A PLEA
FOR THE
Higher
Education of Catholic Young Men
of America.
WITH AN
Exposure of the Frauds of the University of
Notre Dame, Ind.
PRECEDED BY
A CIRCULAR LE'nER TO THE ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS AND
PROMINENT CLERGY OF THE UNITED STATES.
BY
CHARLES VENEZIANI, A. M., Ph. D. (Heidelberg).
Professor at the University of Notre Dame from '96 to '99.
COPYRIGHTED 1900
BY
CHARLES VENEZIANI, A. M., Ph. D.
CHICAGO, ILL.
CONTENTS.
Circular to the Archbishops, Bishops and prominent
members of the Catholic Hierarchy of America .
Testimonials .
Open letter to the Very Reverend J. A. Zahm, Ph. D.,
Provincial of the Congregation of the Holy Cross
and President of the Board of Trustees of the Uni-
versity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana .
Brief History of my connection with the University of
N otre Dame ..
Plea for the higher education of Catholic Young Men .
Origin of Catholic Colleges .
'Why Catholic Colleges and U niversities controlled by re-
ligious Congregations cannot dispense the bread of
higher education .
Brother Professors in the University of Notre Dame .
Priests Professors in the University of Notre Dame .
Laymen Professors in the University of Notre Dame .
Evils resulting from religious Congregations controlling
the higher education of Catholic Young Men .
Remedy of these evils and the Catholicity of the new
Catholic Colleges of the future .
First communication of the author to the Board of Trus-
. tees of the University of Notre Dame .
Answer to the first communication .
Second communication .
Letter of the President of the University to· the Author ..
Answer .
My protest in the faculty meeting against allowing my
name being used as Professor of Romance Languages
Third communication to the Board of Trustees of the
U niversity of Notre Dame .
1
3
7
11
23-56
24
26
27
28
29
32
52
56
63
64
66
66
71
83
Circular to the Archbishops, Bishops and Prominent Members of
the Catholic Hierarchy of America.
Most Reverend Sir:
I deem it my duty to present you with a copy of my
"Plea for the higher education of the Catholic young
men of America." I have not the least doubt that
the plan expounded in this book of having Catholic
colleges and universities in every State with Bishops
as presidents of the board of trustees and learned lay­
men as professors, will meet with your approval.
This book is not only useful for advocating this plan
and showing how easily these new Catholic colleges
could be started, it may be also useful in correcting
abuses and frauds which would not be tolerated in any
institution of learning, and which should not certain­
ly be found in a Catholic university.
It will most certainly be the cause of putting a stop
to one of the blackest frauds, whereby the University
of Notre Dame, with the connivance and abettment of
Very Rev. Dr. Zahm, Provincial of the congregation
of the Holy Cross, and President of the Board of
Trustees, allures within her halls Spanish speaking
young men, holding out the inducement of a post
graduate course leading to the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy and several Doctors degrees on imaginary
conditions, in her Spanish catalogue, thus prostituting
the prestige a religious congregation en joys in the
eyes of Catholic nations in order to obtain their
money under false pretense.
The University of Notre Dame does not dare to
print such patent falsehoods about Doctors degrees,
etc., in her English catalogue, although of later date
and much larger.
2
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
The Catholic University of Notre Dame, after the
publication of this book will never dismiss a layman
Professor for addressing the Board of Trustees, asking
that the written statements of the President be made
true, because in the future no President of the Catho­
lic University of Notre Dame will ever write false
statements to a layman Professor when engaging him.
The Catholic University ot Notre Dame, after the
publication of this book, will never rob her waiter
students of the instruction due to them, nor use this
robbing as a pretext to try to rob her layman Profes­
sor of 2-5 of his salary of $600 per year.
The good accomplished by this book, however, may
be counterbalanced by the evil of increasing the preju­
dices against the clergy, which are unfortunately too
strong in the minds of some of our non-Catholic
brethren.
Being a layman, without much experience of men
anel their way of thinking, I am not able to decide this
difficult point, and therefore I address you, leaving the
decision to you. I shan listen with respect to the
opinion of the prominent members of the clergy, and I
shall consider the advice of the Archbishops and Bish­
ops as a command.
If the exposure of the fraudulent methods employed
by the University of Notre Dame be deemed harmful
to the interests of Catholicity, I will withold my book
from the public. In case of disapproval I trust you
will promptly inform me.
Very Respectfully,
CHAS. VENEZIANI, 117 S. St. Louis St.,
South Bend, Incl.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
3
Testimonial oí the Very Reverend James French,
Vice-President and Director of Studies of the Uni-­
versity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.
Being the Director of Studies I am situated so as
learn and see the effects of the Professor's method in
teaching, ánd I must say, as far as I could see, he is
one who takes great pleasure in imparting knowledge
to others, and posseses the facility of eliciting much
study and work from his pupils. He is a conscientious
instructor and punctual to duty. He is a university
scholar and of his ability there can be no question.
JAMES FRENCH.
St. Mary's Academy,
Salt Lake City, Utah,
Aug. 25, 1894.
Having learned with extreme regret that the bearer,
Professor Chas. Veneziani, is about to leave this city
with the intention of continuing his work of teaching
elsewhere, it gives me great pleasure to testify to
his high personal character and his great merit as an
instructor. For a year past he has given a course in
Latin to a number of teachers in this institution, with
the most satisfactory resufts.
I most cordially recommend him to anyone desiring
a teacher of exceptional ability and irreproachable
character.
I am, very sincerely,
SISTER SUPERIOR.
N autical Almanac Office,
Bureau of Navigation, Navy Depai rrnent,
Washington, D. c., April 25, 1885.
I have been favorably acquainted with Dr. Vene­
ziani for more than a year. He has attended the math-
4
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
ematical lectures at the Johns Hopkins University,
my own included, during the present college year. He
is an Italian by birth, Doctor of Philosophy at the
University of Heidelberg, and a very able mathema­
tician, as shown by a recent number of the American
Journal of Mathematics. He has also had some ex­
perience in teaching methematics in this country. His
personal character, as well as his scientific abilities, is
of the best. I would cordially recommend him to any
institution where the instruction of somewhat mature
pupils in mathematics is desired.
S. NEWCOMB.
American Journal of Mathematics,
Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, May 12, 1885.
I take great pleasure in being able to recommend
Dr. Carlo Veneziani for the position of Professor of
Mathematics.
Dr. Veneziani is a graduate of the University of
Heidelberg, and has also studied in Paris and other
continental universities. During the past academic
year (1884-85) he has been working in the Johns Hop­
kins University and I have personally seen a great
dc al of him.
Dr. Veneziani is a well trained mathematician and
possesses a high degree of mathematical talent; in ad­
dition he possesses the ability -to impart instruction in
a marked degree. I repeat it affords me the greatest
pleasure to be able to testify to the above statements.
THOMAS CRAIG,
Associated Professor of Mathematics in the Johns
Hopkins University ana Associate Editor of the
American Journal of Mathematics.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
5
I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. C. Veneziani
since hIS entering the Johns Hopkins University, and
can attest that his knowledge of ancient and modern
French literature renders him very competent as a
professor of the French language. Though a foreign­
er by birth, I judge by our frequent conversations that
his accent is excellent.
LEONCE RABILLON,
French Lecturer of Johns Hopkins University.
Boston University,
Boston, April 221 1886.
This may certify that Sig. Carlo Veneziani, Ph. n.,
bas been employed nearly three terms as instructor in.
Italian and Spanish in the College of Liberal Arts of
Boston University. Beginning under some embarrass­
rrents from lack of entire familiarity with the English
language, he has constantly improved in this respect
and has shown the promise of real excellence in the
teacher's work. \Ve hope to retain his service the
corning year, but if a better position is open to him
would gladly be of assistance to him in obtaining it.
Sincerely,
W. F. WARREN,
President Boston University.
University of Texas Library,
Austin, Texas, June 22, 1888.
This is to certify that Dr. Chas. Veneziani has been
associated with me for two years as Instructor of Mod-
. ern Languages. As to his acquirements in the field of
mathematics and of the classics others more compe­
tent than I have very favorably passed upo_n them. In
1\1 odern Languages I have found him a most excellent
6
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
scholar, and what goes almost without saying, a per­
fect gentleman in every respect.
H. TALLICHET,
Professor Modern Languages.
University of California,
Berkeley, Feb. 26, 1890.
I take great pleasure in testifying that Dr. Carlo
Veneziani, who was temporary instructor in Mathe­
matics at the U niversity of California during the re­
cent .illness of Associate Prof. Clarke, proved himself
by his work in that capacity. to be an accomplished
mathematical scholar and a thoroughly reliable man.
A careful examination of the records of his work has
convinced 'fie that every duty assigned him was faith­
Fully performed under all circumstances.
Scholarly modesty is one of Dr. Veneziani's good
traits of character, his qualification in Mathematics are
all that he has ever laid claim to. Considerations of
this nature lead me to believe that he is a man whose
word can always be relied on.
IRVING STRINGHAM.
Professor of Mathematics, University of California.
Extract from the testimonial of J. B. Toronto, Vice­
President, and Professor of Mathematics, University
of Utah.
I made it a point, while Dr. Veneziani was teaching
here in the University of Utah, to inquire of his stu­
dents, especially those in the more advanced branches
of mathematics, as to the work they did under him,
and found from all of them that he was in all respects
an ideal teacher, and just such a one as the industrious
and ambitious student would choose for his guide and
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
7
assistant in the difficult and perplexing work which no
student can escape, who desires to go beyond the ele­
mentary mathematics of the common schools.
As to his character, I cannot say too much, and for
anything further on this point, I think I can safely
refer you to Bp. Scanlan, of the Roman Catholic
Church here, at least if I am able to judge from his ut­
terances to me.
" U�oever knew truth put to the worse Ùl a free and
open encounter? "-Milton.
An open letter to the Very Reverend J. A. Zahm,
Ph. D., Provincial of the Congregation of the Holy
Cross and President of the Board of Trustees of the
U niversity of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.
Dear Sir:
I addressed you on March 23d, when I sent you a
\:opy of my second communication. in which I pro­
posed to the Board of Trustees of the University of
N etre Dame to leave the decision of my claims to
Bishop Scanlan, of Salt Lake City, a man of the most
sterling honesty and integrity. No answer was vouch­
saíed by you, nor received from the Board of Trustees.
1 addressed you several other times, when, in your
capacity as President of the Board of Trustees, it was
your duty to have justice done to me. The only in­
terpretation for your silence is that. in your conceit.
::t layman Professor of the University of Notre Dame
has no rights, which a man of your great qualities is
bound to respect, and while you wrap yourself in a
cloud of silence, like an Olympic Jupiter, you are in
reality like the dumb man of the Gospel, possessed
by the demon of avarice when it is the question of pay­
ing what is clue to a layman Professor.
8
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
The following undeniable facts clearly prove the
truth of my assertion:
1. You cannot deny that my teaching in the Uni­
versity of Notre Dame has been highly satisfactory.
You knew this long ago, and you may see the testi­
monial of the one who is in a position to observe and
judge-the "Director of Studies" of the University of
Notre Dame.
2. You cannot deny that my conduct has been ir­
reproachable, and this is � very important item, sir,
in a university like Notre Dame, where most of the
Professors were discharged for drunkenness or dis­
orderly conduct.
3. You cannot deny that the President of the /Uni­
versity of Notre Dame, when he engaged me, lied
when he wrote "that six hundred dollars is higher than
we give for the first year;" lied about "our chairs of
mathematics;" about "making it an object for me to
become a permanent member of the staff." You, Pres­
ident of the Board of Trustees, are aware that "six
hundred dollars is not higher than the university ever
gives for the first year"-you are aware that there are
no "chairs of mathematics" in the University of Notre
Dame-you are aware that the salary of the permanent
members that received a fee less than six hundred dol­
lars for the first year is not certainly an object for any
teacher to Decorne a permanent member of the staff.
Why did your own brother leave the university?
4. You cannot deny that when I sent my first com­
munication to the Board of Trustees of the University
of Notre Dame, asking for redress, namely: that the
President's written statements be made true, the Board
of Trustees referred my communication "to the Presi-
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
9
dent, who has exclusive authority to act in the mat­
ter." By so doing the Board of Trustees proved them­
selves to be either a set of liars, if they meant that the
Presid-ent has ex-officio exclu.sive authority, or men
who have not the least conception of justice, if they
gave that authority to the President-the Priest who
wrote those lying statements to me, and therefore the
last-person fit to be appointed a judge of my claims.
5. You cannot deny that the President of the U ni­
versity, to whom the Board of Trustees, in their wis­
dom and justice, referred me for my claims, by dis­
charging me when I called for an answer to my daims,
has clearly shown by his action that the University of
Notre Dame, controlled by the Congregation of the
Holy Cross, instead of being a university where truth
and justice are enthroned, is a university where lying
and dishonesty are openly and shamelessly practiced .
. 6. You cannot deny that when the President' of the
great University of Notre Dame brings as a reason
for discharging me the example of Mr. Studebaker,
who can discharge his workmen at a moment's notice,
without assigning any reason whatever, the compari­
son of the laymen Professors of the University of
N otre Dame to the workmen in the shop leaves noth­
ing to desire. Unfortunately the comparison between
the President and Mr. Studebaker is not so perfect,
since Mr. Studebaker might object, saying, that not
being a member of the Congregation of the Holy
· Cross, nor the President of the largest Catholic uni­
versity in America, he is a man of his word, and there
is no danger of his workmen being discharged for ask­
ing him to keep his written word.
7. You cannot deny that the only answer I re-
10
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
ceived from the moment I addressed you was the let­
ter apprising me of my dismissal, written the day after
your eminent guest, Monsignor Martinelli, left Notre
Dame, and you are the best judge of the amount of
your share in this transaction.
8. You cannot deny that the assistant treasurer, in
June '99, had received orders from his superiors not
to pay me the one hundred and forty dollars due as
a balance of my salary of six hundred dollars, unless
I would accept a check with the words "in full of all
demands" written thereon. You knew that the differ­
ence of house rent promised had not been paid since
March, 1898. You knew that I was never paid for my
extra teaching, therefore when I requested you, Presi­
dent of the Board of Trustees of the University of
Notre Dame, for an explanation concerning this or­
der, it was your duty to reply.
9. You cannot deny that you not only gave no ex­
planation concerning this order, but you, never took
any measure that the difference of house rent be paid
to me, nor the salary for my extra teaching be paid to
me, nor did you take any measure to have justice done
me, who had been lied to when engaged, and dis­
charged in order to defraud me of my just claims.
I send you this book, and if you find in it any un­
truth derogatory either to yourself or to the university,
I heartily hope that in your capacity of Provincial of
the Congregation of the Holy Cross, and President of
the Board of Trustees of the university, you will not­
fail to have me prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
CHAS. VENEZIANI.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
11
A Brief History of My Connection with the Unimsity of Notre
Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.
The promise long with the fulfillment short
Will make thee triumph in thy lofty seat.-Dante's
Inferno, canto xxvii. .
Before entering upon the plea for the higher edu­
cation of the Catholic young men of America, I think
it of the greatest importance to relate my experience
in the University of Notre Dame, the largest Catholic
university of America, controlled by the Congregation
of the Holy Cross.
