St. Viator College Newspaper, 1927-12-08

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1927

THE VIA TORIAN

THE VIA TORIAN Published bi-weekly throu~rhout the scholastic year by the students of St. Viator Coll ege

I ALUMNI NOTES I

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-chief...............................- ..... ·-·-·-·--·-·-.......-................... .Robert 0 . Barnett Busi ness Manager.................................................. _........... ............ .. .... _.......... J . Allen Nolan Athl eti cs....................................._.............. ........... - ....................... ........................ Warren J. McClelland Alumni Notes................- ................................._ ...................... _ .......................... Emmet M. Walsh College Club Notes........ ............................................ - ............................................ Willia m S iebert Viatoriana ................................................... ................--.......... -.. ······-····- ............ ___ Bruce Sawyer In t he Lock er Roo m .............................................................................................. Don T. Lae nh ardt Campus Brief s................................ .... ......... .... ........... ............ . ................Jarlath M. Watson A ss t. Campus Briefs.......... .... .... .......... .... .............. ................. ......... .. .......... Si mon McMahon Inqumes..................................... ................................................................................. .. Patrick C. Conway A cademy News...............................................................................................................John J. Farrell FEATURE REPO RTERS Maurice R. LeClaire Bernard Mulvaney Robert Tucker J oseph Drolet Raymond Spr ague

\Ve are pl ea sed to announce the engagement of Mr. Eldred J. Caron, Acad. '21, to Miss Cecile Lauretta Daudelin . Our best wishes accompan y t he progressing pla ns for the e n s u ~ ing wedding.

Enter ed as second class ma tter at the Post-office of Bourbonnais, Illinois,

"The think ing fellow" calls on J oe. The metre mentioned in t hat statement may h ave a fl at wheel, but what we are tryi ng to get a t is tha t Mr. Jose ph Maroney, '23, is now employed in the law offices of The Yellow Ca b Company of Chicago.

Sorr owful news r eaches us f rom the Mayo Brother s Clinic, Rochester, where Mr. Edwa rd Stack, '09, is at th e point of death foll owing an operati on perfo rm ed la st Friday. " Eddie" is th e fi.t'st Viator alumnus w ho pa r t icipated in Big-League Base Ball afte r leaving St. Viator College. H e played for a number of years with t he Chi ca go Cu bs and with the Subsc ription Rate: $2.00 per an num . Br ook lyn Dodgers. Our prayers for Address a ll correspondence r eferring ei th er to advertising or s ubscription t o hi s s peedy a nd co m plete r ecovery acThe Viatorian , Bourbonnais, III. co mp a ny thi s note. und er t h e Act of March 3rd . 1879.

Rev. J. R. Plante, c. s. v. Even at this late date we are unable to realize t hat Father Plante is actually gone; that he has left the hectic strife of this world for the great peace beyond. His sudden departure has caught us unawares and has left a void in our hearts that makes many of us lonely and timid. It seems even now that he is at his post rendering us fatherly advice and proffering us his kind direction. And yet, he is too truly gone; too truly taken from our midst. How we shall miss his ready counsel, his unhesitating decision and abiding interest in our educational endeavors! As director of studies, Father Plante ever had the intellectual interests, needs and purposes of St. Viator's close at heart. His was a life of service; a life inspired by the ideals of Catholic Education and animated by a desire to impart that education to youth. F or years he has worked to raise the scholastic standing of our Alma Mater , his purpose always clear, his courage never flinching , his eyes ever fixed on the goal of scholastic pre-eminence. His achievements in this regard came slowly, but never for a moment did he relax his vigilance or despair of s uccess. It was not with a machine-like method that he directed us along our scholastic paths ; rather was it with a warm and personal int er est in our aims and desires. He gave his life for us and asked not a farthing in r eturn . Could we ask for more? Our dean he was and an able one; but truly he was more than dean ; he was our fri end. A search for vocations, he made his avocation. E specially dear to him was the lad whom God had called to be one of His ministers . E ver busy was he, sowing seeds of vocation and nourishing them with words of sympathy and encouragement. How happy mu st his soul now be for having made so many youthful hearts happy in the service of God! Father P lante, our friend and dean, has died, and yet he Jives, for he did not spend his days among us vainly. His cheering smile will dwell in our hearts fo r many days to come and when r elentless t ime has erased even that, his memory will live in t he achievements he has attained. In our hour of t ribulation he was at our side; let us not forsake him in this his hour of need, but rather plead with the h eavenly Father to take him to His bosom. For Father P lante, our good dean , we devote our prayer s.

