Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 17.djvu/387

 HILOEBS 371 HISTORICAL

had given him more satisfaction than his rnember- and combined with its Recoids the ''American

ship in the Church. Catholic Historical Researches," which had been

Science (1916); Walsh in Ave Maria (1916); iMw't Who started by Dr. A. A. Lambing, of Scottdale, Pennsyl-

m Science in Amenca. ^^^^^ -^^ jgg^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^ y^^^^ j^^^^ y^ j^^^^j^

JAMES J. WALSH. j j q^,.^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^.^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^j^

Hilgen, Joseph, theological writer, b. at Kuck- Sets of the "Records" have been placed in nearly

hoven, Rhenish Province, Germany, on 9 Septem- aU the reference libraries of the United States, thus

her, 1858; d. at Rome in 1918; son of Joseph and preserving against loss and making available for

Josephine Hilgers. He was educated in the German students of history a great wealth of American

College in Rome, and won his doctorates of phi- Catholic chronicles and documents theretofore

losophy and theology. He was ordained in 1882, unpublished.

and a year later entered the Society of Jesus. Until early m 1889 the Society's work was carried

After teaching for ten years he devoted himself ^^ ^^ a small room of the Philadelphia Philopatrian

entirely to writing, being an authority on indul- Institute. These quarters were then found inade-

gences and the Index. He was a frequent con- quate, and the Society migrated to the Athenseum

tributor to the "Stimmen aus Maria-Laach," "Linger Building, where it occupied the room which for

theologische Quartalschrift," "Civilita Cattolica," ^orty years had been the abode of the Penn^l-

"Zentralblatt fur Bibliothekswesen," and collabo- vania Historical Society. Within six years the

rated on Herder's "Kirchenlexikon" and "Konver- Catholic Historical Society had again outgrown its

sationslexikon," and the "Catholic Encyclopedia." quarters and in 1895 moved into a home of its own

Among his most notable works are "Der Index der a* 715 Spruce Street, a spacious old Colonial struc-

verbotenen Biicher" (1904), "Maria der Weg zu ture of many historical associations. The occasion

Christus"'(1907), "The Roman Index and Its Latest was celebrated by a reception to His Excellency,

Historian," "Das Goldene fur Priester und Volk," Archbishop Satolli, first Apostolic Delegate tp the

"Die katholische Lehre von den Abliissen" (1913); United States. Each of the four succeeding Apos-

he succeeded Beringer in publishing "Die ablasse," tohc delegates has been publicly received at the

his last edition of which contains a valuable history Society's headquarters and presented to the promi-

of indulgences. i^ent people. Catholic and non-Catholic, of the city

and State.

Historical Societies, Oathollc, in the Unptbd The Library and Cabinet of the American Cath-

SvATBS. — So far as is known, eight such Societies olic Historical Society, housed in its own building,

have been organized since 1884, with the object of is reputed to be among the foremost collections

making better known the Catholic past of the of Catholic Americana. It contains, besides books.

United States. They are: The American Catholic many valuable manuscripts and documents bearing

Historical Society, founded at Philadelphia in 1884; on the early histoiy of America and the contribu-

the United States Catholic Histoncal Society, tion of Catholics and Catholicity to our best

founded in New York in 1884; the Ohio Valley American traditions and civilization. It has also

Catholic Historical Society, founded in 1884— now a cabinet of historical relics of interest to Cath-

disbanded; the Brooklyn Catholic Historical olics, and prints and painting of kindred value.

Society, founded in 1901 — ^now disbanded; the New The library is in part classified and catalogued

England Catholie Historical Society, founded in and available for research work. The reading-room

1901 — ^inoperative; the Catholic Historical Society is open to the public, who have access there to a

of St. Paul, Minn., founded in 1905; the Maine rich file of Catholic newspapers and magazines.

Catholic Historical Society, begun in 1913; the Many activities akin to its immediate Catholic

Catholic Historical Society of St. Louis, foimded historical purposes have been sponsored by the

in 1917. All these societies limit the field of their Society. In 1892 it led the movement for the cele-

study to American Histoiy. bration of the quadricentennial of the discovery

American Catholic Historical Societt of Phila- of America, in which all the organizations of the

DELPHiA.-^This Society, the oldest Catholic historical Archdiocese of Philadelphia took part. In 1895 a

society in the United States, was established on course of illustrated Catholic histoncal lectures were

22 July, 1884, at the hall of the Cathedral Total given under the Society's direction in the Academy

Abstinence Beneficial Society. The call for the of Music, Philadelphia's ranking public hall. Other

organization of the Society was dated 4 July, and series of lectures by leading European and American

was signed by the Rev. P. A. Jordan, S. J., the scholars have been given by the Society in its own

Hev. John J. Elcock, the Rev. Dr. Thomas Middle- hall or in the Academy of Music. In 1896 the

ton, O. S. A., the Rev. Ignatius F. Horstmann, D. D., Society established an archivist in Rome in the

P. Beresford, Charles N. A. Esling, Francis T. person of the Rev. F. Kittell, who copied for pub-

Purey, W. J. Campbell, M. D., J. Carroll McCafifery, lication in the "Records" a series of invaluable State

F. X. Reuss, John H. Campbell, and Martin I. J. and Vatican papers bearine on the foundation and

Griffin. A charter was granted to the Society on development of the Church in America. This im-

26 December, 1885, by Judge Russell Thayer. Pope portant work had to be suspended on account of

Leo XIII extended his blessing to the Society on the Society's inadequate resources. In 1906 the

10 January, 1886, and on 6 September, 1886, Arch- president and board of managers lodged a vigorous

bishop Ryan gave it his formal approbation. The and scholarly protest against the use of certain

Society's first public meeting was neld on 30 April, mural paintings in the capitol at Harrisbiirg, on

1885, with Archbishop Ryan presiding. the ground of the historical misrepresentations of

Early in 1887 came the first fruit of the Society's the pictorial decorations,

promise to publish Catholic historical papers, volume * In its constitution the Society states its object

I of its "Records"; the « year 1889 saw the appear- to be the preservation and publication of Catholic

ance of the second volume, and 1891 brougnt the American historical documents, the investigation of

third volume — in all, up to that time, over 1200 American Catholic history, especially that of Phila-

pages of American Catholic historical sources. With delphia, and the development of interest in Catholic

volume IV the "Records" became a quarterly pub- historical questions. Its accomplishments may be

lication, and in 1921 it completed its thirty-second categorically enumerated as follows: first, it has

volume. Meantime, in 1913, the Society took over created the nucleus of a reference library and