The San Jose College Case.
THE SAN JOSE COLLEGE CASE. BY W. F. NORRIS, fudge of the Special Court of First Instance for Hie Island of Negros.
IN the newly acquired possessions of the United States in the Orient, is an edu cational institution older than Harvard or Yale, older than any school, college or uni versity in any of the States, older than any one of the States. Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, before the settlement of Jamestown, before the Declaration of Inde pendence by more than a century and half, was founded in the city of Manila the ancient college of San Jose. The exact origin of the college is not ap parent from the somewhat meagre records that remain of its early history. From what can be gleaned of the remaining records, it appears that, as early as the year 1585, those indefatigable worker's, the Jesuits, en deavored to procure the establishment of a college in the metropolis of the Philippines, or another college in addition to that of St. Maximo, and another already in existence. For some years no success appears to have attended their efforts; in 1605, however, per mission was granted,by the Vicar General of the Archbishopric of Manila to the Jesuit Order to found a college in that city for the purpose of bringing up young people and rearing them according to good manners and learning, and of creating such ministers of the Holy Gospel as might be needed in the land and to perform masses in the col lege. On the same day a similar license was granted to the same applicant by the Gover nor General of the Philippines, in the name of the King of Spain. An institution of learning was commenced by virtue of the licenses thus granted called the College of the San Jose, but with no property founda tion, apparently, till some years later. The first marticulation, according to the state
ments of one of the early historians, was in the year 1601. The great benefactor of the institution and the personage to whom, perhaps, the present school owes its origin as well as its prosperity, was a Spanish official, Rodriguez de Figueroa, Governor of the great island of Mindanao, who, eleven years after the Jesuit Father commenced his labor for the establishment of the school, gave it shape, prosperity and perpetuity, -by making his will, by the terms of which at the death of his wife, or at the death of cither of his children without heirs in the descending line or before coming of age, their estate was to be devoted to the foundation of a col lege. A house was to be built near the So ciety of Jesus in Manila for the purpose of a college and seminary for boys. Shortly after making his will Governor Figueroa was killed in battle. I believe he fell fight ing with the hereditary enemies of both Christian Filipino and Spaniard in these islands, the Mohammedan Malays known as Moros. Not long after the death of the Governor, the benefactor accrued to the col lege through the death of his daughter, Dona Juana, who perished at sea while on a • voyage -from or to Mexico. The death of the young senorita appears to have afforded a considerable revenue, to the college, and to be the source from which was derived its present property valued at some million dol lars, Mexican currency, consisting largely of two valuable estates, which have been long in the possession of the institution. The Crown of Spain had extended its pro tection to the College, King Philip IV. hav ing made it the subject of the royal bounty to the amount of eight thousand dollars, and
