University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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THE REDWOOD 13 Chateau Thierry and the Saint Mihiel were over. Then the terrible days of the Argonne approached and as the multitude of men marched through mud and fire to victory, Casey was always there, encouraging them, sup- plying their wants and providing what- ever comforts were possible. Cheer was put into the men. It became customary for them to look forward to meeting the ever-ready Secretary. From him sweets and cigarettes could be ob- tained, and always without charge. As the vast army surged onward overseas, the people at home were also doing their bit — giving from their pockets and their hearts without com- plaint. They abstained from many of their former desires and pleasures that their sons, brothers and friends who had sacrificed so much, might have all that they could give them in comforts, conveniences and pleasure. Financial aid was freely forthcoming, and Casey over there was always kept stocked with the necessary supplies. The great war ended. During its progress the Knights of Columbus had received a total of approximately forty million dollars for its war activities, contributed in the great drives and the Unit ed War Work Campaign. With the close of the war there remained eleven million dollars still unexpended. What was to be done with this money which had been received for war and post war purposes? Casey Follows Up. The Knights had looked to the wel- fare of the soldier, sailor and marine during the war. Were they to term their labors completed at this stage? No ! They realized that numerous men were forced to abandon their schooling, or leave their labors to answer the call to arms. The great work which had made life bearable when civilian was turning soldier and during the blood- iest stages of the war, would be incom- plete if it did not assist in the recon- version of soldier into civilian. So, in order to return the fighting man to peaceful ways and serious educational occupation, and to refit him to take part in the most useful fields of recon- struction, the War Activities Commit- tee immediately set about to accom- plish this end. They began by using the eleven million dollars of remaining contributed capital to finance their movements, not realizing at the time what an immense educational program they were about to enter upon. At the outset they offered fifty schol- arships, including tuition and incident- al fees, books, necessary equipment, board and lodging, for a complete tech- nical, scientific, mining, agricultural, or foreign service course ; also fifty scholarships for a complete academic course. Awards of the scholarships were to be made on a competitive basis, the comparative merits of applicants to be determined by examinations con- ducted by the boards of entrance of the institutions where admission was sought. The number of applications was so

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Casey Follows Up John M. Jackson, ' 23. N the year nineteen hun- dred and seventeen the young manhood of our country answered the call to arms, and from |£fl office and field, from j$U t the comforts and pleas- w I ures of home, with a farewell to mother, father and all held dear, they left to fight for the ideals and principles of America. Rich and poor alike on an equal basis were en- listed and mobilized into the perfect working machines of the Army and Navy of the United States. Training camps of immense size had to be constructed in different localities ; vast grounds had to be made available for drilling room ; series of ranges for target practice had to be set up — everything for the overnight trans- formation of civilians into disciplined soldiers had to be arranged. These things, however, touched only the mechanical organization of the army. Human nature demanded other things besides work, sleep, and susten- ance. Men could not leave home with all its comforts and conveniences and embrace the hardship of rough military life in a day or week. It was apparent, both for the well-being of the men themselves, and for the efficiency of the army, that man ' s natural desires for amusement, comfort and service must be supplied. The Knights of Columbus recognized this need and immediately set about to secure the requisite financial assistance whereby they could commence a great system for the supplying of this de- mand. Other organizations of a simi- lar nature also took up the work, and let it be said in parenthesis it is not my purpose to detract in any way from the praise justly due them although con- fining the subject here to the K. of C. The great work then commenced. Drives for capital met with encourag- ing success due to the co-operation of all. In every Army and Navy camp there began the construction of numer- ous comfort quarters where the tired soldier or sailor could go and feel at home, listen to latest popular airs, write letters, and read current periodicals. Religion, too, was not forgotten in connection with this form of welfare. Chaplains were stationed in all the camps to answer the needs of the men, and to comfort and advise them in their troubles. Time elapsed — the great army crossed the seas and with it went Casey . 12

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14 THE REDWOOD great, however, that it was ex- ceedingly difficult to determine the comparative merits of the applicants. Within the time set almost twenty- three hundred applications were re- ceived. The committee therefore de- cided to remove the limit of one hun- dred and to grant a scholarship to every student who might be certified as eligible for admission to the college for which he applied. Out of this num- ber of applicants four hundred quali- fied for entrance and received scholar- ships. The demand for these scholarships assured the Knights that, if any rea- sonable number of those desiring in- struction were to be satisfied, some more comprehensive plan would have to be adopted. The idea of developing a system of evening schools under the auspices of Councils, groups of Coun- cils, or Chapters of the Knights of Columbus, to be maintained by means of tuition fees paid by students, was first discussed by the Supreme Board of Directors at a meeting in Detroit in June, 1919. To further this a commit- tee was appointed to confer with the leading educators of the country with a view of submitting to the board a plan of procedure. This committee, in conjunction with advisers and prominent educators and members of school boards met in con- ference in New York during the latter part of July, 1919. As a result a plan was submitted to the Board of Direc- tors on August 3, 1919. The report was accepted and transferred to the Su- preme Council. A bulletin issued by the Educational Division which was established at New Haven, stated the plan briefly as fol- lows: That Councils establish courses for members of the Order and for such others as may wish to avail themselves thereof, and that classes be opened to men and boys of good character, re- gardless of creed, and wherever possi- ble, to women and girls. ' ' Under this plan schools have been es- tablished in Councils throughout the United States, and courses have been conducted with great success. This plan called for the payment of tuition fees, but in order that no ex-service man should be kept away for that rea- son, the Committee on War Activities voted to pay the tuition fees of ex-ser- vice men in Council Schools, provided the courses satisfied the Committee. The third and most important phase of the Educational Program, however, was in the establishment of a chain of evening schools in larger cities through- out the country, and holding out oppor- tunities to ex-service men for free in- struction in technical, trade, academic and commercial subjects. These schools are supported entirely out of the resi- due of the funds entrusted to the Knights of Columbus as a Welfare Agency during the War, and are abso- lutely free to ex-service men. Others are not excluded, provided no ex-ser- vice man is deprived of the opportunity