465
T/1e Knig/1ts of Col1mzbus Historical Commission
ways make known to the public at large, the gigantic undertaking of the Historical Commission, and as a result to assure the Commission, from the cooperation thus received, that the history of the Catholic Church when written, will have exhausted probably every source of information." In cooperation with this endeavor the State Deputy urged all Councils by special letter to establish Chapter Memberships in every Council at the annual cost of ten dollars dues. The Victoria Council was the first to act on this suggestion. Those who promptly followed were, in the order of their affiliation, the Councils of Poth, Kingsville, West, Beaumont, Tyler, Capital City, Austin, and Marshall. Another early undertaking of the Commission to foster interest in this work among the Knights was the presentation of the Daliet Trophy to that Council "which shows the best and constant effort for the diffusion of knowledge in Texas history among its members." This trophy, a beautiful statuette of Columbus, the work of Antonio Bartholdi, a noted Italian sculptor, was donated by Knight C. 0. Daliet, Windthorst Coun- cil, Taylor. New honors came to the El Paso Del Norte Council 2592 when it received this trophy at the State Conventions of 1930, 193 I and 1932. The first contribution to appear in print as the result of the activities of the Historical Commission was the pamphlet entitled Martyrs of the S01ttlewest, written by Father Foik in 1929. This was the first of a series of brief studies which became known as Preliminary S t,«iies, and were published and distributed under the auspices of the Commission and its affiliate, the Texas Catholic Historical Society. It is perhaps of interest to give a list of the Preliminary Stt«iies, which appeared later, and the names of the various authors: Rev. Paul J. Foik, C.S.C., Ph.D., Eariy Catl,olic Ezpl-0rers of the Soutlnvest. 1930. Rev. Gabriel Tous, T.O.R., Ramon Expedition: Espinosa Diary of I7I6. 1930. Rev. Paul J. Foik, C.S.C., Fray ltuui Padilla. 1930. Rev. Gabriel Tous, T.O.R., The Espinosa-Olivares-Aguirre Expedi- tion of z709. 1930. Rev. Peter P. Forrestal, C.S.C., A.M., Litt.D., The Solis Diary of I767. 1931. Carlos E. Castaneda, Earliest Catleolic Activities in Texas. 1931. Rev. Walter J. O'Donnell, C.S.C., Ph.D., lcai:balceta: Education in Mexico City During the Sixteenth Century. Rev. Peter P. Forrestal, C.S.C., Venerable Antonio Ma-rgil d4 Jesus. 1932.
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