THE CHRISTIAN BEOTHERS IN SAN FRANCISCO.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 332, 29 August 1879, Page 16

THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS IN SAN FRANCISCO.

A whiter, signing " H. Del Monte," in the San Francisco Monitor of May 22nd, gives the following account of St. Mary's College, California, which is under the care of the Christian Brothers •— Desirous of meeting the educational wants of the arch-diocese of Ban Francisco, his Grace, Archbishop Alemony founded St. Mary's College, the people of California and Nevada contributing generously m aid of the funds. It was opened in 1863 with the Rev. Father Hartington as president. He was succeeded by the Rev. Father Grey. x But the scarcity of priests and the onerous duties of the ministry determined his Grace to apply for the Christian Brothers. Though their number were entirely inadequate to meet the demands of the Eastern bishops, the kindly intervention of his Holiness Pius IX. insured the success of the application. The Christian Brothers took charge of St. Mary's in 1868, and received legislative authority to confer academic honours in 1872. From that time to June last year the number of degrees and diplomas conferred was 136, the degree Master of Arts being won by three of the students, Bachelor of Arts by 34, Bachelor of Science by 12, and the Commercial Diploma by 87. When we consider that the examination tests are rigid, that superncial knowledge has no chance of success, that cramming is useless and unknown and that practically St. Mary's College is a young establishment having to fight its upward way by its own intrinsic merit, it will be readily conceded that this is a most respectable showing for six years. The fact that in 1873 the graduates in the collegiate department numbered but six, while last year they numbered fourteen, is ample evidence that St. Mary's is a live and progressive institution. And in the public examination and commencement exercises, which will take place about two weeks hence, it will be found that 1879 is no exception to the prevailing rule, that each succeeding year is an improvement on its predecessor. For the benefit of those who may not be acquainted with the college arrangements, I will state that the studies are divided into two distinct departments, collegiate and commercial, and that the collegiate is sub-divided into the classical and the scientific. The course in each is at least as extended and as high as any college in the Union Hard work and natural talent on the part of the students, trained by large experience, great ability, and devoted seal on the part of the Brothers, could alone produce the magnificent result with which the public have grown familiar in connection with Saint Mary's. The class examinations, oral and written, have been going on daily for the past two weeks, and will terminate with public examinations ia two weeks more. Such of your readers as have the opportunity (and all shall find themselves welcome) should visit the college, as I did, and see for themselves what is going on. Nothing else will so well convince them that the institution stands on solid ground, and that it deserves all the popular favour it receives. Including the preparatory classes, the number of students is now 250, some of them over twenty and most of them over sixteen years. They represent all parts of the State, and include a few from Nevada, Mexico, and South America* French, Spanish, and German are among the common studies. Apart from the usual classes, the collegians study logic and mental philosophy (the examination in which is generally in English, but for ecclesiastical students in English and Latin), sacred and mediaeval history, ethics, metaphysics, political economy, philosophy of history, evidences of Catholicity (Martinet), and evidences of Revealed Religion (Father Jouin), which would go to show that the education imparted is not only sound and advanced but thoroughly Christian. In addition to their book-work within, which reaches up to co-ordinate geometry, the higher algebra, and the calculus, the science men have field work at surveying and engineering under an able instructor, Professor Taaffe. The commercial department numbers 113, divided into four classes, graded according to acquirements. The highest of these is organised as a banking and commercial establishment, with the usual contrivances for carrying on an artificial business. The best proof that the commercial department is successfully conducted consists in the fact that many of the predecessors of the present students may be found at the bookkeeper's desk in San Francisco and other parts of the State. The higher accomplishments seem to receive particular attention. The college band and orchestra have frequently commanded the applause of a city audience. Similarly, the college library societies have given various public entertainments of an admittedly high order, the latest being one at Platt's Hall for a charitable object, which was favourably noticed in all the city papers. I regret the necessity for dismissing the subject so curtly, but on another occasion I will recur to it.