Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/475

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 415 College aud accepted by them, and aceord- inglj', in 1859, the college opened as a strictly ecclesiastical seminarj-. This brought about a change in the presidency, and Father Smith was succeeded by Father James ]IcGill. Not mucli change was made in the curriculum of studies, except the addition of senior courses of philosophy and theology. The course was practically the same as that maintained at St. Mary's; it covered a space of six years and was concerned with practically the same studies. Gi'eat stress was laid upon the teaching of languages, both ancient and modern, and the commencement programs contained exercises, both original and selected, in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, German and English. Some of the men who were connected with St. Vincent's in these early years won for themselves high standing, both as scholars and teachers. One of these was the Rev. James Knowd. For more than twenty years he was professor of higher mathematics at St. Vincent's. He was not only .skilled in mathematics, but also in instruction. The mathematical course extended during the en- tire six years of the college work. Professor Knowd was a correspondent for the Smith- sonian Institution at Washington, and before the establishment of a weather bureau was accustomed to keep and transmit to the Smithsonian, weather observations. Another man who won distinction was Rev. John F. McGerry, professor of nat- ural science. He was especially interested in botany and gathered together in the gar- dens and greenhouses of the college a most remarkable collection of flowers and rare plants. These gardens were one of the show places of the town and were visited by a great many persons. The students of the college came from many places in the west. The first students were those transferred from St. Clary's Seminary. They were about seventy-five in number and the average attendance was be- tween one hundred and one hundred and fifty ; the greater part of these students com- ing from Louisiana and from the towns of St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve. Not a great many students were graduated for the examinations required of the appli- cant for graduation were very rigid. The first graduate was Angelo Navarro, of San Antonio. He received his degree July 29th, 1847. At the commencement of 1849, Charles Rozier, of Ste. Genevieve, and J. A. Leveque, of Baton Rouge, La., were graduated. The founding and maintenance of the college in its early years was a matter of very great difficulty. The great flood of 1844, shortly after the transfer of the students to the college, proved a severe trial. A part of the support of the institution was expected to come from the college farm, which lay south of town, and which at the time of the flood was covered with a crop of wheat and corn and vegetables. The high waters, how- ever, covered the farm to a depth of eight to ten feet and entirely destroyed the crops. The fences, too, were swept away, and most of the livestock was drovned. The college itself was too high above the river to be directly injured, but one effect of the flood after it had receded was an epidemic of sick- ness which broke out among the students. ]Iore than a hundred persons were sick at the same time, and there were two deaths, both members of the faculty, Revs. H. Raschini and H. Cercos. Two memorable calamities befell the col- lege in these years. In the winter of 1843- 1844, a steamboat, called the Sea Bird, was caught in the floating ice and tied up by her