^ ^ j % Cfl.+t'ohc W€.\%-'^C Co^k''^^'C- S/r ej^o^Kt^? ' - ^ AA|\J5‘467 c . ?> Catholic College W3^ EDUCATION? Do You Know That Even With A College Education Your Chance For SUCCESS Is Only 1 In 173? Sixth Printing PREPARED BY FRANCIS M. CROWLEY, Ph.D. Department of Education National Catholic Welfare Conference 131^ Massachusetts Avenue, N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. PRICE: 10 Cents Copyright, 1926 BY THE National Catholic Welfare Conference 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W. Washington, D. C. Osacfcfifier' His Eminence, JVilliam Cardinal Connell On the Need of Catholic Colleges T^DUCATION is a life long process. From hirth to death the transforma- tion of human nature carries on. Who can measure the solemnity and sacredness of this silent process within the human soul? The Catholic Church, divine depository of GoTs wisdom on earth, views with grave concern youth's progress through the years. From childhood onward the Church instructs, guides and inspires human life. Christ's teaching is light and food to unfolding and unsettled souls. Elementary schools, high schools and colleges express brilliantly the Church's educational mission to mankind. The Catholic College is a unit essential to the fulfill- ment of this mission. Never in the history of our country was there greater need of Catholic colleges. Never were young men and women so eager for college training. Never could American colleges show such phenomenal in- creases in enrollment. What fruit will he harvested in the lives of all the college men and women of today? The character of the college training contains much of the answer. Only in the Catholic college is the inheritance of Cath- olic youth preserved and perpetuated. The Catholic college honors and transmits the saving knowledge, compelling principle and sublime idealism of God's revelation to the world. On this foundation the Catholic college builds Christian character. In this service the Catholic college meets an urgent need, justifies its precious existence and advances the highest interests of the Church and the nation. William Cardinal O’Connell. 3 WHAT CATHOLIC COLLEGE WILL YOU ATTEND NEXT SEPTEMBER? S tatistics show that while college graduates form only 1 per cent of the total population of the United States, they comprise more than 50 per cent, of those who achieve leadership in the various walks of life. Yet in a great state of the Union, where the Church is prosperous and Will You Be 1 ^^^cational facilities are excellent, only 8 in every 1,000 f til 19 n t Catholic school population reach fourth year of of E^r 10 000? school, and only 12 in every 10,000 of the Catholic ^ ’ * school population graduate from college. It is evident, then, that much remains to be done before a representative nuinber of our Catholics secure a higher education. At present, approximately 15 per cent, of the total college attendance in the United States is comprised of Catholics, while the Catholic population is well over 20 per cent. Yet few of our colleges are filled to capacity. If need be this capacity can be increased. Every day spent in college has an economic value that can be measured in dollars and cents, and a still higher value which cannot be so reckoned, but is of even greater importance in producing cultured and enlightened Catholic men and women, trained to sound ethics and morality and fitted to champion the great cause of God and country. Do you want to know if a college education will give an adequate financial return? If you are interested in this particular phase, you will secure just the information you need if you consult the section of this pamphlet which deals with the economic value of a college education. Do you wish to know if a college education trains for leadership? If so, turn to the section devoted to a resume of the educational attainments of the men and women listed in “Who’s Who In America.” You ma}^ want to know if a college education is a requisite for success in the newspaper or literary world. If you are in doubt, turn to the statements of Frank Spearman and Agnes Repplier. Their names mean something in the world of letters, and when they speak they speak with authority. Will a college education help you in business? Read the statements of Charles Schwab, the steel magnate ; Edward Hurley, one of America’s great business leaders; Patrick Crowley, president of one of America’s greatest railroads; and J. Rogers Flannery, president of the powerful Vanadium Company, which controls a product indispensable to the steel industry. And if you feel that you wish to hear from men high in the professions, read the message from Admiral Benson, one of the great figures of the World War; or the well-balanced statement of Dr. James J. Walsh, the eminent consulting physician and widely known author. Or if you wish to hear what an eminent jurist has to say, turn to the frank statement of Justice Stafford, of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. If you intend to study law, you should ponder well on what he has written. You can also read with profit the section entitled, “The World Does Not Owe The College 4 Graduate A Living/' If you wish to know the place the Catholic College fills in the educational mission of the Church, turn to Cardinal O’Connell’s brilliant statement. In it the senior cardinal discusses in a lucid manner the crying need of Catholic colleges, and the part the Catholic college plays in the building of Christian character. Remember while reading it that it is not only the statement of America’s leading churchman, but of one of her cleverest scholars. He has a clear concept of the mission of the Catholic college. We would suggest that you pay particular attention to that pregnant sentence, “Only in the Catholic college is the inheritance of Catholic youth preserved and perpetuated.” When June comes and the high school year is drawing to a close, give deep consideration to the question: “Shall I continue my education?” It is not a matter that can be decided offhand. If you decide without much thought you may veto your decision with less. In order to do good work in college you must be convinced of the necessity of a college educa- tion. You must be able to tell why you want a college education. It is true that a high school education equips you to achieve a limited success, but a college education is vastly better. The purpose of this pamphlet is to convince you of the value of a college education, but particularly of the value of a Catholic college education. For this reason the Bureau of Education of the N. C. W. C. asked some of the great Catholic leaders of America to submit for this publication signed statements on the value of a college education. These statements were not culled from their writings, nor were they taken from interviews published in the press. They were prepared exclusively for this bulletin. We lay special emphasis on the fact that they were prepared exclusively for “Why A Catholic College Education?” because if there is anything that should convince our youth of the sincerity of these men in advocating college education, it is the fact that they used precious time to pen special statements for their benefit. They did it because they were convinced that it was a splendid opportunity to impress on the Catholic youth of the land, the paramount importance of securing as much education as possible. Every statement has the ring of sincerity, because the authors know what a college education is worth. Read these short messages, ponder on them, analyze them, evaluate them, memorize them if you will, but at least give them enough thought to grasp what they mean. They will do much to convince you that a college education is necessary for a large success in life. They will persuade you that you cannot afford not to go to college. It goes beyond saying that the place for every Catholic boy or girl is in a Catholic college. What Catholic college will you attend next September? If You Would Be Prepared for Any Eventuality in Life— Get A Catholic College Education 5 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES CONTINUING THEIR EDUCATION GRADUATES- DATA FROM 1028 FOUR-YEAR HIGH SCHOOLS 7,916 Boys - 10,561 Girls .18,479 Both CONTINUING THEIR EDUCATION 4.527 Boys 5.713 Girls ,10.240 Both NOT CONTINUING EDUCATION 3,391 Boys ' 4,646 Girls . 6,239 Both GOING TO COLLEGE ' 3,733 Boys “ 2,546 Girls . 6,261 Both 55.57. 