St Ignatius College - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

Page 8 text:

- 4- V Ehuraiinnal Ailuantagrn nf GBIII' Memnrial illlinarum By JOSEPH A. HANDLOS T 'N EK UT a short time ago the twenty-first anniver- PK N' sary of the founding of the Memorial Mu- ' seum in Golden Gate Park was celebrated -. - f- A with fitting ceremonies. The building, in SZ which the exhibits are displayed, was used EK d EK as the Fine Arts Palace of the Midwinter Exposition held in the year 1894. At that time the question of preserving some part of the exposition was debated, and through the efforts of Honorable M. H. De Young, the Board of Park Commissioners was persuaded to allow this building to remain as a public museum. The museum, though of humble origin, has gradually attained importance through the untiring efforts of some of our public-spirited men and women. Today it ranks sixth in size for institutions of its character in the United States, and contains over one mil- lion exhibits. From an educational standpoint it is one of the most valuable assets to San Francisco. It is our purpose in this article to conduct the reader upon a short tour through the historic and artistic exhibits of this collection. Upon entering the quaint old building, which, with the Egyptian note so pronounced in its architecture, puts the student into the proper mood to view the relics of a distant past as well as the artistic treasures of the present, our attention is attracted to the magnificent group of statuary embodying the striking handiwork of Storey in the massive figure of Saul, King of the Israelites, and of Delilah, be- trayer of Samson. On one side we see the five great em- perors of the Roman Empire, Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Nero, Hadrian and Antoninusg on the other, the life-sized carvings

Page 7 text:

'Thr Ijgnaiian Published Quarterly by the Students of St. Ignatius University San Francisco, Cal. Qetober, 1 ?L9 Uhr Bwmr Gfrarhvf By CHAS. I. WISEMAN itill lay the seag upon the rising shore - Stiller the throng, gazing with burning eyes n Breathless on Him. From words divinely wise New beauty flashed unknown of earth before. Teacher was He Who in His message bore Not that which stilled alone the insistent cries Of mind for knowledgeg nay, the deeper sighs Of soul, of spirit answered He the more. at This is to teach! O'er youthful hearts aliame With human passion cooling streams of love For high nobility to pour, the aim Of all their life shining undimmed above The mists of sin: that mind and spirit, too, May strive together for the good, the true.

Page 9 text:

EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES 7 of well known historical and mythological characters, joan of Arc, Cleopatra, Apollo and Daphne, together with heroic figures of our own immortal Washington and Lincoln. As we turn from the statuary and enter the Colonial Room, we see the home of the colonist with its odd furnishings, the spinning wheel, the loom, the hour glass, the quaint fire place, and the old four-poster bedstead used in the Puritan days. The kitchen with its utensils-the churn, the polished tongs-and the crude furniture bring back vividly to our mind Longfellow's Miles Standish. A survey of the room gives to the observer a glimpse of the lives led by our forefathers. Leaving the Colonial Room we proceed to the Eccleesias- tical Room. Here we find the Bible written in various tongues hundreds of years ago. Here are biblical pictures painted by famous artists. Many interesting relics of the Roman pontiffs and other holy men dating back to the thir- teenth century may be found here. We leave this room with a spirit of reverence, convinced that a spiritual lesson has been learned. Then we proceed to the Indian Room. Note the crude stone implements of the aborigines of this country long be- fore civilization and intellectual light were brought to them by the gentle Franciscan friars. The wonderful bead work, and the exact precision maintained in its construction, is marvelous. The costumes and the head dresses worn at their social functions are worthy of note. In this room may be seen an excellent collection of bows and arrows and other implements peculiar to the Indian. ' Next we enter the Basketry Room, which is distinctive of the Indian life of California. The squaws were the his- torians and chroniclers of their tribe. The basketry work in construction and design is quite wonderful. Every phase of their life is told in these basketsg their joys, pleasures, and sorrows are woven into the designs. A wide field for fruit-