University of San Francisco - USF Don Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

Page 32 text:

in the world” The S.I. Van Ness gymnasium was a prime example of the foresight and understanding of the early Jesuits. Fr. Riordan writes of the building, “From the right of the vestibule, a stairway descends to the locker-room, bowling alley. billiard-room, reading room. and plunge ... A physician's office adjoins the main entrance. it being intended that the students submit to examinations at the beginning and during their course, that the work of physical culture may be gone at wisely, and no part that is structurally weak be exposed to undue strain . . . In the West end is the bicycle room.” The graduations of the days of yore rivaled the decor of Queen Victoria. A newspaper of the day described the graduation banquet as a delightful affair, there was music by a stringed orchestra throughout the evening. The formal program opened with a toast to Pope Pius X, the company standing while the toast was drunk. In the same manner, there was a toast to the President of the United States” The Third Campus of Old S. I. with its classical academic program, its outstanding facilities, its rich traditions, marked the high point of the development of the L'.S.F. to be. April 18, 1906. Father Vincent Testa was celebrating an early Mass at 5:15. The earthquake dislodged the candlesticks on the altar. Father was struck on the nose by a falling candle: fortunately, he was not seriously hurt. At 6:15 the Jesuit fathers celebrated public Mass for an overflowing crowd of people who were anxious to receive the sacraments; indeed, every time a priest stepped into the street, he was instantly beseiged by persons eager to receive absolution. Although the college did sustain earthquake damage, the destruction was not so serious as to be irrepairable. However, what the earthquake spared, the fire destroyed. The holocaust is attributed to a housewife who was cooking ham and eggs for her family. The fire spread to some unused outhouses on the school lot west of the church. The west tower of the church caught fire, was extinguished and later took fire again. This time the fire could not be reached. There was no water available, and the whole church was gutted. Father Minister was able to save only a few insurance policies, coins, and jewels, which lie carried in his pillow case. Father Testa cryptically noted in his day book, ’ Church, residence, and college on fire- all gone” F'ather John Friedan, echoing Virgil, tersely wrote to Rome, Ignatius fuit.” The Radium and The Bicycle A legend of the earthquake tells of the fate of the ounce of radium entrusted to St. Ignatius College. The college was one of the three institutions in America—the other two were Harvard and Yale—which had been presented with an ounce of the newly discovered radium. The reason for the choice of a college for so great a gift is manifest when one recalls that St. Ignatius College had the finest assaying and surveying equipment on the West Coast, provided electric lights for Market Street, had the only telegraph equipment in San Francisco, and, in 1885, had been commended by the Smithsonian Institute for the excellence of its scientific collection. ihr L'SF swimming toot fin 1905. that held over 100.000 gallons . . . teas open student body.

Page 31 text:

