North-Western College Bulletin Of II D I'lflOlSLlBi my ct The Inauguration of Edward Everett Rally Ph.D. as President of North-Western College j: NORTH-WESTERN COLLEGE DEPARTMENTS North-Western College comprises the following Depart- ments : 1. The College of Arts and Sciences 2. The Academy 3. The School of Commerce 4. The School of Music 5. The School of Art The College is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, of the Association of Ameri- can Colleges, and of the Federation of Illinois Colleges. The Academy is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, and of the North Academic Association. NORTH-WESTERN COLLEGE BULLETIN The North-Western College Bulletin is issued quarterly in April, July, October and January. The April number consists of the Annual Catalog and Announcement, the other numbers of matters of general interest concerning the College. Copies of the Bulletin are mailed on request. Address :• E. E. Ball, President, North-Western College, Naperville, III. NORTH-WESTERN COLLEGE BULLETIN The Inauguration Edward Everett Rail, Ph. D. as President of North-Western College Table of Contents PAGE Program of Exercises 3 Inauguration Ode 5 Account of Inauguration (from the College Chronicle) 8 Representatives of Colleges in Attendance 11 Address, Samuel P. Capen 12 Address of Installation, Samuel P. Spreng 22 Inaugural Address, Edward Everett Rail 25 Extracts from First Annual Report of President Rail 34 Naperville, III. October, 1917 President Edward Everett Rail PROGRAM Inauguration of Edward Everett Rail, Ph.D., as President of North-Western College College Day, May 17, 1917, Naperville, III. ACADEMIC PROCESSION 9 :30 A. M. — From Goldspohn Hall to First Evangelical Church Professors M. E. Nonnamaker and C. B. Bowman, Marshals College Band* First Division. — Academy and Commercial students, music students, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors. Second Division. — Students of the Seminary, alumni, faculty of the Seminary, faculty of the College. Third Division. — Invited guests, representatives of colleges and universities, trustees, speakers. * “Inauguration March” composed expressly for the occasion by Prof. J. J. Neitz, director of the band. INSTALLATION EXERCISES 10:00 A. M. — First Evangelical Church Bishop Samuel P. Spreng, D.D., Chairman Board of Trustees, Presiding Organ Prelude Invocation Prof. Harris Franklin Rail, Ph.D., D.D. Hymn — “0 Worship the King” Prayer Bishop S. C. Breyfogel, D.D., LL.D. Address Hon. Samuel P. Capen, Ph.D. Specialist in Higher Education, U. S. Bureau of Education Inauguration Ode Soloists and Chorus Address of Installation Bishop Samuel P. Spreng, D.D. Address of Acceptance Pres. Edward E. Rail, Ph.D. North-Western College Song Chorus and Audience Benediction Rev. A. J. Boelter LUNCHEON 12 :30 P. M. — Dining Hall, First Evangelical Church Dean George J. Kirn, Ph.D., D.D., Toastmaster Music N.-W. C. Ladies’ Glee Club Responses Supt. Francis E. Blair, LL.D., of the Illinois State Department of Education. Dean Kendric C. Babcock, Ph.D., LL.D., for the University of Illinois. Pres. Thomas F. Holgate, Ph.D., LL.D., Northwestern Univer- sity, for the Federation of Illinois Colleges, and for the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Music Ladies’ Glee Club Bishop S. C. Breyfogel, D.D., LL.D., Reading, Pa., for the Evan- gelical Association. Dr. Albert Goldspohn, M.S., M.D., Chicago, for the Board of Trustees. Rev. Edmond E. Reiser, Ph.B., ’06, Chicago, President Alumni Association, for the Alumni. Pres. S. J. Gamertsfelder, Ph.D., D.D., for the Evangelical Theo- logical Seminary. Ex-Pres. H. H. Rassweiler, A. M., for Naperville. Music Ladies’ Glee Club BASEBALL GAME 2:45 P. M. — Seager Field Y. M. C. A. College vs. North-Western College INFORMAL RECEPTION Bishop and Mrs. Spreng and President Rall For Guests of the College, Trustees, and Faculty, from 4:00 to 5:00 P. M., Carnegie Library CONCERT Men’s Glee Club, North-Western College 8 :00 P. M., First Evangelical Church 4 INAUGURATION ODE Words by Harold E. White, Professor of English, North-Western College Music by J. Francis Maguire, Director School of Music, North-Western College Soloists Miss Louise Burton Soprano Miss Mildred Brown Violinist Prof. Chester J. Attig Baritone Prof. Harold E. White Tenor Prof. J. Francis Maguire Pianist Miss Luella Messerschmidt Organist (Baritone Recitative) Shall not the voice of him -who feels The splendor of this day within His bounding heart — and now appeals To heaven’s high throne above — begin A strain as high? O say, Where, Orpheus, is thy magic lute today? Where, vain Apollo, hangs thy lyre ? (Tenor Aria) Where, all ye muses, is the