Seton Hall Preparatory High School - Tower Yearbook (West Orange, NJ)

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l 56 THE CENTENNIAL YEAR 1956 a yearbook . . . a record of the activity and the achievement . by the men of Seton Hall . . . an attempt to define the vpirit+Setonia . . . a memento of one year . . . a chronicle of four years . . . a tribute to hundred years . a small view of the never-ending task of education . . . h d I I Ha ard Zrt Forward gg ' 79

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PCUPBONI X lfgfgf Qt' 5 if -ng so '9'1'oNxANP' The Search For Wisdom A SEARCH is THE EXAMINING of a subject with the hope of finding the truth. In our case, THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM refers not only to knowledge and understanding but to the power of right judgment and of following the best course of behavior. We shall begin it in the manner which begins all searches-with a series of questions to be answered. First, what is THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM? When did it begin? Why is it carried on? Is wisdom synonymous with education? What does the Catholic Church contribute to it? Is a Catholic education necessary to American youth? And finally, what part has Seton Hall played in this search through the past hundred years? THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM is the never- ending search for prudence and culture carried out by all men throughout the world. To say when it began in an exact number of years would be very difficult-as difficult as trying to find the exact year in which man was created. As a matter of fact they both occurred at the same time, because as soon as man was created by God and given intellect and free will, THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM began. The very fact that man possesses an intellect and free will gives us the reason why he has the 'tdrive to continue this search. As soon as one fact or mys- tery of nature is uncovered he pushes onward to what he considers bigger and more important goals. This is all due to his natural inclination and inquisitiveness for learning. Many people do not stop to realize the close relationship between wisdom and education. Actually education is responsible for improving the wisdom of all of our people by cultivating their knowledge and understanding. The Catholic Church throughout the years has pioneered and encouraged THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM. It teaches that H. . . the possession of wisdom brings happiness, spiritual life and God's blessings to those wl1o keep its ways, its attain- ment secures rest, gladness and joy . . . CWIS. 8:16J. The main way by which the Church has continued THE SEARCH FOR WISDOM and contributed to its fulfillment is by her system of Catholic education. lt is a positive fact that since the moral and religious training of youth cannot be separated from their intellectual training . . . 'there can be no ideally perfect education that is not Chris- tian . . . fPope Pius X1-On Christian Educa- tion of Youthj The truth of this statement was carried out by F. B. I. Director J. Edgar Hoover, a non- Catholic, who said in 1952, 'LNO gift of the Rocke- feller or Carnegie Foundation or any other Christian denomination can equal the gift pre- sented to the American people by the Catholic Church. It has nearly 11,000 schools with nearly 3,000,000 pupils who are taught by 95,000 patri- otic teachers. Not a single atheistic teacher among them, not a single non-Christian or non- American principle taught. But nothing shows the excellence of the work of Christian education better than the expression of love of Our Blessed Lord when he said, Who- soever shall receive one child as this in My name, receiveth Me. fMark 9:36J. To answer our final question, What has Seton Hall contributed to this search?', will take a good deal more space than the others. It all started over one hundred years ago when Bishop James Roosevelt Baylev, the first bishop of Newark and nephew of Mother Elizabeth Seton, began to plan and organize Seton Hall. He purchased an estate in Madison using money generously donated by Catholic societies in France and Austria, the mother country of so many Newark Catholics, and the Propagation of the Faith. A Board of Directors was chosen consisting of five priests and eight laymen, who quickly transformed the site from a young ladies' academy to a Catholic prep, college and sem- inary for men. The first class which started on September 1, 1856 had an enrollment of only five, but by the end of the vear it totaled almost forty with Rev. Bernard J. McQuaid as president. Four years later, because of the growing en- rollment and the distance from Newark, the home of most Catholics, Bishop Bayley requested that Father McQuaid search for a larger and more convenient site for Setonia's new quarters. Father McQuaid was more than. successful. He not only found an ideal estate but was able to purchase it along with the mansion in which the two owners lived for the bargain price of 335,000 Needless to say the Bishop was very pleased with the beautiful site. Located in South