Author Title Imprint jtj — .voaov-i GPo ADDRESSES INAUGURATION OF WILLIAM PEPPER, M.D. I PROVOST OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. February 22, 1881. PHILADELPHIA: COLLINS, PRINTER, 705 JAYNE STREET, 1881. k9»/wm^&mKHmmim 1 e_N> \^ "3 V 1 V a.^^ i a_ Vl / / ADDRESSES INAUGURATION OF WILLIAM PEPPER. M.D. PROVOST OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. February 22, 1881 PHILADELPHIA: COLLINS, PRINTER, 705 JAYNE STREET 1881. i^>lla!aiiflaawik,*.^Mt*iiftii»iMtiK'i.n,:.. ADDRESS OF WELCOME ON BEHALF OF THE TRUSTEES. BY Rev. CHARLES P. KRAUTH, D.D.,LL.D., VICE-PKOVOST OF THE UNIVERSITY. iiiiMmi jiiLi^ij^ mt»L-t»LiUw^i»LttiLL..,i,.J...^^ . itgiui^iuiauutiitmuim- ADDRESS BY CHARLES P. KRAUTH, D.D, LL.D. It has become my duty, by the request of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, to oflfer an official welcome, in the name of its Facul- ties, to the gentleman on whom our Board, by its unanimous choice of him as Provost, has conferred the highest office and the highest honor in its gift. The Faculties would welcome the entrance of the Provost on his office, were it for no higher reason than that it brings with it the relief of a protracted suspense. Whatever relative efficiency the best temporary arrangements may have, they involve, in some degree at least, a pause. The "pulse of the machine" beats more slowly. Expectancy is impotency. Interregna, vice-regencies, and all pro- visional governments are characteristically weak. A body needs one head; and that head must be firmly united with it, not by mechanical, but by vital bonds. We welcome one by whom the com- plete normal organism is restored. As a body we welcome our ofiicial head. But the welcome is intensified by the fact that the great need of our University has been supplied from her own home, and her own ranks. Our Trustees have given us as Provost a native of the 24 State for whose advantage first, though not alone, our University was established, and w^hose name she bears. They have given us a native of the city for which our University has done so much, and which has so vital a stake in her prosperity. Our Provost comes to the service of his Alma Mater. He has taken from her hand the two crowns of Academic laurels ; he has pursued his professional studies in her medical school, and has occupied an honored place by the side of men who were once his instructors. There was but one hio-her step, and that he has now been called to take. " Them that honor me I will honor." Our local feeling is gratified the more because local feeling had no illicit influence in the choice. The besetting sin of Philadelphia lies in the con- trary direction. She is often the last to recognize the merit of her own citizens. Pesidence in her midst seems almost a barrier to the honors she con- fers. She forgets her children who deserve well of her, and wonders why other places have so many more men of renown. The fame of her sons comes to her as an echo, and the echo must be very clear, and repeated many times, before she deigns to notice it. Our Board so epitomizes the best Philadelphia, its professional life, its commerce, its manufactur- ing interests, its solid wealth, and its enterprise, its political forces, its science and literature, its renown, audits social culture, that we may consider its act as representative, and rejoice that our cit}^ has come, in this case at least, to that best repent- ance, sorrow verified in amendment. "We welcome our Provost because he comes invested with the y^f'fi^'l iiiiiii-Tr ifMtiitf iiwiiiliiiiiftiitiii iiiiiiiiiii i m •3lm^stimwi>*.■.^Ji^lM^:!^SKAr.'tfila^A^/>)V)t,:t.9l^, 25 credentials which assure us that in the long-de- ferred and well-weighed judg-ment of the Board he is the man needed for the great crisis which has been reached in the history of the University. We are not taking off our armor at the close of a great battle, fought and won; we are only fairly girding it on. After the opportunities of observation for years, a member of our faculties Ciinnot fail to have an acquaintance Avith our real position aud our pressing wants, which no stranger could possibly possess. A visitor, who simply looked upon the externals, marked our piles of beautiful and har- monious edifices, which take a high place among the educational buildings of the world, saw our carefully selected apparatus, our fine laboratories, our happy beginnings of libi'aries, already rich in special departments, might feel assured that we must be munificently endowed. When he read the list of men of eminence who form our corps of instructors, learned of the growth of the number of pupils, saw how the old departments had been en- larged and strengthened, and how many new and healthy interests had been created, noted how cau- tion and progress have worked together in giving a steady and safe growth in every line of advance throughout the eventful last twelve years, he might think that our imminent problem would soon be to find new spheres of activity. When he was told that these vast improvements had been suggested or made possible by some of the most munificent bequests and princely donations in the history of endowments, he might suppose that the past gave such a ofuarantee for the future that we needed 26 little now but fresh schemes to break the way to fresh glories, l^or can it be denied that the facts on which such an enthusiastic judgment might rest are substantial facts. They are not overstated. 'Not only have great things been planned, but great things have been accomplished. Yet the theory is not wholly true ; not that it rests on untruth, but that it does not rest on the whole truth. It exag- gerates nothing which it takes into account, but it does not take everything into account. Before we can tell whether an institution be rich we must know not only what is its capital, but what interest that capital pays. An endowment in expectations may create a Department, but it will not meet its expenses, and the credit which facilitates the mak- ing of debts will not pay them. Moderately large endowments are not adequate to gigantic plans. The most plausible hypothecations are sometimes the most illusive. The man who is familiar with that open secret, the real position of the Univer- sity, knows that we need very much more endow- ment, even for our present work and our present liabilities. Great Universities are stupendous chari- ties, and in one sense the greater they are the more they cost, the more they need, and the less they pay. They are not meant to make money, but to make men, and no University can do both. The University that deals or is dealt with in a niggardly way will do neither. We have not " exhausted worlds," and are in no need of "imagining new." We have paid much, but we have not paid for what we have, for we have very much ; and there is a great deal that we need h'Vi )iiiiitiMiSsiitiiaiiiMimw^^ ,t'^%-ivA'?K^. ir^^^<^A'«^Mii.