In September, '96, I came to Notre Dame. Gazing
upon her gilded dome, the fine buildings, the spacious
halls, the beautiful frescoes of Gregori, and the pic­
turesque grounds and Takes that surround her, I was
enchanted, and concluded that this was one of the best
spots where a man could give himself to study and re­
search. According to the letters of the President of
Notre Dame (see my first communication page 56. I
was to be chiefly employed in teaching French, until a
vacancy would occur in such departments as would
best suit me, and this was due to the fact that the va­
cancy in the Mathematical department, which the
President expected, did not occur, and consequently
the Chairs of Mathematics were all filled just then.
My salary for the first year was six hundred, a fee
"higher than the university ever gives for the first
year," and it was given to me in view of the distance
and circumstances in my case. In course of time the
university could make it an object for me to become a
permanent member of her staff; or, to use the expres­
sion of the President in another letter: "I think we
12
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
could make it an object for you to join our Profes­
sorial staff."
I never was deceived in university matters before.
I suppose that every statement the President wrote me
was true, and I would have considered it a lack of good
common sense to doubt the written statements of a
President, who was besides a priest belonging to the
Congregation of the Holy Cross. The first shock I
received was my learning through the newspapers that
I was holding the Chair of Romance Languages in the
University of Notre Dame, as the term "Romance
Languages" is not even to be found in the letters of
the President. This news was certainly given to the
press by order of the President, because these words
"Romance Languages," appeared for three consecu­
tive years under my name in the catalogue, and the
President is the only one who has power in such mat­
ters.
Truthfulness, in my opinion, should be the great
virtue of all institutions of learning, but of Catholic
institutions in particular, and I could not help think­
ing that by advertising me as the Professor of Ro­
mance Languages, the President of the University of
N otre Dame was playing false to me as well as to the
public at large, since there was no department of Ro­
mance Languages in the University of Notre Dame
to take charge of, nor is there any at present.
The second shock I received arose from this amus­
ing incident. A priest, who was teaching very ele­
mentary branches of Mathematics in the Preparatory
Course, was relating his experience on the "silver
question" in Colorado. The silverite papers lavished
their praises on him and styled him: "The Professor
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
13
of Mathematics" in the University of Notre Dame. I
smiled at the journalists of Colorado, who, in order to
enhance to the public the value of the priest's opinions,
dubbed him "Professor of Mathematics," but glancing
over the catalogue, I perceived with dismay that he
was really set down as the "Professor of Mathematics,"
and the suspicion dawned upon me that the University
of Notre Dame, with her big buildings and her big
catalogue, was perhaps a big fraud.
I had cherished the idea of holding one day a chair
of Mathematics in this university, being entitled to the
vacancy that best suits me. The chairs of Mathemat­
ics, however, being for the present well filled, I had to
wait until one became vacant, and then I could rejoice
in possessing .that which my heart was longing for-a
chair of Mathematics; but I was doomed to disap­
pointment. I am no more able to discover in Notre
Dame a chair of Mathematics than I am able to dis­
cover a chair of Romance Languages.
The matter of salary is a very important question
with a Professor who has a family to support, and I
expected that after the first year the university would
"make it an object for me to join her Professorial
staff," but on this point also I was doomed to disap­
pointment.
In the first place I discovered that the written state­
ment of the President, that "six hundred dollars is
higher than we ever give for the first year" IS a lie;
secondly, I learned that the permanent members of the
staff, who had not been at the very beginning engaged
at a higher salary, did scarcely receive over seven hun­
dred dollars per year; and lastly, when I asked the
President what would be the increase of my salary for
14
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
the ensuing year, I was told that the university had
to support the missions in India, therefore no salary
would be increased. I appreciated very much the re­
ligious zeal of the University of Notre Dame in sup­
porting the missions in India, still I am a strong be­
liever in the proverb that "Charity begins at home,"
and teachers should not suffer in order to support
missions in India. Later on I discovered that it was
the policy and diplomacy of the University of Notre
Dame when engaging a new teacher t9 give him as
little as possible for the first year, promise a great
deal in the future, and perform nothing of what has
been held out to him.
One might ask why did you not, under such circum­
stances, shake the dust of Notre Dame from your feet
and try new fields? A man with a family, and not
overburdened with this world's goods cannot give up
one position until he has found another. In looking
for a position in a Catholic college there would be
nothing gained as the salary would be no better, and
to obtain a position in a State University must certain­
ly take some time, as I never heard of a Professor in
N orte Dame who succeeded in getting a position in a
State University, and the University of Notre Dame is
in the fifty-sixth year of her existence.
I heartily regretted my having declined, a few days
after coming to Notre Dame, the kind offer of a Presi­
dent of a State University; but I trusted so much to
the letters of the President of Notre Dame University,
concerning making it "an object for me to join his
Professorial staff," I was so sure that my teaching
would be satisfactory-and the written testimonial of
the Vice-President and Director of Studies of Notre
CATHOLI.C YOUNG MEN.
15
Dame University shows I was not wrong- I felt so
confident that my conduct was irreproachable, as far
as it concerns the eyes of man; I was so buoyed up
with the hope of a chair of Mathematics, that I thought
I was acting very wisely to remain with Notre Dame.
When the President perceived that I wished him to
keep his written agreement he told me, of course, I
could remain at Notre Dame until I had found a bet­
ter position, but my abilities were so great, and the
branches taught in this university so elementary that
I could not be of much use there, and therefore I had
better look for a position where my scholarship could
be better utilized. On another occasion he told me
their idea was to get rid of the laymen Professors as
soon as they can be replaced by members of the Con­
gregation of the Holy Cross, therefore I had better
look elsewhere.
I suggested that, perhaps, it would be well to raise
the standard of Mathematics in this university, but
the President answered the higher branches of Mathe­
matics bring no money. I cannot reconcile the Presi­
dent's written statement: "In course of time the Uni­
versity could make it an object for me to become a
permanent member of her staff," with the idea of get­
ting rid of laymen Professors as soon as they could be
replaced by members of the Congregation of the Holy
Cross.
When the President engaged me, he also knew
from the testimonials of my abilities, whether a man
of my acquirements would be useful in a University
of such low standard as Notre Dame. However, from
the opinion of the Very Rev. James French, Vice­
President and Director of Studies of the University
16
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
of Notre Dame, it appears that I have been very use­
ful in this University; see testimonial, page 3.
At last, in January, '99, I decided to take a step
which clearly shows that no matter how long we may
live in this world, we have never learned enough. In
my ,simplicity I was thinking that if I should send a
communication to the Board of Trustees of the Uni­
versity of Notre Dame, enclosing an affidavit of the
written statements of the President, stating my claims
based upon them, namely: that a real chair of Mathe­
matics should be given to me with a salary really
"higher than we ever give for tne first year," I would
certainly obtain justice from the Board.
The Board of Trustees was then composed of three
priests, and one "Brother," besides the President of
the University, and I sent a copy of my .comrnunica­
tion to every member, and to the Very Rev. Daniel
Hudson, President of the Board, the original. I ex­
pected I would be asked to send them the letters of the
President, and, if they thought I was correct, that my
claims would be granted, but if not, they would state
the reasons why they were refused. That is what I
had insinuated when I wrote in my first communica­
tion: "I beg to remind you, gentlemen, that I am
open to conviction, and in case my reasoning does
not seem correct to you, I wish you would state the
weak points, and, if I perceive my mistake, you will
find me quite amenable to reason."
Tw-o days after, I received the answer: "Having
read and considered the same (communication), it has,
by order of the Board, been referred to the President,
who has exclusive authority to act in the matter." I
called upon the President, who told me he did not
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
17
need my services after June 15th. His verbal answer
is to be found in my letter addressed to him of June
rst, where every statement of his is fully analyzed:
see page 65.
After two months I concluded to send a second let­
ter to the Board, stating the answer of the President,
and asking them to have my claim referred to Bishop
Scanlan, of Salt Lake City, whom they know to be a
man of the greatest honesty and integrity, with the
understanding that, if I were found to be wrong, I
would lose two hundred dollars fee, and if right, the
University would be the loser. N o answer.
On May 17th, the day after the Papal delegate,
Monsignor Martinelli, left Notre Dame, the President
wrote apprising me of my dismissal. I answered his
letter on June rst.
I have been told that the authorities of Notre Dame
felt highly indignant, because I called to pay my re­
spects to my illustrious countryman, and held a con­
versation in Italian with him. I do not know why
they should feel such indignation, nor can I under­
stand why the President of the University suddenly
left the company when I entered.
When the former Papal delegate, Monsignor Sa­
tolli, was on his way to Salt Lake City, the Right
Rev. Bishop Scanlan did me the honor of calling, and
inviting me to accompany him to Ogden to trleet the
distinguished Prelate. Monsignor Satolli, Bishop
Scanlan, and myself, visited the several Catholic In­
stitutions in Salt Lake City, and I was an invited guest
at the banquet given in the Prelate's honor.
On September 5th, I sent my third communication
to the Board of Trustees, and one also to the Very
18
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
Rev. J. A. Zahm, Ph. D., the author of "EvoJution
and Dogma", and Provincial of the Congregation of
the Holy Cross, with a letter. I did not know then
that he was the President of the Board of Trustees. I
advocated the principle of leaving the decision of my
claims to either Archbishop Riordan, of San Fran­
cisco, who, as a pupil of Notre Dame, would not
wrong his Alma Mater, or to Bishop Scanlan, offering
two hundred dollars fee, to be lost if either party de­
cide against me, but no answer could be elicited from
the Board.
It might be objected that my letter to the Presi­
dent, dated June i st, was rather too strong, but the
question is, whether the facts stated in it are true, and
if not true, any President would have forbidden me to
enter the University on the receipt of that letter.
The evil, however, was done before June 1St. It
had begun with the answer the Board wrote me Janu­
ary z r st : "referring me to the President, who has
exclusive authority to act in the matter," and the
evil was consummated May 17th, the day after the
illustrious Monsignor Martinelli left Notre Dame.
Why should I suffer without protest such intoler­
able wrongs, from people who by their very calling
ought to be patterns of justice, thus encouraging them
to inflict the same upon others?
Truth requires that the written statements of the
President of the University of Notre Dame should be
classified as lies, justice requires that I should not be
the sufferer on account of the lies of the President.
When the Board of Trustees of the University of
Notre Dame, with the Very Rev. J. A. Zahm, Ph. D.,
the author 0'£ "Evolution and Dogma", as President
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
19
of the Board, moved by pride and avarice, make them­
selves the abettors ond supporters of the lies and in­
justice of the President, the Very Rev. A. Morrissey,
by so doing they show themselves unworthy of wear­
ing the cross, the sacred emblem of our religion, and
the mask of the Congregation of the Holy Cross; un­
worthy of the priestly gown; only deserving that the
finger of scorn be pointed at them. And the best
proof of my assertion is, that they shall not dare to
prosecute me for what I state, knowing too well that
twelve self-respecting jurymen would find me only
guilty of not using expressions strong enough to stig­
matize such villainy.
Let no one suppose for a moment that if the Board,
headed by the Very Rev. J. A. Zahm, Ph. D., fails to
prosecute me, it is due to their kindness of heart-far
from it! Where truth and justice are despised, char­
ity cannot abide. They do not wish to make them­
selves notorious before the public-they would not
like to go to court, and have the veil, which covers
their shame, lifted up before the world.
They know too well that the written statements of
the President are a set of lies; that by referring my
claims, based upon the written statements of the
President, to the President, the Board made them­
selves abettors and supporters of the written lies of
the President; that if they refused Archbishop Rior­
dan of San Francisco, or Bishop Scanlan of Salt Lake
City, as arbitrators, when I was willing to lose two
hundred dollars fee, if either party decided against me,
it is because they are conscious of the injustice done
me. They know too well, that the difference of house­
rent, of which the President boasted as the increase
20
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
due to my good teaching in the University, has not yet
been paid since March, 1898; that the salary due for
my extra teaching was never paid; that my mail has
been purposely and maliciously delayed in the post­
office of Notre Dame, of which the Very Rev. A. Mor­
rissey is postmaster; they know too well the despica­
ble trick played upon me June, '99, in order to cheat
me out of my just claims. The assistant treasurer told
me he had been instructed by his superiors not to
pay me the $140.00, still due of the $600.00, unless I
would subscribe that I had been paid "in full of all de­
mands", and when the Board was asked for an explan­
ation, no answer was received. I They know too well
that if last year I have not been cheated out of two­
fifths of my salary, it was due to the fact that, rather
than subscribe to such unheard of roguery of the U ni­
versity of Notre Dame, I resolved to remain, and did
remain six months, without drawing a cent of my
salary.
The University of Notre Dame has money to erect a
magnificent building in Washington, D. c., has money
to erect a fine gymnasium, and has money for many
other purposes.
Froni the history of the University of Notre Dame,
printed in Notre Dame, page 94, it is known that
Father Sorin "often said that if he had two hundred
students he would feel that the future of the U niver­
sity was assured", and now the number of students is
almost four times as many.
One may ask, why should such a wealthy corpora-·
tion, composed of religious members of the Congre-
1. The University later on sent me a check without "in full of aU de­
mands" but as I thought 1 was entitled to an explanation I did not
deem it proper to accept the check.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
21
gation of the Holy Cross, be so heartless and soul­
less as try to cheat the Professor of "Romance Lan­
guages" out of two-fifths of his salary of six hundred
per year? A crime which would never be perpe­
trated by any Agnostic or Atheistic University, if such
existed.
The answer to this question shows the difference be­
tween the heroic band which came from France,
headed by a man like the venerable Sorin, the founder
of the University, and the degenerate leaders of today.
In March, '98, I was ordered by the President to
drop one one of my classes, because the pupils were
only "waiters", and too few in number. I remon­
strated, stating that it would be a pity to drop in the
middle of the year, a class composed of such earnest,
diligent, and fine pupils as these waiters were.
My remonstrations had orily the effect of my being
rebuked by the President, who stated that the Uni­
versity could not afford to have classes taught for a
few waiter students, and gave me the peremptory or­
der to drop the class. From my own experience, I
know that the University of Notre Dame could afford
to have classes taught where there was but one pupil
who paid full tuition. The waiter-students, however,
are so eager for an education, that they give many
hours a day of their time in the service of the Univer­
sity, besides fifty dollars a year, but, nevertheless, in
the opinion of the President, the class should be
dropped. Moreover, a fine opportunity presented it­
self of robbing the Professor of "Romance Lan­
guages" of two-fifths of his salary, and it must be im­
proved.
22
HIGHER EDUCATION FOl;t
I do not blame the President of the University of
N otre Dame for his ignorance of the common rules
of arithmetic, when he inferred that I was not earning
two-fifths of my salary because lie ordered me to drop
one-fifth of my recitations; but, I find that his heart
is blacker than his robe, when he robbed such fine
students of that instruction for which they were work­
ing so hard in the interest of the University.
No Agnostic, no Atheistic University would make
such odious distinctions between a student who is a
"waiter", and a student who is the son of a millionaire.
Such distinctions can only be made in the Catholic
University of Notre Dame, controlled by the Congre­
gation of the Holy Cross, under the Presidency of a
man like the Very Rev. A. Morrissey. In no Agnostic
or Atheistic University could the President use 'Such
a pretext, to rob a Professor of two-fifths of his salary,
as no members of the Board could be found so sub­
servient to his criminal actions as the members of the
Board of the University of Notre Dame.
