INAUGURAL ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT KNOX COLLEGE, aiLLESBLIJRa, ILLINOIS, JUNE 24, A. D. 185: BY REY. H. CURTIS, D. D. PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE, Um^ CHICAGO : DAILY PRESS AND TRIBUXE BOOK AND JOB PRINTING HOUSE, NO. 43 CLARK STREET. 1858. INAUGURAL ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT KNOX COLLEGE, ai^LESBLTRa, ILLINOIS, JUNE 24, A. D. 1858, BY RET. H. CUETIS, D. D., PRESIDENT 0|',^« -COLLEGE. ^ CHICAGO : DAILY PRESS AND TRIBUNE BOOK AND JOB PRINTING HOUSE, NO. 43 CLARK STREET. 1858. INAUGUKAL ADDRESS.- THE COLLEGE ITS MISSION. [The following address was hastily written, and is now printed as delivered, with all its imperfec- tions, except two or three slight verbal corrections, lest any modification might awaken dis- cussion as to what was actually uttered on the occasion.] WiiEif a man is called to occupy an important post, and great interests are to be intrusted to him, it is customary — it is expected of liim — that he shall express publicly his views of the work to which he is called ; and indicate somewhat the principles by which he will be guided ; the objects he will aim to accomplish ; and the general course of action he will deem it his duty to pursue. There is an obvious fitness and propriety in this custom. In assuming an important administrative office, it is well that a man should foreshadoAV in some measure the character and spirit of his admin- istration. The promises thus given in advance will show the •community what to expect; will be a chart to guide his after course, if he be honest ; and if he seem at any time inclined to swerve, these remembered promises may be flung in the face of the unfaithful official, to shame him back to consistency. The very short time (a little over two weeks) which has elapsed since my acceptance of the post to which I have been invited by the Board of Trust of Knox College, and my continued duties as a Pastor meantime, may be some apology for me, if the thoughts suggested on this occasion should be deemed common place, and if the form and arrangement of them be somewhat like other extemporaneous productions, unstudied and ill digested. If any one truth may be safely assumed as generally admitted by all classes, it is the importance, nay, the absolute necessity of popular education. For, to their praise be it spoken, many Avho have enjoyed no advantages of education themselves, feeling deeply their deficiencies, are among the most zealous in seeking to ITSTAITGUEAL ADDEESS. secure such advantages for their children. The popular mind in this country is essentially right on this subject. Our political institutions assume the intelligence of the people. And the national and state governments have made liberal provision to secure this result. Our religion favors, nay, almost requires it. And public sentiment demands it. In laboring to promote educa- tion — the education of the people — no one need fear that he will lose the favor of any body, unless it be that of a self-convicted priesthood, who teach that ignorance is the mother of devotion; or of a self-constituted oligarchy, who maintain that laborers must be slaves ; or of a few unfortunate gentlemen, who have property to be taxed, but no children to be educated. A few (not all) of this class are disposed to say, " Let every man take care of his own;" and their own are acres and dollars only, not minds and hearts. Others there are of this class, of larger heart and purer mold ; men who have become, in the truest sense, j)ublic benefactors, by endowing literary institutions, or otherwise fostering education, improving its character, and extending more widely its blessings. To such, all thanks. The ages to come will cherish their memory, and they shall not lose their reward. In carrying forward the^work of education, Institutions of various grades and of varied character are found necessary ; each having its appropriate work to do, each filling its place in one great harmonious system. At the base of this, great system of intellectual culture, lies the Common School ; common in this, that it is designed for every child of man. At least, this is our beauti- ful theory, that no child, of parents however poor, of birth however exotic, of race however despised or degraded, shall grow up among us without the privilege of instruction in the first rudiments of literary and scientific knowledge. This foiindation being laid, our youth can, if they choose, avail themselves of the further aid of the High School or Academy, or can read and study privately, so as to perfect themselves in those studies which will fit them for the common practical duties of life. This comes as near as possible, in a free country, to universal education. But there is a higher range of intellectual life. The Christian ministry, the legal and medical professions, the business of instruction in all the higher branches of learning, and the various departments of literary and scientific labor, these all demand a wider range of investigation, and a higher culture. To all these professions the College holds somewhat the same relation that the Common School does to the INAUGUEAL ADDKESS. 