-ia.. 27 for which we are not yet even in debt. The Uni- versity is sanguine and perplexed in the midst of great plans imperfectly carried out, plans in which the future must be won or the past be lost, plans whose yet unrealized history is to determine whether they shall be her glory or her shame. She is poor in her wealth, weak in her strength, embarrassed in her increase — with glorious ends and with crippled means, suffering at once from the reputation of wealth and the pressure of poverty. Her hope breaks like a star through a cloud, bright but dis- tant, while her care sits upon the pillion, with its grisly arms around her. We welcome in the Provost one who, we trust, will catch inspiration from difficulty, and will" bear a decisive part in giving us a University which will justify our highest pride. To do this it must be more than a big local school ; it must be the educa- tional centre of Pennsylvania, one of the greatest of institutions in the judgment of the wide world — a Keystone University for the Keystone State. The Faculties welcome their new Provost because in the changes demanded for his official position he embodies great concessions to a need imperatively felt, and long and urgently pressed — the need of a better organization in respect to the relations of the Board and of the Faculties. We are now unified governmentally by having our supreme executive officer in common. The Provost who approaches the Faculties from the Board, approaches the Board from the Faculties. Help is given to the more perfect understanding and sympathy which are indispensable to the two general co-organizations. The inevitable danger of an imperfect practical unification is, that each body isolates its particu- lar rights and duties, and is tempted to think that it is for itself and the other for it. A Board may come to look upon the Faculties almost as if they were its personal servants. A Faculty may come to look upon a Board as if a Board were a mere contrivance for the supply of temporal means. " We employ you to do work for us," sums up the impression upon the one side. " You pay us for our work," is the tacit explanation of the bond on the other. The result is a hiring body, and a body of hirelings. The Faculty of a University is its soul — but without a Board of Trustees it might be a disembodied soul, or a soul " without enough body to cover it decently." A University depends indeed at last upon its Faculties, l^o buildings or endowments can be vast enough and rich enough to compensate for the want of able and devoted teachers. A Chapel of St. Ursula is not a University, however symmetrical may be the arrangement of its empty skulls, or artistic the groupings of its dry bones. It is impossible to create living Universities out of dead professors. Here at least the theory of spontaneous generation will not hold. ISTothing but life evokes life. The vital spark and the moral force of Universities are in their Faculties. You cannot degrade the Faculties either by the way in which you make them, or by the way in which you treat them, without degrad- ing the Institution. The supremest glory of a Board is the creation of noble Faculties, unless it make that glory its shame by abandoning or minmmfm m m 'M^JJ^jL^I^-i :' -kj^'-- yiteiiMfiiifiii ■iMtJM»tri^va«iiiii«mtf»» ■ ,*-.^ta..-..u\Aif. .«J>..),,.ie«*.«HA-,..-. 29 slighting the work of its Own hands. True Faculties, therefore, of right feel that they ought to be esteemed very highly for their works' sake. Faculties are indeed means, not the end ; but they are the means nearest the end, and entitled to be considered next after the end. But, on the other hand, the Faculties depend upon the Trustees. Not only does their existence depend upon the wisdom which chooses fit men, and provides for them, but their completest success in education and discipline is impossible unless the Trustees comprehend their worth and give them the fullest moral support. An army divided by the conflict of authority between two able generals may be beaten by the army which has but one general, even though he be a poor one. " One bad general is better than two good ones, at the head of an army." So says the highest military authority in expressing the imperative need of unity. When a Faculty and a Board are discordant authorities, an institution is torn apart by the forces which should consolidate it Unity is efficiency ; severance is destruction. A common headship promotes a common heartship. The external and the internal cannot each have a head of its own, and a heart of its own. They ought to be two sides of one organism, knit into unity by one head and one heart, — and an aid to this is what we welcome in the new relations of the Provost to the Board. This happy advance in organization is indeed associated with other changes, not like it, the out- growth of general and thoroughly tested convic- 30 tions, but necessitated by special conditions. In the nature of the case, as regards these changes, the Faculties, like the Board itself, can walk at best only by faith. There is yet no vision to give them aid, no experience to inspire assurance. Experi- ments can be tested only by experiment. Mean- while the Faculties will not manufacture prophecies, and then go to work to fulfil them ; they have no wish that is father to their fear ; but are heartily resolved that they will bring to the untried methods loyal purpose and honest co-operation. We welcome our new Provost, because we know that he has felt an interest in the University which has led him to watch, with sympathetic study, all the steps by which it has made its latest advances. In every question in which his own Faculty has been called to decide between the higher and the lower standard, he has stood with the higher. In all departments of the University there has been fresh life ; new plans have been vigorously urged, and vast strides have been taken. An incoming administration will carefully study a successful and brilliant administration which preceded it. While the University stands, it will stand as a memorial of the energy and self-consecration of our late Provost, who brought to his work an enthusiasm which inspired enthusiasm, a tireless industry and persistence, a singleness of purpose, and an unwearied concentration of effort which surmounted the most formidable obstacles; and when its walls have crumbled, its history will pre- serve for all generations to come, in the perpetual freshness of grateful recognition, the invaluable titaMiaiiimikijttmuasii ,.lii.A- .