Let us not speak of them, but look and pass.­
Dante's Inferno, Canto III.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
23
Wer die Wahrbriet kennet und saget sie nicht.
Der ist F·ûrwahr ein Erbarmlicher Wicht.-German Kommersbuch.
A PLEA FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION OF
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
Why do Catholics, in spite of their wealth and num­
ber-a number reaching perhaps over twelve millions,
play such an insignificant part in the progress of the
intellectual development of the country?
Is it not because Catholics do not have universities
like Chicago, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, N orthwest­
ern, Brown, Boston University, etc.?
Why do Catholics not have such universities, and
what prevents Catholics from having them? How
could they be started?
These are questions which should interest not only
Catholics, but every lover of higher education,-every
one who has at heart the interest of the country.
It is true our catholic colleges and universities are
of a very low standard compared with the above in­
stitutions of learning founded by our non-catholic
brethren, still it would be wrong to suppose, as sorne'
do, that this is due to the fact that the Catholic
Church is afraid of science; that the Catholic Church,
in order to better domineer over the masses, wishes to
keep her people in ignorance and darkness.
N o fair-minded person who has studied the ques­
tion could hold such a wrong opinion. If we look
closely into the origin of catholic and protestant col­
leges, we will be able to perceive that protestant col­
leges could become first-class universities, but catholic
colleges never.
24
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
Catholic colleges and universities controlled by re­
ligious congregations are corporations, quite inde­
pendent of Archbishops or Bishops, or any ecclesias­
tical authority except their own congregation; so in­
dependent, that when I proposed to the authorities of
Notre Dame university, the largest catholic university
of America, to have the decision of my claims, based
upon the written statements of the President, referred
to either Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco, who,
as a pupil of this university, would not likely- wrong his
alma mater; or to Bishop Scanlan of Salt Lake City,
a great friend of the congregation of the Holy Cross,
offering two hundred dollars fee if in the judgment of
either party I were wrong, my proposal was not an­
swered in writing, and refused verbally as the height
of folly, because, I was told, "this congregation allows
no interference".
This is a very important point, because I observed
that among non-catholic educators of the highest rank,
the notion prevails, that catholic Bishops have much
to do with the management of catholic- colleges.
With the exception of the catholic university of
America, in Washington, D. c., and one or two col­
leges, all catholic colleges and universities are con­
trolled by religious congregations. It would be more
proper to say that the higher education of catholic
young men was in former times forced upon the con­
gregations by circumstances rather than sought after.
It came about in this way.
ORIGIN OF CATHOLIC COLLEGES.
The catholics being widely scattered, and the priests
few in number, religious congregations of sisters,
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
25
christian brothers, and fathers were invited by the
Bishops to found academies, schools, and colleges; as
a rule, the Bishops offered inducements to religious
congregations to settle in their dioceses.
The good sisters
"Whose admirable life
Better in glory of the Heavens were sung,"
-Dante's Paradise, canto xi.
could never be adequately praised for the amount of
good they did, and the prejudices they dispelled, and
here is not the place to mention them, as we are con­
cerned with the higher education of catholic young
men.
The christian brothers, and several other congre­
gations, opened schools and colleges. I t would be
unjust not to praise the good will, the self-sâcrifice,
and the good results of their abnegation by helping to
form the character of hundreds of thousands of young
men, who, if in the storms of life they persevered
faithful to their conscience, owe it to the early train­
ing of these good christian brothers and kind fathers.
Thus came into existence the catholic colleges and
universities, a source of delight to the Bishops, who
saw the catholic youth provided with institutions of
learning where religion was not neglected.
The labors of those who thus labored with zeal and
devotion have helped to educate many who are now
the pillars of the Catholic Church in America; and the
praise of their former teachers from such pupils is the
best eulogy that could be bestowed upon them in this
world. Many went to receive the reward of those who
have worked diligently in the vineyard of the Lord.
26
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
We do not, however, intend to discuss the work of
catholic colleges of the past, as we are concerned- with
their actual work now, and the question arises,
whether the catholic colleges of today, in the present
state of science, keep pace with the advanced non­
catholic colleges or universities, in dispensing the
bread of higher education to catholic young men.
WHY CATHOLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVER­
SITIES CONTROLLED BY RELIGIOUS
CONGREGATIONS CANNOT DISPENSE
THE BREAD OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
The function 'of a university is to preserve and dis­
cover the truth. The function of a college 'is specially
to preserve the truth, but it should lead at least to the
discovery of truth.
The mind should not simply exert -its activity in as­
similating truths, but in starting from received truths
to new truths. The college should be a preparation
für the university, but it is, in my opinion, almost im­
possible to sharply determine the limit; and, as a rule,
many branches in a college belong properly to the uni­
versity. For college I mean the collegiate depart­
ment of such institutions as Harvard, Yale, Chicago,
J ohns Hopkins, etc., etc.
What .really constitutes the college or university is
not the bricks and mortar, but the professors and
pupils. The formation of the pupils depends large-­
ly upon the' teacher, therefore, let us examine the
kind of teachers the congregations can afford, and in.
order to relate what I know from personal experience,
I will describe the teachers of the University of Notre.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
27
Dame, the leading catholic university controlled by a
congregation.
There are three. kinds of teachers in this university,
brother-professors, priest-professors, and laymen-pro­
fessors.
BROTHER PROFESSORS.
The brother-professors who teach many boys at
N otre Dame are so proficient in knowledge that they
could not be admitted to the second of the three years'
preparatory course of this university. In many non­
catholic universities there are preparatory courses, but
the professors are, as a rule, college graduates; her-e
in Notre Dame, however, we are confronted with the
anomaly of brother-professors that could not even
be admitted to the second of the three years' prepara­
tory course to enter the college.
Such an anomaly must be explained, because it is
something inconceivable to the public outside, and
still the reason is very simple. There are "brothers"
who look after the cattle, others till the ground, etc.,
and others are utilized in the university, and in other
colleges of the Holy Cross, as professors.
Suppose these brother-professors were taught a lit­
rtle algebra, a little geometry, some Latin, Greek, the
rudiments of some science, literature, they might, per­
haps, think themselves fitted to earn their living in
the world, and yield to the temptation of exchanging
the safe harbor of a religious life for the stormy ocean
�f the world. By so doing the congregation would
lose both the brother-professor and his education,
therefore, the surest way both for the spiritual welfare
of the brother-professors and the temporal welfare of
28
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
the congregation is, that brother-professors be taught
enough to be used as professors in the colleges and
university of the congregation of the Holy Cross, but
not enough to' earn their living as teachers in the
world.
PRIEST-PORFESSORS IN THE UNIVERSITY
OF NOTRE DAME.
The priest-professors, generally, were educated in
the ·same college by other professors who, as a rule,
never studied in first-class universities, and what kind
of university professors these priests as a rule can
make, is left to the intelligence of the reader. By
chance one may find a really bright priest, entirely de­
voted to' his studies, but such priests are exceptions.
The college work of religious congregations was
certainly useful in the past, as they could not have
been replaced; but, it is a nuisance now, and the
founding of the Catholic University of America in
Washington, D. c., by the council of Baltimore was
a godsend, thus enabling the congregations to send
there their members intended for teachers, and some­
what improving the low standard of their colleges and
universities.
The next step will be the founding of catholic uni­
versities, with undergraduate courses, in the different
states. Large cities like Chicago, New York, etc.,
should have such universities, with Bishops as Presi­
dents of the Board of Trustees and competent laymen
as professors.
The training and education of the members of a re­
ligious congregation will make a good priest, but not
a good college professor. Even if the opportunities
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
29
were offered, it would be hard for a congregation to
find a sufficient number of her members endowed with
those natural qualities-love for learning, constancy
in the pursuit of knowledge, enthusiasm in imparting
it-qualities indispensable to a college professor.
LAYMEN PROFESSORS IN THE UNIVER­
SITY OF NOTRE DAME.
There are three types of laymen-professors,-stu­
dent-professors, graduate-professors, and permanent­
professors of the staff.
These permanent professors, the pillars of the uni­
versity, receive a salary, as a rule, of scarcely over
seven hundred dollars per year. It would not be
worth while to mention the salaries of the student or
the graduate-professors. One of the brightest of Notre
Dame's graduates, in his third year of teaching, re­
ceives a salary of three hundred and fifty dollars per
year. An exception should be made in favor of the
professor of English literature. The former profes­
sor, Maurice Francis Egan, received a fee of one
thousand dollars a year, and the present professor re­
ceives one thousand, five hundred per year. It would
be a great mistake to suppose that this large salary,
according to the view of the university, given to the
professor of English literature, is due to the great love
the university bears English literature. It is due to
this. The university publishes a weekly paper, the
"Scholastic", which has a large circulation, and helps
advertise the university. The "Scholastic" is written
by the students, hence the necessity of a competent
professor to drill the pupils in writing themes, etc. As
30
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
the congregation of the Holy Cross had no professor
capable, a layman professor was indispensable.
Were it not for the importance of making a good
appearance before the public, if it were simply for the
sake of teaching English literature to the pupils oî
Notre Dame, this layman professor would be replaced
by any member of their Order. For instance, the
author, a Ph. D. of Heidelburg, was teaching an extra
class, for which extra pay had been promised. After
a few lessons the president of the university concluded
to give this extra class to a "brother", a former porter
of the university, to teach; and thus the university
was saved the extra pay I was promised.
The salaries paid to laymen professors are by no
means higher in other catholic colleges or universities
controlled by religious congregations, and while I do
not assert that all laymen professors are of a very low
rank, one cannot expect a fine set of college professors.
My conclusion is self-evident, still I will quote part
of a Special Correspondence of the Chicago "Record",
headed, For Catholic Students, Notre Dame, Ind.,
Feb. 26, 1899.
"The zeal displayed by the Very Rev. J. A. Zahm,
provincial of the Order of the Holy Cross, during the
year that he has been at the head of his order, is grat­
ifying to the great number of catholics who are de­
sirous of seeing catholic educational institutions offer
courses as varied and thorough as those of non-catho­
lic colleges and universities. He has realized that
competition in brains is a reality; that the institution
that offers the largest salaries gets the best teachers
and that a competent faculty and modern equipment
swell the class rolls."
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
31
It is indeed gratifying to learn that the Very Rev.
J. A. Zahm, provincial of the Order of the Holy Cross,
should have realized that competition in brains is a
reality; that the institution that offers the largest
salaries gets the best teachers, and a competent faculty
is necessary to swell the class roll, but I am not able
to understand why the great number of catholics, who
are desirous of seeing catholic educational institutions
offer courses as varied and thorough as those of non­
catholic colleges and universities, should rejoice.
The salaries above mentioned are the best proof
that no university or college controlled by religious
orders can offer courses as varied and thorough as
those of non-catholic colleges and universities, anel
what is sure is, the Very Rev. J. A .. Zahm, provincial
of the Order of the Holy Cross, and president of the
board of trustees of the university of Notre Dame,
does not certainly intend to offer salaries, as the non­
catholic colleges and universities do, nor increase the
salaries of the present professors, as a rule, if he can
help it.
What the university of Notre Dame has realized is.
that, in order to swell her class roll, she needs a good
team of foot-ball and base-ball players, and plenty
"puffs" in the newspapers. The university knows
how to secure both these factors so important to swell
her class rolls, and whatever may be the price she
pays for them, it is certainly cheaper than to secure a
competent faculty.
32
HIGHER EDUCATION FOl{
EVILS RESULTING FROM RELIGIOUS CON­
GREGATIONS CONTROLLING THE
HIGHER EDUCATION OF CATH-
OLIC YOUNG MEN.
Many are the evils resulting from religious con­
gregations controlling the higher education of our
catholic young men.
I shall briefly enumerate a few.
I. These religious congregations with, as a rule,
incompetent priest and brother-professors, and
a poor set of layman-professors, cannot offer cours�s
in their colleges and universities, as varied and thor­
ough as those offered in non-catholic colleges and uni­
versities, and thus the intellectual development of our
catholic young men is nipped in the bud.
II. These incompetent priests engaged in teaching
which could be far better performed by competent lay­
men-professors, are thus debarred from attending to
their sacred calling-preaching the word of gladness,
administering the sacraments, visiting the sick, re­
claiming sinners, and giving examples of Christian
perfection.
III. It strengthens the prejudice among our
learned non-catholic brethren that the Catholic
Church is opposed to science. They see our catholic
colleges controlled by religious congregations, there­
fore; in their opinion, they are controlled by the Catho­
lic Church. They know that these catholic colleges
are of a very low standard compared with non-catho­
lic colleges, and they infer that the Catholic Church
does not wish a high standard, because, forsooth, "she
is afraid of science".
CATHOLIC YOUNG. MEN.
33
IV. Soine of the essential differences between cath­
olic and non-catholic colleges, are (I) that the pro­
ceeds of catholic colleges belong to the congregation
that controls them, just as the proceeds of a railroad
or sugar trust belongs to the stockholders, whereas,
the proceeds of non-catholic colleges belong of right
to the college. (2) The catholic colleges having, as a
rule, incompetent priests and ignorant brother-profes­
sors, 110t drawing a salary and a set of poorly paid
laymen-professors, are really in a position of being
not only self-supporting and erecting fine buildings,
but also of making money for the congregation; the
non-catholic colleges, on the contrary, offering better
courses and dispensing with professors that receive
only their board and clothes, are more in touch with
people, who realize that in order to engage a good
staff of professors, money is needed; thus through
bequests under an able president, institutions of sec­
ondary rank may suddenly become first-class institu­
tions; witness, among many other instances, Colorado
College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, under the Presi­
dency of Dr. Slocum. (3) Catholic colleges, as a rule,
use the higher education as a bait in order to attract
pupils into the elementary courses, and thus they make
money, whereas non-catholic colleges spend money
on the higher education. The consequence is that
catholic colleges, with their big buildings, convey the
impression to our catholic people that the higher edu­
cation not only needs no support, but can fatten the
congregations that control them. This impression
will prove the greatest obstacle in the efforts to secure
good colleges for our catholic young men, although
the movement for catholic colleges with Bishops as
34
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
Presidents of the Board of Trustees, and competent
laymen as professors, once started, our wealthy catho­
lics will not be behind non-catholics in making be­
quests.
V. St. Paul rightly advocates the principle that he
who serves the altar has the right of living from the
altar, consequently, he who serves Science ought to
be able to earn a modest living from Science. N on­
catholics have a number of colleges where bright
young men who wish to devote themselves to Science
by fitting themselves, may find employment. The case
with our catholic young men is quite different, and
they are thus driven into other professions. This is
why we catholics have so few really learned men in
comparison with non-catholics. Incompetent priests
and most ignorant brothers occupy the positions
which should be held by bright and learned laymen,
and the evil resulting from this exchange is incal­
culable.
