Class Lpi^) l^ I PRESENTED BY A History of Macalester College Its Origin, Struggle and Growth By HENRY DANIEL FUNK Published by the Macalester College Board of Trustees 1910 v^' X /|)» MAR 20^911 f^ 4 TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 1901 William Beckering, Louis Benes, Henry Roy Bitzing, Percy Porter Brush, Charles Morrow Farney, Nathaniel E. Hoy, Lewis Hughes, Richard Uriah Jones, William Carl Laubs, Millicent Mahlum, William Henry Travis, Lily Bell Watson. INIREMEMBRANCE OF HAPPY COLLEGE DAYS THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED BY THEIR CLASSMATE HENRY DANIEL FUNK PREFACE. The appearance of a History of Macalester Col- lege may be a surprise to many. It is known as one of the youngest of the institutions of higher learning in Minnesota, and, therefore, a school which scarcely has had the time to make history. But the fact that Macalester is the out-growth of the earliest educational movements of St. Paul, and indeed of Minnesota; that it has taken almost sixty years to realize its establishment; and that it has passed through a long struggle in which faith and hope and self-sacrifice have won a splendid vic- tory; these considerations have seemed to me to justi- fy the writing of this little book. My aim has been to present an accurate narra- tive of the origin, struggle and growth of the college. I have kept in mind Ranke's rule that the historian must show how events came to pass, "wie es eigentlich gewesen ist," and not be a mere chronicler of events. I am aware, however, that the realization of such objective history is conditioned by the "mental pecul- iarities" of the writer, and that every narrative is really a description of events as "seen through the mind" of the historian. I offer this book to the pub- lic realizing its imperfections, yet conscious that I have made an earnest endeavor to write an unbiased account. 6 MACALESTER COLLEGE. My information has been secured from such original sources as the Minutes of the Board of Trustees, the Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, the Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, the Minutes of the Faculty of Macalester College, college publications, such as the "Echo" and the "Bulletin;" newspaper reports from the Minneapolis Tribune, the Minneapolis Journal, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the St. Paul Dispatch, and the Duluth Herald. I have also interviewed many Minnesota pioneers, and have received valuable information from Mr, H. Knox Taylor, Mr. D. A. Tawney, and Judge Willis, who lived in Dr. Neill's home a few years, also from Mr. Charles T. Thompson, Dr. M, D. Edwards, Dr. A. B. Abbot, Mr. R. C. Jefferson, Dr. Breed, and Dr. W. R. Kirkwood. Professor Axtell has helped me to many documents in the library and has aided me in verifying a number of important facts. Dr. Wallace, who has the longest record of continued service for the college, has been a great help to me in preparing the chapter on the financial history of the college. No man understands that part of Macalester's history as thor- oughly as he does. The biographical sketches of the first Board of Trustees were penned by his hand. He Has given me m-uch help on some of the later events of the college. In spite of his protest I have called attention to his heroic sacrifice and have given him due credit for his part in saving the college. To Dr. Hodgman I am indebted for access to all the records of the executive office bearing on the PREFACE. 7 administration of the college, and for many practical suggestions. The chapter on the Formative Period follows closely the account written by Dr. T. A. McCurdy, at my request. Mr. R. A. Kirk has furnished important data on the endowment movement and has read carefully the manuscript on that chapter. To my colleagues Professors Anderson, Down- ing, Kirkwood and MacRae, and to my friend Dr. Carl Abbetmeyer I owe hearty thanks for reading the proof and making important corrections. Above all, my thanks are due to Rev. Henry C. Swearingen, D. D., who has taken precious time from his busy pastorate to read the manuscript. To his suggestions I owe many changes in the form of statement, and to his thorough scholarship and ex- cellent judgment I have deferred in many instances. Henry Daniel Funk. MACALESTER COLLEGE. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page Chapter I The Small College 9 Chapter II The Origui of Macalester College 29 Chapter III Macalester Becomes a Denominational College So Chapter IV The Outlook for the College 64 Chapter V The Formative Period 91 Chapter VI The Opening of the College 113 Chapter VII The Faculty and the Student Life 129 Chapter VIII A Biography of Doctor Neill 146 Chapter IX The History of the Debt and Its Liquida- tion 157 Chapter X From 1890 to 1900 197 Chapter XI Macalester Becomes Co-educational 216 Chapter XII From 1900 to 1910 231 Chapter XIII Doctor Hodgman's Administration 250 Chapter XIV Successive Members of the Board of Trus- tees, Faculty Members, College Songs, College Yells, Statistics, Etc 266 Chapter XV The Need of Macalester 280 Index , 298 Charles Macalester. After whom Macalester College was named. MACALESTER COLLEGE. CHAPTER I. THE SMALL COLLEGE. The purpose of this book is to relate the history of Macalester College. It is the story of a small western institution that has only recently emerged from a tre- mendous struggle for existence. During its years of adversity, when the faith of the trustees and of the faculty was put to the severest tests, Macalester demonstrated to its friends and constituents that it had a right to exist and was worthy of better equipment, so that it might fulfill properly its mis- sion as a small college of high standards. As the twenty-fifth anniversary of its opening draws near there is good reason to be optimistic re- garding its future. The debt which for so many years hung like a pall over the institution has been liquidated and a, respectable endowment has been secured. New buildings, modern and well equipped, have been added to the plant; the alumni already number not less than 230 and the oncoming classes are steadily becoming larger, while the gain in friends 10 MACALESTER COLLEGE. and supporters during the last few years has been very gratifying. Confident that in the future Macalester College will very largely realize the expectations of its founders and occupy an honorable position among the best schools of the land, the trustees have directed that a history of this institution be written. It is hoped that a better knowledge of the college gained by perus- ing these pages may enlist the active support of some who- so far have been only disinterested observers of its progress. There are among the alumni also many who are unfamiliar with some of the- important facts connected with the life of the school, because such facts were not easily obtainable, and these surely will be glad to become better acquainted with the history of their alma mater. Future classes, friends and patrons, it is hoped, may find this brief history a guide to a correct study of Macalester's successful struggle for existence. If these pages will render such service, then this narrative will be justified. In such a history as this it is important to set forth the very earliest efforts connected with the founding of the college; it is proper to show why the first at- tempts by the founder of Macalester to establish a Christian but undenominational school of higher learn- ing failed ; it is necessary to state how Macalester became a Presbyterian institution; what kind of support the Presbyterians of the state gave to the adopted college ; how the long-expected opening of the school in 1885 was succeeded by a period of stress and trial in which the loyalty of the trustees and of THE SMALL COLLEGE. ii the faculty was required to undergo a severe ordeal; it is necessary to show also how the college gained new friends who relieved it of the financial encumbrance that long threatened it with extinction, friends who placed it upon a sound foundation, and in whose fidelity lies the assurance of permanency and stability. Such a work will demand that the mistakes) in the management of the institution be recorded as faith- fully as its laudable achievements. The historian must tell the truth; he has no license to misrepresent historical facts. Some things of a rather painful char- acter must be recorded, things that are not pleasant reading and much less agreeable writing. It will be seen that in college work, as in some other fields of service, the burdens are borne by a few, whereas the criticisms come from many ; it will be noted that even an ecclesiastical body can perform a paternal function in a step-fatherly way; and it will be evident that a college, like an individual, finds honor as it has success. Fortunately Macalester's twenty-fifth anniversary comes at a time when the regard of the public for small institutions of this kind is more favorable than it was a score of years ago. Then the future of such institutions seemed indeed to be in jeopardy. . The educational system of our country has ex- perienced many changes within the last seventy-five years. During the early period of our national history higher education was almost entirely tinder the control of ecclesiastical bodies. Before 1800 there were only four state institutions of learning independ- 12 MACALESTER COLLEGE. ent of church control ; viz. : the college in Philadelphia founded in 1755, which was later merged into the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania ; the University of North Car- olina, 1789; the University of Vermont, 1791 ; the L^niversity of Tennessee, 1794. Again during the first quarter of the 19th century only four state universities were established; the University of South Carolina, 1801 ; the University of Georgia, 1801 ; the University of Ohio, 1804; and the University of Virginia, 1825. But between 1825 and i860 many western states founded such schools.^ This was due to the fact that ecclesiastical and sectarian rivalries prevented the re- ligious element of the community from securing a con- trolling influence over higher education. A'fter a time intelligent and patriotic men, seeing the denomina- tions entirely incapable of uniting for such a great undertaking, and even weakened by internal dissen- sions, began to despair of colleges founded on the vol- untary principle and to turn toward the state as the only hope for large and well-equipped seats of learn- ing.^ Between 1857- 1862 Congress debated the Mor- rill Act, by which state aid was to be provided for in- stitutions of learning. ^ The bill was passed and signed by President Lincoln in 1862. It provides for 1(a) Indiana, 1828; Michigan, 1837; Missouri, 1839; Iowa, 1847; Wisconsin, 1848; Bonne, Education in the United States p. 204. (b) Minnesota, 1851 ; Folwell, Minnesota p. 144. 2 Thwing's Higher Education in America, p. 228. 3 Morrill Act on Agricultural Colleges, Bill No. 298, Con- gressional Globe, Part 2, 1861-2, pages 1935-3062. THE SMALL COLLEGE. 13 the "endowment, support and maintenance of at least one college (in each state) where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classi- cal studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agricul- ture and the mechanic arts — in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of life." ''From 181 5 to 1840 a score or more of young American scholars found their way to Goettingen or Tuebingen or Heidelberg, and imbibed the German tradition of investigation in search of ultimate truth."^ Between 1840- 1890 a constantly increasing number of American students went abroad to study at Ger- man universities and these brought to this country German methods and the idea of -Lehrfreiheit and student liberty. In the meantime a complete separa- tion of church and state was established in this coun- try, which showed itself most plainly in our educa- tional system. In the change from the old to the new ideas and methods, abuses and mistakes that regu- larly accompany periods of transition, were not lack- ing. Men who had become enthusiastic over their Lehrfreiheit were in many instances indiscreet in ex- pressing themselves on the subject of religion, and the apparent conflict between religion and the new science developments was magnified; new courses in science were introduced into the curricula, and took the place of the so-called cultural subjects. ^ Hart, The American Nation, A History, Vol. 16, p. 23. 14 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Those who favored the old order of things in religion and education were in many cases looked upon as bigots by university professors ; on the other hand ecclesiasti- cal bodies deprecated the innovation of the new uni- versities, and in some way the unfortunate term, "Godless Universities," became the slogan of many who were more orthodox than enlightened or just. Furthermore, it was soon discovered by the ecclesi- astical statistician that the academic departments, or colleges, of the state universities graduated an ex- ceedingly small -number of men who entered the serv- ice of the church. This fact, more than any other consideration, impressed the supervising ecclesiastical bodies with the necessity of establishing schools which should be under their care and which should serve as feeders for the ministry. The denominational college was necessarily small, and naturally it could not show an equipment com- parable to that of the academic department of the large state university. And yet, a sort of rivalry sprang up between these two types of institutions, and for several years the public was treated to an interest- ing discussion as to their comparative merits. That the denominational college was not quarreling with the state university proper is evident from the fact that it sent its graduates to the Law School or School of Medicine or Engineering College or Graduate School, just as did the academic department of the University, and these departments of the University THE SMALL COLLEGE. 15 did not discriminate against the graduates or students that came from the church schools. The university colleges generally were quick to in- troduce both the German method of lecturing and a wide range of elective subjects. The small college was more a teaching college and strictly adhered to re- quired courses. These discussions, unfortunately, were sometimes prompted, as it now seems, more by a spirit of vindictiveness than by a desire to serve the best interests of education. During this period of academic disputing the col- legiate departments of the western state universities, in the first flush of their youthful expansion, had the convenient knack of forgetting their weakness, in failing to provide expected training for the individ- ual, while the college overlooked its want of library facilities and scientific equipment and subjects. After a few years of debate, in which both kinds of institutions learned to appreciate that neither was the ideal type and that each could learn from the other, a gradual approach was realized. The controversy has rather helped than injured the small institution. Its course was strengthened where the discussion had proved it weak ; some rigidly required subjects gave way to electives, and courses in science were ofiFered. It learned also that to be a high grade college it need not provide postgraduate courses, but better leave such work to the university, whose proper sphere is that of research and investi- gation. As a result the public has come to the con- i6 MACALESTER COLLEGE. * elusion that not only the small college, but the small denominational college, should not be annihilated. It has been discovered that it is not necessary to close the doors of such schools or let them be absorbed in the state university; to-day the state university itself acknowledges the need of these smaller institutions, and probably would be among the first to protest against their abolition. It is now conceded that the small Christian college has a sphere, that the imiver- sity has a sphere, and that each should help the other to accomplish its particular function. The day prob- ably is not far distant when the undergraduate courses in colleges like Macalester will, to a considerable ex- tent, be so arranged as to lead up to the advanced work in the Graduate School of the State University. The denominational college is not always a small institution, but in the majority of cases the friends of the small college are the supporters of the denominational school. To-day the small denomina- tional college, if well equipped, is liberally supported by an intelligent and appreciative public. Its work, however, miist be of high merit, and thanks to the influence of the state universities, the colleges have broadened their courses. Unfortunately the good small college for a time suffered from the establishment of too many institu- tions claiming to represent this type of school, at places where they were not needed, and with such inferior equipment as made impossible even a sem- blance of real college work. Happily, these petty. THE SMALL COLLEGE. I7 would-be colleges and universities, have been forced either to withdraw from the educational field or to raise their standards and improve their equipment/ That the small western college (aiid the western college if not under ecclesiastical control is generally affiliated with some denomination or denominations) can do good work has been attested by many who are competent to speak on this subject. A few years ago Mr. Bliss Perry, editor of the Atlantic Monthly, and for a time professor at Princeton University, said a^ Williams College: 'In the larger colleges the students have no time to think. In my experience in the graduate work at Princeton I found that the best thinkers were those who came from the little un- known colleges of the middle west. These men pos- sessed a certain power of reflection and assimilating the few facts which they possess, which is not found in the university graduate. The tendency in the uni- versity, growing more and more strong, is toward the repression of individual opinion. It takes courage to stand up and assert yourself against the university mob. The type of men who can do that is what the small college can and should develop." ^ iPritchett, The Relation of Christian Denominations to Colleges, 1908, pp. 8, 15. , . Note: On the relation of the college to the university, the reader will find an excellent opinion by an expert edu- cator, President Remsen of Johns Hopkins University, be- ing his Inaugural Address delivered at the twenty-fifth an- niversary of Johns Hopkins, p. 94. ^^vtt 2The Small College and the Large, Forum, Vol. XXXIT, p. 319. i8 MACALESTER COLLEGE. About one year after the remarks quoted above were made, President Thwing of Western Reserve expressed himself as follows : "I should hesitate to make an affirmation on the subject, but I do not hesi- tate to ask whether the small college is not better fitted to make thinkers and the large to make schol- ars ; the small better fitted to teach men and the large better fitted to teach subjects; the small better fitted to train the individual, and the large better fitted to discipline the democracy; and the small better fitted to improve and enrich personal character, and the large to disseminate truth." Contemporaneous with these opinions we find a similar view expressed by Hon. Elihu Root, an alum- nus of Hamilton College : "I believe that the Ameri- can boy has better chances for education, for training, for making true success of his life in a college of not more than three hundred students." ^ Dr. Harris of Amherst, in the Outlook for August 22, 1902, said : "It is pretty well understood now that the place for study, that is, the place where study is required, is the small college ; that in the university the student may, in the college he must, study." The church papers of the leading protestant de- nominations also took up the cause of the small Chris- tian college. Their editorials and communications on this subject often very ably set forth the need of such institutions. They undoubtedly influenced 1 The Small College and the Large, Forum, Vol XXXII, p. 325- THE SMALL COLLEGE. IQ some church members to rally to the support of these schools. But they did not depend on such advocates alone. The secular press, weeklies and monthly peri- odicals made important contributions to the litera- ture on this question. On account of their inde- pendence of denominational control these expressions are of importance, as it may safely be assumed, that they represented the convictions of unbiased observers. Commenting on Mr. Carnegie's gifts to small col- leges, the New York Independent,^ said: "Mr. Car- negie is wise in making these gifts to the small col- leges. They generally represent local or special needs and their resources are scanty. The students who attend them would, to a great extent, not have gone elsewhere. They anticipate and create the de- mand for a higher education. The students who at- tend them are of the best quality, not from the ranks of the rich, but from the common people, and they come to work. They represent ambition and noble purpose. These smaller colleges produce their full share of men of mark. Their students are under closer supervision and instruction than are those in the larger classes of great institutions. They spend ^The Independent, April 6, 1905, Editorial article, p. 793- See also, The Nation, vol. 69, p. 422; The Nation, vol. 78, pp. 508-9. Education, June, 1905, p. 1603. World's Work, Nov. 1905, 6816. Stevens' Institute Indicator, April, 1905, p. 207. Mr. Carnegie, addressing the alumni of Stevens' Institute, said : 'The man who goes to a small college gets a better ed- ucation and is Hkely to be turned out a better man than if he went to a larger institution." 20 ' MACALESTER COLLEGE. scanty money in social entertainment, liquor and to- bacco, and their athletics cost them little in cash. What money they have goes to their education, and they have high purposes with it. "The time has passed to flout the small college or the fresh water universities. They can hold their own. They will continue to do the larger work in edu- cation, their number making up for the smaller size." Only recently (1907) Mr. Clarence F. Birdseye, in his interesting book on "Individual Training in Our Colleges," asserted that the poor colleges are rich in individual training and that the rich colleges are poor in individual training, "That many of our modern, richly endowed, highly organized and magnificently taught colleges and universities are, man for man, at a distinct educational disadvantage when compared with their forefathers who attended the small pov- erty-stricken institution of earlier days." * * *! "It is the training of the highest moral, mental and physical qualities of the undergraduate that we should seek." * * * "The college should be the place for the highest training of the individual. If he is not fitted for that training, or if we can be sure that it is not the best thing for him, he should be kept at home." * * * "The old college course of four years, with all its great benefits and advantages, is still dear to most college men, and we shall never know any greater shock than when we are compelled to give it up, if that shall ever happen. It is a grave question whether the best average results are not coming from THE SMALL COLLEGE. 21 the smaller and poorer Southern and Western col- leges, which still draw from an old-fashioned Ameri- can constituency, where the students are not weak- ened by the evils that are prevalent in the larger in- stitutions and the older communities, and where the training of the individual is still fine." 1 Thus when the small college was put on the de- fensive it found advocates in all quarters. The above citations are only a few representing the views of experienced American educators and of men of sound judgment in practical affairs. In "The American Commonwealth" 2 (second edi- tion, 1891), Mr. James Bryce pays a tribute to the small colleges of our country which might be classed as belonging to the inadequately equipped group in the rural regions. "They get hold of a multitude of poor men, who might never resort to a distant place of education. They set learning in a visible form, plain, indeed, and humble, but dignified even in her humility, before the eyes of a rustic people, in whom the love of knowledge, naturally strong, might never break from the bud into the flower but for the care of some zealous gardener. They give the chance of rising in some intellectual walk of life to many a strong, earnest nature, who might otherwise have remained an artisan or storekeeper, and perhaps failed in those vocations. They light up in many a iBirdseye "Individual Training in Our Colleges," 00 06-8 loi, 332-6. > ff > . 2Bryce, "The American Commonwealth," Vol. II, p. 568. 22 MACALESTER COLLEGE. country town what is at first only a farthing rush- Hght, but which, when the town swells to a city, or endowments flow in, or when some able teacher is placed in charge, becomes a lamp of growing flame which may finally throw its rays over the whole state in which it stands. "In some of these Western colleges one finds to- day men of great ability and great attainments; one finds students who are receiving an education quite as thorough, though not always as wide, as the best Eastern universities can give. I do not at all deny that the time for more concentration has come, and that restriction on the power of granting degrees would be useful. But one who recalls the history of the last fifty years, and has in mind the tremendous rush of ability and energy towards a purely material development which has marked its people, will feel that this uncontrolled freedom of teaching, this mul- tiplication of small institutions, have done for the country a work which a few state regulated universi- ties' might have failed to do." If an unbiased foreigner thus appreciated the service that the struggling small college was render- ing about twenty years ago, when most of those in- stitutions were in their infancy, surely the native American ought now to see that the small, endowed Christian college, having a well-trained scholarly fac- ulty and facilities commensurate with its pretensions should be, and is, able to do thorough work. Such recognition the small Christian colleges have re- THE SMALL COLLEGE 23 ceived. Intelligent Americans did not fail to remem- ber that of its great statesmen, scientists, scholars and educators, not only in colonial days, but while the future of the small college was questioned, many were the product of these institutions. Among the ablest professors in the state universities were found the graduates of the small colleges ; even some presi- dents of state universities had their schooUng under such humbler auspices, as, for example, Ex-President Folwell of the University of Minnesota, a graduate of Hobart College; Dr. W. R. Harper of Chicago University, one of the alumni of Muskingum College. Among the foremost supporters of the small Chris- tian colleges belonging to the Presbyterian church were John Stuart of New York, William Thaw of Pittsburgh, Cyrus McCormick of Chicago, and John Converse of Philadelphia. Perhaps no friend of the small Christian college is better known than Dr. D. K. Pearsons. While not a member of any denomination, though regularly attending services at a Congregational church, he has distributed more than $4,000,000 among forty-seven institutions of different protestant denominations. Dr. Pearsons believes "that the small colleges are training the men and women who are able to exercise the largest in- fluence upon the future of the nation," ^ and he has faith in the Christian college because ''the light of liberty, religion and education are kindred fires, kin- dled at the same celestial altar, nurtured by the same iThe Minnesota Alumni Weekly, Vol. IX, No. I, 1909. 24 MACALESTER COLLEGE. ethereal aliment ; together they were born and to- gether they must expire. The sacrilegious hand that would extinguish the one must quench the more than Promethean heat of the other. Our fathers caught these blended lights from the skies. Long did they watch their rising, their widening, their brightening. Long may it be our happy lot to walk in the beams of their effulgence, till the night of time shall settle upon the world, and the lights of liberty and religion and education are lost in the blaze of eternity." ^ Dr. Pearsons' support of the small college has un- doubtedly inspired other men of ample means to fol- low his example. Among these are Mr. Andrew Carnegie, who has donated large sums to endow- ments, libraries and buildings for the small colleges, and set aside the munificent sum of $15,000,000 to provide a teachers' pension fund. Mr. John D. Rockefeller is the founder of the General Education Board, which he endowed with $52,000,000 to strengthen the weak but worthy colleges of our na- tion. In 1906 three hundred and twenty-seven col- leges were benefited by this fund, and two hundred and eighteen of these had some denominational con- nection. The General Education Board and the Car- negie Pension Fund have done much to standardize the colleges of America and to assure the perpetuity of the high grade small college.^ ^Review of Reviews, Nov., 1901, p. 850 ff. 2 The Place of The Small College, by A. T. Perry, in the American College, Vol. i, No. 5, p. 398, Feb. 1910. THE SMALL COLLEGE 25 No single individual has done more to help the small colleges of Minnesota than has Mr. James J. Hill, who stands foremost among the men who have contributed to the wonderfully rapid development of the Northwest. Macalester College gratefully ac- knowledges its special indebtedness to him. The emphasis which the small college places on the religious phase of education has won the good will of the public. Intelligent men everywhere in Christian America recognize the need of a training which will discipline, not only the man's intellectual faculties, but his spiritual nature as well. An educa- tion which does not affect man in his highest powers leaves him an ill-balanced creature. The small Chris- tian college aims to avoid this mistake. The endeavors of the less pretentious and distinc- tively Christian institutions to perform this particu- lar mission has led broad-minded men at the head of some of our best universities to express their "God Speed" upon them. On October, 26th, 1906, Dr. Benjamin Ide Wheeler, president of California State University, in welcoming Dr. Baer, president-elect of Occidental College, said: "The State University welcomes additions to the list of good colleges, and development in the life of them. It welcomes col- leges where subjects are soundly and sanely taught, where teachers are men of character, cleanness, and loftiness of spirit, and where the fear of God is re- garded as the beginning of wisdom. We know at Berkeley, just as well as you know, that a man who 26 MACALESTER COLLEGE. does not live the religious life does not half live, and the man who is not religiously trained is not half educated. There is at this time throughout the whole country, a tide setting strongly towards the develop- ment of the small colleges. We believe, those of us who have had experience with them, that they have the opportunity more distinctly than the large institu- tions of recognizing how truly education is a matter of the life and the spirit."^ Dr. Cyrus Northrop, the dis- tinguished head of the Minnesota State University, in an address several years ago said : "I want to say that it is not possible for a university under any conditions whatever — a state university — to so carefully cultivate the religious spirit and religious life as it is in the de- nominational college, conducted wisely, liberally, broad- ly for the purpose of cultivating religion as well as edu- cation. Now is the day to establish in these Common- wealths the Christian institutions which will not only do their own work, but will help to keep the public education of the state within a reasonable bound of Christian character and Christian love." 2 ^Occidental College Bulletin, Nov., 1906, p. 8. ^Not being able to trace this citation to the source from which the Macalester College Bulletin for May, 1906, had taken it, I asked Dr. Northrop whether the report represented his views or not. In response to this inquiry, I received the following letter : tv r /C4-t, Prof. Henry D. Funk, St. Paul, Minn. ^"^^^ ^^^^' ^9io. Dear Sir: I return herewith the clipping that you sent me in your letter of May 19th. I can not say when or where this sentiment was expressed by me — I think it probable that it was at a meeting of the National Congregational Council in Des Moines, Iowa, some five or six years ago. The paragraph sounds like a report of my remarks rather than like an exact copy of my remarks, but the senti' THE SMALL COLLEGE 2^ About the same time that these western educators recognized the merits of the small Christian college, the president of the oldest institution of higher learn- ing in America remarked : ''If there is one thing evi- dent to an experienced educator it is this : That the variety of institutions of education in our country is thoroughly wholesome. We have three classes of educational institutions, those supported by the state, the public and the municipality. We have the insti- tutions supported by religious denominations, and we have again the private schools and colleges. This diversity is one of the most wholesome features of the American system of public education. And with this diversity we are better off than if any single one of these three classes had possession of the field. There is room for all, and if competing they will accomplish greater good than if working singly." i These citations may suffice to show that the right of the Christian college to a share in the educational work of the country is at least conceded, if not that ment is irx accord with what I have often expressed and though I may not have used the exact words in this excerpt they are in accord with my sentiments and I stand by it and am not ashamed of it. Very truly yours, Cyrus Northrop. ^Again finding that I could not trace the remarks at- tributed to Dr. Eliot to the publication from which the Mac- alester College Bulletin had copied it, I wrote to Dr. Eliot asking him about the correctness of the citation and received the following answer: Cambridge, Mass., April 30, 1910. Dear Sir: I remember making the statement copied on the enclosed slip, but cannot recall where I said it. The quotation is essentially correct. Very truly yours, Charles W. Eliot. 28 MACALESTER COLLEGE. there is a positive demand for such institutions. The steady growth of these schools and the generous gifts that have come to them during the years of academic controversy, is proof sufficient that the general pub- lic think well of them; it is a practical kind of en- dorsement ; in fact it has become popular to advocate the small college.^ It is too much to assert that in Macalester the trustees, faculty and alumni have realized the ideal of a Christian college, but that the school has done excellent work in spite of its limitations they know and boldly maintain, and that it may approach still nearer to its ideal is the hope of all its friends at this its twenty-fifth anniversary. ^Assembly Herald, May, 1905, p. 447. CHAPTER II. THE ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. Macalester College is one of the youngest of the small colleges of Minnesota, as it was not opened until September, 1885. But in tracing the influences that led to its establishment, the college is found connected with the earliest educational enterprises of the state. This connection and the change from an undenomina- tional to a denominational school are explained in what follows. Macalester is the outgrowth of an institution which was organized by the Rev. Edward D. Neill in 1853. In 1849 Dr. Neill came to St. Paul, as a missionary for the New School Presbyterian Church. Two years later, in 185 1, owing to the opening of territory hither- to disputed by the Indians, an influx of new settlers began. When Minnesota (the name means sky- tinged water) was organized as a territory, in 1849, the Dakota Indians within its bounds refused to rec- ognize the government's claim to the region which they occupied.! This hostile attitude of the Indians had deterred immigrants from entering the new terri- ^Neill, History of Minnesota, Fourth Edition, p. 556. Stephen, Personal Recollections of Minnesota and Its People, p. 116. Folwell, History of Minnesota, p. 92-102. 30 MACALESTER COLLEGE. tory. In 1851 Governor Ramsey and the Commis- sioner of Indian Affairs, Luke Lea, succeeded in making a treaty with the Sioux by which the latter ceded 21,000,000 acres of land west of the Mississippi and north of the Iowa boundary line to the territorial government. At once the hardy immigrants, many of whom were in the prime of early, vigorous manhood, or fresh, beautiful womanhood, swarmed into this newly acquired garden spot, and within six months planned towns, built mills, opened roads and com- menced farms. A thriving activity rapidly trans- formed a wild country into a seat of civilization. The reports which the new settlers sent to their friends whom they had left behind brought many others west- ward. There was an irresistible charm about the "invigorating air, blooming' prairies, fresh forests, smiling lakes and laughing waterfalls."^ In ad- dressing the Minnesota legislature in 1853 Governor Ramsey's message contained this significant forecast concerning the growth of the territory: "In ten years a state, in ten years more half a million of peo- ple, are not extravagant predictions." 2 It was this invasion of immigrants who came largely from New England and the central states that impressed wide-awake men with the necessity of pro- viding proper educational opportunities for the chil- ^Steph'Cn, Personal Recollections of Minnesota and Its People, p. 123. ^Journal of The Council of Minnesota, Jan. 27, 1853, p. 36. ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. 31 dren of the newcomers.^ Consequently Dr. Neill, who was the first superintendent of public schools for Minnesota and the founder of its public school system, one of the very best in the United States, planned to establish a school for higher learning, which he hoped would eventually develop into a college. Under his leadership J. C. Whitney, J. G. Reihldaffer, Gideon H. Pond, Alexander Ramsey, William R. Marshall, Henry L. Moss, Henry F. Mastermann and Alpheus G. Fuller, pioneers, eminent for their service in the state and in the church, organized themselves into a board of trustees and established a school for higher learning. Dr. Neill was made president of this school and successfully solicited aid from friends in Phila- delphia. Foremost among these was Mr. M. W. Baldwin, the locomotive builder. In his honor the new school was named the Baldwin School. It was a substantial two-story brick building, located on the site occupied by the present St. Paul Post Office build- ing, between Market and Washington streets. By an act of the legislature it was incorporated Feb. 26 1853- The total attendance for the first year was 71, of which 2S were boys and 43 were girls. While the or- ganizing of Baldwin School was under way. Dr. Neill contemplated the beginning of a college for young men, as can be gleaned from a letter he wrote to Mr. Baldwin iThe white population of Minnesota in 1850 was 6,077 ' in i«53, 10,000; in 1855, 50,000; in 1856, 100,000. In 1854 only 314,715 acres were sold; in 1855, 1.132,672; in 1856, 2,334,000. History of Minnesota, by Folwell, p. 121 32 MACALESTER COLLEGE. in December, 1852 ; "Christian business men have been the builders up and the sustainers of every educa- tional institution of high grade in the United States. It is my desire to see the Baldwin Preparatory School in operation. The preparatory school being erected, and the school under v^ay, let dollars be laid aside every year for the Baldwin College."* As Mr. Baldwin approved the plans outlined in this letter, Mr. Neill felt encouraged to work for the proposed col- lege. In a letter to this above-named friend he wrote on October 12, 1853 : "Already you will perceive by looking at the catalogue, that there are quite a num- ber of boys attached to the girls' school. Now there must be a college in this portion of the Mississippi Valley. The picturesqueness of the scenery will make it a classic spot for students. For the sum of $5,000 a building can be erected which would serve for the purpose of preparatory grammar school, a chapel on Sunday and a lecture room during winter nights, to which young men may be attracted from the saloons and gambling establishments. I propose that there shall be a young man to act as tutor to the grammar school, and one college professor, who shall hear reci- tations, lecture during winter evenings and preach in the chapel. I propose the institution, comprising the classical and scientific departments of the Bald- win School, shall be called Calvary College. I also propose to resign my position as minister of the First Church, and hold the position of Professor of English ^Neill's Brief History of Macalester College, p. i. ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. 33 Literature and History in the Baldwin or Calvary Collie." Dr. Ne-ll's plan was received favorably by the patrons of the Baldwin School and was approved by Mr. Baldwin, and by the Rev. Albert Barnes of Phila- delphia, who also had become interested in the Bald- win School and afterward contributed liberally towards its support, giving largely from the sale of his books, which were translated into French and German. But in deference to the Puritan prejudice against the naming of institutions after localities as- sociated with the life of Jesus, the male department of the Baldwin School was incorporated as the Col- lege of St. Paul, instead of Calvary College.^ "In the spring of 1855," says Dr. Neill, in his brief history for the use of his friends, "at a meeting of the friends of the projected college for Minnesota, held in Phila- delphia, Mr. M. W. Baldwin being in the chair, the Rev. Edward D. Neill was elected president." 2 During the summer a stone edifice for the gram- mar "school of the college was commenced in St. Paul, opposite the residence of W. L. Banning. According to the account of H. Knox Taylor, a pioneer, who was identified with Dr. Neill's efforts in religious and educational work, this building stood on the ground now occupied by the Little Sisters of the Poor, at No. ^Historical address by Dr. Neill on the Early Days of the Presbyterian Church in Minnesota, delivered before the Synod of Minnesota September 6th, 1873. Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1873, p. 23. 2 Neill's Brief History of Macalester College, page i. 34 MACALESTER COLLEGE. 90 Wilkin Street. As such the school was incor- porated under a separate charter. In 1S54 appeared the catalogues of the Baldwin ►School and the Academic Department of the College of St. Paul which contained this announcement: "The design of the projectors of Baldwin School was the establishment of a series of schools for the edu- cation of both sexes. The Female Preparatory De- partment was first commenced, because there were more of that sex prepared to avail themselves of the advantages afforded. The impression was thus gained that the Bald- win School was intended for the education of female youth. It has therefore been deemed expedient to distinguish the male department by the name of the College of St. Paul, which has authority granted to it to confer all the degrees usually conferred by col- leges and universities. The Corporators are aware that a permanent institution of learning must be of slow growth, and their arrangements have been based upon this fact, with a firm belief that their strength is 'in quietness and confidence.' It is proposed to have three Departments, the I. Academic. II. Scientific or Practical. III. Collegiate or Classical. The Academic Department is already in opera- tion under the rectorship of R. H. Ewing, M. D., and is designed to teach the elementary principles of an English and Classical education. ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. 35 THE PRACTICAL DEPARTMENT. th a country so youthful, the demand is for prac- tical men, rather than complete scholars. This De- partment is proposed to meet the felt deficiency. It will be opened for six months of every year and will give instruction in Civil Engineering, Chemistry of the Arts and Agriculture, Mechanics, Geology, His- tory and Constitution of the LTnited States, Mercantile Law and Ethics. The Collegiate Department will correspond with similar departments in the universities of the United States, and will furnish a four years' course of study." The hard times of 1857 and the following year greatly hindered the development of these institutions. At the second meeting of the Synod of Minnesota, New School, 1859,^ Dr. Neill secured the appointment of a committee on Collegiate Education, of which he was made chairman. Nothing was accomplished, however, owing to a lack of interest by the people. A probable explanation of this lack of interest in the proposed college may be found in the weakness of the denomination. The Presbyterian Church at that time was divided into the New School and the Old School branches, both of which established churches in Min- nesota. The New School branch consequently was not so strong as it would have been had it not been obliged to share the field with the Old School Presby- iThe minutes of the Synod prior to the union of the Old School and the New School were printed on four-page leaflets and have not been collected in book form. 36 MACALESTER COLLEGE. teriaiis. Furthermore, Dr. Ne'll being a liberal theo- logian and leaning toward ritnalism, was not in favor of a strictly denom national college. The Civil War following caused a prolonged pause in the develop- ment of the enterprise. During the great national crisis of 1861-1865, Dr. Neill served his country as a Minnesota soldier. On April 2Tst, i86t, he was made chaplain of the First Minnesota Infantry. In his absence, interest in the college abated. Deprived of the encouragement of h's presence and leadership, the trustees concluded to close the schools, and in time disposed of the build- ings and real estate. In 1864, Dr. Neill resigned his chaplamcy and was appointed one of the secretaries to Pr^s^'dent Lincoln. In this position he again devoted himself to the in- terests of higher education in Minnesota. Although absent in body, he was present with his friends in spirit, and advised wUh them and planned for them even greater thmgs than before. Again he solicited Mr. Baldwin's interest for a Minnesota College. That gentleman responded to his friend's appeal, and it was agreed that a Baldwin University, similar in character to Leh^'gh University, founded by Asa Packer, should be created. Baldwin Lhiiversity which was expected to resume the work of the Baldwin School and of the College of St Paul, was incorporated in 1864. But while Mr. Baldwin was maturing plans for a large endowment his untimely end came, in 1866. Mr. Baldwin had ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. 37 made no provision in his will for the execution of his plans concerning Baldwin University. Soon there- after, in 1 869- 1 870, Dr. Neill was abroad as American consul in Dublin, and when he returned, in 1870, he found the trustees faint-hearted. The treasurer had made an unwise investment of several thousand dol- lars, and confidence in the future of the schools had waned. "Under these circumstances," said Dr. Neill, "it was evident that if a college for young men was to be established upon a Christian basis, in the vicin- ity of Minneapolis and St. Paul, it would have to be done by the patience, endurance and pecuniary sac- rifice of some one, owing to the apathy of the com- munity on that subject"^ Dr. Neill soon realized that he was that "some one." After consultation with a sister who heartily ap- proved of his plans and was willing to share the finan- cial obligations involved in the task, he determined to begin anew. This new educational enterprise was inaugurated in Minneapolis. On the site now occu- pied by the present International Stock Food Com- pany's building, overlooking the Falls of St. Anthony, stood the Winslow House which had been a famous summer resort in the ante-bellum days. Its chief patrons were southern planters. When the war of the rebellion began and the rich southerners discon- tinued their visits, its trade fell off and soon it passed into the hands of Charles Macalester of Philadelphia 1 Neill's Brief History of Macalester College, p. 14. 38 MACALESTER COLLEGE. under mortgage foreclosure. In 1872 Dr. Neill re- opened the Baldwin School in the Winslow House. For two years he and his sister paid out of their private means, an annual rent of $1,200 for this build- ing and met all deficiencies for current expenses. Again the vision of a Christian nonsectarian college near the Twin Cities rose before his soul. But when- ever he endeavored to realize his fondest hope he found himself confronted with innumerable difficul- ties. In the stress of those days a remarkable scheme came into Dr. Neill's mind. His plan was to affiliate the Baldwin School with the recently reorganized State University, which began to make rapid progress as a real university under President Folwell's admin- istration. The aim was to furnish Christian instruc- tion to the university students who would room at the Winslow House and be under his care. At once the name Baldwin School was subordinated to a new and more pretentious one Jesus College. The college was advertised as a student's home, consisting of the Bald- win Grammar School, preparing students for the Uni- versity of Minnesota, and the School of Christian Lit- erature, supplemental to the State University. He as- sumed for himself the title. Provost of Jesus College. In a letter addressed to Hon. E. M. Wilson, Mayor of Minneapolis, the object of his new enterprise was fully stated. The following is a copy of the letter : ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. 