■■■..■ 31 services of Dr. Charles J. Stille. Ko after ad- ministration can afford to efface the footprints of the past, to ignore the work which has been done, to leave it in the temporary incompleteness which is the result of its greatness, or decline to move in the line of its promise. The trail of the pioneers must be broken into a highway, or the thorns of the wilderness will overrun it again. But the monumental tribute to the administra- tion which passes, is not without its antedating for the one which comes. The University buildings as they stand have one edifice, saddest and holiest of them all,' which is already a guarantee that to the achievements of professional skill and success our new Provost brings a heart yearning for noble work and an energy which performs it. In de- fiance of the prosy pragmatism of anatomy, and sustained by the authority of Solomon, we are sure that the heart of our Provost is at his right hand. To him who has pleaded for mercy to the helpless sick as a lover would plead his own cause; who, working with other men of good will, took by tacit election the headship among them ; who has touched with a master hand the springs of influ- ence — to him public esteem has given the wreath, as the moral architect of our Hospital. The Hos- pital is the headstone of our beneficent work. By it, the University, long the mistress of human Arts and Sciences, has become the direct hand- maiden of the Heavenly pity. The record of our Provost here has helped to give him the reputation of undertaking great things and of failing in nothing he undertakes. 82 That reputation is already half success, and that reputation is now to be put into the crucible, and we believe will endure it. That our Provost will bring his energy to bear impartially on every in- terest of the University, that he will show no favoritism, that he will cultivate each part for the benefit of all parts, 'and advance the whole for the benefit of each, that he will see to it that no department shall by its inertness become parasitic on the others, or by its disproportioned stimulation develop into a beating aneurism on the body — these are the beliefs of the Faculties which prompt their welcome. That by the gracious Providence of Grod, to which our University owes all its successes, and on which depend all its anticipations, our Provost may be endowed with the full spirit of his ofl&ce, the wisdom to plan, the moral courage to defend, and the strength to execute ; that he may be sus- tained in the effort and cheered in the trials which belong to his exalted and difiicult position — these are the wishes, these the hopes, these the prayers, in which the Faculties desire to embody their purest and warmest Welcome. fc!c^««-)*^--«'*v>>s»wi->»v»i(«;vi«>*v»*>3^-± ADDRESS BY PROVOST PEPPER. It is according to time-honored custom, that, having received the keys of my office as Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, I am now per- mitted to address you as the official representa- tive of this venerahle Institution, It is, indeed, a custom sanctioned as well by illustrious prece- dent as by its apparent fitness, since it may rea- sonably be assumed that, under ordinary circum- stances, the tenure of office of each Provost or President marks in the history of a university an epoch, characterized more or less strongly by the individual qualities of the man, and embracing the origin of important movements and the develop- ment or modification of plans already in oj^eration. No opportunity can be found, therefore, so well fitted for submitting to the graduates and friends of a university a statement of its recent pro- gress and of the measures contemplated for its future advancement, as that on which he, to whom has been intrusted the task of directing this devel- opment in accordance with the spirit and traditions of the past history of the Institution, first appears as its- official representative. Such a statement should not be expected to contain matters of a start- 36 ling or novel character. Just as the life-power of a great institution, with its hoarded wealth of the devotion of those who have faithfully served it and generously supported it ; of the piety, wisdom, and learning of the teachers who have adorned it; of the achievements of its sons who have illus- trated it, exceeds that of any individual, so much the more necessary is it that its life-history shall be one of natural and progressive development. While within certain wide limits the greatest ac- tivity and expansion are desirable, it is essential that there shall be a true continuous progress, and not a series of abrupt, violent, and ill-combined movements, inspired by caprice or uncontrollable restlessness. In all vigorous organizations destined to perfect development there are, however, occasional periods of extraordinary change and activity, when growth is rapid and when new and varied powers display themselves. This is true no less of nations and of great institutions than it is of individuals. Through such a period of rare developmental activity has the University of Pennsylvania been passing during the last decade : and the changes that have occurred in that time as affecting the condition of the various departments ; the organization of the corporation ; the relations of the University to the community; and the claims that it may fairly make upon its graduates and upon all friends of higher education, are so great as to demand our careful consideration. One who can recall the contracted space contain- ing the modest University buildings of ten years ago need but turn to the new grounds, compare liiiiiii i...;^.^-...^^^^-— ... ^.^:. U.;^..^... .t,„....;.^.i..^—>j«;.,..>^i,v>.t..