A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 11

Author: Howard, Timothy Edward, 1837-1916
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 887

USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 11

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

"The present edifice is in the neogothic style, and consists of a center with two ample wings, the center being crowned with a dome, and having a front extension, giving the plan the general figure of the letter T, which is

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the shape taken by the halls, forming the avenues of internal communication through the various stories of the building, except that where the stem of the T joins the cross-bar, there is an open rotunda extending through all the stories, with galleries at each, up to the dome itself. On entering the main doors, the visitor finds himself surrounded by fres- coes illustrating the life of Columbus, the work of Luigi Gregori, an Italian artist, who has been occupied for many years past in decorating the interiors of various buildings here. In the vestibule the life-size, full- length figures of Columbus and Queen Isa- bella, from authentic portraits, appear on the right and left-a fitting introduction to the grand historic series which is to follow, and which begins in the hall itself, with Columbus begging his bread at the door of the mon- astery, whose truly noble inmates first rec- ognize his worth, and brought his project be- fore the notice of the queen. Opposite we see the departure of the caravels on their adventurous journey, with Columbus kneeling to receive the blessing of the friendly monk to whom he owed so much. Next to this is, perhaps, the most striking picture of the series, though one of the smallest, represent- ing the mutiny at sea, in which the crew are threatening the life of the great discoverer. The violence of the mutineers is made to con- trast admirably with the calm confidence of Columbus. Opposite, land has been discov- ered, and the ring leaders of the mob are on their knees suing for pardon. Next a broad space is devoted to the scene at the landing, where the hero is planting the cross on the shore, surrounded by enthusiastic com- rades and awe-stricken Indians. On the other side of the hall is the largest. picture of all, showing Columbus on his triumphant re- turn, presenting the aborigines and produc- tions of the new world to Ferdinand and Isa- bella, enthroned under a canopy erected in the open air, and surrounded by numerous court officials, and an apparently unlimited throng of spectators. After this transitory

scene of splendor we see another proof of fortune's inconstancy : Columbus in chains, the victim of successful treachery, while two Indians, amazed at the perfidy of the white man, appear to be his only friends. Last scene of all we have his death, receiving the blessings of religion, his chains hanging by his bedside above the chart of his discoveries. With these last two paintings on either hand. we find ourselves at the rotunda, on whose pavement of tiles we may stand and gaze upwards two hundred feet into the concavity of the dome, soon to be decorated with ap- propriate designs by the same talented artist. [Since Professor Stace wrote this article the inner surface of the dome has been so dec- orated by the hand of Gregori. The paintings were completed and the dome opened with appropriate services May 29, 1890. Bishop Keane was present, and a masterly oration was delivered by the Hon. William J. Ona- han, of Chicago. The figures are allegorical -Religion, Philosophy, Poetry, Law, Sci- ence.]

"On the right-hand side, on entering the hall through which we have passed, is the suite of apartments occupied by President Walsh. In his reception room are to be found several gems of art, among others, a crucifixion, undoubtedly the work of Van- dyke, and a Titian, the subject being the daughter of Herodias, with the head of John the Baptist. On the left-hand side of the hall is the public parlor, often literally crowded, spacious as it is, with visitors on exhibition nights and during commencement week. The room is decorated with portraits, chiefly those of former presidents of the university. Op- posite to the end of the hall, across the ro- tunda, is the students' office, where they pro- cure their stationery and books, and may com- municate by telephone or telegraph with dis- tant friends. During business hours, this room is seldom without its throng. From the rotunda to the east and west extend the halls to the study-rooms, with recitation rooms on either side, airy and spacious, well-lighted

