"Dagger John" Hughes, the founder of Fordham University. reprinted with permission of The Wall Street Journal C. 1997 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.) William J. Stem observes: "We are not the first generation puzzled by what to do about the underclass. One hundred and fifty years ago, Manhattan's tens of thousands of Irish seemed mired in poverty and ignorance, destroying themselves through drink, idleness, violence, crime and illegitirnacy. Yet within a generation, New York's Irish had flooded into the American mainstream. No job training program or welfare system brought about so sweeping a change. How Bishop John Joseph Hughes -- 'more a Roman gladiator than a devout follower of the meek founder of Christianity,' according to a newspaper reporter of his time -- helped accomplish this revolution in values can teach us volumes about our own social problems.

"An Irish immigrant who began his life in America as a gardener, Hughes was consecrated bishop of New York on January 7, 1838. Nicknamed Dagger John for his combativeness, he immediately stirred up a war over the Public School Society, demanding state aid for Catholic schools, just as the state had funded denominational schools before 1826. The outcome pleased no one: The Maclay Bill of 1842 barred all religious instruction from public schools and provided no state money to parochial schools. Hughes then threw his energies into building a Catholic school system that emphasized a faith-based code of conduct and respect for teachers and fellow students. Parents were required to attend meetings with teachers and to help maintain the school.

"The Great Irish Famine struck in 1845, bringing Hughes his greatest challenge. Two million Irish fled to the U.S. in the following 15 years; most arrived at New York, where they settled into appalling living conditions. Shanties sprang up in alleys. Without running water, sewage piled up in backyard privies; rats and cholera reigned. Hughes's flock formed an underclass in which every social pathology flourished. The response from native-born Americans: fierce and anti-immigrant sentiments asserting the genetic inferiority of the Irish.

"An estimated 50,000 Irish prostitutes worked the city in 1850, and the Five Points neighborhood in Manhattan's 'Bloody Sixth' Ward alone had 17 brothels. Illegitimacy soared; tens of thousands of abandoned Irish kids roamed the city's streets. Violent Irish gangs fought each other and anti-Catholic 'nativists,' but primarily they robbed houses and small businesses. More than half the people arrested in New York in the 18405 and 185Os were Irish; police vans were dubbed 'paddy wagons' and episodes of mob violence in the streets were called 'donnybrooks,' after the Irish town. The death rate among Irish families in New York in the 1850s was 21%, while among non-Irish it was 3%.

"In response to such inner-city blight, Hughes began a mission of urban evangelization aimed at giving the immigrants a faith-based system of personal responsibility. Sex outside marriage was sinful, no exceptions. Since alcohol was such a major problem for his flock, Hughes -- though no teetotaler himself -- promoted the formation of a Catholic abstinence society. In 1849 he accompanied the famous Irish Capuchin Father Theobald Mathew, the 'apostle of temperance,' as he gave his abstinence pledge to 20,000 New Yorkers.

"Faced with as many as 60,000 Irish children wandering the city, Hughes encouraged the formation of the Society for the Protection of Destitute Catholic Children, known as the Catholic Protectory. The Protectory purchased a 114-acre farm near Westchester, N.Y.; its head, Levi Ives, wrote that 'by proper religious instruction and the teaching of useful trades [the Protectory] could raise the children above their slum environment.'

"Hughes encouraged the formation of church societies to help people deal with personal, family and neighborhood problems. He also helped form the Irish Emigrant Society to get jobs for his flock. The nuns in his diocese became employment agents for Irish domestics: Rich families knew that a maid or cook recommended would be honest and reliable. The nuns encouraged Irish women to run boarding houses for new immigrants, and Irish women came to dominate the city's produce business. Hughes's sister Angela, a nun with the Sisters of Charity, became a role model for Irish women as founder of Saint Vincent's Hospital.

"Hughes dismissed what New York City officials called 'charity' -- warehousing the poor in the subsistence almshouses until they died, usually of typhus, typhoid fever, consumption or cholera -- as 'soupery.' Instead, Hughes imported church groups like the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a group of laymen who visited prisons, organized youth groups and taught reading and writing. Whenever they provided food, clothing or shelter, they required recipients to work in return. The Sisters of Mercy worked closely with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, visiting the city's almshouses and prisons and urging the women there to find work and follow church teachings.