VI. It thwarts the object the Council of Baltimore
had in the founding of the Catholic U niversity of
America. Our catholic young men who complete the
post-graduate courses of the Catholic University of
America could find no suitable employment in catholic
colleges where laymen-professors are employed, sim­
ply through necessity and only until they can be re­
placed by some priest or brother-professor. They
must compete with priest and brother-professors who
work for their board and clothes; therefore, the num­
ber of catholic young men studying in the Arts and
Sciences departments of the Catholic University of
America will always necessarily be limited-until we
catholics shall have colleges with Bishops as Presi-
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
35
dents of Boards of Trustees and learned laymen as
professors. The Council of Baltimore did not wish
to withdraw the patronage from the catholic colleges
and universities controlled by religious congrega­
tions, and thus the Catholic University of America
was intended to offer only post-graduate courses. One
might naturally suppose that this kindness would be
repaid by the catholic colleges using their influence
to send their graduates to the Catholic University of
America, to pursue the higher branches. Several cata­
logues of the Catholic University of America, are sent
to Notre Dame, to be stored away in places to which
neither professors nor students have access.
It is true that the Catholic U niversity of America
can really be of great benefit by improving those
members of the different religious congregations, who
are intended to become college-professors; but is it not
righ t that these religious congregations should endow
chairs in a university of which they avail themselves
for the education of their members? Is it not a shame
that laymen should endow chairs which will benefit
members of a congregation like the Holy Cross, who,
to use the words of the President of Notre Dame, in­
tends to treat their laymen-professors as hired help to
be discharged at a moment's notice, without assigning
any reason whatever? Why should not the university
of Notre Dame help to defray the expenses of the
Catholic University of America, since she enjoys the
benefit of profiting by the instruction of such an insti­
tution of learning?
VII. The religious congregations, having the mo­
nopoly of the catholic colleges, and not offering
courses as varied and thorough as those offered by
36
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
non-catholic colleges and the expense of education
being, as a rule, higher than in non-catholic colleges,
compel many of our catholic young men to seek in­
struction in non-catholic colleges. The evil lies not
in our catholic young men, studying in non-catholic
colleges, but in their being compelled to do so, be­
cause they cannot pay the expense of education, and
also in or'der to receive a better education. We must
analyze at length this evil, and the remedy the Uni­
versity of Notre Dame offers, then we may better real­
ize the necessity of founding catholic colleges with
Bishops as Presidents of Board of Trustees and
learned laymen as professors.
On page 192 of the catalogue of the University of
Notre Dame, for the year 1898-1899, we find this sad
state of affairs so described: "There were last year
I452 catholic students in 6 per centum of the nO-11-
catholic colleges of America, and very many of these
will lose their faith, and all will be weakened in that
faith, because our people look upon collegiate insti­
tutions as the property of private corporations which
are to be left to take care of themselves.
N otre Dame asks for scholarships for boys that can­
not pay the expense of education, and who therefore
are obliged to go to non-catholic colleges to the detri­
ment of their faith. A foundation of $5,000 will edu­
cate and board a student as long as the University
exists."
Here we find ourselves in presence of three very
important facts. First, there were last year 1452 catho­
lic students in 6 per centum of the non-catholic col­
leges. Second, Boys that cannot pay the expense of
education are obliged to go to non-catholic colleges.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
37
Third, the root of the evil is that our catholic people
look upon collegiate institutions as the property of
private .corporations which are to be left to take care
of themselves. The University of Notre Dame takes
. a great interest in the spiritual welfare of the 1452
catholic students, in 6 per centum of the non-catholic
colleges of America, very many of whom will lose
their faith, and all will be weakened in that faith, and
naturally she suggests a remedy conducive to the spir­
itual welfare of the students and the temporal welfare
of herself. Give $5,000 to the University of Notre
Dame and the faith of a catholic boy will neither be
lost nor weakened.
We may smile at such a holy and unselfish request
of the University of Notre Dame" we may smile at the
idea that very many of these catholic young men will
lose their faith, we may laugh at such nonsense, that
all will be weakened in that faith, but, we cannot laugh
at the fact that catholic boys who cannot pay the ex­
pense of education are obliged to go to non-catholic
colleges. This means that relatively poor boys can
receive an education in non-catholic colleges and can­
not receive an education in catholic colleges. This is
a very important matter. If the catholic clergy really
believe that very many of our catholic young men who
study in non-catholic colleges will lose their faith, and
all will be weakened in that faith, as they are barred
from entering catholic colleges controlled by religious
congregations, the expenses being too high, and are
obliged to go to non-catholic colleges, these catholic
young men should be provided with catholic colleges,
where they could receive an education as good and
as cheap as in non-catholic colleges. Moreover, since
38
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
this evil is due to the fact that our catholic people look
upon collegiate institutions as the property of private
corporations which are to be left to take care of them­
selves, it is now time that our catholics should be
thoroughly aroused to the great need of these new
catholic colleges, and it is to the Bishops that bequests
should be made for this holy purpose.
Even in the! hypothesis that the danger of our. catho­
lic young men losing their faith or being weakened
in that faith by studying in non-catholic colleges is
not so great, the fact remains that the more centers
of light the better it is for the nation. It is a shame
that we catholics of the twentieth century cannot boast
in the United States of educational institutions, where
courses are offered as varied and thorough' as in the
colleges of our non-catholic brethren, and we should
certainly have universities doing collegiate work where
one might be sure that our catholic young men in get­
ting the bread of higher education receive nothing
mingled with it which might be detrimental to their
faith, as for instance in the study of history, philoso­
phy, etc. The proposition of the University of Notre
Dame to be entrusted with the faith and education of
catholic students who go to non-catholic colleges be­
cause t'oey cannot pay the expense .of education, and
asking only $5,000 apiece for each student, could not
be considered even for a moment by one acquainted
with the crooked ways of dealing of the University
of Notre Dame, besides, there are other drawbacks
which should not be passed over in silence.
In the first place many catholic 'students go to non­
catholic colleges because they offer courses more
varied and thorough than our catholic colleges. The
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
39
principal degree of the University of Notre Dame is
her Bachelor of Arts. Only one or two students take
this degree every year, besides a few who pre­
pare themselves for the priesthood; still the num­
ber of beginners in Latin is very great. The reason
of the fewness of such advanced students is, that seven
years Latin five hours per week, six years Greek
five hours per week anel plenty of English, are not
enough to retain students who want a university educa­
tion; and although the university offers to those stu­
dents who are in the Junior and Senior year a room
free of cost, for which she charges fifty dollars per
year to other students, the advanced students go else­
where.
The University of Notre Dame is more successful
in attracting new students, with her puffs, athletics
and big catalogue that makes her appear a big univer­
sity. One of the biggest frauels of the University of
N otre Dame for which she rightly deserves the name
of Quack University, is her degree of Doctor of Phil­
osophy held forth in her Spanish catalogue, page 79,
in orderto decoy the Spanish speaking youth, especially
the Cubans. The fraud is so patent that in order to
shun the ridicule such preterisions would rightly draw
upon her, she is silent in her English catalogue,
although printed later, about the degree of her Doctor
of Philosophy. It seems almost incredible that men
who become priests and join a religious congregation,
taking three vows in order to better serve God and
be useful to mankind, should stoop so low to deceive
the Spanish speaking people with glaring falsehoods,
imaginary buildings and the fraud of a three years
post graduate course leading to the degree of Doctor
40
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
of Philosophy, all to be found in her Spanish cata­
logue. It is the duty of the State of Indiana not to
allow an institution of learning like Notre Dame.
deriving her authority of granting degrees from the
state, to abuse this authority in order to deceive
the Spanish speaking people. How could the Spanish
speaking people believe that a university which is both
catholic and American should purposely state false­
hoods in order to decoy them ? Yet it is with these
fraudulent methods that the University of Notre Dame
secures her Spanish speaking students.
Let us suppose that a good soul bequeaths to. the
University of Notre Dame sufficient funds to endow
a number of scholarships, how would the students
enjoying the scholarships be treated by a university
like Notre Dame who robbed her waiter students of
the instruction due to them, for paying fifty dollars
a year besides giving many hours in the service of the
university, and who used the dropping of this waiter
student's class as a pretext to try and rob her Pro­
fessor, a married man with a family, of two-fifths of
his salary of $600 per year? Other universities that
have scholarships state on what condition they can
be obtained and the names of students enjoying schol­
arships are mentioned in their catalogues. N ot so
Notre Dame, although according to page 192 of her
catalogue she has one .scholarship. Who knows
whether these scholarships would not be offered to
young men who have distinguished themselves in ath­
letic sports in order to induce them to enter the uni­
versity? It is' a well known secret that during the
vacations the University of Notre Dame hunts up ath­
letes and offers them inducements to join her athletic
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
41
staff. What is more natural that in a university where
waiter students are robbed of their instruction, a
teacher of his salary, scholarships, instead of being
given to really bright and studious young men, should
be given to ,football and baseball players, who by their
feats of agility and dexterity help so much to swell
the class roll? Scholarships in a university like Notre
Dame instead of helping the higher education would
only help to foster ignorance. It is certain that this
money would help swell the funds of the congrega­
tion of the Holy Cross and perhaps in the near future
neither board nor educate students. The reason is evi­
dent. The university expressly stipulates that "a foun­
dation of $5,000 will educate and board a student as
long as the university exists." The moment the uni­
versity ceases to exist as a university she will no long­
er be obliged to educate and board students enjoying
scholarships. The existence of the university depends
upon the state of Indiana. The charter was granted
with a very wise proviso: "Provided, however, that
no degrees shall be conferred nor diplomas granted,
except to students who have acquired the same pro­
ficiency in the liberal arts and sciences, and in law and
medicine, as is customary in other universities in the
United States." The legislature has full power to have
a thorough investigation made in every university in
the state, in order to be assured that the power given
to confer degrees is not abused. The fact that such
investigations have not been made in the different
states does not prove they will never be made, and it
does not require the foresight of a prophet to perceive
that in the near future the charters of those institu­
tions of learning which do not compare favorably with
42
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
state institutions in the departments in which they
grant degrees will be revoked. It is for the benefit
of the public as well as the institutions of learning that
the exercise of the power of granting degrees should
be used only in those courses in which colleges have
a competent faculty.
A standing committee of Presidents and Professors
of different colleges of the state appointed by the gov- .
ernor to report at every session of the legislature any
shortcomings which need the action of the legislature
seems for the present the best remedy for correcting
abuses which become more and more glaring in a uni­
versity for example like Notre Dame.
Suppose such a committee visited the University of
N otre Dame; the gentlemen would certainly go to
admire the law school which is not one of the seven
wonders of the universe, but something incomparably
greater. With a faculty where are to be found Pro­
fessors who do honor to the University of Notre Dame
by allowing her to use their names and that is all, in
the twenty-five pages devoted by the university to the
explanation of her great course in law, she modestly
states in her catalogue: "It is believed that nowhere
in the country is the course in law more comprehen­
sive, thorough and practical than at this university."
This may be supposed by the gentlemen of the com­
mittee to be only a figure of speech used in order to
show the excellency of the course in law of this great
University of Notre Dame. It is a mistake. God's
great wonders can be excelled by others still greater,
but the course in law of the University of Notre Dame
cannot be excelled. The university expressly states in
her catalogue: "This course of instruction is com-
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
43
prehensive, thorough and practical. It is not and can­
not be excelled." The inspection of this course may
lead the committee to investigate the fraud of the
Romance Languages chair, the fraud of the chairs of
Mathematics, the fraud of the course in Architecture
leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Archi­
tecture with no architect in her staff, the fraud of her
post graduate course leading to the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy, the fraud of her degree of Doctor of
Science, the fraud of her degree of Doctor of Letters,
the fraud of her degree of Doctor of Laws granted for
_ some remarkable work on law, the fraud of fitting stu­
dents to become professors of mathematics or leading
them in the difficult path of original investigations
with not one professor in her staff who could be called
a mathematician, etc.
The committee may come to the conclusion that
where such glaring frauds exist the students cannot
acquire the same proficiency in the liberal arts and
sciences as is customary in Other universities in the
United States, the legislature might revoke the charter,
and the University of Notre Dame ceasing to exist as
a university, she would 110 longer be obliged to educate
and board students enjoying scholarships. These cath­
olic students would be compelled to avail themselves
of non-catholic colleges, and very many would con­
tinue losing their faith and all would be weakened in
. that faith because the University of Notre Dame, who
had asked and received $5,000 "for each student in
order to be entrusted with their faith and education,
has l.cen found to be a fraud r�ghtly deserving to be
wined out of existence as a university.
The usefulness of religious congregations, if the
44
HIGHEl{ EDUCATION FOR
charters were revoked, would be increased. Their
colleges and universities would then become real pre­
paratory schools-the feeders of the new catholic col­
leges with Bishops as Presidents of trustees and
learned laymen as Professors. The cause of the higher
education of our catholic young men would be greatly
benefited by this change. .
One might reasonably object that' although the
President of the University of Notre Dame did not
wish to introduce the higher branches of mathematics
because they do not pay (see page 15) the fact is, that
higher branches of mathematics are offered. On page
40 of her Spanish catalogue elective studies are to be
found: "for students who wish to make a deep study
of pure mathematics either to fit themselves to become
professors in mathematics or with the object in view of
making original researches." This requires an explan­
ation. About twenty months ago I was approached by
a priest-professor on the veranda of the university
who handed me a proof of a part of the English cata­
logue containing the elective work of the advanced
courses in mathematics asking what I thought of it.
I replied that the mere fact that Dr. Craig's Differential
Equations, the study of which requires a knowledge
of Theory of Functions, is one of the textbooks, and
knowing positively that no professor in Notre Dame
engaged in teaching mathematics has any conception
of Theory of Functions, it is a clear proof to me that
this course is a fraud. Any mathematician could per­
ceive it because a course in Theory of Functions is
not to be found either in the prescribed or in the
elective studies; but Dr. Craig's Differential Equations
could not be studied without the knowledge of Theory
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
4S
of Functions; therefore the professor who wrote the
course had not taken the trouble of examining the
book; in fact, he had "never seen it.
It is useless to state that Dr. Craig's name was
scratched anc1later replaced by Murray's. When I met
the layman-professor entrusted by the President with
the writing of this course of advanced mathematics for
the catalogue he acknowledged frankly that he had
never seen Dr. Craig's Differential Equations, but he
supposed it was all right because he had seen that book
in the catalogues of great universities, and of course it
should find its place in the catalogue of the University
of Notre Dame. To study Dr. Craig's Differential
Equations after Osborne's Calculus is the same as to
study calculus after arithmetic. It is with such mathe­
maticians that the University of Notre Dame offers
to the Spanish speaking students opportunities for
deep studies in pure mathematics to fit them to become
professors in mathematics or to lead them in the
obstruse path of original research! ! ! !
To think that the newspapers unwittingly help to
cheat the public with their puffs, enhancing the work
of such a lying institution as Notre Dame! To think
that the Very Reverend Dr. Zahm is so highly praised
for his zeal displayed in the interest of higher educa­
tion l The great number of catholics who are desirous
of seeing catholic educational institutions offer courses
as varied and thorough as those of non-catholic col­
leges and universities may indeed be pleased with the
zeal of the Very Reverend Dr. Zahm who has realized
that competition in brains is a reality; that the insti­
tution that offers the largest salaries gets the best
teachers and that a competent faculty and modern
46
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
equipment swell the class rolls! !! But this is sheer
nonsense anel the facts prove it.
The Very Reverend Dr. Zahm, Provincial of the
congregation of the Holy Cross and President of the
Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame, is
simply an abettor and conniver of detestable frauds.