the earthquake anti fire of 1906 left hut an em ity shell where nre stood the most modern und well equipped toilette in the H est. the buildings u ere totally uninsured. cation appeared excellent and the tax was cheap. So the decision was made: to pack up and move again. This, however, was not without difficulty. San Francisco was in the throws of a recession (Eisenhower-type), thousands of men were idle, violence and even some panic threatened. The Coolie Question During this tranquil time , Fr. Maraschi asked for bids from the City’s contractors to build the new St. Ignatius Church. A rumor escaped that a Chinese company had hid the lowest: tempers flared, unions protested, collections dwindled. In those days following the reconstruction of the South, San Francisco was the little rock of the West. On July third, the San Francisco Examiner published a crusading-type editorial entitled, “A Question for Those Concerned.” The noble prose of this dissertation read, “. . . the lowest bidder was the Chinese company . . . The Chinese company employs only coolies as a matter of course. With a flare of indignant righteousness, the editorial ended, “The contract ought not to he given to the Chinese company nor to any company that employs coolies to make bricks. It ought to be given to the company that employs white men. Even then, the examiner was obviously a Hearst paper, maintaining an unusually high degree of journalistic endeavor coupled with the sterling logic of an Aristotle. All would have been peachy for the Examiner if their source had been correct, but unfortunately, their source was not correct. So Father Varsi, administrator extraordinary, kindly explained to the paper their mistaken notion. Father Kiordan, author of the S.I. history, notes the conclusion of this little episode as follows, The Examiner threw the blame of misinformation on the Call. . In spite of the newspapers, the new campus was dedicated in February of 1880 and with this commenced the golden era of Saint Ignatius. The college of this era offered only the AH degree. An oral examination in each of the languages of Latin and Greek was required of each graduating student. The classical emphasis of the College was augmented by such elective courses as mineralogy, astronomy and navigation. A Jesuit Boys’ Club was founded: undoubtedly it was one of the first such organizations of its sort in the United States. According to Father Kiordan, the club was better than spending a night on Market Street among low companions and low amusements. The girls were well cared for too. The forerunner of the School of Nursing made its dehut in the I880 s with a girls’ Sunday school under the direction of Father Kenna. At the height of its development, over 700 girls were instructed each Sunday by a stall' of professional lay teachers. A G tn and a Half The million dollar school campus was lauded in every quarter as a magnificent edifice. The San Francisco Call of February 15, 1880, said of the campus auditorium. A more commodious and attractive hall is not to be found in the city. Both ear and eye are gratified — the eye with a delicate display of light and shade upon the pure and subdued white of the walls; the ear with the perfection with which every vibration of even the most delicate sound is distinctly heard Mr. Clarence Eddy, then one of America’s outstanding concert organists said the Saint Ignatius Church organ was the finest and best 27

Page 33 text:

the I sh gym in J905 WQS most modrrri in the Ktst- the Kyra had facilities for boxing, tramftolinc, ueightlifting, wrestling and handball, the fenced-in area (upper section of the picture) is an indoor race track, all of this u-as in line with the Jesuit ideal of developing the whole man, mind and body. The brother who was entrusted with the keeping of the radium managed to save the entire mineralogical collection during the earthquake; however, he lailcd to rescue the radium. A week later he was run down by a bicycle. The Senior of 1909. a forerunner of the Don reads: After the fire, the class uas scattered to all parts of the State; many were burned out. and had to seek refuge in one or another of the camps that were formed in various parts of the city; but each and every one was full of hope, and anxious for the time when all should assemble at Neu St. Ignatius College which was shortly in process of construction at Hayes and Shrader Streets.” On July 1, 1906, the Jesuits broke ground for the new (and fourth) St. Ignatius College. The buildings were meant only as temporary structures; it was obvious that much time would be required to restore the baroque splendor of the past St. Ignatius College. It was this element of time which caused the Jesuit fathers to decline the generous offer of the Sisters of Mercy, who wished to present them the site of the present St. Mary's Hospital for two rent-free years. The new school, located at Hayes and Shrader, opened on September 1st. This institution, christened “The Shirt Factory” by its students, was in use until 1927. Although its appearance was laconic and unimpressive, its achievements were a brilliant continuation of the goals of the ratio studiorum. Among its achievements we find: 1911, the first lineal ancestor of the Don; 1912, St. Ignatius Law School; 1919, debate victory over Stanford; 1923, a Passion Play presented in cooperation with Santa Clara; 1925, the “Pageant of Youth,” presented in the civic auditorium. Work on the present Hilltop lwgan as early as 1906, when the Fathers requested permission to move to the present site. It was purchased in 1910, in which year ground for the church was broken: the cornerstone was laid two years later. Campion Hall was dedicated in 1927, and the fifth and final St. Ignatius College was begun. 1930 saw the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of St. Ignatius College. October 12-19 was proclaimed “Diamond Jubilee Week.” Cardinal Hayes of New York preached at the open air jubilee Mass. There was much about which to rejoice; enrollment, for instance, had leaped in a few years from 40 to 500. The Passing of The Grey Fog It was during this period that the name Dons'' was first used. Up to this time, the school had been called “The Grey Fog.'' The Junior Chamber of Commerce objected to this name (it had been in use for only two years) as being detrimental to the glorious reputation of this fair city. In its brilliant refutation of this provincialism, the Foghorn wrote: A thundering horde can be cornered: a red horde can be outwitted and overcome; a fighting Irishman 29