Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 April 1891 — ABOUT YALE COLLEGE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ABOUT YALE COLLEGE.

ONE OF AMERICA’S LEADING UNIVERSITIES. History of Its Fp-.inJing suit! Founders Early Struggles lor Existence—The College Now Has a Substantial Ansvsl Income—Student Life, Etc

ALE is the university of the people It has bee t distinctively cosmdiolilin from its foundation, when, in 1701, Rev.. a nips Pierpont, of New Haven,and Rev. Abraham Pi er san, of Killjngworth—both Harvard graduates—called a meeting of ministers, at Rranford. to consider thoestabishment of a Connecticut college.

Tradition relates: that, on this occasion, each of ■ these earnest men brought a number of his choicest volumes and gave them “for the foundation of a college in this colony.” The Colonial Legislature, in October, 1701, granted a charter for “a collegiate school.” Rev. Pierson was chosen as “Rector,” and the school opened in the town of Old Saybrook, in March, 1702, with Jacob Heminway, as its first pupil.. The revenues of the college were £BO a year, granted Colo nial Legislature. This

m e ager financial provision for the entire expenses of the college would not permit Rev. Pierson to resign his pastoral charge at Killingworth, and de vote his whole time to teaching. He therefore divided his attention between his ministerial and educational labors. Under these conditions the school was nominally

located at Hollingworth. Upon Rev. Pierson’s death, in 1707, Rev. Samuel Andrew, of Milford, was elected rector. He was. however, rector in name only, as the duties of that office were performed by two young teachers, at Saybrook. This arrangement lasted for some seven years, during which the school made little or no progress. A fresh impetus of interest in the

college was given by the don ition of a library, of some one thousand volumes, in 1715. 'J hey were the gifts of several gentlemen of England, among the most notab.e of whom were Sir Isaa: Newton. Richard Steele, and Elihu Yale, for whom the school was afterward

named. A grant by the Legislature of £509 for the erection of a co lege balding brought the matter of a permanent location to a crisis. The towns in the contest for the site were New Haven. Hartford and Saybrook. The contest was bitter, but New Haven seemed to be the victor, and commencement was held therb Sept. 11, 1717, and a building “raised” October 8. Hartford did not entirely abandon the struggle until two years later, when her nval school was adjourned to New Haven. In 1718 the famous Cotton Mather wrote an urgent appeal to Elihu Yale, of London, who had become very wealthy out of trade in the Indies, to g.ve the school that liberal assistance which would make his name synonymous with that of the school.

Governor Yale responded with a shipment of merchandise, which sold in Boston for £562 12s sterling. At the next commencement the name of “Yale College” was formally given the school by the trustees. Rector Andrew was succeeded in March, 1719, by Rev. Timothy Cutler, who resigned his pastorate of the Congregational Church at Stratford, Conn., and devoted his entire time to his new duties, at New Haven, until 1722, when he was suddenly and peremptorily “excused from all further services” because of a determination to join the Episcopal Church. He secured quite a giant from the Colonial Assembly, raised by a tax on rum. Rev. Elisha Viliams, of Wethersfield, was the next rector, He was an able one, and his administration brought considerable addition to the resources of the college. Impaired health caused him to resign in 1739, and Rev. Thomas Clapp was elected to a long and stormy presidency, which terminated in September, 176 C. He secured a new charter, with enlarged powers, from the Legislature in 1745, and also a grant of £1,669, wh'ch the State raised from an authorized lottery. With this fund the “South Middle College” was built. In 1761 Rector Clapp raised a fund partly sufficient to pav for the chapel and library building, creeled that year. The building is now “The Athenaeum. ” His extreme religious views and certain arbitrary measure* caused severe criticism. The Legislature refused to pass the usual annual grant and proposed sending a committee of investiga*tion to the college. He met this proposition, which was urged and defended by two of the most celebrated lawyers of that day, by a speech before the Legislature that won his case against strong prejudice. The issues involved were very similar to those in the subsequent Dartmouth College case. He died four months after his resignation, in 1766. Rev. James Lock wood was next elected rector, but declined to serve. This put the duties of that office upon the Rev. Naphtali Daggett, Professor of Theology, as he was the only permanent member of the faculty. He wa- unpopular as a President, and declined in 1777 to longer act in that capacity. He was succeeeed by Rev. Ezra Stiles, for years a tutor in the college. These weie revolutionary days, and for a tme the practical worth of the college was almost suspended. The law gave the members of a college community exemption from military service, and the year of 1783 found 270 pupils in attendance, or 138 more than in 17771 In 1792 the dining-hall—later used as a chemical laboratory—was elected, and in 1793 the present South College was built. The other most Important act of President Stiles’ administration was the securing of a grant of $40,620 from the Legislature, in return for which the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, apd the six senior Senators were constituted ex ollicie. members of the corporation.