43%H 44.57. GOING TO NOR- MAL, BUSINESS AND PROFES- SIONAL SCHOOLS 794 Boys | io% 3,165 C^rlsm 3,959 Bothm • How Education Affects Your Chance for Success Amount of Chance Education Attaining Success Without Education 1 in 161,290 Eighth Grade Education 1 in 40,841 High School Education 1 in 1,606 College Education 1 in 173 P • Too Many Young Men Abandon Their Education Prematurely 7 “The Successful Man of Tomorrow Must Be Fully Equipped to Meet His College Trained Competitor” EDWARD N. HURLEY, Chairman, U. S. Shipping Board during World War. “ JT^ URING the past ten years the standard of the Catholic young man of America has improved materially. Edu- cation has been chiefly responsible for this marked improve- ment. We have more college men today than ever before, and the number is increasing yearly, with the result that our men are developing leadership in many pursuits. ''The successful man of tomorrow must befully equipped to meet his college-trained competitor. Moreover, a college edu- cation broadens the vision, develops an interest in our country's affairs, and makes for better citizenship, which should be th^ ambition of every Catholic young man." Edward N. Hurley. CAN YOU ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITHOUT A COLLEGE EDUCATION? Intellectual Work Calls for Intellectual Equipment Most assuredly so. It would be folly to answer otherwise. But ina less degree and with the expenditure of greater effort than would be the case with a college education at your command. It is true that Edison, Ford and Schwab rose to the heights with only the rudiments of an education to help them in their climb. But they know that their way would have been much easier if their educational op- portunities had been greater. It must be remembered too that they were endowed by the Creator with an abundance of talents and that they employed them to the best advantage. They are fine examples of “self- educated men,” men who would have achieved success in any age. It is significant however that these men now pick the majority of their execu- tives from the graduates of colleges and technical schools. In short, while they are possessed of a working education themselves, they are keenly aware of its shortcomings. They know that while it has served their purpose it is woefully incomplete because it has not reached the whole man. Consequently, they use college graduates to fill responsible positions. They have learned that though the college man starts with no knowledge of a business he can grasp the details very quickly and will put them to effective use when they have been mastered. The day of amassing fortunes through natural monopolies is drawing to a close. Men will unquestionably continue to get rich in trade and in speculation—but the opportunities for achieving success in most fields are no longer affected by accident or chance. Special qualification is the cry of the hour, but it must be training that has more and more fundamental learning as a background. The various fields in which mankind’s energies are employed have become more and more complex in organization as the years have progressed. The tremendous expansion that farming, mining, forestry, trade and finance, manufacture and transportation, and the sciences on whidh they are founded, have experienced during the past fifty years calls for a deeper understanding of organization and a more accurate and specialized knowledge of the processes employed—much more than was heretofore requisite for success in these fields of endeavor. And this special training, we repeat, must not consist of that type of specialization which tends to produce insularity of thought and lack of mental elasticity—the usual outcome when specialization is attempted without the educational background afforded by a liberal arts course. A Catholic High School Education is a Very Good Thing. A Catholic College Education is Vastly Better 9 ^‘BUT WHAT OBJECTIONS ARE THERE TO SENDING MY CHILDREN TO A SECULAR COLLEGE OR A STATE UNIVERSITY?” S OME parents will undoubtedly discuss this question when they are brought face to face with the momentous problem of choosing a college for their offspring. The great and lasting objection to the attend- ance of Catholics at such institutions is that such colleges at best are indifferent to religion. There is ever present too the danger that faith Choose! wiir be undermined. “But they are non-sectarian in Religious Train- regard to religion!” This is unquestionably true, ing or the Ex- The institutions may not voice any opinions, but it is ternals or often regrettably true that teachers do. “Teaching Morality? license” in some of our great universities makes it possible for men to express their own pet prejudices and convictions. As a result, much that is false in philosophy, history, literature, etc., finds free circulation amongst the student body. Earnest Christian men on the faculty of more than one non-sectarian college or state university deplore such conditions but are powerless to remedy them. You may object: “But I won’t allow my child to take courses that may undermine his faith.” Well and good enough. But even here you defeat your own purpose. There is nothing to prevent his imbibing false philosophical doctrines from student associates. Discussion is the life of university gatherings. You will not be there to help him in his dilemmas. Will he approach the chaplain of the Newman Club to secure a solution for his problems? “But he does not need philosophy. Let him study ‘practical subjects. ’ ” But philosophy is a practical subject, so practical that one can find more philosophers than scientists on the streets of our cities. Philosophy is nothing more than “a body of views of life.” Every man has views on life. Many men will let them be known on the slightest provocation. Your son or daughter cannot emerge unscathed in a spiritual way from an atmosphere where the discussion of confused and false philosophical teachings is the order of the day. A grounding in a true philosophy is very necessary in this age in which we live. Give your child an oppor- tunity to receive such a training by sending him to a Catholic college, where he will sit at the feet of men who teach that man is endowed with free will, that right and wrong are based on revealed and unchangeable truths—not on a system of taboos evolved by our ancestors. He will learn that every right has a corresponding duty, that there is such a thing as personal responsibility for wrong-doing. He will imbibe the great 10 philosophical truths of the ages and emerge at the end of his course well armed for life’s battles. ^ You are bound as a parent to give your child the kind of education that will equip him best for the battles of life. You are in conscience bound not to place him in an institution where high moral and ethical standards do not prevail and cannot be maintained among the student body. It is true that the Newman Club movement has done much to provide for the religious welfare of Catholic students at these institutions, but at best it is only a stop-gap. It has not functioned and never will function as an adequate substitute for the religious instruction obtained in a Catholic college. It has also done much to help Catholic students meet prejudiced and misinformed professors on a middle ground where the great philosophical, religious and historical facts of the Church could be shown in their true light. But the religious atmosphere created by the Newman Club is not a substitute for that found in the Catholic college. The Newman Club does great good for those who must attend non-secular and state universities, but the presence of a Newman Club at an institution does not warrant a Catholic parent thinking for a moment that the religious needs of his child will be as well cared for as they would be in a Catholic college. If this were so, a seal should be placed on the door of every Catholic college in the land, for they would no longer be necessary—and their continuance would be a needless drain on the finan- cial resources of our people. The place for the Catholic student is in the Catholic college. A Question Every College Man Should Ask Himself: ^'What Will My Education Do for Eternity?" 11 “The Great Cry in Industry and Finance Today is for Educated Young Men” J. ROGERS FLANNERY, President of the Vanadium Company of America. *‘^^5 the world's hanker and its greatest manufacturing nation, we have assumed enormous responsibilities and with the proper guidance we can make this world a better place in which to live and enable mankind to carry out the purpose for which God created it. ''But we need and must have leaders to continue our pro- gress and our leaders must have education if they are to in- telligently direct our tremendously varied activities. The great cry in industry and finance today is for educated young men who can be entrusted with responsibility and who have a proper mental and moral foundation upon which sufficient reliance can he placed to consider them as the prospective executives in the particular channels of lifework in which they embark. "Great emphasis has been placed in the past upon the wonderful success of men who have accomplished great things in finance or industry without the benefit of a college education. Did you ever stop to realize how much more that person might have accomplished had he been equipped with a college education ?” J. Rogers Flannery. 12 A QUESTION FOR EVERY CATHOLIC COLLEGE STUDENT TO ANSWER: ^‘HAVE I A DEFINITE AIM IN LIFE?’’ S uccess or failure in your college career depends greatly on the definiteness of your aim. Your choice of a profession should deter- mine the courses you will take. If you want to be a doctor, you should include biology, organic chemistry, etc., in your program so you will be able to meet the requirements of a Class A medical school. If you intend to study law, you should take courses in jurisprudence and secure as much practice as possible in public speaking. If journalism is to be your choice, there should be a preponderance of English courses in your program. Decide what you want to do, and then plan your program accordingly. Experi- ence shows that the student with a definite aim accomplishes much more than the student without one. After Collegi WHAT? If you do not have a definite plan, you are very liable to drop out of college after the first or the second year. Even though you should de- cide to change courses later on, you will have had the satisfaction of form- ing good habits in working toward a definite objective, which would not have been the case if you had been aimlessly drifting in the meantime. To be great, to achieve success in life, to be a leader and not a follower, to do justice to yourself and your parents, to forward the interests of your Church and your country, you must concentrate, you must decide what you want to be before the end of your second year in college. Success is half assured to the young man or young woman who enters the junior year with a definite purpose in mind. Failure is sure to be the lot of the “drifter” or “namby-pamby” who is not possessed of enough backbone or grit to make up his mind. Be Sure You Always Know What You Are in College For 13 EARNINGS OF UNSKILLED WORKERS AND HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE GRADUATES AT DIFFERENT AGES $800 $1000 $1000 $1200 AGE - 22 YEARS UNTRAINED WORKER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE COLLEGE GRADUATE AGE -30 YEARS UNTRAINED WORKER $2000 $2800 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE COLLEGE GRADUATE $1200 AGE - <40 YEARS UNTRAINED WORKER $2200 $4000 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE “ - COLLEGE GRADUATE $1200 AGE -60 YEARS UNTRAINED WORKER $2200 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE - COLLEGE GRADUATE DATA TAKEN FROM STUDY MADE BY DEAN EVERETT LORD OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY 14 THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF A COLLEGE EDUCATION Would You Work 800 Days for $72,000? Dean Everett Lord of Boston University has raade an exhaustivestudy of the post-school activities of the graduates of that insti- tution. He has supplemented this study with data secured from an exhaustive examination of the official records of the Massachusetts De- partment of Labor. These records show the occupation, income and education of untrained workers in the state. The figures for high school graduates were secured from some 500 men whose names were picked at random from the high school lists of Massachusetts. His findings are representative of the entire country because the ratio of college men, high school graduates and untrained workers is substantially the same in other states and because Massachusetts has as great a variety of occupa- tions as any other commonwealth. The extended investigation of Dean Lord discloses the fact that a college education is worth $150,000, at least that is the sum the college graduate earns in the course of a lifetime. This is $105,000 more than the elementary school graduate receives during his productive years and $72,000 more than the worker with a high school education. But that is not all. The untrained worker reaches his highest earning capacity at thirty when he makes $1,200 per year. He then enjoys twenty pro- ductive years before his earning power declines. In the majority of cases the untrained worker is dependent on others for support in his old age. The high school graduate reaches the peak of earning power at forty when he draws $2,200 per year. He remains at this level the remainder of his life; in other words, he is self-supporting until death. The per- manent earnings of the college or technical school graduate begin at twenty-two and continue as long as life lasts. At twenty-two he earns $1,000, at thirty, $2,800; at forty, $4,000; at fifty, $5,000; and at sixty he reaches the $6,000 mark. As soon as the college graduate starts work he very nearly passes the highest wage received by the untrained worker during his lifetime, and when he is between twenty-five and thirty his earnings exceed the greatest earnings of the average high school graduate. It is true, of course, that some college men are not successful financially, their earnings not ap- proaching those of even the successful elementary school graduate. But it can be said without fear of contradiction that such men could not achieve success no matter how much education they received. Educa- tion is not a substitute for talent or native ability. There must first be a receptive capable mind to graft education on, and then the indomitable will to put it to effective use, before we can expect a college graduate to 15 live up to what is expected of him. The college graduate is limited only in the range of his earnings by the calibre of his training, the quality of the traits he may possess, such as initiative, faith, singleness of purpose and, over and above all—the capacity he has for hard work. The college man is not shelved at sixty. As the years progress his earnings and possi- bilities for increased service are only limited by the extent of his training, experience and vision. The difference between the earnings of the high school and college graduate is $72,000. In other words, the college graduate is assured of increased earnings to the extent of $18,000 a year for every year he spends in college. If we consider the school year of the average college as consist- ing of 200 days it means that every day spent in college is worth $90.00. Surely your time is not so valuable nor is your inertia so great that you cannot afford to spend the one and overcome the other so as to insure yourself life earnings of $150,000. Get A College Education—It Pays 16 OCCUPATIONS OF GRADUATES OF CATHOLIC COLLEGES I N 1923 the N. C. W. C. Bureau of Education made a study of the occupations of graduates of Catholic colleges. In answer to an in- quiry, eight men’s colleges and nine women’s colleges furnished data relative to the occupations of their graduates. The colleges for men supplied data on the occupations of 2,555 of their graduates. The table below classifies them under ten heads. Total Per Total Per Occupation Number Cent Occupation Number Cent Business . . 701 27.44 Dentistry 32 1.25 Priesthood . . 569 22.27 Journalism 27 1.06 Law . . 476 18.63 Public Service 27 1.06 Medicine . . 257 10.06 Miscellaneous 178 6.96 Teaching^ (laymen only) . . 246 9.63 Engineering . . 42 1.64 Total 2,555 100.00 The colleges for women submitted data on the occupations of 655 graduates. The occupations in which they were engaged are given below. Total Per Total Per Occupation Number Cent Occupation Number Cent Teaching . . 299 45.65 Graduate Study. . . . 14 2.14 Sisterhood . . 89 13.59 Journalism 12 1.83 Marriage . . 76 11.60 Literature 8 1.22 Business 28 4.27 Civil Service 8 1.22 Social Service 18 2.75 Miscellaneous 74 11.29 Nursing . . 15 2.30 — Music 14 2.14 Total 655 100.00 Business, the Church, Law, Medicine, and Teaching claim by far the largest part of the graduates. But this does not mean that you should choose any one of these. The purpose is to give you some concept of the after-college activities of those who have gone before you. Make an intensive study of all fields before you choose any particular profession. If you are not blessed with a religious vocation, make a close examination of your inclinations and then decide on that sphere of activity in which you will find the greatest possibilities for service and happiness. Decide on Your Vocation in Life Before the End of Your Second Year in College 17 “The Most Valuable Asset a Man Can Bring to His Business Life is a Good Education” CHARLES M. SCHWAB, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bethlehem Steel Corporation, “ ^^PPORTUNITIES in the business world today are more numerous than they have ever been before and I believe that the next twenty years will see an industrial expansion and de- velopment beyond anything we are witnessing now. The leaders of tomorrow will come from the ranks of the young people who are going to school today. Business has become so highly developed along lines of scientific efficiency that the man who gets the most out of his life's work will necessarily be the man who brings the most to it in the way of preparation. Aside from integrity and a willingness to work hard, the most valuable asset a man can bring to his business life is a good education. By that I do not mean a large mass of unassimilated and often useless facts but by a good education I mean a trained mind that can analyze and interpret facts, a mind that is not neces- sarily an encyclopaedia but that knows how to get information when needed and that has the ability to reason back to causes ‘ Such a training the college aims to give. Young men and young women who enter business with a college education are provided with a key that will enable them to open the door of success when opportunity knocks." Charles M. Schwab. 18 Big Business is Seeking College Graduates DO COLLEGE MEN HOLD EXECUTIVE POSITIONS IN THE GREAT INDUSTRIES OF THE COUNTRY? A NATION-WIDE survey recently conducted by the National Indus-trial Conference Board shows that college-trained men hold a large proportion of the important executive posts in the industrial life of the country. While it is true that the majority of these men have had train- ing in schools of engineering, many of them are graduates of liberal arts colleges. A study of the records of 318 plants in the metal trades industry in which more than 106,000 persons were employed showed that of the 16,000 employees holding supervisory or technical posts, 2,742 were college men. And 555, or a little over 45 per cent, of the 1,213 higher executive positions are held by college graduates. In the rubber industry 43.9 per cent, of the executive positions are held by college men and in the paper and pulp industry a little over 32 per cent. While college men fill the big executive positions they are also to be found as heads and overseers in manufacturing and sales departments, and technical experts in the engineering, laboratory and drafting depart- ments.