sacred choir? Where, where, where is your heavenly choir? (Female Voices) We come in triumph from the skies To blend celestial harmonies With mortal tongues. Divine Athena bids the praise Simplicity hath given — soft lays And simple songs. Hail! mortals, hail! We celebrate Your festal day with hymns of state In the great halls above Who stands today in Wisdom’s guise Shall lead the humble and the wise To the great task of love. Then hail him, mortals, with a loud acclaim. Nor render false the praise or blame. (Soprano Aria) Ah! Whence those strains, ’tis not in us To envy — though we cannot sing? Some choir celestial coming thus Harmonious praises bring, Whose hymns we may not envy, though them we cannot sing (Male Chorus) No ancient paean in classic pride Avails, nor Bacchannalian lay: A holier muse shall be our guide To solemnize this festal day. Daughters and sons of the soil With joy and grief for our girth — Ours be the praise of toil And a mortal being’s worth. Then hail him, hail him with a loud acclaim. Nor render false the praise or blame! (Mixed Chorus) From North and South, ’twixt sea and sea. Remotest bounds have yielded up to thee. To thee, our Alma Mater dear. The children thou hast summoned here. We bring the glad heart’s welcome to our chief. And reverence and loyalty devout; And none shall mar that loyalty with doubt. Or set a thorn beside the laurel leaf That crowns him; but the iron gate of grief Be ever closed to the sad strain without; While on this happy day our voices shout The praise of him who comes to be our chief. Then hail him, Alma Mater, with a loud acclaim. Nor render false the praise or blame! 6 Carnegie Library Goldspohn Science Hall Nichols Gymnasium Main Building Heating Plant EDWARD EVERETT RALL INAUGURATED PRESIDENT OF NORTH-WESTERN COLLEGE (From The College Chronicle, May 22, 1917) Perhaps the greatest event which North-Western ever has seen, was the inauguration of Edward Everett Rail, Ph.D., into the presidency of North-Western College. As a stage in its his- tory, May 17 marks the end to a period of recent rapid develop- ment only to be the beginning of another period of more rapid growth and progress. North-Western during the past six years has made a big stride toward that type of a small educational Christian college which is set up by authorities as the ideal col- lege of the future, and with one year of sufficient proof, promises to reach that ideal under the efficient government of the new president. Dr. Edward E. Rail succeeds Dr. Lawrence H. Seager, whose election to the bishopric in 1915 caused the vacancy. Be- fore coming to North-Western, Dr. Rail held the position of Pro- fessor of Education at the University of Tennessee, succeeding the Honorable P. P. Claxton when he was appointed Commis- sioner of Education by the Federal government. The inauguration of a president into a college in such a crit- ical time as the present, is a momentous event, for the duties of the college president since the war began have increased twofold. But Thursday morning loomed up beautiful and bright and nothing marred the solemnity of the great occasion. Twenty- eight college and university presidents, professors and repre- sentatives, together with the trustees and more than two hun- dred and fifty out-of-town guests, alumni, besides Naperville friends honored Dr. Rail with their presence at the inauguration. At 9 :45 the academic procession beginning with the Academy and Commercial students and ending with the trustees, visitors and speakers gowned in their representative university colors, left the campus and marched through the streets of Naperville, to the tune of Prof. Neitz’s “Inaugural March” to the First Evan- gelical Church. When the head of the procession reached the church corner the double file opened ranks while the seniors, trus- tees, visitors and speakers marched through and into the church. INSTALLATION EXERCISES Bishop Samuel P. Spreng, D.D., chairman of the Board of Trustees, presided at the installation exercises. Professor Harris Franklin Rail, Ph.D., D.D., of Garrett Biblical Institute, brother of Doctor E. E. Rail, pronounced the invocation. After the audi- ence sang the hymn, “0 Worship the King,’' and Bishop S. C. Breyfogel, D.D., LL.D., of Reading, Pa., offered a prayer, the Honorable Samuel P. Capen, Ph.D., specialist in higher education of the U. S. Bureau of Education, gave the address. Dr. Capen took the place of Honorable P. P. Claxton, whose duties in Wash- ington unfortunately prevented him from coming, but he brought with him an official commission of congratulation from the Bu- reau of Education. Dr. Capen in his address pointed out the duties of a college