Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/473

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 413 tion of the church. The first students, as we have seen, were brought from Italy, coming with Bishop Dubourg, but other students were attracted to the institution and it soon found that all that could be accommodated were ready for the mission. The first students of the college from Mis- souri were tlie sons of Joseph Pratte and Frederick Rozier, of Ste. Genevieve. Others came at various times from Kaskasliia, Ca- hokia, St. Louis, and Louisiana. Within a very short time the attendance had reached eighty students and in 1833 it was one hun- dred and thirty. The course of study covered a period of six years and included Latin, Greek, history, mathematics, chemistry, nat- ural philosophy, astronomy, geology, Eng- lish, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Christian doctrine and music were also taught and the last year of the course was devoted to the study of mental philosophy, embracing logic, metaphysics, cosmology, psychology, natural theology and ethics. This was the course required of college .students, and in addition to it the theological students, who were candidates for the priesthood, were re- quired to pursue a three years' course in theology, scripture, canon-law, ecclesiastical history and other subjects fitted for the training of priests. These courses of study were maintained at St. Mary's from its opening in 1818 until 1844. At that date St. Vincent's college was founded at Cape Girardeau and the classical or collegiate departments of St. Mary's were transferred there. St. Mary's was supported in a very large party by the fee for board and tuition. This varied from two to three hundred dollars for each student during the year of ten months. The equipment for the college in laboratories and libraries was in part donated and in pai't purchased b.y money given for the pur- pose. The library soon amoiuited to about 20,000 volumes and the laboratory equipment was good considering the time. The professors and students were accus- tomed to do missionary work in the surround- ing countrj% and it was a member of the faculty. Father John Timon, as we have seen, who began work in Cape Girardeau. Since the transfer of the collegiate depart- ment of St. Vincent's, St. Mary's has been conducted as a seminary for the education of priests. It has a large and well-equipped plant, in striking contrast to its first humble buildings, and is a well-conducted and power- ful institution. St. Vincent's College St. Vincent's had its beginning in a day school which was opened October 22, 1838, by Father Odin. He and another priest and a lay-brother conducted the school for two years. Sessions were held in buildings used for the church. In 1840, Father Odin was succeeded by Rev. Michael Domenech. At that time the day school was in a flourishing condition and Father Domenech determined to turn it into a college. The site for the col- lege had already been purchased, being in- cluded in the tract of forty acres bought from Robert Daugherty. The stone for the build- ing was quarried in 1842 and other prepar- ations made for its erection, which was begun in the spring of 1843. On the 27th day of February, 1843, the general assembly incorporated St. Vincent's College under the title of the president and faculty of St. Vincent's College. The in- corporators, all of whom were priests of the Congregation of the Mission, were Revs. John Timon. John Brandt, H. Figari, Joseph Pa- ciuin, J. F. McGerry and John Odin. The