^- 37 atively ample but still inadequate, where stand the group of spacious halls erected since that date, to appreciate what the development of the various departments has been. Even to enumerate the important advances that have been made in the educational system and position of the University would occupy too much space. The methods of study in the Academic Depart- ment have been improved and its resources greatly strengthened ; and since the adoption of the elec- tive system to as great an extent as the policy of this University regards as desirable, it offers such advantages as must ensure it constantly increas- The Towne Scientific School, endowed by the princely munificence of its founder, has attained such completeness of organization, and such abundant facilities in most branches of technical education, as faiily to entitle it to the prominent position it has rapidly acquired. The Department of Medicine, freed from the trammels of an effete system, has strengthened its claim to be the foremost, as it is the oldest and most celebrated, of the Medical Schools of America. The Law School, animated by an active and progressive spirit, has exhibited such gratifying evidences of its powers and capacity, and has gained in reputation so rapidly, as to justify the brightest hopes for its future. While these oldei* departments of the Univer- sity have thus advanced, the new School of Music has acquired a creditable position ; and the Depart- ment of Dentistry has at once assumed a leading 38 position among the schools where this important branch of professional edn cation is pursned. The total number of students in attendance at the University has increased from 575 in 1870 to 969 in 1881, a gain of 60 per cent. ; the number of professors has increased from 31 to 44 in the same time ; and, to indicate the extent to which practical instruction has been introduced, the num- ber of demonstrators has advanced from 2 to 25. It is impossible to pass from this hasty summary of the advances in the strength and organization of the various departments of the University without pausing to pay a tribute of hearty admiration to the leader in this onward movement, to whose sus- tained enthusiasm and ceaseless energy its success is largely due. The task of inaugurating extensive changes in a long-established institution ; of arous- ing widespread interest and zeal at a time when they had flagged ; of organizing a complicated and yet thoroughly practicable system of education in two of the most important departments of the Uni- versity ; of collecting a corps of highly competent teachers, imbued with earnestness and lofty aims similar to his own; of winning the confidence of the community, the cordial co-operation of his col- leagues, and the respect and affection of the stu- dents; — this task was, indeed, one requiring rare qualities as an organizer, a leader, a teacher, and a man. As an alumnus of the University ; as a teacher in one of its departments during the period referred to; and now as the representative of the Board of Trustees, — lean testify to the general feel- ing of admiration for the work done, and for him who (««..i*xATiV«il»as»>»;».><i:(ui, 39 bore so large a share of the burden. Well for our beloved University was it that at such a crisis in her history so able and devoted a leader was found. The good work he has done will long survive his departure from his official position; and when, in the distant future, the historian of this University shall record the services of those who have most contributed to her proud position, among the fore- most must stand the name of Charles Janeway Stille. 'No less important changes have meantime taken place in the internal organization of the University ; some of which are of such recent occurrence that, even before this audience, I may be pardoned for alluding to them. The Board of Trustees, in which the corporate rights of the University are vested, owes its present composition to an Act of Assembly passed Sept. 30, 1791, which provided that the Board should con- sist of twenty-four members, with the Governor of Pennsylvania, for the time being; and that the Governor should be President."^ For many years past, circumstances have prevented the Governors of Pennsylvania from occupying their official position in connection with the Board and the Uni- versity. The link between the University and the State has thus been but little recognized ; and yet it seems to me most important that it should again become a real and vital one. There is no question of State interference or control, since the * The seat of SUite Government was transferred to Harrisburg in 1812. 40 authority of the University is clearly defined and independent ; but, on the other hand, the associa- tion that is implied by the fact that the Governor for the time being is President of the Board of Trustees of the University, shows that from the beginning this was designed to be, not a local in- stitution of this city, but truly the University of Pennsylvania, the great central representative in- stitution of a great and populous State. I must regard it as of good omen that, on this occasion, the highest function of the Governor in his ofiicial connection with the University has been performed in person; and by one whose scholarly attainments are no less conspicuous than are his public char- acter and position. As time advances, the advantage of a large Board of Trustees becomes, and will become, more and more evident. It makes it more probable that a broad, catholic, and non-sectarian spirit will always animate the administration of the University. It renders it possible to secure the services of men, eminent in every walk of life, who may bring to the study of the questions that arise in the various departments the special skill and knowledge of experts, combined with sound practical judgment and general culture. Such a corporation will never be unduly controlled by the views or personal in- fluence of any one man; and its slowly changing composition ensures a settled and abiding policy, faithful to tradition, and yet steadily progressive. Large as its numbers are, the duties devolving on the members are onerous and responsible, and from the earliest days of the University to the ^^lfcf**""*'''^*****''^''*lTr^-^^Vl^-^inAlii^«t^ ■iriii >!■« —lii in mil itii liti Anr-iiini r il i I iiv 1 1 V ' i i-i[lin"-'i-'rf im rr 41 present time tliey have been discharged, by succes- sive generations of eminent citizens, with scrupu- lous fidelity and with singular devotion. As regards the relations of the Faculties to the corporation, important and salutary changes have been made in the past decade. It is of course im- possible that in the various departments of a great University, an exact similarity shall exist in such points as the character of preliminary examina- tions, the mode of arranging and grading studies, the duration of the course of study; but it is vitally important that, in all that concei'us its internal organization, and the relations of its Faculties to each other, to the Board of Ti'ustees, and to the students, the greatest uniformity shall prevail ; so that each department shall regard itself chiefly as a component part of the entii'e University. "Without this, it is impossible for a vigorous and genuine University spirit to be main- tained, pervading alike Faculties and students. Equally essential is it that, as regards the special interests of each department, the greatest possible power and authority should be lodged in the hands of the respective Faculties. Thei-e can be no healthy or sustained activity on the part of any public officials unless they are actuated by a high sense of their