St Louis University - Archive Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

Page 19 text:

,v The university must accordingly be ... a Fortress against infection by all those heresies . . . which stiFle all deeper life, replace virtue by efficiency, have nothing but recreation and amusement to set over against work, leave no room for contemplation and meditation, make man into a spiritual cripple and life into a perpetual escape from oneself, which is at bottom nothing but a flight from God. — DR. DIETRICH VON HILDEBRAND Catholic Conception of a University. CU«4 ICULAP

Page 21 text:

EDUCATION IT is generally understood that a man ' s ability to discriminate enables him to establish a sense of values. The manner in which these values are ordered, the manner in which each is singly appreciated shall deter- mine his success. The prime purpose of life shovild be a pow erful motive in his every act, and with that end in vie v should he pattern his career. To classify and apply his criteria to whatsoever he contacts, to evaluate accurately — these are becoming more significant, more important than ever before. This process requires a far-seeing mind, a mind vith acute perception, and a will able to carry out the mind ' s convictions. To mold and develop the mind, to offer criteria for sound, accurate discrimination, to shape character in conformity vith Catholic principles — this is the role of the Catholic university. Established to that end, she must carry out this purpose to justify her existence. The curricula of the university, then, is the index of her efforts to create the Catholic man of culture. Elements of change make it necessary from time to time for an edu- cational institution to incorporate into its curricula courses concerned with newer tendencies and trends. The growing emphasis on Scholastic Philosophy as an eflfective antidote for the ills of the day has brovight about a renewed interest in philosophy in general. Again, in a Catholic university such as St. Louis University, apologetics coines in for an ever- increasing amount of attention in these days when Catholicism is asserting itself with ever-increasing emphasis. In the professional schools of the Catholic university it is imperative for her to inculcate in her students a spirit of militant defense of Christian ethics, the utter neglect of which has so disordered the modern world. In her liberal arts curricula, her main concerns must be the instilling of an intelligent aspect of current thought and problems, the Catholic attitvxde and interpretation of inoot questions, and a confidence in Catholicisin as an adequate means of solving all moral difficulties. We have reason to feel secure in this, that St. Louis University is carrying out the ideals of Catholic education. St. Louis University, by her facility of adapting her curi ' icvila to the need of the times, is demon- strating at once her ow n powers as well as evincing an intelligent ap- preciation of the role the ideal university should play in offering its students a more perfect education.