*^ And the liberal arts graduate seems to hold his own, for while 26.9 per cent, of men holding high executive posts in the metal trades industry are technical school graduates, 18.8 per cent, are graduates of liberal arts colleges or business schools. And the rubber industry claims an almost equal division, 22 per cent, of the higher executives having received their training in technical schools and 21.7 per cent, in liberal arts or business colleges. It would seem that even in a highly specialized field the liberal arts graduate is not working at a disadvantage. Does the college graduate find “room at the top” in the business world ? These figures would seem to indicate that such is the case. The “captains of industry” were hard to convince that college men were needed in business but it is unquestionably true that once convinced they surrendered completely. It is generally known that many business houses offer positions to students before graduation. “Big business” has come to the college and the opportunities open to college men in the business world are limitless. In a realm where a college education was once looked upon as a handicap it is now regarded as a boon. The future of the great industries of America rests in the hands of college men. A Liberally Educated Mind Enables A Man to Do Well All Things the Mind Can Do 19 “I Always Urge The Catholic College” FRANK H. SPEARMAN, Widely Read Novelist, Author of "Whispering Smith," "Nan of Music Mountain," etc. TT would he difficult to overestimate the advantages to he gained in the literary world from a college education. Lacking thorough courses in literature and its history, through which we learn what men before us have done in our own lines of endeavor, the young author is heavily handicapped at the outset of his career. He will never, for instance, know how much better these things have been done by men before him and thus will lose the advantage of being dissatisfied with his own work. ''But mere, ^'college education,^' is today a very loose term. To aford literary values, such an education must be based on an acquaintance, the more thorough the better, with Latin and with Greek: this helps the writer immeasureably in his understanding of the root-meaning of his words, and his choice in the use of them—besides putting before him examples of the world's masterpieces in those tongues. Such an edu- cation should be informed with a sound philosophy, and strengthened by courses in the authentic—mark the word— the authentic, history of European civilization. "No more than this is needed; no less will adequately suffice. And because I realize that the Catholic college and Catholic university supply such an education better than any other educational institutions, I always urge the Catholic college." Frank H. Spearman. 20 WHY A LIBERAL EDUCATION? To Do Well All Things A Mind Can Do HOW many times have we heard this objection: “But if I attend aCatholic college I must study subjects for which I will never have any practical use.” Is this true? Emphatically, “No.” In any walk of life there are many qualities which are indispensable for success, such as, the power of application, versatility, breadth of view, and an observant and reflective turn of mind. No more effective means can be found for inculcating these qualities in students than the study of Latin, Greek, Philosophy and the many other “impractical” subjects found in the curri- cula of Catholic colleges. It is a truism that there is no more rigorous form of discipline than hard work. If this is true for the body it is doubly true for the mind. Education in its complete sense implies the full and harmonious de- velopment of the faculties of man. The acquirement of knowledge is only a secondary result of education. A liberal education does not fit a student for any special emplo5mient or profession, but gives him a general, vigorous and rounded development that will enable him to cope with every emergency. It gives him adaptibility, steadiness of judgment, resourcefulness, fineness of perception, and a true outlook on life. It develops every faculty. It makes a man self sufficient in the sense that he can find a source of happiness within himself, for all his God-given faculties have been developed harmoniously and gradually until he has reached the full measure of culture of which he is capable. His life will not be eked out in the narrow confines of any special sphere, for all the masters of all the ages are at his command to draw on for solace, inspiration and encouragement. “For it is by the life of the spirit that a man really lives, and if the house of his own soul be not furnished with beautiful things in his youth, he will be poor in his dying day.” A liberal education enables a man to do well all things a mind can do. It trains him to think clearly and see problems in their true light. It equips him to see beyond the confines of his own field, for with his ac- quisitive frame of mind he is constantly seeking greater opportunities for service. It enables him to grasp new situations and gives him a right perspective of life. It makes him doubly happy in that he knows what genuine success and true happiness in life mean. It has been truly said that “the liberally educated mind is the greatest natural power in the world.” A Liberal Education Enables the Mind to Exercise Its Functions With Ease and Grace 21 “The Value of a College Education Cannot Be Stressed Too Strongly” PATRICK E. CROWLEY, President of the New York Central Railroad. ^ that one can over-emphasize the importance of a college education. It equips the mind for logical analysis and research, not only along the lines for which special preparation is made, hut in other directions. ''There will always be a great need for those who are trained to think straight and intelligently, and as a means to that end the value of a college education cannot he stressed too strongly.” P. E. Crowley. 22 ^BUT I CANNOT AFFORD TO GO TO COLLEGE’’ WHAT you really mean is that you cannot afford not to go to college.No one should say that they cannot “afford” to go to college. That is not the spirit that wins. You are half beaten before you start if you give voice to any statement like that. You cannot afford not not to go to college because if you want to go You Too Can surely some way by which you can secure the Q * AV II necessary funds. If you set out with grim determina-secure A College . . Education. tion, with your heart set on a college education, and rk XT X -lA • # are ready to do any honorable work that will help you reach your goal, nothing on earth can stop you. Capi- talize your assets. If you can type, take notes in shorthand, drive an automobile, tutor, report, paint, decorate, care for steam generation plants, keep books, supervise the preparations of foods, wait on table, sell merchandise, or do any one of the things which must be done in every college or in every college town or city, you will be able to make at least enough to care for your living expenses. During the summer months you can devote your full time to some remunerative work that will allow you to save enough to pay for your tuition and incidental expenses. Reports prepared by some of the leading colleges and universities on the activities of self-supporting students, show that they are engaged in all sorts of occupations outside of and during school hours. In one of our larger universities 60 students were employed as waiters in the college commons, 2 served as janitors, 20 as prefects, 10 as stenographers, 55 as secretaries, a large number as correctors, 10 as clerks and bookkeepers, and 2 as chauffeurs. The usual rate paid for such work was 50c. per hour. The students working in the town near which the university is located earned on the average about $8.00 a week for two hours work. Most of them were employed as salesmen, clerks, and waiters. Not only did they thus secure the funds necessary to put themselves through college, but in many cases worked into responsible executive positions in the course of time. It is generally true that employers seeking college graduates give preference to those who have earned at least a substantial part of their expenses while at school. They feel that self-supporting students secure a lot of valuable practical business experience in the occupations in which they are engaged. Such students are generally acknowledged to have “both feet on the ground.” They have no false conceptions of what the world “owes” them, nor are they unwilling to accept subordinate positions. They are usually a selected lot, in the sense that they possess certain qualities which enable them to pay for their education from their own 23 earnings. Success in self-support depends upon the student himself. He must possess certain indispensable qualities, such as good health, strong character, pleasing personality, industry and reliability. And these qualities are just the assets a man needs to achieve a large success in any line of work. The student who expects to work his way through college cannot hope to do so if he is handicapped by “conditions” or poor scholastic training at entrance. If he is thus handicapped at the very outset it will be utterly impossible for him to make up his scholastic deficiencies and at the same time earn enough to support himself. It must also be borne in mind that