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and warmed, as are all the buildings, by steam-heating apparatus. In the story above are more recitation rooms, private rooms oc- cupied by teachers and others, two large dorm- itories over the study-rooms, and two finely decorated apartments in which the Columbian and Cecilian societies respectively hold their meetings. The Columbian room is painted in fresco, with full-length portraits of the bene- factors of the university, a category which includes characters as incongruous as those of Henry Clay and the late Emperor of the French, making a picturesque ensemble. On this floor there is also a museum of Indian relics and other curiosities. In the third story, the greater part of the front extension is occupied by a spacious hall, devoted to the purpose of a college library. Here, besides the usual formidable array of classics and works of reference, may be found some curi- ous old volumes, dated from the century in which printing was invented, illuminated with initial letters painted by hand after the printing was finished. Quaint modern re- productions of medieval work will also inter- est the aesthete. On this floor and the next above are also numerous private rooms and dormitories, a distinguishing feature of the upper floor being the school of drawing; for the art of drawing makes a prominent figure in the curriculum of the scientific course. We may now ascend to the roof, if you have any desire to obtain an extensive view. If your nerves are steady, we may even scale the dome itself, and the prospect is worth the climb. Northward lie the green hills of Michi- gan, with the St. Joseph river winding in a deep valley among them. The position of the city of Niles may be made out by the white houses of its suburbs gleaming through the surrounding shade trees. The greater part of the town lies hid in the valley of the river. Eastward, stretch extensive woods, above which the smoke of the foundries of Elkhart may be seen rising. Southward, the view is more limited, a high range of bluffs beyond the river cutting it off, and causing the river

itself to make that remarkable deflection from which South Bend takes its name. The tips of the spires of Mishawaka may be discovered by one who knows just where to look for them, rising above the woods a little east of south. On the bluffs above, is a station erected by the lake coast survey. West of south lies South Bend, mapped out beneath the eye of the spectator, and still further west stretch the Kankakee marshes, for so many years the paradise of the fowler. But the prairie chickens and ducks, that used to abound there, have been thinned out by the ruthlessness of hunters; and the process of drainage and fencing has robbed the region of its original charm. Northwest, the eye roves over the rolls of Portage Prairie-the old 'portage' of the Pottawatomie Indians, over which, by conveying their canoes from the waters of the St. Joseph to those of the Kankakee, they connected the navigation of the great lakes with that of the Mississippi. "From these views of the distant horizon let us turn our eyes to what is going on more immediately beneath us. On the lake to the north we may witness the boat crews training for the coming regatta. The lake itself is a beautiful blue sheet of water, surrounded by groves, and forms a most attractive feature in the college grounds. There is another lake to the westward, not so large, and surrounded by beds of marl, which make it, perhaps, more interesting to the geologist, though less attractive to the lover of scenery. Southwest, on the broad campus, a game of baseball, if it is 'rec' day, may be in progress, and from your elevated position you may com- mand a view of all the details of that at- tractive pastime. To the south, an avenue of maples .shades the thoroughfare to South Bend, two miles distant; and Notre Dame post office is visible on the skirts of a pine grove. Southwest are the manual labor schools, conducted by the same religious com- munity which directs the exercises of the col- lege itself. Here are tailor shops, shoemaker shops, carpenter and blacksmith shops, and

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an extensive farm with its well-appointed barns and stables. Still nearer to the south- west we see the church, and this is worthy of inspection from within. In the west, a mile away, on the banks of the river, is St. Mary's Academy, an institution for the edu- cation of young ladies, which the tourist will find well deserving of a separte visit.

"But it is the intellectual aspect, rather than the material-the mental landscape, so to speak-which will interest the visitor to the university as a university; and here he will find classic taste and scientific research- not the mere memorizing of the contents of learned tomes, but an active participation in the pursuits and aims of true study. The production of the plays of Sophocles, with all their appropriate accessories on the stage, by the Greek students of this university, and still more the intelligent interest, which large audiences have unmistakably manifested in the representation, sufficiently attest the pro- ficiency attained here in a living language, which, however its claims to notice may have been lately questioned by the superficial and soulless utilitarian, is not only among the most perfect and beautiful that the world has ever known, but is especially dear to Chris- tians, as being the language of the gospel. Moreover, the fact of Greek being a living language is vividly presented to the mind of the student by the exchange of the produc- tions of the 'Ave Maria' press with those of modern Greece, which arrive by every mail from the Orient. It is needless to speak of the perfection attained in the Latin language in an institution conducted by fathers of the Catholic church, among whom that classic tongue has never been allowed to die. The poetry in hexameter and the difficult Hora- tian measure which from time to time appear in the periodicals here published, bear wit- ness that Notre Dame forms no exception to the rule in this respect. Of the periodicals alluded to, the 'Ave Maria' is the most ex- tensively circulated Catholic religious paper in the United States. It has been now estab- Vol. 11-

