How can the college most efficiently prepare its clerical aspirants for the seminary? By its curriculum of studies and its dominant Catholic spirit.

(1) Curriculum-In speaking of the college course Dr. ́McSweeney did not give a detailed outline. A program of studies required for entrance to the seminary must be the work of patient, judicious committees, whose work will have the approbation of the hierarchy. While awaiting such agreed. program, preliminary discussion will be useful. The following suggestions are based on the curriculum of a college that has had no slight success in educating both priests and laymen:

First. To the usual classics studies can be added the study of the New Testament in Greek, one book of a Latin Father, say, "De Civitate Dei" of St. Augustine, and one book of a Greek Father, say, St. Chrysostom, "De Sacerdote." No one will deny that even our lay students will derive pleasure and profit from such study.

Second. The Christian Doctrine course can be strengthened by a year's study of general topics concerning Sacred Scripture. The educated Catholic must have definite knowledge of the canon, the versions, the nature and extent of inspiration. The main purpose, however, should be to impart a familiar knowledge and love of the sacred text.

Third. The history of the Church can be studied in reference to the history of civilization, leaving its relation to the development of doctrine for seminary study.

Fourth. Christian philosophy, according to the decree of the Council of Baltimore, must be taught in the seminary two years and in Latin. This requirement, if not yet realized by all of us, should be the ideal of a normal Catholic college. A period of forty weeks is wholly inadequate, even for a talented student, to acquire more than a surface knowledge of this fundamental science. Deep study and long meditation, frequent drill and disputation, with some research and original work are assuredly required to produce the man who knows and moves calmly to his end despite the new lights that lure others to ruin.

And the study, at least in the senior year, ought to be done in Latin. Our students have studied the classics for six or seven years, have learned the forms of expression and have written Latin themes; with such preparation, good will and patient effort, they will be successful.

The objection that Latin recitation is useful only for the cleric is easily answered. Even for the lay student the use of Latin for the expression of his thought is an excellent mind discipline; and, secondly, Latin has admittedly an unrivaled fitness for philosophic expression on account of its precision and terseness. Supplementary reading and class explanation of the text could be given in English.

(2) The Spirit of the College-The spirit of an institution is like the atmosphere, unseen but felt by all and influencing all with whom it comes in contact. Its home is not the grounds and buildings, though these play their part, nor in the written constitution and rules of "thou shalt" or "thou shalt not," though these are its partial expression, but its home is in the hearts and minds of the teachers and the students. These, too, come and go with the lapse of time, but the spirit lives on in their successors. The free and entire dedication of the teachers and the students to the Divine Teacher, Jesus Christ, gives birth to the spirit of the Catholic college. Not compulsory service not enforced attendance but devoted love of one another for the sake of Him who died for all, is the bond of union. He reigns in the midst of us; as He once formed disciples and apostles, so we with His help strive to form both the Catholic layman "firm in his confession" and "able to give an answer for the hope that is in him," and also the apostle who has been specially chosen as His ambassador to the world.

The devotion of our students to their Divine Master brings them to daily Mass and frequent, if not daily, sacramental Communion. The clerical aspirant receives from his spiritual director fatherly reproof and advice, encouragement and consolation-not only in the sacred tribunal but also in friendly, voluntary consultation. The dignity and responsibility of the priesthood are placed before the students in frequent

sermons; the marks of vocation are noted and explained; humility, obedience, reverence and self-denial are inculcated as fundamental virtues of the priestly character. Finally, since vocation is a heavenly grace, demanding our faithful cooperation, devotion to the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, is encouraged by a sodality devoted to His special honor. (Council of Baltimore No. 165.) With such instrumentalities of grace we may confidently hope that priestly vocations entrusted to our care will be properly developed.

In conclusion a word may be added concerning the actual condition of our colleges with regard to seminary preparation. We all possess the essential ideal of giving culture supernaturalized by the grace and truth of Christ. We endeavor to develop symmetrically the whole man by imparting truths of reason and of revelation as continuous and complementary and by seeking motives and means of virtue in the God-Man, our Redeemer. To us come the favored sons of Providence whose circumstances or personal endeavor enable them to obtain in leisure the broad education that normally produces the leaders of men. Among them are the future priest and prelate, the lawyer and statesman, the physician, the writer who will note and mould public opinion, the man of affairs. The rich stores of literature, history, science and philosophy are offered to all as information and cultural discipline, but as the endowments and preferences of each student become known, the need of specialization in studies is felt. Now any concession to this demand, implying a curtailment of the general course, is a misfortune both for the student and for the college for the former, because his intellectual life and sympathies are narrowed-for the latter, because practicality wins. the day against the traditional ideal. No favor should be granted to the clerical student on account of age or poor ability; rather by the individual instruction and student tutors, we should carry him through the branches he would slight.

Likewise, additions to the general course, weakening the student's interest and application therein, are evidently a mistake. As Dr. Walsh has said, the graduate schools do not

demand a fund of preliminary information which it is their own function to. impart. Rather, they desire their matriculates to be possessed of minds trained to habits of persevering, systematic study that begets personal conviction, completeness of view and facility in applying tried principles to new and complex problems.

We are sending such products to the seminary, else we had heard of dismissals for incapacity, work, repeated and ordinations deferred. Of course, the seminaries still examine even our bachelors-but do not some of the Bishops examine the neo-sacerdotes before granting them faculties? These anomalies are evidences of imperfect unity and coordination. The remedy lies in mutual agreement of college and seminary authorities and in the approval of the hierarchy.

Again the one criticism frequently made that our graduates are unable to recite in Latin, while spurring us to greater activity, loses half its edge when the same friendly critics admit that some men, whose preparation was doubtfully sufficient, after a few months do fairly well or even stand first in their classes (Vide p. 451 of our last Report). With due credit to the long-suffering seminary professor, we may harbor a suspicion that the new matter after a lapse of time is assimilating with the old stock, and that the rust of vacation had dulled the mind and its instruments of expression.

SCIENCE SECTION

PROCEEDINGS

It was a pleasure at the Detroit meeting to note an increase of general interest in the Science Section. The meetings of this Section were well attended.

On the opening day, Rev. C. J. Anderson, O. C. C., of St. Cyril's College, Chicago, was chosen secretary.

Mr. Paul Muehlmann, S. J., of Loyola University, Chicago, read an interesting paper on "Laboratory Work in Science." Following the reading of Mr. Muehlmann's paper, several well known teachers of science gave brief talks. Among the speakers were, Father Rigge, S. J., of Creighton University; Father Dean, O. S. A., of Villanova College, and Father Heitkamp, S. J., of St. Ignatius College, Cleveland.

It was shown how the sciences should be taught, with profit even to the soul of the student. As God is the Creator of the objects of science, many an opportunity will arise for the Catholic professor to give a religious turn to the facts of science. The wonderful properties of physical things may be made stepping stones to a greater appreciation of the attributes of God.

A very important point brought out in the discussions was the value of thought questions in the teaching of science. There is no concealing the fact that the intellectual value of the sciences, that is, their power in developing the mind, is denied by many educators. These objectors assert that the sciences are simply a mass of information more or less firmly grounded on truth. Memory, according to this view, is the principal faculty exercised in the study of sciences. Thought questions are designed to call out the powers of the intellect--to make the student think instead of merely remember.