JESUIT RATIO STUDIORUM OF 1599
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Letter of Transmission of the Ratio of 1599
Rules of the Provincial
Common Rules of Professors of the Higher Faculties
Rules of the Prefect of Lower Studies
Rules for Written Examinations
Laws for Prizes
Common Rules for the Teachers of the Lower Classes
Rules of the Scholastics of the Society
Instruction for Those Engaged in the Two-Year Review of Theology
Rules of the Academy
Notes to the Translation
By the word “academy” we mean a group of students chosen from the entire student body on the basis of their devotion to learning who will meet under a Jesuit moderator to take part in special ex- ercises connected with their studies. All who belong to the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin are by the fact of this membership considered eligible for an academy, as are also any religious who attend our schools. Besides, where custom sanctions it, the rector may approve the admission of others who are not members of the sodality or even students in our school. Members of the academy ought to set an ex- ample to the rest of the students by excelling in virtue and piety, in diligence in their studies, and in observance of the rules of the school. The rector of the college shall choose a suitable moderator for each academy either from among the teachers or from other members of the Society. Students of philosophy and of theology to- gether may form one academy, students of rhetoric and humanities another, and students of the grammar classes a third, provided that these latter are not too numer- ous and consequently too unequal in learning to be able to profit from common programs; otherwise each class may have its own academy. The benefits of an academy accrue princi- pally from regular attendance and eagerness to take part in the programs. Hence, members who are rather frequently absent or refuse to take their turn on the programs or are unruly and a source of trouble and a hindrance to others should be dismissed. The officers of each academy shall be elected every third or fourth month by a majority of votes cast by the members in a secret ballot. The following shall be elected: the president of the academy, two coun- selors, and a secretary.
2 Additional officers may be elected and duties assigned them according to the num- ber of members, local customs, and the judgment of the rector of the college. The president of the theologians’ academy should generally be a student of theology, but if at times it seems better to elect a student of philosophy, he should at least be from the class of metaphysics. Likewise when the academy for students of rhetoric and of grammar have members from several classes, the president should as a rule be chosen from the higher class, or he may be chosen in rotation from the several classes, as the rector of the college thinks best. How- ever, a student should be chosen who stands out among his fellow students in moral excellence, talent, and learning. It shall be his duty to promote the inter- ests of the academy, to lead the others in the practice of virtue and devotion to the work of the academy, and to make, either at the beginning or the close of his term, one of the major presentations of the academy. If the president of the academy of theologians is a student of theology, he may, in the professor’s absence, direct the philosophers in a disputation and summarize and press further the objections and answers of the disputants. The counselors shall be next to the presi- dent in rank and dignity, and in the president’s ab- sence the first counselor shall take his place. If the first counselor is also absent, the second shall preside. The counselors shall perform the duties as- signed them by the moderator either personally or through the president. The secretary shall carefully keep all the records of the academy. He shall keep in a book a list of the members in the order in which they have been admitted. In the same book he shall write the names of the officers as they are elected, the minutes of the meetings of the academy, and the names of the members who have in some way distinguished themselves. He shall keep in his files the speeches, verses, and poems written by the students of rhetoric and selected by the moderator for public display. In good season he shall notify those whom the moderator has selected to conduct exercises of the academy, so that they may prepare themselves.
3 However, in the theologians’ aca- demy it may seem advisable to have this done through the beadle. At the close of each meeting he shall announce publicly what exercises are scheduled and who are to participate in them. It shall be his duty to post in public and in good time the theses to be defended, and, for the academy of the rhetoricians, the proposed problems and moot points that are to be solved. Three or four times a year--that is, after the election of a new president--consultations should be held, either of all the members or at least of the officers and moderator, for the purpose of promoting the interests of the academy and removing any obstacles that seem to impede its progress. The rules of the academy are to be read either at the meetings of the consultants or before the election of a new president. These rules are to be posted on a bulletin board or kept in the book of minutes of the academy. In this same book the list of members is to be entered immediately after the rules.
RULES OF THE MODERATOR OF THE ACADEMY
4 The moderator should foster virtue as well as love of learning in the members of the academy. He will do this by his own example and as occasion offers in private conversation.