individual respousibility. There can be no intelligent sense of responsibility unless it is based upon the feeling that there has been conferred the power necessary for the successful discharge of duty. There can, there- fore, be no question as to the wisdom of the recent amendments to the statutes of the Uni- 42 versity (January, 1881), which delegate to the Faculties of each department the administration of discipline; the approval of all requisitions for supplies ; the decision as to applications for free scholarships ; the care and supervision of the buildings and grounds ; and the control of all em- ployes. The Dean of each Faculty becomes the executive officer of that Department, and the practical autonomy of the Faculties is estab- lished. There will inevitably arise, under the continued discharge of these enlarged duties, a keener sense of individual interest in the welfare and progress of each department. Spacious halls, rich collections and libraries, and munificent endowments are necessary adjuncts to a great University ; but they do not and cannot render a University great. This can be done solely by the work of its teachers ; by their learning ; by their zeal and ability in teaching; by their personal influence over their students ; and by their wider influence over the intellectual life of the surround- ing community. JSTo services rendered to a people can exceed in value those of the successful edu- cators of its youth ; and for services so responsi- ble, so difficult, and demanding such rare qualifi- cations, no honors or rewards would be excessive. Yet it would almost appear that the people im- agine that these exceptional and valuable men are to be secured in any number, and for salaries barely adequate to support a decent existence. The love of knowledge and culture for their own sake, and the fascination of teaching, do indeed lead many a man of the highest ability to neglect ■^'rm i,^^ 43 the lucrative occupations of life and to devote him- self for long years to intense study and to the art of teaching. But the purest zeal might well grow languid, after years of labor, with no more adequate reward than the cheap title of Professor, and a salary — small in comparison with that of many salesmen— and pitiful in comparison with that of the officials of other large corporations. I would not imply that the spirit actuating earnest teachers is often a mercenary one. Proba- bly no more disinterested body of men exists in any community. But I would urge the wisdom and policy of securing only the best and most energetic men, of paying them liberally for their whole time and strength, and then of enlarging their duties and opportunities of teaching so as to develop and utilize their full powers. When this is done, let a community exact from those to whom is entrusted the education of its youth — from the lowest to the highest stage — the very best work; let them insist by the irresistible force of an enlightened and cultured public opinion that they wdio are set in the high places of learning shall be the most thoroughly fitted for their posts ; the exaction will be cheerfully met, and the criticism be gladly borne, if at the same time the hands and hearts of the teachei-s be strengthened by the cor- dial appreciation of a community — competent to criticize because itself aiming at a high standard of culture, and authorized to exact because willing to reward liberally. In no one paiticular are the changes concerning the Faculties of the University more important 44 b-^ \i than in establishing the eminently proper and ne- cessary rule that each Facult}^ shall administer its own discipline. It is a matter that closely con- cerns the entire commnnity, that the students of this University, already numbering nearly one thousand, shall learn thoroughly the various sub- jects to which they apply themselves. But it is also a matter of the greatest moment that they shall acquire, during their University life, a due devel- opment of character, and a manly tone, self-reliant and vigorous, but yet deeply tinged with respect for law and for the rights of others. To know that the administration of discipline is tardy and indirect, and that an appeal may be made from the sentence imposed by a Professor or a Faculty to a Provost, or to any other authority, is directly provocative of insubordination ; while the mere i'act thut the Professor or Faculty whose rules are infringed has full and conclusive authority to deal pi'operly with such infraction, is a most potent ofuarantee ag-ainst disorder. But, after all, it is not to elaborate rules of disci- pline that we are to look for the prevention of truly reprehensible acts. The best safeguard against these is the cultivation of a high-toned Univei'sity feeling, aided by the silent influence of the Chris- tian spirit that pervades our Institution. Its or- ganization has now reached a point where it is impossible for the students of one department to regard those of the other departments in any light save as comrades and members of the same college. All must feel themselves equally bound to protect MtiiM-k^ 45 her reputation, and to govern themselves by the best traditions of University life. If, in the larger world outside, no force influences men so powerfully as that of public opinion, it should be the case in the lesser world of a University that the sustained sentiment of Class after Class against mean, iingentlemanly, or outrageous actions should render their repetition practically impossible. The passage, year after year, of a body of young men imbued with such feelings, as well as with a rea- sonable regard for intellectual pursuits, from the Universities into the general communit}^, must exert a constantly increasing and most beneficial influence upon the tone of society and of public life. Such changes in the powers and duties of the various Faculties have at once made possible and necessitated important changes in the functions and position of the Provost, who is the official head of the University. Owing to peculiarities in its origin and development, his relations were with the undergraduate department alone, until with- in a few years past, when the Provost was declared the President of each Faculty, and was invited to a seat at the meetings of the Board of Trustees. Still, while this was an important step in the co- ordination of the various departments of the Uni- versity, it added little to the real power of the Provost, or to his ability to influence the general policy of the Institution. At the same time, the addition of new departments, the erection of new and important buildings, the large increase in the corps of professors and instructors, and in the num- 46 ber