the amount of assistance he can expect to receive in the way of scholarships, loans, etc., will be in direct proportion to his scholastic success. Moreover, students who expect to be self-supporting should not enter college without a reserve fund with which to provide for imme- diate needs or unexpected contingencies. It should be at least $300.00. Nor should students ever attempt to earn more than is required to care for their expenses. While you are in college devote as much time as possible to your studies. The time you devote to outside work should not interfere with your studies. Also bear in mind that it is not a disgrace to have to work your way through college. Some of the country’s biggest men secured their education in this way. In doing so you do not lose standing in the eyes of your fellows. Honest labor of any kind is dignified. Remember that the Master worked as a carpenter many years of his life. A genuine appreciation of the lot of those who must labor with their hands is some- thing that every college man should nurture in his heart. If you have to work your way through college, do not be ashamed of it. In considering whether you can afford a college education or not, you should remember that the greater part of the cost is for purely living ex- penses which must be met no matter what you are doing. The outlay for tuition, books and fees is comparatively small. If you can tide your- self over the first semester by using your reserve fund, there is no question but that you can secure employment of some sort before the opening of the second term. You should be willing to do almost an5dhing in your first year. But thereafter you will find that if you are conscientious in your work that chances for higher earnings will be presented to you. If you bring energy, ambition and tenacity of purpose to bear on your great problem—earning your way through college—you need have no fear of the ultimate outcome. In the end, stripping the proposition of all its if’s and and’s, it is really a question of how strongly you have set your heart on securing a higher education. Grim Toilers of the Night Have Climbed to Heights Undreamt Of While Their Brothers Slept 24 What Is the Greatest Benefit? WHAT DO COLLEGE MEN THINK OF THEIR COLLEGE TRAINING? YOU may want to know what college men think of the training they received during college days. Do they feel that it benefited them? What do they consider the most important values they received from their courses? It is not difficult to answer these questions. You may think that the greatest benefit derived would be the acquisition of knowledge that would be helpful in one’s lifework. However, this is not so. College graduates are one in saying that the most important value received was from contacts with fellow-students and with the faculty. These contacts gave them a knowledge of human nature, taught them the great value of a just estimate of human relations—enabled them to master the first processes of that science which has been rightly termed the most compli- ' cated and useful science of all. No inconsiderable part of the tutoring in this age-old science is, of course, done by able and learned professors. As the years advance college men look back and thank God in their hearts that He so ordained their lives that they were able to sit at the feet of great philosophers or scientists who gave to them of their boundless knowledge and experience. Next in order comes the benefit derived from the unfolding of the powers of vision—the acquision of ability to see one’s possibilities of success and service—the inspiration to seek higher and nobler things. Through study of the lives of the successful men of the ages the college student lives in an atmosphere of great things. He has a chance to study success and to plan a successful life. Closely approaching in value the broadening of one’s views of life — in the estimation of college graduates—comes the knowledge of certain subjects essential for advancement in one’s chosen work; also the ability to think, acquired through the cultivation of studious and orderly habits. They would heartily endorse the message of advice of one college president to incoming students: “Use your head. Learn to think. Learn to think by thinking, for that is the only way.” Ask any college man if he feels his training was worth while. Ask him if the time expended in securing it was time wasted. Ask him if he would advise you to go to college. Ask your pastor, your parents or your teachers. Do not be afraid to ask college trained men or women in any walk of life. Convince yourself of the value of a college education- then no one can keep you from acquiring it. Ask College Men and Women If You Should Continue Your Schooling—They Know 25 ‘'The Catholic College Strives to Produce the Complete Man” REV. JAMES H. RYAN, D.D., Ph.D., Rector, Catholic University of America ^JIHE graduate of a Catholic College owes a very special debt of service to the community. The reason for this statement is more or less obvious. The Catholic College has committed itself to the training not only of scholars but of Christian scholars. Over and above the science it teaches, and vitalizing it all as the sun^s rays do the world in which we live, are the lessons of character the college inculcates. Its theory of education always has been that the training of the mind, no matter how well done, is not its exclusive task. To knowledge it adds education of the will, and considers its work incomplete where heart and mind have not been so attuned to the truth that its graduates will not only love knowl- edge above all things, but will also pursue justice at any hazard. It strives to produce the complete man; it strives to educate towards complete living.'* James H. Ryan. 26 THE CATHOLIC RELIGION IS THE HEART OF IN- STRUCTION IN EVERY CATHOLIC COLLEGE Christ Reigns Supreme in the Catholic College Catholic educators do not share the delusion that an education which provides for the stimulation and enrichment of the intellectual faculties has at the same time a morally elevating influence in hmnan life. The Bishops in speaking of Catholic education in their Pastoral Letter of 1919 said: “An education that quickens the intelligence and enriches the mind with knowledge, but fails to develop the will and direct it to the practice of virtue, may produce scholars, but it cannot produce good men.” Catholic education aims at developing side by side the moral and intellectual faculties of the student, so that on graduation he will not only have his intellectual powers developed to the fullest extent, but will also possess that prime requisite for genuine success in life, namely, an upright and manly conscience. The Catholic college student is taught that he must first of all be a good man. Catholic colleges do not harbor moral lepers. Not many college presidents have ever closed an appeal to their alumni for new students with the Christian admonition: “Above all, send us good men.” Yet these are the words used by the president of one of our largest Catholic colleges in a recent appeal of this kind. A firm belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ is the first contribution of every Catholic college to the education of its charges, for the Catholic religion is the heart of instruction in every Catholic educational institu- tion. The crucifix in every classroom is a constant reminder of the cruci- fied Christ—the God-man who died that others might live. The sanctified lives of cultured men and women, devoting their great talents to the prose- cution of a high ideal, cannot help but make an indelible impression on the minds of young souls eagerly seeking after truth. Who can measure the great good done through the religious teachers in Catholic colleges, who would attempt to determine the tremendous contribution to Catholic education and national welfare made by these worthy subjects of Christ who have led so many to be true followers of the Cross? By example and percept the Catholic college imparts to its charges a religious training that carries them triumphantly through the battles of life; it affords them the rare opportunity of forming their character under teachers who believe implicitly in and practice unremittingly the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christ reigns supreme in the Catholic college. The Results From Money Invested in A Catholic College Educa tion Reach Not Through Time But Through Eternity 27 IN THE YEARS TO COME WILL YOU BE COUNTED AS ONE OF THE NOTABLE MEN OR WOMEN OFAMERICA? WILL YOUR NAME BE FOUND IN "WHO'S WHO"? 28 College Men are Leaders While less than 1 per cent of American men are college graduates, this 1 per cent has furnished: 50 per cent, of the Secretaries of the Treasury. 55 per cent, of our Presidents. 54 per cent, of the Vice-Presidents. 36 per cent, of the members of Congress. 47 per cent, of the Speakers of the House. 62 per cent, of the Secretaries of State. 67 per cent, of the Attorneys General. 