VATICAN 



60-10 



VAUDEVILLE 



graduate work the degree of A. M. is con- 

 ferred. Courses are largely elective, with the 

 exception of certain requirements in Latin and 

 the Romance languages, literature, mathemat- 

 ience and history. 



Vassar is notable not only for high academic 

 standards but also for the interest taken by 

 its faculty and students in social and humani- 

 tarian problems. There are no Greek-letter 

 societies except that of Phi Beta Kappa (see 

 page 4619). The regulations concerning stu- 

 dent activities are directed by the student gov- 

 ernment association. The undergraduates and 

 alumnae have built and endowed a clubhouse 

 for the use of the women employees of the 

 college. In Tokyo, Japan, there is a dwelling 

 house for native women and students built 

 and maintained by the Christian Association of 

 Vassar, which includes nearly all of the stu- 

 dents. 



The beautiful campus is on a hill overlook- 

 ing the Hudson, and many of the fine buildings 

 are gifts of alumnae and trustees. The Thomp- 

 son Memorial Library, containing 9,000 vol- 

 umes, was the gift of Mrs. Frederick Ferris 

 Thompson, whose husband was for many years 

 a trustee of the college. The chapel was the 

 gift of Mrs. Mary T. Thompson and Mrs. 

 Mary M. Pratt, two alumnae. Taylor Hall, 

 named in honor of former president James M. 

 Taylor, was dedicated as an art building in 

 1915. Vassar has a faculty of about 138, and 

 the average student registration is 1,100. 



Matthew Vassar (1792-1868), the founder of 

 the college, was born in England. He was 

 brought to America at the age of four and 

 spent his early boyhood on a farm near Pough- 

 keepsie. He made his fortune in the brewing 

 business, and was a generous contributor to 

 various charities, though he is remembered 

 chiefly for his gift for the higher education of 

 women. M.W. 



Consult Taylor and Haight's Vassar; Norris's 

 The Golden Age of Vassar. 



VATICAN, vat'ikan, the great palace in 

 Rome which contains the residence of the 

 Pope, and in addition, a valuable library, an 

 extensive art collection and museums of vari- 

 ous kinds. It is located in the northwestern 

 part of the city. The long, irregular structure, 

 which to-day covers about thirteen and one- 

 half acres, including the open courts, is not the 

 work of any one period. It was begun in the 

 twelfth century, and was enlarged and adorned 

 by many Popes in the succeeding centuries, but 

 not until after the return from Avignon, late 



in the fourteenth century, did it become the 

 official Papal residence. About the open courts, 

 which cover in all six acres, are gathered chap- 

 els, offices, dwelling apartments, museums and 

 chambers of other kinds, the portion occupied 

 by the Pope being in the southeastern part of 

 the structure. Church councils are held in the 

 Vatican, and the election of Popes takes place 

 in the Sistine Chapel, the most beautiful room, 

 which contains the superb frescoes of Michel- 

 angelo. Examples of the work of Raphael are 

 found in the frescoes of the papal reception 

 rooms, and works by Da Vinci, Titian and 

 other masters adorn the walls. Such well- 

 known statues as the Apollo Belvedere and the. 

 Laocoon are contained in the museum. 



The great library of the Vatican dates in its 

 beginnings from the middle of the fifteenth 

 century, from the time of Pope Nicholas V. 

 There are contained in it over 200,000 printed 

 volumes, but by far the most important part 

 is the collection of manuscripts, of which there 

 are about 26,000. Some of these, such as the 

 manuscript of the Bible known as the Codex 

 Vaticanus, which dates from the fourth century, 

 two Vergils, from the fourth and- fifth centu- 

 ries and a De Republica of Cicero are almost 

 invaluable. In the library are included also 

 the Papal archives, the records of the Papal 

 court for a thousand years. 



Since the unification of Italy and the conse- 

 quent loss to the Papacy of all temporal power, 

 the Pope has lived wholly within the Vatican, 

 never going beyond its gardens. See POPE; 

 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH ; also, page 6039. 



Consult Sladen's How to See the Vatican; Ven- 

 turi's The Vatican Gallery. 



VAT'ICAN COUN'CIL, the name given to a 

 general council of the Roman Catholic Church, 

 the first one to be held since the Council of 

 Trent, three centuries before. It was called by 

 Pope Pius IX in 1868, and its sessions, which 

 were held in the Vatican, lasted from Decem- 

 ber, 1869, until July, 1870. This council reaf- 

 firmed the fundamental doctrines of the Church 

 and also ratified and defined the doctrine of 

 the spiritual infallibility of the Pope. 



VAUDEVILLE, vohd'vil, a term now gener- 

 ally applied to a performance of music, sing- 

 ing, dancing or entertainment of any other 

 kind given in a series of short "acts," each in- 

 dependent of all other acts. The term first 

 originated in France and was applied to drink- 

 ing songs, humorous and satirical, that were 

 composed by a man living in Vire in the Vaux 

 de Vire, two valleys of Normandy. 



