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Historic Duquesne Duke: Pittsburg College Bulletin

A guide to accessing and using the "Historic Duquesne Duke" Digital Collection.

The "Pittsburg College Bulletin"

a distant view of the Duquesne campus from across the monongahela river, with the 10th street bridge in view.
A view of Duquesne University from across the Monongahela River in 1906, while the "Pittsburg College Bulletin" was in circulation. (via Historic Pittsburgh.)

Creative Works

"Cats, unlike the other insecks, don't have no stingers. The bumblebee has. I once caught a bumblebee, an' give it to a cat. Cats don't like bees, especially them that has splinters in their tailze, which this had. The thing stung all the way down, and half-way back again; that cat run about 17 miles, an' then dropped down by the shady side of haystack and quickly died a sudden death for want o' breath. Once when Jack an' me was playin' fishin' in our well with a torn cat tied to a string, Jack got hurt. He had the cat down in the well watin' for a bite, an' when his back was turned it crawled up the brick an' clawed the sap outen him. After that Jack didn't fule with cats. I once knew a man who was wicked enough to throw a stove-lid through a big torn cat at night, and the very next day he heard that his grandmother had broken her leg in New Orleans and several other places, which proves how wicked and sin- ful it is to disturb the critters ; and that's all I know about cats."

-"A Small Boy's Essay on Cats," from "The Pittsburg College Bulletin," vol. 11, no. 5.

Sweet land of virtue and ideals pure,
Hard pressed with woe, but scorning at despair,
E'en fost'ring mirth and song and wit most rare-
Whose sons are valiant and whose maids demure,
A wholesame race that must for aye endure,
Whose faith and hope and love the world might share
To aid devotion or diminish care-
To spread mere bliss on earth and Heav'n secure!
'Tis Erin, beauteous home of genius bright,
Whose exiled children still patricians are,
Whose early hist'ry shows an arm of might.
But, guile oppressing, wisdom was her star!
Heroic honor brings serene delight
And constant zeal fair prospects naught can mar!

-"Erin," by T.A. Giblin from "The Pittsburg College Bulletin," vol. 10, no. 10.

The "Pittsbug College Bulletin"

The "Pittsburg College Bulletin" was produced by students of Pittsburg Catholic College between 1902 and 1911. It's tenure in 1911 was due to the College's accreditation as a University, making it the first U.S. Catholic institution of higher learning to earn the honor, and the new University's subsequent change of name. It was a monthly publication, and a yearly subscription could be purchased for $1.

Similar to its predecessor, the "Holy Ghost College Bulletin," the "Pittsburg College Bulletin" focused primarily on literary topics and student works, as well as noting Alumni activities and exam scores. It did tend to be longer than the "Holy Ghost," often reaching as many as 47 pages, while the "Holy Ghost" tended to stay in the mid-thirties. With this extra space, the "Pittsburg College Bulletin" included even more student works. Each edition began with a poem authored by a student, as well as dispersing additional poems throughout the text, and including even longer essays. Additionally, the publication began including advertisements for local businesses in its latter pages, beginning with a single page in vol. 8, no. 6, but regularly reaching up to two by 1911.

A cover of the "Pittsburg College Bulletin" depicting Duquesne's Old Main building.

The cover of the "Pittsburg College Bulletin," vol. 9, no. 1.