lished for nearly a quarter of a century, and shows no signs of 'a decline and fall.' On the contrary, each year finds it still more widely disseminated, so that it reaches many thousands of hearths and homes, where its pages are the delight of the family circle, and the antidote to the pernicious literature with which our land is rife. The 'Notre Dame Scholastic,' issued from the same print- ing house, takes a high rank among college papers, as contemporaries acknowledge, and enables the youth destined for the vocation of the journalist-an occupation whose standing in the social sphere is daily receiving a higher recognition-to fit himself for the ex- ercise of his chosen profession. Other vol- umes, from time to time, emanate from the same source; the Antigone of Sophocles, in Greek and English, has here been published; the 'Household Library of Catholic Poets,' 'Life of Joseph Haydn,' 'Crowned with Stars' and other works, have found their cir- cle of readers. The dramas suitable for per- formance of schools and colleges are of merit practically recognized by their frequent rep- resentation in the institutions for which they have been designed; and their number is daily increasing.

"Nor is science neglected. The flora and fauna of the fertile St. Joseph valley give increasing occupation to the naturalist, the fruits of whose labors are preserved in the herbarium and museum. The geology of the Great Lake basin and the multifarious min- eral specimens to be found in the neighbor- hood, open other interesting fields of science, which have been duly tilled, and the philo- sophical apparatus appears to have gathered no rust or dust from neglect. The courses of law and civil engineering are in active operation, and that of medicine might be equally flourishing, were it not that the in- vincible repugnance which a dissecting room excites in the minds of those who have no vocation to the healing art, has hitherto mili- tated against its establishment at Notre Dame. A preparatory course, in which hu-

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man and comparative anatomy are taught by having its own campus and gymnasium, its the aid of carefully prepared skeletons, has long been conducted under the care of an emi- nent and experienced practitioner. A commer- cial school here has always borne a good repu- tation among business men, so that its grad- uates find no difficulty in obtaining employ- ment, which is probably the best test of its worth.

"The Catholic religion is professed by the teachers and officers of the establishment, but non-Catholics have always availed themselves, in large numbers, of the educational advan- tages here offered. The Blessed Mother, who gives her name to the university, smiles a welcome to all from her exalted position on the dome, and although no undue efforts are made to proselytize, yet the truths of the most ancient form of Christianity sink deep into many an ingenuous heart. The sense of honor is sedulously cultivated by the officers of the institution, as a ground of moral re- straint and self-command on which all may meet on a common footing. The venerable founder of the house, himself a model of the punctilious courtesy which characterized the ancien regime, has always deemed it his duty to cultivate the manners, no less than the morals, of those to whom he stands in loco parentis; and although he has long ago re- signed the presidency into younger hands, his gentle influence is still felt, refining and elevating wherever it extends; his presence inspires an affectionate reverence, and the memory of his teachings will long survive his earthly career. Hence the absence of rude- ness has always been a marked feature at Notre Dame. The disgraceful practice of 'hazing' is absolutely unknown. The new- comer finds himself surrounded at once by kindly faces and hearts, disposed to believe everything good of him, unless his own deeds force them reluctantly into the opposite con- viction. The students are divided into de- partments, not according to the course of study each pursues, but according to the more natural distinction of age, each department

own study-halls, recreation rooms, and dor- mitories. In the recitation rooms, however, distinctions of age are leveled, and merit alone gives the pupil his standing. The prac- tice of going to and from recitations and other college exercises in silence and ranks, has always prevailed, and contributes much to the reign of order. In the classical and scientific courses, the highest proficiency is required to obtain the academic degrees; the mere fact of a student having attended class regularly does not entitle him to a diploma; the examination to be passed is something more than a mere formality, and the unpleas- ant process, known to college men as ‘pluck- ing,' takes place quite often enough to in- spire a salutary awe. The removal of dis- tracting influences, has also been found to have most beneficial results in promoting attention to solid work.