5 ordinary business of life. It lays a dommon basis for tliem all. It is occupied mainly in doing foundation work. It imparts much useful knowledge directly, and it prepares the way and affords the means for other acquisitions in after life. But its chief object is discipline and training. It seeks to form in young men habits of study, and to teach the difficult art of application. It inculcates an accurate knowledge of language, and educates the mind to a nicer discrimination of thought. It aims to strengthen the reason- ing powers, teaching a man how to reason correctly, and training him to perceive the logical relation and sequence of thoughts and ideas. Association with others *in study leads also to constant comparison of thought, and expression, and opinion, among those thus associated, teaching them to estimate their own powers aright; accustoming them to friendly conflict of mind with mind in debate, without irritation ; thus quickening and sharpening the intellectual powers, and training young men for the labors and conflicts of subsequent life. It should also be an important object in this stage of education, to cultivate the moral powers. The conscience needs to be enlightened; the social affections to be guided and strengthened ; and the religious sensibilities to be fostered and developed. College intercourse and friendships, too, constitute no unimportant part of education ; and these should be made auxiliary to the development of the whole man, refining and elevating his character, improving his manners, and molding his soul aright. To accomplish such a work as this is the appropriate mission of the College ; to lay a broad, and firm, and well com- pacted foundation for a liberal education, to be built up and per- fected afterward ; and along with this, to aid in developing a symmetrical character, thus fitting men for an honorable, virtuous, and useful life. The relation of Colleges to the State is not distinctly marked, and cannot be easily defined. Common Schools are so nearly universal in their reach, that no serious objection has been found to lie against national and state appropriations for their suj^port. But institutions of higher range, embracing as they do fewer pupils, and interesting directly a smaller portion of voters and tax payers, have been less frequently and freely aided. An unreason- able prejudice has existed in many minds against such institutions, as aristocratic in their character, and designed for particular classes of society. It has been supposed that their advantages for mental culture inure to the benefit of the few only. It would 6 TNAIIGUEAL ADDEESS. not be difficult to sliow, from the catalogues of different institu- tions, that every class of men in society have been represented in our American colleges ; that they are preeminently democratic institutions, bringing the best education in the land within the reach of the poorest boy, if he have the energy, and talent, and perseverance to avail himself of their advantages. The son of the small farmer, of the humble mechanic, or of the poor widow, may sit in college halls side by side with the sons of our great men, and our rich men; aye, and may distance them all in the race for honor, and position, and fame. Nay, more, it were not difficult to show that the Academy and the* College are essential to the suc- cess, if not to the existence, of the Common School, just as cities and small towns mutually depend upon and in turn sustain or minister to each other. This mutual relation of dependence upon and advantage to each other, in the case of educa- tional institutions is not generally appreciated, and hence poli- ticians have seldom dared to be liberal to the academies and colleges of the land. Another cause of embarrassment, in the relation of the College to the State, arises from the difficulty of determining the amount and kind of religious instruction to be imparted in them. All men, except a very few of the blankest kind of infidels, agree that some religious influence should be exerted, and some religious truth inculcated upon the minds of youth at every stage of their education. But who shall deter- mine the quantity and quality of that instruction ? We have no established religion. We have at Washington no Secretary or Minister of Worship. The Christian religion is the faith of the nation. But under that general name there are many separate and distinct denominations. In the Common School, where, from the age of the pupils, the religious instruction must be limited to the simplest elements of divine truth ; where the daily reading of a few verses of Holy Scripture, and a short prayer, offered by the teacher, or by the school in unison, constitute the entire religious exercises of the school, there is little room or occasion for difficulty. Bu-t in the higher class of institutions, where maturer minds are congregated, and a higher and broader range of topics would naturally be brought under consideration, it has been found diffi- cult so to regulate the matter of religious instruction and religious influence, as to satisfy the community. The effort has been to strive to equalize the matter between the denominations, by having a little of all and not much of either ; and this has pleased IlSrAUGURAL ADDEESS. nobody. Hence state institutions in this country have scarcely ever flourished, and been popular with the people. Their admin- istration has been subject to the vacillations and caprices of political parties, and their moral and religious character has been seldom satisfactory. The simplest and least exceptionable mode of fostering education in its higher departments, by the state, would seem to be a provision for free scholarships in any well-regulated institutions, which parents or pupils might choose; these scholarships to be awarded to the most deserving pupils in the primary and academic institutions of the state, thus helping the