5 He shall see that the rules are faithfully observed and in particular that the members regularly apply themselves in earnest to the daily activities of the academy. It shall be his duty to see to it that all the members of the academy take their turns, as far as may be, in the various types of programs. He must not abolish established customs nor introduce new ones without the authority of the rector of the college. He must not make any important deci- sions without informing the rector and he should care- fully carry out his directives. He shall so arrange the time of the meetings-- for disputations, repetitions, and other exercises-- as not to conflict with the meetings of the sodality. In this way all the members of the academy may conven- iently attend the meetings of both organizations. For this reason also no one should be detained in confer- ence during the time of a sodality meeting except for a very serious reason.
RULES OF THE ACADEMY OF THEOLOGIANS AND PHILOSOPHERS
6 The exercises of this academy are customar- ily of four kinds: daily repetitions of matter seen in class, disputations, academic lectures or the dis- cussion of debatable questions, more formal disputa- tions at which theses are defended in public. Repetitions shall last for about an hour on all class days excepting the days of monthly disputations.
7 They are to be held at the most convenient hours. During Lent, however, time must be left free at least twice a week for a sermon. The different classes should hold repetitions separately, the students of theology forming one group, the philosophers forming three if there are that many professors. At the repetitions, one or two members of the academy should review the matter covered in class and one or two pose objections. For the repeti- tions in theology, the moderator of the academy should preside, or his assistant, or at least one of the more advanced theology students appointed by the rector of the college. For the students of philosophy, the pre- siding members in each group should generally be a Jesuit student of theology, likewise appointed by the rector of the college. Disputations are to be scheduled once a week when there are only a few in the academy, twice a week when there are many members. They should be scheduled on the weekly holiday or on both the weekly holiday and on Sunday. One student, generally a philosopher, should defend a thesis for an hour on Sunday afternoon, while two object. On the recreation day, two or three are to defend theses for two hours, one a theology stu- dent, the others, students of philosophy, while as many or more will offer objections. If only one student of theology defends, he will always include some theses in philosophy. A stu- dent of metaphysics will defend theses in physics and logic, and a student of physics will also defend theses in logic. Objectors against theologians should be theologians; against, philosophers, the first objector should be from the next higher class, and the second a member of the same class as the defendant. If the teacher of the defendant attends the disputations, whether of philosophy or theology, he shall preside; otherwise the moderator of the academy or his assistant shall preside. Lectures, too, may be given occasionally. A member of the academy will deliver from the chair a scholarly report that he has worked out on his own initiative or some original problem.
8 He should pre- sent and establish arguments for both sides of the question and afterwards entertain counter-arguments from one or more members. Lectures of this sort must first be shown to the moderator of the academy for his approval. The president of the academy or some other member chosen by the moderator may at times hold a more formal disputation, at Christmas, for example, at Easter, Pentecost, or some other opportune time. The matter defended in such disputations should be some portion of philosophy or theology stated in the form of theses. The professor should preside. These disputations should be conducted with a certain degree of ceremony. The defender should begin with a formal introduction and end with a simi- larly prepared conclusion, both of which should like all public utterances be checked and approved by the prefect. To make the event more notable, guests should be invited to attack the conclusions of the defendant, and others may be invited as auditors. About a month prior to the opening of classes, the rector, if he wishes, may appoint a member of the Society or have the moderator appoint a member of the academy to give for fifteen days an introduction to or epitome of philosophy to those who are to begin their philosophical course. Before any theses, whether for the more formal disputations or for the weekly disputations, are defended or posted, they must be looked over by the moderator of the academy and by the defendant’s pro- fessor.
RULES OF THE MODERATOR OF THE ACADEMY OF THEOLOGIANS AND PHILOSOPHERS
9 Besides the common directives laid down for all moderators in the rules of the academy, each mod- erator should see to it that in the daily repetitions the method of reviewing, proving, and discussing be identical with that used by members of the Society in repetitions at home. In public disputations, however, and in classroom defenses, the customary procedure is to be followed. Accordingly, the moderator shall pay fre- quent visits to individual groups to see to it that they are functioning in a serious and proper manner, and that each individual is performing his part cor- rectly. Let him give specific directions where such directions are needed. It will be helpful to give more frequent practice to those who are preparing for their com- prehensive examinations in philosophy and theology, or who will present a formal defense before the academy. He should also advise and direct them so that they may be the better prepared. Should the rector of the college give him an assistant, he may divide his responsibility for his work with the academy in such a way that the as- sistant will preside over the repetitions in theology and on alternate days, especially on holidays, take charge of the disputations. He may also use the serv- ices of the assistant to carry out other details con- nected with the everyday meetings and the more formal sessions of the academy.
