St Xavier High School - X Ray Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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EVEN BEFORE the Puritan pilgrims moored the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock, the Jesuits were in America. By the nineteenth century, when a savage wilderness had been changed into a growing, civilized nation, the Jesuits had al- ready established two colleges: one at George- town, another at St. Louis. It was while journey- ing to St. Louis University from the East that a group of Jesuit priests stopped for a days rest in Cincinnati. Among them was Father James Oliver Van de Velde, who was to join the teach- ing staff in St. Louis. Bishop Fenwick of Cin- cinnati was most eager, however, to have Father Van de Velde remain as president of the cityts hrst Catholic college; and during the priests built of brick and is of Gothic style . . . The College, called Athenaeum, is a building somewhat similar to the Church, but of modern style . . . The whole, taken together, pre- sents an imposing sight . . . There is a printing establish- ment attached to the College. Next week will be pub- lished the first religious paper under the name of the Catholic Telegraph. But despite the favorable reaction to the new College, the Jesuits could not stay. Bishop Fen- wick died of cholera in 1832, a year after Father Van de Veldeis Visit. For his successor, the Bishop had recommended Father Peter Kenney, one of the Jesuits who had Visited him along with Father Van de Velde. But instead, the Choice fell upon John B. Purcell. For the next St. Xavier College, 1831. stay, the bishop conducted him through the new buildings. Father Van de Velde set down his re- actions in a letter to a friend in the East. Cincinnati, October 14, 1831. The good Bishop came to our hotel this morning to invite us to dine with him. After dinner we visited the Church and College. The Church, the only Catholic one at present in the city, and called the Cathedral, is an edifice tine enough for this country. It is St. Xavier High School, 1956. few years, under his supervision, the Athenaeum prospered. Toward the close of the thirties, how- ever, the college suffered a sharp decline. Several classes had to be suspended and cries for help were sent to the Bishop. Not having nearly enough clergymen at his disposal, he determined to oHer the college to the Society of Jesus. The Jesuit board at St. Louis unanimously decided that the oiTer be accepted.

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31---1956 OO YAVIER HIGH SCHOOL 1 ST

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Formal acceptance was made by the Provincial of the Society in Missouri and Louisiana, Very Rev. Father Verhaegen, and an announcement was made to the public that the College would open in early November under Jesuit auspices and would be named after St. Francis Xavier. In accordance with the announcement, St. Xavier College was opened November 3, 1840, under the presidency of Rev. John Elet, SJ. Seventy- six students were in attendance that year, and since that time the school and its tradition have grown hand in hand with the Queen City. St. Xavier remained a boarding school till 1865 when it adopted the policy of accepting day students. The college course during the boarding school period lasted for six years, after which the student merited a Bachelor of Arts degree. Sub- jects were varied, but leaned heavily toward the classics. Everything from mythology to mathe- matics, from philosophy to bookkeeping were offered; and students of any religious denomi- nation, from the ages of ten to sixteen years, were accepted. Classes began at eight oicloek and continued, with a two-hour break for lunch, un- til four forty-iive. The average freshman read Aesopls fables in Greek, and when he reached his sixth year he was at home with cosmology and Aristotle, The College was immensely famous, attracting students from as far away as Natchez and Mex- ico. The yearly tuition for the boarding school was one hundred fifty-live dollars. In the eighteen lifties, a page in the school catalogue was titled Special Directions for Parents and Children. This one page is indicative of the conservatism and formalism of the times. A condensation follows. On entering, each boarder must be provided with a uni- form, to be worn upon public occasions: it consists of a blue or frock coat, with pantaloons of the same cloth for winter, and white pantaloons for summer. He must also be provided with at least two suits of clothes for each season, eight shirts, four pair of shoes or boots, a black fur hat, a cloak for winter, a knife, fork, spoon, tumbler. Bed and bedding may be furnished by the parent, or will be furnished by the Institution for $8 per annum. The bedsteads will invariably be furnished by the College. No student will be allowed to have pocket money in his own custody. With regard to pocket money, it is the wish of the President that no more than lZVz or 25 cents a week be allowed to the Students. Parents who live at a distance are requested to appoint an agent in Cincinnati or New Orleans, who must be answerable for the payment of all expenses, and to whom the pupil may be directed, on leaving the institution. During this same period, the city underwent a sharp Iinancial depression; and to aggravate the situation, plague hit Cincinnati. Asiatic cholera, introduced into Quebec, had spread by way of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes into the Ohio Valley. The death toll of the plague of 1832, the same one which took the life of Bishop Fenwick, was astonishing. At its peak, one hundred persons died each day. Death be- 12 The Courthouse Riot, Friday, March 28, 1884. Coney Island during the catastrophe of 1937.