president and showed how in this critical time of war he must more than ever use the wisest judgment and tact and must subordinate all personal desire to the welfare of the nation. The President must be the interpreter of the Ameri- can soul and must help build up its body. This war is a war for chemists, doctors, scientists, agriculturists, and the institutions must be preserved for the nation’s sake. Dr. Capen congratu- lated North-Western on her inauguration of an educationalist into the presidency, and told of some of Dr. Rail’s influence among the colleges of the South. INAUGURATION ODE An ode written expressly for the occasion by Prof. H. E. White, with music composed by Prof. J. F. Maguire, was beauti- fully sung by the chorus and soloists : Miss Burton, soprano ; Prof. C. J. Attig, baritone; Prof. H. E. White, tenor; with Miss Brown as violinist. Miss Messerschmidt as organist and Prof. Maguire as pianist. Bishop Samuel P. Spreng, D.D., next gave the installation address. He showed the remarkable growth of North-Western College since 1861, through the presidential terms of A. A. Smith, H. H. Rassweiler, H. J. Kiekhoefer and L. H. Seager (with a short interim in which L. M. Umbach presided). Dr. Spreng gave the sentiments of the Board of Trustees as well as of the entire student body when he told Dr. Rail of the faith and respect which is placed in his integrity, his loyalty and his scholarship. INAUGURAL ADDRESS In his address of acceptance. Dr. Rail outlined what in his opinion will be the college of the future. It will be the smaller college, co-educational, Christian, will meet modern social needs by adding modern studies to its curriculum ; will enter into pro- fessional studies; will be broadly humanistic; will train for lei- sure hours, and will vocationalize the older liberal studies and liberalize the vocational studies. It will strive for quality and quantity, and will develop first the man, then the scholar. After Dr. RalFs acceptance. Miss Sayde Winter presented Doctor Rail with a large basket of flowers and a North-Western College seal ring as a token of the student body’s appreciation. The program ended with “America” and the North-Western College song by the audience and benediction by Reverend A. J. Boelter. LUNCHEON At 12 :30 a luncheon was given in the parlors of the church at which Dean George J. Kirn, Ph.D., D.D., acted as toastmaster. Responses were given by Supt. Francis E. Blair, LL.D., of the Illinois State Department of Education; by Dean K. C. Babcock for the University of Illinois ; by President Thomas F. Holgate, Ph.D., LL.D., North-Western University, for the Federation of Illinois Colleges, and for the North Central Association of Col- leges and Secondary Schools; by Bishop S. C. Breyfogel, D.D., LL.D., Reading, Pa., for the Evangelical Association; by Dr. Albert Goldspohn, M.S., M.D., Chicago, for the Board of Trus- tees; by Reverend E. E. Reiser, Ph.B., ’06, Chicago, president Alumni Association, for the alumni ; by Pres. S. J. Gamertsfelder, Ph.D., D.D., for the E. T. S., and ex-President H. H. Rassweiler, A.M., for Naperville. From four to five a reception was held in Carnegie Library for the guests by Bishop and Mrs. S. P. Spreng and President Rail. It was very much regretted by the students and faculty that Bishop L. H. Seager could not attend the inauguration of his successor, as duties kept him at various conferences at the coast ; and that Prof. L. M. Umbach was too ill to attend. in Representatives of Colleges and Universities in Attend- ance Upon the Inauguration In spite of added duties due to the war which caused many college presidents who expected to attend to send regrets, many representatives were present, as indicated below: Representing Pres. Thomas F. Holgate Northwestern University- Dean Kendric C. Babcock University of Illinois Pres. John S. Nollen Lake Forest College Pres. John B. Furay Loyola University Pres. S. J. Gamertsf elder Evangelical Theological Seminary Pres. Charles A. Blanchard W^heaton College Pres. Orrin R. Jenks Aurora College Prof. Ernest Breslich, University of Chicago Baldwin-Wallace College Prof. James Westfall Thompson, University of Chicago. . . .Rutgers College Prof. Sidney I. Kornhauser, Northwestern U University of Pittsburgh Prof. Harris Franklin Rail Garrett Biblical Institute Prof. Eugene E. Gill, Armour Institute Dickinson College Prof. George Scherger Armour Institute Prof. Alfred Phillips, Armour Institute Union College Prof. W. Clyde Allee, Lake Forest College Earlham College Mr. John J. Didcoct, H. S. Inspector, U. of 111. . .Teachers’ Coll., Columbia U. Mrs. Harlan W. Cooley, Chicago Vassar College Mr. Herman Frank, Chicago College