Hope, C. There were no subsidies from the government. No one expected them. But there were some other sources of revenue which, in all gratitude, the University has never forgotten. We have already detailed the grant of land originally purchased by Father Badin and given to the Bishop of Vincennes, land upon which the college was built.
True, it had not cost Father Badin a fortune. But for a community that had nothing, it represented a tremendous stake when Father Sorin came into possession of it.
Nor was this the only benefaction of Father Badin. When in July, , that aging missionary paid his first visit to Notre Dame after the establishment of the college, witnessing the unbelievable progress made by the institution, he called Father Sorin aside.
He had a proposal to make. I have some property in Louisville -- two lots. They are worth between twelve and fifteen thousand dollars. By a judicious disposal of that property, you could realize enough to purchase the land between Notre Dame and the St. Joseph river. All I ask is that you pay me an annuity of four hundred dollars until my death. What do you say? Three months later, to Father Sorin's chagrin, the most he could realize on the sale was six thousand dollars.
Moreover, Father Badin was not so near death as one might think. He lived eight more years. That meant a profit of only twenty-eight hundred dollars. For every penny of it, however, Father Sorin was deeply grateful. This remarkable organization has never received due recognition for the splendid manner in which it sponsored the work of Catholic missionaries. Through the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, it made known to Catholics, particularly in France, the extent and poverty of the mission field, in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