39 "Falls of St. Anthony, P. O. Jesus College, Nov. I, 1872. Hon. E. M. Wilson, Mayor of Minneapolis. Dear Sir : Yesterday in your eloquent and instructive address at the dedication of the Scandinavian Lutheran Theo- logical Seminary, you kindly alluded to a Theologi- cal Seminary established on the east side of the Falls of St. Anthony. As many persons have asked me whether Jesus Col- lege was not a special school to prepare men for the pulpit, I have thought that perhaps you were alluding to the College of which I am the provost, and if so I take the liberty of correcting, through a letter tO' you, a misapprehension which is quite general. Jesus College is in no sense a Professional Divin- ity School. It is designed merely as a supplemental school to the University of Minnesota, which needs the support of all the good men of the state. It is hoped that in time. Christian parents will send their sons to Jesus College, where they will be under the same roof as the Provost, subject to all rules neces- sary to a gentle home culture, while at the same time enjoying all the advantages of University instruction at no additional expense. The College has at the present time but two schools : 40 MACALESTER COLLEGE. 1. The Baldwin Grammar School. This is a preparatory school like Phillips Academy and other schools in New England, designed to pre- pare boys for the University of Mercantile pursuits. 2. School of Christian Literature. No man can be thoroughly educated who does lOt know something of the history of the Bible ; of Jesus, the founder of our religion and civilization; and of the history of the church of Christ, before it was sep- arated into the Greek and Roman organizations. As the state cannot ghe any distinctive instruction upon these points in her University, I have thought that a supplemental school would receive a "God-speed" from Christian parents, who do not wish their sons to graduate without any critical acquaintance with the Bible; or the planting and training of the Church. The institution is called Jesus College, as is a college at Cambridge; and also at Oxford. It is a name above every other name, the name of Him who con- descended to be known as the Son of Mary and far more appropriate than the name of "Yale" or "Har- vard" or "Washington" or "Jefferson," or of any rich man like Girard, who may have given some wealth to education, which he could not use, after his body was laid in the grave. It has been chosen to show that the College was wholly Christian in its aim and yet designed not to interpret Christianity after the school of Luther or Calvin or Laud. ORIGIN OF MACALE^TER COLLEGE. 41 The Institution is not under the supervision of the Presbyterian or any other branch of the church. It has been founded in truth and love, and desires the confidence of all those who so cling to the teachings of Jesus that it is impossible to keep them from peep- ing over their denominational fence. The dedication of the Augsburg Seminary yester- day rejoiced the heart of every good man, and I hope that the day may not be far distant, when we may see clustered around the University, the Divinity Halls of the followers of John Calvin and John Wesley as well as that of the followers of Martin Luther. Secular University instruction given by the state with separate Divinity Schools, supported by differ- ent branches of the church, would make your city the great educational metropolis of the valley of the Upper Mississippi and give to the whole state a learned, dis- ciplined and broad Christian ministry. I have the honor to be Yours faithfully, EDWARD D. NEILL." Th^re is no evidence to show that this project was received favorably by the University authorities or by the public in general. It is indicative, however, both of the earnest desire of Dr. Neill that religion and education should be affiliated, without the latter's bearing any denominational name, and of the im- practicable character of some of his undertakings. Jesus College remained a Utopian institution. Dr. 42 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Neill himself soon gave up the plan outlined in his letter to Mayor Wilson. He probably later regarded it as a- sort of vagary, for in his autobiography and in the historical sketches of his various educational enterprises he nowhere refers to it. By the summer of 1873 he had returned to his earlier ambition of founding a college for men, and in corresponding with Mr. Macalester solicited his aid toward establishing such a school patterned after Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth and Princeton, proposing to call it Macalester College. The following letter written on August 23rd, 1873, inspired new hopes in Dr. Neill. "Dear Sir : Yours of the fifth is at hand. I am willing to donate the Winslow House property upon the terms set forth in your letter ; with a promise that it is to be used for educational purposes, and is not to be sold or encumbered; but if the contemplated enterprise sliould be a failure, or the building should cease to be used for the purpose above referred to, that the property should revert to me. "Faithfully Yours, "C. MACALESTER." 1 Shortly before Mr. Macalester's death, which occurred December 9th, 1873, Dr. Neill selected two- thirds of the trustees of the old Baldwin institution to be trustees of Macalester College and "placed upon record the declaration that two-thirds of the trustees should be Presbyterian." ^ It was evidently his in- iSt. Paul Pamphlets, Article on Macalester College, p, 14. 2 Neill's Brief History of Macalester College, p. 15. ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. 43 tention that the college should not be sectarian and yet he desired to have the confidence and support of all intelligent Presbyterians of the state. The other protestant denominations had by this time established their own colleges, and Dr. Neill saw himself limited principally to the Presbyterians for his constituency, hence the provision in the charter concerning the church connection of the trustees. Mr. Macalester's wishes were expressed by his only surviving child, in a letter to Dr. Neill : ''Upon your return from Dublin, my father was pleased to hear of your determination to lay the foundation of a college, upon a broad Christian basis, in the valley of the Upper Mississippi, and thought well of your sug- gestion that two-thirds of the trustees should be pew- holders or attendants upon worship in the Presbyterian churches of Minneapolis and St. Paul. My dear father's catholic spirit was not in sympathy with an exclusive sectarian college, and he would not have wished the trustees to hesitate in electing a good pro- fessor simply because he might be a Baptist or Congre- gationalist, provided he did not attempt to press his denominational dogmas upon students. With the ex- pectation that the college would remain under your supervision, he made the donation of the building upon the terms mentioned in his will." ^ By an act of the legislature, dated March 5th, 1874, the name "Baldwin University" was changed to "Mac- iMinutes of the Trustees of Macalester College, Record "A," Page 18, 19. 44 MACALESTER COLLEGE. alester College" and the corporate name of its Board of Control was designated : "The trustees of Macales- ter."^ The following persons were its first trustees : George L. Becker, Henry J. Horn, Henry M. Knox, Henry L. Moss, Alexander Ramsey, Edmund Rice, H. Knox Taylor and W. C. Baker, Levi Butler, Richard Chutt, W. W. McNair, J. S. Pillsbury, C. E. Vander- burg, J. C. Whitney and Eugene M. Wilson, e'ght from Minneapolis and seven from St. Paul. Of these AVilliam C. Baker was a Reformed Episcopalian, Levi Butler a Baptist, John S. Pillsbury a Congregational- ist. It was further provided by section 3 of the arti- cles of incorporation, that the preparatory department of Macalester should be known as the Baldwin School. A copy of the codicil of the will of Mr. Macalester, wherein he bequeathed the Winslow House to Mac- alester College, may be of interest to the reader. It is as follows : *T, Charles Macalester, the testator in the foregoing will named, do hereby make this codicil thereto : First, it is my will, and I do hereby order and direct that whenever within the period of three years from the time of my decease the executors of my said will are assured that the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars has been actually subscribed and paid, or satisfactorily secured, for endowment of an educa- tional institution at the Falls of St. Anthony, to be called the Macalester College, my said trustees thereof in fee simple, shall convey all th?.t certiin messuage known ^See By-Laws of Macalester College, Adopted June 30, 1903, p. 18. ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. 45 as the Winslow House, and the ground whereon the same is erected. * * * And it is my desire that when the said property is conveyed to the said college, or to the trustees thereof, it shall be held and used for no other purpose than as an educational institution. I earnestly enjoin it upon the trustees or directors of said college that in the event of their selling the said property at any time, the proceeds of the sale thereof shall be used only in and towards the erection of other buildings for such college." ^ At the time of Mr. Macalester's death the trus- tees lacked nine thousand dollars to complete the $25,000 for endowment necessary to comply with the provisions of the will.^ This amount was raised in January, 1874. and the fund was called the Baldwin Fund of Macalester College. President Neill's col- lege had now been launched. It was legally incor- porated, its trustees were influential men of practical experience in political aflfairs and in business life. They were determined to proceed slowly and carefully. Soon after incorporating the new college, the trustees issued a circular and announced that "the collegiate department will not be opened until two professor- ships are fully endowed, and meanwhile the prepara- torv department, known as the Baldwin School, will prepare boys for business or for any college, and will aim to be what Phillips Academy and Williston Sem- inary are in Massachusetts." iMinntes of the Trustees of Macalester College, Record "A," page 14. Minneapolis Tribune, Dec. 30, 1873. 2Ditto. 46 MACALESTER COLLEGE. CHARLES MACALESTER.* Charles Macalester was born in Philadelphia, Feb. 17th, 1798. His father came from Scotland in his early manhood and made his home in the city of Brotherly Love. As a master of ships he carried trade to Europe and the East Indies. Young Charles attended the pubHc schools of Philadelphia and after completing his early education he went west, spent a few years in Cincinnati, married, and returned to Philadelphia in 1827. Here he soon became interested in business matters on a large scale, and for 45 years took an active part in various enterprises and im- provements. He was a member of the firm Gaw, Ma- calester & Co., stock brokers; he was the agent and business correspondent of George Peabody, the American London banker; he was a director of the Fidelity Insurance, Trust & Safe Deposit Co.; di- rector of the Camden & Amboy Railroad Company, and was very successful in real estate investments in western cities, especially in Chicago. The eminent success of his business was attested by a fortune ex- pressed in millions. In politics he was a Jackson Democrat from 1828-1837; he was a trusted friend of Presidents Jackson, Van Buren, Polk, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln and Grant. In the con- flict between the Government and the Bank of the United States he was a Government Director, which threw him into close connection with the leading men of that period. He was a friend and associate of such Whig leaders as Clay, Webster and Crittenden. When the Civil War began he supported the Repub- lican party and voted for Lincoln in 1864, and for Grant in 1868 and 1872. For many years he was an elder in the Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia and at various times served on several Boards and Committees of the General Assembly. In all these relations to the church he was faithful, wise and sagacious, giving his time and his means freely to the furtherance of * iPublic Ledger of Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 1873. 2The Philadelphia Press, Dec. 10, 1873. 3The Presbyterian, Philadelphia, Dec. 25, 1873. *The Public Ledger, Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 1873. '^Evening Telegraph, Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 1873. 6The North American, Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 1873. "^Washington Chronicle, Dec. 12, 1873. ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. 47 the various schemes of benevolence. He was a trus- tee of the Presbyterian Hospital of Philadelphia and contributed liberally to its support. In his will he be- queathed $5,000 each to the Boards of Home and For- eign Missions, and to the Board of Education and the Fund for Ministerial Relief each $5,000. He was greatly interested in educational work, giving the Winslow House of Minneapolis to Macalester Col- lege, and was one of the trustees of the munificent be- quest left by George Peabody to promote the cause of education in the southern states of the union, known as the Peabody Southern Education Fund. He was also a trustee and devoted friend of the Jef- ferson Medical College of Philadelphia, and inter- ested in many other benevolent organizations. At the time of his death he was President of the St. An- drew's Society of Philadelphia, composed of Scotch residents and the descendents of Scotchmen. Mr. Macalester was an accurate business man, a model man at details, and a gentleman in every fibre. He was a lover of society, hospitable and punctilious in all social duties. "His toleration was a leading trait. The Catholic priest, the Episcopal bishop, the Presbyterian minister, the Quaker precision, were often seen in his home, and the Republican and Dem- ocrat, the Federal and the Confederate, joined hands over his social board." He was a man of cultivated tastes and possessed a fine library, a collection of rare historic pictures and valuablev manuscripts of past events. To this philanthropist and patriot Macalester Col- lege is indebted for its name. Mr. Macalester died, December 9, 1873, in his 76th year. He was sur- vived by one daughter and the widow and children of his only son, who had a short time before preceded him in death. The president and the trustees were hopeful that soon sufficient funds would be raised to complete the endowment of a second professorship. But the new college made no progress during the next four years. No further endowment was raised and no special interest in this enterprise was mani- fested by the public. 48 MACALESTER COLLEGE. The reasons for this halt in the progress of the un- dertaking are probably the following: i. Dr. Neill, while ambitious to organize an institution of learning, it now seems, was not so well qualified temperamental- ly for executing plans as he was fertile in conceiving them. 2. At this time, when the president of a new col- lege should have been actively soliciting funds for his institution, he devoted himself to literary work for which his abilities eminently fitted him. 3. The new college depended for its patronage upon the Presbyterian constituency. But scarcely had Macalester been incorporated when Dr. Neill left the Presbyterian communion and joined the Reformed Episcopal church, to which he was attracted both by his fondness for ritual and by his sympathy for what seemed to him a noble cause.^ The evident consequence was that by this act he cut off the new college from the natural constituency upon which it must depend for support, the Presby- terian church. Such conditions were discouraging. Minnesota was not ready to support a non-sectarian school for men. The trustees did not possess the means to endow the college by their own gifts, and began to realize that for a long time to come they would be unable to secure the funds necessary to give ^Tlis move'Tient was led by Bishop Cummins, who left the Protestant Episcopal church, protesting against the Sacer- dotalism and Sacramentarianism of the High Church party. It had only a weak following in this country and never grew strong in the west. ORIGIN OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. 49 their institution a proper financial basis. And, finally, it became more and more certain that Dr. Neill did not possess the faculty of enlisting the hearty co-opera- tion of men of wealth and of the Presbyterian church in particular. CHAPTER III. MACALESTER BECOMES A DENOMINA- TIONAL COLLEGE. More and more the prospects of Dr. Neill's college became discouraging. But while the trustees were hesitating as to the proper disposition to be made of the institution on their hands, there gradually devel- oped a sentiment within the Presbyterian church favor- ing the establishment of a synodical college. The reun- ion of the Old and the New School branches of the Presbyterian church, in 1870, had given Presbyterian- ism increased strength. The united synod of Minne- sota was now in a position to make plans for the build- ing of a college if it at all wished to take up the work of Christian education. After the meeting of the New School synod, in 1859, when a committee on collegiate education had been appointed, of which Dr. Neill had been made chairman, nothing was done until the seventies, when many in the church believed that it was in a condi- tion to consider such an undertaking. In the meantime other ecclesiastical organizations in Minnesota had forged ahead in the educational work. The Methodists opened Hamline University at Red Wing as early as 1854; the Roman Catholics founded St. John's University, a Benedictine school BECOMES DENOMINATIONAL. 51 at Collegeville, in 1857; Gtistavus Adolphus,i under the care of the Swedish Lutheran church, was started at St. Peter, in 1862; the EpiscopaHans estabHshed the Seabury Divinity School in i860, and the Shattuck School in 1865 ; Carleton College was founded by the Congregationalists, and began preparatory work in 1867 and college work in 1870; and in 1869 Augsburg Seminary in Minneapolis was opened. On the first day of October, 1870, the reunited synod resolved to recommend to its churches the es- tablishment of a Presbyterian college.2 But for that year and the following one the synod did not take any steps to carry out this recommendation, and the reso- lution remained merely a matter of record. Is it worth while to inquire for the reason of this failure to act? The Presbyterian church has always been a friend of sound learning; why did it not emu- late the forwardness of other denominations in the work of Christian education? Not one but a number of answers must be given to this question. Among others, the following are pertinent. In the first place, the Presbyterians who were in- terested in founding a Christian college were already identified with Dr. Neill's efrorts to establish a non- sectarian school for men. Secondly, among some others, a considerable num- ber, there was a strong feeling that Presbyterians and lUnited States Bureau of Education, No. 31, History of Education in Minnesota contains valuable information on some of the above named institutions. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota 1870, p. 1=;. S2 MACALESTER COLLEGE. L^ongregaticnalists, being so similar in faith, might imite in the support of the one college which the Congregat'onalists had founded already at Northfield. Thirdl^v, the Presbyterian church, not only in Min- nesota, but in general, until 1880, had neglected sadly the work of Christian education. Before 1877 the Presbyterian Church in America in no way showed a pronounced interest in that kind of endeavor, and left the building of colleges to the other denomina- tions. Fourthly, many ministers and laymen believed that educational work should be left to the state. Such, at least, seems to be the meaning of the report of the svnod's committee on an educational institution sub- mitted in 1872, which w^as as follows: "Although the commencement of a collegiate in- stitution, especially intended for the education of young men connected with the Presbyterian families and churches of this Synod, seems to your committee to be very desirable on many ac- counts, still we cannot see the way open to recommend it at present. Neither the means nor the men to properly manage such an institution are, in the judgment of your committee, at our command. But we think the way is open and the demand is upon us for the establishment and the fostering of one or more Presbyterial academies, within the bounds of each of the three Presbyteries in iMinnesota. Our brother, Rev. E. D. Neill, has recently opened an institution in the Winslow House, in St. Anthony, BECOMES DENOMINATIONAL. 53 or East Minneapolis, which we hope and believe will fill the idea of your committee as an academic or in- cipient collegiate or classical school within the bounds of the Presbytery of St. Paul. We would recommend that the churches of that Presbytery should give our brother Nelll their confidence and support, and avail themselves of the proposed Christian culture of that infant institution. 2. We would recommend to the brethren of the Presbytery of Mankato that they take into considera- tion at an early day, the practicability of establishing, at some central point, as St. Peter or Mankato, an academy to be under the control and supervision of that Presbytery. 3. Your committee have had placed in their hands an overture from the Presbytery of Winona asking that steps be taken as soon as practicable, to secure an institution of learning within the bounds of synod and to be under its control, such an institution as will meet the wants of the church and be adapted to promote the cause of Christ and of sanctified learning in this im- portant part of the Northwest. To this we would respond by asking the members of that Presbytery to take immediate steps for the es- tablishment of a good academy at some desirable point. From these preparatory institutions we shall hope at no distant day one may be selected and advanced to the status of a colleg^'ate institute, which shall meet the wants of the Presbyterian church in this part of the country. 54 MACALESTER COLLEGE. ' And in the meantime, and so long as the Univer- sity of Minnesota holds out to us the prospect of a higher education and Christian culture for the sons of our church, we recommend that the Presbyterian influence and moral support of this, state be accorded to it.^ S. R. RIGGS, J. B. LITTLE, J. C. WHITNEY, W. S. WILSON, E. J. THOMPSON, J. N. TREADWELL." But at the meeting of the General Assembly of 1877 the Committee on Ministerial Education recom- mended that the church enter into closer relationship with the colleges, and that some means be devised for promoting an organized effort to create new colleges where needed.^ The outcome of the whole matter was the organization of the Board of Aid for Colleges and Academies in 1883.^ This action of the General Assembly gave the move- ment for educational endeavor a decided impulse throughout the entire Presbyterian church, and within the synod of Minnesota even more rapid progress was m_ade than was suggested by the synod itself. Incited by the establishment of the new Norwegian Lutheran College of St. Olaf, at Northfield, in this state in 1875, making the fifth denominational college for Minnesota, iMinutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1872, pp. 79 and 80. 2Minutes of the General Assembly, 1877, p. 535. ^Minutes of the General Assembly, 1883, p. 589. BECOMES DENOMINATIONAL. 55 and by the actions of the General Assembly in 1877 and 1878 some Presbyterian ministers and laymen con- cluded that the time had come for the synod to un- dertake the founding of a synodical college. It was evident that Macalester would not thrive as an un- denominational school. Therefore, as it held val- uable property and had a small endowment also, the adoption of that institution as the synodical college suggested itself to many minds. At a meeting of the synod held at Red Wing October 10 to 14, 1878, Rev. D. R. Breed, the pastor of the House of Hope church, and an intimate friend of Dr. Neill, presented the following resolution on the forenoon of October 12th : "Resolved, that a com- mittee of five be appointed to consult and co-operate with the trustees of Macalester College with a view to the immediate establishment of an educational in- stitution in connection with this synod. Second, that this committee be empowered to solicit funds if need be, and if they find the first resolution impracticable, to act as trustees for another institution to be here- after incorporated, to be under the supervision of this synod. Third, that the committee may employ, when found necessary, an agent, at a salary which they shall fix and for which they may provide."^ This resolution was adopted and the following persons were appointed by synod to be the committee which was instructed to report at the next meeting of the synod; Revs. R. B. Abbot; D. R. Breed; D. Rice, ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1878, p. 244. 56 MACALESTER COLLEGE. D. D. ; Hon. C. E. Vanderburgh and D. W. IngersolL This was the first definite action taken by the synod looking toward the estabhshment of a Presbyterian college. Many Presbyterians of Minnesota began to real- ize that it was high time for them to undertake their share in the work of education. The example of Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Methodists and Lutherans, spurred them on to emulate these in this work. They realized, too, that there was no other feasible way of providing the requisite num- ber of ministers for coming years. Not one Presby- terian youth graduating in other denominational col- leges of the state had until then entered the Presby- terian ministry. Taken from Presbyterian homes aiid placed under other denominational influences they drifted away from the church that reared them and de- pended on them. The synod was never unfriendly to our State University, but on several occasions ex- pressed its interest in that school and its gratification that its "curriculum of study was so comprehensive and thorough," and that the religious influence of the University was "so largely salutary." This can be seen from a resolution adopted by the synod in 1877,^ V\^hich read : "The Synod having heard the statements of Rev. Prof. E. Thompson, a m.ember of this body, concern- ing the present and prospective condition of our ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1877, Appendix, p. 226. BECOMES DENOMINATIONAL. 57 State University, and of the influence it continues to exert in behalf of higher education and Christian morality, desire to express our interest in this in- creasingly important institution, which he represents, our gratification that its curriculum of study is so comprehensive and thorough, that the religious in- fluence of the University is so largely salutary, and our disposition to lend our support to the same, so long as, without being sectarian, it is not unchristian ; believing as we do that the union of education and Christianity is not merely conventional, but real and operative, and as such can secure the highest style of civilization and the permanence of our free insti- tutions." But the church was beginning to realize anew that protestantism depends on an enlightened laity, versed in the Scriptures, just as much as on an educated min- istry. It felt, too, that however thorough the courses of study in an institution of learning, if it omit the Bible from its curriculum, it is deficient in one im- portant discipline, and is narrow. That some state university students had realized this is apparent from an editorial article which appeared in the Ariel for April, 1889 (a University of Minnesota publica- tion), which contained the following paragraph: *Tt is a matter of constant regret that religious instruc- tion does not find a place in the college curriculum. Viewed in its intellectual aspect, Christian'ty is a deep philosophy which demands close and earnest study, and which should be investigated by the same 58 MACALESTER COLLEGE. means that are employed in the secular branches. A few colleges — and some we believe state institutions — have introduced Biblical study as an elective; pos- sibly we may some day be able to do so here. As an offset to this philosophy of infidelity, we must place the philosophy of Christianity." Minnesota Uni- versity, since its organization has been fortunate in having at its head and in many of its departments men of pronounced Christian convictions, who by their examples and influence have done much to en- courage the students to live a sober Christian life. Only recently, 1909, Dr. Northrop, the distinguished president of the Minnesota State University, called the attention of the summer school students to the prevailing ignorance of the Bible among the college students of the country. He deplored this state of affairs in very strong language, and urged the stu- dents to make themselves familiar with the teachings of the Great Book. And yet, those having charge of schools supported by public funds, have been obliged to regard as inexpedient, if not positively illegal, all attempts to oft'er instruction in this source of Wisdom and Truth except as it can be used as a course in English Literature.^ ^Revised Laws of Minnesota, 1905, Appendix, p. 1179, Article 8, Sec. 3. "The legislature shall make such provi- sions by taxation or otherwise, as, with the income arising from the school fund, will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools in each township in the state. But in no case shall the moneys derived as aforesaid, or any por- tion thereof, or any public moneys or property, be appropri- ated or used for the support of schools where in the dis- tinctive doctrines, creeds or tenets of any particular Christian or other religious sect are promulgated or taught." BECOMES DENOMINATIONAL. 59 There were then two important reasons why the synod purposed the estabhshment of a denominational college; and they were the same reasons that have actuated the founding- of most of our Christian insti- tutions of higher learning. One was to provide for the training of a Christian ministry in the new Northwest ; the other to exercise an uplifting influence upon the people at large by educating young men who would enter into business or professional walks, thoroughly grounded in the principles of the Christian religion, and thereby fitted to serve the interests of the kingdom of God. They realized ''that the peril of a new country is the peril of materialism and sensualism.^ The struggle for living is necessarily so intense .that it may overcome the endeavor for life in higher and larger relations. The peril is as constant, as it is keen, that the absorp- tion of physical and intellectual energy in the forms of endeavor which appeal to the senses, may leave little or no force to be expended upon the primary elements of a higher civilization, * * * The citizens of a state and members of a church in the newer parts of America have often based themselves in their concep- tion of education upon the belief of Francis Lieber : 'Christianity, considered as a branch of knowledge, con- stituted an indispensable element in the liberal educa- tion, but that Christianity taken solely as an historical fact is incomparably the mightiest factor in the annals of the human society ; that it has tinctured and pene- trated all systems of knowledge, all institutions both iThwing, Higher Education in America, p. 229. 6o MACALESTER COLLEGE. civil and exclusively social, the laws, the languages, the literature of the civilized nations, their ethics, their tastes and wants/ The founders, therefore, of a college in the name of a church have not felt them- selves apart from the human motive. They have be- lieved and declared that the highest and largest pur- pose in the higher education for the enrichment and improvement of mankind was most directly and effectively gained through the establishment of a Christian college."^ Inasmuch as an institution largely under the con- trol of Presbyterians was already incorporated and well located, the synod in 1878 made overtures to the trustees of Macalester College relative to adopting it. This action was welcomed by the trustees of the col- lege who probably were fully as anxious to find a constituency as to advance the interests of Presby- terianism. There were, hov/ever, a few circumstances which impeded the process of transferring the college to the synod. These were that the name, location, govern- ment and presidency of Macalester College were set- tled by the founders and believed to be irrevocable.^ The synod committee appointed to consider the es- tablishing of a college believed that since endowment and support would largely come from the synod, therefore that body should have a voice in determin- ing the most essential features of the school ; above all, ^History of Education in Indiana, p. 138. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1879, p. 270. BECOMES DENOMINATIONAL. 6i that its president should be a Presbyterian. (At that particular time Dr. Neill was no longer of the Presby- terian communion, but was rector of the Calvary Re- formed Episcopal Church in St. Paul.) Naturally, the Presbyterians were somewhat distrustful of an institution whose president had transferred his ecclesiastical allegiance to another denomination, from their faith. (The Reformed Episcopal church was numerically and financially weak, and little had been done by it to aid Macalester.) In the course of the negotiations, however. Presi- dent Neill sent in his resignation, to take effect when- ever thirty thousand ($30,000) dollars had been raised for the endowment of the presidency and a Presby- terian selected for the office. The trustees of the col- lege even suggested to the synod that it nominate the president and at least one-half of the Board of Trus- tees, members of the board at that time cheerfully pro- posing to resign in order to permit the synod to fill the vacancies. Dr. Neiirs proposition rendered the situation favorable for the adoption of Macalester College by the synod. At its meeting at St. Peter, October 15th, 1880, on the afternoon of that day, by a vote of 47 to 15 the synod recognized Macalester as its educat'onal institution. The procedure by which this undenom- inational Christian school became a denominational college was very simple. It consisted in the adoption of the following resolution: "Resolved, That ac- cepting the generous propositions of the Board of 62 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Trustees of Maxalester College, synod will heartily co- operate with the Trustees in the effort to speedily and liberally endow Macalester College, and do hereby recommend it to the sympathy and support of the churches under our care."^ The synod neither demanded nor recomm.ended any change in the charter of the college. It did not then accept the offer to name one-half of the trustees, has never since claimed a right to do so, and does not nominate a single trustee today. The synod has never elected a president to the institution, and in two instances only, in the case of Dr. McCurdy, the first president of Macalester as a synodical college, and in 1894 when the trustees of the col- lege requested the synod to suggest a president and it presented the name of Dr. Wallace, has it nominated or recommended a man to that office.^ Since that time the practice has been that the synod endorse the election made by the trustees. Thus it can be seen that the relation between the col- lege and the synod has been a very loose one. The synod does not exercise a direct control over the col- lege. The only change made in the charter after Macalester became a synodical institution was effected on February 17th, 1885,^ when the stipulation in ref- erence to the character of the Board of Trustees was amended by adding the following paragraph : "Two- thirds of said Board of Trustees shall be members of ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1880, p. 306. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1894, P- 557- ^Rules and By Laws of Macalester College, p. 18. OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 63 the Presbyterian church in the United States of America." This amendment to the charter was made., not to impress indubitably upon the college the seal of Presbyterianism, but to entitle it to be a beneficiary of the Board of Aid for Colleges and Academies of the Presbyterian Church. That Board at its organiza- tion in 1883 adopted this law: "Every institution hereafter established, as a condition to receiving aid, shall be either organically connected with the Presby- terian church in the U. S. of A., or shall by charter provision perpetually have two-thirds of its Board of Control members of the Presbyterian church."^ This, however, is sufficient to stamp Macalester Col- lege as a denominational school and to exclude it from the benefits of the Carnegie Teachers' Pension Fund. In 1880, when the synod adopted the college, it had an endowment fund of $25,000 and a building valued at from $55,000 to $60,000, for which $40,000 had been offered. To many pastors and laymen this seemed a splendid beginning for the synodical col- lege. ^Minutes of the General Assembly, 1883, p. 589. CHAPTER IV. THE OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. At this point in our history a brief statement con- cerning the material and economic conditions of Min- nesota and the strength of the Presbyterian church of the state may be helpful in showing whether the times were favorable for the new college to secure the funds necessary for endowment, for that was the determin- ing factor in this dubious experiment. In 1853, Gov- ernor Ramsey had prophesied that in twenty years Minnesota would have a population of half a million. When the 7th decade of the 19th century opened, the census report showed that there were 439,706 people in the state.^ During the next ten years St. Paul and Minneapolis more than doubled their number, the former having grown from 20,200 to a city of 41,474, while the latter experienced an even greater develop- ment and advanced from a population of 18,979 to 46,887. Duluth in 1870 was a small town, having about 4,500 residents. The rural districts kept pace with the urban progress. Agricultural development was greatly facilitated by the development of the rail- way system of the state, which increased during the ^See census report 1880, or the article on Minnesota by W. W. Folwell in the Universal Cyclopedia and Atlas. OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 65 seventies from 1,092 to 3,099 miles of completed track. The immigrants kept pouring in from the middle and the eastern states, from Canada and from across the sea, from Germany, England, Ireland and Scandi- navia. The population of the state increased from 439,706 in 1870 to 780,773 in 1880. The lonely prairies became settled and the forests fell before the ax of the sturdy pioneers. In 1870 the total area of cultivated land amounted to 2,066,425 acres, and the cereal products in bushels were : wheat, 16,022,000 ; oats, 8,959,000; corn, 5,823,000; potatoes, 1,274,000; the total and per capita value of property had in- creased from $52,294,413 in i860 to $228,909,590 in 1870.1 By 1880, the year in which the synod adopted Macalester College, wheat,, oats, corn and lumber were produced in astonishing quantities as these fig- ures indicate: wheat, 40,395,696 bushels; oats, 21,- 069,425; corn, 15,478,050; barley, 3,'i63,86o. The total cultivated acreage had risen to 5,193,899, and the value of farm lands had risen to $193,724,260, while the total wealth of the state was valued at $792,- 000,000, a gain of $563,095,410. The value of the flour exported in the seventies, increased from $5,718,- 887 to $41,519,004.2 With this material prosperity the church endeavored to keep pace. When the union of the old and new school branches of the Presbyterian denomination was accomplished, in 1870, the synod of Minnesota consisted of four Presbyteries, 80 Ministers, 118 churches, 4,764 communicants and a Sunday school ^ Government Agricultural Report, 1870, p. 32, 2 Census Report for 1890, Part III, Miscellaneous, p. 954. 66 MACALESTER COLLEGE. membership of 6,598. During the next ten years the strength of the church increased to five Presbyteries, 112 ministers, 133 churches, 6,968 communicants and a Simday school membership of 8,898. The total contributions for all purposes increased from $57,570 to $100,235.1 The state and the church, therefore, as has been shown, were enjoying great prosperity when the synod adopted Macalester College in 1880. There was every reason to believe that the remarkable growth of the seventies would be surpassed in the eighties. Everything was teeming with new life and energy. Consequently the synod confidently expected that .shortly its college would be liberally endowed. But in this the trustees and the synod were deeply dis- appointed. The material development came as ex- pected. The population of the state swelled from 780,773 to 1,301,826, the greatest increase for any decade in the history of the commonwealth. The Twin Cities and Duluth witnessed phenomenal growth. St. Paul's population advanced from 41,473 to 133,- 156; Minneapolis grew even more rapidly than its neighboring rival, and in 1890 numbered 164,738; Duluth so favorably located for transportation pur- poses on Lake Superior became a commercial centre and grew from a village into a city of 33,115. The agricultural development of the state was equally marvelous. At the close of the eighties, the wheat 1 Minutes of Synod of Minnesota, 1880, Statistical Report, p. 328-332. OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. e? harvest of Minnesota was 52,300,247 bushels ; oats, 49,958,791 and corn 24,696,446.^ The total acreage increased from 5,193,899 to 9,253,239 with a value of farms and buildings amounting to $67,493,716, while the total and per capita wealth of the state was $1,691,- 851,927.2 The best flour in the world was manu- factured in Minneapolis and sent to all lands. The output of lumber was third largest in the Union ^ and already Minnesota had earned for itself the title, the Bread and Butter State. The railroad mileage for steam railroads was 5,379.50.* The wealth of its iron ore was beginning to astonish the world. Mining was not attempted in Min- nesota until 1884, although as early as 1865 it had been known that there were mines in the northern part of the state. In 1884 the Vermillion and Mesabi mines were opened and yielded 62,124 tons of iron ore; in 1889 their product amounted to 2,347,557 tons, and in 1890, 9,000,000 tons were shipped from Duluth.5 During this decade the church also made great forward strides, so that in 1890 the synod had 153 ministers, 183 churches, 12,028 communicants, and ^Census Report 1890, Part IIL Miscellaneous, p. 371. 2Census Report 1890, Part IIL Miscellaneous, p. 594. ^Census Report 1890, Part IIL Miscellaneous, p. 843. ^Census Report, Part III, 1890, Miscellaneous, p, 895. °See Winchel, The Ores of Minnesota, 1891. 68 MACALESTER COLLEGE. the Sunday school enrollment totaled 18,426. The ■ benevolences increased to $115,423.1 But in the face of all these efforts of material and ecclesiastical prosperity the effort of the synod during the first five years of the eighties to endow the col- lege failed. What were the causes militating against the speedy endowment of Macalester? The fol- lowing facts may, in a measure, but surely not wholly, answer that question. 1. The wealth of Minnesota was to a consider- able degree of a form which was not readily convert- able into cash. There were few people who had ready money. Whatever profits were realized were quickly turned into new investments. The wealth of Minnesota consisted largely of real estate or crude property. 2. Many owners of real estate, farmers and busi- ness men had borrowed heavily of eastern capital, expecting that in the next fifteen or twenty years, i. e., in the late eighties or in the nineties, they would realize great returns on their investments. That the state enjoyed a wonderful prosperity is true. Minnesota did not hide its light under a bushel. It boasted of its resources and its wealth. The Twin Cities in particular arrested the attention of the busi- ness world by their excellent opportunities for com- mercial and industrial activities. One of the greatest booms in the history of the American nation was on. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1890, Statistical Re- port, pp. 250-256. OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 69 Moneyed men in the east made fortunes in the North- west. This led easterners to over-estimate the ability of the Presbyterians of Minnesota to endow their college. Twenty years earlier it probably would have been easier to raise funds in the east. The his- tory of Carleton College may illustrate this. Until 1 87 1, Carleton (then Northfield College) experienced a precarious existence. Then just as the period of rapid development began in Minnesota it received large gifts from New England friends. William Carleton alone gave $50,000 without a single condi- tion;^ Miss Susan Willis, $15,000, and from other friends, before 1875, President Strong secured $28,- 000, a grand total of about $93,000 raised in New England. Before that the college had annual def- icits; Congregationalism in Minnesota was not strong enough to maintain its college. Then at the critical momement generous aid came from New England, where President Strong had warm personal friends. But for such help just at this time it is difficult to see how the Congregational college could have survived. During the early period all the col- leges of the state, most of all, probably, Hamline Uni- versity^ which in 1869 was obliged to close its doors, found the task of securing funds to carry on their work a most difficult one. 3. Perhaps another reason for the difficulty the ^Leonard, History of Carleton College, Chapters V. and VL 2 Hamline University, by Prof. E. F. Mearkle and Henry L. Osborn in the United :3tates Bureau of Education, No. 31, The History of Education, in Minnesota, p. 175. 70 MACALESTER COLLEGE. trustees of Macalester College found in raising the endowment for the college was the synod's policy re- garding its educational work. When the synod, in 1878, adopted Dr. Breed's resolutions concerning an educational institution the location of the synodical college was an open question. At once different towns expressed a desire to secure the school for their respective communities. The strongest aspirant outside of the Twin Cities was Albert Lea. The citi- zens of Albert Lea pledged the synod the sum of $25,000, $15,000 in cash, $2,500 in a location and $2,500 in railroad transportation. About one-third of the members of the synod favored locating the svnodical colleore at Albert Lea. To the other two- thirds it seemed a more feasible plan to adopt the Macalester College at St. Anthony Falls, including its endowment of $25,000 and property worth at least $40,000. The majority did not deem it advisable to locate the synod's college in the extreme southeastern part of the state, near the Iowa boundary line. It was thought that Macalester would be more centrally situated so that its position would probably render it more attractive to students residing in the states of the farther Northwest, as the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming. By a majority vote Macalester College was adopted as the synodical college. It was re- garded as an unfortunate circumstance that the synod was not entirely united in its support of the new institution; but finally complete harmony was secured by an action of the same body, taken the fol- OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 71 lowing day, looking to the establishment of a synodi- cal female college at Albert Lea.^ For the conve- nience of those who do not have easy access to the records of these transactions, extracts from Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota bearing on this part of our history are here reprinted : "The Committee of synod on an Educational Institution beg leave to re- port as follows : 1. That Macalester College has been established and secured as a college under Presbyterian control, by a provision in accordance with the wish of the founder adopted by the Board of Trustees, whereby two-thirds of the Trustees must be communicants of or attendants at the worship of the Presbyterian church, and also by a by-law of the corporation re- quiring that two-thirds of the Trustees shall always be Presbyterians. 2. That such college has toward an endowment fund, twenty-five thousand ($25,000) dollars in cash securities, bearing interest, and a building estimated by an architect as worth fifty-five ($55,000) or sixty thousand ($60,000) dollars, and for which forty thousand ($40,000) dollars have been offered. 3. That President Neill has sent in his resignation, to take effect whenever thirty thousand ($30,000) dol- lars have been raised for the endowment of the presi- dency, and a Presbyterian selected for the office. ^For a detailed account of this transaction the reader is referred to the Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota for 1880, pp. 305-313- 72. MACALESTER COLLEGE. 4. The Trustees have expressed their wish that tlie college may be in the fullest sympathy with the views and wishes of the synod, and their willingness, if synod so desire, that it should nominate the Presi- dent and at least one-half of the Board of Trustees, members of the present board, cheerfully resigning to make vacancies. 5. Two things are fixed and only two, so that they can not be changed: (i) the name; (2) the location, which must be at or near the Falls of St. Anthony. 6. The Trustees are reasonably hopeful of still further endowment from friends in the east. 7. The Baldwin School has already been opened as a preparatory department of the college. 8. The citizens of Albert Lea pledge to the synod the sum of twenty thousand ($20,000) dollars, viz.; fifteen thousand ($15,000) dollars in cash, two thou- sand five hundred ($2,500) dollars in a location, and two thousand five hundred ($2,500) dollars in rail- road transportation, if synod will establish a college at that place. 