69 per cent, of the Justices of the Supreme Court. Today More Than Ever the Need of Leadership is Paramount 29 The Catholic College Student Should Remember That — If his heart is not in his work, no person or institution can educate him. College is a place of high opportunity for serious minded men and women. Education for his lifework has only begun at Comm^ence- ment. He is obligated by his superior training to aid in the better- ment of his less fortunate fellow-Catholics. The real purpose of education is the creation of good character. The prime object of a college education is not to attain the pinnacle of worldly or social success. The eyes of the world are on him—judging him at all times and in all places. Against all odds, the character and application to work, win. The Catholic college stands for moral cleanliness and honest competition. A vocation is a gift of God. \ The Catholic College Graduate Must he a Model of Christian Morality 30 A VOCATION TO THE RELIGIOUS LIFE IS A GIFT OF GOD When the Still, Small Voice Speaks—Listen! I F you feel that you have a religious vocation, guard it as you would your very soul. A vocation to the religious life is truly a gift of God. Through all the centuries Christ has been waiting patiently for you to follow in His footsteps. He has placed a craving in your soul which will never be satisfied in any secular pursuit, no matter what success you may achieve. A neglected vocation will haunt you and taunt you to your dying day. Every Catholic college student who finds a religious life appeals to him, is al- most in conscience bound to give it a trial. If he does not, the great question will forever go unanswered: “Would I have found true happiness if I had spent my life in His service?” The fields are white for the harvest. From far-off China comes the cry: “More Priests, more Brothers and more Sisters!” It is echoed and re-echoed around the world until it would seem that even the dead must hear, but still the cry goes in part unanswered. In our own fair land we find priests with parishes as large as all Ireland, who spend their short lives traveling between widely separated missions where fresh food is unknown and living accommodations are such that their squalidness beggars de- scription. Bishops in the Western dioceses are begging for priests, while those in the populous dioceses of the East are pleading for Brothers and Sisters to man their schools. Do you feel that you have a vocation ? If so, do not neglect it ; nourish and cherish it. Ask your confessor to guide you. Open your heart to him and abide by his decision. If you hear Christ calling you during your college days, even if ever so faintly, do not let the divine whisper go unheeded. Do not gamble away an actual or potential vocation through porcastination or failure to give the religious life at least a fair trial. When Christ Calls, Do Not Fail to Answer 31 The American Hierarchy on the Need of Higher Education 'W; deem it necessary at this time to emphasize the value for our people of higher education, and the importance of providing and receiving it under Catholic auspices. *Would that even now, as we trust will surely come to pass in the future, the work of education were so ordered and estab- lished that Catholic youth might proceed from our Catholic elementary schools to Catholic schools of higher grade and in these attain the object of their desires.' This vuish and ideal of our predecessors, in a gratifying measure has been realized through the establishment of Catholic high schools and the development of our Catholic colleges. These have more than doubled in number; they have enlarged their facilities and adjusted their courses to modern requirements. We con- gratulate their directors and teachers, and with them we see in the present condition of their institutions, the possibility and the promise of further achievement in accordance with their own aspirations." From the 1919 Pastoral Letter OF THE American Hierarchy. 32 INCREASE IN STUDENT ENROLLMENT IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, 1920*1924 TOTAL ENROLL- 1920-33,798 MENT INCLUDING EXTENSION AND 1922-48,888 SUMMER SCHOOL STUDENTS 11924-60,169 11,281 = 23% INCREASE EXCLUDING EXTEN- 1922 ^ 35,3 1 8 SION AMD SUMMER SCHOOL STUDENTS l<)24 ^40482 5,164= 14.6 %INCR'SE COLLEGES OF ARTSAND SCIENCES fl922- 15,187 11924-21.625 6,438 = 42.4% INCREASE PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS 1922- 18,716 11924-22,213 3,497 = 18% INCREASE SUMMER SCHOOLS 1922-9,326 .1924-13,640 46% INCREASE EXTENSION [1922—4,244 | COURSES [ _g g |gQ3 ,42% IncREASE 33 “Our Great Successful Physicians of Today Are College Men" JAMES J. WALSH, M.D., Eminent Physician and Author, Author of The Thirteenth Greatest of Centuries, Health Throvgh Will Power, etc. ‘ ^J^HE practice of medicine is one of the most satisfying of professions for it provides so much occupation with others that it keeps a man from thinking much about himself— and that is the secret of happiness in life. There is not one chance in a thousand of a man making a real success in the practice of medicine however unless he has a good education to begin with. Our great successful physicians of today are college men. Osier was the type. Few men have had such varied cultural interests as Osier and his biography quite contrary to expectations has been one of the best sellers of the year. The man who has the chance or can make it to get a college education and does not is turning down the best oppor- tunity for success and happiness in life that there is.'* James J. Walsh. 34 ARE THERE ANY CATHOLIC PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS? Many Catholics are under the impression that only a liberal educa-tion can be secured under Catholic auspices. Fortunately, such is not the case. The Church in her wisdom has provided a complete edu- cational system, from the kindergarten to the university. In 1924 there were over 20,000 stu- dents enrolled in the 117 professional or graduate schools controlled by the Catholic Church. The institutions reporting in 1924 are classified below according to the type of courses offered. Continue Your Edu- cation In A Catholic Atmosphere Type of School Number Students Commerce and Finance and Foreign Trade 27 5771 Dentistry 6 2017 Education 28 2303 Engineering 12 1571 Graduate 27 2261 Journalism 9 399 Law 19 5627 Medicine 5 1441 Pharmacy 6 823 It is evident that anyone interested in securing a professional education under Catholic auspices would experience little or no difficulty in doing so. If you are considering further training after you complete your college education, it would be wise to study very carefully the requirements and possibilities of the various professions. In many of them the expense and long period of preparation are serious considerations. All law and dental schools require at least a year of college training at the present time, while some demand two years. The American Medical Association, by which all Catholic medical schools are rated as Class A, requires that all accredited medical schools accept only students who can present credits for two years of pre-medical work done in a standard college. Read what Dr. James J. Walsh, the eminent Catholic physician and author,, has to say on the opposite page about the value of a college education in the medical profession. America needs more Catholic doctors, lawyers, authors, architects, engineers, certified accountants, surgeons and teachers. Professional men trained under Catholic auspices can do a tremendous amount of good in the ordinary discharge of their duties. The ethical training they receive not only enables them to choose between what is good and evil, but to point out to others the folly of tampering with either the laws of nature, God or man. As soon as you have decided on a profession you should ask the Dean of your college to secure information for you from the Catholic institutions offering training in your chosen field. If he is unable to supply the information, the N. C. W. C. Bureau of Education at Washington, D. C., will be only too willing to go to any trouble to do so. The Catholic Professional School Inculcates Superior Ideals 35 “To Obtain the Most Thorough Preparation Is Worth Almost Any Sacrifice” HON. WENDELL PHILLIPS STAFFORD, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. ^J WOULD not say a word to discourage an ambitious young man from preparing for the legal profession even if he found it impossible to go to college. Industry and native ability have overcome greater obstacles than that. But it is only fair to say that, owing to sharper and sharper competi- tion, every year makes the lack of such preliminary training a heavier handicap; and the same qualities that make success possible without it should enable one to secure that education and thereby to become a better and more successful lawyer. To obtain the most thorough preparation is worth almost any sacrifice.'' Wendell P. Stafford. 