colleges by aiding worthy students ; and leaving the several institutions to compete for the largest share of this patronage, by making themselves the most deserving. I have spoken thus far of Colleges abstractly considered. It cannot be deemed out of place, on this occasion, considering the circumstances in which we are placed, if I allude more particularly to the origin and special mission of this College. On the 6th of June, 1835, an association was formed at Rome, Oneida Co.,K Y., according to a plan previously drawn up by Rev. Geo. W. Gale, for the express purpose of building up a group of literary institu- tions at the West. The subscribers to the plan were most of them pledged to remove with their families, so soon as a suitable location could be found, and the lands purchased as specified in the plan. A committee was sent out to explore the country. On their return, a meeting of the society was held at Whitesboro', N. Y. ; and after some time had been spent in prayer and other religious exercises, a committee was appointed with power definitely to piu-chase the lands and locate the institutions. This was done in October, 1835. Ten thousand three hundred and thirty-seven acres of prairie land, embracing the groimd on which we now stand, were purchased at government price. Some improved farms and timber lands in the vicinity were added, for the convenience of the colonists, and for immediate use. This was the origm of the settlement of this town, and of the foundation of these affiliated institutions. The lands were laid out according to the original plan, and enough was sold, at advanced prices, to the original members of the society and to others, to pay the expenses of the enterprise hitherto ; leaving a few thousand dollars, with which the Board might com- ipence their educational work. The College was .named "Prairie College," and the town received the name it now bears. A Board of Trustees was elected, to whom was committed the funds, and UTATJGirEAL ADDEESS. the entire charge of the enterprise. In the fall of 1836, a sufficient number of the Board of Trust had arrived on the ground to enable them to transact business. A charter was obtained from the Legislature of Illinois, changing the name of the Institution to Knox College ; lands were set apart for a Theological Seminary, for a Cemetery, and for a Presbyterian Church. This was done by the old Board of Trustees elected by the Association at Whitesboro'. The new Board of Trust created by the charter, composed in part of members of the old Board, met August 9th, 1837, at Knoxville, accepted the trust committed to them, received the property and funds from the old Board, legalized all their transactions, and pledged themselves to carry out, as fully as their means would permit, the purposes and designs of the original association, as expressed in the plan adopted in New York, two years before. The enterprise was now fairly under way. It had, at this early stage, a distinct and definite character, as much so as Harvard, or Yale, or Brown, or William's, or Nassau Hall, With respect to the subsequent difficulties that have arisen in the Board of Trust and in the Faculty, it does not become me to speak. There is one who judgeth righteously, to whom all these things may be safely referred. We have now to do with the origin of the College mainly in this respect, that we may judge of the intent of its founders, that we may be the better able to carry that intent into practical effect. As I read the story of its origin, and look over the action of its first trustees, the following statements seem to me obvious and indisputable : TM& College vms designed for the laboring people of Illinois. It was planted in a rural district, far from any of the great centers of commerce and of wealth, where it must of necessity always be surrounded by a population essentially agricultural. In its first organization, it was designed to be a manual labor insti- tution. This was found to be impracticable, in the further develop- ment of the undertaking. But the design to make it such, shows the intent of its founders. It was a religious institution in its first conception. Religious men devised the plan, subscribed the money, led the way in the movement, endured the hardships of the first settlement ; and they designed that thgse Institutions, whose foundation stones they were then laying, amid privation and toil, shoiild be nurseries of sound learning, imbued with the spirt of fervent piety, regulated by a INAUGIJEAL ADDEESS. 9 ScriiDtural faith, unfolding itself in earnest, practical godliness. It was not designed to be sectarian. And yet it was expected that, as a matter of course, the prevailing type of Christian sentiment here would be a Calvinistic faith, acting in and through Presby- terian organizations. This was the faith of those who originated the enterprise. This was the character of their first organization. And for many years no other organization was proposed or seri- ously considered. And yet it was not a sectarian movement. A Christian man must not only believe in Christianity in general, but he must believe something in particular. And his faith on those points which constitute the distinctive characteristics of particular denominations, will define his denominational character. Not to have a creed, and a well-defined, distinctive religious character, indicates not liberality, as some suppose, but religious indiiFerence rather, or a vacillating mind that has no fixed opinions, or a lack of honest frankness, as though the man were