"Two generations following the influx of Irish immigrants, the Irish proportion of arrests for violent crime had dropped to less than 10% from 60%. Irish children were entering the priesthood and the convent, the professions, politics, show business and commerce. In 1890, some 30% of the city's teachers were Irish women, and the Irish literacy rate exceeded 90%. With the 1880 election of shipping magnate William Grace as mayor, the Irish assumed control of city politics.

"Today many people sneer at the kind of faith, discipline and work that Archbishop Hughes preached and practiced among New York's underclass. Those who would preach about today's underclass, however, could learn a great deal from the successes his efforts produced." For additional information about our founder, please write to TRAD!T!ON The Index of Social Health, published annually by the Fordham Institute for Innovation in Social Policy, improved in 1995, the latest year for which complete statistics are available. The Index, which gauges the nation's performance in addressing sixteen key social problems, improved by 1.2 points to 40 out of a possible 100. The improvement is the first in three years and only the second improvement since 1988. "Although any improvement is a good sign," said Dr. Marc L. Miringoff, Director of the Institute, "the overall picture in the 1990s is not very encouraging. Of the eight worst years since 1970, six have been in this decade. The social health of the nation has not kept up with the recovery of the economy." Of the sixteen problems gauged, six improved, five worsened and five remained about the same in 1995. Those improving were children in poverty, unemployment, poverty of those over 65, homicides, the gap between the rich and the poor' and alcohol related traffic fatalities. Those worsening were health insurance coverage, drug abuse, average weekly wages, high school drop-outs and food stamp coverage. Those remaining the same were teenage suicide, out-of-pocket health costs for those over 65, access to affordable housing, infant mortality and child abuse. In a related finding, the study focused for the first time on long-term trends in two important indicators of the Index, wages and health insurance coverage. Since the 197Os, both wages and health insurance coverage have worsened significantly. From the end of World War II until the mid 1970s, wages improved. But since 1973, a 19 percent decline in adjusted earnings, from an average weekly wage of $315 to one of$256, appears. Health insurance coverage has worsened even more. Since 1976, the number of Americans who are not covered increased by 41 percent to a total of 40.6 million people. "These trends in wages and health insurance coverage tell us much about our basic condition. Like poor test results from the doctor, they are a warning sign," said Miringoff.

Contemporary Catholicism -- No Longer a Legitimate Faith? According to the view of a fundamentalist Catholic underground explored by Michael W. Cuneo, professor of sociology, in his new book The Smoke of Satan: Conservative and Traditionalist Dissent in Contemporary American Catholicism (Oxford University Press, 1997), far from being a legitimate faith, mainstream American Catholicism has fallen into a state of profound crisis. This underground also believes that over the past 30 years, the American Catholic Church lost its passion, its zeal, its self-confidence, its sense of direction and most importantly, its authority. Cuneo's hook is the first full-fledged account of Catholic fundamentalist factions -- Catholic conservatives, separatists, and apocalyptic Marianists -- that have emerged largely, if not completely, as a result of discontent with the liberalizing Second Vatican Council, which ran from 1%2 to l%5. The book's title comes from Pope Paul VI's bleak observation in 1972 that, "Satan's smoke has made its way into the temple of God through some crack."

The University advises that 24 percent of its students are minorities. 12 percent are Hispanic, eight percent are African-American and four percent are Asian.

The Faculty. Mark Botton, associate professor of biology, presented a paper, "Effects of heavy metals on embryonic development and limb regeneration in horseshoe crabs," at the 1998 meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, in Boston... Elizabeth A. Johnson, C.SI., professor of theology, was a panelist at a session of the Roman Catholic Studies Group during the American Academy of Religion meeting, responding to Archbishop John Quinn's Oxford address on reforming the exercise of papal primacy with a paper on "Peter and Magdalene." . . . Lawrence DeCarlo, assistant professor of psychology, published "On the Meaning and Use of Kurtosis" in Psychological Methods. . . . John P. Entelis, professor of political science and Director of the Middle East Studies Program, published Islam, Democracy. and the State in North Africa (Indiana University Press, 1997).... Mary P. Nichols, professor of political science, participated in the Liberty Fund conference on "Friendship and Justice in Plato, Aristotle, and Montaigne."... Dominick Salvatore, University Distinguished Professor of Economics and department chairperson, presented "The Benefits and Costs of the Euro, Regionalism vs. Multilateralism: Theory and Practice" at the Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association in Chicago.