36 THE WORLD DOES NOT OWE THE COLLEGE GRADUATE A LIVING WHEN you graduate from college do not for a moment think thatyour education has ended. It has only begun. Do not think that all the knowledge in the world is to be found in your head, unless you want to be fearfully humiliated and lose precious years in readjusting your scheme of life after your awakening. We said that your education Work Harder would continue after college—it does. The world « takes you in hand and proceeds through a series of How To Get knocks to demonstrate to you that it has no Kesults appointed place for your feet to rest on—that if you are looking for a niche in the hall of fame you must proceed to chisel it out yourself. Do not try to tell the world you are a college graduate—prove it. Make it see and feel that you are one by the things you accomplish. Education was never supposed to function as a substitute for natural ability, initiative, resourcefulness, pluck and hard work. Because you can place a few letters from the alphabet behind your name do not think you are miraculously endowed with powers of prevision or infallibility. Never think you are too dignified to accept a subordinate position. Many college men and women fail, and fail miserably and often. The basic reason for failure in many cases is an over-estimation of self-importance. There is no substitute for hard work. Many college graduates fritter their lives away. They change from one position to another without knowing why they do so. If asked, they reply that the new opening offers greater opportunities. This is not true. The bitter truth—they are ashamed to admit it—is that through lack of application they have failed to give satisfaction and consequently have not merited advancement. All great industrial organizations refuse to employ “drifters.” If another position offers greater opportunities, by all means accept it ; but be sure you have fitted yourself for its increased responsibilities through a record of genuine service. Do not look for the easy road to success; you will never find it. “Clock-watchers” and “clock-dodgers” never achieve lasting success. Fall in love with your chosen life work, work at it early and late, be loyal to your employers, watch their interests as you would your very own, make yourself indis- pensable; then questions such as income, advancement, and recognition in your profession will care for themselves. A college education only gives you the tools with which to work for advancement—use them to advantage. The Number of Difficulties Overcome are the Best Mile-posts by Which to Judge Your Progress on the Road to Success 37 “In the Field of Letters, the Work Done in College Saves the Student From Years of Blundering’' AGNES REPPLIER Nationally Known Essayist and Poet Contributor to Atlantic Monthly and other Magazines. “ ^Jj^HERE is no walk in life which is not trodden more securely and more ably by the college graduate than by the high school graduate. There is no work worth doing for which his equipment is valueless. Life itself puts on a different aspect to him—less crude and more dignified, less commonplace and more nobly interesting. **In the field of letters, the work done in college saves the student from years of blundering. He has standards, and some conception of taste. He has a little knowledge, and possibly a desire for more. The world of books has been opened to him under fair auspices. To the cultivation of the college is added the distinction of the Church. He has his start fairly and squarely. The rest depends on himself."' Agnes Repplier. 38 THE HIGHER EDUCATION OF CATHOLIC WOMEN Enroll in the Crusade for A Better America A CATHOLIC college education fits a Catholic woman more perfectlyto do her work in the world. She is enabled through higher education to fulfill more completely her part in the divine plan. It teaches her what woman’s real dignity consists in. A religious education such as the Catholic girl receives in a Catholic college helps to maker her a perfect instrument in the hand of God. Never perhaps in history has there been greater need for Catholic women with a higher education. America’s future in large part depends on them. It depends on them because many college women in America today are running amuck. They are sponsoring theories which are inimical to the best interests of America. They are the graduates of colleges in which professors teach doctrines that run contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church on the place of woman in the home and in public life. These doctrines have come to be clothed with a certain amount of respectability and .are finding advocates in the most unsuspected places. Such doctrines are the tenets of highly respected professors in some of our great secular •colleges for women. These men who are learned but not educated are at their best when they are expounding the “enlightened” theories of Malthus, Darwin or Mill. The propagation of such teachings can do naught else but rob woman of her dignity and tear her down from the high plane to which she was raised in that wondrous hour when Mary consented to become the mother of Christ. Self-realization, equal rights, and similar fantastic doctrines are not taught in Catholic colleges for women. When one considers that religion is not an integral part of the education given women in secular colleges, it is not to be wondered at that on graduation they do everything possible to defeat God’s plan, to spurn the sublime privilege of sharing in His divine act of creation. The disastrous effects of the propagation of such doctrines amongst the better educated women of America can only be offset by the wholesome infiuence of the graduates of our Catholic colleges. The Catholic woman who is fortunate enough to secure a higher educa- tion should not allow herself to become submerged after graduation. She should accept her education as a trust which is not to be put in a safe deposit box, but is to be used for the common good. Our American Catholics are in great need of intellectual leaders. Without such leaders the Catholic Church will never influence profoundly the life and thought of America. The graduates of our Catholic colleges for women have a tendency to neglect the things of the mind in post-school days. They seem 39 to forget that in order to render real service to their less fortunate sisters they must lead an intellectual life. They seem to be possessed of an “inferiority complex.” Why should they be timid about entering the professions, backward in organizing social service agencies, or hesitate foran instant to participate in the thousand and one activities in which they are eminently fitted to succeed because of their splendid education? Read what Agnes Repplier has to say on the opposite page relative to the value of a college education. She has won distinction in her field. She has multiplied the talents God gave her. Would that more of the gradu- ates of our Catholic women’s colleges would follow her example! Our Catholic college,women must be among the pioneers in the religious and intellectual reformation of America. It is not their privilege, it is their high duty. The sheepskin that the Catholic woman’s college gives to its graduate does not entitle her to spend the rest of her life in a mental stupor, utterly oblivious to the needs of her Church or her people; it is rather a commission to continue unremittingly her quest after knowledge, a commission to spend the rest of her days in unselfish service of God, Church and country. The influence of the graduates of our Catholic women’s colleges should increase a thousand fold through the years. Number yourself amongst the great army of Catholic women that will mightily influence the future life of America. Enroll in a Catholic woman’s college. Try to Fill the Place the Creator Willed for You in His Eternal Plan 40 “When I Was of School Age Very Little Thought Was Given to a College Education for Girls” HON. MARY T. NORTON. Member of Congress, New Jersev. ‘ rjlHERE has never been a time in the history of our Nation when the necessity for a Catholic College Education was more evidenced than it is today. ''It is a matter of great regret to me, personally, that when I was of school age very little thought was given to a college education for girls. A high school education seemed all that was necessary at that time, hut since then, with changing con- ditions and far greater opportunity for women to develop, a college education has now become almost a necessity to the hoy or girl who expects to progress in business, in the professions or in public service. "I would, therefore, urge upon every father and mother in our country today to make sacrifices, if necessary, so that their children may go forward in this progressive age fully qualified to fill positions of honor and trust in service to God and Country.^* Mary T. Norton, M.C. 41 “The Menace of False Philosophy Can Be Effectively Combated Only by the Graduates of Our Catholic Colleges” ADMIRAL WILLIAM S. BENSON, Chief of U. S. Naval Operations during World War. OR a time I have had the conviction that the Catholic Church alone can save America from the evils which even now are threatening her. Through all the years of our national existence, America has been a land of Christian ideals. These ideals have safeguarded us in our rights and liberties. There are signs of a departure from our principles and tradi- tions. In their plan there is even now an attempt to substi- tute a materialistic system which takes no account of God or religion. ''Serious minded men see that the menace of this false philosophy can be effectively combated only by the graduates of our Catholic colleges. They will in time be called upon to vindicate the great truths of the Catholic Church, which for ages, and often at the risk of persecution has stood as a mighty bulwark against the radicals and revolutionaries who would destroy both civil and religious liberty. Every effort should therefore be made to increase the number of our Catholic college graduates.'' William S. Benson. 