ashamed or afraid to avow what he does believe, and intended by concealment to cheat somebody. Any Christian man who is fit to be a public teacher, will have firmly-established and well-defined religious sentiments ; and it is exceedingly important that in each public institution there should be a general harmony of sentiment. This will not beget an intense denominationalism. It will prevent it, rather, by removing the elements and occasions of jealousy and strife, by which sectarianism is nourished. Girard's idea of making his institution religious, without being sectai'ian, simply by prohibiting clergymen to enter its gates, was both silly and absurd ; as though laymen could not be sectarian ; and as though all clergymen were so necessarily. The founders of Knox College designed it to be a Presbyterian institution ; not Presbyterian as opposed to other denominations ; not as a propagandist agency ; but as Beloit is Congregational and liberal, just so they expected this to be — a coordinate instrumentality, jointly with others, to diflfuse knoAvledge and to promote morality and religion in this young but prospectively rich and glorious country. It was planned in the most liberal spirit of union and cooperation. It was commenced and carried forward by Presbyterians, before the lamentable division of 1 83*7 and 1838 ; while old and new school men were united in one organization, and had a common interest in all the institutions established by both parties. It was commenced and carried forward during the palmy period of cooperation, when Congregation alists worked harmoni- ously with Presbyterians in the work of education and missions, 10 IIS-AUGIJEAL ADDEESS. home and foreign. We wei-e all full of love and union then ; " neither said any one that aught of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common." It was assumed that there was a common faith among us, and that there were common interests, which did not need to be specially guarded by articles of copartnership, and specifications of proprietorship, and of separate rights. These institutions were designed specially for Presbyterians and Congregationalists ; but not for them, even, exclusively. Brown University, and Yale, and Hamilton, and Nassau Hall Colleges, are each denominational, yet not exclusive ; have each their predominant type of religious sentiment, and are each under the leading supervision of some one denomination, and yet are not sectarian or propagandist in any such wise that a parent in New York would fear to send his son to any one. of them. So here at the west we have Shurtleff, and McKendree, and Marengo, and Beloit, which have each a decided denominational supervision. And yet I think I may assume of them all what I know of one, that neither of them is in any odious sense a sectarian college. I would rather a thousand fold send a son to such an institution, whose character was undisputed and well known, than to a' half and half college, where there is a balancing of power, and a con- stant strife for preeminence ; and where jealousy, and party spirit, and suspicion, and hatred, are the natural products of such an unnatural state. If the denominational sjDirit and party feeling among old and new school Presbyterians, and Congregationalists, could have been so held in check that no alienations and divisions in other matters had occurred, then might our educational institu- tions have gone on, as some of them commenced, without ever raising the question of denominational influence, and right of ownership and control. But in the • inscrutible jDrovidence of God, and through the imperfection of men, such a happy union was not per- mitted to continue. And we have now to adjust matters as well as we can to the present actual condition of things. Three colleges have been built up in this State (for Beloit, standing on the line, belongs to Illinois as much as to "Wisconsin), by the united coun- sels and|unds of New School Presbyterians and Congregationalists. Jacksonville is trying to balance itself on the pivot of neutrality. But every breath of wind threatens the equipoise. Beloit is strongly Congregational. Is it too much to claijn that Knox College, with its indubitable parentage, with its well-known early INAUGURAL ADDEESS. 11 history, and its appropriate and significant name, shall be permitted to be held and worked mainly by those whom that name befits, and who sympathize most nearly with its founders ? I have dwelt the more at length on this point, because it has been the theme of earnest discussion in this community, and the occasion of serious diversity of opinion, and of some asperity of feeling. It ought not to be impracticable for high-minded Chris- tian men so to arrange our institutions of learning, that the pro- prietary rights of all parties in interest shall be equitably regarded; the full power of each denomination which has been associated brought into exercise and left free to develoj) itself ; and only a generous, sanctified rivalry remain from these previous strifes; each corporation striving to make its own. nursling the best insti- tution in the State. It were a noble ambition to strive to excel in this wise ; to see which college can be made to impart the best culture ; which can most thoroughly arouse and quicken mind ; which can cultivate the best temper, infuse the best spirit, and exert on its pupils the best religious influence ; in short, which can best educate the whole man, and send forth the ripest scholars, the most eloquent speakers, the most correct thinkers ; and trai