"But now let us descend from the roof of the college, and view the interior of the church, as already suggested. Exteriorly, at least in its present state, the building is not specially attractive. [Since Professor Stace wrote, the towers and spires of the Church of the Sacred Heart have been completed; and much of the exterior want of attraction here alluded to has been removed.] Within, how- ever, it is a gem. We enter the front porch beneath the massive tower, containing a fine chime of twenty-three bells, the largest of which, weighing seven tons and a half and measuring seven feet, holds a distinguished place among the bells of the United States. Stained glass admits all the light that enters the sacred edifice; gorgeous dyes of crim- son, scarlet, blue and amber revealing the figures of those apostles, martyrs and vir- gins whom Christianity reverences as its heroes. One large window displays the de- scent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles in the form of fiery tongues. The figures are mediaval, such as we expect in stained glass, but without that restraint of artistic freedom which the medieval style in feeble

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hands imposes. Scarcely dimmed by the bright colors in the windows, are the frescoes and other paintings which cover the walls of the interior-representing four years' work of the same talented artist [Gregori], who is now painting the interior of the col- lege; for the church happily escaped the great conflagration of 1879. These paintings represent the pathetic and inspiring scenes attending the birth and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here, we see the 'Blessed among women' receiving the angelic message; there she greets her cousin Elizabeth; anon the cave of Bethlehem with the adoring shep- herds is opened to our view; farther on, the three wise men of the East present their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; and again the Holy Family fly into Egypt from the wrath of Herod-the series coming to a con- clusion with that memorable scene in the tem- ple, when the child was found among the doctors of the law, hearing them and asking them questions.

"The scenes of the passion are detailed even more minutely. First we see Pilate washing his hands, having impiously pro- nounced the condemnation; then the cross is laid upon the shoulders of the Victim, and the occasions upon which He is said to have fallen beneath its weight, furnished three other subjects. His meeting with His Blessed Mother is the most affecting of the series. She comes, attended by Mary Magdalen and the beloved disciple John, and even the brutal soldiers make way for her approach, as, with blanched face and bloodless lips, she imprints the last kiss on the divine features. In an- other painting Simon of Cyrene is compelled to share the burden, and in yet another the women of Jerusalem offer their unavailing tears. The driving of the nails is depicted in colors that appall, although we cannot but feel how much more terrible was the real scene. The death on the cross, the descent therefrom, and the entombment, close the series, and in these subjects Gregori has had to emulate the greatest masters of the art.

By the contemplation of paintings such as these the gospel truths are brought home to the humblest intelligence, and impress the hardest heart, where written page or spoken homily would fail.

"To descant upon the other ornaments of the church-the costly altar, bedecked and surmounted with offerings of the richest and rarest, the painted ceiling whence angels smile amid the stars of a serene sky, the moldings and pillars, the tones of the mighty organ-would exceed the limits assigned to this sketch. Suffice it to say that Notre Dame is one of the few places in the United States where the majestic ceremonial of the Catholic church, interesting from its historic associa- tions, even to those whose devotion is not thereby attracted, can be completely per- formed in all its splendor. Those who have witnessed the procession of Corpus Christi, as it winds around the lake, with all the rich colors doubled by reflection in the placid waters, with the song of birds mingling with melody of hymns, will bear us out in this assertion.

"Building is still in progress, and the num- ber of students attending seems to keep pace with the increase of accommodations. An edifice, now nearly finished, to the south of the Music hall, will be devoted especially to the use of the scientific department. The laboratory, now in a temporary building, will here be the principal feature. Museums of mineralogy and natural history will occupy other galleries, and a large hall will be de- voted to lectures-not only the special lectures of the scientific course, but popular lectures on science, such as the commercial students may attend with advantage.

