
of these departments.



THE JUBILEE,



CELEBRATED ON



TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 1879



OR THE



FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY



OF



THE ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY,



(167



[I.]

PAPAL BRIEF.

BEFORE the close of the scholastic year, on June 26,
1878, it had been decided by the trustees of the St.
Louis University that, as the year 1879 would be the
fiftieth year since the university was originally founded,
or the university would then complete the fiftieth year
of its existence, the interesting occasion should be com-
memorated with appropriate religious and literary ob-
servances and exercises. It was further suggested, at a
subsequent meeting of the trustees, that it would be
very desirable, and also becoming the character of the
university as a Catholic institution, for its president to
petition a special benediction on the university from
the Sovereign Pontiff, Leo XIII., prayed for in the
name of the trustees and faculty of the university.

Accordingly, Rev. Joseph E. Keller, president of the
university, wrote to his Holiness the following letter,
under date of January 6, 1879, which was presented at
the Vatican by Very Rev. Torquato Armellini, secretary
of the Society of Jesus :

"BEATISSIME PATER: Josephus E. Keller, e Societate Jesu, rector
universitatis ejusdem societatis in civitate Sancti Ludovici, Status Mis-
souri, in America septentrionali, humiliter ad pedes Sanctitatis Vestrae
provolutus, notum facit hunc. annum quinquagesimum esse a fundata
universitate, sociisque Societatis Jesu qui una in eadem degunt, sive pro-
fessores, sive magistri, sive aliis et domesticis occupationibus intenti visum
esse hunc annum jubilaeum maxima turn sacra turn literaria sollemnitate

(169)



I/O GOLDEN JUBILEE.

celebrare. Multum enim juvare putamus ad bonum religionis in hac