As President of. the Board of Trustees of the U niver­
sity of Notre Dame, Dr. Zahm is responsible for the
spreading of the falsehoods set forth in the Spanish
catalogue to deceive the Spanish speaking students of
Cuba, Mexico. Central and South America. As Presi­
dent of the Board of Trustees it is his duty to see that
all informations in the Spanish catalogue sent or con­
veyed to the I Latin Americans are correct. It is his
dutyto see that the Latin-American young men should
not be decoyed by the most shameless misrepresenta­
tions of the greatness of the University of Notre
Dame.
The Very Reverend Dr. Zahm understands Span­
ish. Let him open the Spanish catalogue on page 8r
and read: "The degree of Doctor of Letters is hon­
orary, and is granted to former pupils of the university
who write some remarkable work in literature or in
any other branches of the course." This is a false­
hood and Dr. Zahm is aware of it. The object of this
falsehood is to convey to the Spanish speaking people
the impression that in the faculty of the University
of Notre Dame there are literary men of the greatest
rank and that such a degree is really granted. I t is
not so, however, and the English catalogue of the Uni­
versity of Notre Dame is silent on this degree as well
as on what is further quoted on page 8r, Spanish cata­
logue: "Bàchelors of Letters may enter the course
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
47
of Doctor of Philosophy and obtain the degree in three
years; see conditions, page 79." Let the Very Rev­
erend Dr. Zahm open the Spanish catalogue on page
87. "The degree of Doctor of Science is honorary
and is only conferred on former pupils of the univer­
sity who distinguish themselves by some remarkable
work in any of the sciences of the course." This also
is not to be found in the English catalogue, and the
Very Reverend Dr. Zahm is aware that the University
of Notre Dame does not have in her staff such special­
ists to enable her to confer such a degree without mak­
ing herself eminently ridiculous, and yet Reverend
Dr. Zahm, President of the Board of Trustees, con­
nives and abetts such falsehoods by allowing the Span­
ish catalogue to be spread abroad. Let the Very Rev­
erend Dr. Zahm open the Spanish catalogue on page
110: "The title of Doctor of Laws is honorary, and
it is granted only for some remarkable work on any
branch of laws." This falsehood is so patent that the
University of Notre Dame would be ashamed of hav­
ing it reproduced in her English catalogue, although
she devotes twenty-five pages of her English catalogue
to the course in law, which "is not and cannot be
excelled. "
It is evidently wrong for a catholic university like
Notre Dame, controlled by the congregation of the
Holy Cross, to take advantage of the unbounded con­
fidence the catholic Spanish speaking people have in
the truthfulness and honesty of priests belonging to
a religious congregation, in order to deceive them with
abominable falsehoods and thus induce them to send
their young men to study in the catholic University
of Notre Dame. The end does not justify tlie means.
48
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
Whatever may be the spiritual advantages the Spanish
speaking young men will receive by becoming stu­
dents of this university, no lies should be used for this
purpose.
It is the duty of every catholic, of every lover of
higher education, of every patriot, who does not wish
that an American institution of learning should bring
a lasting disgrace on the United States, by spreading
falsehoods in catalogues to cheat our neighboring
Spanish speaking nations, to see that a stop should be
put to it.
If the state of Indiana on account of some techni­
calities of the law cannot restrain the Very Reverend
Dr. Zahm from continuing such disgraceful methods,
the Archbishops, Bishops and prominent members of
the clergy should be applied to, in order to use their
influence and authority with the Very Reverend Dr.
Zahm.
If it happens that the Very Reverend Dr. Zahm,
Provincial of the congregation of the Holy Cross, and
President of the Board of Trustees of the University
of Notre Dame, brooks no interference from Arch­
bishops, Bishops or prominent members of the clergy,
God be thanked there is a power that can crush him,
and bring him to submission-Rome.
Rome sanctions the existence of the congregation
of the Holy Cross for the edification of the world, but
not in order that this congregation of the Holy Cross,
enjoying the prestige of the recognition of Rome,
should cheat catholic nations.
Think for a moment, what a scandal such frauds
would occasion, if a patriotic Cuban, having been de­
coyed through the open falsehoods of the Spanish
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
49
catalogue to the University of Notre Dame, should
bring a suit before the United States court, praying
the United States court to have the U niversity of
N otre Dame restrained from continuing to cheat his
countrymen. He might rightly state: "The University
of Notre Dame is deceiving my countrymen by lead­
ing them to believe through the false statements of
her Spanish catalogue, that she is a great university;
that her work is exceptionally high; that her staff is
composed of eminent specialists. I shall limit myself
to the most glaring falsehoods in her Spanish cata­
logue and which the university does not dare to print
in her English catalogue. I. The University of Notre
Dame lies when she asserts on page 18 of her Spanish
catalogue: "Notre Dame and the principal universi­
ties of this country have endeavored to make the title
of Doctor, a degree granted only for exceptional work,
and when the pupil shows that he possesses special
aptitude for original research." The University of
N otre Dame has not granted one degree of Doctor
on the above conditions. It is entirely unknown to
the students and professors of Notre Dame, that there
exists a three years post graduate course leading to
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy-a course printed
in the Spanish catalogue and which does not exist in
the University of Notre Dame. 2. The University of
Notre Dame lies when she asserts on page 19 and in
other places of her Spanish catalogue: That her de­
gree of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws and Doctor
of Letters are honorary and granted only for some
remarkable work on those branches. This is a false­
hood leading us to believe that the University of Notre
Dame has a faculty in which there are eminent special-
50
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
ists in such branches, and I defy the University of
N otre Dame to show that she has ever granted her
degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Letters on
such conditions. Everybody is aware that her Doctor
of Laws is not granted for any work on law. 3.
The University of Notre Dame lies when on
page 40 of her Spanish catalogue she states that stu­
dents can make within her halls a deep study of the
higher branches of mathematics, either to fit them­
selves to become professors in mathematics or to make
original investigations. The University of Notre
Dame does not have in her staff one specialist in
mathematics, and she is aware of it.
The Spanish catalogue is intended, as may be seen
on page 15 (Spanish catalogue), for Cubans, Mexicans,
Central and South Americans, to decoy them with
falsehoods; thus Spanish speaking young men, instead
of profiting by the advantages of the best universities
of the United States, are decoyed to Notre Dame to
receive an inferior education.
Such being the case, I, a Cuban, having the interest
of my countrymen at heart, and knowing that my
people could never be made to believe that a catholic
and American university controlled by the congrega­
tion of the Holy Cross would take advantage of their
unbounded confidence in priests, in order to deceive
them, I pray the United States court to put an injunc­
tion on the Spanish catalogues of the University of
N otre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, wherewith said
university floods my country and deceives my coun­
trymen.
I pray the United States court to compel the U niver­
sity of Notre Dame, controlled by the congregation
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
51
of the Holy Cross, to have advertised in the Cuban,
Mexican, Central and South American newspapers
that her Spanish catalogue is not to be relied on.
The University of Notre Dame is guilty toward her
Latin American students of breach of promise, since
the University of Notre Dame did not furnish us with
the eminent specialists which her several doctors de­
grees, granted only for some remarkable work, re­
quire. The University of Notre Dame is guilty of
breach of contract because the University of Notre
Dame exacted our money on conditions which she
knew at the time she could not fulfill.
The University of Notre Dame is guilty of obtaining
our money under false pretense, since her Doctors'
degrees and eminent specialists are only imaginary
and not to be discovered in her institution of learn­
ing.
Such being the case, the Latin-American students
of Notre Dame university have a perfect right to pray
the courts that their money should be refunded, and
that damages should be granted them for losing the
best years of their life in a university-a university
entirely different from what she represented herself
to be.
The catholic University of Notre Dame should feel
happy of a judgment in favor of her Latin-American
students, because, according to one of her religious
tenets there is no absolution without restitution. I,
however, waive all claims to any indemnity to which
I may be entitled, provided the catholic University of
N otre Dame ceases to deceive Latin-Americans."
What a disgrace that would be to the catholics of
America, and to think that such a disgrace should be
52
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
brought about by a religious congregation whose
object should be the edification and not the cheating
of the public!
REMEDY OF THESE EVILS, AND THE CATH­
OLICITY OF THE NEW CATHOLIC
COLLEGES OF THE FUTURE.
We have seen what is almost evident, that it is a pre­
posterous idea to suppose that religious congregations
could furnish our catholic young men of America with
colleges where the bread of higher education is dis­
pensed ..
Let us bear in mind that for colleges is meant the
collegiate departments of universities like Harvard,
Yale, Chicago, Northwestern, Brown, etc.
We have seen that the root of the evil is that our
catholic people look upon collegiate institutions as the
property of private corporations which are to be left
to take care of themselves. We have seen that it would
be dangerous to furnish religious congregations with
money in behalf of those boys who cannot pay the
expense of education and are therefore obliged to go
to non-catholic colleges, besides other drawbacks all
the profit goes to enrich the congregation. Who is
not acquainted with the evils with which the Catholic
Church has been afflicted on account of religious
bodies owning too much, and their avarice increasing
in proportion with their wealth?
The only way left is to found colleges with learned
laymen as professors and Bishops as Presidents of
Trustees.
To start the new catholic colleges, the real difficulty
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
53
is raising funds for this holy purpose. The catholics
have been so accustomed to see religious congrega­
tions found colleges and universities, and make money,
that it would be hard for them to realize that a good
college or university cannot be self-supporting, much
less make money.
The respect that the majority of catholics feel toward
the priestly character of the members of congrega­
tions is so great that it would be difficult for them to
realize that everything religious congregations under­
take is not perfect, consequently catholics do not see
the necessity of having catholic colleges with learned
laymen as professors. .
It is true that the priestly character gives rights to
the one who possesses it, that angels and archangels
must gaze at the performance of them with awe and
reverence; but priestly character will make neither a
college professor, nor a carpenter, nor a shoemaker,
and unless a priest has spent several years in univer­
sities in close contact with masters of secular learning
he will remain as a rule a very incompetent college
professor.
It is no wonder that the bequests our catholics make
in the interest of higher education are nothing com­
pared with those of our non-catholic brethren. This
does not prove, however, that catholics are not inter­
ested in higher education; it only proves they have
never felt the necessity of making any effort in that
line.
If an Archbishop of one of our large cities like Chi­
cago, N ew York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, etc., should
announce to the public his intention of founding a
college with a layman President and laymen profess-
54
HIGHER EDUCATION FO�
ors, the Archbishop himself being ex-officio President
of the Board of Trustees, and the Board being com­
posed of some few priests of wealthy parishes, and a
good number of wealthy catholic laymen, very soon
sufficient funds would be raised to start the college.
If, moreover, the Archbishop informs the public
that one of the objects he has in view is to furnish his
seminarians with a good secular education so that the
future priests might be college bred men, and there­
fore he wishes to join the college to the seminary, the
management, however, of both remaining quite sepa­
rate, the contributions of catholics would be greatly
increased. 'l'he idea that this college, besides being
for the higher education of catholic young men, will
also greatly benefit the Catholic Church of America
by being the means of imparting a better secular edu­
cation to the clergy, would greatly stimulate the good
will of those who are able and willing to contribute.
I feel almost certain that even wealthy non-catholics
would help, because, considering the priest simply as
a teacher of morality and as such of great service to
the people, everything being equal, his usefulness will
be increased by a good, broad, secular education. The
college would help the seminary, on the other hand,
the seminary would be of the greatest advantage to the
college, by offering opportunities to the students of the
college to acquire a deeper knowledge of branches
more or less intimately connected with their catholic
faith.
This is what I call the catholicity of the new catholic
colleges.
For instance, can we blame non-catholics for their
prejudice that we catholics are forbidden to read the
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
55
word of God, transmitted to us in the Holy Scripture;
that Book that surpasses all books, past, present and
future, and which, alas, is not read by our catholic
students studying in catholic colleges and universities
controlled by religious congregations?
Is it not a shame that while Pope Leo XIII. so
strongly recommends to catholic laymen the study of
the Bible, religious congregations controlling catholic
colleges and universities offer no opportunities for the
study of this great Book? The Bible is a sealed book
to our catholic students in catholic colleges controlled
by religious congregations.
It is evident that no college can be called catholic
unless it offers opportunities to students to become
thoroughly acquainted with catholic topics.
In a real catholic college there should be in every
course leading to a degree a'certain number of elective
studies, and the students should be strongly encour­
aged to take some religious topics, which should count
as much as any other secular branch.
Why should catholic students who are advanced in
Latin not have the opportunities of becoming
acquainted with some of the Latin Fathers of 'the
Church?
They might read, for instance, with a professor of
Patristic Theology, "The Confessions of St. Augus­
tine" and many other works in which their knowledge
of the Latin language would be utilized both to exer­
cise the brain and at the same time to more rationally
educate them in the catholic faith.
The same method could be even better pursued with
the "Greek Fathers of the Church." The motto of
Emerson should never be forgotten: "I do not ask
56
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
what my child studies, but who is his teacher." There
is depth in this saying.
One of the differences between a genuine college
professor and an incompetent college professor is that
a good student taught by a genuine college professor
will acquire a taste for the subject taught, and some
few hints given in the right time will be the cause of
stimulating the student to further pursue the subject,
or at least give him a desire to do so; whereas a stu­
dent taught by an incompetent professor may study
because he wishes to graduate, but after graduation
he has no desire to further pursue his studies.
It is for this reason that the real worth of a genuine
college professor is thoroughly appreciated only later
in life by a student.
These new colleges will certainly offer opportuni­
ties for the study of Hebrew, Ecclesiastical History,
Natural Theology, etc., but what is sure is that the
Word of God will be most zealously read and ex­
plained.
N o college can rightly be called catholic unless with­
in its halls the catholic students have opportunities to
study the Word of God, so strongly recommended by
our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII.
COMMUNICATION OF THE AUTHOR WITH
THE AUTHORITIES OF NOTRE
DAME UNIVERSITY.
South Bend, Ind., Jan. 19, r899.
To the Board of Trustees of the University of Notre
Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.:
Gentlemen-I send this communication, to present
before your most honorable body some claims based
CATHOLIC YOUNG-MEN.
57
upon statements to be seen in the letters of the Presi­
dent of N. D. U., and of which I enclose an affidavit.
These are the statements:
I. Our chairs of Mathematics are well filled at
present, still it is possible that a vacancy will occur
at the end of the year, and if it is the one I suspect, I
would be able to locate you nicely.
II. The vacancy in our Mathematical Department
did not occur. However, I am willing to hold out the
inducement of a place on our staff in the line of lan­
guages, particularly in French, if you are willing to
take such classes as we can give you until a vacancy
occurs in such of OUF departments as would best suit
you.
III. I think that in the course of time we could
make it an object for you to become a permanent mem­
ber of our staff.
IV. Your salary for the first year will be $600,
with board and lodging included. This is higher than
we ever give for the first year, but in view of the dis­
tance and circumstances in your case I shall make the
fee six hundred.
Allow me to state that on the I5th of June, 1896, I
received a letter from Dr. Smart, President of Purdue
University, stating that in case a teacher should be
wanted in Mathematics he would make me an offer.
I should let him know my address in case of moving,
as he would notify me toward the roth or 15th of Sep­
tember. I have the letter and it remains at your dis­
posal.