[Science hall has been since completed and supplied with instruments, appliances and specimens, which make it one of the finest schools in the country for the teaching of the physical and natural sciences. The building itself is a beautiful specimen of Greek archi- tecture. To the south of Science Hall is Mechanics' Hall, where the mechanic arts are

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practically applied under the direction of from the pens of Mr. Hickey and Professor competent instructors. Still further south is Stace, make it pleasant to add a third and reverse picture-a poet's view of Notre Dame, as seen at St. Mary's from the heights above the banks of the St. Joseph river, a mile to the west:ª a neat astronomical observatory. This series of buildings has been erected chiefly under supervision of Father John A. Zahm, so well known for his achievements in science and his various learned writings, and who but this The purple air, the misty hills; The meadows, green with hidden rills; The grove, that screens from curious gaze year (1895) was honored by the propaganda at Rome with the degree of doctor of phil- Its sacred, meditative ways; The lake beyond, its placid eye osophy. Father Zahm is ably assisted by the Blue as the arch of vernal sky; The dome, and chapel spires, that claim Our Lady's favor, with her name; Rev. Alexander M. Kirsch, Professor McCue, Professor O'Dea, Rev. James Burns, Rev. Joseph Kirsch and others.]

"The description of the various buildings to be found here, devoted to special objects, would fatigue the reader, though of interest to the observer. A visit to the institution will develop matters for thought upon which we have not even touched, and the visitor may be sure of a warm welcome from the good fathers who direct the establishment, and whose hospitality has become proverbial. During the summer vacation, especially, many resort hither to enjoy the pure air, limpid spring water, and the rural scenery. It is accessible by three [now five] railways- the Lake Shore, the Grand Trunk, the Michi- gan Central [since also the Vandalia and the Three I's]. The best time to see the place in all its beauty is in the spring or early summer. At the commencement exercises in June, there is always a large crowd of vis- itors; but we would advise such of our read- ers as have an eye for the picturesque to choose a time when there is less to distract the mind from the contemplation of nature, say at that brief but blissful season charac- terized by the flowering of the lilac; when the cooing of the wild dove is heard at the dawn of day, and the plaintive note of the whip-poor-will at its decline, ere yet the song birds have lapsed into their summer silence. Then is the time to see Notre Dame in per- fection."

The fine descriptions of the landscape as seen from the roofs of the old and the new Notre Dame, given in the preceding pages

How, like a thought of peace, the whole Takes calm possession of the soul!

In Professor Stace's article are described the many fine paintings of Luigi Gregori, both in the halls and dome of the university and in the Church of the Sacred Heart. The daily contemplation of these fine paintings, of the beautiful stained glass windows, the choice works of art in and around church and college, with the glorious music of the. organ and the bells, and not forgetting that beau- teous landscape of which Professor Stace also speaks, constitutes in itself an ennobling edu- cation. No one can view and listen to those beautiful things day after day without hav- ing his mind and his soul lifted to the con- templation of the beautiful and the good.

Previous to the coming of Gregori the most eminent artist at Notre Dame had been the elder Professor Ackerman, who was espe- cially skilled as a draughtsman, as those know full well who remember the classic architectural drawing that adorned the refec- tory of the old college building of 1853-65, particularly the noble front of St. Peter's at Rome. His work is also to be seen on the walls of the present refectories. Another of the old artists was Professor Lewis, who was possessed of a delicate taste, as he was of a congenial and kindly nature. Professor Francis Xavier Ackerman is their worthy successor.

Art suffered a loss in the early and tragic death of Mr. Wood, a young student and the most promising of Gregori's pupils. Many a. By Eliza Allen Starr.

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A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 2, Part 11

Author: Howard, Timothy Edward, 1837-1916 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 887

Author: Howard, Timothy Edward, 1837-1916
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 887