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

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Orange, in full View of the Orange Mountains, it could be easily reached from most surround- ing communities. The former land and building in Madison were given to the Sisters of Charity which they have developed into the largest community of that order in the country and one of the finest women's colleges in the area, St. Elizabetlfs. The administration rapidly began changing the new sixty acres to suit the needs of the school at that time and still provide for future expansion. The original mansion was converted into a seminary and the cornerstone was laid for a new college building. On March 8, in the year 1861 Seton Hall was granted its charter by the State of New Jersey. The charter, which is still in effect today was unique in more ways than one, it served as a model for others to follow and it gave full re- ligious educational freedom without government interference. And so in this year, Setonia offi- cially joined the ranks of fewer than forty pre- paratory schools in the country before the Civil War. In 1863 work was begun on what is now the oldest building still standing on the campus- the center of student religious activities for both the prep and college, the chapel of the Immacu- late Conception. Its architecture is recognized as a perfect example of English Gothic and its altar stalls have been called first-rate examples of early American woodcraftmanship. The next year the college building was com- pleted and named Bayley Hall in honor of the founder, Bishop Bayley. To add a disasterous climax to this period of expansion, a devastating fire stru.ck Setonia in 1866. It completely demolished the original man- sion which housed the seminary and might have spread further if it were not for the efforts of the priests, teachers and students who worked to confine the blaze and save as much as possible. But the loss of half his facilities did not dis- courage Bishop Bayley. He erected a completely new seminary in the early l870's, which still stands today as our Administration Building. Setonia suffered a greater loss in the following years when Bishop Bayley was made Archbishop of Baltimore and Father McQuaid was made Bishop of Rochester. But as a compensation for this loss, Seton Hall received the support of two brothers, Fathers Michael and James Corrigan. In 1873 along with being president of the Hall, Father Michael was made the youngest bishop in America and in three years was forced to devote all his time to that work. His brother Father James took control of Setonia. His first accomp- THE UENTENNIAL YEAR lishment was organizing the alumni association and construction of Alumni Hall which later served as emergency living quarters when the second fire struck twenty years after the first in 1886. Like his predecessors, Father Corrigan did not stop but immediately set out to rebuild the college building. In 1889 the Prep was organized as a distinct educational unit but still maintained its close association with the college by using the same campus and facilities. In 1909 another fire damaged the Hall only to be overshadowed when Msgr. James Mooney, president at the time, erected two new build- ings, Mooney Hall in 1909 and the new Bavley Hall in 1913. The next great addition to the Hall came in 1940 when the new Auditorium-Gym- nasium was built. In the past five years many new buildings were added to the campus under the guidance of our current president, Msgr. John L. McNulty, who along with our present and former headmasters, Rev. Thomas J. Tuohy and Rev. William J. Duffy, proudly attended the Centennial celebration of Seton Hall in the Waldorf-Astoria last December. Throughout the years the aim of our institu- tion has been, uto impart a good Catholic edu- cation to young men in the critical years of their lives-to train their moral, intellectual and phys- ical being .... The mere imparting of knowledge is looked upon as a small part of the work of Seton Hall. Although a hundred years ago at Seton Hall teaching methods were different, discipline was stricter, and there was less emphasis on scientific studies, the founders and administrators have never wavered in, carrying out this principle aim. As proof of this continual development of Catholic men, Setonia's list of graduates grew rapidly. In the years before 1900 about three hundred men were graduated. In contrast to this, over fifteen hundred were graduated from the University this past spring alone. These great numbers of graduates have brought the fame of Seton Hall not only to every known profession but to every part of the world as well. There are Setonia products in Africa, Arabia, Spain, France and Ireland as well as all over our own United States. It is to them, the past and present graduates of Seton Hall that this issue of THE TOWER is proudly dedicated. '51 E N N Ge 'qi + + 1856 1956 tl Q Ns 4 l ui

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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

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