of students, rendered it utterly impossible for anv man to attend to the infinitude of details that formerly came under the Provost's supervision. But even if possible, such concentration of his time and attention upon matters of mere detail would of necessity divert him from those larger interests of the University which his peculiar offi- cial position would enable him to advance most successfully. The recent amendments to the Statutes have finally placed the Provost in his natural relation to the entire Institution. The charter of the Uni- versity* renders it impossible for him to be a regu- lar member of the Board of Trustees ; and after very careful reflection upon the advantages to be derived in this and in other directions from modi- fications in this charter, it has been generally con- ceded that they are overbalanced by the possible disadvantages involved in an application to the State Legislature, and an abandonment of the present independent position of the University. The same object has, however, been accomplished practically by declaring the Provost to be the President ^jro temjjore of the Board of Trustees, with the power of appointing its committees.f Allusion has already been made to the enlarged duties and functions of the several Faculties, by which the organization of each department is ren- t^:1 * Act of Nov. 27, 1779, Section 10, "Provided always, that if any trustee of the said University shall take any charge or office under the said trustees other than that of treasurer, his place shall be thereby vacated." f Excepting the Committee on Ways and Means. 47 dered uniform and complete, and by which the Provost is for tlie future relieved from veiy much of the detail work that formerly devolved upon him. Not that this change of system has lessened his control over the working of each department, or his power of supervising and estimating the results of the work of each professor and of each student. On the contrary, it has foi- the first time rendered it possible for him to exert his proper influence; and by the establishment of a thorough system of reports from the various departments to secure an accuracy and scope of information nnattainable while he was hampered with the details of disci- pline and of routine administration. It has always been thought desirable, though not essential, that the Provost should hold a chair in one of the de- partments, so that his practical experience as a teacher should be maintained; and if now, for the first time in the history of the University, a teacher has been selected from the Medical Department to fill the position of Provost, it must be felt that the choice has been largely influenced by the brilliant record of that department, and by the admirable results that are attending its efibrts in the cause of higher medical education. The growth of the University during the past decade has been, it is true, highly satisfactory; but it is evident that, with the ample facilities now provided, and with the large opportunities that present themselves, there remains a far larger de- gree of activity to be attained. I prefer in the* first place to address myself to the undergraduate department. Important as the professional schools 48 are in the general scheme of the University, it is largely by the numbers and standing- of its under- graduates that its strength must be judged. Their numbers have increased from 183 in 1870 to 283 in 1880, a gain of 65 per cent. ; but even this latter figure is far too small when the vast population of this city and State is borne in mind. I am confi- dent that I am within the bounds of moderation when I say that, if this community were fully alive to the great practical benefits of a university education, and were fully aware of the advantages now offered by the University of Pennsylvania, the number of students in the undergraduate depart- ment alone would speedily reach 1000. There is, I am well aware, a widespread feeling that a university course is not the best preparation for a business life; and as the great majority of the young men of Pennsylvania and the adjoining States are destined for such pur- suits, it is notorious that a remarkably low proportion of them are sent to college. When a boy had no choice offered him but to follow the time-honored classical course at the University, it may have seemed that his acquirements would not assist him materially in a business career. With the introduction of many new subjects into the curriculum, the adoption of the elective system of studies, and the development of more direct, for- cible, and practical methods of instruction, this objection became much less valid ; and when, in 1875, the Towne Scientific School was established, such large facilities were offered for studies directly bearing on practical life that it was deprived of JiiArBM^Miiii liiWi^i tfii i ii li i'lii 1 1 ' 49 much of its remaining force. A striking proof of this is shown in the fact that while the students in the Department of Arts increased from 123 in 1870 to 142 in 1880, those in the Scientific School increased from 60 to 141 during the same period. There is reason to believe, however, that there is still demanded, not merely a freedom of election between classical and scientific studies, but a com- plete course of study specially adapted for those who are destined for business or commercial life: and among the projects that will receive the care- ful consideration of the University authorities is one looking toward the establishment of a new de- partment for this purpose. But it has always seemed to me that this objec- tion implies a mistaken view as to what really con- tributes most to a young man's success in life. Certainly the measure of his success is not to be the age at which he can earn enough to support himself. What if, in the eager haste to get an early start on the road to wealth, that development of character and that training of the mental powers which will be needed to grasp great success w^hen it offers itself have been forfeited? What if, when in the prime of life, the successful man, sated with the mere accumulation of wealth, finds his spirit restless and unhappy within him, and craves those cultured tastes that may no longer be acquired? We all admire success, and respect successful men ; but it has been my lot to see so many in- stances where material success, secured by fierce driving activity from the earliest age without the counterpoise of careful mental training and sus- 50 tallied interest in intellectual pursuits, has brous^ht with it unhappiness and mental disease, that I have been led to believe that there is no better prepa- ration for a successful and a happy life than a well- selected