Rev. Joseph M, McShane, S.J., The Dean of The College, advises that Daniella Bove-Lamonica '98, Jennifer Foray '98, Natalie Imperatore '98, Christian Kolarz '98, Elizabeth Pinho '98, Karyn Anne Patracca '98 and Stepfania Sigurdsson '98 are finalists for Fulbright Fellowships.

In its 11th annual edition of "America's Best Colleges," U.S. News & World Report cites Fordham as the best educational value among all national Catholic universities and ranks alma mater as among the top 35 schools nationally in terms of educational value regardless of religious affiliation. The magazine credits the University for its role in the academic success of students in a section that measures "value added education."

The Bronx has endured its troubles and, because of that experience, enjoys a certain reputation. Although the first Europeans who settled the area attempted to associate its very name with wealth and style, Native Americans, who did not appreciate their new neighbors, forced them to relocate elsewhere. Still later, during the Carter administration, the President of the United States himself declared that the southern part of the borough was "the worst slum in the United States." Despite The Bronx' reputation, or perhaps because of it, students continue to apply to The College in record numbers such that the University is constructing yet another dormitory. The new dormitory, a 60-student facility, is under construction (between an auto body repair shop and a private home) on Hoffman Avenue and will house only upperclassmen.

With regret, effective at the conclusion of the current academic year, TRADITION accepts the resignation of Fr. McShane, who incurred TRADITION's wrath so often by refusing to compel senior theology and philosophy students to wear senior robes, as Dean of The College. Fr. McShane has decided to relocate to northern Pennsylvania where, presumably, he will rethink his position on the subject of senior robes and serve as the president of the University of Scranton. On behalf of the entire college community, TRADITJON thanks Fr. McShane for his remarkably successful efforts in enhancing the academic reputation of The College, for his interest in our students, for his enthusiasm, for his fairness, for his friendship, for his honesty, for his honor and for his humor. Recalling Rose Hill. Rev. Isidore Daubresse, SJ. was among the first Jesuits to arrive at St. John's College, Fordham in August 1846. He wrote, "Passing through the small gate which opened into the 'narrow way,' we found ourselves on the property of SL John's College. A few moments' walk brought us to a point where the massive wall and row of cherry trees turned eastward at right angles, and gave us a view of the solid building called 'Rose Hill College,' and the superb lawn sweeping in front of the buildings, something in the form of a semicircle, and gracefully descending to the railroad, which would be the diameter of the circle. Ascending the avenue into which our narrow path had suddenly been transformed at the abrupt turn of the stone wall, we were amazed at the beauty of the scene spread out before us and around us. The grand appearance of the lawn, the sight of the scattered buildings composing the college, the view of the railroad winding along the foot of the lawn, the hills rising west of the railroad as if straining to obtain one more glance at the sun disappearing behind the royal Hudson."

Campus News. In a strongly worded letter to THE RAM, Bob Anthony '71 condemned the behavior of the Fordham Band which, during the recent basketball season, according to Bob, sometimes sat in the stands "uninterestedly, with headphones tuned to another time and place." In response, the president of the band noted that it plays well at "the Fordham Golf Outing, Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and concerts at Carnegie Hall."... Andy Cordarn '65 agrees that Murphy Field should be artificially turfed but does not understand how the administration cannot provide the rugby teams, which rank among Fordharn's most successful athletic teams, a field on which to practice and play.... Ram Rhythm, Fordham's excellent women's dance team, captured the Northeast Regional Dance Team Championship.

The Editorial Page. To calm Bob Anthony, soothe Andy Cordaro, reward the dance team and otherwise resolve the problems of the University, TRADITION urges the administration to move the band off campus until it loses the headphones; to create a field on Martyr's Lawn on which the rugby teams could play and to allow Ram Rhythm to dance at the golf outing, Mass at St. Patrick's and Carnegie Hall.

The Op-Ed Page. Dan Cremin '65 notes that, in just its third season with scholarships in the Atlantic-10, despite an unsuccessful record, the men's basketball team "constantly beat the spread." Dan urges patience.

