St Marys College - Dial Yearbook (St Marys, KS)

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 ' Sept. 21, 1877, marked the birth of the Acolythical society. Rev. J. R. Ross-winkel, S. T., was its organizer and first president. Its principal object, then as now. was “to add beauty and solemnity to Divine worship, by an accurate observance of the liturgic rites and ceremonies, and also to afford the students, distinguished for excellent deportment, the honor of serving in the Sanctuary.” THE PERIOD OF CONFLAGRATION On two separate occasions, in 1872-73 and 1873-74, the college suffered by fire and the buildings erected in the early Indian days were burned to the ground. “On the third day of February, 1879, just at the end of the mid-day meal, about half-past twelve o’clock, the cry of Tire!’ was heard. All rushed torward to put out tnc flames. The part of the building just under the roof was found to be filled with black, dense smoke to such an extent that it was impossible either to breathe or to sec, and which made it impossible to get near the fire.” Thus does the annualist of the early days announce the conflagration that destroyed the new college and threatened the extinction of St. Mary’s. At this critical juncture the Ladies of the Sacred Heart came to the aid of the college and three days later classes were resumed. As has been recounted previously, these religious located near the college at its very inception, and had exerted themselves in behalf of the Indian girls. They had erected a brick structure a little larger than that built by the Jesuit fathers about the same time that the old college was built. The very afternoon of the catastrophe the good sisters transferred their belongings and their students to one portion of the building and placed the rest at the disposal of the Fathers and their pupils. During the three ensuing days the nuns transferred their academy to a building in town, giving over the entire convent to the Jesuits. In July of this year the building was purchased from the Religious of the Sacred Heart, who transferred to other houses of the Order. Even though a wing has since been added to the structure, the present faculty building still bears the impress of its original purpose and the atmosphere of a convent still clings to it. ERA OF EXPANSION AND BUILDING With the gradual dwindling of the Indian before the swelling tide of white immigration, and the consequent steadily increasing growth of Kansas -and the entire middle west, the work at St. Mary’s began to be concentrated more and more with each succeeding generation upon the education of youth; and the intermediate years between 1880 and the present furnish us with a narrative of substantial enlargement mid steady development on the part of the college. This period of expansion was inaugurated under propitious auspices, for on the 19th of March, 1880, the statue of the Immaculate Conception which stood over the front entrance of the “LONE TREE” present faculty building was erected by the Sodality in honor of their patroness and protectress. From this coin of vantage this typification of the Blessed Mother greeted the students of each successive year and bade them God’s speed as they quit the college grounds. 2 DIAL ANNUAL One Hundred Eighty

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: - r V ' • FIRST BUILDINGS The foundations of what is now known as the Old College were laid on the 31st of May, 1870. There was to be a stone basement and a superstructure of brick four stories high aiid 80 feet long. This building was to be one-fifth of the entire plan and was to form the central part. The building was opened Jan. 26, 1871. At this early date there were 150 boarders, 20 day scholars, 4 Fathers, 1 scholastic and 17 lay brothers at the institution, and the campus embraced 1,334 acres of land. The Indians by this time were slowly vanishing before the oncoming white population and though the Fathers wished to follow and continue their missionary work among them, the Father Provincial kept them occupied with college activities. During the school year of 1870 the Philharmonic society came into being, its object being to add solemnity to the religious, national, and literary festivals and to give its members an opportunity of improving themselves in the practice of music. Today this society comprises the Choir, the Glee Club, the Orchestra and the Band. V •J y PHILALETHIC AND ACOLYTHICAL SOCIETIES Two years later, January 1, 1872, the Philalethic society was organized. At a meeting of thirty of the students of that date a constitution and by-laws was formulated and adopted. The society in its early days differed somewhat from the present Philalethic. It was not only somewhat exclusive but its proceedings were secret. At the outset its object was “to furnish good reading matter and innocent amusement to its members, to train them for transacting any kind of business, and to foster a taste for literature and eloquence.” It was in December, 1876, that the Philalethic as now constituted came into l eing. The Reading Room Association then became a separate organization and exercised the function of “fostering a taste for literature,” while the Philalethic confined itself from thenceforth, “To accustom its members by means of literary discussion to speak with fluency and ease and to afford them an opportunity of acquiring information on useful subjects.” The initial debate was held Dec. 17, 1872. Jzi DIAL ANNUAL One Hundred Seventy-Nine

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 HISTORICAL Rev. Jas. J. Conway, S. J. First White Student to Matriculate at St. Mary’s On the 29th of December, 1880, what was then known as the new church was gutted by fire. It was situated directly across the tracks from the present Junior building and was scarcely five years old. The corner stone was laid August 2, 1875, and it had been dedicated February 14, 1876. Thus in three short hours the work of five years was undone. It might be well to note that this was not the old Indian building which had served as the humble Pro-cathedral of Bishop Miege, but a stone structure built by Father Kuppens, S. J. During the same year a native stone structure 80x60 ft., known as the Van der Eerden building, was erected. This building has since been razed, giving way to the present refectory building during Father Cogley's incumbency. It contained class rooms, refectory, a dormitory and the college chapel. DEGREES CONFERRED ON FIRST GRADUATING CLASS The following year, 1881-82, was a year of marked progress at St. Mary’s. On July 21st the corner stone of the present parish church in town was laid and services were first held in the basement Dec. 25. The structure was dedicated April 2, 1882. A house for the Sisters of Charity, who were teaching in the parochial school, was purchased. 'Phe crowning achievement of the college that year was, however. the conferring of degrees upon Horace II. Hagan. John B. Cunningham and Richard Dunne. These men composed the first graduating class of the college. This year commercial certificates were conferred on James E. Coffey, Thomas J. Ryan, Augustus Villars and Nicholas Ncusius. The year of 1882-83 found 252 boarders at the college. On Sept. 7 the Junior Sodality began its separate existence and its memljers procured a beautiful statue of their patron, St. Aloysius. Fr. P. J. Wagner, S. J., and Mr. Michaels, S. J., both in turn assumed charge for a few months, ill health forcing both to resign. It was finally placed in charge of Mr: Francis J. Finn, S. J., later famous for his stories of St. Maurcs (St. Mary’s). During this year the present class room building was under way and was completed by December. 1883. It was built of native stone 75x47y£ ft. and rose to an altitude of 50 ft. The total outlay was $16,000.00, a steam heating plant costing $6,000.00 was also installed. In February of the following year the structure between the Faculty and the Van der Eerden building was begun and in September of the same year (1884) it was completed. It was known as “The Flats” and housed on its upper and second floors the philosophers' rooms and below them the kitchen and scullery. Originally the upper floor contained the small boys’ dormitory. ESTABLISHMENT OF MEDALS In 1884-85 and the year following, 1886, a gold medal for the best oration delivered by “PAT WOODS,” a member of the Philalethic “Wan Hundred Years Today—A Century Old JZ DIAL ANNUAL One Hundred Eighty-One