9. It is the decided conviction of the committee of synod, that a college for Minnesota should be so liberally endowed by the Presbyterian church, as that in its facilities for the most thorough Christian edu- cation, it should be inferior to none; and that, in order to do this, it is of the utmost importance, that at the present time, if practicable, all the resources of synod OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 73 for the higher education should be centered on the building of one institution. In view of all these facts, therefore, the committee recommend to synod the adoption of the following resolution : "Resolved, That, accepting the generous propositions of the Board of Trustees of Macalester College, synod will heartily co-operate with the Trus- tees in the effort to speedily and liberally endow Mac- alester College, and do hereby recommend it to the sympathy and support of all the churches under our care. D. W. Ingersoll, Chairman; Daniel Rice, Sec. pro tem; C. E. Vanderburg; R. F. Sample." This report vv^as adopted by the synod, as stated above, by a vote of 47 to 15, on the afternoon of October 15, 1880. Shortly after the opening of the synod on the next morning, Rev. R. B. Abbot of Al- bert Lea moved that the vote of yesterday, on the adoption of the majority report with reference to Macalester College, be made unanimous. The motion was quickly seconded and when the moderator called for a rising vote, there was a unanimous rising vote.^ The same forenoon the following resolution was adopted : " Resolved, That, in order to carry out the spirit of the report of the synod's committee on an educational institution, adopted at yesterday after- noon session, the following standing committee of co- operation with the Trustees of Macalester College be appointed; Presbytery of Mankato, Rev. J. B. Little; Presbytery of Red River, O. H. Elmer; Presbytery of ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1880, pp. 31 1» 3I2. 74 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Dakota, Rev. S. E. Riggs, D. D. ; Presbytery of Winona,, Hon. Wm. Mitchell ; Dr. C. W. Ballard ; Pres- bytery of St. Paul, Hon. D. W. Ingersoll, Hon. C. C. Webster. 2. ''That Hon. C. C. Webster be appointed con- vener of said committee, who, at their first meeting, shall elect their own officers. 3. ''That the committee shall have plenary powers in all matters relating to the synod's interests in said institution with special reference to the electing of a Financial Agent to raise the amount necessary for the endowment of the Presidential Chair ($30,000.)'' Hardly had this resolution been adopted when^ Mr. West of Albert Lea was invited to address synod in reference to the establishment of a female college at Albert Lea. Messrs. H. D. Brown and Presbury West of Albert Lea were the representatives who had ap- peared before the synod on the previous day and had endeavored to secure the location of the synodical col- lege in their city. A careful study of the Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, especially of that part which relates to a consideration of the advisability of establishing a de- nominational college, shows that until 1880 the synod was neither enthusiastic nor hasty in its actions. Its policy was extremely conservative. For a period of twent3''-one years, at one time or another, it had this subject under contemplation, and again and again it did not see its way clear to establish a college. Then, 1 Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1880, p. 312. OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 75 the Minutes record that in 1880, this same careful synod adopted one college and created another. The Synod of Minnesota suddenly entered upon a double educational enterprise. Without one word of warning the startling fact is recorded. Had not the synod on that same day unanimously adopted a resolution which recommended that ''the synod center all its resources on the building up of one institution ?" The history of Carleton College until 1880 was that of a great strug- gle with poverty ; Hamline University found conditions so adverse that it was obliged to close its doors in 1869 and was just re-opened in St. Paul in 1880. St. Olaf College had passed through very trying times during the first five years of its existence and even the State University was obliged to pass through a period of struggle and uncertainty during the early years of its history. Why, then, did the Presbyterians, who were not ignorant of the experiences of their sister denomi- nations in educational work, undertake more than did the Methodists, or Congregationalists or Lutherans? This move, clearly, was inconsistent with the resolution passed less than twenty-four hours before, that ''the synod center all its resources on the building up of one institution," and there must have been strong rea- sons supporting such a sudden change of attitude on the question. What those reasons were is not fully disclosed by the report of the proceedings of that memorable synod or by the special correspondence from St. Peter, where the synod met.^ ^St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 17, 1880. 76 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Probably the correct explanation is that offered by members of that body who are still living. According to their version the controlling motive was one of expediency, it being believed that the adoption of a second institution, which should be a female college, would prove such a recognition of the different sec- tions of the synod as would prevent disappointment and promote internal peace. This view of the case is further favored by the well known fact that it was understood that Macalester would not be a co-educa- tional institution, and that fact furnished occasion for advocating the founding of a female college. Until the report of the committee on an educa- tional institution was made on October 15th, 1880, not one word in all the synod's reports can be found that furnishes the slightest suggestion concerning the establishment of a women's college. The committee in that report mentioned the importance of having only one synodical institution. That is the first hint of the possibility of establishing a second college. It was known that Dr. Neill was unalterably op- posed to co-education, and that he agreed to give Mac- alester College to the synod only on the understanding that it should be a college patterned after Amherst, Dartmouth, Yale and Princeton, that is, a college for men only. There was, however, nothing in the char- ter of Baldwin University (1864), nor in the amended charter of 1874, nor in the will of Mr. Mac- alester (1873), which forbade co-education. Dr. Neill's opposition to the education of both sexes in the OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. ^y same school was based on the ground that women could not master certain subjects that men should be required to take. Another argument advanced in favor of the found- ing of a separate women's college was that it could easily be made self-supporting. A few of the mem- bers of synod had been connected with small female seminaries and they were sure Albert Lea College would add no burden to the synod. Fifteen thousand dollars would give to the church a women's college that might some day be to Minnesota what Mount Holyoke is to Massachusetts. The first movement looking toward the establishment of a Presbyterian college was prompted by the necessity of providing young men for the ministry. Did the church not need young women missionaries, pastors' assistants, etc ? Was it fair to neglect the education of its young women? Albert Lea was willing to receive the col- lege for young women, although it reduced its original offer of $20,000 for the college for men to $15,000 to secure the school for women. Persuaded by such considerations, the synod with- out a dissenting voice voted to establish a synodical col- lege at Albert Lea. It had become "impracticable" for the synod to found only one college, and so Rev. J. S. Sherrill introduced a resolution to accept the offer of the citizens of Albert Lea. The resolution began thus : "This synod deems it wise and expedient to found a fe- 78 MACALESTER COLLEGE. male college under its patronage and fostering care." ^ To many the whole question came une:?cpectedly. They had not considered the possibility of establishing a female school. But when they saw that harmony might be restored at little or no cost, they were per- suaded to assent to the plan. After thirty years have passed, the student who reviews dispassionately the records of the proceed- ings, with which we are now dealing, is met with such inquiries as the following: Was the action of the synod iri 1880, respecting the inception of educational work under synodical auspices, practical and wise? Was it expedient under all the conditions which then prevailed? Answers to these questions must be re- turned in the light of the subsequent history of Ma- calester and Albert Lea colleges. Whatever the final judgment on these matters, probably there are few, if any, who now will question the statement that the Synod of Minnesota at the time of which we write did not understand perfectly the economic conditions of the state ; that it was unfamiliar with its own constit- uency and not fully conversant with the educational situation within its bounds. It has become a trite saying with builders of new colleges that Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Dart- mouth began with small things and became strong institutions. It is true that m.ost of these early ven- tures had humble beginnings, right among the In- dians and among a people that did not belong to the ^Minutes of Synod of Minnesota, 1880, p. 313. OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 79 millionaire class. But if Harvard or Princeton or Dartmouth had been founded under conditions like those which surrounded Macalester and Albert Lea, would they have succeeded better? The colleges of New England grew slowly, and by long processes. And well they could, for thus New England grew. The General Assembly's Committee in 1883 had a better conception of the demands upon the denomina- tional college when it protested against establishing institutions without proper equipment and an ade- quate endowment. "Dribblets and half centuries for endowments! No! We are done with emigrant wagons and stage coaches. The country west of the Mississippi River has gained in ten years what it took New England two and a half centuries to gain." ^ In other words these new western colleges must be- gin with the standards that the New England schools had attained after two and a half centuries, and that meant good libraries and modern scientific apparatus, and large endowments. The saying that a small college consists of a log with Mark Hopkins at one end and a student at the other end was true enough of Williams College which had Mark Hopkins. But in Minnesota the new Pres- byterian school must compete with a fine state uni- versity; it would find a strong rival in Carleton Col- lege which, in 1880, had an attendance of 260 stu- dents, many of whom were Presbyterians loyal to ^Minutes of the General Assembly, 1883, p. 583. 8o MACALESTER COLLEGE. Carleton ; this same institution by 1887 added $200,000 to its productive endowment,^ and had a fine college plant. The college must also compete with Ham- line University which had been re-opened as a col- legiate institution a few days before the synod of 1880 convened; and it must vie with other like institutions in the state. It would have been well for Macalester and Albert Lea if the synod, in 1880, had understood the require- ments for its colleges as well as Dr. Herrick Johnson who, in 1890, in addressing the Presbyterian Alliance in St. Paul, said:^ "Macalester needs at least $200,000. We cannot expect our boys and girls to go to a college simply because it is labeled 'Presby- terian.' They will go where there are the brains and the apparatus. This means money." But the synod, impelled by considerations already mentioned, adopted two colleges, in spite of the fact that each of the other denominations in the state which supported church institutions, found it ex- tremely burdensome to m^aintain one each. That the synod's action in this respect was not 'Vise and ex- pedient" is open to question to those who have wit- nessed the struggles of both the schools which it has under its fostering care. Either the synod should have established Albert Lea on a sound financial ba- sis, provided proper equipment and the best faculty that a high grade female college needed, and then at iLeonard, History of Carleton College, p. 227. ^Macalester College Echo, May, 1890. OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 8i a later lime adopted Macalester College and given it adequate endowment and the necessary equipment, or vice versa. To-day there is room for both Macalester and Albert Lea; they are nowr doing efficient v^ork, and as Albert Lea is the only Protestant Women's College in the state it has a splendid field and a prom- ising future. But the synod's action in 1880 entailed trials and hardships for both institutions. Probably no other college in the entire country has suffered so much privation as Macalester through the blun- der of its friends at its adoption in 1880. It seems almost incredible that the synod, which fathered the two institutions, should have thought it "practicable" to ask the churches to raise only $45,000 with which to endow both infant colleges. Of the $45,000, Macalester was allowed $30,000 or two-thirds of the whole. Is this not proof sufficient that the synod was not prepared to care for two such enter- prises ? And yet, that was all that could be done in a finan- cial way. To raise even that amount required stren- uous exertions. The synod's educational committee which was empowered to chose a Financial Agent to solicit the endowments elected Rev. Daniel Rice, D. D. This was a happy choice. Dr. Rice was a man of considerable experience in raising money for educa- tional purposes, and he devoted himself with great enthusiasm to this difficult task. The trustees of Macalester college, after the transfer of their institution to the synod, renewed 82 MACALESTER COLLEGE. their efforts to make Macalester a strong institution. In 1 88 1 a syndicate formed by some of the trustees bought a quarter section of land, known as the Hol- yoke Farm, bounded on the north by Summit Avenue and on the east by SneUing Avenue. They paid $150 per acre for this land and offered to the other trus- tees of Macalester College the option of taking 40 acres of this tract, free of charge, to be used for col- lege buildings and campus. The gentlemen who so generously offered the 40 acres as a gift to Macal- ester were: Rev. J. C. Whitney, R. P. Lewis, Alex- ander Ramsey, Henry L. Moss, Thomas Cochran, H. Knox Taylor and Judge Vanderburg. The board of trustees as a whole then chose the east quarter of the 160 acres extending half a mile along Snelling Avenue. This magnificent site, then about halfway between St. Paul and Minneapolis, time has proved an excellent selection. The location of the Winslow House, which was surrounded by mills and factories, had become wholly unsuited for college purposes. The trustees conse- quently arranged to sell this property and with its proceeds they purposed to erect a new building on the recently acquired site. The old Macalester College building or Winslow House was sold to the Minne- apolis Exposition Company, and the sale was ar- ranged on the following terms: Price, $40,000, of which $30,000 was payable on time, bearing six per cent, interest per annum; well secured by mortgage and insurance policy. The balance of the price, OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 83 $10,000, consisted in real estate and city property earning about $40 per month.^ The donation of the new site and the location of the college thereon became, unfortunately, the occa- sion for some criticism. Not that the location was undesirable, nor that any conditions whatever were attached to the acceptance of the gift, but inasmuch as a few of the donors were men engaged in real estate business, it was at once rumored that the trans- fer of the college to the new location was purely a speculation by which they hoped to secure large prof- its on the remaining 120 acres. Most of the trustees of the syndicate, and there is no reason to doubt their word, vigorously denied this and insisted that the gift was made without any selfish design whatever. The college sooner or later would have been obliged to find another location than that at St. Anthony Falls, and therefore the donation of the new site, it was claimed, was opportune and generous. But indis- creet remarks by one of the trustees, at least, who may not have weighed his utterances carefully and the possible import of which he at that time prob- ably did not realize, were seized upon and made the occasion for animadversions reflecting on others con- cerned in the transaction. After the sale of the Winslow House the trustees opened a school in St. Paul as a branch of the Bald- win School, having purchased the furniture and fixt- ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1881, p. 345. 84 MACALESTER COLLEGE. tires of Professor Fogg's School. This institution was opened in September, 1881, with 32 students. One year after his appointment as Financial Agent of the synod's colleges, Dr. Rice^ reported to the synod that during the twelve months of his canvass he had succeeded in raising for the endowment of Albert Lea and Macalester $14,794. Of this amount Macalester's share was $9,454. He had presented the cause of Christian education to the larger churches of the Twin Cities and the state. No church was visited without some response. The pastors, with only two exceptions, very generously subscribed and aided the secretary in every possible way. Their gifts ranged from $5.00 on the part of the struggling home missionary to $350 by the pastor of the Central Pres- byterian church of St. Paul. Many others gave $50, $75 and $100 each. During this year many churches in St. Paul and Minneapolis incurred heavy liabili- ties in erecting new churches or by enlarging their houses of worship, others were paying off church debts, and a large majority of the congregations vis- ited were still missionary churches and unable to do more than support their own work. The harvests of the preceding years, moreover, had been poor and therefore the people in the rural regions were not able to give liberally. Under these conditions the secretary felt the subscriptions could not have been much larger. ^Minutes of Synod of Minnesota, 1881, p. 347. OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 85 But the synod was deeply impressed with the need of the cause and again recommended the two embryo colleges to the churches, urging them to contribute liberally in order to secure the $45,000 for endow- ment. Again the financial secretary spent a year of hard work in soliciting funds for the synod's colleges. But his second campaign was less successful than his first. The whole amount subscribed by October 13th, 1882, was $26,335.45, and the amount paid in only $3,771.44. During that year's canvass one pastor had subscribed $1,000, while twenty-five home missionaries sub- scribed $695, varying from $5 to $100 each. But in spite of these splendid gifts which meant great per- sonal sacrifices, the outlook was not promising. At a meeting of the synod's committee on Macal- ester College, Dec. 22, 1881, Dr. Rice submitted the fol- lowing questions to the committee:^ i. ''Shall the work be suspended at this time and no further effort be made to collect the balance of the $45,000, the sums already given being returned to the givers and the subscriptions already made being declared void ? " 2. * 'Shall the work be committed to better hands than mine (Dr. Rice's) with the expectation of. better suc- cess ? " 3. "Shall the work be temporarily suspended until the churches of St. Paul and Minneapolis are in a better condition to respond with substantial sub- scriptions to the college ? " ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1882, p. 388. 86 MACALESTER COLLEGE. These three questions were unanimously negatived by the committee. The fourth question was agreed to after a prolonged discussion. It was as follows ; "Shall the work be prosecuted without intermission with such patience and earnestness, notwithstanding any present hinderance which may seem to tempora- rily block the way ? " That the synod was not discouraged by the slow progress of the endowment and that it shared the feel- ings of its committee on Macalester College is ap- parent from the following resolution which it adopted after it had heard reports by Dr. Rice and Mr. Thomas Cochran, Jr. : ''Resolved, That the synod again records its deep conviction of the importance of this educational work. It looks with earnest sym- pathy upon what our fellow denominations are doing in this direction, and acknowledges the impulse of these efforts in its renewed determination to accept its full share of the responsibility placed upon the Church of Christ in the New Northwest of providing Christian educational facilities for the youths of this section. In pursuance of this determination it will establish schools and colleges for the youths of its own congregation and for those others who may be brought within their influence."^ The synod's determination to persevere in its edu- cational enterprise was very largely due to an action taken by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church of the U. S. A., at its meeting in 1881, when ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1882, p. 388. OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW COLLEGE. 87 it endorsed the report of a special committee on edu- cation concerning the need of a College Aid Board :^ "Nor can we ignore this branch of church work. This was to concede that so far as we are concerned the education of the greater portion of our country shall be left to Congregational or other Christian hands than ours, or to unchristian hands. We have, then, no election in the case. Necessity is laid upon us. We must enter upon this work resolutely, systematically, and promptly." In 1882 the General Assembly unan- imously passed the following resolutions '? "In view of the patent fact by the secularizing of Academies and Colleges, the sources of supply for our Theo- logical Seminaries have been either vitiated or cut off, the Assembly enjoins upon the Presbyterian church and ministry the urgent duty of endowing and build- ing up Presbyterian colleges and academies already existing, and of wisely planting, endowing and fos- tering others as they become needed, in order to avert and make provision against the impending dearth of candidates for the ministry ,2 and that the Presbyterian church may overtake its sister churches in the work of Christian education and regain the place of su- premacy to which it is entitled by its grand system of doctrine and equally grand history." ^Minutes of General Assembly, 1881, p. 584. ^Minutes of General Assembl5^ 1882, p. 91. 3FVom 1876-188 1 the Presbyterian Chnrch received 68 ministers from other denominations, and only 141 gradu- ated from its own theological seminaries. In 1884 it re- ceived 64 "borrowed ministers" into its fellowship, and still there was a dearth of ministers. Minutes of General Assem- bly, 1884, p. 85. 88 MACALESTER COLLEGE. With renewed devotion, and conscious of the sym- pathy and encouragement of the synod, Dr. Rice un- dertook a third time the canvas for the necessary $45,000. When the subscriptions of the year's solicit- ing had been added up, the result was at last almost equal to the amount asked. The total sum raised, allowing for shrinkages, amounted to $44,621,91, and the balance was promised by the pastor of Westmin- ster church in MinneapoHs.i Of the total subscrip- tions about four-fifths had come from Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis had contributed $20,- 409.39, St. Paul, $16,400. Thie three years of strenuous toil for the colleges on the part of good old Dr. Rice furnished a very instructive commentary on the interest of Presby- terians in a synodical college. A few years ago Dr. D. K. Pearsons said to Dr. Wallace : '''You Presbyterians are not worth one cent, not one cent, when it comes to taking care of your educational work." That arraignment was well de- served at one time, and that not a very remote pe- riod, in the history of Presbyterianism in the United States. The church gave liberally to other religious causes, but it neglected the work of Christian edu- cation. In 1880,^ e. g., the Presbyterian church gave to home missions, $345,809.56; to foreign missions, $585,842.82; to ministerial education, $42,493.31; to 1 Synod of Minnesota, 1884, p. 487. 2 Minutes of the General Assembly, 1880. See reports of the above named reports. THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. 89 church erection, $120,501.22; to mimsterial rehef, $103,271.60; to freedmen, $52,921.93, but it did noth- ing for college work. It had no organization for such a department. Meanwhile, the Congregation- alists, who had a college aid society since 1844, had re- ported in 1882 that 26 colleges had received funds from this society amounting to $1,352,000.^ Hun- dreds of thousand of dollars of this money was given by Presbyterians who aided the Congregationalists be- cause they were interested in college work, while their own church did not call for help from them in edu- cational efforts. In 1881 the Congregationalists or- ganized another board, called a New West Educa- tional Commission to build academies and colleges in Utah and Idaho. This is another proof of the fact that the Congregationalists were more alert re- specting the educational opportunities of the day than were the Presbyterians. It was a slow process by which the Presbyterian church became educated to a proper realization of the importance of the work which they had so long neg- lected. After the Board of Aid for Colleges and Academies was organized and an appeal was made to the church for endowment funds and for current ex- penses, the response was very faint. The gifts for the first year, 1883-4, were only $14,912.42; for the second year, 1884-5, they showed a slight increase, $15,210.49. Albert Lea had secured its allowance of $15,000 1 See* Annual Report of the College Aid Society for 1882. 90 MACALESTER COLLEGE. from the synod's fund in 1883 and the citizens of Al- bert Lea raised the $15,000 which they had pledged in order to secure the college. Plans were under way for the erection of a large main building which was to be ready for use in September, 1884, but owing to the cost of the building, which was $3,000 more than had been anticipated, and a shrinkage in its available funds, Albert Lea College was obliged to postpone its opening to September, 1885. Thus the friends of Albert Lea experienced their first disappointment. It was the beginning of a succession of deficits and in- creased indebtedness for which Macalester College also soon became notorious. At the synod's meeting on October 14, 1882, a nominating committee was appointed to suggest a president for Macalester College. It consisted of the following members : Rev. Daniel Rice, D. D. ; D. L. Kiehle and Elder S. J. R. McMillon; Rev. S. M. Campbell, D. D. ; Elder H. M. Knox, and Rev. Rus- sell B. Abbott. For the next eighteen months this committee did very little owing to the uncertainty of the outcome of Dr. Rice's efforts in raising the $30,000 to endow the president's chair. At the meet- ing of the synod in 1884, the committee was able to report that it had found a man whom it considered well qualified to direct the affairs of an institution in a formative period.^ This gentleman was the Rev. Thomas A. McCurdy, D. D., of Wooster, Ohio. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1882, p. 389. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1884, p. 487. CHAPTER V. THE FORMATIVE PERIOD, 1884-1886. In the preceding pages we have traced the evolu- tion of Macalester from a Grammar School to a char- tered college under the auspices of the Presbyterian Synod of Minnesota. Twenty-seven years had passed since Dr. iNeill had announced his aim to establish a school for higher learning after the New England type — and four years more must come and go before he would teach in his college as the Professor of Po- litical Economy and English Literature. The Board of Trustees at this time consisted of men who had an honorable part in the development of the Twin Cities and of the Northwest. They stood high in the counsels of church and state, and were deeply interested in Christian education. The follow- ing biographical sketches by Dr. Wallace will acquaint the reader with the builders of Macalester College. Hon. Henry J. Horn. Mr. Horn was a native of Philadelphia, Pa., where he received a liberal education both in the classics and in the law. He studied law under Hon. Henry D. Gilpin, attorney-general of the United States under President Van Buren. After practicing six years in 92 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Philadelphia he removed to St. Paul in 1855. Here he continued the practice of law uninterruptedly till his death, March 20, 1902. At one time and another he held office in the city and was generally recognized as a man of much legal learning, of ability and the soundest integrity. He was made an elder in the House of Hope in 1866 and served the church faith- fully in this office for thirty-six years. He was one of the charter trustees of Macalester college and he was continued in this office till when because of the infirmities of age he was made, with Alexander Ramsey, an honorary member of the Board. For many years he was the legal adviser of the Board. He died March 20, 1902. Mr. Robert P. Lewis. Mr. Lewis was a native of western Pennsylvania, was graduated from Washington College, Pa., in 1856. After reading law in the same city he came to St. Paul (1859) ^^^ engaged in business. He was made an elder of Central Presbyterian church in 1859 and has faithfully and efficiently dischai-ged the duties of that office up to the present time. Before the panic of '93 unfavorably affected his affairs he was known as one of the most liberal contributors to the church and its boards in the city. By nomination of Dr. Neill he was elected a trustee of the college in 1885. For some years he served also as the vice-president. He rarely missed a meeting of the board and brought to its deliberations a most conscientious interest in the Hon. Alexander Ramsey. THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. 93 welfare of the college. Though, owing to opposition to the policy of co-education, adopted in 1893, he withdrew from the board, yet he and Mrs. Lewis, who was dear to all who knew her, have continued to cher- ish a warm affection for the institution. Captain J. C. Whitney. Mr. Whitney, a native of Vermont, graduate of Oberlin (1845), of Union Seminary (1848), came to Minnesota in 1849. He accepted the pastorate of the First church, Minneapolis, in 1854 where he remained for three years. In 1862 he enlisted in the army and was made captain of the Sixth Minnesota volunteers. After the war he engaged in business in Minneapolis. He be- came a member of the Macalester Board in 1885 and served faithfully till in 1896. From 1887 till 1893 he was was president of the Board. He was deeply interested in the college and in a will made some time before he died he made the college an heir equally with the children living, in memory of a child that had died. Unfortunately the panic of 1893-7 rnade it impossible to carry out his wishes in this particular. He died May I, 1896. Hon. Alexander Ramsey. Governor Ramsey (as he was usually called here) was a native of Harrisburgh, Pa., where, too, he was educated and read law. His long life was a continu- ous public service in one position or another. He was a member of Congress (1843-7), governor of the ter- 94 MACALESTER COLLEGE. ritory of Minnesota (1849-53), governor of the State of Minnesota (1859-63), was the first governor to respond to Lincoln's call for troops. He was U. S. Senator 1863-78 and Secretary of War (1879-81). In all these positions he was recognized as a man of character, ability and integrity. He was made a trustee of the college in 1885 and continued in this relation till 1894 when he was made an honorary member of the Board. In the campaign in 1891 to liquidate the debt he gave liberally and main- tained his interest in the college till his death in 1903. Rev. J. B. Donaldson, D. D. Dr. Donaldson, of fine western Pennsylvania extrac- tion, was a graduate of Wabash College and a student of Allegheny and Union Theological Seminaries. After some experience as a missionary on the Pacific coast he was for several years the successful pastor of the Presbyterian church at Hastings, Minn., whence he moved to Minneapolis in 1887 and occupied the editorship of the North Western Presbyterian. He was elected a member of the Board of Trustees in 1892 and president in 1893. In both positions he served the college faithfully, not only by his personal efforts, but also through the columns of his excellent weekly. He spoke ably for the college before synod and was one of the brave souls who helped to keep its lamp burning during the midnight of the panic of 1893-97. ^^ held the posi- tion of president of the Board till 1897 when he ac- THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. 95 cepted a call to the pastorate of the First Presbyterian church of Davenport, la. Major B. F. Wright. Major B. F. Wright was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1885 to 1895, and was secretary of the Board for eleven years. He was a native of New York state and a graduate of Union College. He served his country during the civil war and rose to the rank of major. Coming to St. Paul after the war he rendered the city excellent service as principal of the Worthington school and of the high school for fifteen years as superintendent of schools for eight years. He was a member and for some years an elder of Dayton Ave. Presbyterian church. He took an intel- ligent and cordial interest in the college and was faith- fully serving as member of the Board at the time of his death in February, 1895. Charles T. Thompson. Mr. Thompson, a graduate of Dennison University, Ohio (1873), graduate student at Edinburg Uni- versity, Scotland (1874), graduate of the Cincinnati Law School (1876), came to Minneapolis in 1878 and has for years stood high at the bar of that city. Since 1880 he has been an honored elder of West- minister church and has been a delegate to six Gen- eral Assemblies. He was a member of the Revision Committee of 190 1. He is one of the most active and faithful laymen in the northwest. He was made a 96 MACALESTER COLLEGE. trustee of the college in the year 1886 and partici- pated actively in the proceedings of the Board, Hav- ing deep and intelligent convictions on the subject of Christian education he v^^avered not in his loyal sup- port of the college even in its darkest days. As an attorney, too, he at various times rendered the college valuable services. At the annual meeting, June 5, 1900, he retired from the Board supporting Mr. Thomas Cochran in the view that the Board needed new blood. Chas. E. Vanderburg. Judge Vanderburg, as he was usually called, was born in 1892 in Clifton Park, Saratoga Co., N. Y. He was of Hollander descent, received his preparatory training at Courtland Academy and was graduated, from Yale in 1852. He was admitted to the bar in 1855 and came to Minneapolis in 1856. He was elected judge of the fourth district court at the age of twenty-nine and held the position with honor to him- self for twenty years. From 1881 to 1894 he was on the supreme bench of the state. For many years he was an elder and superintend- ent of the Sunday-school in the First Presbyterian church. Perhaps no layman was so active in promot- ing the home mission work of his own city as he. He was one of the first trustees of Macalester and while a member served as president of its Board. He retired from the Board in 1886 but continued his interest in the college and gave liberally toward the Judge C. E. Vanderburg. THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. 97 liquidation of the debt in the canvass of 1891. He died in March, 1898. Mr. H. Knox Taylor. Mr. Taylor came from western New York state by way of Illinois to the city of St. Paul in 1861. His integrity and exemplary life early won for him the confidence of his fellow townsmen. In 1862 he was elected an elder in the House of Hope and has faithfully discharged the duties of that position up to the present time. His name appears among the first printed list of trustees of the college and this position he faithfully filled till 1900 when he with some others who had rendered long years of service to the college resigned. For some j^ears he was the treasurer of the college and not infrequently advanced such sums as he was able that the college might make a more decent payment on the long over-due salaries of the professors. In the present prosperity of the college none rejoices more than he. Mr. Thomas Cochran. Mr. Thomas Cochran, graduate of the college and law departments of the University of New York, came to St. Paul for his health in 1866. He had grown up in a good Presbyterian home and to an unusual degree had taken on the culture of the good society in which he moved. He was soon recognized as a man of ability, force and public spirit. He early identified himself with the House of Hope 98 MACALESTER COLLEGE. church and both as Bible-class teacher and an elder did much to promote its up-building. Mr. Cochran was readily judged a very accept- able man for membership in the Board of the college. He was active in securing its location in St. Paul. He attended its meetings regularly and participated ac- tively in its work. Being a man of fine address, ready and able in presenting a cause, he was often called upon to assist the president or the secretary in the canvass for money. For this work no trustee was so will- ing or efficient. It is probably true that no layman of St. Paul surrendered so much of his time to the promotion of educational, religious and secular enter- prises as he. Owing to the loss of prestige both to the college and trustees on account of its long and terrible finan- cial struggle Mr. Cochran clearly discerned the need of new men on the Board, whose fortunes and influ- ence had not been seriously affected by the panic and at the annual meeting held in the college in 1900 he urged the resignation of the old members and the introduction of men of fresh power and influence. This action was taken both by himself, Mr. Chas. T. Thompson and H. Knox Taylor. On account of Mr. Cochran's touching recital of Hon. H. L. Moss's long and fruitful service to the college the latter was dis- suaded from like action. He continued to take a warm interest in the college till his death, December, 1906, Mr. Henry L. Moss. THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. 99 Henry L. Moss. Mr. Moss, a native of Augusta, N. Y., was gradu- ated from Hamilton College, Clinton, N. Y., in 1840. After he had studied law he came to Stillwater in 1848 and removed to St. Paul in 1850. He aided in the organization of the territory and was appointed U. S. District Attorney In 1849. This position he held until 1853 and again from '(^2. to '67. Thereafter he engaged in law, real estate and insurance. His name appears in the first printed list of trus- tees of Macalester College. He v/as deeply interested in higher education, and during the eighteen or more years of membership on the Board he rarely missed a meeting. He took a lively and intelligent interest in all its deliberations, and it is our judgment that no trustee showed more concern and forethought for the welfare of the college than he. It was he who dis- covered, when executions on the college property were seriously threatened, that there was no law in this state that exempted the library, apparatus and musical instruments of a college from execution. He there- upon had a law drawn to this effect and had it intro- duced into the legislature. Followed closely through the two houses by Mr. Moss and the president, it was passed in the spring of 1897. Soon after the college was located on its present site Mr. Moss erected a small temporary, fire-proof library at a cost of over $1,000. He also gave to the college several sets of valuable books, and when he 100 MACALESTER COLLEGE. died he left his property to the college for the benefit of the library. In all his devotion to the college he was warmly supported by Mrs. Moss. After her graduation from a New England seminary she heard the call for teachers from the far-away Northwest territory, came to Stillwater and engaged in teaching. It was there that she met and married Mr. Moss. At her death she, like her husband, left her property to the college. Mr. Moss died suddenly while taking a vacation at Lake Minnetonka, July 2, 1902, aged eight-three years. Mrs. Moss survived her husband eight years and died at the advanced age of eighty-seven." If the process, by which Macalester came into be- ing was very slow, that is true of its development also. After the trustees, in Feb. 1883, had disposed of the Winslow House property they took $30,000 of the $40,000 accruing from, the sale to erect a building on the new site. By June, 1884, the East wing, or dormitory, of the present Main building was completed, excepting the furnishings. This building was eighty feet long, forty feet wide, and seventy feet high, con- structed of brick on a high stone foundation. The base- ment was intended for a refrectory ; the first floor, for chapel and classroom purposes; and the second and third stories were set aside for students' rooms. The trustees believed then that the time had come to elect a president. Synod, at its meeting in 1883, had recommended Rev. Thomas A. McCurdy, D. D., A'Irs. Henry L. Moss. THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. loi for this positipn and immediately the Board entered into negotiations with him. During the summer of 1884, arrangements were made with Dr, McCurdy to visit the Northwest and to consider a tentative offer of the presidency of Mac- alester College. Dr. McCurdy had received his acad- emic education at Washington and Jefferson, gradu- ating in 1862, and had taken his seminary course at Western Theological, finishing in 1865. After a hap- py pastorate at Steubenville, Ohio, he was elected pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Wooster, in the same state. Here he soon became identified with Wooster University as a trustee and as a mem- ber of its Executive Committee. On several occa- sions he assisted the President of Wooster in securing funds, and sometimes he taught the President's classes in that officer's absence. His. record as a pastor and his experience in denominational education work led the trustees of Macalester to believe that in him they had found the man who could make a brilliant suc- cess of their lagging college enterprise. About the middle of August, 1884, Dr. McCurdy arrived in Minneapolis. After several interviews, a committee of the trustees, on the 26th of that month, unanimously decided to recommend him to the Board for the presidency. That having been done and the Board having accepted the recommendation, they ap- pointed a committee consisting of Rev. John C. Whit- ney, Ex-Governor Alexander Ramsey and Thomas Cochran to convey to him the Board's tender and to 102 MACALESTER COLLEGE. urge his acceptance of the same. This was done at a conference which was held on the next day at the Nicollet House in Minneapolis. After listening to the communication of the com- mittee Dr. McCurdy said that he did not feel attracted to the proffered position. He believed that the col- lege building was inadequate. The location seemed to him to lack natural beauty and to be out of the way. The building stood alone on the prairie surrounded by a cornfield. It was difficult to reach it quickly from either St. Paul or Minneapolis. The interior of the building had not been furnished. The endowment was small; the college had no students, and as far as he could see the public showed little interest in the insti- tution. Therefore, his first impulse was to decline the proposed election. But the earnest representations of the trustees, their conviction of the need of the col- lege to prepare young men for the Christian ministry and for the duties of Christian citizenship persuaded him to a further consideration of the call. After mature reflection he decided to accept the same on conditions which he stipulated in a letter under the date of September 13th, 1884. The letter was ad- dressed to Messrs. Whitney, Ramsey and Cochran, the committee that had urged him to accept the presidency. From this letter the following excerpts are taken. "Dear Brethren : In the interview you had with me in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27th, 1884, and in the tender you made to me of the Presidency of Macalester College there were, as I understood, in- Rev. Thomas A. McCurdy, D. D. President, 1884- 1900. THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. 103 volved in both interview and tender, the following terms and particulars, namely : "I. The Board of Trustees insures an additional and productive endowment of 'one hundred thousand dollars' secured to the college within a period of time not less than sixty days, nor greater than six months at the remotest, from the date of my acceptance of the Presidency of the college. *TI. I am to co-operate with the Board of Trustees for a period of time not exceeding six months in helping to secure the 'one hundred thousand dollars' aforesaid. "III. The Board will employ a suitable person to act as Fiscal Secretary, and to aid in raising the above mentioned endowment, should I desire it. "IV. After the expiration of the first six months, I am to devote myself wholly to the work involved in securing a Faculty, in forming the curriculum, in ar- ranging for scientific apparatus, securing students, and doing other needful work along the specified lines preparatory to the opening of the college in September, 1885. "V. The College is to be opened with not less than four permanent professors; that is, a permanent professor in each of the following departments, name- ly: Pyschology, Languages, Natural Sciences, Mathe- matics and Astronomy. "VI. I am ready to accept the trust whenever the Board shall ratify your tender in its terms and particu- lars, and communicate officially the same to me by let- 104 MACALESTER COLLEGE. ter or telegram. I will then take the necessary steps for a speedy removal of myself and family to my new field of labor. Believing that the Board will add all necessary comfort and encouragement to me in my work, I will go in the faith that the Master who has so signally opened to me this unsought field of labor and shut me up to its acceptance will not fail to crown our efforts with success." After considering the terms of this letter the trus- tees agreed that they would pledge themselves to exe- cute all the conditions enumerated excepting that part of the first one which required them to raise one hun- dred thousand dollars additional endowment within sixty days or at the remotest within six months after Dr. McCurdy's acceptance of the presidency. In place of the definite time specified they substituted the in- definite phrase "a. reasonable time." To this import- ant change in his original stipulations Dr. McCurdy consented, whereupon the Board issued a formal call to him. He accepted it and arrived at Minneapolis on Friday, in the second week of the following No- vember. The trustees had fixed upon September, 1885, for the opening of the college. Every preparation must therefore be made to carry out this resolution, and first of all the one hundred thousand dollars further en- dowment should be raised. Some of the trustees had strong hope of securing generous aid from the East. Previous to Dr. McCurdy's election the trustees had petitioned the Board of Aid for Colleges and Acad- THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. 105 emies for permission to solicit aid in the East. The request was granted, Philadelphia was named as the field and certificates of appointment for a four months' canvass were sent.^ But Dr. McCurdy, having come from Ohio, believed that he thoroughly understood the East and was positive that financial help need not be ex- pected from that section. The Board, therefore, made no effort to get support from eastern states. They accepted the view of their new president, in which the president of the Board of Trustees, Judge C. E. Van- derburgh, concurred, ''that the time had not come for an appeal for aid at any point remote from the Twin Cities." 2 Whether Dr. McCurdy was right in his position can- not now be affirmed or denied. Perhaps the reputed wealth of the Twin Cities would have made it exceed- ingly difficult or impossible to secure assistance in the East; and yet in raising college endowments it is certainly true, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." A little circumspection, moreover, would have brought out the fact that a Minnesota institution had demon- strated the possibility of interesting public spirited men of the older states in a new western college. When President Strong became the head of Carleton College he asked his friends about the advisability of soliciting funds in the East. To this inquiry President Merriam of Ripon College, a man of large experience in enlist- ^Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Record "A," Page 172. 2Dr. McCurdy's letter on the Formative Period of Mac- alester College. To6 MACALESTER COLLEGE. ing the support of men of means, replied as follows : "You ask if in my experience, I would encourage any man to go east to beg endowment. No! No! No! Every bone, and muscle, and nerve, replies, no, no ! It may be necessary in some cases, but there is every- thing to discourage it, and good policy should avoid it. Unless your case is very strong, or you can use strong personal influence, or have some strong hold on some wealthy man, you will long toil in vain." ^ But the discouraging note of this letter made Presi- dent Strong all the more determined to find aid in the East, and there he went. And now mark the result! Within the period of fifteen years from 1871 to 1886, Carleton College received not less than two hun- dred and forty thousand dollars from the very region that President Merriam had considered unproductive.