w. s. NOTRE DAME CONVENT Accredired to Illinois U niver siry A Sel ec t Boarding School fo r Gi rl s and Y ou n g L a dies Th is institution is conducted

by the Sisters of Notre D ame, and ofiers every opponunity to young ladies for a th o ro ugh Christian and

secu lar edu ca ti on. Prices re a.:;onable. For cata logue address

SISTER SUPERIOR, Notre D a me Co nvent Bourbonna is, Illinois

WILLIAM P. CANNON, M. D.

2 to 4 p . m . 7 to 8 P• m.

Phone Office, Main 337

V\' e have received further news r ega,ding the ac tivities of J ohn Ellis, '27 , at the Catholic University. H e is acti n g a s secretary to the Rev. Fulton Sheen, D. D., '16, Dean of Apologetics at t he Un iversity. One of our former Academy Students, Joseph Sloan, '23, is now attending St. Mary's University, San Antonio, T exas. Of late we have received many new subscriptions to the Viatorian, and many of the cards that come in to us give information concerning A lumni of t he college. Mr. J . Howard Da lrymple of Chicago sends in a subscription t o our "wide-awake publication" a nd asks if we have heard tha t a nother of St. Viator's athletes has just been signed up by the Chicago Cubs. Of course we know it is Jimmy, '27 , so let's give nine rahs a nd make 'em big. Murray E. Prova ncher sends in two subscriptions, one for himself and one for his brother Arthur, '27, who is matriculated at St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park, California . John "Butch" Ryan , '26, sport writer f or t he Bloomington Pantsgraph, writes on his card, "Success! Hope you can give us lots of Alumni news.11 We hope so too, John, and wi ll do our bes t not to disappoint you. Ch a r les E. Carney wants us t o send the Viatorian to him 'way down there in Kentucky! W e sure will , Charley, and thanks fo r the information about Bob RuSsell , '2 1. We a r e certa in t hat yo u had a pleasant cha t with him . Wi lfred M. Finl ey will have h is cop y sent to Akron, Ohio. H e informs us .that he is t r ave lin g f or t he Firesto ne Ti re and Rubber Co. If you a re e ~ e r in t he neighborho od, \ Vilfred , drop in; w e w ill be g lad to see you. J ohn M. Meade, '27, se nds us a breezy note from Mt . Vernon , Ohio. "Please start t he subscription a t once- 218 E. Sugar S t ." AI says that was sweet of you, John. James E. Daley, H . S., '27, gives his new address as S t. Edward University, Austin, T exa s. He tells us that he met AI Sheen , 1 26, who is working in H ouston. Le t us hear from you too, A I. Edward V. Steebun k of Hardin, Ill. , se nds his bes t r egards to a ll a long with his subscription. \Ve have r ece ived many more subscription car ds, but every one wi ll understand , we are sure, t hat it is impossible to pu bli sh a ll of t hem. V\'e urge those who are yet to se nd in their s ubscrip tion blanks to give us inform at ion concerning themselves and wha t ever Alumni news that they ma y have on hand. Mrs. D. H. Kamman ,

Attending S u rgeo n to Students and Facu lty of

Office Hours:

John Cann ell of last yea r' s graduat ing class is worki ng in the a uditing department of the W estern Electric Compan y in Chicago. H e is staying with his uncle, F a ther Cann ell, another Viator a lumnus , at the St. Galls Rectory, Chicago.