of the City of New York Bishop S. C. Breyfogel, Reading, Pa Schuylkill Seminary Mr. Guy C. Pierce, Chicago Tufts College Mr. Charles J. Jones, Wheaton Western Reserve University Mr. Chester A. Cook, Chicago Brown University Mr. Charles R. Rail, Pittsburgh University of Iowa Rev. James F. Jenness, Downers Grove. . .Leland Stanford Junior University Mr. Arthur R. Dean, Winnetka Doane College Rev. Robert L. Shepherd, Wheaton Missouri Valley College Hon. Samuel P. Capen, Ph.D., Specialist in Education Bureau of Education, Washington, D. C. Hon. Francis G. Blair, LL.D Illinois State Department of Education 11 ADDRESS AT THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT EDWARD E. RALL, NORTH-WESTERN COLLEGE, MAY 17, 1917 Samuel P. Capen The inauguration of a college president is a solemn event. It is big with promise to the community over which he is to pre- side. No other ceremony except a wedding is so full of portent. None other arouses in like degree the hopes and fears of friends and connections. Marriage alone holds equal possibilities of for- tunate and harmonious unfolding or of maladjustments which are fatal. It is right that the supporters of the institution should gather in force on the occasion to pledge their loyalty to the new leader and to give him the intangible but precious assurance of their confidence. It is right that representatives of the State and Nation should join in wishing him Godspeed. This has been an almost immemorial custom. Yet within the memories of most of us here the conditions of the presidency have changed completely. The office has always been one of dignity and wide influence not only inside the institution but without its walls. It is that no less today. The college president is still the captain of his citadel, the judge of his tribe, and the spokesman of the wider community in all matters largely affect- ing the public welfare. But to these fundamental and primary functions, which have not changed much since colleges began in the United States, several others have been superadded which are peculiarly modern; for example, the functions of financier, of organizer, of exponent of the recently developed science of administration. Each of these represents a profession in itself, yet the college president must be able to practice them all simul- taneously and achieve a certain measure of success in each, if he is to fulfill the present demands of his office. There is still an- other phase of the president’s task, however, which has appar- ently always belonged to it, but which of late has acquired new meaning and entails new responsibilities. I should like to dwell on it for a moment. The modern president is expected to be, or as soon as possible to become, an expert on college education. This was expected of his remote predecessors as well. But the condition of being an expert on matters affecting the training of college youth is now far more difficult of attainment than it was a generation ago. I do not need to recall the expansion of the college itself. 12 the evolution of the many schools and courses out of the simple institution of former times with its one high road to culture and its one purpose held singly and without misgiving. The col- lege of our fathers has become a hydra-headed organism serving a variety of purposes, most of them professional. Not every institution, to be sure, exhibits the full complexity of the new genus. Not every college is a university, or on the way to be one. It is not even desirable that all should develop in this direc- tion. But to be an expert on college education a president must not only be familiar with the aims and methods of the particular type of institution which he is called to direct; he must know also the status and tendencies of higher education in all its manifestations throughout the United States. In its latest report the Bureau of Education recognizes 563 institutions as justified in calling themselves colleges or univer- sities. Disregarding the three or four hundred more which as- sume one or the other designation, consider what an enormous task lies before the man who wishes to become conversant with the current trend of collegiate education in America. For in spite of recent spasmodic efforts, colleges are not yet standard- ized and reduced to type. No two of the 563 are absolutely alike. Some of them, to be sure, need claim very little of the investi- gator’s attention, but there are perhaps a hundred which have made and are making noteworthy contributions to the prac- tice of college teaching and administration. These are scattered all over the country. They respond to the demands of the most diverse constituencies. They are