42 HIGHER EDUCATION AND CATHOLIC LEADERSHIP WE find on the opposite page a statement by one of the most distin-guished members of the Catholic laity on the value of a Catholic College education. The words of a man who has occupied positions of trust in the highest councils of the nation should carry great weight with our young people of to-day. In the discharge of his official duties he has More Leaders served in all parts of the world. He has consequently A Greater been able to observe peoples in all climes and under all Church conditions. His words have the ring of authority. This great Catholic leader is convinced that the salva- tion of America rests in large part in the hands of the graduates of our Catholic colleges. In his public utterances he has always laid special emphasis on the need of training leaders for the Catholic laity. It goes without saying that our Catholic colleges alone can produce them. Our people are sadly in need of leaders. It has been pointed out time and again in the Catholic press that there are more intellectual leaders to be found among the three million Catholics in Ireland and even among the two million Catholics in England, than among the twenty odd million in the United States. We are in dire need of scientists, artists, builders, statesmen and scholars. It is generally agreed that education is power. Power, influence and prestige will inevitably follow the higher education of our Catholic people in larger numbers. A broader, sounder and more liberal education for even a goodly part of the laity will enable American Catholics to greatly influence American life. A larger and more intelli- gent participation by them in public life will secure for Catholics the representation they deseiwe in the councils of state and nation. True leaders for any cause must be buoyed up with an over-abundance of earnest enthusiasm, devotion and self-sacrifice. They must be drawn from the ranks of our Catholic young men and women. The training of future lay leaders is the particular mission of the Catholic college. The problems that the Catholic leader must tackle are many and varied. They are economic, social and political. They concern art, literature, family life and international relations. In bringing forward Catholic principles for the solution of these problems the Catholic lay leader not only directs Catholics, but non-Catholics as well. In doing so the in- fluence of the Church is spread throughout society in general. Such leadership calls for unusual men and women. It calls for men and women possessed of initiative to a marked degree. The Catholic college gives this quality to its students, through training them to think for themselves. Initiative of the proper sort calls for fearlessness. The Catholic leader must be ready at all times to condemn lax morals, to frown 43 on the commercializing of marriage, and to denounce political corruption. He must always champion the truth with voice and pen. Slanders and lies hurled at the great truths of religion must be nailed as soon as uttered. It is true that he will often wage his battles single-handed, for one who runs counter to the general trend of the times will not be popular; but his knowledge of what constitutes the better things of life, his true grasp of the sound principles that must govern hiunan conduct, will enable him to weather any storm. More and more leaders for the Catholic laity is the cry of the hour. In the words of Admiral Benson: “Every effort should therefore be made to increase the number of our Catholic college graduates.” Prepare for Catholic Leadership by Receiving a Catholic Higher Education 44 WRITE THIS ON YOUR HEART: 'TF I GO TO COLLEGE I WILL STICK TO THE FINISH” Let Nothing Swerve You From Your Course A STUDY of the number of students entering college and remaininguntil graduation was conducted by the U. S. Bureau of Education in 1918. The findings show that of every 1,000 students entering college, 285 drop out in the first year, 179 in the second, 122 in the third, and 94 in tne fourth. Therefore, of every 1,000 pupils entering college, 678 do not remain to graduate. In other words, only 322 students out of every 1,000 entering the first year remain until the close of the fourth. The greatest loss, approxi- mately 30 per cent, is experienced in the first year. An even 25 per cent drop out in the second year. The losses in the junior and senior years are very nearly the same—a little over 22 per cent in each case. The percentage of pupils dropped or discontinuing during the entire four years is 68 per cent. From the foregoing it is evident that only one-third of the students who enter college remain to graduate. Why should there be such a terrific loss? What are the known reasons for such wholesale discontinuance? They are many and varied. Much of the elimination is due to poor prepa- ration for college work—lack of application on the part of the student dur- ing his high school days. And next comes that curse of all college students — “sliding through,” “loafing,” “getting by”—call it what you will—which in many ways is the greatest destroyer of them all. Many students get the mistaken notion that they can acquire education by friction, by rubbing elbows with it. There is no royal road to learning; at least, if there is, it does not lead through the portals of the Catholic college, for throughout the four years of the course a merciless weeding out of the undesirables is carried on. Lack of a definite aim in life accounts for many more losses. Students do not seem to know what they are in college for, they do not seem to know where they are going. They are in college because their parents sent them or because they wanted to secure a “white-collar” job on graduation; and it may be that they were moved to enroll through the vain hope of gaining “social prestige” by attendance at an institution of higher learning. The strenuous round of mental activity quickly eliminates such aimless gentlemen. Some losses are unavoidable—they cannot be prevented. For instance, sickness, lack of funds and removal from locality are factors over which students have no control. If you are convinced of the value of a college education, you can be sure that you will not be a victim of any of these so-called “eliminators.” If you intend to go to college, you should apply youself assiduously to 45 your high school studies—you should lay a solid foundation for the super- structure—a college education. After you get to college do not squander your most valuable asset—time. Do not waste it—control its expenditure yourself. The attitude toward life you take in the first year of your college work will profoundly infiuence your attitude toward life in the years to come. Decide what you want to do and stick to it. Do not let others place doubts in your heart. Do not swerve from your purpose. If you want to be a doctor, you can become one ; if you wish to follow the Master, do not falter—He will help you fulfill your dream. If you must drop out for economic reasons—work and work hard—save your money and return to complete your course. Do not lose sight of your goal — a college education. Write this message on your heart ; “If I go to college I will stick to the finish.” The World Makes Way for the Man Who Knows Where He is Going 46 Catholic School Authoriiies Should See That A Copy Of “WHY A CATHOLIC COLLEGE EDUCATION?” Is Placed In The Hands Of Every Catholic High School Student, PRICE OF THIS BOOKLET: Single Copies, 10 cents In Lots of 100 or More, 8 cents each m Address: N. C. W. C. PUBLICATIONS DEPARTMENT 131? Massachusetts Avenue, N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C. 47 Publications of the Department of Education OF THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION—A 98-page handbook of information concerning the organization and administration of the Catholic school system in the United . States 25 THE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL—A 48-page pamphlet given over to discussion of facts pertinent to Catholic high school education. As effective a piece of propaganda as has ever been published. An invaluable aid to executives planning a campaign for increased enrollment 10 PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND STATE LAWS—A monograph giving the actual source of material on the much-agitated question of private school legislation $1.50 FOODS AND NUTRITION—An ideal guide-book and text for normal training school, college, and junior and senior high school classes studying nutrition. Profusely illus- trated with pen and ink sketches 75 HEALTH THROUGH THE SCHOOL DAY—A study of the modern health movement in the school and a course of .study for elementary schools 75 ENCYCLICAL OF HIS HOLINESS, POPE PIUS XI, ON THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OF YOUTH 10 THE CASE AGAINST A FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION—Contains an outline history of Federal legislation on the subject of education and a collection of all the important arguments against federalization 25 THE DIRECTORY OF CATHOLIC COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS—A biennial publication containing complete and authoritative data concerning the 9,000 Catholic educational institutions in the United States THE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY LIST— A list of 1,000 or more books suitable for use in a Catholic high school library BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE ANNUAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE CATHOLIC EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION, 1904-1923—A handbook prepared to aid Catholic educa- tors in locating material on any subject dealt with in these volumes 75 . A COURSE IN CIVICS FOR PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS— A pamphlet that will help teachers make a practical be- ginning in civic instruction in the elementary grades 25 7