- It was not a question whether the East desired to give, but whether the right man should go there and persuade the people to give, and Dr. Strong proved to be the right man. If President Strong had followed the experienced Merriam's advice, what would have been the subsequent history of Carleton? In order to open Macalester in September, 1885, the trustees decided to formulate a plan to secure the funds for current expenses. In doing this the larger enterprise of the additional endowment suffered, al- though it was not dropped. Special efforts were made ^Leonard, The History of Carleton College, p. 175. 2Leonard, The History of Carlton College, p. 197-227. THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. 107 to interest the church, as may be seen from the follow- ing letter : "Minneapolis, Minnesota, January, 1885. Rev. and Dear Brother, Arrangements are in rapid progress for the opening of Macalester College in September, 1885. ^ The out- look for the speedy growth of the College is promis- ing beyond all previous anticipations; and our hope founded upon reasonable evidence is that, its patronage at the opening will greatly encourage all its friends and insure the speedy realization of its success in the great work it is called to undertake. We desire all to recognize our fixed purpose to make the College broad and thorough in its educational appointments, staunch and vigorous in its rehgious life, watchful and careful of all the interests of the young men entrusted to our care. The Curriculum in thoroughness will excel that of many colleges, and fully equal others which are recognized as being of a high order. The Professors will be men of reputed fitness in scholarship, in aptness to teach, and in their experience in the modern meth- ods of instruction and College work. The necessity for sending young men to Eastern Colleges for their education will be superceded henceforth in the advan- tages furnished by Macalester. We do not conceal, but emphasize the religious character the College will have. While in no sense will it be bigoted or sectarian, it will be, in a very distinct sense, evangelical and religious, under Presbyterian management. No religious convictions of polity or doctrine not recognized as Presbyterian will in any manner be disturbed ; but the cardinal truths of evangelical religion will be made strong and prominent in the religious life and work of the Col- lege. In the most unqualified sense, therefore, we will guarantee young men under our care, safely guarded against all materialistic and rationalistic tendencies and io8 MACALESTER COLLEGE. forces, which in these times are seeking to undermine and destroy the very foundations of evangelical faith. By special provision of the Board of Trustees, all candidates for the Ministry, will have tuition provided for them, and with all others unable to meet this ex- pense, satisfactory arrangements will be made. It being our purpose to furnish young men with the op- portunity for their thorough education, we will make the aggregate cost the least possible. Will you not, dear brother, remember Macalester College in your prayers, and give us your undivided sympathy and hearty words of cheer in this great work for God and man that is upon us? Under God we look to you for help. Speak to young men publicly and privately, and let them know what Macalester proposes to do for them, and through them, for Christ and for the world. May we not count you among those who will give Heart and Voice to this great work? Please read this Circular Letter to your Ses- sion, then from your pulpit to your people, and add for Christ, for the Church in the Great North- West and West, and for the young men and for us, some words of help and encouragement ? The Prospectus containing the full Curiculum, the names of the Professors, rates of Tuition, cost of Boarding, and directions for reaching the College will be issued and sent to you in due time. Mean- while the President solicits inquiries and correspond- ence with Pastors, Church Sessions, Parents and Young Men, on any subject relating to Macalester College. By order of the Board of Trustees, C. E. Vanderburgh, President of the Board. W. M. Tenny, Secretary of the Board. Rev. T. a. McCurdy, D. D., President of Macalester College. 1014 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn." THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. 109 Dr. McCurdy visited the churches of tlie synod to arouse interest in the college, to enlist the support of Women's Missionary Societies in furnishing the college building and to secure students. It was his purpose *'to proclaim the college, to make its wants known and to secure public confidence," above all he would demonstrate "that Macalester's long sleep had ended." ''Churches were put at my disposal more rapidly than I could occupy their pulpits; and as a result the money needed for the furnishing aforesaid was' in the bank before it was needed." Efforts were made also to secure further endowment, but in spite of his enthusiasm the results were fruitless. Some said, ''Macalester is not needed ;" others asserted, "The State University, Hamline, Carleton and Shattuck are enough for the Northwest ;" while still others looked upon it as a "real estate scheme that had already been played to the interest of a certain real estate dealer," "Macalester is an old song and a huge joke," "St. Paul has taken the college away from the midway district and I will not help St. Paul to build up a College she has stolen." From November, 1884, to March, 1885, the president solicited funds for current expenses and further endowment. In this work he encountered con- siderable opposition. This he ascribed to an "antag- onism" that was "deep seated and of long standing." There was "a strong personal element in the antagon- ism."i ^These citations are all from Dr. McCurdy's letter on the Formative Period of Macalester College. no MACALESTER COLLEGE. From this disagreeable and unsuccessful task he turned to that of arranging a course of studies and the selection of a faculty. In this he was very fortunate. In order to attract strong men to the positions in the faculty the trustees had offered salaries considerably higher than ordinarily paid in institutions of like char- acter. Meanwhile the time for the opening of the college drew near. Not one dollar had been added to the en- dowment and the result of the canvass for current ex- penses left no doubt that if the school were opened under existing conditions, it must soon encounter fi- nancial troubles that would ere long involve it in ruin. The questions that faced Dr. McCurdy were: Shall the college be opened without a guarantee for its run- ning expenses or shall the enterprise be postponed in-» definitely? Is there a future for the institution? or should he resign to enable the trustees to elect some one especially gifted in raising money? Dr. McCurdy felt that a postponement of the open- ing of the school would discredit the Board and would destroy his own influence in the Synod. Of the Board Dr. McCurdy says: "Every member of it merited the unqualified sympathy, helpfulness, and confidence of all to whom disinterested service and devotion to worthy interests have meaning ; nevertheless, the Board was in error of judgment when it concluded that Mac- alester had a constituency which warranted the belief that 'one hundred thousand dollars of productive en- dowment' could be secured in 'sixty days' or in 'six THE FORMATIVE PERIOD. in months/ or even *in a reasonable time/ 'An enthusi- astic interest in Macalester College had no existence outside the Board of Trustees.' " ^ He had published broadcast that Macalester would open its doors in Sep- tember, 1885, and he believed that when the church would see the college in actual operation it would not withhold the support necessary for its maintenance. The institution had so long been regarded as stillborn that its natural guardians felt little affection for it, but he believed that if it would show signs of life and health the Presbyterian church would speedily bestow love and fostering care upon its offspring. He was determined therefore to open the institu- tion. To the question shall Macalester be or not be, he answered emphatically in the affirmative. "It was under these circumstances that I concluded to adopt a different policy at whatever cost to myself personally. I challenged failure to do its worst. Macalester 's flag should triumph. I might fail, but Macalester should not fail." ''This," Dr. McCurdy continues, "was the first and only real crisis in Macalester's History. * * * There was no poetry in the situation ; but tne hardest and stiffest prose. Should Macalester succeed, the college would gain a possession to be kept by those who should follow me, but should Macalester fail here, no subsequent struggle would ever regain her loss. Her crisis was not when she had something and had to struggle to keep it; but when she had nothing and had to struggle to get something worth the keeping ; not ^Letter on the Formative Period by Dr. McCurdy. 112 MACALESTER COLLEGE. when she had a reputation for services rendered; but whether she should ever have any reputation at all for services well done; not when she had friends to help her, but when she had enemies to conquer that she might have friends to help her. This was her real and only crisis."^ Assisted by Mr. Joseph McKibbin, the fiscal secre- tary, new efforts were made to secure funds and to bring students to the college. ^Dr. McCurdy's letter on the Formative Period. CHAPTER VI. THE OPENING OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. At last tlie day for the opening of the school had arrived. It was the sixteenth of September, a beautiful late summer day and a large number of Presbyterians from St. Paul and Minneapolis and neighboring cities had come to the college to attend the dedication of the new building and the formal opening. The chapel was crowded and the hall and adjoining recitation rooms had to be utilized to accom- modate the visitors. When the time for the beginning of the exercises had come the trustees and the faculty marched into the chapel. Dr. McCurdy, after arranging the mem- bers of the faculty in procession according to the order in which their names appeared on the prospectus, led them, and Dr. Neill, the founder of the college and the speaker of the day, was in the rear. Judge C. E. Van- derburg, President of the Board of Trustees, presided. Thomas Cochran in behalf of the committee of ar- rangements expressed regret that the chapel was too small to seat all the friends and assured them that when the college had grown a little richer it would enlarge the building and the chapel sufficiently to accommodate all Presbyterians and their sons who were interested in the college. Judge Vanderburg delivered a short informal address and conveyed the congratulations of 114 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Dr. Bridgman of Hamllne to the sister college. There- upon Rev. J. B. Donaldson offered the invocat'On pray- er, after which the choir of the Westminster Presby- terian church of Minneapolis sang the anthem, "Re- joice in the Lord." Rev. Dr. Christie read the scrip- ture lesson, using selections from the 119th Psalm and short passages from the Book of Proverbs and the Prophecy of Isaiah, after which prayer was offered by Rev. M. D. Edwards, D. D. This was followed bv the Coronation hymn in which all united. Then came the principal address of the day, delivered by Rev. Ed- ward D. Neill, D. D., the founder of the college.^ Dr. Neill said : "The dedication of a wing of a college edifice and homes for professors, which have cost about $60,000 for an American college of the type of Yale and Princeton, indicates a growth in the community. The first age of the modern commonwealth does not re- semble the golden age of the past. The pioneers of our western states have fought the savage and braved hardships to prepare homes for their families, or to gratify the hunger for riches, the "auri sacra fames" of Virgil. The care for posterity, the raising of a race of good men, the adding to the stock of knowU edge, are subsequent developments, and are indicative of advanced culture. Thirty-two years ago the speaker delivered the address at the opening of the first two-story brick edifice in Minnesota dedicated iPioneer Press, Sept. 17, 1885; St. Paul Dispatch, Sept. 16, 1885. OPENING OF THE COLLEGE. 115 to education and erected by private munificence, known as the Baldwin School, whose catalogue for 1853 gives the names of seventy students; and the lad whose name is at the head of the list is the able engineer ofiicer and professor of mathematics at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The school was designed to be the germ of a college, and by the charter, in accordance with the will of the founder, is made a preparatory school for Macalester College. The trustees have requested me on this oc- casion to make a brief address, and it will not be out of place to express some thoughts upon the American college. By the American college is meant the col- lege of the general form of the Princeton or the New England college. It has developed under conditions unlike the beginnings of the colleges of England, Scot- land, France and Germany. The charter of Yale Col- lege, written nearly two hundred years ago, declares its object "to instruct youths in the arts and sciences, who, through the blessing of God, may be fitted for public employment both in the church and state." The first class in Harvard graduated in 1642, and consisted of only eight young men ; yet more than one-half of these, educated where the Indian still roamed, went to Old England and became eminent in church and state. One was appointed ambassador by Cromwell to Holland, and bore credentials written by Secretary John Milton, and after Charles the Second ascended the throne he was made baronet; a second studied medicine in Italy and practiced in ii6 MACALESTER COLLEGE. London; a third attended medical lectures at the Uni- versity of Leyden and settled in England; and a fourth was one of the king's chaplains. Loyalty to truth has been one of the characteristics of the American college. Truth is the expression of the divine intelligence anywhere, and under any form. While the manifestation is varied, there is unity in the diversity, and bigots in science or theology can never effect the divorce of reason and revelation. The college delights in every discovery of the miscroscope or telescope ; it accepts any fact fairly proved. When the American Association of Science in its early days sought for a president, he was found in the devout Hitchcock, professor of geology, in the Amherst College, and when the United States wished a head for the Smithsonian Institution it selected Joseph Henry, a professor in Princeton. The trustees of Macalester College, believing in the harmony of nature and revelation, have engraved on their cor- porate seal two figures ; one, in loose, classic drap- ery, standing with telescope in hand, and compass at the feet, representing science investigating the laws of nature; the other, in sitting posture, clad in modest robes, holding the open Word of God, rep- resenting revelation. Both are in friendly converse, twin sisters of heaven as the motto suggests. "Nat- ura et revelatio coeli gemini." The object of the American college is not to promote an aesthetic or a medieval culture. It recognizes the life of a young man from sixteen to twenty-one years of age as' most OPENING OF THE COLLEGE. 117 critical and susceptible. Its aim is to develop har- moniously the body, the intellect and the affections. Aristotle, generations before Christ was known as the Nazarene and the Son of Mary, advanced an argument for the immortality of the soul which has never been improved upon by the finite mind. He indicated the desire that there should be more great- souled men, in his chapter on megalopsychy. It is to be deplored that, owing to the hostility of a sect and the opposition of unbelievers, it is impossible in our State University to have a professorship for the exaltation of Christ, and on the evidences of Chris- tianity. The constitution of the state of Minnesota expressly forbids the inculcation of the tenets of Jesus or any other religionist in her school. The regents may, without strict attention to the constitu- tion, allow students who admire Jesus to erect a hall, in which songs of praise to him may be sung by those who call themselves Christians ; but, this being granted, the students who admire Voltaire, Thomas Paine and Robert IngersoU can also have a hall wherein they can discuss their tenets. Now, the American college is expressly established for soul advancement, and it teaches that the system of Christ alone promotes the highest soul culture. Strauss, although a skeptic, confessed "As little as humanity will be without religion, as little will it be without Christ." Renan has also said, "All history is incom- prehensible without Him. He founded the pure wor- ship which shall be that of all lofty .souls to the end ii8 MACALESTER COLLEGE. of time." He who leaves college without any ac- quaintance with the proof that Christ lived on earth, died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, is a half -educated man. These proofs are communicated to the students of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Dublin. The late president of the American Association of Science, in an address delivered before that body, only last month, truly said that "science should be pursued with the special object of the soul's advancement." The college that has been described differs from those which inculcate the forms and tenets of any particu- lar branch of the church. There are colleges, how- ever, established for the purpose of making bigots. The students are not allowed to worship except un- der the form of a particular sect. There is an at- mosphere about them which, if it does not impel their students to contend earnestly for the faith delivered to the saints, leads them to proselyte for the Church of Rome or the Church of England, to intimate that all out of their pale must trust to the uncovenanted mercies of God. The American college is not built upon this narrow foundation. Princeton College and Princeton Theological Seminary jare different institutions. Princeton College, while it would not tolerate a slur on the Presbyterian church from any professor, does not teach its students the distinctive doctrines or polity of that branch of the church, but only the doctrines of Christ as clearly declared by the apostles Paul and Peter. But in Princeton Semi- OPENING OF THE COLLEGE. * 119 nary the student is expected to have these doctrines set forth as interpreted in substance by Augustine, John Calvin, and the Westminster Confession of Faith. Macal ester College teaches the doctrine of the New Testament in a way that will not offend a student who may be trained to prefer the Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist Episcopal or Protestant Episco- pal branches of the Holy Catholic Church. The governing body of a college like Princeton is not appointed by the civil authorities, nor by any ecclestiastical synod. It is a self-perpetuating board of trustees elected under certain provisions of a char- ter, and they have the care of the funds and the re- sponsibility of making regulations for the welfare of the college, and the president of the faculty is the administrative officer of the board. The college professor is not what the Greeks called a pedagogue. He is not a dull man, with a book in his hands, mechanically hearing a recitation, watching the boys like a detective. He is very different. He is a live man in the class room, and shows that he is a profes- sor by a scholarly instinct, and is not attracted by the emoluments of office, and to gain the applause of fellows. His enthusiasm is imparted, the grand con- tagion spreads, and the college wins a name. Wil- liams College, hid among the mountains in the north- west corner of Massachusetts, was difficult of access, with poor buildings and meager endowments, when Hopkins became its president, but his lofty character and philosophic Christian spirit drew students from 130 MACALESTER COLLEGE. afar. Among the graduates of American colleges before me, there are some who can recall the impres- sion made upon them by the professor who did not blindly follow a text-book, but glowed all over with his theme as he sat in the class room, and caused the members, as they left and walked across the campus, to say: ''Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us?" The true professor, as Horace writes of the poet, is born, not made, and he attracts students as a magnet attracts the iron filings of a blacksmith shop. A college student, while he may be allowed to select certain studies, must, however, conform to the curriculum which has been adopted by the professors. He is supposed to have come to college to discipline his mind by study, and the rich man's son cannot expect to find there a club house, nor are watchmen and keepers provided for any in- corrigible member of a family; it can never be a lounging place, nor a reform school. The old New England colleges only educate young men; not that they do not approve of the education of young wo- men, but because they have thought the latter should have a higher education, which will better fit them to preside in the family, and to be the mothers of the republic. It was a professor in Amherst College who assisted in establishing the seminary of Mount Holyoke, and upheld its first principal, Mary Lyon, the bright and good — '''A perfect woman, nobly planned To warn, to comfort and command." OPENING OF THE COLLEGE. 121 Smith Female College, also in the vicinity of Am- herst, has the active sympathy of its professors. The trustees of Macalester College cordially agreed to the arrangement by which a college for women should be established at Albert Lea, and they rejoice at its early opening and pray for its success; but it should be known that the plan of Amherst and Dart- mouth Colleges is the plan of Macalester. When- ever an institution of learning becomes anxious for a long catalogue of students, there is danger of its catering to the popular taste, and lowering the stand- ard of scholarship. David's heart smote him, after that he numbered the people, and he confessed that he had done "very foolishly." A true college will insist upon certain work being done in the prepara- tory schools. It will only have the well-defined classes, and avoid a fog line between the school and college. Some have thought that if a preparatory department is under the supervision of the trustees of a college, that the school should have a distinctive name, so that the scholar in that department should not give the impression that he was in the college proper. The catalogue of Macalester College will, perhaps, always show fewer students than the other colleges of Minnesota. The last published catalogue of the Minnesota State University gives the names of ninety-seven students in the four classes cor- responding to those of the old American college, but of these thirty-one are young women; that of Ham- line University for 1884-5 shows thirty students in 122 MACALESTER COLLEGE. the college classes, one-third of whom are young women. No American college has ever met its annual ex- penses by the fees of students. Harvard received gifts at an early date from HoUis, the rich Baptist and London merchant. The contributions of Yale, by the governor of the East India Company, and of Bishop Berkeley, were very serviceable at a critical period to Yale College. There has never been a pe- riod when an American college did not need money. To-day each of the older colleges, like Oliver Twist in the poorhouse, lifts up its plate and says, 'T want some more." Now Macalester College must follow in the footsteps of its illustrious predecessors. It needs a great deal of money to pay the salaries of professors, who cannot live on angels' food. It can never be satisfied, and say "It is enough." From year to year its cry must be heard saying, "give, give!" That cry has been heard; it will hereafter be heard. When the Baldwin school, the prepara- tory department of the college, was established, in 1853, Henry M. Rice, who at that time was doing more than any other man to lay the foundations of the prosperity of St. Paul, and who was the repre- sentative of Minnesota in Congress, obtained from a gentleman in Washington, whose family attended the services of the Protestant Episcopal church, the valuable lot upon which the school edifice was built at the head of Rice Park, in this city. When, in 1885, it was necessary to erect another building in OPENING OF THE COLLEGE. 123 a different part of the city, for the exclusive use of the boys' department, another gentleman, John R. Irvine, whose family always attended the Protestant Episcopal church in St. Paul, gave a number of lots as a site for that building. When, as a condition of receiving the property left by the late Charles Mac- alester, of Philadelphia, it was required to have $25,000 in the treasury always to be used toward the payment of professors' salaries, it is pleasant to re- member how those in Minneapolis who did not call themselves Presbyterians, contributed to that fund. John S. Pillsbury, thrice elected Governor of Min- nesota, whose family are Congregationalists, gave $1,000; the late Levi Butler, M. D., whose wife is a devoted member of the Baptist church, gave $1,000; the late Franklin Steele, whose family attend the Protestant Episcopal church, gave $1,000; and Wil- liam C. Baker, a warden of the Reformed Episco- pal Church, gave $500. There is a good time coming, I believe, for Macalester College. Men in Minnesota are beginning to think that they ought to do some- thing for their posterity. The first bequest of any large amount for the public good of Minnesota, was that of Dr. Spencer, of Minneapolis. As a poor boy, he had taken care of the office of a professional man in Philadelphia, and there learned to read and value books, and before he died he provided a library for Minneapolis, one of the best, for reference, in this state. Gov. C. C Washburn, identified with the mil- ling interests of the same city, left a bequest of many 124 MACALESTER COLLEGE. thousands of dollars for the orphans, as a memorial to his mother. The first bequest in St. Paul for the benefit of posterity was that of the kind and unobtrus- ive Justus C. Ramsey, who gave $20,000 to help orphans, without regard to creed or nationality. Lately Anna, the faithful wife of the first governor of Minnesota, the beloved by her neighbors, when wasting away with disease, remembered in her will the St. Paul Home of the Friendless. Then there are other indications which are encouraging. Men are beginning to do good before they die. There has just been completed at Minneapolis a commodious edifice for our sisters who have been tempted by designing m.en, and dedicated this very day, the cost of which has been borne, if I am not misinformed, by one of her citizens. When the girls' department for the Baldwin School w^as first established I used to notice a little, pretty, black-eyed maiden, with school book in hand, going from her mother's residence to the school building, then surrounded by stumps and trees, now by a wilderness of houses. A few years ago I was called upon to unite her in marriage to her present husband, who has just placed a memorial to a deceased daughter by a former wife, most ap- propriate, and worthy of imitation. Instead of a costly monument of marble in a lone graveyard, he has furnished a room in the court house of Bayfield, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Superior, with a library of valuable books to the memory of that daughter, which will be accessible to the young people OPENING OF THE COLLEGE. 135 of the community. As the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis advance in wealth and culture acts like these will multiply, and we may expect to see libraries and memorial halls erected on these grounds and professorships endowed. As yet it is the day of small things with Macalester College, but the trustees have no reason to be discouraged. If they walk by faith they will hear the still small voice saying: "In quietness and confidence is thy strength." Friends will appear at times and places least expected, and help out of difficulties as the black-winged raven with a loaf of bread came to the prophet. Guizot, the eminent French statesman, whose treatise upon the history of civilization is used in American colleges, in one of his works expresses his pride in his alma mater, and narrates its humble beginning and slow development. He portrays a scholar with a thought- ful face and attenuated figure, three centuries ago, going from house to house, asking for contributions for the beginning of a college. The scholar was the learned Frenchman, John Calvin; the college has struggled on and become the distinguished University of Geneva." After Dr. Neill's address the dedicatory prayer was ofifered by Rev. Daniel Rice, D. D. The Westminster choir sang another anthem after which the formal exercises were concluded, the Rev. R. F. Maclaren pro- nouncing the benediction. The ladies of the Presbyte- rian churches of Minneapolis and St. Paul served a repast to the visitors in the chapel and in the class 126 MACALESTER COLLEGE. rooms. Then toasts were in order. Dr. McCurdy spoke on Macalester as a living institution ; Rev. R. J. Service, on Colleges and the Church; Professor D. L. Kiehle, on Colleges and the Public Schools ; W. B. Dean, Colleges and Business; Gen. R. W. Johnson, Colleges and National Progress ; Dr. J. G. Reihldaffer, Colleges and Women ; Rev. J. P. Dysart, Colleges and Missions; Rev. James Patterson, Hon. Ell. Torrance, Colleges and Women. Impromtu remarks were made by Dr. McFetridge, Dr. Kirkwood and Professor Pearson, and thus ended the opening exercises. The professors announced the work for their respective classes and the college was declared opened. It had been a gala day for the Pres- byterians of the Twin Cities. Considerable interest had been aroused. Would it be permanent? What would the future hold for Macalester? The Press of the Twin Cities spoke appreciatingly of the college and its prospects ; but especially cordial were the felicitations of an editorial article in The Pio- neer Press : ''By the formal dedication of Macalester College yesterday another is added to the list of insti- tutions of the state for higher education, and another to the number of colleges in St. Paul. The vitality shown in the long struggle through which it has work- ed its way to the beginnings of actual work and hope- ful promise is a strong guarantee for the future. It has taken energy and zeal in the cause of education and a strong faith to build the Macalester College of today, OPENING OF THE COLLEGE. 127 as it stands fitted for high usefulness. The same quali- ties that have sustained it in the day of small things will not permit it to fail of its mission or to d sappoint the expectation of those who have labored so earnestly for what is now accomplished. Every such institu- tion as this deserves a triple welcome. It is an im- portant element in the upbuilding of a city to which it adds both character and attractiveness. It is an ad- junct in that diversification of educational work which everywhere follows advancing civilizat'on. The great- est, the richest, the most renowned institution of learn- ing in the world would not supply all the needs of the community in which it might be located. Restless hu- manity demands a variety of instruments in mental culture, and intellectual individuahty is fostered by their multiplication as long as they strive for the best and highest. *'It is an aid in the great educational wor' iq which the Northwest takes so lively an interest. With the increase of our population and the demand of the new generations for both more and better facilities for culture, every college established to satisfy these increasing wants takes its place by the side of a new item added to the sum of human knowledge. Still others will soon be found in that space so well adapted to them, the immediate region between the thickly set- tled portions of the two cities. There is room and work for them all. And meanwhile the educational world welcomes the advent of Macalester College, long i:^ MACALESTER COLLEGE. a name of promise, as a present and potent actuality.'*^ There was cheer in this greeting from the power- ful pen of Joseph Wheelock, a man of great influence in the American newspaper world. ^Editorial, Pioneer Press, Sept. 17th, 1885. CHAPTER VII. THE FACULTY AND STUDENT LIFE, It is sometimes asked what is the difference between the course of studies offered in a Christian college and the curriculum of a secular institution. A com- parison of the courses in these two types of institu- tions would probably reveal no striking differences aside from the fact that the Christian college has a required course in Bible study and the secular institu- tion offers a wider range of electives. There is of course, no Presbyterian chemistry, no Methodist biology, no Congregational physics and no Baptist astronomy as contrasted with purely secular sciences, etc. All exact sciences and all departments of knowledge that are based upon scientific principles present the same facts whether studied in Christian or in secular schools. But in the Christian college the aim is to make all truth bear on the development of strong and noble Christian character. That is the ultimate purpose of every denominational school and not science for science's sake, or for the sake of money or honor. In the realm of philosophy or ethics the denomina- tional school in most cases is more positive than is the secular institution. Not infrequently a masked atheism or pantheism is taught in secular schools in the name 130 MACALESTER COLLEGE. of science. Has the Christian church not the right to teach the Christian philosophy in its colleges — a phil- osophy which holds to a personal God and a Divine Christ? It does not leave the subject of immortahty an open question. It believes in an imperative duty and regards agnosticism and pantheism as subversive of the best interests of humanity. It holds that the scriptures have an educational value by no means in- ferior to the works of Socrates or Plato or Aristotle; and it believes in a pedagogy that is pervaded by the Christian spirit. Controlled by these views a course of studies was arranged for Macalester that would enable the student to acquire knowledge, to learn to think, and to use his spiritual powers ; to open his mind to noble visions and broad views ; to make him sympathetic toward his fellow men, and appreciative of the good and beautiful wherever found. And above all the curriculm was in- tended as an aid to bring the student into touch with the great Master who said: "I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly."^ The prospectus announced that the college was "Denominational but not Sectarian," and that "it aims to secure thorough education in the classics, in the sciences and in Modern Languages and Literature, through experienced teachers and under positive re- ligious influences." It adopted the motto : "Christus in omnibus, Lex et Lux." But the germinal principle, the ideals of a Chris- ijohn X: lo. FACULTY AND STUDENT LIFE. 131 tian college cannot be listed in a catalog. They are those quiet influences which are exercised by trustees, faculty and students that make for the building up of the highest type of manhood and womanhood. Macalester College was fortunate in the men that constituted its first faculty. With utmost care Dr. McCurdy had selected men who were proficient in their several departments. They were men of great teaching ability, of high and decided character, thor- oughly devoted to the work to which they were called. They made a profound impression upon the young men under their influence and are today held in loving re- gard and veneration by those whom they taught. To their ideals and usefulness rather than to any policy of the administration the college owes much of its character. They and the students of the first few years are the creators of the "Macalester spirit." The judgment of the future will probably confirm present opinion that Dr. McCurdy rendered his best service to the college when he chose the men who constituted Macalester's first faculty. These men according to the order in wHTch their names appeared in the faculty list of the prospectus were, next to the president, with whom we have al- ready become acquainted : Rev. William R. Kirkwood, D. D. The Professor of Mental Science and Logic, Dr. Kirkwood, had graduated from Washington College in 1859, ^"^ h^^ pursued his theological studies at Alle- 132 MACALESTER COLLEGE. gheny Seminary. After several very happy pastorates in Ohio and in Kansas he was called to Macalester. While in Ohio, Dr. Kirkwood had rendered valuable service to Wooster University as financial secretary ancl had a large share in the building up of that institution. Dr. McCurdy had known him for many years as the fiscal agent for Wooster University, and saw in his old friend the right man to fill the important chair to which he was called. This was indeed a happy choice. Dr. Kirkwood is a man of wide and thorough scholar- ship. As a teacher he is a natural drill master, and the students felt that he had full command of the sub- jects he had in hand. But he was more than a teacher, he was also a preacher of great ability. In all his work he was enthusiastic and painstaking and when after five years of most efficient service he left Macalester to occupy a similar position at Emporia college, the stu- dents, the faculty and the residents of Macalester Park expressed profound regret over his leaving and gave loving testimony of the high regard in which they held him. 2. Dr. Nathaniel S. McFetridge occupied the chair of Greek and Anglo Saxon. This gifted teacher serv- ed Macalester for only a short period before death call- ed him to his reward. His connection with the college was so brief that he could not exercise a very determin- ing influence upon it. But those who were privileged to be his students during the one year that he taught hold him in kindly remembrance. He was a favorite pupil of the distinguished Professor Marsh and gradu- FACULTY AND STUDENT LIFE. 133 at«d from Lafayette College m 1864, and from West- ern Theological Seminary in 1867. As a student he took high rank, showing great proficiency in the lan- guages. He was a sweet-spirited, high-minded and refined man. When he realized that a fatal disease Avould cut short his sojourn upon earth, he often ex- pressed the wish that the Lord might permit him to de- vote ten years to Macalester, believing that in a decade it would occupy a high rank among Christian institu- tions. His death on Dec. 3, 1886, was a great loss* to the college. Marvelous are the ways of Providence. The death of this lamented teacher was instrumental in bringing to Macalester the man who may fittingly be called the savior of the institution — Dr. James Wallace. 3. Professor Charles Forbes, M. D., was placed at the head of the department of Natural Sciences and was the college physician. Dr. Forbes graduated from Rochester University and for several years was prin- cipal of an academy in Western New York. He was a congenial man, an advanced teacher of chemistry and known for his successful experiments in physics and photography. He resigned in 1892. 4. Professor Frank B. Pearson was the youngest member of the faculty. He had graduated from Woos- ter University in 1883. Before coming to Macalester, he was engaged in the public schools of Ohio. Upon Dr. McCurdy's recommendation he was elected to the chair of Latin Languages and Literature. He was a professor of great ability, an enthusiastic teacher and 134 MACALESTER COLLEGE. had unusual skill in imparting knowledge to others. A man of social disposition, enjoying even a few student pranks, he had the confidence of the students and the esteem of his collegues. During the six years that he was a professor in the college he was the secretary of the faculty and for a time after Dr. McCurdy's resigna- tion he was by request of the trustees chairman at all the faculty meetings. In the spring of 1892, he re- signed his professorship to become agent for Ginn and Co., in Ohio. 5. When the chair of Greek had become vacant Dr. McCurdy was petitioned by some of the students, who had been pupils under Dr. Wallace at Wooster Acad- emy, asking that he be called to the professorship of Greek and Anglo Saxon. The request was supported strongly by members of the faculty who knew Dr. Wal- lace well. Dr. Wallace had graduated from Wooster University in 1874 and immediately thereupon became a teacher in his Alma Mater. Each succeeding year made him increasingly popular. After six years of teaching he went abroad for one year to perfect his knowledge of Greek at Athens. Returning to Woos- ter he continued as adjunct professor of Greek, and published a Greek text book, the Anabesis, for college classes. Dr. Wallace was, at first, quite unwilling to give up his excellent position at Wooster, but after strong ap- peals, in which Dr. McCurdy assured him that the fi- nancial condition of the college was stable, and that the prospects for the institution were most promising, Professor James Wallace, Ph. D • LL D Acting-President, 1894-1900.' President, 1900-1906. FACULTY AND STUDENT LIFE. 135 he yielded to the call of the trustees and to the re- quests of his friends in the Northwest. 6. The Senior Professor of the college in 1885 was Dr. Neill. In 1880 he had offered to resign the presi- dency of Macalester in order to facilitate the tratisfer of the college to synodical auspices. A special ar- rangement was made between himself and the trustees at that time whereby he was to be retained as professor of Political Economy and History when the institution should be opened. By his scholarly methods as a teacher he encouraged a real thirst for knowledge in all his pupils. He never taught in the Academy and was always opposed to the presence of women in the institution. A later chapter is devoted to an account of his life and work. 7. In 1886 Rev. Daniel Rice, D. D., was chosen to the professorship of Biblical History and Literature. Dr. Rice had graduated from Amherst in 1837. Aft- er teaching two years in Hancock Academy in New Hampshire, he studied theology at Andover and in Lane Seminary, graduating in 1842. He served pas- torates in Troy and Cincinnati, Ohio, Lafayette, In- diana, and Duluth, Minnesota. He was also connected with the Western Female Seminary, Oxford, Ohio, and was president of the Logansport Female College from 1872-1875. From 1860-1875 he was a trustee of Wa- bash College. After the Synodical Fund for Macalester had been secured, he became a trustee and later professor in the college. Dr. Rice was a splendid organizer and a man 136 MACALESTER COLLEGE. who had the faculty of inspiring others. As a preacher he was a man of great power and tenderness. He died on the fifth day of April, 1889, having devoted his long life to Christian service, "not slothful in business; fervent in spirit ; serving the Lord." The chair of mathematics was vacant during the first year of the college, Professor Pearson being the temporary instructor in those branches. In 1886 James H. Boyd, an honor graduate of Princeton, in the class of 1885, was elected Professor of Mathematics. He was a prodigy in his department, and a teacher of remarkable ability. During 1 890-1, he studied abroad, securing the degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Goettingen, where he was a pupil of Dr. Klein, known as the ablest mathematician in Germanv. He resigned in 1892 to accept a position in the faculty of the University of Chicago. Dr. Boyd is the author of a text book on Higher Algebra. At the opening of the school thirty-six students were present and when the spring term of the first year closed the total enrollment had increased to fifty-two. Of this number six were regular freshmen ; the rest were preparatory students in the Baldwin School. The following four years witnessed a steady increase in attendance. In character and attainments the students won the admiration of the faculty and of the Board of Trus- tees. Many of them were preparing for the ministry ; some for Y. M. C. A. work, others were expecting to become foreign missionaries, and some were looking Rev. Daniel Rice, D. D. FACULTY AND STUDENT LIFE. 137 toward other professions. A deep and wholesome spirit of religion pervaded the college. But the students were not pietists. They enjoyed good-natured fun and indulged in college pranks and innocent abandon as all normal, healthy young men do. The faculty minutes show that quite frequently it was necessary to check their boyish glee. Some even had to be urged to be more regular in church attendance and others were admonished against being too noisy in chapeh Once, indeed, a raid was made upon the pantry in the refectory and on a few occasions minor acts of vandalism were committed for which the fac- ulty pronounced solemn censures. An occasional night- shirt parade accompanied by unearthly noises seems to have furnished a pastime of extraordinary delight. Not infrequently they serenaded the professors and de- manded a speech in recognition of their performances. There is a monotonous sameness in the minutes of the faculty meetings of those early years, showing that there were few occurrences not characteristic of college life. In general everything went on in an even, quiet way. But there were plentiful evidences of sterling manhood among the students and of earnest purpose to do studious work. In the second year seventy-two students were in the school, of whom eighteen were in the college; in the third year, eighty-six, with twenty-five in the col- 138 MACALESTER COLLEGE. lege; in the fourth year, one hundred and one, forty- five of whom were in the college.^ On the same day the school opened the young men organized a baseball team that made a splendid record. During the next four years Macalester lost only one game. In this sport Macalester has always been ex- ceptionally strong. Football was not played till the fall of 1889. Although the college has had some strong football teams, in recent years it has not aroused as much interest as baseball. In field and track work, however, Macalester made her best records during the first five years. From the beginning Macalester students took a live interest in literary work. The first society organ- ized for perfection in public speaking, debates, reci- tations, essays, etc., was named the "Academic." It was opened to preparatory and collegiate students alike. In the second year when the collegians had been reinforced they formed a society of their own and the preparatory students, not satisfied with the character of the "Academic" organized a new society which has continued up to the present time, known- as the Parthenon. The college society referred to above was called the Hyperion Society, organized September 24th, 1886. Its first officers were: J. C. Hambleton, president; W. P. Lee, vice-president ; J. W. Cochran, Jr., recording secretary; W. P. Kirkwood, corresponding secretary; ^Report of the Trustees to the Synod, Minutes of the Synod of Minn., 1888, page 172. FACULTY AND STUDENT LIFE. 139 J. K. Hall, chaplain; M. A. Clark, treasurer; S. M. Kirkwood, critic, and Geo. W. Achard, sergeant at arms. The motto adopted by this society was "Synergo- men" — "Let us work together." That it accomplished good work is evident from the intercollegiate records of some of its members. In 1888, W. P. Lee and B. W. Irvin won first and second place respectively in the oratorical contest held at home ; in the state contest Mr. Irvin was awarded first place and an honorable place was given him in the interstate oratorical contest. The oration which brought to him and to Macalester such honor was enti- tled, "The Pope in Politics." In 1889 J. W. Cochran and C. A. Winter represented Macalester in the Inter- state Oratorical Contest, Mr. Winter securing third place. The Hyperion Society for many years gave a public entertainment on Washington's birthday. This was always a treat. Hyperion is in a flourishing condi- tion today, its membership consisting of both men and women of the college. It has the distinction of being the oldest College Society. Another evidence of student enterprise is found in the establishment of a college paper — "The Macales- ter Echo." On Oct. i, 1886, G. W. Achard, J. C. Hambleton, J. L. Underwood, and S. M. Kirkwood were recognized by the faculty as the board of man- agers and editors of this publication. It was a six column folio paper edited by S. M. Kirkwood and J. C. Hambleton. The Echo later appeared in pamphlet 140 MACALESTER COLLEGE. form. It rendered valuable service to the college and contains much information on the early period of Mac- alester's life that will always be an important source. As its subscriptions became delinquent it failed to be self-supporting and in 1898 was discontinued. This, in many ways, was very unfortunate. For several years the college had no other medium of informing patrons, former students and alumni concerning its inner life. A magazine called the Macalester Monthly was issued for one year, 1898-9, but its character was too heavy, and not calculated to be a popular organ of the student body. After one year it was discontinued. Until 1905, when the "Bulletin" was first issued, the college had no publication excepting the catalog. The first annual commencement of the college was held on Wednesday, June 12th, 1889. The class which began in 1885 as freshmen, with only six mem- bers, did not grow smaller, as is the rule in almost every institution, but increased to ten in the senior year. Of these, four entered the ministry; two be- came missionaries ; two, lawyers ; one, a physician, and one, a teacher. All were professing Christians and men of whom their Alma Mater has had repeated occa- sion to be proud. But commendable as was the student life, giving the trustees occasion for deep gratification, as much could not be said of the relations of the faculty. A familiar proverb says that "when poverty comes in through the door, love flies out through the win- dow." Whether the financial troubles which began Macalester's First Graduates. FACULTY AND STUDENT LIFE. 141 to thicken were responsible for all the discord in the faculty, it would be difficult to assert; they prob- ably were an aggravating" cause. That several mem- bers of the faculty were persona non grata with the administration owing to radical differences of opinion on matters of policy was an open secret. This led Dr. Rice, who felt out of harmony with the condition, to resign. An urgent request of the faculty, however, persuaded him to continue his work in the college.