St. Viator College

Phone

D .H.Kam m an

D. H. KAMMAN & CO. Manufacturer~

of

Home, Main 3073

302·3 03 Cobb Btdg. KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS

Hi gh Life G inger Ale and Grape

and all K ind. of Soft Drinks

Kankakee lllinois

FUNERAL ADDRESS delivered by

Rev. F. E. Munsch, c. s. v., at the Obsequies of the Rev. ]. R. Plante, c. s. v. " In peace, in th e self-sam e, I will slee p a nd I w ill r est: for Thou, 0 Lord singularly has t settled me in Hope." (Ps. IV: lO) . From a m er ely human point of view death is a terrifying reality, the thought of it is always unwelcome a nd so methin g that we like to make as r emote as possible. But there comes a t im e soo ner or later whe n the unw elcomed t h ought is thrust upon us , w hen the gaunt figure of death walks among us and tak es from our midst one near and dear to us. It is then t hat t he hum an point of view must give way to that of Faith. Not that we may not grieve and mourn, and f eel the pangs of keen sorrow at the loss of one w hom we love, for even J esus wept at the tomb of Lazarus . But ours is not t he sorrow bereft of all consolation, and, we prefer as Christians, to look up on death r a ther as a t rans ition from thi s va lley of tears t o the mans ions of eve rl as ting bliss. As f or our dear departed Confrere, t hough we are still aghast at the awfu l reality, yet we are filled with hope and consolation at the close of a life so beautifully led, so filled with virtue. The curtai ns of death have been gradually closed a bout our dear Confrere, the harsh noises of the world have been shut out, the silence of his sweet death chamber ha ve been broken only by th e soft footfa ll of devoted souls in loving care, by the voice ,of prayer an d of God's priest in holy abso lution, and in these blessed moments, surrounded by his Confreres, have those eyes closed u pon th e gari sh lig hts of this wo rld to open u pon the lig h t of God's face in H eaven . For th e good religious descends in t o th e grave w ith th e s mile of God's grace upon his li ps. He sees in death n ot a n evil but t he h app y consummation of a life spent in God 's service here below. H e is one wh o has ea rly realized that he is not made fo r thi s world a lone. H e soon direc t s his gaze toward s heaven. shapes hi s cou rse thither, an d as the mariner fixes his eye upon the stars to lead him a right, so does the Reli gious fasten his sole gaze upon the lights of H eaven . H e is a traveler wh o has borne t h e fatigues and the hardships of a long and peril ous journ ey. Though his enemy often la y hid t o despoil h im of his e ternal life, an d though m a ny a danger lurked to engulf him, yet, with a firm foot and stout hea rt t he traveler goes on wi th joy in h is heart as he nears t he coveted goa 1. Or a s an exile bani shed fr om his n a tive la nd as he approac hes stoops to kiss the sacred soil of the la nd that gave ihm birth, so too the faithfu l Religious, far from home, as he comes to the term of hi s lif e's journey his heart expands with joy a s he stoops to kiss th e f eet of h is eterna l F ather. No longer need he fear to fa ll a vic tim to the w il es and deceits of the wicked one a nd his hosts, fo r him a ll temporal cares cease, t her e is no sorrow or tri a l or suffering to mar the bea uty of his ete rna l day. It is ther efore t hat th e true Religious cries ou t with the inspired w riter Solomon, t hat t he day of "death is far better than the day of birth." Hi s life however has not been in vain for t he life to come . His very tri al s and sufferings, endured wit h patience and res ig nation, become so man y instruments of h is perfection. H e ;possesses th e wonderful, magic stone that t urns t he very dro ss of earth in to th e precio us g old of H eaven. Hi s life has not been one of selfish hoa r ding, for he has used the gifts of God an d nature to advance God's great wo rk here below-the conquest of souls. L ife is something sacred to h im, he rea li zes the tremendous r esponsibilities placed upon his sho ulder s, and yet he sees the immeasurable importance of eternit y oyer. time an? that one sentence keeps nngmg contmually in his ears ttwhat doth it profit a man if he gain the who le worl d and suffer the loss of his own soul," and should there be an y confli ct between earth and heaven. th~ cr eature and the Creator, th'3re I S no moment of hesitation in the decision, " God is th e portion of my inheritance."