course at some large university. I am aware, also, that there is a strong feeling on the part of many persons that a large city is not the best site for a great university. It is often asserted that it is necessary that the University shall be the main feature in the life of the otherwise insignificant place where it is situ- ated ; and historical precedents, such as those of Oxford and Cambridge, and some of the German Universities, are cited in support of the assertion. The facts of the case would seem to show, however, that this view is not a just one. I should rather infer from them that while a university may grow to be great and powerful in a small place, a great university in the midst of a great city will have many advantages over it. It is easy, of course, to mention illustrious cases in proof of this, as that of the universities of Paris, of Berlin, of Vienna, of Strasburg, of Leipsic; but it is more to our purpose to consider this question as it affects the interests of our universities in this country. An admirable classical and literary department may thrive any where that great teachers and good libraries are collected, but this is not so with the other departments of a University. When we consider the professional schools, the advantages of the great city are, of course, incontestable ; but in any department, as soon as studies that bear on practical life are begun, it is desirable that the &m0mM^:':y,.m:^,}sKm-^ 51 student shall have access to a sort of instruction that may be styled illustrative. Look, for instance, at the unrivalled opportuni- ties offered by Philadelphia to students in the Towne Scientific School, who are enabled to visit, study, and report on the vast and varied industrial establishments here maintained. It is impossible to supply, by any laboratory or museum, the prac- tical advantages that may thus be secured. The Law School can secure the services of the most eminent judges and lawyers whom it would be impossible to draw by a tenfold salary from the bench or bar to occupy the position of Professor in a provincial university. Many of the teachers in the Medical Depart- ment must be active practitioners of medicine or surgery, with a familiarity with every form of dis- ease and injury that can come only from daily work in the hospital and the crowded consultation-room. The laboratories where the student of medicine gains the most practical and important part of his education are the hospital w^ards where he is trained in the rudiments of his art, and the clin- ical amphitheatre where he sees the best results that medical skill, aided by good nursing and all helpful appliances, can secure in its hard battle with disease. If, indeed, we consider the numerous depart- ments that are comprised in our idea of a Univer- sity, it would seem impossible that it should be located elsewhere than in a large city. It is, however, especially against the location of the undergraduate department in a large city that 52 these objections are entertained ; and as this is a matter of vital moment to our University, I may be pardoned for considering it in some detail, and especially with reference to the youth of our own city and State. It may be felt, for instance, that a student going to a distant university, and to one not in a large city, would have greater opportuni- ties of becoming acquainted with students from other sections of the country, and thus of acquir- ing a wider knowledge of men, with the benefits that result from such intercourse. It is not sufficiently appreciated, I think, that the University of Pennsylvania is truly a national institution, when all of its departments are taken into consideration together. Of the students now entered on its rolls, thei-e are 873 from the Middle States (of whom 728 are from Pennsylvania) ; 26 from the Eastern States; 48 fi'om the Southern States ; 39 from the Western States ; and 56 from foreign countries. What we need, therefore, in order to secure the fullest advantages of the in- tercourse of our young men with those of other sections, is not so much larger numbers, or greater variety of nativity, as it is a better university organization, and more adequate opportunities for communication between the classes of the different departments. It is manifestly the duty of the Provost, as it certainly will be one of his pleasures, to do all in his power to promote these closer relations of a personal and social character among the universitj^ students. Again, there are many who believe that it adds imM^^^.-H..^...> :^^:^:^f- hiArtii(i(iilitii(iiii<««wiiiiii«ii»iiig»«««t»a.i nn i 57 will gladly witness and co-operate with all earnest efforts to secure such facilities. It recognizes the urgent need of Philadelphia, as of every other great city, in this direction ; it realizes strongly the good that would follow from a more general diffusion of higher culture arid increased activity in intellectual pursuits among our women; and the powerful in- fluence which would be reflected upon its own fu- ture prosperity. There should be accessible, not only to those who desire to become teachers, or to those who are able or willing to take up their resi- dence at a special college, but to all women who exhibit the proper qualifications, a course of edu- cation in many respects the same as the usual University cui'riculum, in certain particulars dif- ferent, but of equal excellence and thoroughness. Proficiency should be tested by rigid examinations, and satisfactory attainments should receive suit- able certificates. The demand for such facilities is great and is constantly becoming more generally recognized. The particular arrangements for se- curing this object may vary in different places. If true to her traditions, Philadelphia will certainly assume a leading position in the movement ; and while this University cannot take the initiative, it will watch with the deepest interest, and be ready to assist as far as possible, all well-considered efforts towards this end. If the future of this University is to be worthy of its past, and of the wide opportunities that are offered to it, it must be largely through the co- operation and support of its graduates. I have no fear of being contradicted when I assert that, in lllll l|l||ll|l||l|ll|||||||||||| —■miliim i l ll W III II I '•• - ■-• v--.- -----■■-—"-•-.^nn ..-»».i.,,=«»,i,»^sri.-;;*;..»;-»v:S.V-<^-/Mr<. 