Being fully persuaded that every statement of the
President of N. D. U. was true, as soon as I arrived
here, September 7, 1896, I wrote Dr. Smart, declining
58
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
his offer. The position was filled, as you may see in
the McMillan's Book Review just under the announce­
ment that the University of Notre Dame had en­
gaged me.
It is not necessary to have studied in the universi­
ties of Rome, Naples, Louvain, Paris, Madrid, the
Polytechnicum of Zurich, the University of Heidel­
berg, the j ohns Hopkins University, and to have
taught in the Boston University, University of Texas,
University of California, University of Deseret, now
Utah, in order to find out that there are no "Chairs
of Mathematics" in the University of Notre Dame,
since I have not yet found here. a teacher of Mathe­
matics who did not laugh at such words as "Chairs
of Mathematics" in connection with the University of
Notre Dame.
I do not wish to touch upon the disappointment I
felt, since it was specially on account of such expres­
sions as "our chairs of Mathematics" that I decided to
decline Dr. Smart's offer.
As to my salary of $600, being higher than we ever
give, I am afraid that there is as much truth in this
statement as there is in the chairs of Mathematics.
Statement NO.3: "I think that in the course of time
we could make it an object for you to become a per­
manent member of our staff" may be true, but in order
that any reasonable person should believe it he should
be shown that Dr. Egan, Dr. O'Malley, Col. Hoynes
were engaged at a salary less than $600, according to
statement NO.4, and that there has been such an in­
crease as to make it an object to become a permanent
member of the staff of N. D. U. When I perceived
the clear state of affairs I tried to find some other place
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
S9
and leave quietly and peacefully, but did not succeed;
and it is not to be wondered, because no teacher of
N otre Dame ever got a position in a state university,
and whatever my abilities, my connection with a catho­
lic institution is a great drawback. It should not be
so, but it is nevertheless so.
Such being the case, and for reasons which I do not
intend to state in this communication, I came to the
resolution of laying before you my claims, trusting I
will get full justice from you.
This is my reasoning concerning the rights I think
I have. The statement No. 2 gives me the right of
choosing in case a vacancy occurs which best suits me,
but there is a vacancy in the chair of Mathematics, as
it is not occupied, ergo I choose it; and beginning
next September I intend to be the Professor of Mathe­
matics of the University of Notre Dame.
Concerning my salary, I reason thus: According
to statement NO.4, my salary is higher than you ever
give for the first year, therefore I am entitled to a
salary higher than Dr. O'Malley, or Col. Hovnes, or
Dr. Egan got the first year when they were engaged
Hence I respectfully ask you to let me know what
their salaries were when they were first engaged and
then I will be in a position to let you know to how
much more I am entitled.
I understand very well the objection that could be
made to this last reasoning.
When you came to Notre Dame you accepted the
position with a salary of $600. Your salary was paid
to you, hence you have no claims on this score.
My answer is that when the President of N. D. U.
wrote he would like to have me make any suggestions
60
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
that I wished on this score ( salary) I answered him, I
leave the matter entirely in his hands, because on the
same page is written, I think that in the course of time
we could make it an object for you to become a per­
manent member of our staff.
When the President of N. D. U. writes me my sal­
ary for tne first year is $600, -higher than we ever give
for the first year, I accept in view of the future and
supposing that there is truth in every statement of the
President of N. D. U., I decline the proffered offer
of Purdue University.
N ow' if that statement is incorrect (I wish to use a
mild expression), the University of Notre Dame is
liable for misleading me. When I declined Purdue I
thought I was connected with a university where there
were chairs of Mathematics, to which I would be enti­
tled as soon as a vacancy would occur, that it would
be an object for me to become a permanent member
of the staff of N. D. U, and that if I had $600 for the
first year it was simply because this is higher than
the University of Notre Dame ever gives for the first
year.
If any of these statements are incorrect (to use the
same mild expression), the university is bound to make
them correct, and I have a perfect right to ask you
whether it is true or not that $600 is higher than you
ever give for the first year.
I beg to remind you, gentlemen, that I am open to
conviction, and in case my reasoning does not seem
correct to you I wish you would state the weak points,
and if I perceive my mistake you will find me quite
amenable to reason.
In the hypothesis that my reasoning is correct and
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
61
that I am entitled to the chair of Mathematics, I wish
to make some few suggestions which if adopted by
you, the University of Notre Dame will soon have a
magnificent mathematical department and the engi­
neering courses better attended than they -are now.
In my opinion the University of Notre Dame offers
a fine field in the line of Mathematics. but it must be
properly cultivated.
There should be a Department of Mathematics lead­
ing to the degree of B. S., requiring the same amount
of Physics, Chemistry, English and Philosophy as it
is prescribed in the Civil Engineering course, and a
r�ading knowledge of French and German. It would
be advisable to offer a one year post graduate course
in Mathematics leading to the degree of M. S., just
as it was offered in the University of Deseret, now
University of Utah. The pupils of the Mathematical
Department would have at least one elective study
,
every year, if not more. Advised but not compelled to
choose them in anyone of the Engineering courses,
when they take the degree of B. S. they will perceive
that very little is left them to graduate in the Engineer­
ing course from which they choose their elective
. studies, and by remaining one year longer they might
graduate in it and perhaps by taking some postgradu­
ate courses in Mathematics, if fitted, they will receive
the degree of M. S. Of course, next September all I
could do would be to take charge of the beginners of
Geometry and third Algebra. These two studies
should begin simultaneously, divisions shall be made
according to fitness, and I shall take charge of the
best division and keep it with me to the end of the
year. I purposely refrain from stating the amount of
62
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
ground they will be able to cover with me during the
year, because I do not wish to be laughed at, only
remember that I advance nothing but what I know
by experience I can perform.
At the end of the first year I shall have a good
number of pupils enthusiastic for Mathematics, then
shall my real work begin. Concerning my fitness for
teaching elementary branches I only wish to relate
one instance.
In St. Louis I left Mr. X's school, as he did not
wish to augment my salary, as I thought he should ..
A committee of the pupils came to me asking me
whether I left because I had been engaged in another
school, as they were told by the principal. I told
them the reason. Two days after Mr. X- carne to
see me. acceded to my terms and told me that the
pupils were so pleased with me that they threatened
they would leave the school if he did not continue
to employ me as their teacher in Algebra and Geom­
etry.
As to my fitness for teaching higher Mathematics. I
leave the matter to the testimonial of Prof. J. B.
Toronto, Vice-President of the University of Utah,
sent to Dr. Smart, and which I enclose, also the letter.
he sent me concerning it. I submit also copies of
other testimonials, and the programme of the Mathe­
matical Department of that university.
It is exceptionally high, but it must be borne in
mind that, in the first place, I found there well pre­
pared and exceedingly bright pupils, besides they were
not allowed to take more than fifteen recitations a
week, each of three-quarters of an hour, and as a rule
they had less than that.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
63
During the first year I had only Freshmen, that is
to say, pupils who took Algebra and Geometry, and
one single Sophomore, who took Analytic Geometry
and Calculus, who soon left, having obtained a posi­
tion as teacher. In the second year, as you may see
from the report of the Board of Regents, which I en­
close, I had pupils in Quaternions, Rational Dynamics,
Method of Least Squares, Cremona's Projective
Geometry, etc.
Hoping, gentlemen, that the Giver of all lights will
enlighten your minds that you may clearly see your
duty, and strengthen your will, that no earthly con­
sideration will prevent you from performing it, I re­
main, gentlemen,
Yours very respectfully,
CHAS. VENEZIAN1.
Notre Dame, Incl., Jan. 21, 1899.
Dr. Charles Veneziani, South Bend" Ind.:
Dear Sir-I am authorized to state that your com­
munication of the zoth instant, with enclosures, ad­
dressed to the Board of Trustees of the University of
.. Notre Dame, has been received.
Having read and considered the same, it has by
order of the Board been referred to the President of
the university, who has exclusive authority to act in
the matter.
Herewith I return the enclosures, which were also
read and considered. Very sincerely yours,
JAMES 1. FRENCH,
Secretary Board of Trustees Notre Dame U niver­
sity.
64
HIGHEl{ EDUCATION FOR
South Bend, Ind., March 23, 18s)9.
To the Board of Trustees of N. D. D., Notre Dame,
Ind. :
Gentlemen-Your answer to my communication
was received. You referred me to the President of
the University, who has full power to act in this mat­
ter. I went to him and he told me my services will
not be needed any longer at the end of the year,4hnd my
communication was an impudent one. I asked him
what he thought abovt our "chairs of Mathematics";
he replied that the chairs of Mathematics have a real
existence in the LT niver sitv of :!\ otre Dame. I asked
him whether he thought my salary of $600 per year
higher than "we ever give for the first year" ; he replied
that his statement about my salary is correct. To my
question, "Do you mean to say that Dr. Egan was
engaged 011 a salary less than $600?" he answered I
could not compare myself with Dr. Egan. Hence I
infer that the statement NO.4 of the President of N.
D. U. in the affidavit is incorrect. As I have reasons
to suppose that either my memory or that of the Presi­
dent of N. D. U. is not to be trusted, I asked him to
give me his answer in writing. He flatly refused to do
so, but afterwards he told me he would do so later 011�
I have not yet received his answer. The President of
N. D. U. has left for Europe, hence I apply to you
again to suggest to you a plan of action which seems
to me the most equitable before God and men.
I am afraid that you do not fully realize my position.
The incorrect statements found in the letters of the
President of N. D. U. have been the cause of my de­
clining the best chance I ever had in my life. I mean
the position in Purdue University.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
65
What I suggest is that the claims stated in my for­
mer communication, as well as other claims which I
have, be referred to Rt. Rev. Bishop L. Scanlan, of
Salt Lake City, with full power to arbitrate; that no
papers shall be sent him unless previously submitted
to the Rev. Dr. Zahm and seen by myself, that I may
have an opportunity of answering any statement which
may appear to me incorrect. A check of $200 shall
accompany the documents sent to Bishop Scanlan as
a fee for his trouble. I .shall contribute $IOO and you
shall contribute the other $IOO, with the understand­
ing that I shall repay you the $IOO you contribute if
Bishop Scanlan finds that all the claims of my first
communication are groundless, that you shall repay
me my $100 in case he decides in my favor.
If you think, gentlemen, you have some better way
of adjusting our difficulty I shall be pleased to hear
from you. I wish to be clearly understood that whilst
I abhor with all my heart and soul to take any steps
which cannot fail to attract a widespread attention
throughout the United States and will afford great
pleasure to those who antagonize catholics, I do not
intend to tamely submit to what I consider a rank
injustice. *
I wish you would reflect upon the responsibility
which each and everyone of you incurs. If you are in
doubt about my claims, why not lay the matter before
such an uninterested party? If you are sure of being
in the right, why be afraid of the judgment of a man
of such sterling integrity, of such sound judgment,
and such a friend of your order as Bishop Scanlan is ?
I enclose an affidavit of Dr. Smart's letter and a leaf
*NOTE.-At that time I thought I could enforce my claims. By doing
so it would have produced the scandal alluded to in this letter.
66
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
from Mc Millans Books I�eview, that you may see
that the position of Furchte was actually filled by Ed­
win M. blake.
I remain, gentlemen, yours very respectfully.
CHAS. VENEZIANI.
Notre Dame, Incl., May 17, 1899.
Mr. Chas. \7" eneziani, South Bend, Ind.:
My Dear Sir-In an interview with you some
months ago I told you that I would not need your
services at the !_1l1 ivcrsity after the present scholastic
year.
You requested me to put this clecision in writing,
and I said I would do so before the close of the term.
1, hereby, notify you again that your services will
not be required after the closing of our school on
j unc IS, 1899. .\1l1cerely yours,
A. MORRISSEY, C. S. C.
South Bend, Ind., June I, I899.
I I7 S. St. Louis St.
Very Rev. A. Morrissey, C. S. c., President of the
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Incl.:
My Dear Father Morrissey-Your letter of May
I7th, in which you notify me that you would not need
my services after June 15th, is at hand. In the same
letter I notice you made a big mistake, which is quite
excusable, because, as once you told me on the
veranda, you easily forget many things. In your letter
I see "You requested me to put this decision in writing
anel I said I would do so before the close of the term."
Allow me to tell you, Father Morrissey, that I am
far more logical than you suppose. What you should
have written is "You re,quested me to put this answer
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
67
in writing, and I said I would do so before the close
of the term." A word makes an immense difference,
my dear sir, and you will soon see the reason. If you
remember well the interview took place when I came
to you in order to know the answer to my first com­
munication to the Board of Trustees, who referred me
to you, "who has exclusive authority to act in the mat­
ter." I sent you a copy of my communication, and in
the first line you may see that my object was to present
some claims based upon statements to be found in
your letters and of which I enclosed an affidavit.
After having set forth my claims on page 4 you may
read: "I beg to remind you, gentlemen, that I am
open to conviction, and in case my reasoning does not
seem correct to you I wish you would state the weak
points, and if I perceive my mistake, you will find me
quite amenable to reason." It is evident that what I
wanted was an answer to my reasoning and what I,
requested of you was to give me in writing your verbal
answer.
However great may be the respect I have for you, I
have a far greater respect for truth, and in this letter
of mine I shall follow the example of Adam, who
called things by their right name.
If you do not remember the verbal answer you gave
me I am most willing to refresh your memory. Y ou
told me my services would not be needed at the end
of the year, my letter was an impudent one because I
wanted the chair of Mathematics without your giving
it to me; you told me the chairs of Mathematics have
a real existence in the University of Notre Dame; you
said that the statement concerning 111y salary of $600
per year being higher than "we ever give for the first
68
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
year is correct, when I asked you: "Do you mean to
say that Dr. Egan was engaged at a salary less than
$600 per year?" Y ou answered I could not compare
myself with Dr. Egan; you stated that my teaching
was poor, and to m y asking" Did you not tell me once
that my teaching was very good?" you answered you
never said such thing to me. To my question, "Did
you ever say to anybody that my teaching was so good
that the university on this account increased my sal­
ary?" you replied it would be impossible for you to
have said such thing, since the university never in­
creased my salary; you expatiated on your great kind­
ness in having promised me that I could remain here
at Notre Dame as long as I had not found a more
suitable place, when I answered that I did not see your
kindness in taking away the teaching Dr. Zahm in­
tended to give me during the vacations, and you replied:
"How can you prove that? Besides, it is my duty to
see what kind of men are employed at Notre Dame;"
and when I asked was the vacancy alluded to in state­
ment No. I of the affidavit, the vacancy of Prof. Me­
Griskin, whose house you promised when you wrote
about locating me nicely, you replied you did not wish
to answer that question.
This was the verbal answer I requested you to put
in writing, because before you would have finished it
you would have perceived so many contradictions and
so many lies that the answer instead of being sent
before the close of the term would not have been fin­
ished before the close of your life. There is no need
to be a Doctor of Philosophy of the University of
Heidelberg and to have received the prize bestowed
upon the best mathematical scholar in that great uni-
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
69
versity in order to see the complete absence of sound
logic in your verbal answer.