RULES OF THE ACADEMY OF STUDENTS OF RHETORIC AND HUMANITIES
10 The academy shall meet on Sunday or, where it is more convenient, on a recreation day, in a place assigned by the rector of the college. The programs scheduled by the academy shall in general be as follows: the moderator, as he shall judge timely, may lecture on or throw open for dis- cussion some suitable topic or passage from an author or he may explain some more challenging principles of oratory, as given by Aristotle, Cicero, or other rhe- toricians, or he may rapidly read through an author and question the members of the academy on what he has read, or he may propose problems to be solved, and conduct other exercises of the sort. Often, too, he should omit such exercises and have the members themselves deliver speeches or recite poems or give declamations, either from memory or ex tempore. With his approval, they may stage mock trials. They may deliver a lecture and answer ques- tions on it proposed by two or more of the members. Again they may defend theses and offer objections to them in an oratorical rather than a dialectical style. They may compose symbols or mottoes or again epigrams or brief descriptions. They may compose and solve riddles, or have a drill in invention, each one either on the spur of the moment or after reflection suggest- ing sources of arguments on a proposed topic. Or as practice in style they may suit metaphors or sentence patterns to a suggested argument. They may write out the plot of dialogues or tragedies, or the plan of a poem. They may imitate a whole speech or poem of a famous orator or poet. They may propose a symbol of some sort and have each member contribute to its meaning. They may assign the various books of some author and have each member of the academy make a se- lection of thoughts and expressions from the book as- signed to him. Finally, let them cultivate the gift of eloquent expression and whatever is associated with its practice.
11 It will be found worth while occasionally to have some of the better and more ambitious of these exercises or prelections, declamations, and defenses of theses presented, especially by the president of the academy, with a degree of external ceremony in the presence of a distinguished audience. At times prizes may be awarded to those who do especially well in writing, reciting, or solv- ing enigmas and puzzling problems. More formal awards may be given to all the members of the academy once a year. The expense may be met by contributions or in whatever way the rector of the college thinks best. At least once a year, some feast of the Blessed Virgin, designated by the rector of the col- lege, should be celebrated with a great display of speeches, poems, verses, as well as symbols and mot- toes, posted on the walls of the college.
RULES OF THE ACADEMY OF STUDENTS OF THE GRAMMAR CLASSES
12 Generally the moderator will take some point of grammar which the members are later to study in class, or something from a graceful and pleasing writer, and give a prelection on it. He may hold a repetition or a drill on matter already explained in class. One member should come each time prepared to open the meeting of the academy by answering questions on topics discussed at the last meeting. Three or more should propose difficulties or call on him to translate some sentences from the vernacular into Latin. Following the same procedure, the members should imme- diately review the prelection given by the moderator.
13 Frequent and spirited contest should be co- nducted. Sometimes the members will be tested on their literary style, sometimes on memory work, sometimes phrases will be expressed in a variety of ways, or some specimens of verse or precepts of Greek grammar may be discussed, or other similar exercises held at the dis- cretion of the moderator. Occasionally some of the members, or even all of them, should come prepared to recite from memory some short apothegm or to narrate some event. Now and then members should be called upon to recite from the platform the prelections which their teacher gave them in class, adding a short introduction and, if it seems good, also some commentary. It will be of advantage on occasion to have prelections given by members, and especially by the president of the academy, with a little greater solem- nity and before a larger audience than usual. To this exercise may be added a contest between two or three of the members, and prizes may be awarded afterwards in private. The moderator can exact some literary task in place of penalty, and he may read in public the names of those who have been slack or not well behaved. Finally, these activities should be so handled and so varied in nature that in addition to their intrinsic value they may afford pleasure to the members and hold their interest. They will thus in- spire a greater love of learning.
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