The Aquinas 1932-04-15

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VOL. I, NO. 11 ST. THOMAS COLLEGE, SCRANTON, PA., APRIL 15, 1932
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Graduation Speakers Named . - -------------~
proved were: Brother Felician Patrick,
head of the English department,
Dr. James O'Hara, teacher of Philosophy,
and by Brother Denis Edward,
president of the college.
These regular faculty meeting,,;
were inaugurated by Brother EdwarJ
at the beginning of his regime last
Fall and have been a source of great
benefit to members of the teaching
staff and to the college in general.
The paper prepared by Dr. Walsh
concerned itself with the development
of two principal points: "Wha'
do the terms teaching and college
mean?" and "What is meant by gooJ
teaching?"
(ContinuNl on Page 8, Col. 3)
Two Seniors, Junior and
Sophomore Selected
For Debate.
REV. MAURICE S. SHEEHY
Graduation Class to be
Guests at Luncheon
Affair to Follow Baccalaua-eate
Mass on June Third; Expect
Over One Hundred Seniors
Dr. Walsh Reads Paper
At Faculty Meeting
At the regular monthly meeting of
the faculty of St. Thomas college held
Monday afternoon, April eleventh,
the principal feature was the reading
of a paper by Dr. Aloysius P. Walsh,
head of the Education department of
the college, entitled, "The Improvement
of College Teaching."
Following the paper an open discussion
was held in which the lead
was taken by Dr. Leroy King of the
Universi~y of Pennsylvania and Instructor
of Measurements at St.
Thomas. Other faculty members who
expressed views and made many cow
tributing suggestions as to ways in
which college teaching might be im-
. Clses.
According to an announcement
made by the committee in charge of
the Essay-Oratory contest being conducted
by the Social Science Forum,
the four students who have survived
the preliminary trials are Emanuel
Laster, Joseph Gallagher, William
Farrell, and Arnold Coplan. The
selection of these men was made by
a committee from the faculty composed
of Brother Emilian, Dr. A. P.
Walsh, and Professor Diaglou.
The four contestants named above
will compete in a debate to be held
in the college chapel on April twentieth.
Messrs. Laster and Farrell
will uphold the affirmative side of
the question: "World Peace is Possible
to Achieve"; while Messrs.
Coplan and Gallagher will support
the negative view.
In this final part of the contest
the winners will be judged on thE'
contents of their papers, manner of
presentation, and skill in giving re-
Following the Baccalaureate lvfass buttal to the arguments offered by
on June third the annual commence- their opponents. It is hoped to have
ment luncheon will be held in the an open forum discussion after the
Hotel Casey, it was announced at the contest in which all those present
office of the college this week. All will take part.
members of the graduation class to- The committee which was jn
gether with members of the college charge of the arrangements of thc
faculty and the officers of the Mass
will be in attendance. contest was composed of Mr. Frank
R. Liberty, treasurer of the Forum;
It is expected that approximately Mr. Walter Soya, secretary of the
one hundred and four members will Forum; and Mr. Edward Corbett.
comprise the body of seniors who
will be present at the luncheon. This Brother Augustine, head of the
number includes both the students Sociology department of the college
of the day and evening classes and is the moderator of this organization.
will comprise the largest class in the The contest opened February first;
history of the college. the essays were handed to the com-
This affair is an annual event of mittee in charge on March fifteenth.
commencement week at St. Thomas The prizes to be awarded the winners
and usually marks the last social were announced as follows: The
gathering of the senior class as best all-around participant in the destudents
of the college. Addresses at bate will receive a prize of $10.00:
Several Seniors Enter the luncheon will be given by various second best, $7.00; third, $5.00, and
F II members of the faculty and class. fourth, $3.00.
Other Schools in a 1=======================
The annual graduation exercises
of St. Thomas college, which will
consist of the Baccalaureate Mass on
June third, and commencement on
June fifth, will have as principal
speakers for the occasions two outstanding
members of the Roman
Catholic clergy.
The Right Reverend Thomas C.
O'Reilly, Bishop of the Scranton
Diocese and Honorary President of
St. Thomas college, will be the presiding
officer at both exercises.
Rev. Maurice S. Sheehy, S.T.D.,
Ph.D., of the Department of Sociology,
Catholic University of America,
Washington, D. C., has been selected
to deliver the commencement address.
The students of the senior class are
indeed signally honored in having as
their commencement speaker a
scholar of such wide educational
attainments as Dr. Sheehy whose
words on this happy occasion of their
lives will tend to properly launch
them upon the struggle of life.
Dr. Sheehy graduated from Columbia
College, D'ubuque, Iowa, in
1918. In 1922 he obtained his
degree of Bachelor of Sacred Theology
at Catholic University. He
received his degree of Master of Arts
in 1922 and his Doctor of Philosophy
degree in 1929.