58 spite of many notable exceptions, the general inte- rest they have heretofore taken in the welfare of their Alma Mater has not been a consuming one. This is not true when we consider the work of the Alumni Societies of special departments. The deepest and most active interest, and a large libe- rality, have been frequently displayed. But this has been at special times and for special objects; while what is needed is, that there shall be a vigorous organization of the graduates of all the departments, and that the general prosperity of the whole University — which requires incessant care, because its needs are changing and enlarging incessantly — shall be the object of their constant and zealous concern. This seems to me to be the greatest of all our needs to-day. The internal ofl'ganizatiou and the educa- tional facilities of the University are, in most re- spects, all that can be desired; but we need more active and universal co-operation among her gradu- ates, so that the entire community may be led to know and appreciate her true position. But if the Alumni are asked to thus unite in earnest support of the University, and to assist her noAV that her en- larged field of operations requires even more active support than ever before, it seems just and fitting that their connection with the University, and their interest in her affairs, shall not remain a matter of sentiment alone. They are, it seems to me, entitled to the fullest information in regard to her real position, plans, and requirements, and, as far as may be practicable, to a share in the control of her affairs. The simplest ^"^^nmm 59 mode of accomplishing this would seem to be by- giving to the united Alumni of all the departments a definite representation in the Board of Trustees. How far this maybe practicable under the restric- tions of the Charter of the University is a ques- tion requiring careful consideration; but if no in- superable obstacles present themselves, I am con- vinced that the true interests of the University would be promoted by such an arrangement. There is, moreover, another way by which the Alumni could be admitted to a real and valu- able share in the supervision of the University. I allude to the formation of a body bearing to the corporation something of the relation held by the Board of Overseers of Harvard College to that Institution. I do not conceive that it would be necessary for such a body to be called into ex- istence by any special modification of the Charter, in order to give to it a positive and permanent value. Its functions would be purely those of supervision, criticism, and recommendation; and if it be deemed expedient by the Board of Trustees, and by the Alumni that some such body shall be called into existence, the high character of the men selected as its members, and the zeal they would display in promoting the welfare of the In- stitution, would speedily give it that importance which real utility alone can confer. Still another means suggests itself for promoting the active and permanent interest of the Alumni in our University. If a special work was accom- plished by their united efforts, a work that would be related to every department, and would influence 60 and advance the prosperity of each, it would serve not only as a memorial of their affection, but as a constant incentive to farther zeal. The opportu- nity for such an undertaking exists at this moment ; and the work of erecting a spacious and imperish- able library building, where the already large and constantly increasing collectionsof the University could be stored, where the students of all depart- ments would meet in the common enjoyment of its bounty, and to which future generations of Alumni w^ould look with gratitude as the most precious of the many advantages they had enjoyed — such a work is worthy of our united energies. The Uni- versity has other urgent needs at present; but none more imperative than this, and none that can so strongly solicit the cooperation of the graduates of every department. There are, indeed, other and urgent needs, for when a great Institution ceases to require con- stant and liberal assistance, it is only because it has ceased to grow, or even to be actively alive. It is a proud privilege of our University that it can point to a career distinguished by spotless integrity, and by a scrupulous discharge of ever}^ trust ; and that it can now offer itself to this vast and wealthy community as the most fitting agent for the adoption and execution of its educational and charitable purposes. The experience of all countries has shown con- clusively that institutions created for special pur- poses rarely carry out the original intention of their founders. But in the case of a great institution, each sepa- 61 rate trust confided to it must act only as an incen- tive to more and more vigilance in the discharge of former obligations, because closer public scru- tiny is invited, and because the operation of every such trust will, in the course of time, breed new demands upon the confidence and generous appro- bation of the community. Large as have been the gifts to the University of late years, they have only enabled her to lay the deep and broad foundations of her future pros- 23erity. We still need more and larger endow- ments for existing professorships, that will pei- petuate the name and munificence of their founders. We need the establishment of many free schol- arships, by aid of which poor but meritorious students may be supported and educated and fitted for careers of usefulness. We need gene- rous additions to the general funds of the Institu- tion, so that every department may be maintained in the highest state of efficiency. These are some of the pressing needs of the University; and those who supply them may be assured of the largest returns on their bounty, and of the most faithful observance of their intentions. The net income of the University and Colleges of Oxford was ascertained, in 1874, to be $2,000,000 a year; and though generations must pass before the endowments of our American Universities ap- proach this in magnitude, the fact that such vast sums have elsewhere been given for the advance- ment of learning may well stimulate and encourage us. It is a hard matter to over-estimate the capa- city for growth and achievements of a man, even .JAlfW. 62 with his limited faculties and brief span of life; but it is impossible to form an adequate conception of the future power of a great University like ours, deeply rooted in the fertile soil of a peaceful and thoughtful people ; growing with their growth, and strengthening with their strength ; increasing its Faculties and its facilities as the mass of know- ledge multiplies; and diffusing its illuminating and purifying influence, through ever widening circles, until, like the sweet light of Sirius, it reaches the furthest confines of humanity. ItlWiliffli--'^''""^"^'''' ■ ■'■''•'' "•''■■-' '■'■■-'■■ liiSfflf'^nfiMif- MtliMifcHlOiili if I i ■•''■'. ;, '■".' •^' ^ ' ■ YA 1^ 'ij •1 -'-'.JSS