Aquinas Institute - Arete Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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THE ARETE t. Cfjomas Aquinas ROM the thirteenth century there rise up before us many eminent and noble characters whose names are cherished in history, and whose spiritual lives, amid times so turbulent and uncertain, are a constant source of edification for us. The name of Thomas Aquinas is one that has made the thirteenth century deservedly acclaimed the most glorious in all Christian epochs, and today we reverence and respect that name just as it was reverenced and respected of old. St. Thomas, we are told, was born in the Kingdom of Naples, near Aquinas, and very early in life he evidenced that profound yet simple religious feeling that was later to make him one of the most beloved doctors of the Church. His extraordinary brillance in all branches of learning was made manifest in his youth, and we read that he equalled and even surpassed in knowledge some of his instructors. Reception into the Dominican order occurred at an early age but he was not ordained until some family resistance was overcome. He immediately assumed his duties of teaching, and held professorships at various European educational centers. Distinction attended him in this pursuit as it had in all the others; he wrote many theological works, and at the present day his “Summa Theologiae” is recognized as standard authority. Whether his celebrity is due more to his remarkable mental acumen than to his spiritual life is very doubtful. He himself stated that all such knowledge as he had attained was dependent upon the mercy and justice of God. From this we may regard his intellectual powers as especial graces conferred upon him, and it is a logical view to take, for no other theologian or doctor of the Church has excelled him in sagacity or erudition. No more appropriate patron could be chosen for our school than this immortal Dominican Divine. The reason is obvious. The ideals of Catholic education constitute not alone secular instruction, but they combine with it religious teaching and practice. All education is vain that does not lead to God, for absolute materialism fosters false and often egotistic independence. It is, therefore, fitting that our beloved school should be placed under the guidance of Saint Thomas, who not only advocated religion in conjunction with material education, but who molded his own life after these ideals. Cunt Friends wait for us; enemies wait for us; opportunities, fortunes, and misfortunes wait for us; everything waits for us except time, which waits for no man. In summer and in winter, in spring and in autumn, during peace and during war, in this country and in every other, time glides swiftly by. It delays not for riches, for poverty, or for prestige. For some, time is short; for others, it is long; but for all men it is the same period of time. Everyone has twenty-four hours to his day,— kings no more, beggars no less. Of these twenty-four hours, eight are spent in repose. This leaves but two-thirds of the day in which to execute our duties. Some, during this time, accomplish little; others achieve nothing, while a few—succeed in fulfilling the duties of the day. We should work now, in the present, ever thinking of the proverb, “Never put off until to-morrow what you can do to-day,” and at the same time, iemembering the words of the Apostle, “The past is gone; the future we have no control over; the present alone is given us to do good.” twenty-nine

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ARTHUR E. WELCH ‘MrT 38 Harris Street St. Bridget's “Tkr weakest arm is strong enough that strikes With the sword of justice.” “Art” is one of those people that take life as it comes. He has never been known to worry about anything, no matter what, and we suppose he will continue to be a happy-go-lucky guy. He has a charming disposition and is liked by all his friends. In the classroom he knows just enough of each lesson to let him be dismissed with the rest of us. He is an expert typist and phonographer, and all his comrades hope he will be a prosperous business man. ALBERT J. VITO “Al” 98 Adams Street St. Mary's “It is not wise to be wiser than is necessary.” ”AI” could hide all his ambition in a nutshell. Despite this fact, he is always ready to help someone else, but when he has to do something for himself then he’s stuck. His typewritten work is always perfect from his own standard of perfection, but that’s not saying much. Yet, he will get along somehow at something and we wish him the best of luck. twenty-eight

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THE ARETE JSeautp j% pots in ftocfjcstcr HERE are many cities of our country which may justly boast of marvelous beauty of nature or of man’s handiwork. Rochester is prominent among these. No other city is more wealthy in the wonders of nature and the works of art. and in no section of this city may one go without chancing upon many things pleasant to the sight and celestial in their inspiration. There is the park system of our city, a system which can compare favorably with the best in the country in its object of giving pleasure through beauty. At all seasons of the year the many parks are under the constant care of men efficient in the producing of beauty through the medium of nature. Though all these parks are beautiful in their massing of trees and shrubs and in their layout of design, yet each has its different means of impressing us according to our different ideas of beauty. A heaven for the lover of plant life is Highland Park. Here, in every season of the year, are seen shrubs and flowers of every shade and tint. These may be found on the rolling lawns under the blue open sky, or, if their character does not permit this, in the nurtured soil under the glass roof of the conservatory. He who delights in these flowers and shrubs may pass through this park, year after year, and find in each passing many elegant varieties of bloom which he has not seen before. Another spot whose mission of portraying beauty is of a different class, yet of no less degree, is Seneca Park. No one would say that there is not beauty in the sleek coats and in the forms of the many fur-bearing animals, in the bright and varied colors of the caged birds, or in the movements of graceful deer, and it is here that these may all be seen. In one section there is a beautiful little lake. Some distance above the level of this lake a road runs along one side, and, looking down from this, one sees a beautiful mirror set in a frame of highly colored shrubbery, the mirror itself dotted with green and white water lilies, the golden reflection of the sun from the backs of gold-fish venturing near the surface, and the graceful movements of the white swans. At the west side of this park one may stand at the top of a steep sloping bank which borders that side of the park and, looking down through large trees which cover the bank, catch pleasing glimpses of the winding river far below and colored flashes from rocks on the lower opposite shore. Scenes to inspire the romantic person are found in Genesee Valley Park. It is enchanting here, on an afternoon in summer, to watch the brightly colored canoes glide over the blue water of the river or drift silently with the current under the shadow of drooping willows along the bank. It is even more pleasing at night to stand at a point on the east side of the river where a small bridge crosses the canal just before it unites with the river, and to see and even feel the scene before you. The long line of silver light from the moon in the west stretches towards you along the canal. The black outline of the willows along the banks reaches out into this light and in the blackness of their shadow dance the colored lights and jack-o-lanterns of the silent canoes. The splendor of it all is increased by the faint sound of stringed instruments which, with the dull lapping of the water, is the only sound which breaks the evening quiet. thirty