controlled some by the State, some by municipalities, some by churches, and some by inde- pendent boards of trustees. They represent divergent educa- tional philosophies. According to their environment, they em- body different social ideals. Organized into sectional groups, they establish different standards of admission, different require- ments for the same degrees. They speak collectively through the medium of various associations. Yet notwithstanding this diversity, there is growing among colleges a consciousness that they are all parts one of another. Their interests are common, not conflicting. By the greatest variety of means they endeavor to serve the same general ends. Without surrendering individual characteristics, they can make this service most effective by co-operation and by the fullest interchange of opinion and experience. 13 A glance is sufficient to show the importance of this field of study. College education is no longer a parochial affair; it has become a national enterprise. No college can live to itself alone, shut up within its own tradition, limited for council to the wisdom of its own officers. To do so is to become mired in provincialism. It is the president’s task to guard it from this error. The friends of the institution look to him to think cosmically con- cerning college education. He is expected to know other colleges than his own, and to view his own in the light of others’ practices. He must interpret to his faculty and his board of trustees the new policies and new conceptions which have originated in other parts of the country. He must inspire them with the cour- age to break with their pasts, if need be, and especially with the courage to be different from their neighbors when by being different the interests of the institution and of those who attend it may be best promoted. Does this not mean that the president has a new and complex specialty to master, in addition to his other duties as administrator, organizer, financier, and com- munity leader? But this specialty needs more than an empirical basis. It is not enough that the president should study colleges alone; that as time goes on and as he avails himself of the opportunities of his office he should acquire an intimate knowledge of their vary- ing practices. Such knowledge to be fruitful should be founded upon and illumined by an acquaintance with the science of edu- cation. Do I need to remind you that education is at last becom- ing a science? Indeed, it already possesses a considerable body of scientific doctrine. This doctrine is based on psychology, on biology, on statistics, on sociology. It is buttressed by a vast accumulation of historical and interpretive material. It is being constantly added to and modified by painstaking research. The English have an apt word which we Americans have not as yet adopted, to designate a person who devotes himself to the pur- suit of this new science. They call him an “educationist.” But although we do not use the term, we do have educationists in the United States. Doubtless the largest and most conspicuous group of them is composed of the professors of education in our colleges and universities. It used to be the fashion to choose clergymen as college presi- dents. Many of our greatest educational leaders in the past have been ministers. Many of the ablest college and university presi- 14 dents now living have left the pastorate to take up the work of education. But it is coming to be generally recognized that the minister’s previous training does not as a rule especially fit him to meet the peculiar tasks which have just been mentioned and which the president must today assume. This is in no sense a reflection on the quality and range of the clergyman’s train- ing. No other professional men, except possibly college teachers, are better equipped for these tasks through antecedent study or experience. And even the preliminary training of the aver- age college teacher does not bear directly on the work of the presidency. Perhaps it would be desirable to establish a school for college presidents, or some agency particularly designed to fit men for the exacting and multifold duties of the office. The idea has, in fact, several times been broached. But in default of the existence of such an agency, is it not to be expected that one who has devoted a number of years specifically to the study and interpretation of educational science and educational move- ments has at the outset an advantage in a directive position? It is doubtless for this reason that so many institutions in the last five years have been seeking their executives from among the ranks of professors of education. North-Western