^ On the ground that retrenchment necessitated a reduction of the teaching force, the trustees, on July 8th, 1889, declared the chair of Mental Science and Logic vacant after the following first of September.^ This action precipitated a storm of protests from the students, residents of Macalester Park and other friends of the college. Within a month of the Trus- tees' action one thousand dollars had been subscribed by friends of Dr. Kirkwood to retain him in the college. It was surprising how quickly money could be raised when an urgent appeal was made in the interests of some one particular person. An arrangement was made by which Dr. Kirkwood remained in the faculty for that year, but before it had ended he accepted a similar position in Emporia College, Kansas. After he had severed his connec- tion with Macalester his colleagues paid him a high tribute in causing the following resolution to be spread on their minutes : "Inasmuch as Professor Kirkwood ^Minutes of the faculty, Book i, page 117. ^Record B, Minutes of the Trustees, page 100. 142 MACALESTER COLLEGE. has accepted a position in another institution we desire to put on record our high appreciation of the work he has done in connection with Macalester College. He has proved himself to be an indefatigable student, a scholar of wide and varied attainments, a clear, forci- ble and interesting preacher, an earnest and successful teacher and a prudent counsellor. He has exerted a strong Christian influence among the students and has done much to cultivate in them a spirit of manly independence. He carries with him our cordial esteem and earnest prayers for his success in his new field of labor." i F. B. Pearson, Chairman, James Wallace, Sec*y. Dated Sept. 20, 1890. Similar appreciation in behalf of the student body was expressed in the Echo of Oct. 13, 1890. An indispensable factor in a college course to-day is a good working library. At the organization of the faculty, in 1885, Dr. Neill was made librarian. Dr. Neill was a great lover of books and had visited many of the best libraries of Europe. His ambition was to secure a first class reference library for Macalester. Among the first to respond to his appeals was James J. Hill, who offered to give $5,000 on condition that a fire-proof building, costing not less than $20,000 were erected.^ Although the trustees were not able to comply with these conditions, Mr. Hill gave liberally, iMinutes of Faculty I, P. 238. ^Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Record "B," page 69. FACULTY AND STUDENT LIFE. 143 since Mr. H. A. Moss had erected a modest little fire- proof structure to be used as a library building. From another friend, Mr. A. H. Wilder, of St. Paul, Dr. Neill received five hundred dollars for the library, and from a lady of the Protestant Episcopal Church the same amount.^ The Misses Yandes, of Minneapolis, donated a little over one thousand volumes, and Mrs. Mary Chase Morris, of Washing- ton, D. C, gave five hundred dollars for the purchase of books.2 By the courtesy of W. C. Baker, one of the early trustees and contributors, Macalester College library became the depository of some remarkable literary treasures. These books w^ere a portion of the library of a famous German scholar, Dr. Kloss, of Frank- fort-on-the-Main. In this collection were two books very valuable for their historical connection. They were once the property of Philip Melanchton, and are full of manuscript annotations. One is a copy of Vale- rius Maximus, the Roman historian, printed in 1508, the other a copy of the Moralist Seneca, printed in 1490. Among other works is the first book said to have been printed in Heidelberg. There is also a manu- script with an interesting history containing the ser- mons which a Father Henry delivered in the nunnery at Nuremberg. This manuscript was copied by five sisters of the convent of Saflingen near Ulm.^ ^Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Record "B," page 75. ^Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Record "B," page 105. sPioneer Press, Nov. 13, 1888. 144 MACALESTER COLLEGE. The year 1890 witnessed important changes for Macalester. After the second class, numbering seven young men, had been graduated on June nth, Dr. McCurdy, on July 3rd, 1890, resigned the presidency. Through his efforts the college was opened. It was a beginning under great difficulties which was followed by a period of storm and stress. After six years of academic toils he preferred the duties and uncertain- ties of the pastorate to the trials of a college presidency. On July nth of the same year Dr. David J. Burrell was elected his successor. He held this position until September, 189 1, when he resigned to accept a call to the Collegiate Reformed Church of New York City. In the same year that Dr. McCurdy left, Professor William R. Kirkwood, D. D., and Charles Forbes, M. D., also severed their connections with Macalester. Prof. James H. Boyd received a year's leave of absence to pursue special studies in mathematics in Europe. The vacancies in the faculty were filled by tem- porary instructors, Rev. M. P. Hill, D. D., of St. Paul, taking Dr. McCurdy's work in apologetics and Biblical studies ; Rev. John Woods, D. D., instructing in mental science and logic ; John PI. Cook, A. M., of Wesley an College, Ohio, teaching natural science, and George B. Covington, a graduate of Princeton, taking the departm.ent of mathematics while Prof. Boyd was abroad on leave' of absence. During this year Dev. D. E. Platter began a campaign for funds to pay off the FACULTY AND STUDENT LIFE. 145 college debt. The plan was to raise "$100,000 from large givers" and another "$100,000 from the willing heart- ed of less financial ability. "^ 'Report of the Trustees to the Synod. Oct 10 1800 Minutes of the Synod, Minn., 1890, page 286 ^' CHAPTER VIII. BIOGRAPHY OF DR. NEILL.* Dr. Neill's biography can be found in almost every modern encyclopedia, but most of the data in the fol- lowing sketch of his life were obtained from his auto- biography.^ Edward Duffield Neill was a descendant of John Neill, a lawyer, who emigrated from the north of Ireland to America in 1739, and settled in Dela- ware. He was the grandson of Dr. John and Eliza- beth Martin Neill, and Dr. Benjamin and Rebecca Potts Duffield. His parents were Dr. Henry and Martha Duffield Neill. He was born in Philadelphia, August 9th, 1823. After completing the pubhc school education he entered the University of Penn- sylvania 1837-8, and was graduated from Amherst college, Mass., in 1842. Thereupon he studied the- ology, first at Andover Theological Seminary in 1843, and completed his studies under the Rev. Dr. Albert Barnes and Rev. Dr. Thomas Brainerd, both eminent divines of Philadelphia. In October 1847, he mar- ried Miss Nancy Hall of Snow Hill, Maryland ; in the same year he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Galena, and received ordination in 1848. During 1847-49 he was home missionary among the miners / iSt. Paul Pamphlets, No. I., Historical Notes on the An- ^ il cestry and Descendants of Henry Neill, M. D. pp. 14-23- Re;v. Edward D. NeiIvI., D. D. The Founder of Macalester Collegfe BIOGRAPHY OF DR. NEILL. 147 at Elizabeth, 111. At his own request the New School Home Missionary Board in 1849 commissioned him to labor in Minnesota in a little hamlet known as St. Paul. He found a field suited to his liking where he need "not build upon another man's foundation." ^ After preaching a few weeks he was delegated by the Presbytery of Galena to attend the General Assembly which met in Philadelphia in May. From his rela- tives and friends he secured considerable aid for the erection of the first Protestant church edifice among the whites in Minnesota.^ On Nov. 29, 1849, the First Presbyterian Church of St. Paul was organized by him. In 1849-50 he preached alternately on Sunday afternoons at St. Anthony and Fort Snelling. In 1850 he aided in forming the Presbytery of Minne- sota. In 1849 the Minnesota territory was organized. Dr. William Watts Folwell,^ ex-president of the State University, says in his recent history of Minnesota: After the organization of Minnesota territory "the most notable enactment was that for the establishment of a system of free schools for all children and youths of the territory, introduced by Martin McLeod, but probably drawn up by Rev. Edward Duffield Neill, the well-known historian of Minnesota." "To the honor of religion, its best friends are the foes of ignor- ance; and multitudes, illustrious for their piety, have been foremost in the cultivation of human learnig."^ iMinutes of the Synod of Minnesota, 1893, pp. 498, 499. 2Pioneer Press, Sept 2'], 1893. ^polwell, Minnesota, p. 90. ^History of Harvard University by Benjamin Pierce, p. 56. 148 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Such a man was Mr. Neill. In 1851, after taking a leading part in the organization of public schools in St. Paul and Minnesota, he was appointed the first superintendent of public instruction for the territory. He was one of the founders of the Minnesota State Historical Society; its secretary from 1851-1861 and a frequent contributor.^ In 1853 he founded the Baldwin School and was its president. On Dec. 24th, 1855, he organized the House of Hope Church of St. Paul. In 1856 he prepared some of the important sec- tions of a charter for a Board of Education of the city of St. Paul, which was passed by the legislature. He was elected an inspector from the ward in which he lived, and at the organization of the Board, was made secretary, a position he held for several years. By him was devised the seal of the Board with the motto from the Greek poet, Menander, ''Educate youth, for men you can not." While absent from the city in the public service, the Board gave his name to the public school at the corner of Laurel Avenue and Farring- ton.^ When Minnesota became a state May 11, 1858, he offered the first prayer at the meeting of the state legislature. In this year he secured the charter of the State University and an enactment of the law which provided for its endowment and the erection of a suitable building. He was appointed its chan- 1 See Proceedings of Minnesota Historical Society 1851- 1858, Published in 1878. ^ Historical Notes on the Ancestry and Descendants of Henry Neill, M. D., p. 17. BIOGRAPHY OF DR. NEILL. 149 cellor and was retained as superintendent of Public Schools in the new state. He is largely responsible for the present admirable system of public schools in Minnesota. In 1858 he assisted in organizing the synod of Minnesota, and was stated clerk of the synod from 1858-1861. In 1861 he resigned his state ap- pointments and became chaplain of the First Minne- sota Regiment taking an honorable part in the battles of Bull Run, Fair Oaks and Malvern Hill. In his report on the battle of Bull Run, Col. Gorman wrote to Gen. Franklin : "My chaplain. Rev. E. D. Neill, was on the field the whole time and in the midst of danger, giving aid and comfort to the wounded." W. S. Croffuts, a newspaper correspondent and specta- tor, recorded the following incident of the battle : 'It was mainly through the determined efforts of Chaplain Neill, who came out (of Sudley Church Hospital) soon after, that an ambulance was procured and protected for Captain Acker and other wounded Minnesotans. I met the Chaplain again at one o'clock that night. He looked like all the rest, careworn and footsore, and I invited him to get up behind me on the quadruped which I had found, without saddle or bridle, in an ad- jacent field. With very little urging the chaplain put his foot in the hand of a friend and leaped upon the back of my patient Rosinante. He had not been seated two minutes before he began to grow uneasy of the privilege he was taking over the privates and accused himself of indulging in a luxury which was not general. I tried to convince him of the propri- ISO MACALESTER COLLEGE. ety of an officer riding a horse. He confessed the relief. 'But/ said he, 'these men are disheartened, I must walk at their head and encourage them to keep up; if they see me walking they will persevere.' Dur- ing much of the distance Parson Neill walked beside ambulances to defend them against being over- whelmed by the rush of exhausted men, and very frequently had' to resort to rough measures to protect the wounded occupants." ^ From 1862-64 he was Hos- pital Chaplain to the U. S. Army at the South Street Military Hospital of Philadelphia. In 1864 he was appointed to read and arrange the correspondence of President Lincoln, and was his secretary to sign land patents. After Lincoln's assassination he was one of President Johnson's private secretaries until 1868. He was appointed U. S. Consul at Dublin, Ireland, by President Grant, serving from 1869 to 1870. In 1870 he returned to St. Paul and established Macalester College in 1874. In that year he joined the Reformed Episcopal Church, and was rector of the Calvary Re- formed Episcopal Church in St. Paul for several years, but in 1890 he returned to the Presbyterian Church. He received the degree D. D. from La- fayette College in 1886. Dr. Neill wrote: A History of Minnesota, 1858, with enlarged and revised editions 1873 and 1878; Terra Mariae or Threads of Maryland Colonial His- tory, 1867; Virginian Company of London, 1868; ■•^St. Paul Pamphlets, No. i. Historical Notes on the Ancestry and Descend^^nts of Henry Neill, M. D., pp. 14-23. BIOGRAPHY OF DR. NEILL. 151 Fairfaxes of England and America, 1868; English Colonization of America, 1871 ; Virginia Velusta, the Colony under James L, 1885; Minnesota Explorers and Pioneers, 1881 ; Virginia Carolorum, 1887; A Concise History of Minnesota. He was a member of and a contributor to the American Historical Associa- tion ; The Historical Society of Wisconsin ; The Mass- achusetts Historical Society and of the New England Historic Geneological Society. He was editor of the Macalester College Historical Contributions, a series of historical essays and biographies for which there has been a great demand from the larger universities of our country, such as Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Wisconsin and Minnesota. He devoted almost his entire time to literary and historical researches, many of which were of great value. In England, in Ire- land, in France or in America he was always fond of delving in the archives for facts and data relating to the periods of history he was investigating. Bancroft acknowledged his indebtedness to Dr. Neill for many facts in the early history of Maryland which cor- rected his original views on the relations of the state to religion in that colony. Justin Winsor sent the proof sheets of his critical and narrative History of the United States to Prof. Neill for revision and for suggestions. His history of Minnesota will be of lasting value for a knowledge of the early period of this state. Dr. Frank L. McVey, President of the University of North Dakota wrote in his "Gk)vernment of Minnesota": "There is the series of pamphlets 152 MACALESTER COLLEGE. on Minnesota History, written and edited by Dr. E. D. Neill, under the title of Macalester College Con- tributions. Among these are many sketches and much valuable m.aterial relating to the early history of the state.'' ^ Prof. H. B. Adams, of Johns Hop- kins University wrote the following appreciation : "Let me thank you for your valuable College Con- tributions which have recently come to hand. The paper on Virginia Velusta was particularly useful "^ last week in one of my lectures." Prof. Frederick Turner of the University of Wisconsin : 'T have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your valuable contributions. They are of interest and service not only to the people of the upper Mississippi Valley, but also to the entire Northwest and especially to us of the Department LaBaye." - Dr. Neill was reared under conditions of noble culture and refinement. He was fond of literature and of art and enjoyed associating with people of fine tastes and the best training. That such a man should give up the comforts of his New England home and expose himself to the hardships of frontier life, not to amass a fortune, but to help promote the best interests of a new country in its formative period, shows that he possessed great will power and genu- ine patriotism. During the early period of the pioneer days Dr. Neill was very popular. An incident described in the iMcVey, Government of Minnesota (1908 Ed.) p. i. ^Preface of the Macalester College Contributions, First Series, Page IIL BIOGRAPHY OF DR. NEILL. 153 "Personal Recollections of Minnesota and its People," by Col. John H. Stevens, in 1890, will bear repeat- ing here: "Rev. E. D. Neill, then a young man, who had just come to St. Paul, gave us an occasional sermon (at Fort Snelling). He was a great favorite with Colonel Loomis and the rank and file of the Old Sixth Infantry. One pleasant mid-summer Sunday we were greatly alarmed when informed that Mr. Neill, who was accompanied by Mrs. Neill, while on his way to preach to us, had in consequence of an ac- cident fallen over the precipice on the opposite side of the Fort. Fortunately they received but little in- jury. As usual Mr. Neill gave us a useful and in- structive sermon. The next day Colonel Loomis came to Philander Prescott and myself and said he had taxed himself twenty dollars, Mr. Prescott, ten, and myself five, to be handed to Mr. Neill as a small "thanksgiving token" for the providential escape of his wife and himself when thrown from the carriage the previous day. We accordingly waited upon Mr. and Mrs. Neill, who were at Colonel Loomis' head- quarters, but Mr. Neill would only accept the tribute as a bestowal to the American Board of Missions, under whose auspices he was preaching the gospel in the then far Northwest." ^ He was beloved by those who knew his kind heart and respected by those com- petent to appreciate his scholarship. The early pio- neers, the soldiers and the poor, called him their ^Stephen, Personal Recollections of Minnesota and Its People, p. 39. 154 MACALESTER COLLEGE. friend. They requested his ministry in their sick- nesses and asked him to conduct the last services over their remains. A touching incident is related by the Pioneer Press in connection w^ith the funeral of Louis E. Fisher in March, 1889. ''After pronouncing a wdiTm eulogy upon Mr. Fisher the doctor referred to the constant transfer of the pioneers of Minnesota to the land of shadows, tears dimming his eyes and his voice slightly tremulous with emotion: "And by and by there will be no old frontier minister to preach their funeral sermons."^ Dr. Neill was a man of admirable physique, of courtly bearing and scholarly taste. He was a gentleman of the Old School pos- sessed of a high sense of honor, of indomitable per- severance, of deep convictions and of marked indi- viduality. He was endowed with all the elements, intellectual and moral which enter into the composi- tion of a great character. But he was not exempt from the frailities of human nature. Men sometimes thought him brusque in manner and too dictatorial. It irritated him when he failed to win strong and en- thusiastic support for his educational enterprises. His temper was hasty and passionate. The warmth and quickness of his passions, especially after his return from Europe, may probably furnish the reason for his inability to lead some prominent laymen and a few ministers to co-operate with him in the endeavor to ^Pioneer Press, December 27, 1893. BIOGRAPHY OF DR. NEILL. 155 found a college. After making all deductions which can be demanded, he is still entitled to a high rank among scholars and missionaries. He fully deserved the tribute paid to him by Col- onel Stevens in the history cited above : "Minnesota was peculiarly fortunate in the advent of many of its early settlers ; but to no one is the state more indebted for a combination of everything that is desirable in one person, than to Mr. Neill. As a Christian minis- ter, writer, patriot and philanthropist, his name will be handed down to future generations, and his mem- ory will be ever revered by those who have the good of the world at heart. To him we are greatly in- debted for perfecting our system of common schools." ^ Mr. Neill was orginally a man of considerable means, but he spent all his property for the good of others. His whole life was devoted to those agencies which he believed would make men wiser and better. The darling object of his life was the founding of a Christian non-sectarian college in the upper valley of the Mississippi. When Macalester was established un- der Presbyterian control and the new president placed him, the senior professor, at the bottom of the faculty list, when, contrary to the original agreement with the synod of Minnesota, young women were admitted into the men's college; and when he saw that Macal- ester was on the sure road to financial disaster, Dr. ^ Stephen, Personal Recollections of Minnesota and Its People, p. 39. iS6 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Neill's heart was ready to break. The last years of his life were not happy. Often he felt depressed in spirit. His pioneer friends had preceded him into the great beyond and the younger generation, and the new settlers paid only slight attention to him. A man of sensitive feelings, conscious of his own worth, he naturally suffered keenly under such neglect. It is a pleasant and profitable task to contemplate a life so rich in noble achievement, and a personal- ity so strong and willing to sacrifice itself for the highest good of posterity. Macalester has great rea- son to be proud of its relation to this grand pioneer, scholar and educator. His end came suddenly as a result of heart failure, Sept. 26th, 1893. "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : Yea saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors ; and their w^orks do follow^ them." CHAPTER IX. THE HISTORY OF THE DEBT AND ITS LIQUIDATION. It is quite generally known that the cost for main- taining an institution of higher learning exceeds sever- al times the receipts from students in the form of tui- tion and incidental fees. Any college aiming to do first class work, therefore, must have an adequate en- dowment, or must have other provisions for its suste- nance, such as the pledges of individual patrons or the promise of church organizations. The existence and the growth of a school are determined by its financial resources. Public confidence in a college also depends largely upon the administration of its financial affairs. When that is open to severe criticism its life is jeopar- dized. Macalester has enjoyed the reputation for thorough- ness in classroom work. The Synod on numerous occasions has commended the college for the strength of its courses, and for the uplifting influences exerted upon the student body by its high Christian ideals. Its alumni have rendered valuable service to church and to state. But every friend of Macalester refers with apology to the pecuniary aspect of its history. For many years the college was so impoverished that its future seemed 158 MACALESTER COLLEGE. absolutely hopeless. Much that is partly true and part- ly false, and much that is altogether wrong has been said about this side of Macalester's existence. Those who have been most directly connected with the col- lege during its days of poverty, the trustees, other patrons, members of the faculty and students have heard and read so much about the debt and the effort to cancel it, the hopes and disappointments of the days of struggle, that if their wishes were heeded many facts which must be referred to in this chapter would not be recorded. The author's task would be made very much lighter if he could pass over this financial chap- ter. But that would be inconsistent with his sense of historical accuracy as well as an injustice to the reader, who wishes to know the truth about the college. Furthermore, no one can ever understand Macales- ter's past without knowing its financial difficulties. Few institutions, if any, were so severely tried. But it was in the period of direst poverty that the college gained its birthright; then, through the consecration of its faculty, the loyalty of the students and the faith and devotion of a few generous friends its right to exist was won so that it is no longer disputed. At the opening of the college in 1885 it had forty acres of land, free of debt. The building which stood near the corner of Lincoln and Snelling Avenues was the east wing of the structure planned by the trustees in 1883. See pas^e 100. This building, which cost thir- ty thousand dollars, was erected free of debt, from the proceeds accruing from the sale of the Winslow House DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. iS9 in 1 88 1. Fifty thousand dollars was the sum the Min- neapolis Exposition Co. paid for it ; of this amount thirty thousand dollars were payable on time, well se- cured by mortgages and insurance policies. The bal- ance of ten thousand dollars was paid in the form of real estate, consisting chiefly of city property, renting for about forty dollars per month.^ In order to render the Winslow House or the^old Macalester College more salable the trustees had it painted and renovated at a cost of two thousand eight hundred and fifteen dollars. This money was taken from the Baldwin Fund that Dr. Neill had raised. In February, 1883, the trustees pledged Dr. Neill to re- fund this sum in the very near future. But when the college opened in 1885 the amount had not been re- turned.^ The Synodical Endowment for the president's chair was rated at thirty thousand dollars. In 1885 Pr. Rice reported to the Synod : "The $30,000 pledged to Mac- alester college has been paid with the exception of $S,ooo. informally promised by Westminster Church, the securing of which by the concurrent counsel of the pastor and the president of Macalester College has been temporarily deferred to be more successfully merged in a broader movement, and toward which the pastor has recently subscribed $coo.oo."3 iTJeport of tVie Synofl's rommittee on Macalester College, Mintites of Svnod. t88t, pno-e 34?. 2Record **B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Appen- dix. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minn., 1885, page 18. i6o MACALESTER COLLEGE. In 1884 the Synodical College Secretary reported that "two persons have promised to give $25,000 each to Macalester conditioned on an additional subscription of $200,000."^ But in September, 1885, not one cent of further endowment had been raised, and the funds pre- viously secured were not complete. The treasurer's balance sheet for Dec. i, 1886, valued the two endow- ment funds, that is the Synod fund and the Baldwin fund together, at fifty thousand dollars, instead of fifty-five thousand dollars. In order to provide homes for the professors the trustees had four large houses built on Summit Avenue between Snelling and Macalester Avenues. These buildings were much too large for the professors' needs and not at all suited to the rigor of the Minnesota win- ter. Their construction cost the. college twenty thou- sand dollars, all of which was borrowed money. The college, therefore, had income producing endowment funds of only fifty thousand dollars and real estate property in Minneapolis valued at ten thousand dollars more. On the other hand it had a debt of twenty thous- and dollars. The treasurer's report for the first three years showed an excess of disbursements over receipts amounting to a little more than six thousand dollars a year. The resources for Dec. i, 1886, on grounds, build- ings, endowments and furniture were rated at $159,000 and the indebtedness $27,920.61.2 By November 30, 1 Minutes of the Synod of Minn., 1884, page 487., ^Record "B," minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 3. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. i6i 1887, additional subscriptions to the synodical endow- ment fund were secured amounting to $1,902.92 and on May 31, 1888, this endowment was stated as ^26,- 73^- 59- There is no evidence of any concerted or in- dependent action by the trustees and the synod look- ing towards the raising of additional endowment until October, 1887, when a committee of the Board of Trus- tees reported to synod an action of the trustees decided upon on October 4th of that year ■} ''As the attention of the Presbyterians is called to the Centennial Anni- versary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, and inasmuch as it is determined by the General Assembly of our church to memorialize this event by increased benefactions to various objects connected with the church work, among which is Christian college education; therefore be it 'Resolved, i, That we take proper steps to inaugurate a movement to be carried forward throughout the Centennial year, for the pur- poses of raising at least $200,000 for Higher Christian Education and that this amount be applied to the En- dowment Fund of Macalester College/ " 'Resolved, 2. That we ask the Synod of Minne- sota to endorse this action and to recommend the same as the Synod's offering to the Centennial Celebration/ " 'Resolved, 3. That we recommend the Synod to appoint a committee of Seven (7) with power to fill vacancies, and if necessary, to add to their number, not exceeding two (2), to which all details of this movement shall be referred, with power to act, and to ^Minutes of the Synod of Minn., 1887, page loi. i62 MACALESTER COLLEGE. make full report to the next meeting of the Synod.' "^ The Synod received this report and appointed a committee of nine under whose direction began the cam- paign to raise $200,000 which should be divided be- tween Macalester and Albert Lea. After a canvass extending throughout the year $30,242. 36^ were sub- scribed, and of this sum Macalester was awarded $23,879.79. How much of the subscription was collect- ed the records do not show. But this ended the Me- morial compaign. From some of the older ministers of the state, still living, it is learned that the Presbyterian clergy were not in cordial sympathy with the institution. The reason for this was that the struggling home missionaries, and the ministers and elders, whose churches were burdened with financial obligations could not see their way clear to deprive themselves in order to support a college whose management they believed to be extravagant. It was known that the president received $3,000 and house yearly, while each of the professors was paid $2,000 and a house. As the cost of running the college was much larger than its receipts and no provision was made for the annual deficits, its financial condition was steadily growing worse and the debt had increased to $30,000 when the trustees, in 1887, proceeded to erect another building, whose cost when completed amounted to six- ty-eight thousand dollars. About $20,000 was collect- iMinutes of the Synod of Minn., 1887, page loi. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minn., 1888, page 159. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 163 ed for the new Main building, the rest of the money was simply borrowed, as payments had to be made to the contractors from time to time. This was done in spite of the fact that the Board had voted on Jan. 5, 1887, that "in no case" should the building committee of the college "contract any expense beyond the amount of funds on hand available for that purpose."^ In order to secure the necessary funds mortgages were issued on the college grounds. The first loan for $24,000 at 7% to be secured by mortgage on the north ten acres of college property, Feb. 26, 1888.^ The interest on further loans was 7% for some notes and 8% for others. The original debt, the annual deficit of not less than $6,000 for current expenses, and the interest on all the borrowed money very rapidly increased the total in- debtedness. How quickly it grew may be gathered from these figures-^ : Net liabilities, Aug. 31, 1887, $37,- 165.34. May 31, 1888 , $ 45,642.92 August I, 1888 81,666.67 September i, 1888 86,094.10 January i, 1889 103,588.56 February 28, 1889 105,008.46 January 31, 1890 116,716.43 A considerable amount ofi this debt was caused by grading the college grounds, by street improvements ^Record B, Board of Trustees, page 12. 2Record B, Board of Trustees, page 45. ^''Record B, Board of Trustees, page 32. i64 MACALESTER COLLEGE. on Snelling and Summit Avenues, and by other taxes. The only other productive fund that the college received aside from the synodical Memorial endowment was a gift of one thousand dollars by Mr. George D. Dayton in May, 1887. But as the income of this fund was in- tended "to assist worthy young men in securing an ed- ucation in said Macalester College" preference being given to "those young men who are preparing for the ministry in the Presbyterian church," this gift did not help the trustees in meeting their college's expenses. In 1888 the trustees accepted the Sarah E. Oliver bequest of "$28,420.92," together with a large amount of accrued interest in the form of "certain mortgages upon real estate in Oliver Park Addition to the city of Minneapolis." The donor stipulated that of this sum $25,000 should be used to endow, establish and maintain in Macalester a professorship of Mental Sci- ence and logic, to be known as the "Andrew and Sarah E. Oliver Professorship of Mental Science and Logic."^ The remainder of this gift was set aside for schol- arships to be called the Oliver Scholarships. It was estimated that not less than five thousand dollars would be left for this purpose. This deed of bequest contain- ed the following proviso : "And they further agree to use all the interest accruing from such investment or investments forever, for the maintenance of said pro- fessorship, and that the principal shall ever remain un- diminished and shall not be liable for the debts of the college." ^Record B. Board of Trustees DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 165 By the acceptance of the Oliver gift the trustees in- creased their assets by thirty-thousand dollars. This property was a low piece of land taxable but not rev- enue producing. Its value was far less than estimated in 1888. The notes that were turned over to the col- lege arising from the sale of this property were given by persons who had bought the lots at boom prices. As much of the property was not thought likely ever to be desirable for building sites and was steadily declin- ing in value, the purchasers allowed the college to fore- close and take the property. The college being greatly embarrassed for money later defaulted on the taxes, and to meet these the property was sold. Nov. 2(ij 1894, five hundred dollars were offered the college for a deed to eighty-five lots, and on the advice of Mr. Charles T. Thompson, this offer was accepted.^ The catalogues issued after the transfer of the land to the school refer to the chair of Mental Science and Logic as endowed by Andrew and Sarah Oliver; but the total net receipts from the Oliver bequest did not ex- ceed one thousand dollars. While the finances of the college were in this bad state, A. W. Reid of Minneapolis offered twenty-five thousand dollars to the trustees on condition that twenty others give a like sum, thus securing $500,000 for endowment. His proposition was accepted.^ But as the next few years won no other supporters of the ^See Record "B," page 260. ^Record B, page 54. i66 MACALESTER COLLEGE. $500,000 endowment plan Mr. Reid withdrew his offer, Nov. II, 1890.1 That the college could not continue much longer in this way was perfectly clear to the trustees. They therefore adopted a policy of retrenchment. The faculty was the first to feel the affects of this operation. June 15, 1889, the Board took up the matter of reduc- ing the professors' salaries. In spite of their protests the trustees voted on July 3, 1890, that the salaries of the teachers be reduced 25%. At the same meeting at which this action was taken Dr. McCurdy resigned the presidency to resume pas- toral work. The college had been under his adminis- tration for six years. It had graduated two fine classes of young men. It also had two valuable buildings and a debt which on Jan. i, 1890, amounted to $116,000. At this time, too, it lost the financial Secretary and Treasurer, Rev. G. A. McAffee. The resignation of Dr. McCurdy marks the end of the first period of Macalester's financial administration. Was the debt unavoidable? Could the college have been maintained at less cost? These are questions which the intelligent reader naturally asks. In a previous chapter it was shown that an educa- tional institution aiming to do superior work at the time that Macalester became a synodical school needed larger resources than were then provided for it. Un- less, therefore, additional endowment were secured it was inevitable that a debt would be incurred. When ^Record B, page 147. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 167 the college opened in 1885 it was expected that it would meet financial troubles. President McCurdy said that almost every college has annual deficits and Macalester would be no exception.^ Many were opposed to its establishment. In order to win the confidence of its constituency it must do good work, and in order to gain the good will of those who declared that the college could not be sustained it must show wise and careful administration in economic affairs. But in this par- ticular the institution did not commend itself to busi- ness men ; the result was that after a few years those who had doubted the wisdom of founding another de- nominational college became confirmed opponents. They saw that between five and seven thousand dollars could have been saved in providing homes for the pro- fessors; they disapproved the erection of the main building when the entire amount necessary for its com- pletion had not been secured; and they regarded it a great mistake to pay the professors such salaries as were drawn at Macalester. In the endeavor to build up a high grade college the trustees and the president plan- ned well, but in offering the salaries which they should have known they would not be able to pay they com- mitted a grave mistake. The college must depend for its financial support almost altogether upon the Twin Cities. This was certain from the beginning. Its location in the Mid- way district, about equal distance from the centers of both cities, was thought very fortunate. It was neither ^Pioneer Press, September 17th, 1885. i68 MAGALESTER COLLEGE. a St. Paul institution, nor one that belonged to Minne- apolis, but on neutral ground, so belonged to both. The cities were intense commercial rivals, and feeling some- times ran very high. Then on March 3rd, 1885, the St. Paul and Ramsey County representatives secured the enactment of a statute by which so much of the Midway district as belongs to Ramsey county was in- corporated within the city limits of St. Paul. The trustees realized that if this measure were carried through it would injure Macalester College, for as soon as it belonged within the bounds of St. Paul, Minneapo- lis would look upon Macalester as a St. Paul institu- tion which should be maintained by St. Paul. To pre- vent the plan of the Ramsey County delegates from be- ing caried through the legislature the trustees used every possible means at their command. A circular was printed and distributed among the legislators in order to dissuade them from passing the proposed meas- use.^ The circular read : "At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of Macal- ester College, held January 24th, 1885, the following resolution, offered by Mr. H. L. Moss, was unani- mously adopted : 'Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Board that the extension of the city limits of St. Paul, so as to include Macalester College, would be prejudicial to the interests of the College, and they do most earnestly protest against any action that will in- clude Macalester College in the corporate limits of said city.' 'Resolved, That Hon. Alexander Ramsey, Hon. C. E. Vanderburgh and Thomas Cochrane, Jr., be a Committee to present the views of the Board, as herein expressed, to the representatives from Henne- ^Special laws of Minnesota, 1885, page 281. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 169 pin and Ramsey Counties, and to oppose any legisla- tion that will include the College property in the cor- porate limits of St. Paul/ Attest: W. M. Tenney, Secretary." The pending bill was carried, however, and the effect upon the college was even worse than had been anticipated. Minneapolis, which had contributed more to the synodical fund than did St. Paul, now weakened in its interest in Macalester. Years were required to restore a friendlier feeling between the two cities. It was all the more necessary, therefore, that the man- agement of the finances of the college be conducted so wisely and so economically as to win the confidence of all business men in the state. In October, 1889, after Mr. McAfee had, given up his position of financial Secretary for the college, the trustees decided to make a special effort to pay off the debt. A special fiscal agent. Dr. L. G. Hay, of Minne- apolis, was engaged for this work. After a three months' trial, during which his salary was $100 per month, his resignation was accepted. He had secured "subscriptions amounting to $205; the expenses for three months' salary were $300, leaving a balance due him of $95." The first undertaking to pay off the debt, therefore, was quite discouraging. After searching for a good man to undertake the difficult work of a financial agent for a heavily indebted college, the Board on July ii, 1890, secured the efficient services of Rev. David E. 170 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Platter.^ Mr. Platter had been for some years the successful pastor of a large and prosperous church in Canton, Ohio. His strenuous labors there had im- paired his health, and he came to the Northwest to recruit. He was a man of good address, of sound judgment, of quiet determined energy and did not fear the face of man, a much needed qualiiication for one in his new position. A careful examination of the financial condition oi the college shovv^ed that not less than one hundred and thirty thousand dollars should be raised to provide for the debt and for the current expenses while the can- vass was being made. To raise so large a sum of money, on condition that it all be paid in as soon as the total was subscribed, was deemed wholly impracticable. The only possible plan seemed to be to allow a long time payment. Accordingly subscriptions were to be taken to be paid in five annual payments, and in case any installment was not paid when due, it was to bear interest at 6% until paid. The pledges were not to be binding till the entire amount was secured. This being once reached the first payment was to be collected, the debt reduced to one hundred thousand dollars, and a blanket mortgage was to be spread on the college property, further secured by the unpaid pledges. The canvass for these pledges proceeded under very serious difficulties. The boom in realty was now beginning to abate somewhat, leaving in the ^Record B, Board of Trustees, page ii6. ^Record B, Board of Trustees, page 132. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 171 hands of a vast number of people unsalable property heavily encumbered with mortagages and subject all the while to taxes and assessments. The accumula- tion of the stupendous debt almost before the college got out of its swaddling clothes terribly discredited the administration and cast serious doubt upon the possibility of establishing in Macalester an institution under Presbyterian control. Many, too, from whom help was expected saw in the situation a vindication of their earlier judgment that it was better for Minne- sota Presbyterians to leave higher education to the care of the state. Despite these untoward circumstances Mr. Platter pushed the canvass with patience and energy. The trustees were the first to give liberally. Ex-Governor Ramsey pledged $5,000, A. M. Reid, $5,000, and C. T. Thompson, W. M. Tenney, H. L. Moss, J. C. Whit- ney, Benjamin Wright, H. K. Taylor, with equal lib- erality according to their means. Other large pledges in St. Paul came from R. C. Jefferson, $5,000; James J. Hill at first pledged $5,000, later increased it to $10,000 and in the home stretch made it $15,000; Mrs. A. B. Davidson, $5,000, while Wm. B. Dean, D. R. Noyes, William McKibbin and others gave substantial help. The Board of Aid for Colleges and Academies promised $5,000 and Mrs. William Thaw, with whom Dr. Wallace had become acquainted while a professor at Wooster, also pledged $5,000 in answer to a letter he wrote to her. After a successful canvass in St. 172 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Paul the financial secretary invaded Minneapolis with this appeal : "TO PRESBYTERIANS IN MINNEAPOLIS : The time has come when Macalester College is to be saved or lost to the Presbyterian Church. We wish to put before you briefly the situation : 1. What We Have. 1. We have 40 acres of land valued at $160,000 2. We have buildings valued at 100,000 3. We have endowments of 80,000 4. Furniture, Apparatus, Library and other values 15,000 Total present value $355,ooo 5. The Dr. Rice bequest, available as soon as debt is paid $ 40,000 6. We have knowledge of four wills of living persons in which the College is remem- bered to the amount of 100,000 Prospective value $495,000 Say in round numbers, half a million ! 2. What We Owe. 1. We owe mortgage notes $ 55,ooo 2. We owe notes in bank 41,000 3. We owe other notes and debts 35,ooo Total of debts $131,000 DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 173 Total of subscription to debt to date 7S>^^^ Yet to be subscribed $ 56,000 Present assets over liabilities $224,000 Prospective assets over liabilities 364,000 3. What We Are Trying To Do. We are bending every energy to pay off the debt. We are trying to raise $80,000 in St. Paul, $50,000 in Minneapolis, and $20,000 outside these cities. We are taking subscriptions, payable in five equal annual in- stallments, without interest, with the privilege of carry- ing the subscription at 6 per cent for a longer time, if the subscriber prefers not to pay when it becomes due. No subscription is binding unless $125,000 is sub- scribed. St. Paul has subscribed $70,000 of the $80,- 000 expected from her, and the other $10,000 we are sanguine of obtaining soon. We can say confidently that the subscription will not fail for lack of that $10,000. Nothing has yet been subscribed in Minne- apolis. The work is just beginning in this city. At a meeting of the pastors of Minneapolis recently this resolution was passed : "Resolved, that we are in favor of raising $40,000 in Minneapolis to save Macalester College, and we will lend our harty endeavors to this end." 4. The Peril. The College is in imminent danger of being lost to the Church. The trustees cannot longer bear the dou- ble burden of the debt, and the current expenses. They 174 MACALESTER COLLEGE. have given their personal credit as far as they will. If the friends of the College do not come to their help, they will be compelled to close the doors in June, anr! sell the property to pay the debt. This is not a threat. It is the unpleasant truth. This debt must be provided for, or our effort to establish a Presbyterian College v/ill end in ignominious failure. 5. What We Will Lose. We will lose a College plant splendidly located, and within the near future, half a million dollars. We will lose ground as a Presbyterian Church. We will lose prestige. We will lose honor. We will lose a splen- did opportunity to take our proper place as a denomi- nation among the educators of the Northwest. We will lose half a million dollars, that may be saved to the cause of higher Christian education. We now have a total of $75,000 subscribed; $50,000 more will make the subscription binding and save the College. We do not believe that the Presbyterians of Minneapolis will do other than the full measure of their duty in this crisis. The fate of the College rests with you. Your loyal response to its needs now will save it and place it on a solid and; enduring foundation. In behalf of the College, David E. Platter, Treasurer. February 19th, 1891. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. I75 J. C. Whitney, S. A. Harris, David Jas. Burrell, Wm. M. Tenney, A. M. Reid, Chas. T. Thompson, Trustees of College residing in Minneapolis." By June, 1891, the financial situation of the college had become so stringent that some of its best friends advised closing Macalester's doors until such funds as were indispensable for the existence of the college had been secured. In the Board of Trustees, on June 2nd, 1 89 1, Trustee R. P. Lewis, introduced the follow- ing resolution : "Whereas the indebtedness of Macal- ester College amounts to the sum of $125,000, which has in the main been incurred in the erection of neces- sary buildings, although a large part has come from the current expenses being larger than the sources of income, viz. : interest from endowments, and volun- tary subscriptions, And W^hereas, the trustees in con- nection with the very efficient Treasurer of the Col- lege, Rev. David E. Platter, have given all their effort for the last year and a half towards getting a subscrip- tion sufficient to liquidate the debt, conditioned that at least $125,000 should be subscribed, which subscrip- tion now amounts to only $90,000 ; And Whereas the current expenses for the coming year, including the in- terest on the debt, with the greatest economy will amount to $18,000, which amount would have to be secured by voluntary contributions, which the Board does not think could be secured in the present finan- cial depression and because of the discouragement oc- casioned by the large debt. Therefore, Resolved that 176 MACALESTER COLLEGE. it is necessary to suspend the college work until such time as the funds of the College and the interest of the Presbyterian Church will warrant us in opening the school again, and that such suspension of the College work shall take effect after commencement, on the 17th instant, unless the said subscription to liquidate the debt shall amount to the sum of $125,000 by that date."