Closing Ceremony and Examinations at the Benedictine Gymnasium in Merano

Austria.

Merano, 27 June. Today we were delighted by the closing ceremony of the upper gymnasium in the tastefully decorated hall at the Benedictine Fathers. Invitations had been issued via specially crafted cards. The hall was well filled with dignitaries, citizens, and women. The celebration was opened with the "Imperial Anthem," performed by the choir students in beautiful harmony. This was followed by a speech: "In Praise of the Modern Curriculum," which gave particular prominence to the cultivation of the German language and poetry.

The distribution of prizes followed, in which the priest Joseph Wieser of Bozen, who founded scholarships here for students, distinguished himself. Whenever it fell to him to present a prize to an impoverished student, he readily reached into his pocket and added a thaler to the award.

A second speech by a student of the lower gymnasium praised the previous speaker for his remarks on the new curriculum and thanked the town of Merano and its surroundings for the benefactions bestowed upon poor students. This was followed by more singing, and the conclusion took place at the Benedictine college with a frugal afternoon collation, during which heartfelt toasts were made to the director and professors. An enthusiastic cheer went up for the professors, who have genuinely distinguished themselves through scholarship and teaching methodology. We attended the examinations and observed that, out of 70 students in arithmetic, not a single one was unable to solve the question posed; Greek was taught not merely thoroughly, but every assignment was solved with fluency, and the same held for Latin. Geography and history were enlivened by visual demonstration, with references to the sources of past events. On the whole, everyone present at the examinations had to acknowledge and praise the ability, zeal, and pedagogical skill of the professors. In the past, this was not the case. Regrettable is the departure of the current director, Father Albert Jäger, who has accepted a call to the University of Vienna, having accomplished much here in two years. God will surely raise up someone for this educational institution who will carry forward what has been set in motion.

From a sound, vigorous seed, such as this institution enjoys, a fruitful young tree grows forth in quietness. That is our hope, our well-founded comfort.