President Stiles died May 12, 1795. and Rev. Timothy Dwight, a former tutor in the college, was immediate y electjd to succeed him. President Dwight's administrat on wa« the m »st prosperous that the college had enjoyed. He raised it Hom se tional to nat onal importance and j atronago. He was a grandson of Jonathan Edwards, the famous divine, and jmssessed many of his great an. estop's characteristics and much of li's eid puc'.rcc. For this reason he filled tin divinity elft'l W“!l as the Presidency. He added many new departments to the work of the college, notably those of law and npedicino. 'Jhe increase of students re.u’iing from tKese added attractions necessitated new buildings, and in 1802 the present North Middle College and Lyceum were erected, and also a new residence for the President President Dwight died in January, 1817. Professor Jeremiah Day was then elected President. He was Conservative, systematic and persistent, and the college made steady and vigorous, advancement under his administration, and various important branches of study were added to the course. The buildings erected during his official career were: In 1819, a large din-ing-hall, in the Square; in 1820-21, North College, and later a chapel; in 1831-32, the Trumbull Art Gallery, now the Treasury Building; and in 1843 the stately sand-stone Library Building. Dr. Alfred E. Perkins, of New York, a Yale graduate of 1830, donated 810,000 to the permanent library fund, which still remains the largest individual gift to that department of the college. President Day resigned in 1846, and was succeeded by Prof. Theodore Dwight Woolsey. President Woolsey, during the twentyfive years of his administration, made his wonderful executive powers felt in every department of the college. The progress of the college in those years

was phenomenal and unprecedented, and its forward strides brought to its resources numerous gifts and bequests from wealthy friends of the institution, both in England and America. The buildings erected as a conscqu iuco of these donations were as follows: In 1852-53. Alumni Hal); in 1869-71. Faruham College and Durfee College; in 1864-66, the school of Fine Arts; in 1859, the Gymnasium; in 1869-70. the East Divinity Hall and the Trowbridge Library Building; in 1871. the Marquand Chapel; in 1859, the New Medical College; in 1869, the North Sheffield Hall. Mr. Sheffield also purchased the old Medical School, remodcicd it, and presented it to the college. The Legislature passed an act substituting six graduate* of the college in the place of the six senior State Senators as members of the Board of Managers. Professor Noah Porter was elected President on the res gnation of Professor Woolsey, in 1870.' The rich gi ts whi h had begun to pour in upon the college under President Woo sey continued in

increa ed volume in his successor s administration. Many of the individual gifts ranged high in the thousands, and several were over SIOO,OOO each. To attempt a list of even the most munificent gifts to the college is ou‘side the limits of this sketch. A marked feature of President Porter s work was the large increase in the number of elective studies. The architectural additions of the Porter Presidency were: 1874-76, the Battell Chaprt: 1882-83, the Sloane Laboratory; 1885-86, Lawrence College and Dwight Hall, also the Peabody Museum of Natural History. During these years the Observatory, the West Divinity Hall, and the Bacon Memorial L brary were also erected. In 1886, Professor Timothy Dwight, grandson of the former President, was e ectod to that position, which he now holds. The name of the institution has been changed, to conform with the growth and scope of the school, from “college'’ to “university ” The principal bui dings completed since President Porter came into office are the magnificent new Chittenden Library, th* Osborn Hall, for lectures

and recitations, the Kent Laboratory! and the Gymnasium. A sugustion of the extent of the • patronage of the university may be had from the fact that its income for the year ending July 31, 1889, from its theological, scientific, Jaw, medicine and art departments was 8366.649.61, while its^expeases for a like

period were 82,185.53 less than that amount. The number of names in the college directory, for 1890, was 1,800. In scholarship Yale is excelled by no American college or university. It also leads in athletic sports. America may well be proud of her YalA ■*—. —, Forrest Crissey

GOVERNOR YALE.

TIMOTHY DWIGHT.

GOING TO PRAYERS.

COMING FROM PRAYERS.