^ After discussing this motion it was laid on the table until the next meeting. Meanwhile herculean efforts were made to secure that $125,000 in order to prevent the college from being closed for an indefinite period, and one day before commencement the necessary sub- scriptions had been pledged. This was a cause for great rejoicing for the friends of the college. The Presbyterian Ministers' Association of St. Paul sent a letter to the Trustees congratulating them upon the success of their effort. After a strenuous effort the pledges were brought up to about $112,000. At this point it looked for a time as if success were hopeless. But there were more prayers, more planning and more consecration. In this stress Judge Vanderburgh, who had been somewhat disaffected toward the administration, made his pledge $5,300 in well secured notes, Mr. J. J. Hill raised his pledge to $15,000, and by June ist, 1891, the long wish- ed for goal was reached. Mr. Platter had rendered heroic service and deserves the lasting gratitude of the iRecord "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, pp. 163-3. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 177 friends of the college. Few men could have achieved so much. During this canvas Dr. Wallace and Thomas Cochian gave special assistance to the financial secre- tary. At the June commencement in 1891 there was great rejoicing, and among the students the college cheers and songs rang loud and long. This joy was shared by all the friends of the college. July 7th, 1891, the Board received a leter from the Presbyterian Min- isters' Association of St. Paul congratulating them.^ When the secretary proceeded to collect the first instal- ment he was surprised to find that some subscribers of- fered to pay at once the entire amount pledged, among these was, notably, R. C. Jefferson. With the sums thus collected miscellaneous debts were paid off and the total indebtedness reduced to $100,000. By means of the pledges, backed by the blanket mortgage covering the entire campus of forty acres, the reduced indebted- ness was funded through the St. Paul Trust Co., at six per cent, the bonds being sold at their face value mainly to men of wealth in the east.^ Fifteen thousand dollars, however, were invested in the bonds by the Episcopal Diocese of St. Paul. The financial condition of the college had been greatly improved; yet how great were the problems that were still to confront It no one had clearly fore- seen. There was still the old question of providing the means to defray the current expenses. To do this Macalester must look to a constituency whose liberality iRecord "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 165. 2Record "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 168. 178 MACALESTER COLLEGE. had been sorely taxed by appeals for the debt. To se- cure such contributions from men who still owed pledges covering the four following years was solemn business. On a preceding page reference has been made to a conditional gift by Dr. Rice toward the endowment of the college. In order to secure it the debt must be paid or provided for. When in June 1891 the executors of Dr. Rice's will were satisfied that this had been done they submitted a proposition to the Board by which it would receive certain property valued at $37,170 on condition that the trustees pay to the heirs $1,670 cash and assume the first mortgage of $10,500 on the thirty acres of this estate, and also give proper guarantee that the debt on the college would be fully paid. Dr. Rice's will provided for the endowment of the Bible Chair in the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, but also stipulated that to facilitate the settlement of the estate the two colleges, Albert Lea and Macalester might have the option of accepting on equal terms the real proper- ty belonging to the Rice estate on Randoph Street and Fairview Avenue. Partly to accommodate Mrs. Rice, who was far ad- vanced in years and desired to settle up the estate, and partly from the conviction that the real estate more than covered in value the endowment named in the will both colleges accepted the term^s of the bequest. At prices of real estate then current the decision was wise enough, but owing to the heavy subsequent decline of DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 179 values it proved a bad one and involved the college in great embarrassment. Dr. Rice had considered this property a splendid investment and the Board believed that it would real- ize fully forty thousand dollars from the sale of the thirty acres. But the acceptance of this gift involved the Board in a new debt. If the Oliver endowment proved a great disappointment it was equally true of the Rice endowment. Several years must elapse, how- ever, before this became- apparent. Meanwhile the Board plunged itself into still greater difficulties. The treasurer's report for April, 1892, contains these statements of indebtedness : Old debt bonds for five years at 6% $100,000.00 Ramsey Co., Savings Bank, 8% 2,000.00 Wm. M. Tenney 8% 600.00 $102,600.00 Due the Baldwin Endowment $ 15,707.04 Due the Synod Endowment 12,036.59 Total $ 27,143.63 No interest is paid on this part of our debt and it gives us no trouble. It must be replaced, however, as soon as the funds are available. This made th^ tora! debt previous to September i, 1891, $129,743.63. In taking the Rice property willed to Macalester and by assuming the mortgages upon it the trustees added twelve thousand, one hundred and seventy dol- lars to the debt. This sum and the shortage on the i8o MACALESTER COLLEGE. current expenses of the year brought the total indebted- ness up to one hundred and fifty-nine thousand, seven hundred and fifty-one dollars and thirteen cents. It must be borne in mind that subscriptions amounting to $100,000 were outstanding and that the Macalester Col- lege Addition was rated as worth between $40,000 and $45,000. But the College did not have these values in cash or cash securities. Above all things the school should have delivered itself of the debt. And as the college was not exempt from tax on its property ex- cepting as much of the campus as was needed for play- grounds, all taxable property was liable to become bur- densome. But the real estate boom was on. Lots in all parts of the city sold for fabulous prices. To pur- chase a bit of land, hold for a few days and then sell it at a great profit became a passion in those days of frenzied finance. Dr. Rice had remembered Albert Lea by bequeathing it a tract of land amounting to thirty- three and four-tenths acres. This joined the Macal- ester College Addition. April 5th, 1892, R. P. Lewis informed the Board that he had offered to Albert Lea College the sum of $40,000 for the Albert Lea Addi- tion. There were present at that meeting of the Board Whitney, Lewis, Wright, Moss, Taylor, Robbins, Thompson and Tenney, trustees, and Dean Wallace and Treasurer Platter, Trustee Cochran being absent. After a prolonged discussion the trustees authorized Mr, Lewis to purchase the Albert Lea Addition and directed DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. i8i the treasurer to secure it by mortgages aggregating $38,000 and $2,000 in cash.^ Mr. Cochran did not enter a formal protest against this act.on on the minutes of the Board but later ex- pressed himself to the dean as strongly opposed to it. The debt of the college had now increased to $199,- 751.13. The inflated increase in the value of real es- tate may be seen from the College treasurer's report of its assets. In 1888 the 40 acres of the campus was valued at $80,000; in 1890 at $100,000; in 1891 at $160,000 ; in 1893 at $200,000. If the boom would con- tinue and if the general prosperity that the country had experienced since 1885 would not be interrupted all was well. But if a change for the worse should come in the financial world, the late transaction of the trustees might be the ruin of Macalester. For two years able writers on financial matters had directed the public attention to a decrease in the column of bank clearings and net railway earnings. On the one hand the output or iron, wheat and cotton was ex- cessive, on the other hand the prices of these commodi- ties was extremely low. Abroad commercial activities had decreased and fi- nancial depression was great. In the United States the currency was unsound. Since the passage of the Sherman Act, July 4, 1890, which called for the issue of an indefinite amount of legal-tender notes for silver bullion and made the notes redeemable in either gold or silver, putting the two metals on a parity — the ^Record "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 194. i82 MACALESTER COLLEGE. stability of the currency had in the judgment of many become uncertain. The result was an extremely large output of greenbacks and treasury-notes. The Euro- pean countries had adopted the gold standard ; in pay- ment for foreign commodities it was necessary to export American gold. In proportion as this scarcity of gold increased at home the condition of the finan- cial world grew worse. In the summer of 1892 the United States Treasury suffered a heavy drain on its gold reserve to redeem outstanding notes. Soon the import of gold and the export of goods ceased. By March, 1893, the national financial condition was ex- ceedingly bad. Legal tenders depreciated rapidly, and when the bankers withdrew them from circulation the panic had begun. Depositors withdrew their money from the banks and forced many banks to suspend. The west and northwest were almost overwhelmed by this financial crash. Out of one hundred and fifty- eight national bank failures for that year, one hundred and fifty-three were in the west and south. No fewer than thirteen banks, national, state or private, in the Twin Cities went down during the years '93-'97- (Note : The panic did not fully abate till the end of '97.) *'No such financial wreck had fallen on the West since it became a factor in the financial world."^ , The panic of 1893 was a great calamity for Macal- ester. If the most prosperous years had almost wit- iNoyes, Ten Years of American Finance, page 193. White, Money and Banking, page 183-208. Forum, Vol. XXVL, page 22. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 183 nessed its ruin how could it survive the financial crash under which strong commercial institutions went to the wall ? With a net debt of about $30,000, and further obligations of more than $69,000 on real estate, whose value depreciated to such an extent that it was unsal- able, what else than ruin could be expected ? But in this crisis Macalester demonstrated its vital- ity and proved its right to exist. If a former adminis- tration failed to meet current expenses in a period of wonderful prosperity, another adiministration managed the financial college affairs in such a way that the insti- tution survived, and during the stringency foil wing the crisis, liquidated the debt. How victory came out of apparent defeat we shall learn from the third period of Macalester's financial history. The first result of the business prostration was that the outlook for the college became so dismal that the trustees seriously considered the question of closing its doors, thus giving up the struggle for existence. Dr. Ringland was president of the college. The pro- fessors were away on their vacation, Dr. Wallace hap- pened to be in Chicago, attending the Columbian Expo- sition, when he learned what action probably would be taken by the Board. At once he gave up his visit and returned to St. Paul to use his influence to prevent such action. After long deliberation the trustees voted on Sept 8th, "that the college be opened on Sept. 20th, with the understanding that it be kept open only as long as funds shall be provided for its current support."^ ^Record "B," Minutes of the Trustees, page 232. i84 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Before opening for the fall term the president had plan- ned, in the interests of economy^ first to drop one pro- fessor and then another. But as such action would have added more work to the remaining overburdened professors, and as the returning students vigorously protested against any weakening of the faculty, the president was obliged to abandon that policy. On the opening day an unexpectedly large number of students had come to college. Their loyalty was heartening. Dr. Ringland, however, had made no preparation for the formal opening of the school year. A few of the Presbyterian clergy from Minneapolis and St. Paul were present and upon several of these the president called for impromptu addresses. The exer- cises of that day were more like a funeral than the usual greeting extended to a happy band of students who had returned for another year. During the year the clouds grew blacker and more threatening. If the resolution of September 8th had been lived up to the college would have been closed before Christmas. But though money was lacking and salaries were unpaid, patience and courage were not yet exhausted. Current expenses, taxes and assessments continued to pile up. Impatient creditors were clamoring for their money; suits were pending and bondholders were threatening foreclosure. Much of the taxable property of the college had been sold for taxes and the time of impos- sible redemption was drawing on. Some of the real estate in St. Paul and Minneapolis had been turned over to the professors in lieu of salary. The time had come Mrs. William Thaw. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 185 when the total loss of the college and its property seemed inevitable. Dr. Ringland had made a faithful effort to raise money in the East but had failed. Suc- cess there at that time was almost, if not altogether, im- possible. In this extremity and as a last resort, appeal was again made to Mrs. Thaw of Pittsburgh. For years before his death Mr. William Thaw had been widely known for his liberal support of Christian edu- cation. Mrs. Thaw fully shared her husband's interest and after his death continued his work of philanthropy. Her home has been a kind of Mecca for the presidents of Western Presbyterian Colleges, and many are those who have been sent on their way with lighter hearts and new hope by her intelligent liberality. In February, 1894, Dr. Wallace corresponded with Mrs. Thaw and asked her if, in view of the gravity of the situation at Macalester, she would be willing to purchase ten acres of the campus or some of the Rice property if she did not deem it wise to contribute out- right. That letter was answered promptly and brought hope to the discouraged trustees. A special meeting of the Board was called March 2, 1894, at which it was voted that "the south ten acres of the college cam- pus be sold to Mrs. Thaw for not less than twenty-five thousand dollars," and that "Prof. Wallace be request- ed to go to Pittsburgh at once and confer with Mrs. Thaw."i Accordingly Dr. Wallace hurried to Pitts- burgh. After a very pleasant interview Mrs. Thaw agreed to the purchase, fifteen thousand dollars to be iRecord "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, p. 244. i86 MACALESTER COLLEGE. paid down, and five thousand a year for the next years until ail v/as paid. But later, at the request of Mr. Cochran, who met her at New York, she consented to pay the entire amount in cash. With this money, ten thousand dollars' worth of bonds were redeemed, the accrued interest on all bonds paid up, taxes and as- sessments aggregating five thousand dollars were can- celed, as also a large number of pressing miscellaneous bills. Had it not been for this timely and generous aid, it is safe to say, Macalester College would have been forced to close its doors in June, 1894, its property would have passed into the hands of creditors and the institution would have remained but a bitter and pain- ful memory. To complete the record of Mrs. Thaw's benefactions to Macalester it should be added that in 1895 her son Edward bought one block in the Macalester College Addition on Randolph Street for seven thousand, eight hundred dollars, that she bought two more blocks in the same addition for eight thousand dollars, and that, finally, after paying taxes and other expenses on this property for about ten years she and her son Edward deeded these twenty-five acres back to the college free of all taxes or other burdens. If we add to these figures cited above her original contribution of five thousand dollars it will be seen that Mrs. Thaw and her son have given to this institution a total of forty-five thousand and eight hundred dollars. This liberality sprang from Mrs. Thaw's loyalty to the Presbyterian Church, her interest in Christian DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 187 education and her deep conviction of the need of a Presbyterian College in the great state of Minnesota. Up to 1897 this estimable lady was the one conspicuous and munificient supporter of the college. A friend in need is a friend indeed. During the stringency which followed the panic Macalester had another good- friend in Mr. James J. Hill. Dr. Wallace had accepted the office of Acting-President in 1894, In his effort to save the institution he appealed to this distinguished builder of the Northwest. Mr. Hill in appreciation of Dr. Wallace's scholarship and selfsacrifice for a number of years paid his salary and gave additional help and ultimately, when the debt was being cleared away, do- nated ten thousand dollars toward that object. Much against his will Dr. Wallace was pressed into the chief executive office of the college in 1894. The trustees had asked the Synod to nominate someone for the presidency and by unanimous vote the synod had expressed its confidence in Dr. Wallace as the man for the position. It was thought that in view of the gravity of the situation it would be tactful to' give the Synod the privilege of exercising the privilege accord- ed it when Macalester was made a synodical college — namely that of nominating the president. In the following June the nomination was cordially confirmed by the Board. Greatly encouraged by the students and urged by his colleagues in the faculty who were his devoted friends, Dr. Wallace was persuaded to accept the leadership of the college at this critical i88 MACALESTER COLLEGE. time. It is probable that if he had not yielded to their wishes many of the faculty and a large number of the students would have i^^t the institution. He entered upon the exceedingly difficult task with the earnest de- termination to do his whole duty. He believed that the church needed such an institution. He knew that the work called for great self-denial ; but from this he did not shrink. From the time that he came to Macalester in 1886 all the students whom he taught were greatly attached to him ; ne was warm, affectionate and cordial in man- ner; he had a sincere interest in the welfare of every student and all felt that they could at any time go to him for advice and help. Their repeated expressions of loyalty to the college encouraged him. As in college, so in the synod, his friends grew in numbers among the ministers and among the laity as they became bet- ter acquainted with him. Many things were now done for the college for his sake, as Dr. Edwards remarked to the writer ''it was the personal esteem of Dr. Wal- lace that led many to contribute to the college." Not a few admired his perseverence and faith yet had no expectation that his hope ever would be realized. Mr. George D. Dayton, however, was a notable exception. When asked to contribute to the current expenses he did so cheerfully and liberally; equally ready was he to aid in the endeavor to pay off the old debt and when he was invited to become a member of the Board of Trustees he consented to serve. Since his connection with the Board in 1894 he has rendered most valuable DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 189 service as counsellor and contributor. In point of service he is the oldest member of the present Trustees. As time went on Dr. Wallace felt that the we'gnt of the burden was almost crushing him. June i6th, 1896, he said in his report to the trustees^ : "I cannot but think that I would be abundantly justified in resigning my position and in abandoning the college. Its condi- tion in these three or four years past have seriously crippled me financially, is largely to blame for my sepa- ration from my family, has made my progress in my professional work impossible, has imperiled my reputa- tion and has so taxed my energies and burdened my mind that it has required great care to prevent a ner- vous breakdown. It need not be thought strange, therefore, that I am anxious to resign and leave this institution." But the real spirit of the man expressed itself in another part of this report : "As matters stand, however, no man iii his senses could accept the presi- dency of the college. After much prayerful considera- tion I have decided to make the following ofifer and recommendation. For the sake of the College, which once out of debt, I believe, would have a prosperous and useful career, for the sake and help of the brethren who are endorsers of the Colleg-e paper and to save the Presbyterian Church from the disgrace of the failure of the college I consent, i, to remain in my present posi- tion (acting president), for a little lonsfer; 2, to reduce mv salary for the present year or while I am connected* with the college from $1,500 to $1,200; 3, to subscribe ^Record "C," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 10. 190 MACALESTER COLLEGE. 40% of $1,500 of what the College owes me. (Dr. Wallace was called on a salary of $2,000 and house.) I do this on condition, i, that the Board shall secure pledges to my salary of not less than $1,000 and 2, that a well organized effort be made to raise the floating debt."i At that time notes were dite the college amounting to $75,000, which it was unable to collect and the real estate for which it had paid $52,467 had not only de- preciated in value but was unsalable at any price and the income of the college had "fallen off more than one-half." To stand by the college in such discourag- ing days was, in the opinion of many, absolutely use- less. Yet not only did he not leave the institution, but consented to be one of the committee to "raise $50,000 for the college."^ During this critical period Rev. John Pringle, the financial Secretary, Thomas Dickson, Thomas Coch- ran and Dr. Wallace canvassed the state and made special appeals to the Presbyterians of the Twin Cities and to friends of Christian Education in the East. Through their efforts the $100,000 bonds held against the college by the St. Paul Trust Co., were re- duced to $50,000. But in the spring of 1897 the Trust Co. applied to the courts for authority to sue on notes it held as collateral security and that a receiver be ap- pointed to hold these notes. The court refused to grant the authority. But somehow the impression went ^Record "C," Minutes of the Trustees, page 9. ^Record "C," Minutes of the Board, page 21. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 191 out through the newspapers that the college had gone into the hands of receivers. This erroneous report, however, had a good effect. Among the Presbyterians who read this account was Professor Thomas Shaw of the Agricultural School in the State University. At once he came out to the college to look over the situa- tion. When he had informed himself on the state of affairs he concluded that Macalester's condition was not hopeless. Realizing that the institution was necessary for the church he offered his services to the trustees and has ever since been an enthusiastic advocate of the college. In a series of eight articles which he con- tributed to the North and West he sought to arouse a deeper interest in the college among the Presbyterians of Minnesota. The trustees soon realized that Prof. Shaw v/as a host in himself and requested him to ac- cept a position on their Board. To this he consented and was elected Dec. 23, 1898,1 and once officially con- nected with the college his influence in the management of its affairs was telling. The efforts of the trustees to save the college were beginning to shov/ encouraging results. They had at last in particular, vv^on the co-operation of several prominent business men of St. Paul and Minneapolis. At an informal meeting held in the home of Mr. Wm. W. B. Dean of St. Paul, sometime in the winter of 1897-8, the problems of the college were thoroughly discussed. Among those present at that memorable ^Record "C," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 40. 192 MACALESTER COLLEGE. gathering were W. B. Dean, R. C. Jefferson, R. A. Kirk, D. R. Noyes, J. C. Cooper, H. K. Taylor and Dr. Wallace. The condition of the college finances were fully pre- sented with a view of determining what, if anything, could be done. These business men were a unit in thinking that the facts should be laid before the cred- itors and that they be urged to assist in reducing the debt, and that as much money should bd" raised as pos- sible. This plan was carried out. For the moral effect Dr. Wallace began the appeal to the creditors with himself and the professors. He pledged what the college owed him, amounting to about two years' salary. Professor Anderson and Dr. Davis remitted about one year's salary each, and Dr. Down- ing reduced the amount due him with much liberality. Other friends and creditors of the college responded cordially, including the bond holders, especially the Episcopal Diocese of St. Paul. Thus on the creditors' side the debt was materially reduced. At the request of the Board Dr. John Paul Egbert, pastor of the House of Hope, St. Paul, and Dr. Pleas- ant Hunter, pastor of the Westminster Church, Min- neapolis, went to Chicago to appeal to the Board of Aid for Colleges and Academies for fifteen thousand dollars. In this effort they had the hearty support of Dr. Herrick Johnson, the founder of that Board. After a time the amount was pledged on condition that the entire debt be liquidated. On the earnest soHcitation of Mr. Thomas H. Dick- Mr. Thomas H. Dickson. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. 193 son, then president of the Board of Trustees, Mr. James J. Hill increased his former pledge of ten thousand dol- lars to eighteen and later to twenty thousand dollars. Messrs. Kirk, Jefferson, Weyerhaeuser, Dayton, Dun- woody and Janney gave from three to five thousand each. Mr. Cyrus McCormick of Chicago, one thou- sand; Miss Willard of Auburn, N. Y., one thousand dollars; Dr. Wallace and Thomas Cochran secured between four and five thousand dollars from persons in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New York. Messrs. W. B. Dean, D. R. Noyes, Charles H. Bigelow, William McKibbin, Judge Thomas Wilson, J. W. Carpenter, A. B. Davidson, Professor Thomas Shaw, George H. Wishard, A. R. Chace and others contributed liberally. Of the men who first formulated the plan for liquidat- ing the debt at the residence of Mr. W. B. Dean, the following were organized into a financial committee, working outside of the Board of Trustees: R. A. Kirk, chairman, R. C. Jefferson, W. R. Dean, George D. Dayton, Thomas R. Janney and William H. Dun- woody. To the chairman of this committee and to the hearty co-operation of R. C. Jefferson is due much of the success achieved. Into the hands of this committee was put a list of all the old creditors, and to them all pledges were paid. In this way the work of liquidat- ing the debt was speedily and ably carried on to com- pletion. Meantime the Albert Lea Board of Trustees gener- ously consented to settle its claims against the college by taking back certain blocks of the real estate it had 194 MACALESTER COLLEGE. sold to the college through R. P. Lewis,^ Mrs. M. L. Marvin, the only surviving child of Dr. and Mrs. Rice, with remarkable generosity accepted a few blocks of the Macalester College Addition in lieu of what the college owed her.^ In this way the entire debt was lifted. In the ne- gotiations attending the settlement of the debts of the college the extra financial committee had the able as- sistance of Attorney B. H. Schriber, who gave his time and legal service without charge. During the years in which the effort to liquidate the debt was uppermost with the trustees, special help towards meeting the current expenses came from "The Woman's Auxiliary of Macalester college." This socie- ty was organized Jan. 14, 1896. Its object was two-fold; I, To spread information concerning the college and arouse interest for the college among the Presbyterians of the Northwest. 2, To raise money for the current expenses of "The Elms" or the "Ladies' Hall." After Mrs. Julia Johnson was made a professor in the college a part of the work of the club was to aid in securing her salary as Dean of the Woman's Department. For the fee of one dollar per year any woman could become a member of this organization, and the payment of ten dollars entitled any man to honorary membership. The first officers of the Auxiliary were : President, Mrs. C. S. Morgan, of the House of Hope ; Treasurer, iSee Record "C," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 70-1. 2See Record "C," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 70. Mr. Bishop H. Schriber. DEBT AND LIQUIDATION. I95 Mrs. C. E. Secor; and Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. E. C. Downing. Mrs. E. A. Brush was for several years president of the Auxiliary and an enthusiastic leader. Through this organization much was done in improv- ing the accommodations of young women at the *'Elms." The members advertised the College and brought its needs to the attention of the women of their respective churches. They also rendered important aid in providing for the management of the Ladies* Hall and the salary of Mrs. Julia M. Johnson. The Auxihary existed for four years, during which it ren- dered very opportune service. Its financial contribu- tions alone amounted to $2,495.39. At the annual meeting of the Board, June 5th, 1900, when only a few^ matters incident to the settlement of the debt remained, the time had come for the reorgani- zation of the Board of Trustees. Mr. C. T. Thomp- son, chairman of the committee for nomination of trustees to fill the vacancies of those whose terms had expired moved that all who had been members of the old Board decline re-election and that the management of the college be entrusted to new men who had not been connected officially with the former administra- tion. By this action all members of the old Board re- signed, excepting Henry M. Moss, who by special re- quest was asked to retain his place. The new members were Rev. F. W. Eraser, J. C. Faries, R. A. Kirk, R. See the Report of the Woman's Auxiliary of Mac called 1896-1900, and the "Echo" for April 12, 1897, page 5- Echo Jan. 1886. 196 MACALESTER COLLEGE. C. Jefferson, W. H. Dunwoody, Rev. C. T. Burnley, Rev. R. N. Adams, Rev. Murdock McLeod, J. P. Gordan, Dr. A. B. Meldrum. CHAPTER X. From 1890 to 1900. In the second period of Macalester's history, from 1890-1900, the college witnessed many changes. The first of these was in the personnel of the faculty. Pres- ident McCurdy and Dr. Kirkwood severed their con- nection with the institution in 1890. On April 24th, 1891, Professor Pearson resigned in order to accept the agency in Ohio for Ginn & Co., schoolbook publishers.! On May 5th the trustees elect- ed Edward C. Downing, of Toulon Academy, 111., to the chair of Latin Language and Literature, left va- cant by the resignation of Professor Pearson. At the same meeting the office of Dean of the Faculty was created, and Dr. James Wallace was elected to this position. The duties of the office were defined thus: "to exercise the functions of the president in his ab- sence."2 In August, 1891, Samuel M. Kirkwood, M. D., '89, was engaged as instructor in Natural Sciences in place of Dr. Forbes. During the course of the winter. Dr. Samuel Kirkwood resigned and was succeeded by his brother, William P. Kirkwood, ^90. At the regular meeting of the Board, Sept. ist, 1891, Andrew W. Anderson of Bellaire, Ohio, was appoint- iMinutes of the Faculty, Book i, page 254. 2Record "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page lOO. sRecord "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 173. 198 MACALESTER COLLEGE. ed instructor in English, Psychology and Logic,^ and at the October meeting, Rev. George W. Davis, Ph. D., of New Preston, Connecticut, was elected Acting Professor of Biblical History and Literature, to begin his work by Feb. ist, 1892.2 Professor Downing is an Ohioan by birth, a gradu- ate of Wooster University, class of 1885. From the same institution he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy magna cum laude, in 1903. He is a man of poetic temperament, a facile writer of verse, and commands a style that is dignified and elegant. He is a professor of scholarly attainments and thoroughly at home in the classical languages. Since 1892 he has been at the head of the growing department of Latin Language and Literature. For several years he was principal of the Academy. No man has been more kind and affable, and more helpful to students and col- leagues than Dr. Downing. Professor Anderson, like Dr. Downing, is an alum- nus of Wooster. He took first honors in his class in 1889, and is known as a scholar of critical and exact knowledge. As a teacher he is just and conscientious, possessing in a remarkable degree the ability to interest students in hard work. The subjects of which he is fondest are philosophy and pedagogy. He has al- ways been a popular teacher. Since 1906 he has been the Dean of the college. Dr. Davis was born in England, studied at Vic- iRecord "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 175. 2Record "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 185. Rev. a. W. Ringland, D. D. President, 1892-1894. MACALESTER FROM 1890-1900. 199 toria University, Manchester, graduating in 1882. He completed his theological training at Auburn Seminary, N. Y., in 1886, and obtained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from Yale in 1890. He is a man of ex- tensive scholarship, versatile in his gifts and an en- thusiastic teacher. Dr. Davis is also a fine conversa- tionalist, social in disposition, and an able preacher. There was now only one member of the original faculty left, Dr. Neill. Upon the new professors, therefore, fell a large part of the task of saving the college. Salaries in 1892, were far below those paid in 1885, and were not even paid regularly or in full. Still these faculty members stood loyally by the col- lege and in its darkest days were ever hopeful that Macalester would soon come to its own. The year 1892 is memorable for two important events. First, the erection of Edwards Hall; second, the election of Rev. A. W. Ringland, D. D., to the presidency. The building of Edwards Hall came about in an unexpected way. In May, 1892, while Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Edwards were making a social call at the home of Dr. Wallace, Mr. Edwards casually remarked that he was supporting two young men in Park College. He explained that his reason for helping Park College in this way was that there a dollar was made to go further than at any other college of which he had knowledge, and that the students there were of a class that specially needed help. After the visitors had returned to their home it 200 MACALESTER COLLEGE. occurred to Dr. Wallace that perhaps Mr. Edwards could be interested in making some provision by which students of limited means might be enabled to reduce to a minimum the expenses of a college education at Macalester. To many young men the expense of board and room in the dormitory, even though very moderate, offered a serious problem. There were then only a few houses in Macalester Park, so that the organization of a club was impossible for lack of quar- ters. A plain frame structure in which a student club might be conducted would be a valuable addition to the college plant. Accordingly, Dr. Wallace pre- sented this need to Mr. Edwards and asked him to assist in the erection of such a building, suggesting that he, being a lumber dealer, contribute a part of the lumber. Mr. Edwards not only assented to this proposition but offered to present the matter to one or two other lumbermen with a view of securing their co-opera- tion. When the plans for the building were submit- ted to him and approved, he employed an architect to draw up the specifications. Mr. Frederick Weyer- haeuser agreed to furnish one-third of the lumber needed ; Mr. R . A. Kirk pledged his firm for the hard- ware; the stones for the foundation were given, and the bill for plastering was also reduced to a low figure. The students cheerfully donated their services, work- ing in relays under the direction of a carpenter, and by Jan. ist, 1893, the building was completed. From the opening of the school in September until Br^^^^BB ^^HHIi^^^Bb ■1 fi'-ft,.^'' iHM ■ Mr. W. C. Edwards. MACALESTER FROM 1890-1900. 201 the Club could move into its new quarters it had the use of the President's vacant house, now occupied by the Eutrophian Club. Here, Mrs. Wallace for a time performed the duties of matron. This fact is one of many illustrations that might be cited of her interest in the students in the day of small things and is indica- tive of the help-one-another spirit so strong in those days. The building was named Edwards Hall, after Mr. Edwards. He had furnished not only most of the lumber, but also the funds necessary to pay the work- men and other items of expense. The total cost of the building erected on this co-operative plan, did not ex- ceed two thousand, eight hundred dollars. Edwards Hall was nearly filled the first year, and from the following year down to the present a clnt of thirty-five persons or more has been furnished with good rooms and board at exceptionally low rates. From the first the club has been self-governing. Dur- ing all these years it has maintained a high reputation for good conduct, wholesome board and careful economic management. Among the stewards were John Selhe, Hugh S. Alexander, Carl Shellman, Tol- bert Watson, F. S. Shimian and Albert Gammons. Since the resignation of Dr. McCurdy in July, 1890, Macalester had been without a resident executive head. Dr. Burrell, the second president, was pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church and lived in Minneapolis. His pastoral duties were so engrossing that he had little time to attend to the details of the 202 MACALESTER COLLEGE. college's administration. These matters were, there- fore, at first entrusted to Prof. Pearson, and after he had severed his connection with the institution, Dr. Wallace was made Dean or Acting President. In the fall of 1891, Dr. Burrell moved to New York, and thereby terminated his relations with the college. His resignation had been in the hands of the trustees since September 12th, 1890, to take effect when a successor had been elected. Numerous candi- dates were considered by the trustees, but in almost every instance the persons mentioned were either un- willing or unable to perform the duties of a financial agent. From the first the Board looked for a man who understood the needs, not only of Macalester, but also of the Presbyterian Church in Minnesota. Such a m.an they believed would bring the institution closer to the churches and arouse interest in it. Actuated by this motive, their choice fell on Rev. A. W. Ringland D. D., then pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Duluth, whom they called Sept. 20th, 1892.^ Dr. Ringland had enjoyed the best educational ad- vantages. A native of Pennsylvania, he was educated at Centre College, Danville, Kentucky, and at McCor- mick Theological Seminary from which he graduated in 1875. After serving pastorates at Dubuque and Tuscola, Iowa, and Bement, 111., he was called to the First Presbyterian Church of Duluth, Feb. 9th, 1884. During the nine years of his ministry in that field the ^Record "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 242. Edwards Hall. MACALESTER FROM 1890-1900. 203 church membership grew from 109 to 434. He also spurred the congregation on to erect a handsome brown stone church building at a cost of eighty thousand dol- lars. Dr. Ringland had been very successful in di- recting the finances of the growing church. The election of Dr. Ringland was received with general approval and enthusiasm by Macalester's con- stituency. Sept. 30th, 1892, the faculty had this senti- ment placed on record^ : "The faculty has learned with pleasure that the Board of Trustees has tendered Dr. A. W. Ringland, the presidency of this institution and hope that he may see his way clear to accept it." The student-body, too, was delighted when it received the news of the Board's action. There was a general belief among the friends of the college that an era of prosperity for Macalester had dawned. At his departure from the Zenith City the Duluth Herald said editorially: "The people of Duluth will view the departure of Rev. A. W. Ringland with con- flicting emotions. The regret that they experience is that his selection as president of Macalester College means his removal from this city, in which he has re- sided for the past nine years. At the same time they are pleased that his great ability has been recognized in such a signal manner, and that a high honor has been conferred upon him. The presidency of Macales- ter College is of far greater importance, than the pas- torate of any church in St. Paul or Minneapolis. The unanimity with which Dr. Ringland was elected tc ^Minutes of the Faculty, Vol. 2, page 22. 204 MACALESTER COLLEGE. this position was another tribute to his ability and worth. The call was almost general that he should accept the presidency. The synod, both clergy and laity, the trustees of the college and even the students united in requesting him to assume the important of- fice. In the face of this strong feeling Dr. Ringland could hardly refuse to consider the proposition, and the Congregation of the First Presbyterian Church, though reluctant to part with their able and popular pastor, felt that they must yield to the almost universal demand for the good of the church. *That Dr. Ringland will speedily place Macalester in a better position financially and make it one of the strongest and best educational institutions in the coun- try, his friends have complete confidence. The good wishes of all Duluth will be with him."^ That he would speedily place Macalester in a bet- ter financial condition, was the hope and prayer of all of Macalester College's friends. But when money is scarce and, moreover, when an institution is burdened with a heavy debt, even a truly Herculean efifort may fail to realize the expectations of over-zealous friends. Dr. Ringland knew that his position was a difficult one, but he was confident of achieving speedy success. But in this he was doomed to great disappointment. In his first 'report to the Board of Trustees, June 10, 1893,^ Dr. Ringland expressed his views concern- ing the problem before the college. A considerable iDuluth Herald, Nov. 1892. ^Record B, Board of Trustees, page 226. MACALESTER FROM 1890-1900. 205 part of the report is here reprinted because it fur- nishes the key to his administration: "This Board is called to face not a simple but an exceedingly complex condition. It is confronted by a past in the form of a debt, by a present of very for- bidding financial aspect, by a future of great effort inspired by great responsibilities and great ultimate promise. * * * j think we can say, that there are just four stable grounds of confidence which are worth mentioning, upon which the Board dare to lean for the continued life of this institution. * * * The first of the four grounds of legitimate confidence for the continued life of this institution is the canvass which has already been put in motion. While we cannot say perhaps that it has been eminently success- ful as yet we ought, I think, to say that under the conditions, it has been satisfactory. * * * It is the cheapest and best method of advertising because the people themselves pay for the "at>" and all the profits on the work come to us rather than go out from us. It will be a choice method of arousing an inter- est and building up a patronage for the college. "The second ground of our confidence must be in due increase of male students. This increase can be readily made, as I believe, by a thorough and judicious canvass. * * * Qur students, after all, are our best apostles. If we can send them out year after >ear to say that Macalester College is a choice place for the retreat of students, that its appointments are satisfactory, and that they intend to come back, a great 2o6 MACALESTER COLLEGE. and important factor in our success is conserved. But if on account of small things easily overcome the spirit of criticism rises to a voice of compaint and that voice of complaint brings on an exodus, it will be next to im- possible to overcome the harm that v^ill be done. "I name as the third ground of our confidence ENDOWMENT. It may be said that this is the worst possible time to prosecute a canvass for such funds. The only answer that can be given is that, whether the best possible or the worst possible time, it must be done. The fact that our current' expenses are steadily eating into the very heart of our available collaterals and no commensurate thing is coming in to offset the drain, is, to any sober business judgment, a certain foreshad- owing of doom. If the Board is ready to say that it is useless to go into the field, I, for one, am ready to say that I see nothing to tarry for but the benediction. These hard times do not come to us in a day and will not retire in a day. We will have to throw our resolute trust upon God into the more agonizing action if necessary. * "^ * Lastly, I call your attention to the fourth ground of our confidence, viz., Co-education. I shall not discuss the question in any other light than the financial. I shall not take the pro's or con's of the agreement which might be taken if we had an en- dowment or an income from other sources. I shall simply take ground such as would be taken by the surgeon, and which would be cordially consented to by friends were the life of the patient in jeopardy. I MACALESTER FROM 1890-1900. 207 take it that this college is in that condition. * * * This board must not wait for another meeting to de- cide this question. It has had the last day that can be reasonably given it. * * * If it does cast some temporary sacrifice of convicton to place Co-education here for a short term of years, that is a small sacrifice by the side of the corporation standing which suffers under the cry of unpaid laborers, and the forfeiture of confidence of business houses in our city which wait for months for their accounts to be paid. * * * My own mind is clear that when we come to sum up our obligations they will be found to be fourfold. I. A preparatory department to the college. 2. A college proper for young men, after the type of an Eastern college. 3. A young ladies' seminary. 4. A theological seminary. "I furthermore believe that if this Board wishes to make a rapid movement towards a splendid success here that it will find its easiest path through some such method as the following one, to wit: i. Let the purpose be to devote as soon as possible to the use of the dormitories and class room work. 2. Use every means to interest some person of large wealth to adopt the College Department, endowing its professorship, erecting its buildings, furnishing its apparatus and leaving a permanent fund for insurance and repairs. The sum of $400,000 would easily care for these things for the present. For this Board to say that that sun^ could not be secured in five years, when Chicago Uni- versity has gathered something like seventeen times 2o8 MACALESTER COLLEGE. as much in two-fifths of that time is to utterly dis- credit this location and turn our whole enterprise into contempt. * * * 2. The buildings for the Ladies' Seminary once on the ground and properly equipped, that department will not only pay its own way, but under proper management will pay a surplus. The expenses for a girl can be made several times the ex- penses of a boy, when once the institution has gained its place in public recognition. By which I mean, that a Ladies' Seminary has not the same dependence upon endowment as a college for young men. The music, painting, drawing, profits on board, etc., with the paternal pride in daughters and a corresponding willingness to pay more for their education gives a Ladies' Seminary a decided advantage over a school for boys. I am advised that when once started with any reasonable patronage there are plenty of applicants to take such schools off the hands of the original man- agements and allow the Board to name the ligature by which such school is still to sustain its relation to the system of schools of which it is a part. 4. The final suggestion at this point is that we look forward to the establishment of a Theological Seminary. This point is the natural one for the Seminary for the belt of states reaching to the coast. We are here to create and foster a ministry for the next generation. In a growing community with a rapid growing church we already see the importance of doing one of two things. Either sending our boys farther away from home to MACALESTER FROM 1890-1900. 209 the east, patronizing the Omaha Seminary, or furnish- ing one ourselves." It was Dr. Ringland's misfortune to come to the college at a time when the financial depression through- out the country was at its worst. As the months went on the outlook became more and more threatening. The men who had done most to sustain Macalester had lost heavily during the panic and several of them had become insolvent. It soon became evident that his elaborate plans could not be carried out. Under those circumstances the best that could be expected was to keep the institution in operation. But even that was almost impossible. The deficit increased. Then he proposed a plan to raise sixty-five thousand dollars to be paid in twenty installments running through a period of five years; but this undertaking failed completely. Discouraged by such experiences, disappointed in the results of his efforts as a financial agent and believing that under existing conditions he vv^ould not be able to serve Macalester as he desired, he resigned the presidency March 13, 1894. During that school year, 1893-4, the college suffered the loss of its founder and senior professor, Dr. Neill. The total enrollment was exactly one hundred. Forty- two were in the college and fifty-eight in the academy. The diligence, character and loyalty of the students to the college compensated for many dis- comforts the faculty were obliged to endure. Dr. Ring- land said in his report to the trustees, June, 1894: "The year has been one of great financial trial to the 210 MACALESTER COLLEGE. professors." "To them belongs the credit of keeping the college open for the year just ended." 