FRIBOURG
302
FRIBOURG
consin. He seems to have been among the last
Franciscans who toiled in Canada during the Colonial
period. In ISSS the Very Rev. Frederic De Ghy-
velde, of the French province, and one lay brother
arrived at Three Rivers. Other Fathers followed, and
now the three monasteries of Three Rivers, Montreal,
and Quebec number 46 Fathers, 38 professed clerics,
47 lay brothers, and 7 novices. The Fathers are en-
gaged in giving missions among the faithful.
Wadding, Ammles, XVI (Rome. 1740); Gonzaga, De Origine Seraphica Religionis, II, pt. IV (Rome, 15S7); Peru- siNi, Chronologia Historico-Legalis, I (Naples, 1650); Harold, Epitome Annalium (Rome, 1662), sec. 2; Mendieta, Hisloria Eclesidstica Indiana (Mexico, 1870); Torquemada, Monarquia Indiana (3 vols., Madrid, 1723); Vetancdht, Cronica (Mexico, 1697); Idem, Menologio Serdfico (Mexico, 1697); Tello, Cro- nica Miscelanea, II (Guadalajara, 1891); Medina, Cr6nica (Mex- ico, 16S2); Beaumont, Cronica (4 vols., Mexico, 1873-74); Arlegui, Cronica (Mexico, 1851); Espinoza, Crdnica Serdfica (Mexico, 1746); Idem, Cninica de Michoacan (Mexico, 1899); Arricivita. Cronica Aposfotica (Mexico, 1792); Vilaplana, Vida del Fr. Ant. Margil (Madrid, 1775); Icazbalceta, Fr. Juan de Zumdrraga (Mexico, ISSl); Barcia, Ensayo Cronold- gico (Madrid. 1723); Vega. La Florida (Madrid, 1723); Coll, Cokin y La Rdbida (Madrid, 1892); Sagard, Grand Voyage (Paris, 1632); Idem, Hisfoire rftt Canada (Paris, 1636); Henne- pin, Description of Louisiana (tr.. New York, 1880); Marcelling da Civezza, Storia Universale delle Missioni Francescane, V-VII (Rome, Prato, Florence, 1861-1894); Villoresi, /( Collegia Francescano di Tarija (Quaracchi, 1885); Magliano, St. Fran- cis and the Franciscans (New York, 1867); Shea, The Catholic Church in Colonial Days (New York, 1886); Idem, Catholic Mis- sions (New York, 1854); Engelhardt, The Franciscans in Cali- fomia (Harbor Springs. 1897); Idem. The Franciscans in Ari- zona (Harbor Springs, 1899); Idem, The Missions and Mission- aries of California (ban Francisco, 1908).
Zephyrin Engelhahdt.
Fribourg (Switzerland), Universitt of. — From the sixteenth century, the foundation of a Catholic university in Switzerland had often been canvassed among the Catholic cantons. The need of such an institution was with the passage of time ever more keenly felt, as the fact that higher educational in- stitutions existed only in the Protestant cantons ensured for the Protestants a certain intellectual ascendancy. In spite of the jjressing nature of the case, however, the want of the necessary means and the jealousy among the Catholic cantons combined to prevent any solution of the question being arrived at. Ffom the very beginning, the inhabitants of Fribourg had laboured most zealously for the establishment of a university in their town. Out of their own resources, they founded in 1763 a school of law, which was con- tinued till 1889 and then merged in the juristic faculty of the university. During the nineteenth century, the Catholic movement in Switzerland, making the Swiss " Pius-Verein" its rallying-centre, reinaugurated the agitation for a Catholic university. The Catholic Conservative Government of Fribourg finally took the matter in hand, and George Python, State Coun- cillor for Fribourg and from 1886 Director of Public Education, who enjoyed the fullest confidence of the people, effected the foundation of the university. It was certainly a bold undertaking for a little state of only 119,000 (in 1909, 130,000) inhabitants, but the energy and pohtical acumen of Python coupled with the unselfish liberality of the legislative council were a certain guarantee of success. The conversion of the public debt under favourable conditions in 1886 re- sulted in a saving of 2,500,000 francs (.500,000 dollars), and on 24 December of the same year the supreme council resolved to set aside this sum as a foundation fund for the proposed university. On 4 October, 1889, a second resolution was passed, appropriating the interest on this capital to the foundation of the first faculties, which were opened in the following Novem- ber, the juristic faculty (the extended school of law) with nine professors and the pliilosophical (for philoso- phy, literature, and history) with eighteen.
The town of Fribourg, seat of the university, con- tributed half a million francs towards the funded capital of the university, and in the autumn of 189t) the theological faculty was instituted with seven pro-
fessors. In accordance with an agreement between
the Government of Fribourg and Father Larocca,
General of the Dominicans, this faculty was with the
sanction of Leo XIII entrusted to the Dominican
Order, and placed directly under the care of the Holy
See. Many secular priests, however, have held chairs
in the theological faculty, which has received from
Rome the privilege of granting academical degrees
(baccalaureate, hcentiate, doctorate) in theology.
The other faculties confer only the degrees of licen-
tiate and doctorate. By the appropriation to the
university of the profit on the pubUc supply of water
and electricity, and of a fixed annual sum from the
newly-founded state bank, the further development
of these three faculties and the establishment of the
faculty of mathematical physics were made possible.
The new faculty was opened in 1895 with eleven pro-
fessors, and, as the institution of infirmaries has al-
read}' been some years in progress, the estabhshment
of the medical faculty — the only story now needed to
crown the academical edifice — may be expected at an
early date. Meanwhile, chairs of physiology and
bacteriology have been instituted in connexion with
the faculty of mathematical physics.
Despite many difficulties, including the crisis caused by the wanton dismissal of eight German professors in 1898, the development of the University of Fri- bourg has been steadily maintained. As a cantonal public institution, it stands on the same legal footing as the other universities of Switzerland. The supreme authority is vested in the Cantonal Department of Public Education (i.e the State Council), practically all the expenses being borne by the canton. The general constitution of the university is regulated by the Charter of 1 December, 1899. Leo XIII viewed its foundation with a great satisfaction to which he gave personal expression in many letters to the author- ities of the Canton, to the university itself, and to the Swiss episcopate. The main sources of revenue, according to the cantonal budget for 1909, are as follows: Interest on foundation fund, 125,000 francs; yearly contributions from state bank, 80,000 frs.; prof- its arising from the electric and water works, 150,000 frs.; lease, 2,580 frs. To this sum of 357,580 frs. must be added 7700 frs. for the legal chairs, and other endowments (especially the " Grivel"and the " Wester- maier"). Many funds have been established for the assistance of students, and the institution of prizes.
In accordance with the wishes of its founder, the university has always maintained an international character, which consists not alone in the appointment of native professors to teach the history and literature of their native lands, but also in the various nation- alities of the students attracted to the imiversity. The lectures are delivered in Latin, French, and Ger- man. In the winter term of 1908-9, the teaching staff consisted of 70 lecturers from ten different lands, but especially from Switzerland, Germany, France, and Austria. Their distribution among the faculties was as follows: Theology, 13 ordinary and 2 extraordinary professors; Law, 14 ordinary and 4 extraordinary professors; Philosophy, 19 ordinary and 3 extraordi-' nary professors; Mathematical Physics, 10 ordinary and 3 extraordinary professors with 2 Privatdozcnlen. The increase in the attendance at the university may be judged from this table of matriculated students:
Winter Term.
1890-1
1900-1
1908-9
64
46
28
127
65 54
80
202
124
107
Mathematical Physics
135
Total
138
32G
568