In the first place, if you have promised that I could
remain here until I found a better position, what great
crime have I committed that you may break your
promise? If I had had the misfortune, as it has been
ordinarily the case with the teachers discharged in
this institution; of being found drunk, or arrested for
disorderly conduct, I could easily understand the
necessity of discharging me; but to suppose that be­
cause I sent a communication to the Board of Trustees
of the University of Notre Dame, stating my rights as
I see them, you are exonerated from keeping your
promise, I must frankly acknowledge that there is not
only a lack of sound logic, but als\) a want of honesty,
such as you would find in a heathen and certainly
ought to be expected of a Christian, a priest, one who
binds himself with three vows in order to reach heaven
with more surety.
Concerning the comparison with Dr. Egan, I an­
swer that comparisons are odious, but the question
here is whether my salary is higher than Dr. Egan's
salary, and since it is not higher you lied when you
wrote the statement that $600 is higher "than we ever
give for the first year," and you know very well your­
self that you were lying when writing such a statement,
and that you were only confirming a lie when you
asserted the truth of that statement.
As to my communication being an impudent one
because I want the chair of Mathematics in spite of
you, I answer the question is whether according to
your written statements I am entitled to it and I proved
that I am. When you said "You never told me that
70
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
my teaching was cxcccclinsrly fine you were lying.
As a matter of fact, I am ready to call God as a witness
that you really said so, whilst you would never call
God as a witness that you never said that, as you
would not wish to become a perjurer. You most
strenuously asserted that you never told anybody that
my teaching was so good that the university increased
my salary, but as I was told this by .Mother S-,*
Mother Superior of the Novitiate of St. Mary's, who
congratulated me for this good news she heard from
yourself, you understand very well that I fully believe
y�u said so, and moreover, Mother S-'s word is
above suspicion--not so yours.
As to your reasoning .that you could not have said
so because the university never increased my salary,
your reasoning proves just the contrary. My salary
has been increased the difference of the house rent;
this you granted Mrs, Veneziani, and Mother S­
could never know that, unless you told her, and nat­
urally when you speak you are liable to make a moun­
tain out of a mole-hill. If you want some instances, I
have no objection to quote two. Take for instance
"our chairs of Mathematics in the University of Notre
Dame." Any teacher here connected with Mathe­
matics laughs at the idea of chairs of Mathematics in
the university and one teacher asserts that it is the
President of the university that holds the chair of
Mathematics, meaning that it is the President who has
the power of creating the chair of Mathematics, and
yet you write and speak of chairs of Mathematics hav­
ing a real existence with such earnestness that were
it not that I am a specialist in Mathematics and have
*'l'he full name is withheld in print.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
71
been in the University of Notre Dame for the last three
years you might really make me fall into the mistake
of supposing that you are right, and were it not that
I know positively that the teacher who according to
the catalogue holds the chair of Mathematics does not
teach one single branch of Mathematics connected
with the University of Notre Dame and has nothing
to do whatever with the Mathematics of the University
of Notre Dame I might make the blunder of supposing
that the University of Notre Dame has a chair of
Mathematics. Another instance is the Romance lan­
guages fake of the University of Notre Dame. When
I was engaged you advertised the great acquisition
the University of Notre Dame made by engaging your
humble servant to take charge of the "Romance Lan­
guages" Department. It served your purpose, which
is "Videri, non esse," the great point is to appear, not
to be. The only flaw I find in that advertisement is,
firstly, there was no Romance Languages Department
to take charge of, and secondly, I never was engaged
to take charge of it. There is not a word concerning
Romance Languages in your letters written to me.
The fine point is that you gulled the public so well
that some persons who must have known me praised
highly the wisdom of the University of Notre Dame
in bestowing upon me the chair of Romance Lan­
guages. A chair paying $600 per year!!! When lately
there was a meeting of the faculty whilst you were in
Europe I moved that the wl.ole string about Romance
Languages be stricken from the catalogue, as well as
the words "Romance Languages" written under my
name, because it is highly unbecoming for a catholic
university to cheat the public, but I was told by the
72
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
chairman that Father Morrissey alone had that power,
not the faculty. Let us see what that increase of salary
meant.' When my family came to South Bend in N 0-
vember, 1896, I engaged a house according to my
salary of $600 per year, with the intention of moving
into better quarters as soon as my salary was increased.
When the proper time came I asked you how my
teaching was and you told me it was exceedingly good.
You had already let Mother S- know that you
were pleased with my teaching and I had been ap­
prised of it by Sister A- and Mother S-, who
from the moment I met her in Salt Lake City al­
ways took a great interest in my welfare. I was
greatly surprised when a few days later, having asked
you what would be the increase of my salary for the
ensuing year, you answered that the university had to
support the missions in India, hence no increase would
be granted; besides, my teaching was very poor, I
could remain at the same salary. I wished to show
you your letters, but you replied you knew everything
in them. I showed you the letter of Dr. Smart, Presi­
dent of Purdue University, and pointed you out these
words: "Should I find it necessary to employ an
additional instructor in Mathematics I will make you
an offer." I showed you the McMillan's Books' Re­
view where, just on the same page where was an­
nounced my coming to take charge of the Romance
Languages Department of the University of Notre
Dame, is to be found the name of the additional in­
structor of Mathematics; and I told you that I might
have been connected with Purdue University, but I
had written Dr. Smart a few days after my arrival here
that I did not wish to be considered any longer as an
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
applicant since I was connected with Notre Dame.
You replied that if I could see the prospect of a posi­
tion in Purdue University from that letter of Dr. Smart
I must certainly be a dreamer. I asked you then how
you could say my teaching was very poor when only
a few days before you told me it was exceedingly good.
You answered by saying you never made such state­
ment. It was then that Mrs. Veneziani, perceiving
that I had been tricked by you, asked you for the
difference of house rent which you granted and paid
until March, 1898, included. When I presented you
the next receipt due for house rent, after looking it
over you remarked you had no time to give me an
order for the money. Later on, when presented again,
you told me to come tomorrow. I supposed you were
very busy, and I waited several days. \Vhen I pre­
sented the receipt again you told me I should have
come the very next day. You added that you were a
man of your word and the word you gave Mrs. Vene­
ziani shall be kept; this money, however, shall be paid
together with my salary. I answered that Brother
Edward, the Treasurer, had received orders from you
not to pay me my salary, and I added, concerning the
receipt for the difference of house rent, if the bill is cor­
rect jt might as well be paid at once; if there is any
mistake please showit to me thatwe maysquare this ac­
count. Your reply was, everything must be paid at the
same time; thus nothing was paid. For six months]
clid not draw a cent of my salary, until you asked me on
the veranda whether I had been paid, and I answered
that in the first place Brother Edward had received
the order not to pay me, and afterwards you told me
I could draw the three-fifths of my salary, but not a
74
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
cent more, because I was not earning the rest, and as
I would not accept the three-fifths I had not yet been
paid. You answered, I might go now and draw the
whole, and I did so. When, however, I presented you
the receipt for the difference of house rent you told
me you did not agree with Mrs. Veneziani to pay
more than $5 per month, I should tell her to come and
see you. I answered you that as I did not send Mrs.
Veneziani to you before, I do not intend to send her
now; if there is any mistake it is your fault, since when
I presented you the receipt instead of postponing pay­
ment under various pretexts, if you had made me this
remark I would not have engaged the house for a
year, and I cannot afford to lose money for your fault.
You replied I am not worth any more than $600 per
year, my intention was to grab the world, but you
would not pay any more than $5 per month anyhow.
After having thought over this matter, I concluded
that I had been tricked and cheated quite enough and
it was time to present my just claims to the Trustees
of the University of Notre Dame. This is the increase
vou spoke of to Mother S-, as a reward for my
good teaching!!
N ow that I have presented my just claims you
thought the best way of answering was, not by using
the rules of logic beginning with Barbara, but by using
a rather barbarous method-that of chopping off the
head of the claimant and thus silence him. You think
that by affirming my teaching is poor you have a right
to set aside the just claims your letters have given
me. I warn you. my clear sir, you are treading
rather dangerous ground. Firstly, the question is not
whether my teaching is good or bad; the question is
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
75
whether your written statements set forth in the affi­
davit accompanying my first communication and on
whose account I declined the Purdue University, are
not a set of lies, and whether the university is not
responsible for your writing as President. Suppos­
ing even that my teaching is poor, as I am teaching
Languages, it would not follow that . my teaching
Mathematics is poor, and as I am entitled to the chair
of Mathematics your pretext would fall flat. Besides,
from the testimonial of the Vice-President of the Uni­
versity of Utah, my teaching of Mathematics is an
ideal one, according to you my teaching of Languages
is poor; then why should you hesitate to give me the
chair of Mathematics to which I am entitled? By thus
doing the University of Notre Dame would gain an
ideal teacher of Mathematics and get rid of what you
style "a poor teacher in Languages." When I asked
you at the close of my first year whether I would have
to teach Mathematics the ensuing year you answered
that my services were needed to strengthen the Mod­
ern Languages Department. No person could under­
stand how (what you style) "a poor teacher" would be
able to strengthen a Modern Languages Department
in a university. There are three reasons, besides, why
you should not slander my teaching. I st. Your testi­
mony is worthless, having just told the contrary to
Mother S-o zd. I have in my possession irre­
fragable proofs of the contrary. 3rd. The work itself
is the best proof. My pupils, the beginners in German,
on three recitations a week, of three-quarters of an
hour each, at the end of the first year understand
Schiller's Wallenstein and Goethe; and you have only
to glance at the catalogue to see the immense work
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the beginners in French did under me last year, and
they woulcl have clone still more were it not that you
through your criminal weakness retarded the progréss
of my class. When my pupils neecled a dictionary
the Brother in the office refused to order the one I
wanted for the class because he wished to dispose of
some worthless dictionaries which the university had
for sale. Whenever I tolcl you about it, you would
send me to the Brother, and meanwhile for several
weeks the class could not do the work it would have
done otherwise. At last I spoke to the Director of
Studies about it and added that if the parents of the
pupils had any conception of such shameful proceed­
ings of the University of Notre Dame they would be
indignant. The Director of Studies told me to come
into the office the following day and he would see
that the dictionaries were ordered; thus what you left
dragging for several weeks was dispatched promptly
by the Director of Studies, and the dictionaries were
ordered at once. Now, my dear sir, compare your
criminal weakness in allowing a Brother who has no
conception of French, but dictates under your very
nose to the so-called Professor of Romance Languages
of the University of Notre Dame what kind of French
dictionaries must be used in the French class, to the
detriment of the pupils-compare, I say, such criminal
weakness in regard to that Brother with your criminal,
idiotic and tyrannical proceedings toward the same
Professor of Romance Languages on the occasion you
requested me to take charge of the beginners in Latin.
I told you I would take charge of that class as a favor,
not as a duty, because we agreed that I would not
have to teach beginners in Latin; you answered it
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
77
was true you had agreed that I would not have to
teach beginners in Latin, but when you agreed you
did not know you would ever need my services in that
line, had you known it, you said, you would never have
agreed, hence it is my duty to take charge of that
class. I replied that I was unable to see the correct­
ness of your reasoning; as a favor I would take charge
of the class, but not as a duty. Then began your
threats, which you carried into' execution. I should
not draw any longer my salary, you would take away
from me a private pupil I had, the teaching Dr. Zahm
wanted to give me during the vacations would be
withdrawn; an extra class which you had given me
and for which I should be paid extra would be with­
drawn. Utterly undismayed I repeated, "I don't see
that I am obliged {o take charge of that Latin class on
account of our previous agreement, still as a favor
toward you I am willing to do so, as a duty never."
What threats could never have extorted from me a
good word did. A priest in the university requested
me for the sake of peace to yield, and I promised I
would. I came to you a few hours later and told you
I would take charge of the beginners in Latin, but
you answered you needed my services no longer and
that I should not go to teach that extra class you had
given me, and for which you had promised me extra
pay. I never thought you would demean yourself so
low as to carry your threats into execution except
so far as to take away the extra class, which you gave
to the former porter of the University of Notre Dame.
I was really astonished when I went to draw my
salary, and I was told you had put an injunction on
it. I soon perceived that you tried to take my private
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pupil away, but you did not succeed. Is there any
need of proving that you withheld the teaching Dr.
Zahm would have given me, when you yourself told
me so? And are you not ashamed of bringing as a
reason that you must see what kind of teachers are
employed in Notre Dame, as if insinuating that there
is something in my conduct which might lower the
moral standard of those who come in contact with
me, when the real motive was your spite? What kind
of arithmetic did you use to infer that I was entitled
to three-fifths of my salary when I was giving four
lessons a day? Was it not yourself who forbade me to
continue teaching the fifth lesson, alleging as a reason
that the pupils were only waiters and too few in num­
ber, and after you ordered me to discontinue this class
with this fine reason you want to take away from me
two-fifths of my salary. You know very well that I
have a family to support and do you think it was right
when the difference of house rent was asked over and
over again to postpone payment with pretexts of which
a dead beat himself would be ashamed? I am per­
fectly convinced that no man in the country would
ever believe that such things actually took place in
the University of Notre Dame, the great catholic uni­
versity of America, and still you know yourself that
everything I am starting is correct. I wish you now
to consider the way I stood under your unfair treat­
ment. Instead of legally proceeding against the Uni­
versity of Notre Dame for withholding my salary, and
thus bring disgrace upon you, I bore everything con­
sidering your actions as the antics of a spoiled child,
who if only given some few months' time, and no
notice taken of his sayings and doings, would come
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
79
back to his senses and act more dutifully. As a mat­
ter of fact, it was nearly six months after when you told
me to go and draw my salary which you had withheld.
It is true, you gave me much useless trouble, and you
did also much real harm, but I had decided for the sake
of peace, I would overlook many things. Had I· been
Father Morrissey, the President of the University of
Notre Dame, and you Veneziani, instead of keeping
your salary and then afterward claim that only three­
fifths are due, I should have deemed it my duty, be­
sides the claims set forth in the first communication,
to pay you for the extra hours teaching since for sev­
eral weeks I had seven recitations a day during '96-97.
At the beginning of the scholastic year '97-98, I had
six recitations a day for over a month. That lesson for
which extra pay was promised, should not have been
taken away to be given to the former porter of the
university, and if I requested you for transla­
tions from foreign languages, you certainly should
have been paid either in money or in acts of kindness.
Had I been the President of the University of Notre
Dame, I would have remembered that when I wrote:
"Our chairs of Mathematics are well filled at present,
still it is possible that a vacancy will occur at the end
of the year, and if it is the one I suspect, I would be
able to locate you nicely." That phrase-locate you
nicely-meant that in case of Prof. McGrisken leaving
the university the house called the "Lilacs" was prom­
ised to you, and you may rest assured that neither pre­
texts nor lies would have been told by me in order to
break my promise to you. I would not, after many
subterfuges come out saying that the giving of the
house lies with the Council, and you by going to Dr.
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HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
Zahm, who is-the President of the Council, might have
found out, as I did, that the Council has nothing to do
with the house; that it lies entirely with the President.