'The hardships to these professors have been very great and in some cases involve all the accumulations of past years." "The church owes a lasting debt of gratitude to the men and women who have held the ship in the storm and have brought that ship to you unharmed at the end of a trip so critical." ^ The period of greatest suffering for the faculty was from 1893- 1897. Salaries were meagre and mon- ey scarce. One of the most trying periods was during 1896. From June to August loth, it was uncertain whether the college would again open its doors. On the latter date the authorities decided to continue the work and on the next day a circular letter was sent to the ministers, elders and other friends of the institu- tion announcing this decision and asking their co- operation. When the fall term opened an unexpected- ly large number of students enrolled. Their devotion was noble and inspiring. Frequently their appreci- ation of what the professors were sacrificing found expression in the "Echo," and in other ways they show- ed their esteem for the members of the faculty. Here is an example: "We do appreciate the members of our faculty and the work they are doing. We are proud of them. * * * That the work done here is being appreciated by outsiders is best testified to by the efforts of a neighboring institution (Carleton Col- ^Minutes of the Trustees, Record "B," pages 246-7. MACALESTER FROM 1890-1900. 211 lege) , to secure Dr. Davis on its faculty." ^ Dr. Strong had requested him to bring as many students along as possible. He had asked Dr. Wallace, also, and re- quested that in case Macalester should be obliged to close its doors the students be directed to go to Carle- ton. But Macalester was not ready to give up. Slowly the Presbyterian church began to take an interest in its school. The fact that the professors were true to the college when their salaries were far in arrears ; that they cheerfully carried heavy schedules and gave thorough instruction, and that the students were enthusiastically loyal to their college gradually developed a sentiment in its favor throughout a large part of the state. After Dr. Ringland's resignation the duties of the executive office again fell to the Dean, Dr. Wallace. And when the trustees submitted their annual re- port to the synod which met at Rochester in October, 1894, they requested synod to nominate a president for the college.2 The committee appointed by the moderator to present a name for this office ponslsted of Dr. John Paul Egbert, General Adams, Revs. John Pringle and Samuel Semple, and Elder Farr. They unanimously recommended Dr. Wallace for this po- sition and the synod, unanimously and by rising vote, adopted the report.^ But Dr. Wallace did not accept the election for presi- dent. After conferences with the trustees he consent- ^Macalester Echo, May 22, 1897, page 211. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minn., 1894, P^ge 550. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minn., 1894, page 557. 2ia MACALESTER COLLEGE. ed, however, to perform the duties of acting-president. Meanwhile, he continued to carry a full schedule in the college. On Saturday he visited churches, and Sundays preached wherever he could secure a hearing for the school. Students then came from all parts of the state, whereas in the earlier years the attendance was chiefly from the Twin Cities. During the late summer of 1895, the ladies of Mac- alester Park and other good women of the church, fitted up the president's house as a Ladies' Hall. The Elms, as it came to be known that year, was occu- pied by eleven young women, and the total female at- tendance in the school amounted to twenty-six. In the fall of that year, a lady professor, for the first time in the history of the college, was engaged as instructor and member of the faculty. This was Miss Charlotte Mead, teacher of German and French. Mr. Harry E. Phillips the same autumn began a course in instru- mental and vocal music at the college. This has de- veloped into the department of music of which he is the head. It is now recognized as one of the best in the Northwest. The course in the Academy was extended from three to four years, and in the college electives in Sociology. Greek and Hebrew were offered. The to- tal attendance ran up to one hundred and twenty-one. During the year 1895-6, the churches of the synod made the best showing for contributions to the col- lege — having given $1,750.30 to its support, not in- cluding individual gifts from friends in the Twin MACALESTER FROM 1890-1900. 213 Cities. But that meant that still over two hundred churches or four out of every five gave nothing to the cause of Christian education.^ There probably was no time in the history of Mac- alester when the relation between the students and the faculty was so cordial as during these years. A splendid college spirit reigned. The students were devoted to their studies and everything that was done was performed with a right good will. The athletic teams, although the college had no paid coach, won a large majority of their games. In football, particu- larly, Macalester had a splendid record for victories. The literary societies did excellent work. A new so- ciety, the "Philadelphian," was organized in 1894, ir order to give individual students more opportunities for practice in debate and public speaking. The male quartet and the Brass Band furnished creditable musi- cal entertainments, and the Y. M. C. A. and Student Volunteers stimulated a healthy interest in religious matters. In February, 1896, the trustees called Prof. D. N. Kingery, a graduate of Wabash,. 1893, to take up the subjects formerly taught by Professor Trask, who, lacking the gift of teaching, had resigned. Professor Kingery came to the college in March of the same year and at once became the head of the departments of Science and Mathematics. Macalester was very for- tunate in securing his services at a time when it needed a competent man, although unable to offer the salary iMinutes of the Synod of Minn., 1896, page 88. 214 MACALESTER COLLEGE. most teachers in science demanded. Early in life Pro- fessor Kingery had shown great mathematical talent and a fondness for natural sciences. When he came to Macalester the departments over which he was placed had been sadly neglected. He made much of the ap- paratus needed for experiments and soon created a deep interest in the subjects he taught. Sincere, kind and unselfish, guileless by nature, having an undeviat- ing sense of honor and of right, he is one of the most beloved of Macalester's professors. Interested in clean athletics he has encouraged true sportsmanship and in many other ways has helped to promote the best interests of the college. In addition to his heavy teaching hours he has been registrar and has perform- ed the duties of deputy treasurer. The year 1897-8 witnessed an increase in the at- tendance of young women in the college department. Anticipating this growth, the trustees had appointed Mrs. Julia M. Johnson preceptress of the Elms and Professor of English Literature. Mrs. Johnson Is a graduate of Mount Holyoke, class of 1885, and has pursued graduate work at the Universities of Penn- sylvania, Cincinnati and Minnesota. She is a pams- taking and enthusiastic teacher, and a literary critic of ability. As Dean of Women and Preceptress of Wal- lace Hall, she has endeared herself to the young wo- men of Macalester. In 1897 Professor Lester D. Brown resigned as adjunct professor of Greek. He was a popular teach- er and a scholar who was held in high esteem by his MACALESTER FROM 1890-1900. 215 colleagues in the faculty. Professor John P. Hall, an alumnus of Princeton University, succeeded him With the exception of two years, 1903-5, when he was instructor of Greek at Princeton, he has served Mac- alester as Professor of Greek. Since 1908 he has been principal of the Academy. Rev. William C. Laube was made head of the de- partment of German in 1897 and upon his resignation the following year was succeeded by Rev. Henry D. Funk. Almost every alumnus of Macalester associates the name of Samuel Cookman with the college. Mr. Cookman came to Macalester in 1887, and with the exception of a few years, has been in its continuous service. His care of the building and his usefulnes.^ have been of inestimable value to the trustees. CHAPTER XI. MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. Co-education is a distinctive phase of the American system of higher learning. It is one of the evidences of the emancipation of woman in the nineteenth cen- tury, and the natural consequence of free elementary and secondary schools. In 1833 Oberlin Collegiate in- stitute^ was opened admitting both men and women on an equal basis. In 1853 Antioch college,^ over which Horace Mann presided, was opened likewise as a co-educational institution. The state universities of the West in response to public sentiment allowed women the same privileges as were provided for the men.^ But the denominational colleges of the western states did not become co-edu- cational so readily as did the state institutions. In the course of time, however, most of them permitted young women to enter. The oldest protestant colleges of Minnesota, Hamline, Gustavus Adolphus and Carleton began as institutions for both sexes. These colleges found it advantageous to be co-edu- cational and their experience was not without effect upon Macalester. Macalester College was opened as a college for men only. But the spirit of the West de- iButler Education in the U. S. Page 324. ^Butler Education in the U. S. Page 324. ^Butler Education in the U. S. Page 325- MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 217 manded co-education. Had Macalester been opened as a school for both sexes much trouble might have been averted. The attendance from the beginning would have been much larger and it probably would have gained friends mOre rapidly when it was in great- est need of such. It certainly would have added to the resources of the college at a time when, owing to the concessions granted to ministerial candidates, the re- ceipts from tuition fees were very low. Finally Mac- alester was obliged to yield to the pressure of the time and open its doors to young women. Until this be- came a fact the possibility of the introduction of co- education was the occasion for much uneasiness and even of ill feeling in the faculty and among the trus- tees. It was one of the causes for the lack of harmony between Dr. McCurdy and Dr. Neill. On Dec. 19, 1884, one month after the new president had arrived, in a meeting of the trustees, he urged the adoption oi the principle of co-education.i When the college was opened the next year Dr. McCurdy stated publicly that he hoped soon to see the youths of both sexes attending Macalester.^ To this policy Dr. Neill was unalterably opposed. From the opening of the college until Dr. Neill's death in 1893, the presence of young women, even in the academy, was the occasion for in- ternal discord. How strongly Dr. Neill felt on this iMinutes of the Trustees of Macalester College, Record «A," Page 188. 2St. Paul Pioneer Press, Sept. 17, ioo5- 2i8 MACALESTER COLLEGE. matter in 1885 may be noted from a letter which he addressed to the Board of Trustees in October of that year. The letter read as follows : "Saint Paul, October i, 1885. To The Trustees of Macalester College, Gentlemen : After my dedicatory address on the i6th of Sep- tember, in which mention was made that it was the in- tention of the founders of, and donors to, Macalester College, that it should be a college for young men, and also that the Synod had adopted it as their col- lege for young men, President McCurdy told the audi- ence that I was mistaken. Will the Board kindly appoint a committee to con- fer with me, as I have felt that the remark was not timely, even uncourteous, as well as incorrect. If the trustees disregard the agreement with the Synod and make it a college for the co-education of sexes, it is probable that the executors of Mr. Macalester and the founder may take steps to see that the intention of the founder and his friends is executed by the Trustees. Believe me, Sincerely, Edward D. Neill." 1 In deference to Dr. Neill's strong feeling against co-education young women were not permitted to at- tend the college classes, but special indulgence was given to a few young women to attend the Preparatory department. The catalog for 1885-6 contains this statement: "The following young ladies living near to, and on the grounds of Macalester College, were, by action of the Board of- Trustees, admitted to classes in the Preparatory Department of the College. This ^This letter was printed by Dr. Neill and sent to the trustees and to friends. A copy thereof is in the library. MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 219 privilege is limited to members of the Professors' fam- ilies and to those near the college."^ By this arrangement ten young women attended the men's school. This was the entering wedge. It restricted the attendance of young women to the academy and even there only to those connected with the college authorities. But it made a breach. Very soon a demand was made for the extension of this privilege to the young women of Macalester and Merriam Parks. The requests grew stronger and more insistant with each succeeding year. In answer to such appeals Dr. Burrell on September loth, 1889, offered the following resolution which was adopted by the Board of Trustees : ''Resolved, That young ladies living in the vicinity of the college may be received to the Preparatory class for the present term." ^ By this action the door for the admission of women was open- ed a little wider. Five young women living near the college availed themselves of the opportunity and at- tended preparatory classes. But Dr. Neill refused to teach any class in which they were enrolled. As this privilege did not yet include the college department, female attendance did not grow rapidly. During the following years the call for the admission of women to the college became louder and more determined. By the faculty, the trustees, the students and patrons of the college this demand was, on the whole, regarded more and more favorably. The ap- ipirst Annual Catalog, 1885-6. Page 9. 2Record B. Minutes for Sept. 10, 1889. Page 107. 220 MACALESTER COLLEGE. peal, of course, was not universal, and there were some who objected very earnestly to this proposed innova- tion. But the cause of co-operation was gaining. Public sentiment gradually favored the support of one Presbyterian college for the youth of both sexes, especially because the college was small and depended almost altogther on the gifts of the churches. A letter to Dr. Wallace, written by Mrs. Rice, the widow of Dr. Daniel Rice, who was the financial sec- retary for both Albert Lea and Macalester, from 1880- 1884, and later trustee and professor in Macalester College, expresses the changed view that many good friends of these two institutions came to hold. This letter is dated June 5th, 1895 ; in a part of it she wrote : "As you know Dr. Rice and myself were in favor of establishing the two colleges — Macalester and Albertj Lea — and of separate education. The great and per- sistent efforts of ten years have demonstrated that the difficulty of establishing these two colleges is much greater than was then supposed. Most of our churches are young and weak, while many of our strongest are crippled with debt. In looking at the signs, and very carefully considering this whole matter, I have come to believe that it would be better for all interests con- cerned if the two colleges were united in one, and I feel sure from opinions expressed before his death, that if Dr. Rice were living he would coincide with me in this. I do not know how serious would be the difficulties in the way, but so desirable does this union seem to be that I have decided to make the following > > f M in H w n o M o o MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 221 proposition to the Trustees of Macalester College." Mrs. Rice then offered to give the Trustees ten thou- sand dollars for memorial scholarships if they would "use their endeavors to bring about a consolidation of the two colleges, Albert Lea and Macalester, as soon as possible.'^^ The first step looking toward the removal of the ban against women was taken by President Ringland. In his first report to that body, Dr. Ringland strongly urged them to permit the attendance of young women at Macalester, in order to win more friends and a larg- er income from tuition fees. The Trustees, after pro- longed discussion voted to give co-education a trial for five years. The vote was very close, five in favor and four opposed; the motion being carried by the Presi- dent's vote. This action, which was not taken without an acquaintance with the opinion of the Synod of Min- nesota on this question, led trustees R. P. Lewis and W. M. Tenny, to resign from the Board. They believ- ed that the Trustees had violated an important agree- ment existing between the college and the synod and that it would result in great harm to Albert Lea. Al- though they continued to be good friends of the college they did not see their way clear to remain on its govern- ing board. For several years the synod had maintained an Ad- visory Committee on Education. The business of this Committee was to counsel the trustees and the presi- iRecord "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Page 274-5. 222 MACALESTER COLLEGE. dents of Albert Lea and Macalester Colleges on such matters as were of special interest to the synod. As the Committee represented each Presbytery of the Syn- od and was expected to' reflect the general thought of the church on any question relating to the affairs of the colleges, Dr. Ringland had referred to this Com- mittee the question of introducing co-education at Mac- alester. The counsel of the Advisory Committee was in favor of Dr. Ringland's policy, as the report to the Synod shows : "Your committee held its first meeting on the 23rd of March in the Westminster Church. A majority were present. Representatives of both our Synodical Colleges were heard at length concerning the interests of their respective institutions. After a full consultation the following action was unanimously taken : 'Resolved, That it is the opinion of this com- mittee that Macalester College should adopt the system of co-education and make suitable provision therefore at the earliest possible date.' "^ ^ A second meeting was held at the same place on August 1st. Between these meetings, however, the Eoard of Trustees of Macalester College, feeling that a crisis had come in the history of the institution which demanded immediate action as to its future policy, and being legally a body of independent control, adopted the principle of co-education and began preparations for opening the college according to that plan. This action being in harmony with the views of the commit- 2Record "B," Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Page 226. ^Minutes of the Synod of Minn. 1893, Page 485. MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 223 tee the following recommendation was adopted: "Re- solved, That the action of the Board of Trustees of Macalester College in making provision for a five years' trial of the system known as co-educational, be recom- mended to Synod as a perfectly satisfactory action." "Two meetings of the Committee have also been held during the sessions of this Synod." "Your committee present the following as their final report and recommendations : As is well known to this Synod thus far in the history of our educational work we have failed to secure the money necessary to carry forward the work as originally planned. We have also been unable to arouse the interest and ener- gies of our people in behalf of our educational institu- tions ; and in many respects have failed to make our institutions take the high rank in the state and country which our prestige as a church would lead us to ex- pect. These considerations have forced us to the con- clusion that changes must be made in our system, that we may be able to arouse and control all the energies of our churches in the interests of our educational work and that we may place such work upon a more secure footing even though it may be at the expense of radical change and retrenchment. We therefore recommend : I. That Synod approve the adoption of the plan of co-education by the Trustees of Macalester College." This report and the recommendations were adopted by the synod. While this action expressed the thought of a large 224 MACALESTER COLLEGE. majority of the church it was by no means agreeable to all. Naturally enough the directors of Albert Lea resented it. They believed that Macalester was vio- lating the terms of the agreement by which it passed under the auspices of the synod and that it would be- come a dangerous rival instead of being one of the friendly twins. But the person most keenly disappointed over the admission of women to the college was Dr. Neill. His feelings were expressed in the following letter : "Saint Paul, September 5, 1893. Gentlemen: The legislature of Minnesota, in 1873, amended the College charter, by which amendment you were required to 'make such regulations as will best carry out the wishes of the founders of the institution and the donors of its' fund.' ''As the founder of Macalester College, who ex- pended several thousands of dollars 'n its establish- ment, I must therefore earnestly protest agamst your late action by which vou have thwarted the design of the founder, and all the donors to the fund ; the time, that the amendment to the charter was secured, and request that you will enter my proles^ in your minutes. "For twenty years it has been anno'inced by the trustees that Macalester College was a college for young men. The Synod of Minnesota, a'though it could have no direct control over it. recog'uzed it as a college for voung men, and commended it to the con- fidence of Presbyterian families. To it, as a college for young men I gave a library of about one thousand volumes, valuable manuscripts of William Penn, George Washington and other illustrious men, as well as many articles to the Museum of "History, and also procured from three friends more than two thousand dollars for the purchase of books for the reference li- brary. O o W a MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 225 "The Rev Dr. Rice made a bequest to the College in the belief that it was designed only for young men. "In a printed circular soliciting subscriptions to the amount of one hundred and twenty-five thousand ($i2S,ooo) dollars to pay certain debts, you use this language: Tour years' experiment has made evident the need of just such an institution as Macalester Col- lege, one exclusively for young men, of a high grade of scholarship/ With this understandmg I subscribed to the payment of the debts. ^ • 1 ^. "In your late printed circular offering certain lots for sale, you again mention^: It is a high grade college for young men exclusively.* "Hopino- that you may reconsider your action, Believe me, faithfully, Edward D. Neill." ^ To Trustees of Macalester College. The opening of the school year for 1893-4 did not witness a great influx of young women. Only three entered as collegians, two of them were freshman and one was admitted to the Junior class. The young ladies who dared invade the classes from which they had hitherto been barred were Mayme Ringland and Winnifred Moore, of the freshman class, and Janet May Darling, who was classified as a Junior. The men of the college were unanimously in favor of the change. They gave the fair Co-eds a very cordial welcome, received them into the literary societies and invited them to participate in all academic functions. The reason for the small attendance of women dur- ing the next few years lies in the lack of proper accom- modations for them, and in the uncertainty of the col- iRecord "B," See Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Page 234- 226 MACALESTER COLLEGE. lege's future. Then again some parents hesitated about sending their daughters to a school that had adopted co-education only as an experiment, without being fully committed to it. Not until 1896 were quarters found for a boarding hall in the house formerly used as the president's home. And as that provided rooms for only a small number it naturally limited the attendance. The following table shows the attendance of women both in the college and in the academy since co-edu- cation was introduced. Year. In College. In The Academy. 1893-4 3 4 1894-5 3 5 1895-6 6 20 1896-7 4 12 1897-8 15 12 1898-9 15 19 1899-00 15 19 1900-01 18 21 1901-02 22 24 1902-03 26 28 1903-04 26 48 1904-05 34 36 1905-06 37 48 1906-07 48 46 1907-08 51 57 1908-09 68 70 1909-10 B4 80 One of the very first objects of the reorganized Board of Trustees was to provide suitable accommoda- MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 227 tions for young women at Macalester. This meant that co-education had been tried and approved. During the spring of 1906 plans for a Woman's Building were completed and in the autumn of the same year the work of construction was begun. The architects were Messrs. Bell and Detweiler of Minneapolis. At the suggestion of Dr. Hodgman, the building was name^^ Wallace Hall, in honor of the former president. Its dimensions are sixty feet wide by one hundred and twenty-seven feet in length. It is absolutely fire-proof, and is thoroughly modern in every appointment. There is no Woman's Building in the Northwest that excells it in beauty and in practical equipment. It was a happy day for the friends of the college, and for the young women of Macalester in particular, when on the evening of Dec. 3rd, 1907, Wallace Hall was formally opened and dedicated. Mr. D. R. Noyes, on that occasion happily express- ed the sentiments of the Presbyterians of the state when he called "this beautiful Hall and Dormitory, the pride of Macalester and an earnest of its successful future," and said : ^ "This beautiful Wallace Hall marks a fu- ture departure in the history of Macalester and will also, I am sure, mark a new incoming to the College." As a token of their appreciation tha young women of the college presented a beautiful bronze tablet to the building committee and had it placed on the left side of the entrance to the Hall. It contains this in- scription : "To the building committee, Rufus C. Jef- iMacalester Col. Bulletin, Vol III, No. 11-12, 1907. 228 MACALESTER COLLEGE. ferson, Robert A. Kirk, Bishop H. Schriber, In grate- ful recognition the women of Macalester inscribe this tablet." In making the presentation Miss Nina Johnson, speaking for the girls of the college said : "The wom- en of Macalester for many years have longed for a woman's dormitory. Many are the dormitories we have built in imagination and in our dreams, although their realization seemed far distant. But now, we at last have a dormitory, more beautiful and more com- plete than those we dreamed of. It is a pleasure and a privilege, to tell the men who have given us this beau- tiful home, how delighted we are to enjoy it. "Wallace Hall and the names of Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Kirk and Mr. Schriber, are inseparably connected in the hearts of the Macalester girls of today, and we de- sire the same to be true in the years to come. That we might leave some lasting token of our appreciation in honor of the men whose supervision of this building has been almost daily for the last two years, we have had their names inscribed on a tablet. The women of Macalester desire to express their thanks and gratitude also to Messrs. Weyerhaeuser, Dunwoody, Thomson and Janney, whose gifts have helped to make this dor- mitory possible."^ The new accommodations for girls soon attracted young women from the entire Northwest and rapidly increased their enrollment. Already its accommoda- tions for eighty young women is taxed to the limit. ^Macalester Bulletin, No. 11-12, 1907. MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 229 Under the direction of Mrs. Julia M. Johnson, the Dean of Women, the best interests of the young ladies in health and morals is assiduously cared for. Since the day that Macalester became co-educa- tional its young women have reflected great credit upon themselves and also upon the college. Their scholas- tic attainments have been such as to invite most indus- trious competition from the men. Repeatedly they have won first honors in class and in the literary so- cieties. Mrs. Winnifred Moore-Mace, of the class of 1897, has the distinction of being the first woman graduate of Macalester, and Miss Anna Dickson, as the saluta- torian of the next class, '98, was the first honor student among the women of the institution. In the class of 1900, Mathilda Pederson won first honors. In 1901 Lily Bell Watson, was the salutatorian, and in 1902 the same honor was given Helen Wallace-Davies. Bessie Doig-Jacobsen led the class of 1903, while Mary Rankin was awarded second honors. Margaret Evans- Detweiler ranked second in the class of 1904, and Ruth Swasey-Rusterholz led her class in 1906. Rose Amelia Metzer-Nutt, Lydia Anna Schroedel and Bar- telle Barker, respectively, have won the highest stand- ing in their classes for the years 1907-1908, and 1909. The presence of women has done much to improve the social life of the college and to restrain exuberant youths. An alumnus of the class of 1890 comparing the conduct of the students of the earlier days with con- ditions of today, expressed himself well satisfied that 330 MACALESTER COLLEGE. co-education has made the deportment of the men better and more refined. Many of the alumnae are now teaching in the high schools of the state where they have accredited them- selves with honor to their Alma Mater. They are among the most enthusiastic supporters of the college, and render a noble service in the cause of public edu- cation. Mr. Charles E. Mac Kean. CHAPTER XII. From 1900 to 1910. In the decade beginning with the opening of the twentieth century Macalester has witnessed her great- est development. When Thomas H. Dickson, the pres- ident of the Board of Trustees, and Charles E. Mac- Kean, the treasurer, in a joint statement on July 20th, 1900, announced the liquidation of the debt, the col- lege entered upon a new period in its history. The combined attendance in the college and in the academy increased from one hundred and thirty-six in 1900 to three hundred and ten in 19 10. The gradu- ating class of the college in 1900 numbered ten, in 1910, twenty-eight will be awarded diplomas of grad- uation. At the beginning of the decade the faculty in the college department consisted of ten professors, at the close of the period it has seventeen. When the new century began, the friends of the college were jubilant because the monstrous debt had been removed ; after ten years it has a productive endowment of three hundred thousand dollars. In 1900 the college lacked proper accommodations for its women students and had no adequate facilities for instruction in physics, chemistry and biology ; but after ten years Macalester College is honored in the possession of a woman's dormitory that is unsurpassed in its beauty and un- 232 MACALESTER COLLEGE. equaled in the comforts of its arrangements among the colleges of the Northwest, while a science hall, the gift of Mr. Andrew Carnegie, second only to the facilities of the State University, will henceforth offer splendid opportunities to the students of science. The value of the college property in buildings in this dec- ade has been increased by not less than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Thus in ten years, four hundred and fifty thousand dollars have been added to the assets of the institution. How the endowment was raised will be the chief purpose of this chapter to narrate. The credit for this remarkable achievement belongs in a large measure to the present Board of Trustees and to the untiring efforts of President Hodgman. In June, 1900, the membership of the Board of Trus- tees was increased from fifteen to twenty in order to secure a, larger representation of the churches. From its earliest history the Board had consisted of only fifteen members. In 1897 the State Legislature of Minnesota passed an Act enabling corporations other than those for pecuniary profit, duly incorporated, to increase by majority vote the number of trustees of such corporations.^ This measure enabled the trus- tees to strengthen the Board by adding new members without displacing others who had been on its Board for many years. But while the Board was being increased many oi ^Record "C," Board of Trustees, page 61. ^General Laws of Minnesota, S. F. No. 107, MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 233 the old trustees of the college resigned, believing it would be for the best interests of the institution, and so practically a new Board was created. In 1905, however, the legislative act of 1897, referred to above, was amended so that the corporations mentioned might also decrease their number of trustees by majority vote.i Since some of the trustees believed that the Board was too large for efficient business the number of directors was reduced to fifteen, and divided into three classes of five members each, and it was voted "that at least ten of the members of the trustees of Macalester College shall be engaged in secular voca- tions." 2 Among those who in 1900 became trustees were some who had been the chief promoters of the cam- paign to liquidate the debt; e. g., R. A. Kirk and R. C. Jefferson of St. Paul ; J. R. Gordon and W. H. Dun- woody of Minneapolis. In 1901 Thomas B. Janney, of Minneapolis, became a trustee and in the following year A. R. Chace, of Marshall, Minnesota, and George W. Wishard, of Minneapolis, were elected. These were followed by Mr. A. D. Thomason, of Duluth, in 1905, and by Mr. O. A. Robertson, of St. Paul, in 1906. Rev. John E. Bushnell, D. D., Rev. A. B. Mar- shall, D. D., Rev. Henry Swearingen, D. D., and Rev. A. E. Driscoll have been worthy co-laborers of the laymen just named. Jf ever trustees accepted their office as a trust anr ^General Laws of Minnesota, S. F. No. 429. 2Record "C," Minutes of the Trustees, page 123. Chap- ter 304. 334 MACALESTER COLLEGE. honestly executed the duties incumbent upon them, such praise is due to the present members of the Board. Much has been said of the loyalty of the stu- dents and of the self-sacrifice of the faculty. Their heroism, undoubtedly, saved the institution during a critical period; but if their faith and selfsacrifice had not won the support of generous friends, the years of toil and hope and suffering would have been in vain. In the last analysis, the critical period of Macalester's struggle was not passed until it had secured an en- dov>rment. Had death removed two or three of the most liberal members of the trustees, humanly speak- ing, Macalester could not have survived. But Provi- dence spared those benefactors and enabled them to achieve a phenomenal victory. When the question of removing the old debt was debated in 1897, few ministers or laymen believed that the task could be done. But there were some staunch friends of the college who said it could and must be done. A previous chapter shows how their determined efforts succeeded in removing the incum- brance of the debt. The same spirit of optimism, con- secration and perseverance won an even greater tri- umph in the completion of the endowment in 1909. The inception of the endowment movement can be traced to an informal meeting of several trustees, offi- cers of the college, and St. Paul friends, held at the home of Mr. R. C. Jefferson in 1904. The question then under discussion was whether it would be prac- ticable to undertake the raising of an endowment for MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 235 Macalester. Some of the friends of the institution, reaHzing the desperate condition in which its finances had been, did not beheve that enough money could be raised to provide a respectable endowment; others were more sanguine, and expressed a strong belief in the successful consummation of such an undertaking. One result of that conference was that sentiment in favor of the college was greatly strengthened. From that date the effort to secure productive funds took additional force. Among those who thenceforth be- lieved in the stability of the institution was notably Judge Thomas Wilson. Officially, the endowment campaign was launched on June 15th, 1904, when a number of trustees and friends of the college, numbering forty in all, at a ban- quet given at the Aberdeen Hotel in St. Paul," in honor of Dr. Wallace," projected a plan to raise five hundred thousand dollars.^ But, due to conditions which required a change in the mark then decided upon, it was proposed in 1905 to fix the goal for endowment at three hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Of this amount two hundred thousand dollars were intended for produc- tive funds, and one hundred and twenty-five thou- sand dollars for the erection of new buildings. In 1906 it seemed impossible to realize even that goal and again the mark was lowered, this time making the objective two hundred and seventy-five thousand dol- iPioneer Press, June 16, 1904. Minneapolis Journal, June 16, 1904. 236 MACALESTER COLLEGE. lars. But in 1908 circumstances became more favor- able for a larger endowment and consequently the trustees devoted themselves to secure this amount. The General Education Board had made a conditional offer of seventy-five thousand dollars provided a total of four hundred and fifty thousand dollars were raised. This sum was realized after one year of further effort in which the trustees experienced some of the great- est trials for the cause to which they had devoted them- selves. In order to advance this cause rapidly and effective- ly, the Board enlarged the endowment committee to direct the movement. The members of this committee were Mr. R. A. Kirk, chairman ; President Hodgman, Mr. R. C. Jefferson, Mr. George D. Dayton, Professor Thomas Shaw, Rev. A. B. Marshall, Rev. H. C. Swear- ingen, and Mr. G. W. Wishard. To their untiring ef- forts, optimism and wisdom must be attributed largely the happy issue of the endowment campaign. The movement was attended with many difficulties. In the first place, Macalester being still a young insti- tution and many of its alumni engaged in the ministry or in professions in which they have not yet been able to amass wealth, the college could not expect much financial help from them. The trustees were, therefore, without the aid which constitutes the main support of older institutions. In the second place, the Presby- terians of Minnesota had many churches that were still not self-supporting, and outside the Twin Cities only two or three congregations at best could be called MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 237 strong financially. Thus it was evident from the be- ginning that the outcome of the undertaking rested chiefly with the trustees themselves. It was necessary that they give generously of their own means, and that they solicit the co-operation of men of wealth who could be interested in Macalester. To this task the committee devoted itself, heartily supported by the entire Board. Professor Shaw, the president of the Board of Trustees subscribed one thousand dollars. He further gave fully nine months' service, free of any compensation, to the canvass among the churches of the synod. On Sundays he presented the cause to the congregations, making powerful ap- peals to the Presbyterians of the state for aid in endow- ing the college. On Saturdays or Mondays he visited individuals whom he sought to interest in the institu- tion. This work was done at a great self-sacrifice and often meant great inconvenience, long journeys and sleepless nights. But with splendid heroism and an enthusiasm that was contageous he persevered until almost every church in the synod had been visited either by himself or by some other representative. Mr. R. A. Kirk, vice-president of the Board of Trustees, and chairman of the endowment committee, subscribed twenty-five thousand dollars. He not only gave generously of his money, but took much valuable time from his large engrossing business in order to promote the interests of Macalester. Many an even- ing that might have been spent in the quiet of his home or among friends, after the cares of his business, 338 MACALESTER COLLEGE. was given up to committee meetings, or to visiting men of liberal means whose support he solicited. In hearty co-operation with Mr. Kirk stood Mr. R. C. Jefferson. His contribution to the endowment fund was twenty-eight thousand, eight hundred and seventy- nine dollars. To this must be added much precious time that represents great money value to enterprising business men. He exercised careful supervision over the construction of Wallace Hall, and has kept a watch- ful eye over the erection of the Carnegie Science Hall. Mr. Thomas B. Janney of Minneapolis also has been a faithful supporter of Macalester. He is one of the leading wholesale merchants of the Twin Cities, being president of Janney, Semple, Hill Hardware Company. His subscription to the endowment when it was initiated amounted to ten thousand dollars ; and during the last weeks of the campaign he increased it to twenty-thousand dollars. He has been a trustee since 1901. Mr. A. D. Thomson, of Duluth, is a business man interested in several large corporations, and a man of influence in financial circles. Since 1905 he has served on the Board of Trustees. His original con- tribution to the endowment was ten thousand dollars. In May, 1909, he added five thousand dollars more. The distance from the Twin Cities makes it difficult for him to attend many committee meetings, but he has been a valuable member of the Board and a gen- erous supporter* of the college. The youngest member on the Board, in time of Mr. a. D. Thomson. MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 239 service, is Mr. O. A. Robertson. He is still a com- paratively young man, but his influence in the finan- cial world is strong. When he was invited to become a trustee of Macalester he pleaded unfamiliarity with the administration of college affairs ; but when urged to serve, he declared that if he should become a mem- ber of the Board, he would not be a "dead head." Mr. Robertson has made good his promise. He subscribed twenty-five thousand dollars to the endowment and has been a liberal contributor to current expenses and a prudent counselor. Mr. George W. Wishard gave one thousand, six hundred and twenty-five dollars toward the building fund and has been a liberal contributor toward cur- rent expenses. Mr. Bishop H. Schriber, the secretary of the Board of Trustees, and the legal adviser of the college, has given his valuable professional services to the college and also three hundred dollars toward the endowment. J. W. Cooper, another trustee, gave five hundred dol- lars. Others, according to their means, gave liberally toward current expenses and valuable service in com- mittee work and in the endowment campaign. Thus a total of one hundred and fifteen thousand, six hun- dred and seventy-nine dollars was raised among the trustees themselves. In order fully to appreciate the generosity of these men, it is important to remember that during all these years the college had no income from invested funds ; that it depended on the contributions of the synod, 240 MACALESTER COLLEGE. the allowance of the College Board, the gifts of patrons, and upon the receipts from tuition fees; that gradually the teaching force was increased and much apparatus necessary for the departments of phys- ics, chemistry, biology and manual training was in- stalled ; and that the buildings were repaired at a cost of several thousand dollars each year. The budget increased from $15,000 in 1901 to $36,000 in 1910. This increase in the annual expenses caused a deficit which the trustees wiped out from year to year, so that after each commencement the college could begin a new year free of debt. The total amount devoted to this purpose alone, to make credit and debit balance, amounted to $38,023.84. The following statements by the treasurer show the annual deficits of the college for the years ending May 31st, 1901-1909. 1901 $1,500.00 1902 2,182.77 1903 5,344.15 1904 5,144.77 1905 3,438.15 1906 6,682.30 1907 5,215.06 1908 3,272.00 1909 5,242.00 With the help of generous friends the trustees have managed to wipe out every year's deficit before each commencement day was over. Had this policy , not been adhered to, Macalester probably would have Mr. James J. Hill. MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 241 become involved in a debt that would have ruined the institution. It is not surprising that, when the trustees went to their wealthy friends in the Twin Cities to ask for subscriptions to the endowment, they now received help. Macalester had gained a reputation for sound financial management. With confidence in the stabil- ity of the institution came generous gifts and — what is worth more than thousands of dollars — the good will of influential men. Among the first to respond to their appeal for endowment gifts was Mr. James J. Hill. He first offered to give fifty thousand dollars on condition that fivjB hundred thousand dollars were raised; when the mark was lowered to three hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars he proposed to give twenty-five thou- sand dollars. In February, 1907, Mr. Hill agreed to raise his subscription again to fifty thousand dollars. When the total amount had been subscribed Mr. Hill was among the first to pay his pledge in full. Another St. Paul friend of the college is Mr. Fred- erick Weyerhaeuser. He was a generous contributor during the dark days and rendered valuable aid in the liquidation of the debt. In 1904 he subscribed fifteen thousand dollars. As the campaign was nearingf its close in 1909, and about ninety thousand dollars were still lacking he added the munificent sum of fifty thousand dollars to his former pledge. This splen- did gift assured success to the undertaking which had been very uncertain down to that time. 242 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Mr. W. H. Dunwoody, of Minneapolis, was among the first to support the endowment campaign; in 1904 he subscribed ten thousand dollars ; and in May, 1909, increased his gift to twenty thousand dollars. While he was not a member of the Board for a long time, yet he has been a generous contributor to current ex- penses and a wise counselor. Although a regent of the state university, the late Judge Thomas Wilson appreciated the worth of the small college. He subscribed and paid five thousand dollars toward the endowment. Mr. William B. Dean, at various times has render- ed valuable service to Macalester and gave five thou- sand dollars toward the endowment fund. The same amount was subscribed and paid by Mr. Charles H. Bigelow. These six friends contributed one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of the total amount raised. Of those who helped the college but lived outside the state, Mr. John H. Converse of Philadelphia was among the first. A short interview persuaded him of the need of such an institution as Macalester, and he subscribed five thousand dollars for the endowment His death, on May 3rd, 1910, was a great loss to the cause of Christian education. In the spring of 1908 Mr. John Calvin Martin of New York City, pledged ten thousand dollars on condition that a chair for Biblical instruction be endowed with not less than twenty-five thousand dollars, which has been done. Like Mr. Converse, Mr. Cyrus H. McCormick of Chicago, has been a friend of Christian education. Mr. Frederick Weyerhaeuser. MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 243 His subscription of five thousand dollars completed the total amount aimed for, four hundred and fifty thousand dollars. To complete the account of the large subscriptions, two important gifts briefly referred to above, must nowr be mentioned, namely, the Rockefeller General Education Board's contribution of seventy-five thou- sand dollars and Mr. Andrew Carnegie's gift of fifty thousand dollars. The former subscription was made in 1908 on condition that not less than four hundred and fifty thousand dollars be raised. That is why the mark set at two hundred and seventy-five thou- sand dollars in 1906 was almost doubled in 1908. The General Education Board "believed that with its fine location and its splendid support it (Macal- ester) presented a foundation on which a strong col- lege could be built."^ In the effort to secure a hear- ing with the General Education Board and with Mr. Carnegie, Messrs. Thompson, Kirk and Dr. Hodgman were fortunate in having the hearty co-operation of Dr. James Stuart Dickson, Secretary of the Pres- byterian College Board. Dr. Dickson had the entry to these sources of beneficence and used every influ- ence in his power to aid the trustees. In his untimely death, in the spring of 1909, Macalester sustained a great loss. The splendid gift offered by the General Education Board inspired the trustees with new courage and awakened deeper confidence in the school among its ^Letter from Dr. Wallace Buttrick. 