Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 9.djvu/438

 LOUVAIN 3!

Besides the official profcramme of legal studies, the university develops aa it best plesBes tlic various branches of special teachine. This development has been conHidcrable. The Utiiver^lty of Louvaiii has had a large ahare in the scientific movement of the country. "LeMouvement scientifique on Belgique", a recent and importtwnt pubhcatioii from the <lopiirt- jnent of Bciences aiid arbt, enalilos one to judge of the prominent place it occupies in all the brandies. Tho University of Louvain is the only one in Belgium that has a theological faculty, and this fai^ulty ix Cutholio in virtue of the fundantentol principle of the inutitu- tjon itself. The doctorate, which requires six years ot extra study after the completion of the seminary course, is an academic event. It is not conferred every year, but the scries of dissertations is alreaily impoi^ tant. The Amaricaa College, treated in another arti- cle of this "Encyclopedia, is connected with this faculty. The non-ecclesiastic faciihies have also grown considerably and numerous foundations of in- eUtutes and special choirs have been added. As a

5 LOUVAIN

guish t\^o groups of studies niid diplomas. Some on primarily professional; they pave the way to n lucra- tive careor. They liave a scitntilic biBis and the worli Is serioTis; out among the auditors there are niuilc a numiier who wiiih to du tho least amount of wiiric [lossilile. Then there are the special scientific courses, among which may l>e ranked certain pro- fes.'iional courses, for instance those preparaloi? to teaching. The profe:^-'ioiial diploinuA regulated by stale hiwa are chii'lly those of doi-tor in mwiicine, sur- gery, a[i({ obstetrirK, pharmacy, doctor in law, notary, tlic doctor ill pjiilosophy and letters (especially with a view to teaching iuiiguagcs aiid history), in nature »<cienc<«, m:itliumati('^, mining and civil eneineeriiig. It i^ not possible to analyse here the courses leadiiie to these diplomas, as this would involve the entire his- tory of higher professional teaching. Side by side witD these pro);rammc9 is a series of specialties, the importance of which is indicated by the titles: doctor- ate iu social and political, or poUtical and diplo- matic sciences, commercial or colonial sciences; higher

and the ancient faculties of law and philosophy have shared in the development.

Before giving an outline of the work of the univer- sity it is well to say a word regarding its character. For a long time, as was everywhere else the cose, the auditive, receptive meUiod prevailed. This is no longer so. Hie constant effort is to stimulate love of woMc and petsoiutl initiative, especially among the students who show ability. These earnest workers are inraeuiDg in number, for they fmd within their reftch both iiiBtrumenta and methods. The prefer- ence for research has thus become <(uite marke<l, par- ticularly during the past twenty-five years. I'nivcr- sity work is not at OU, then, a mere preparation for a profesnon. On the {Mut of the profrxiiors it is serious scientific investigation; and so it i» with the students who are being carefully directed along the samii lines. As a consequence, the courses of ntu- com- plete and instructive account n-hicli makes up a large volume. Activity on the part of the professors and personal collaboration of student and teachers arc therefore characteristic features of ^e present con- (lltion of university life.

As we liave already pointrrt out, one must distin-

philoi^pliv: mural and historical scii-nces; urchK^logy; Oriental literature and loiigiiagcs (Semitic or Indo- Eurojican). The historical and linguistic doctoratea are. a^ aforementioned, professional also. I''urther, there is a doctorate in natnnil seieiices, mathematics, (uii-ration; ami while each of the various lirjnclies prescn'en its nutunumy, the work of the university as a whole is also vei^- fniitful. These institutes art' <iuite nunierous; it will Ix; sulhcient to name a few. The higlier philoHoiiliical inslilute (In- stitut sup'-rieur de i)liilosopliie), due to the initiative of Pope Irf'o XIII, is hase<l on the teaching of St. Thomas of A(|uin. It wiis organized by I'rofessor Mercier, lieod of tho school of nco-scholnstic philoso- phy, and now Cnrdinnl .Archbishop of tieehlin. Hia works are known the world over, among them "La Revue Xi''0-McolaHtiquf: ", of which he is the founder. The school of political and social sciences (I/Ecole dee seieiiccs polili(|ues et sociales) annexed to the faculty of Liw mid line to the initiative of the minister ot State, Professor van den licuvel, has produced an im- portant series ot publications, a.r«l taa tt&&s^^^»^^ courses eonteivwces i-S vi \>Ta.t\wi\ s\\a.-^'W**^ - "vt»'™^