I would not have said to you that Brother Onesimus
had the renting of the house, but since the university
always got $15 per month rent, you could not expect
to have it for less, and then you might go to Brother
Onesimus, as I did, and you might hear that the uni­
versity never got a cent rent, therefore, he said it should
not be rented to the university Professors. Were I the
President of the University of Notre Dame, and you
the Professor of Romance Languages enquiring from
me where you could find a staIl for your horse, I would
never have sent you to Father Connor, the Superior
of the Novitiate for a staIl, when Father Connor had
scarcely room for his own horse, and I, the President
of the university, had a number of places entirely va­
cant. I would consider such advice the most idiotic
joke played on Father Connor, as well as yourself, and
when I, the President, am asked for a stall with the
understanding it should be paid for, to answer NO, I
should deem it not only uncharitable, but I should deem
such a refusal as downright injustice, and if, besides, the
inconveniences are taken into consideration to which
I would expose you, the Professor of Romance Lan­
guages, by refusing that which is granted to pupils liv­
ing nearer the university, I would rightly classify such
refusal amongst those mean, spiteful actions, which
are a sure characteristic of the low standard of the
intelligence, as well as the heart.
What I have written is the reply to the verbal an­
swer which I requested you to put in writing, and
which you wisely refrained from doing. If I were
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
81
alone in the world I would have no objection to give
up the rights which your letters gave me. Having
declined Purdue University for Notre Dame, to ac­
cept my dismissal as an answer to my rights, I really
think it would be treason on my part towards those
who have claims upon me for their support. If you
remember, you called me an unpractical man, and con­
sequently it is very doubtful whether you will believe
that this legitimate resistance on my part will be the
cause of disgracing yourself, the university, the Con­
gregation of the Holy Cross, throughout the length
and breadth of the United States. This must neces­
sarily happen, if you persist in your course, not
through any vindictiveness of mine, but through the
necessary development of those means of which I have
to make use to protect myself from what I consider a
rank injustice. * I wish to be very explicit on this point,
because when that which I have just told you will ac­
tually take place, I want you to remember that it is
entirely due to not following the plan I will presently
lay before you in order to adjust our differences.
The Board of Trustees of the University of Notre
Dame, having read and considered my first communi­
cation, has referred it to you, who has exclusive au­
thority in the matter. Your decision is final, if ac­
cepted by me, and the university is legally bound to
stand by your decision. I hope you will have no diffi­
culty in agreeing with me that "nerno judex in causa
propria" is an old proverb, in which there is a great
deal of wisdom. What objection could you have to
refer the whole matter to Archbishop Riordan of San
*NOTE.-At that time I thought I could enforce my claims. By doing
so it would have produced the scandal alluded to in this letter.
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Francisco, who is a pupil of the University of Notre
Dame, quite enthusiastic for his Alma Mater, and
who would certainly not wrong the Congregation of
the Holy Cross? What objection could you have to
refer the whole matter to Bishop Scanlan of Salt Lake
City, who is such a great friend of your order, as it is
shown by the academies and hospital of the Congrega­
tion of the Holy Cross in Utah? We are but men,
my dear Father Morrissey, we can never entirely free
ourselves from the frailties annexed to our fallen na­
ture, and the last thing of which we can free ourselves
is the inordinate love of self.
The case of which you are constituted the judge is
of such nature that one may rationally suppose that.
even in the hypothesis you have the best intention in
the world of dealing fairly arid squarely, you can not
avoid some partiality, because you are too much in­
terested in the sentence you have to pronounce. A
judgment in my favor means that you have wronged
me during these last three years, whether intentionally
or unintentionally.
Any reasonable man under such circumstances
would be of the opinion that I have the right to refuse
you for my judge, and that your duty is to let such
judgment be pronounced by some other party. A man
of such sterling integrity as Bishop Scanlan or Arch­
bishop Riordan, not interested in the case, is more
apt to be impartial, and I, for my part, am willing to
submit entirely to his verdict. I leave you the choice
of the one you prefer. As you cannot deny that you
promised me that I can remain at Notre Dame as
long as I have not found a more suitable place, I wish
that this claim also should De submitted and that you
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
83
should show causes which justify you in my dismissal.
I am sorry that all I can afford to give as a fee is
$200. I wish I could make it $2,000, but it is impos­
sihle. If you are willing to arbitrate the matter, we
will easily arrange all further details. The only im-
I portant thing is, that we should wish that the whole
matter should be settled according to justice,-for my
own part I am willing; if you are also willing, you
win apprise me which of the two you prefer as arbi­
trator, Bishop Scanlan or Archbishop Riordan, and
we will speedily succeed in settling our differences. I
will furnish myself the $200, which wrll be added to
my claims, if I am right; if the judgment is against
me, I am willing to lose them.
Hoping that this suggestion will meet with your
approbation, I remain, my dear sir,
Yours very sincerely,
CHAS VENEZIANI.
South Bend, Ind., Sept. 5th, 1899.
To the Board of Trustees,
Of the D niversity of Notre Dame,
N otre Dame, Indiana.
Gentlemen :-On March 23rd, 1899, I sent you a
second communication in which, after having stated
the result of my interview with the President of N.
D. D., to whom you referred me in your answer to my
first communication, as the one who. has exclusive
authority in the matter concerning my claims, I sug­
gested that Bishop Scanlan, of Salt Lake City, be
taken as arbitrator. N o answer was vouchsafed to
the second communication.
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HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
Un May 17th, I received a letter from the President
of N. D. U., in which he notifies me that he does not
need my services after J une 15th. I enclose a copy
of my reply to his letter, as it is intimately connected
with the present subject. You will observe, in reading
my reply, that I advocated that the whole matter be
referred to either Archbishop Riordan of San Fran­
cisco, who, as a pupil and friend of Notre Dame,
would not certainly be inclined to wrong his Alma
Mater, or to Bishop Scanlan of Salt Lake City, but
the President declined to accept any arbitration what­
ever concerning my claims, and repeated that my
services would not be needed after June 15th.
Well, my dear gentlemen, I intend in this third and
last communícation of mine to speak to you the truth
and nothíng but the truth; there is a power in right
which might alone cannot give, and which constitutes
might in itself, and I feel within me that right and
that might. One would reasonably expect from relig­
ious people that their actions should be a model, a
light to us laymen, and their honesty in business
transactions above reproach. One would reasonably
expect from the Board of Trustees of the University
of Notre Dame, that its members would have enough
conscience if a claim is presented by a teacher to make
a thorough investigation for fear of incurring the
curse of God for keeping a human being out of what
is due to him. If the Board of Trustees of the Uni­
versity of Notre Dame, instead of being composed of
four priests and one brother, all five belonging to the
C. S. C, was composed of four saloon keepers and one
gambler, all five belonging to the A. P. A., I am fully
convinced I would have found better consciences in
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
85
their verdict concerning my claims. Consider the way
you dealt with my first communication. If I had had
any prospect of obtaining justice by applying to the
President of the U. N. D., I would not certainly have
applied Ito the Board of Trustees; and any board com­
posed of conscientious persons, from the moment the}
legally represent the university before the State of In­
diana, would have thought themselves morally bound
to look into the matter and see whether the statements
found in the letters of the President of the U. N. D.,
and of which I enclosed an affidavit, give me the rights
I claim or not. Instead of that, you answer: "Hav­
ing read and considered the same (communication), it
has, by order of the board, been referred to the Presi­
dent, who has exclusive authority to act in the matter."
There is nothing more absurd than such an answer
of yours, if you except the one given by the President
of the University of Notre Dame, who began it by
dismissing me from the university, contrary to his
promise that I could remain here as long as I had not
found a more suitable place. You must certainly
know that the President cannot dispose of over $roo
without the consent of others, as my claims are much
higher, the President of Notre Dame does not have
ex-officio exclusive authority to act in the matter.
If your answer means that you confer upon him ex­
clusive authority to act in the matter, then I simply
observe that the validity of my claims implies that the
President has wronged me during these last three
years either intentionally or unintentionally, therefore,
he is the defendant in this suit in which I am the
plaintiff, and you, the judges, confer to the defendant
exclusive authority to judge the claims of the plain-
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tiff! ! ! � N o Asiat ic court ever prostituted so low its
sacred functions of dispensing justice, as did the Board
of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame with
such an infamous answer.
Far from accepting the President of the University
of Notre Dame as my judge, I denounce him before
you as a first-class liar, a faithless man, a scoundrel,
an unjust despot, and a low deadbeat.
I brand the President of the University of Notre
Dame as a liar, when he asserts that he never told me
my teaching was very good, and I call God as wit­
ness, that he did so.
I brand the President of Notre Dame U niversity
as a liar, when he asserts he never told anybody that
my teaching was so good that the University increased
my salary, and I call as witness Mother S-, the
Mother Superior of the Novititate of St. Mary's, who,
when she congratulated me for this good news, told
me, she heard it from Father Morrissey, himself,-and
who shall dare to question the veracity o.f a Mother
S-?
I brand the President of the University of . Notre
Dame as a liar, when he wrote that $600 is "higher
than we ever give for the first year", and when he as­
serts that the statement he wrote is correct, and I call
as witnesses you all, members of the Board of Trus­
tees of the U. N. D., beginning with you, Father Hud­
son, President of the Board; you, Father Connor,
Vice-President; you, Father French, Secretary; and
you, Brother Edward, Treasurer. You know very
well that he lied, still, if you entertain any doubt, you
may go and verify with your own eyes, and you must
agree with me, that the President of U. N. D. was a
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
87
liar when he wrote that statement, and a confirmed
liar when he confirms the truth of that lying statement.
I brand the President of the University of Notre
Dame as a liar when he wrote about "our chairs of
mathematics", and when asked about the truth of this
statement he asserts that, the chairs of Mathematics
have a real existence in the University of Notre Dame,
since even the teachers of mathematics in Notre Dame
laugh at the idea of there being chairs of mathematics
in this university; and if the President really believes
that the chairs of mathematics have a real existence in
N otre Dame, he is not a liar by no means; he is only
an ignoramus, not fit to be a teacher in.a kindergarten,
and I, who believed every word he was writing as
Gospel's truth must not certainly suffer for the utter
ignorance of the President of the University of Notre
Dame.
I brand the President of the University of Notre
Dame as a faithless man, for after having told me, I
could remain here as long as I had not found a more
suitable place, and I call God as a witness that he
really told me so; without alleging any cause, he
thinks himself exonerated from keeping his word, and
as he adopted this method in order to cheat me out
of my claims, based upon his own letters, I openly
brand him as a scoundrel.
I brand the President of the University of Notre
Dame as an unjust despot for having withheld my sal­
ary for nearly six months without any hearing what­
ever before the Board of Trustees, and having done,
besides, as much harm as he could in his vindictive­
ness, simply because, having asked me to take charge
of a class of beginners in Latin, I told him I would take
88
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
it as a favor but not as a duty, since we had agreed
I should not have to teach beginners in Latin; and
I brand him the more as an unjust despot, because a
few hours later, at the entreaties of a priest who wished
me to yield for peace sake, I went to the President and
expressed my willingness to obey his orders, and still
he executed his threats as far as he could.
I brand the President of the University of Notre
Dame as a low deadbeat, for, when I presented him
the receipt of my house rent in order to cash the dif­
ference as it had been agreed, he loudly proclaimed
himself a man of his word, who keeps what he has
promised, and his word shall certainly be kept; but, he
added, this difference of rent must be paid, together
with my salary, and thus nothing was paid for six
months, and to my entreaties that he might as well give
me an order for the money due, if the bill is correct,
and if not correct he should show the mistake, he an­
swered, that everything must be paid at the same time,
and thus nothing was paid.
These are the reasons why I cannot accept the Pres­
ident as a Judge concerning my claims founded on his
letters, and should you persist in denying me justice,
or, in refusing to have the matter referred to either
Arch Bishop Riordan or Bishop Scanlan with the un­
derstanding that I shall enclose $200 fee to be lost if I
am found to be in the wrong, to be added to my claim
if I am right, I shall have these reasons published in
the newspapers in order to start a fund to legally fight
the University of Notre Dame, and should you enter­
tain the least doubt about the truth of my denuncia­
tions I defy you to prosecute me.
Remember, gentlemen, that I am not here begging
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN.
89
any favors of you, and that I am rather conferring a
favor upon you in directing your attention to the mis­
take you have made, and by offering you the opportu­
nity of correcting the gross injustice you have done
me.
My first communication is still in your hands, my
second was never read at any meeting of yours, and
as to my third, I hope you will act according to truth
and justice. The worst hypocrisy of man is to en­
deavor to hide a gross injustice with the cloak of jus­
tice, of order-harmony.
Religious congregations have been repeatedly per­
secuted, robbed, and banished, stilI I doubt whether
such low, stupid and hypocritical means were ever
practiced against them as you used in your answer to
me: To appoint as a judge the man who did me the
injustice! !! Such proceeding is the more blamable
because, having fuII confidence in your honesty, I tried
in my first communication to logicaIIy set forth my
rights, and after my reasoning, I appeal to you to show
me my mistake if you find any, with these words,
"I beg to remind you, gentlemen, that I am open to
conviction, and in case my reasoning does not seem
correct to you, I wish you would state the weak points,
and if I perceive my mistake you wiII find me quite
amenable to reason."
How was my reasoning answered? The President
to whom you referred me, notifies me that he does not
need my services. Poor logic, the question is of
rights, and not of needs. I have a right to the chair of
Mathematics, and I intend to have it. I have a right
to a salary "higher than we ever give for the first
year", and it shall be given.
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HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
The mere fact that you do not wish any arbitration
from such men as Archbishop Riordan or Bishop
Scanlan, shows quite clearly that you are convinced
that I am right, and you are wrong.
From the moment Adam fell, mankind began to
use pretexts to excuse their wrong doing, Adam setting
the example by pointing out to Eve, who, according
to him, seemed to l'lave had "exclusive authority in
the matter". Do I need to remind you that it is you,
not the President, who have exclusive authority in
the matter, and it is to you, that I apply for redress? I
should not wonder if you would say, It has always
been the policy of the Board to leave full authority to
the President in all matters concerning the relations
of teachers with the university, because good har­
mony is indispensable to the attainment of good re­
sults in educational matters. My answer would be,
that in the first place my teaching in the University of
N otre Dame has been very successful, and I like har­
mony as well as any man, and in the present case more
than the President and the Board of Trustees do. I
am in full harmony with the statements of the Presi­
dent to be found in his letters, but, unfortunately, he
is not in harmony with his statements, and what is
worse, his statements are not in harmony with truth,
and you are not in harmony with justice, when you do
not compel the president to harmonize with his written
statements. Let the statements be made true, that is
to say, let my salary be "higher than we ever give for
the first year", let the chair that best suits me be given
unto me, and, of course, I choose the chair of Mathe­
maties, and I am in full harmony with the President
of the University of Notre Dame.
CATHOLIC YOUNG MEN·
91
If what I heard is true, the venerable Sorin and
Father Corby said that it was the policy of the Uni­
versity of Notre Dame to never discharge a teacher as
long as he fulfilled his duties as teacher, and did not
give any bad example as man. This policy seems to
have been cast aside and now, a teacher is discharged
as soon as he claims his rights, based upon statements
to be found in the letters of the President. of the U ni­
versity.
I hope that such loose policy, more in harmony with
a soulless and heartless corporation, than with a relig­
ious congregation, will not meet with your approval.
I hope that you will do me full justice, and heartily
hope that I shall not be compelled to give publicity to
this matter. I remain, gentlemen,
Very sincerely yours,
CHAS. VENEZIANI..
No Answer.