Dr. Sheehy served as Professor of
Religion and Sociology and Director
of Athletics at Columbia College, his
alma mater, from 1922 to 1927. In
1927 he was appointed Assistant in
Religion at Catholic University,
which position he held until 1929, at
which time he was made instructor
in religion.
He is a frequent contributor to
Catholic publications and is author
of two books, "Christ and the Catholic
College," and "Problems of
Student Guidance."
(Continued on Pnge 6, Col. 3)
During the past week numerous
members of the senior class, who had
applied at various professional schools
throughout the country for admittance,
received most favorable replies.
Among those who applied to Law
schools, three men were received favorably
by the University of Pennsylvania
and were notified of their acceptance
into that institution. They
will enter Law school in the Fall.
In the Pre - Medical department
several seniors were rewarded by
their acceptance into different medical
schools, among them: Georgetown,
Columbia, Temple, and Jefferson.
Each year the numerous St. Thomas
graduates who go to professional
schools pave the way for their younger
brethren through the enviable records
they set both in scholastic
endeavor and general discipline.
REV. WILLIAM J. GIBSON
Theses Presented by
Senior Class Today
Committee on Degrees Will Meet
To Consider Applications of
Seniors Next Week.
This morning witnessed the annual
parade of the seniors to the office
of the registrar for the purpose of
depositing their theses in order that
they may be presented to the committee
on degrees when it meets to
consider applications. The theses
are written as a partial fulfillment of
the work required by the college
catalogue in the courses leading to
bachelor's degree in arts and science.
The members of the senior class
have worked diligently during the
past two months doing research work
and compiling data from which the
theses were written. The writing of
the theses was under the direction of
the head of each particular department.
All theses accepted by the
committee are deposited in the
library and thus become the property
of the college.
unsound in principle. Messrs. John
Dell Amico, Emanuel Laster, and
Robert O'Brien will represent St.
Thomas college on this trip.
On April thirtieth, representatives
of the society will journey to Brooklyn,
N ew York, to oppose a team
from St. John's college. This debate
will be presented over the air through
station WLWL. The question for
discus",ion has not been uecided as
yet.
The affirmative team will debate
for the last time this year when they
meet the argumentators ,of Geneva
college on May third, in Scranton.
The negative team will bring its
(Continued on Page 3, Col. 5)
Ordination Will Take
Place Next Month in
Cathedral.
Debaters Will Resume
Activity Next Week
After a brief vacation from oral
controversy, the St. Thomas debating
society will resume their verbal combats
when the affirmative team will
make a two-day trip to debate Seton
Hill college at Greensburg, and Drsinus
college at Collegeville, on April
eighteenth and nineteenth, respectively..
At Greensburg, the topic for discussion
will be, "Resolved: That the
several states should enact legislation
providing for compulsory unemployment
insurance"; while against Ursinus
the members of the team will
debate whether capitalism, as a
system of economical organization is
St. Thomas college, which for
many years past has made valuable
contributions to the spiritual life of
the Scranton Diocese in the form of
young men which she has led into
the higher religious life, will again
assume her benefactory role next
month when she gives ten of her sons
to the Catholic Church.
On May twenty-first, George J.
Jordan '29, Joseph F. Kelly '28,
Joseph M. Lawler '28, John P. Lipski
'28, Raymond A. O'Neil '28, Joseph
W. Zdunski '29, Michael J. Quinn
'28, Joseph D. Podsac '28, Joseph
W. Padden '28, and Joseph G. Gilbride
'29, will be among those to be
ordained to the Roman Catholic 1---------------
Priesthood by Bishop Thomas C.
O'Reilly in the Cathedral.
The fact that St. Thomas college
has probably given more of her
young man to the priesthood in this
diocese than has any other college
or university in this section of the
country is indeed deeply gratifying
during this present age, when we see
so many non-Catholic colleges on all
sides of us losing complete sight of
God and his teachings in their
courses which include everything
but religion. It is a fact in which
the school authorities and student
body should derive a great deal of
satisfaction and consolation, especially
when it is recalled that the
president of a large eastern university
recently stated that religion and
virtue were the last things in the
average student's life.
How comforting it must be to all
those connected in any way with
St. Thomas college to know that St.
Thomas college students cannot be
classed in this category. Let us pray
to the Almighty to continue to bless
this institution with such young men
as these, whose influence in shaping
the destinies of men's souls will be of
incalculable value to the spiritual
welfare of this diocese.
Ten Former Tw-o Protninent Educators Of The Finalists In
Students To Clergy Will Address Graduates Social Forum
Be Ordained,------~ ~ ContestNamed
BACCALAUREATE SPEAKER Bishop O'Reilly Will COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
Preside at Both Exer-r
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