The Sports Page. Punter Barry Cantrell '98, a three-time All-Patriot League selection and team record-holder in punting average and yardage, was named to both the American Football Coaches Association First Team All-America and Second Team GTE Academic All-America teams.... At the Metropolitan Conference Championships, despite tendonitis in his knee, the same Barry Cantrell again jumped his way into the Fordham track record book, clearing a height of 7'3.25" and shattering his own school .0...... At the NCAA indoor championships, Cantrell earned All-America honors in track with a leap of 7'1.25".... To TRADITION's knowledge Barry Cantrell is the first Fordham athlete to earn All-America honors in two sports. As Barry noted in The New York Daily News, the Fordham experience has been good for him, "I wanted to go to a place I could play both .... .. And I wanted a place with great academics, where I could get experience in business. When I visited I realized the opportunities here in New York when I graduate.... I think I can make it in the NFL. If the NFL doesn't work out, I'll go to work on Wall Street, keep training for the high jump and go to the 2000 Olympics... . I've got a lot of options."... The women's crew team, which completed its second consecutive undefeated season, has earned varsity status. . . . During the men's basketball game against lona, a referee expelled Fordham cheerleader Cory Smith '99 from the game for excessive cheering. . . . Bevon Robin '01, the men's basketball team's explosive point guard, shattered the Fordham freshman scoring record, led the Atlantic-10 in scoring and earned honors as the Adantic10's Rookie of the Year.... Cindy Vojtech '00, who maintains a 4.0 grade point average and who led the team with 261 kills, earned Third Team GTE Academic All-America honors in volleyball.... With the departure of Nick Ouartaro to Iowa State, the University has named Ken O'Keefe, who compiled a 79- lO~ 1 record in eight years at Allegheny College and who was named Division III Coach of the Year in 1990, as the sixteenth head coach in the football Rams' 98-year varsity football history.

RAMology. Tension filled Madison Square Garden on the evening & February 15, 1973. This was not merely the Society of Jesus against the Congregation of the Holy Cross. This was Fordham against Phelps, Digger Phelps, the coach of the nationally ranked Irish of Notre Dame, who two years before had coached the Rams to a 26-3 record and a spot in the Elite Eight of the men's national basketball tournament but who had left the Rams for the opportunity to relocate to South Bend. While the game had begun well for the Rams, with three minutes to play, they found themselves down by ten points. A smug look settled on the faces of the fans from Indiana, and Fordham fans, who frankly had not yet reconciled themselves to Phelps' departure and the lost dream of basketball greatness, resigned themselves to the inevitability of a defeat At that moment, Darryl Brown '75 of Nanuet, New York, one of the most talented basketball players ever to don the maroon, turned to the Garden clock and realized that his moment had arrived. ~ one of the most dramatic performances in Ram basketball history, Brown, who as a high school student had applauded the great Charlie Yelverton '71 and his Fordham teammates as they combated Irish greats Austin Carr and Sid Catlett in the Garden and whom Phelps himself had recruited for the Rams, simply took over the game. Re drove to the basket for two and assisted as teammates Frank Heyward '75 and Walter Douglas '75 scored baskets. With two minutes left to play and the Rams down by four, an uncertain hope glimmered among the Fordham faithful. But, tragedy struck. The Rams put on a press and, as the giant Irish All-America center John Shumate took the ball over the half court line, he charged into Darryl. The foul was Schumate's fifth, and he was out of the game. But, the knee to knee collision knocked Darryl out of the game as well, and hope all but died. On the Fordham bench, Doc LoPerfido '40, the team physician, worked furiously on Darryl's knee, and moments later, in an incredible emotional swing, Fordham fans became certain of victory as Darryl returned to the game. The Rams narrowed the deficit to a point, and then, with eight seconds to go ran a play designed for the great off-guard Kenny Charles '73. Kevin Moriarity '75 swung the ball to Darryl who was to pass to K.C. as he came off a pick in the corner, but, when Darryl looked, K.C. was covered. As the game clock ticked down, Darryl, who jokes that he had a limited number of jump shots in his repertoire. shot from fifteen feet and. as the buzzer sounded, the game winner swished through the net. The stunned Domers were left to listen to the Fordham fight song, and the proud hometown fans poured onto the court, their faith reaffirmed that God loves The Bronx .Mark this date in Maroon! Fr. McShane advises that the annual Dean's Day (Alumni College) will be celebrated on Saturday, September 26, 1998.