Think you that t he good R eligious standing at the gates of death c_ast s a wis tful g lance back upon the thmgs of life? Think yo u t hat h e r egr ets what h e is leavi ng ? Ah no! With his face firmly set towards the s un of Jus tice, his back turned upon this dreary wor ld he salutes death as a r eal benefactor a nd a r eal friend. " I was born in sin," does h e say, "But death gives me freedom, I was born a victim, but death gives me victory. Life holds me down 'vith t he fles h y trammels of earth and clothes me in a vesture of corrupti on, death se t s my soul free and robe s me in t he garments of immortality, strik e therefo re death when thou w ilt! I a m thy w illing v ictim, toss me into t h y shi pwreck which s ha ll bring me into the port of salvation I have so long desired." H ow beautif ul is the dea th of a true Religious! Need I te ll you t hat such was th e life a nd death of this good Priest s and Religious about whose r em ains we are gathered today? There is no need to place upon his brow the w ithering wreath of e ulogy, for such a saintly life as his was, God has r eser ved a n immortal crown of glory. His life can be s ummed ur, in on e word, h e was a 41 Religious' and a ll that hi g h word embraces. From his tenderes t year s his soul was attu ned to t h e fines t whisperings of God's inspirations a nd obedient to that voi ce, h e left parents , home and friends to consecrat e himself to God in Religion. And we who knew him during his very first yea r s saw his young spiritual life unfold as a beautiful flowe r in God's own garden, filling it wit h th e aroma of his piety and virtues. H e seemed to realize f r om the very beginning tha t Reli gion was som ething serious , so mething sacr ed, that h is vocation was a high one and fra u g ht w ith r esponsibilities. And so, from the very beginning he laid dee p t h ose foundations of' self deni al, self effacement, mortifi cation, an d prayer which stood him in such good stead in after years. F ervent in the beginning h e never lost hi• f ervor to the end. In after year s when he felt himself bearing the burdens of several offices, there was that sa me st eadfast ness to his vows, his ru le and religious discipline which characteri zed his earlier years. There was a loyalty to the cause he had espoused, ther e was an absolute fid elity to t h e rul es, the traditions an d to the mind of the Congregation he had joined. In them and in his Superiors he discerned the voice of God, a nd t hey were the Gospel of his life. There never can be a ny doubt a s to the purity of his m otives and intentions , the singleness of his aim. W h en once he was sur e that th e path before hi m was traced by the finge r of God he had th e Faith and the courage to wa lk that path uns wervingly, and with decided tread unm indful of th e sacrifi ce demanded. And t h e r eal Re ligious in Father P lan te appea r ed a ll t he more distinc tl y and well defined in hi s priesthood . H e rose hi gh in the r ealization of that subli me vocation. I n it he was g iven ample scope an d opportunity to bring out those qualities which ma rked him as Religious. H is Priesthood wa s, as an aureole w hich shed its bright lustre over a ll the man an d revealed the ReligiousPriest. Coming into closer contact with souls , allowed by hi s ordination to step beyond the t hr eshold and into th e sanctuary of th e hu man heart , he there was so truly the father, the comforter, t he guide and t h e friend as only t hose w ho fe lt his kindly ministration s can a dequate ly appreciate. At t he altar he was indeed the HighPriest of God, everything in an d about th e sanctuary w a s in vested with an awful sacredness in his eyes and he always strove to wa lk worthily and with prof ound f a ith and humility in the inclosure of t he H oly of Holies. As a Priest he easily wo n the confidence of a generation o,f boys and yo ung men. Those who were f ortunate enough to come under his personal direction an d guidance, were instilled wi th the same deep and abiding religious principles which fo r so long bad been part of himself. H e knew well bow to plant the young and tender tree of vocation, he knew well Cont 'd o n page six


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