244 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Other friends. This was true likewise of Mr. Carne- gie's gift whicli has been used in the erection of the much needed Science HalL With his usual orer!e''osity he increased his first pledge of thirty thousand dollars to fifty thousand dollars. From the sources so far enumerated, from the trus- tees and from friends of Macalester in the Twin Cities who gave sums ranging from one hundred to one thousand dollars, from friends of Christian education in the east, from the General Education Board and from Mr. Carnegie, four hundred and forty-four thou- sand, nine hundred and four dollars had been secured, and of this amount one hundred and twenty-three thousand dollars were raised between December, 1908, and June loth, 19 10. Much was not expected from the churches. But as the college is recognized as a Presbyterian insti- tution, and as it has been an important factor in the development of Presbyterianism in the Northwest, it was proper that the synod of Minnesota be asked to do something for its college. The House of Hope Church in St. Paul and the Westminster Church of Minneapolis responded with the usual liberality. Special notice must be given to the splendid assist- ance Dr. A. B. Marshall, pastor of the First Presby- terian Church in Minneapolis, rendered during this campaign. For two months he visited churches and solicited aid from individuals, securing about twenty thousand dollars in subscriptions of various denomina- tions. He also secured the first pledge of Mr= O. A. Rev. John Bushnell, D. D. MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 245 Robertson for five thousand dollars, to which he later added twenty thousand dollars. Dr. Marshall has been a loyal friend of Macalester, always ready to serve, optimistic, punctual and a re- liable and efficient committeeman. Rev. A. E. Driscoll was for five years the financial secretary of the college. His acquaintance with the pastors of the synod and with many influential lay- men was of great help in the endowment campaign. He was successful in interesting men of means to sup- port the college and also brought many students to' Macalester. Since his resignation as fiscal secretary in 1907, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees. Rev. Henry C. Swearingen, D. D., in a quiet way has done much to bring the endowment movement to a happy conclusion. He is a wise counselor and de- voted to the cause of Christian education. Dr. John Bushnell, pastor of the Westminster Church of MinneapoHs has been an able adviser, a warm friend of the college and a generous contributor towards current expenses. Rev. A. H. Carver of Luverne and Rev. Dr. Lan- man of St. James also rendered valuable assistance. An important result of the campaign was that new interest for Macalester was aroused in the churches, and that the attendance increased rapidly through the publicity thus given. Of the alumni many contributed liberally considering their circumstances. Mr. J. S. Si- monton, of the class of 1893, g^ve four hundred dol- 246 MACALESTER COLLEGE. lars; Benjamin Bruce Wallace, 1902, then Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, forwarded a subscription of two hundred dollars, while others, pastors and missionaries, pledged themselves for one hundred dollars eacE and smaller sums according to their ability. Thus the long looked for endowment became a reality. The announcement of its completion was re- ceived with dignified, quiet joy. There was a notice- able absence of the demonstrations of delight and exultation that usually manifest themselves over such achievements. But every friend of Macalester rejoiced that at last the hopes and prayers of the devoted men •and womer^ who had stood by the college in its many vicissitudes had been fulfilled. The future bids fair to realize many anticipations of the founders and of the supporters of Macalester College. Before the completion of the endowment the college had begun to branch out in different ways. In 1900 Miss Grace B. Whitridge was elected to the Depart- ment of Oratory and Physical Training for "Women. To provide further opportunity for literary activities a new literary society was formed October 22nd, 1900, and called ''Athenean Literary Society." Its member- ship is limited to thirty and is for men only. A spe- cial feature of the work in this society is debating. As a result the Atheneans have acquired marked profi- ciency in this art and have won a majority of the inter- society debates. The ten charter members of this society are: Henry R. Bitzing, P. M. Walker, R. L. Thompson, H. R. Morgan, T. A. Watson, A. E. Koenig, MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 247 George Nelson, Max B. Wiles, Frederick Brown, John E. Crystal and Peter Erickson. In 1901 R. U. Jones, the valedictorian of his class, '01, who for two years had been an assistant in physics and chemistry, was made instructor of Chemistry and Physics. The increase of students in the Department of Science called for additional teaching force and in 1906, Hugh Alexander, '99, and a graduate student of the University of Minnesota was made head of the Department of Physics. Another Literary Society was organized in May, 1905. The increased attendance of women had brought about the need of a society exclusively for women. This led to the organization of the Clionian Literary Society which holds its meetings in the afternoon in order to make possible the attendance of young women who live in the Twin Cities. The Clionian charter members were: Margaret Turnbull, '06; Ruth Sher- rill, '07; Rose Metzger, '07; Henrietta Lundstrom, '07; Martha Jacobsen, '07; Leda Beardsley, ex-'o8; Elizabeth Guy, '08, and Lydia Schroedel, '08. Since the year 1900, the Department of Music has grown remarkably. Professor Harry E. Phillips or- ganized the department in 1895. In 1900, Mrs. Maud Taylor-Hansen was awarded a diploma of graduation from the Piano Department ; she is the first graduate of the School of Music. In 1905, Miss Grace Taylor graduated from the Department of Vocal Music. Since then these two departments have had a steady growth. In 1908 the 248 MACALESTER COLLEGE. School of Music was enlarged, Professor Phillips re- maining at its head, and teacher of voice culture ; Pro- fessor George Fairclough is in charge of instrumental music, assisted by Mr. Thornton, Miss Godkin, Miss Kay, Mrs. McCloud and Miss Lota McMillan. Special attention has been given to choral work, and under the direction of Professor Phillips the chor- us gave public concerts in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Hastings and Mankato. Since 1900 nineteen music students have been graduated from the School of Music. The increased attendance and the growth of the library have demanded special services in that depart- ment. In 1903, Frederick Gibbs Axtell, A. M., an alumnus of Wesleyan University, Connecticut, and a graduate student of the University of Berlin, was made librarian. Under his direction many valuable books have been added, the facilities greatly improved, so that the library has become a hive of industry. Miss Gertrude Crist was placed at the head of the Commercial department in 1905. She has also been secretary to the president and secretary of the faculty. After Rev. A. Cardie, D. D., severed his connection with the college in 1907, Rev. F. D. MacRae, Ph. D., a graduate of Park college, the University of New York, and Union Theological vSeminary, has assisted in the work of the college. His subjects are Apolo- getics and History. The opening of Wallace Hall in 1907, brought many new students to the college. This necessitated MACALESTER BECOMES CO-EDUCATIONAL. 249 an increase in the teaching force, and Miss Margaret King Moore was elected Preceptress of Wallace Hall and Associate Professor of Modern Languages. She was followed in the latter department by Mrs. Agnes Perkins in 1908-9, Mrs. Julia M. Johnson having suc- ceeded Miss Moore as preceptress. In 1908, Dr. George W. Davis was recalled to the chair of Hebrew Language and Literature, after an absence from the college of nine years. The same autumn Miss Mae Gibson, M. A., was made assistant instructor in Latin, and W. P. Kirk- wood, '90, assistant professor of English offering a course in Journalism. F. W. Plummer, a graduate of Wabash, '08, was made instructor of Biology and director of Athletics. In 1909, Dr. James Wallace returned to the college as head of the Biblical Department and Professor W. H. Klose, Ph. D., was called to the Department of Modern Languages. Thus the faculty has been broug^ht to its greatest strength in the history of Macalester college. CHAPTER XIII. DR. HODGMAN'S ADMINISTRATION. "The academic scepter has more of solicitude than charms, more anxiety than profit, more trouble than remuneration."^ To any one who has scholarly tastes and finds chief joy in the sacred retreat of his study the executive duties devolving upon the modern col- lege president entail much that is a drudgery. It is not surprising, then, that Dr. Wallace after enduring the trials incident to the presidency of Macalester Col- lege in its darkest days, should ask to be relieved of the executive duties when a new and brighter era had dawned. He had served as president, not from choice, but in obedience to the constraining sense of duty. His hope was to save the institution and to win for it new friends. In 1906 this task had been accom- plished and therefore he urged upon the trustees that they accept his resignation. The cares of the office, the long strain of the campaign to liqudiate the debt followed by the canvass for endowment had under- mined the Doctor's health so that a change of envir- onment became necessary. The trustees accepted his resignation and arranged for him to return after a leave of absence, to become the head of the Department ^Melchior Adams, In Pierce's History of Harvard Uni- versity, page 41. DR. HODGMAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 251 of Greek. His work is well summed up in a letter sent to him by the trustees which reads : MinneapoHs, Jan. 18, 1907. My Dear Dr. Wallace : The Directors of Macalester College, at a meeting of the Board held January 16, 1907, formally accepted your resignation of the presidency of some months ago, and left with us for action when we might have some one in view to take up the work that you desired to relinquish. While taking this action which you have requested, the Directors, both as a Board and as individuals, de- sire to express their appreciation of the great services you have rendered the college during the years you have been its chief executive. By an unfaltering de- votion to the interests of the institution ; by continuous effort in its behalf, many times at the cost to yourself of personal sacrifice; by perseverence and patience in your labors in time of great discouragement; by ad- mirable work in the classroom and by sympathetic com- munication with its constituents throughout the whole state, you have been the chief instrument in making the college what it has become, an institution with not only a good history, but as well, a good outlook. You were made president of the college when it was greatly embarrassed financially; it is now with- out debt. Your first classes were small; the college now has a large enrollment of students. You found it difficult during most of the years of your adminis- tration to secure funds in large amounts for the insti- tution ; now friends have appeared, many of them made by your faith and faithfulness, whose purpose it is to provide for the college a substantial endowment. In yet another respect your administration has com- manded our admiration; you have set a high moral standard for the college and by your doctrine and ex- ample you have made an atmosphere in which it is easy for the young to embrace and to conform their 252 MACALESTER COLLEGE. lives to, the best standards. Our institution has no better testimonial than the men and women of worth whose characters were made strong while in Macales- ter under your superintending care. We desire you to continue with the college in the professorship you have filled for some years, also as Dean, etc.^ After a thorough search for a man who would be able to lead them in making the college which had been saved into a stronger and larger institution, the trus- tees called Professor Thomas M. Hodgman of the University of Nebraska. He had completed his col- lege course with honors at Rochester University, New York, in 1884, and immediately thereupon became a member of the faculty in the new University of Ne- braska. For twenty-two years he was connected with this institution as a teacher of Science, Latin and Math- ematics. During the first year he was instructor of Latin and Science. After a short time he was promoted to an Adjunct professorship of Mathematics, and then was given a full professorship in the same department. He originated and edited The University Journal, was the Principal of the Preparatory School, Director of Summer School,, and Professor of High School In- spection. In the development of that strong state in- stitution Professor Hodgman has had an important share. From 1904- 1907 he was inspector of state high schools for the University of Nebraska, which gave him a splendid opportunity to become well ac- quainted with the secondary school systems of not only that state, but of the country at large. ^Minutes of the Board of Trustees, page 133. DR. HODGMAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 253 As the son of a Presbyterian minister, and as a man deeply interested in the work of the Christian church he was in thorough sympathy with denomina- tional education. In whatever work he had under- taken he had demonstrated energy, enthusiasm and ca- pacity for organization and leadership. Thus when his name was presented to the trustees without his knowledge they recognized in him such a man as they desired for the presidency. A conference between the Executive Committee of the Board and Professor Hodgman, early in January, 1907, resulted in his elec- tion on the sixteenth day of that month. President Hodgman entered upon his official duties February 12th, 1907. The occasion was observed with fitting exercises in the chapel where a large number of friends and the trustees and students were as- sembled. Professor Anderson presiding called for addresses of welcome from Professor Shaw, represent- ing the Trustees, Rev. A. Cardie for the alumni and the local church, Marshall Findley in behalf of the students and Professor Downing for the faculty. Dr. Marshall and Dr. Swearingen then felicitated the col- lege upon the securing of the new executive head, whereupon President Hodgman was introduced to the audience. When he arose to speak he was received with prolonged applause and reverberating college cheers. In a few appropriate words he then expressed his appreciation of the cordial reception and declared that he stood firmly for the traditional classical courses and the characteristic principles of the Christian college. 254 MACALESTER COLLEGE. That day marked the beginning of a new order of things for Macalester. At the following Commencement, Dr. Hodgman- was formally inducted as president of the college by Dr. James Stuart Dickson, Secretary of the College Board of the Presbyterian Church. This was the first inauguration service in the history of the institu- tion, although Macalester had had four presidents since 1885. It is strong evidence of the greater con- fidence felt in the future of the college. In addressing the new president Dr. Dickson called attention to the problems of Christian education and showed what the attitude of the church to denominational colleges had come to be. Owing to lack of space only a few of the most important paragraphs from his eloquent address can here be cited. They are of special import at this twenty-fifth anniversary : *'The church is coming to recognize the fact that it is not in the world merely for training and culture of its members, nor exclusively for the rescue of their lives from sin and death. It stands for the transforma- tion of the whole world : For the making of God- ward purpose, for the forming of Christ-ward ideals ; for the enlightenment of the world through the knowl- edge of Him who came to be its Light. "And there is growing in the heart of the Church, a clear recognition of the fact that it m.ust do the work of such a service, not by preaching only, or by state- ments of its creed, or by what has been called through somewhat weary centuries, the defense of the faith. President T. M. Hodgman. DR. HODGMAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 255 It has learned that it must accomplish its mission by service. "The thing that is growing everywhere is the de- mand for men and women trained for specialized serv- ice; whose Christian lives result in such a specializa- tion. The Church's obedience to the great Master must take the form of a trained, equipped, speciaHzed service. Look where you will there is not a problem that the Church is seriously considering that must not find its answer in terms of human flesh and blood equipped for specialized service and consecrated to the Lord Jesus Christ. "Another thing is growing. I mean the knowledge that we cannot have a Church advance through spe- cialized Christian service without a definite Christian education. Let me put it with more distinctness ; with- out a definitely Christ-ward education. If the Church's mission in the world is that world's salvation, if that salvation can be accomplished only through leader- ship ; the Church is, coming to know that such leaders must be trained; that they will not happen; that they cannot be selected by any hap-hazzard methods. The Church, moreover, is perfectly right in such a position and is acting upon the results of the world's experience. Nothing but higher education will turn out leaders in any field. "And now let us turn from the demand for col- lege training to the question of a method. The edu- cational world is growing strong in its assertion that you cannot have a real and sufficient training for boys 256 MACALESTER COLLEGE. and girls without the small college. When we talk of the small college we are not stating an arithmetical problem. In order that the college shall be small it is not necessary that it should have less than a given number in student body. The small college is a mat- ter of ideal and of method. It is an institution where the right sort of a teacher shall have a really moulding influence over the character of the pupil. It stands for small classes ; for required work ; for examinations ; it sets its face against mere electives, and the slip- shod educational methods that must result from the application of the university idea to those whose youth unfits them for it. The world today is endorsing the small college idea, and in most practical ways. "And now we turn from the educational world more definitely to the Church, and we see that the Church is deepening in its conviction, that it can only accomplish its mission as it makes the small college a definitely Christ-ward institution. If the Church is to have more leaders, it must be about its business in giving Christian education. Not, mark you, in domin- ating institutions; not in torturing its Galileos, but in putting its life and love and prayerful interest side by side with education, and so giving a Christian educa- tion to the world. Do you ask me what is Christian education? It is not an education into a form of gov- ernment, or a doctrinal position; it is an accurate, scientific education, full of that intangible something that we call culture, quality that trains a man as he goes out into action, to focus all his developed powers DR. HODGMAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 257 upon a given problem at a given moment. I answer that it is not in any way necessarily theological edu- cation. "Let me say further, that the Church is coming to understand more and more clearly why secular educa- tion will not bring about the results upon which the Church life and service depends. Do you ask again, what is secular education ? I can give you a theoreti- cal answer. It is an education whose one ideal cannot be the production of a trained and consecrated servant of Jesus Christ. There is, moreover, an answer of fact, secular education is an education from which the state, for its own reasons, shuts away any of the in- fluences of the Gospel of Jesus Christ ; from which it shuts away, in any degree, the study of the Bible as the Word of God ; in which it prohibits public worship of Jesus Christ as a part of the educational process. "You cannot take a compulsory secular education- and produce in any adequate degree, a product whose main specialty is its Christian life. This is more evi- dent when you remember that the production of a consecrated Christian character is not a matter of course in any institution anywhere. Take the most definitely Christian institution, with a godly president, with a consecrated faculty, with the trustees devoted to God's Word; let me assure you that in such an institution it must be a matter of constant prayer and of daily struggle if the student body is to be held loyal to Jesus Christ. How dare the Church expect then an adequate supply of servants of Jesus Christ, from 258 MACALESTER COLLEGE. institutions out of which any of the influences of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are to any degree shut away? "But another conviction is growing in the heart of the Church, I mean the conviction that Christian education need not be, in any honest sense, sectarian. The Church begins to see that its educational mission is not the making of Presbyterians, but of Christians ; consecrated servants of God." After Dr. Dickson's earnest speech president Hodg- man delivered his inaugural address from which such excerpts as indicate his views on college problems and policies are selected: "It may not be out of place, indeed, it is usually ex- pected, that an inaugural address shall be a kind of confession of faith or declaration of principles which may serve as a program of expectations. "I am not a prophet and therefore do not know what God has in store for Macalester. I have no program of promises to promulgate because of a wholesome respect for the compelling power of times and seasons. I prefer to let present plans point the finger of proph- ecy and out of my daily habits and traits of character • to construct my confession of faith. "I believe that the chief end of a trustee is to raise money and spend it. I would I had the ability to re- lieve them of part of this burden but until time brings acquaintance and acquaintance brings confidence Macal- ester College must continue to lean hard upon its noble, generous trustees. It was repeatedly told me, and ex- perience has proven its' truth, that the crowning glory DR. HODGMAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 259 of Macalester is its body of self-sacrificing, devoted trustees. Would that the burden now resting so heav- ily on a few might be made easier by being equally shared by all. For the sake of those who died that Macalester might live, for the faculty who have en- dured poverty and dire distress, for the alumni to whom Alma Mater gave intellectual and spiritual birth, for the students who cling to her with such affection and loyalty, for the honor of these Twin Cities, for the glory of the Church in the great Northwest and for the service of God, I beseech these stewards of' a great trust to complete Macalester's half million endowment before another Commencement sun shall arise. Here where God has made a country of wondrous scenic beauty and man has made a town of commanding im- portance, at the Gate-Way of the great Northwest, at the heart of a lusty dominant Presbyterianism, in a soil rich with the blood of the martyr heroes, Macal- ester stands waiting for the golden key that shall un- lock the door to a larger life and usefulness. "I believe that the chief end of a faculty is to teach. No more heroic and unassuming sacrifice has been ex- hibited than that of the faculty of Macalester in its days of adversity. They stood by it in the dark days and should be rewarded when the bright days come. In those days when they were of necessity forced to assume certain executive and clerical duties of which we are now endeavoring to relieve them so that their full time and energies can be put into instruc- tion proper. 26o MACALESTER COLLEGE. i "The moral life of Macalester must ever be a re- flection of the standards of the faculty and the major- ity of the students. There must be just legislation, firm and impartial administration, punctuality in re- ports, fair and honest business dealings, absolute per- formance of promises by faculty and students. Al- though the receipts from tuition are not a tenth of the expense, a college should not for this reason pauperize its students nor fail to teach just business principles and respect for property rights. "The social life of Macalester is unique. I have never witnessed such close friendship as exists here between members of the faculty, between faculty and students and between the members of the student-body. These delightful social relations must not be destroyed but be refined and conventionalized. "I believe that cleanliness is next to Godliness, and therefore Macalester must be swept and scrubbed and sweetened in every nook and corner. "I believe that order is Heaven's first law, that there should be a place for everything and everything in its place, that there should be a time for everything and everything on time, that an important end of educa- tion is training in orderly living and prompt respect for the rights of others. "I believe that God helps those who help themselves. That a stronger faculty, better discipline and order, better equipment and business methods will bring more and better students and that this broadened and deep- ened influence will speedily bring courage to the dis- DR. HODGMAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 261 couraged ones, confidence to the doubting ones and help from sources now hesitating. Such being my hope I beseech every alumnus and friend and every loyal Presbyterian in the Synod to win for Macalester new students and new friends. "Here endeth my confession of faith. "In conclusion permit me to turn with you for a moment to the contemplation of the inspiring position which Christian College education is assuming in this 20th century. "Every age sounds a dominant note or is character- ized by some special feature. I cannot believe that the 20th Century will be chiefly known in history by the revival of Christian^ faith, deep and strong as this revival seems destined to be; nor by the triumphs of democracy for these are rather the beating on distant shores of a tide which reached its height in the preced- ing century; moreover the tremor of a reaction is already in the air; nor by the wonders of science for these are applications of principles which the 19th century discovered and explained; nor by the evils of huge combinations of capitals for these seem des- tined soon to be reined and curbed. "No! the signs of the times seem to me rather to indicate that this century will be characterized as the College Age. The proofs of this are many and con- vincing. College education is becoming popular. "Educators are looking to the small Christian Col- lege for the salvation of the general culture college course — a prerequisite to the highest professional sue- 262 MACALESTER COLLEGE. cess. Three out of every five of our successful men and women are college graduates and of these success- ful college graduates twelve per cent come from the state universities and sixty-seven per cent from the small college. Lastly, eighty-five per cent of the at- tendance of every college — even Harvard and Yale — comes from the immediate locality in which that col- lege is situated." President Hodgman was fortunate in coming to Macalester at a time when its Board of Trustees con- sisted of such splendid men as serve on it today. Their names suggest efficiency in business, thorough- ness m scholarship, catholicity of views and devotion to the highest interest of humanity. To be supported by such men is a guarantee of success. But even with the backing of the trustees the presidency is no sine- cure. Dr. Hodgman's policies are still in process of exe- cution, and only a bare outline of his work can be given. The wisdom of his management must be judged in the light of later developments. As the college had suffered from poverty since its very beginning, certain evils had to be endured and some policies be practiced which were at variance with its ideals. During the prolonged struggle for the existence of the college, the physical plant was neg-« lected. To save it a thorough overhauling was neces- sary and not less than eight thousand dollars have been spent for repairs alone. Macalester so far had lacked the convenience of a > > H M r M H a DR. HODGMAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 363 central office in which the president, the dean, and the registrar were within access for, all who had mat- ters of business to arrange with these officials. The installment of such an office greatly faciHtated a more effective business-like management of the institution. The boarding clubs have been made self-support- ing while under the general supervision of the trus- tees. The curriculum has been strengthened by adding to the number of electives and by placing all courses, ex- cepting Bible, on an equal credit basis of four recita- tions a week instead of two and three hour recitations. New electives in Science, History, Economics and Manual Training were oifered. To the academy separate quarters have been given and the undergraduate instruction eliminated. Only teachers of experience, graduated from reputable col- leges, now constitute its faculty. In recognition of the character of its work the Preparatory Department, or the Baldwin School, as it should be called, has been elected into membership of the Association of Northwestern High Schools and Academies. The Baldwin School has been an excellent feeder to the college, not less than 94 of the alumni having received their preparatory education in the academy. A new interest in clean college sports has been fos- tered and under the coaching of Professor Plummer, excellent results have been achieved. 264 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Since the resignation of Rev. A. E. Dris- coU, in June, 1907, the college has had no financial agent canvassing the churches for cur- rent expenses or soliciting students. The policy of the trustees now is to make the institution its own advertisement. This plan has been remarkably success- ful so far, considering the equipment of the college. The attendance for college and academy has grown from two hundred and ten in 1907, to three hundred and ten in 1910. But the lack of a fiscal secretary has obliged the president to give much of his time to duties otherwise performed by such an agent. Dr. Hodgman is the first president of Macalester to give all of his time to the administrative work of the college. Inasmuch as former presidents were obliged to do considerable teaching in connection with their exec- utive duties, they were sometimes unable to do full justice to administrative affairs. Dr. Hodgman has aimed to give the college a thorough business-like ad- ministration and to make Macalester more than ever synonymous for excellent scholarship and broad train- ing. President Hodgman's regime will be noted for three features. First, as the period in which the college se- cured new, modern buildings. Of these beautiful Wallace Hall, and the Carnegie Science Hall already stand. Secondly, as the time in which the endow- ment was completed, which means a great material increase. Thirdly, it is the period in which the cur- DR. HODGMAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 265 riculum has been strengthened and the student en- rollment has become the largest in the history of Mac- alester college. Such an auspicious beginning prom- ises great things for the future. Macalester's Mission is not yet fulfilled, the college has only begun its work. CHAPTER XIV. SUCCESSIVE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 1885-1910. FACULTY MEMBERS, COLLEGE YELLS, COL- LEGE SONGS AND STATISTICS. PRESIDENTS OF THE BOARD. Retired 1885 Hon. C. E. Vanderberg 1887 1887 Rev. J. C. Whitney 1893 1893 Rev. J. B. Donaldson 1897 1897 Thomas H. Dickson 1901 I90I Prof. Thomas Shaw SECRETARY. 1885 William M. Tenny 1893 1893 B. F. Wright 1904 1905 B. H. Schriber TREASURER. 1885 Joseph McKibben 1887 1887 George F. McAfee 1889 1889 H. K. Taylor 1891 I89I Rev. D. E. Platter 1893 1893 H. K. Taylor 1900 1900 C. E. McKean FACULTY, MEMBERS, ETC. o^t MEMJ3ERS OF THE BOARD. i88s C. E. Vanderburg 1887 i88s Eugene M. Wilson ^1890 1885 Rev. Joseph C. Whitney 1896 1885 H. Knox Taylor 190I 1885 Thomas Cochran 1898 1885 Henry J. Horn 1893 188s B. F. Wright 1898 1885 William C. Baker 1886 1885 Rev. Daniel Rice *i889 1885 William M. Tenney 1897 1885 Hon. Alexander Ramsey 1894 1885 R. P. Lewis 1893 1885 Henry L. Moss *I902 1885 William McNair *i885 1885 Rev. Robert F. Sample 1886 1886 William S. Best 1887 1886 Rev. David J. Burrell 1893 1886 Charles T. Thompson 1900 1890 Andrew B. Robbins 1892 1890 A. M. Reid 1892 1891 f C. E. Vanderburgh 1894 1892 W. C. Sherwood 1893 1892 Thomas H. Dickson 1901 1892 Rev. J. B. Donaldson 1897 1892 Charles T. Rittenhouse 1892 1892 T. D. Simonton 1892 1892 Thomas E. Yerxo 1894 1893 Rev. Thomas H. Cleland 1908 *Died in that year. 268 MACALESTER COLLEGE. 1893 Rev. Alexander N. Carson 1906 1894 Geo. D. Dayton 1894 Rev. F. W. Sneed 1896 1895 W. C. Edwards 1898 1895 S. M. Kirkwood 1898 1895 Rev. Pleasant Hunter 1898 1896 Rev. R. N. Adams 1898 1896 Rev. John Pringle 1897 1897 ^ Rev. John B. Helmig 1898 1897 . Rev. W. C. Covert 1899 1897 Hon. Thomas Wilson 1899 1897 Rev. F. W. Fraser 1900 1900 W. H. Dunwoody 1900 1900 R. C. Jefferson 1900 R. A. Kirk 1900 C. E. MacKean 1907 1900 J. P. Gordon 1902 1900 Rev. Murdock McLeod 1903 1900 Rev. J. C. Faries 1905 1900 Rev. A. B. Meldrum 1902 1900 Rev. C. T. Burnley 1904 I90I Rev. R. L. Barackman 1903 I90I Rev. C. Harmon Johnson 1902 1901 Rev. R. L. Barackman 1903 I90I Rev. C. Harmon Johnson 1902 I90I Rev. Henry Schlosser 1904 I90I Edw. A. Webb 1902 I90I Judge R. N. Caruthers 1901 FACULTY, MEMBERS, ETC. 269 IQOI B. S. Cook 1906 I90I Rev. John E. Bushnell I9OI Rev. George W. Davis 1906 I9OI Thomas B. Janney 19OI A. R. Chace 1902 George W. Wishard 1902 M. B. Hutchinson 1906 1902 Stewart Gamble 1907 1903 Rev. A. B. Marshall 1903 A. B. Morse 1905 1903 Rev. W. H. W. Boyle 1907 1903 J. W. Cooper 1909 1903 B. H. Schriber 1904 W. A. Funk 1905 1905 A. D. Thomson 1906 0. A. Robertson 1907 Rev. H. C. Swearingen 1907 Rev. A. E. Driscoll SUCCESSIVE MEMBERS OF THE FACULTY, PRESIDENTS OF MACALESTER COLLEGE. Rev. Edward Duffield Neill, D. D., 1873-1884, be- fore the opening of the College. Rev. Thomas A. McCurdy, D. D., 1884-1890. Rev. David James Burrell, D. D., 1890-1891. Rev. Adam Weir Ringland, D. D., 1892-1894. James Wallace, Ph. D., LL. D., acting president, 1894-1900; president, 1900-1906. Thomas Morey Hodgman, LL., D., 1907 — . 270 AlACALESTER COLLEGE. PROFESSOR OF GREEK LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. Elected. Retired. 1885 Rev. Nathaniel S. McFetridge, f 1886. 1886 James Wallace 1906I 1894 Lester D. Brown 1897 1897 John P. Hall, Adjunct. Prof. 1903 1903 Frederick Axtell 1905 1906 John P. Hall PROFESSOR OF LATIN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. 1885 Francis Pearson 1891 T89I Edward Collins Downing PROFESSOR OF MENTAL SCIENCE AND LOGIC. 1885 Rev. William R. Kirkwood 1890 1890 Rev. John Woods 189I 189I Andrew Work Anderson PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY. 1885 1887 James H. Boyd 1890 1890 George B. Covington 189I 189I James H. Boyd 1892 1892 William Paul Kirkwood 1893 1893 Frank K. Pingry 1893 1894 John J. Trask 1896 1896 D. Newton Kingery PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH. 1885 Edward D. Neill ti893 1893 Rev. George W. Davis 1896 1897 Mrs. Julia M. Johnson FACULTY, MEMBERS, ETC. 271 GERMAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. 1887 Charles A. Winter, Instructor 1890 1890 Rev. Nicolaus Bolt, Instructor 1891 1891 William Morgenstern, Instructor 1892 1892 William Bradford Turner, Instructor 1894 1894 Mrs. Abbie M. Trask, Instructor 1895 1895 Lester D. Brown, Instructor 1897 1896 Charlotte M. C. Mead 1897 1897 Rev. William C. Laube . 1898 1898 Rev. Henry D. Funk 1907 Miss Margaret King Moore 1908 1908 Mrs. Agnes Perkins _ 1909 1909 Rev. W. H. Klose BIBLICAL LITERATURE. 1885 President T. A. McCurdy 1890 1887 Rev. Daniel Rice ti890 1890 Rev. M. L. P. Hill 1891 1^91 Rev. Geo. W. Davis 1899 1S91 Dr. James Wallace 1899 1903 Rev. Archibald Cardie 1907 1909 Dr. James Wallace DEPARTMENT OF ORATORY. 1900 Grace B. Whitridge NATURAL SCIENCES. 1885 Charles Forbes 1890 1890 John H. Cook 1891 1 891 Samuel M. Kirkwood 1892 1892 William P. Kirkwood 1893 1895 D. Newton Kingery 1901 272 MACALESTER COLLEGE. PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY. 1 90 1 R. U. Jones until 1906 and from 1906 taught Chemistry and Mathematics. PHYSICS AND GEOLOGY. 1906 Hugh Alexander BIOLOGY. 1907 F. W. Plummer JOURNALISM. 1908 W. p. Kirkwood APOLOGETICS. 1885 T. A. McCurdy 1890 1892 A. W. Ringland 1894 1907 F. D. MacRae MUSIC SCHOOL. 1895 H. E. Phillips 1907 George H. Fairclough 1908 1 908 James A. Bliss Bessie A. Godkin 1909 FACULTY, MEMBERS, ETC 273 STUDENTS IN COLLEGE CLASSES AT MACALESTER COLLEGE, 1885-1910. YEARS 1885- 6. 1886- 7. 1887- 8. 1888- 9. 1889-90. 1890- 1. 1891- 2. 1892- 3. 1893- 4. 1894- 5. 1895- 6. 1896- 7. 1897- 8. 1898- 9. 1899-00. 1900- 1 . , 1901- 2., 1902- 3. . 1903- 4.. 1904- 5.. 1905- 6. . 1906- 7.. 1907- 8.. 1908- 9. . 1909-10. . a 6^ 6 8 7 15 14 14 14 8 20 16 20 6 35 18 20 23 18 18 26 37 27 38 32 57 57 o n o m 8 9 9 8 11 7 11 4 17 15 17 7 18 12 20 14 13 11 19 28 14 28 22 42 10 5 4 6 6 12 5 11 13 17 9 11 10 16 13 13 13 19 22 10 25 17 10 7 6 2 6 10 6 11 12 14 10 13 11 17 11 14 11 19 22 5 27 11 19 24 o 6 18 25 44 34 35 27 27 42 49 52 47 71 61 59 70 61 62 64 90 85 101 103 128 167 By " left" is meant those who out during the school year. 03 -a O 10 7 5 2 6 9 3 11 10 13 10 13 10 16 10 13 11 19 21 5 28 14 4 8 4 4 5 7 5 3 21 13 2 13 5 9 7 19 19 21 24 34 did not return as well as those who dropped 374 MACALESTER COLLEGE. STUDENTS IN THE ACADEMY, 1885-1910. YEARS Senior Junior Sopho- more Fresh- Spe man cial Commer- cial Students 1885- 6 7 18 27 . 1886- 7 15 35 15 • 1887- 8 24 20 17 1888- 9 18 16 27 5 1889-90 14 27 12 5 1890- 1 28 20 10 1891- 2 15 17 10 1892- 3 18 24 18 1893- 4 17 19 21 1894- 5 9 18 10 1895- 6 15 32 22 1896- 7 25 17 15 1897- 8 14 21 20 1898- 9 21 20 25 1899-00 19 26 28 1900- 1 25 35 20 9 1901- 2 4 16 19 21 1 9 1902- 3 18 24 30 24 1903- 4 29 33 22 22 1 9 1904- 5 22 23 22 18 2 1 1905- 6 18 27 29 15 1 8 1906- 7 15 20 16 28 1 5 10 1907- 8 21 15 13 39 1 3 13 1908- 9 17 20 19 45 5 8 19 1909-10 21 16 34 33 c S9 •• FACULTY, MEMBERS, ETC. 275 THE OLDEST MACALESTER. COLLEGE SONG. (To the tune of "Solomon Levi.") We have a thriving College in the mammoth Gopher State, Where students in their work and play with joy are all elate; They have their fun throughout the term to lighten up the toil, But in examination week they burn the midnight oil. Chorus. Sing all in chorus, gaily let us sing; Sing all in chorus, tra-la-la-la-la, etc. (Repeat verse.) n. Midway between the centers of the Twins the place is found. Where no saloons nor gambling dens with vice and sin abound. Macalester the place is called; let everybody sing; Let praises sound from shore to shore and make the welkin ring. Chorus- IIL Here all the Muses love to dwell within these classic walls, For peace and order always reign; no noise within the halls. But as we court the Muses dear till brains are in a whirl They're all old maids, and we prefer to court a pretty girl. Chorus. MACALESTER. The R. C. Jefiferson Prize Song written by Rev. Prof. W. C. Laube, ^01. (To the tune of "The Watch on the Rhine.") Macalester, to thee we sing, From joyful hearts our praises ring: Send out thy light through all the world And keep the flag of Truth unfurled. Chorus : Macalester, Macalester, Shine on, shine on, thou Northern Star. Our hopes, our prayers are all, are all with thee. God keep thee strong and pure and true and free ! Chorus : A beacon light in Freedom's land, A monument to truth you stand, A bulwark strong of liberty, A blessing to humanity. 276 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Chorus : Shine brightly on, thou Northern Star, Shed truth and wisdom near and far; God keep thee loyal, true and free, And spread thy fame from sea to sea! Chorus : COLLEGE SONG. (To be sung to the tune of "The Russian National Anthem.") Dear old Macalester, Ever the same To those whose hearts are thrilled By thy dear name. Cherished by all thy sons, Loved by all thy daughters, Hail, hail to thee Our College dear We are in word and deed Thy champions. For thee we'll fight and pray In all thy need ; Forward to prominence, March forever forward, Hail, hail to thee Our College dear Thy name shall ever be Our guiding star; Thy children shall proclaim Thine honor far. Ever our hearts to thee Cling with deep affection. Hail, hail to thee Macalester, By Bertelle Barker, '09. COLLEGE YELLS USED UNTIL 1900. Rah-Rah-Rah ! Mac-al-est-er Great North-west-er Rah-Rah-Rah ! * * * Rah-Rah-Ree Rah-Rah-Ree Macalester Macalester M-A-C Hoo-Rah-Mac! * * * FACULTY, MEMBERS, ETC. 277: Mac-Mac-Mac-al-est-er ! Great-Great-Great North-west-er ! She-She-She's the Best-er! SEE ! ! ! COLLEGE YELLS SINCE 1900. Chi- HE, Chi-HA! Chi-HA, HA, ha! Macalester, Macalester, rah ! RAH ! RAH ! Iji iTTiki, Ki yi yip. Mac, mac, Mac, mac. Rip, Rip, Rip ! KANakeena wah, wah, KANakeena tah, GO it, Mac, GO it Mac, rah, rah, rah ! Rah, Rah, rah. Rah, ree ! MacAlester, MacAlester,, m-a-c! Hoo-Rah-Mac ! Graduate and Professional Students 16 Clergymen °3 Missionaries ^7 In Business • • • • ^3 Physicians " Lawyers " Professors in Colleges and Seminaries. 9 Editors 5 Librarian ^ Public School Teachers 40 College Presidents 2 Women at Home 12 Deceased 10 Senior Class 1910 2° 258 Counted twice 27 Total 231 Of 231 Macalester alumni 54 are women 278 MACALESTER COLLEGE. HONORARY DEGREES. CONFERRED BY MACALESTER. No honorary degrees were given by Macalester College before 1901. Since then the following de- grees were conferred : 1 901 : D. D. on Rev. Charles Thayer, Ph. D., Min- neapolis, Minn. D. D. on Rev. George W. Davis, Ph. D., St. Paul, Minn. 1902: D. D. on Rev. H. F. Stilwell, First Baptist Church, St. Paul, Minn. D. D. on Rev. J. Le Moyne Danner, Yonkers, N. Y. LL. D. on Hon. Thomas Wilson, St. Paul, Minn. 1903 : D. D. on Rev. Joseph Cochran, Macalester, '89, Philadelphia, Pa. 1904 : D. D. on Rev. Stanley B. Roberts, Minneapolis, Minn. 1904: M. A. on Myron A. Clark, Macalester, '90, Rio Janeiro, Brazil. 1905: D. D. on Rev. Charles F. Hubbard, Auburn, New York. 1906: D. D. on Rev. Donald D. McKay, Tacoma, Wash. 1907: D. D. on Rev. Archibald Cardie, Macalester, '94, Burlington, Iowa. FACULTY, MEMBERS, ETC. af9 This Seal of Macalester College was devised by Dr. Neill. In a sermon preached before the Synod of Minnesota in September, 1873, he explained its significance : On the corporate seal of the institution are engraved two female figures, one in classic drap- ery, telescope in hand and compass at the feet, repre- senting Science investigating the laws of Nature; the other in sitting posture and modern dress holding the open word of God, representing Revelation. They are in friendly converse, the twin sisters of Heaven, as the motto suggests, "Natura et Revelatio, coeli gemini." After the college became a synodical institu- tion the trustees adopted the seal October 19, 1881. COLLEGE COLORS. March 2'/, 1889, Drs. Kirkwood and Wallace were appointed a committee to select college colors. April 8th, 1889, the committee reported, recommending Blue and Orange. The report was adopted.^ ^Minutes of the Faculty Book I, P. 184. CHAPTER XV. The Need of Macalester. The test of the value of an educational institution is in the record of its actual achievements. What is the character and work of its graduates? Macal- ester College is young, but in its educational prod- uct it is worthy of emulation by older institutions. In the Christian ministry, in school and in the pro- fessional walks of life its influence for good is felt. Twenty-five years ago it was said Macalester is not needed; today its existence is vindicated by the young men and women who have gone forth from its walls. It is said that the Revolutionary War was sup- ported by only one-third of the American people. One third of the colonists were loyal to England and opposed to separation from the crown, and an- other third was coldly indifferent to the question at issue. ^ Yet when liberty had been won and when the blessings of freedom were enjoyed many, who had declared the Revolutionary War a folly, were hap- py to ask for the privileges secured by the minority. Today Macalester's friends are numerous and no one acquainted with its history will assert that it is not needed. Some who opposed its establish- iHart, Formation of the Union, p. 71. THE NEED OF MACALESTER. 281 ment and some who were indifferent to it now rec- ognize its merits and are its supporters. That Macalester's mission may be better understood, it is proper to recall the particular conditions in the church, leading to its establishment. Since 1880 the Presbyterian church has suffered a dearth of min- isters. The Western states, in which state institu- tions existed, furnished only a small quota of candi- dates for the ministry. In 1883-4, there were 1147 vacant churches of which one hundred and thirty- five had memberships of between one hundred and three hundred. During that year fully three hun- dred ministers from other denominations were sup- plying pulpits in the Presbyterian church. In 1884 there was a net increase of ministers in the Presby- terian church of only one hundred and twenty-six and of that number eighty-five, that is over two- thirds, were drawn from other denominations. It dismissed to sister denominations only twenty-nine.^ From a total of five thousand nine hundred and seventy-three churches enrolled in 1885, one thou- sand two hundred and one were vacant, a larger number than ever before. Nearly four hundred of these showed a membership and a financial ability that warranted the entire services of a minister.^ During 1889 the Presbyterian church received one hundred and twenty-five ministers from other de- »Minutes of the General Assembly, 1884, P. loo-i ^Minutes of the General Assembly, 1885. P. 769-70. 282 MACALESTER COLLEGE. nominations, and in 1900 there were altogether one thousand one hundred and forty-eight vacant churches.^ What should the church do under these circum- stances? Organize less rapidly? Gather up the unem- ployed from all sources, Methodists, Baptists, Epis- copalians, from England, Scotland and Canada? Or should it seek out the Christian boys at home and in school and college and make its appeal to them? The church was persuaded that the wisest policy was to provide for the supply of the Presbyterian min- istry by securing young men who were brought up as Presbyterians and were in thorough sympathy with the doctrine and polity of the church. When it was proposed to establish a Presbyterian college in Minnesota many said: "Why this waste of money? Carleton College, the State University, and Hamline can do all the work that you expect of your own denominational institution." But what had these very institutions contributed to the work- ing force of the Presbyterian church before Macal- ester had a graduating class, and what have they done since then? How does Macalester's contribu- tion to the Christian ministry for the Presbyterian church compare with that of the above named in- stitutions ? Carleton College was founded by Congregation- alists and is the institution particularly recognized iThe Church at Home and Abroad, Feb. 1890, pp. 158- 257. THE NEED OF MACALESTER. 283 and supported by that denomination. It gradu- ated its first class in 1874, fifteen years before Ma- calester had a commencement; but not one of its graduates entered the Presbyterian ministry in those years. Its contribution to the Presbyterian ministry from 1870 to 1910, a period of forty years, is one minister, and he is the son of a Congrega- tional pastor. The State University commands our admiration. It is a splendid institution and has many excellent Christian men in its faculty. It is well patronized by the Presbyterian church and not less than six of Macalester college's faculty hold diplomas from the University. But only a few of its students have en- tered the ranks of the Presbyterian ministry. The writer has had the kind assistance of the Secretary of the General Alumni Association of the University of Minnesota in ascertaining how many University alumni have devoted themselves to the service of the Presbyterian church. The University reckons its alumni from the year 1870, nineteen years be- fore Macalester graduated its first class. From that time until 19 10, a period of forty years, the Univer- sity has graduated seven young men who have en- *Desiring correct information on this matter I wrote to the authorities of Carleton asking them how many of their alumni had entered the mmistry of the Presbyterian Church. The letter in answer to my inquiry stated that neither the president nor the professor of history at Carleton could give the information desired, but that a printed list of the alumni of that college would be sent to me, from which I might be able to ascertain the facts asked for. The result of my in- vestigation is as stated above. 284 MACALESTER COLLEGE. tered the ministry of the Presbyterian church. One young man, a graduate of the Agricultural School is a teacher in an Industrial Mission School in Af- rica, and one young woman, an ex-student of the University is married to a missionary among the Mexicans. Altogether nine young people having been educated at the State University are now devoting themselves to christian work under the care of the Presbyterian church. Hamline University to some extent, also, has been patronized by Presbyterian 93 Rankin, Mary J 290 Reid, A. M 166 Rice, Rev. Daniel I3S, 178 Rice, Mrs. Daniel 178, 220 Rice Property 180 Ringland, Rev. A. W I99, 202 Robertson, O. A 239 Root, Elihu 18 Rusterholz, Ruth Swasey 229 S Schriber, B. H I94, 239 Schroedel, Lydia 229 Schuler, Harry • 288 Seal of Macalester College 279 Shaw, Prof. Thomas iQi, 237 304 MACALESTER COLLEGE. Shattuck School . . .. , 51 Shellman, Dr. and Mrs • 290 Sherrill, Rev. J. S , '^'j Simonton, James 245 St. John's University ., 50 St. Olaf College 75, 17 St. Paul Trust Co • .... 177, 190 Strong, President 69, 105, 210 Swearingen, Rev. Henry C 245 Synod, Relations of, to Macalester College 52 55, 62, 162, 293, 294 T Taylor, H. Knox 97 Tenney, W. H , . • 221 Thaw, Mrs. William 171, 185, 186 , Thomson, A. D 238 Throop, Frank 291 Thwing, President 18 U Underwood, Judson L 139, 288 V Vanderburg, Judge Charles E 96 Voskuil, Henry J 291 W Wallace, James, Professor of Greek 134, 249, 250 Wallace, Benjamin, Rhodes Scholar 246 Watson, Lily Bell 229 Welbon, Arthur G • • 242 Weyerhaeuser, Frederick 204, 241 Whitney, Captain J. C 31, 93 Whitridge, Grace B 246 Wilson, Hon. E. M 39 Wilson, Judge Thomas 194 Winslow House 44 Woman's Auxiliary of Macalester College 194 Wright, Major B. F 95 i H i 1 Kg' 1 * i LIBRARY OF CONGRESS II 028 344 454 5