Reader Jack Keane '66, a Lieutenant General in the United States Army and the Deputy Commander of the Atlantic Command, observes, "(The Jesuits) didn't teach you what to think. They taught you how to ....... . James Warren Johnson '49 writes, "TRADITION is a gem. No pictures, small print, simple format, and living on the edge of extinction... it nonetheless gets my award for the best newsletter of its kind. Perhaps of any ..... . It's well written. Good and appropriate words joined in a pithy yet effective order.... TRADITION's true strength lies in its subject: ~ [i]t flies straight and true to my ...... . Marie Harrigan '88 writes, "I enjoy the well written, witty snippets of information and feel connected to FC alums from many generations. It captures the spirit of Fordham College."... Michael B. Bowell '63 writes, "I read with great pleasure.... [s]uch is my respect for TRADITION that only for you would I have pondered for five minutes whether (my) lead sentence could bear the weight of a semicolon after a full colon. Unless Fordham has another periodical whose style is worthy of such a scruple, it ought to keep TRADITION."... Liz McGovern '79 writes, "With happiness, I received my most recent copy of TRADITION. As always, I read it slowly, careful not to miss any of the humor, sarcasm or just plain fun written within the .... .1 have always enjoyed reading this newsletter. It is well written, informative, sometimes irreverent (b)ut never irrelevant!) and always quite .... .. TRADITION has always made me feel more in touch with the University and its happenings."... Carol Clark McMullen '74 writes, "There's always a laugh, a piece of information, a story or a familiar name somewhere on (hose four pages. I especially enjoy the sharp wry wit found between the lines. (It fills me with nostalgia.) It is the best advertisement for the kind of intellect and education available at ....... . Igor Bilewich '70 writes, "Features such as RAMology are sometimes poignant, sometimes amusing but always interesting."... Reston F. Myron '35 writes, "BUREAUCRATS BE DAMNED! GOD SAVE TRADITION!!!".. 0. Gordon Liddy '52 writes, "I enjoy your publication immensely, but I am moved to write to you to suggest an improvement by correcting your English: as one who has been convicted and served prison time for a number of conspiracies, let me point out that one cannot conspire with ones (sic) self The use, therefore, of the word 'co-conspirator' is a redundancy."

Create opportunity for a Maroon! Fordham students can help you as business interns during the school year and summer vacation or as they begin their careers upon graduation from Rose Hill. Contact the Career Planning and Placement Center (718-817-4360) to learn how you can hire one of Fordham's best.

TRADITION invites alumni to comment on the most visually offensive structure on campus.

fore(dham)! Ram golfers will play for the benefit of Fordham football at Inwood Country Club on Monday, August 3, 1998. Contact Andy Cordaro (800-5854505) for details. ... Some of the same golfers will play for the benefit of Fordham rugby at Hackensack Country Club on Monday, September 21, 1998. Contact Jerry Breslin (201-343-5678) for .1..... Whoever is left will play for the benefit of Campus Ministries and athletics at Winged Foot Golf Club on Monday, October 5, 1998. Contact Assistant Director of Athletics Julio Diaz (718-8174300) for details.

Congratulations to the Classes of 1993, 1988, 1983, 1978, 1973, 1968, 1963, 1958, 1953 and 1948 and to all Jubilatarians who will celebrate at the Jubilee Weekend from Friday, June 5, 1998 to Sunday, June 7, 1998. Contact the Office of Special Events (212-63&6574) for details. (As part of the Jubilee program, the American Cancer Society will host a seminar on prostate cancer. Alumni who wish to participate in the seminar may contact Joe Sullivan (212-734-7890) for further information.)

TRADITION: Minister of Propaganda: George P. McKeegan '69; Conspirators: William J. Healy '30, William H. Power, Jr. '33, Barrett McGurn '35, Francis X. Holbrook, Ph.D. '49, Jack Walton '72, Elizabeth B. Kane '90, Catherine McKeegan '99, Brendan Snodgrass '99 and Jon Widrick '99.