College has decided — wisely, I believe — to fol- low this new custom. The president whom you formally install today comes to you not only equipped with that technical knowl- edge of the field of education in general and of higher education in particular, which is now increasingly important in a college administrator, but he has had the rare good fortune to be asso- ciated with perhaps the most vigorous and astounding develop- ment that has taken place in American education in the twen- tieth century. Within the last fifteen years the Southern States have re-created their school systems. From the most rudi- mentary stages they have built up systems of secondary educa- tion which now compare favorably with those of other sections of the country. They have sought to refine and purify collegiate standards and have suppressed or converted institutions which were not what they seemed. In this admirable work President Rail has had a part. By electing a man so trained and with such experience to this important office you have assured to North- Western College that enlightened leadership which the modern collegiate enterprise requires. But beyond offering to him and to you the felicitations of IS the Bureau of Education, I wish to call your attention to the rela- tion which this ceremony bears to those grave exigencies of the hour which are now at all times uppermost in our minds. I have said that the assumption of office of a new college presi- dent is both for him and for his community a momentous event. If in ordinary times it is of serious import, it is now doubly solemn. The United States has now just entered upon the greatest adventure in the history of the world. It is an adventure because it leads into strange and untried places, because its end is unfore- seeable, because it involves the hazard of life and death, because it is undertaken deliberately in full knowledge of the risks. But it is more than an adventure ; it is a crusade, a crusade in behalf of principles more precious than ease and security, in behalf of democracy itself, in behalf of the inalienable rights of all man- kind. It is a crusade because, like those ancient soldiers of the cross, America has voluntarily relinquished peace and prosperity for the attainment of an object from which it can have no selfish profit, because, like them, it risks its body to save its soul. Let us make no mistake about that ; it risks its body very definitely. Fortunately, the body is strong. But how long can the strength be preserved under the stress of a conflict more devastating than the world has seen before. And yet the success of a cause that could not be higher, depends on the intelligent conservation of its strength to withstand a prolonged and exhausting struggle. The ordinary tasks of a college president are complicated and difficult enough, but to them has now been added another very special obligation, which is implied in what I have just said. The college president must in this great emergency be the inter- preter of America’s soul to his own people. He must also play a very conspicuous part in the upbuilding and preservation of the body of the nation. Let me make this point concrete. The United States is about to raise an army of a million and a half. The young men who compose it will be drawn very largely from the productive ranks of the country. Their labor must be replaced, not only that the United States may not suf- fer disaster from lack of supplies, but that our allies may receive in increasing measure those commodities without which they cannot go forward. What will be the effect of this dislocation of the peaceful routine of national life upon the educational system ? May not the high schools and colleges of the country be 16 decimated by the urgent calls of the military forces, of agricul- ture, and of industry? Should they not be so? Can any more obvious or appropriate step be taken by the officers who have these institutions in charge than to facilitate in every way the immediate response to the most pressing necessity of the country? Even if our higher schools are temporarily suspended, will it not be to the ultimate advantage of the nation? Should we not now put wholly aside all thought of their improvement, all thought even of their preservation? Such questions as these have been raised continually during the past weeks by the most patriotic citizens. It seems to me that the answer to them is plain. The great needs of the war are, of course, men and materials; men to risk their lives in battle; men to do many unaccustomed and complicated things demanding a high decree of intelligence ; larger numbers of men to lead and direct than are called for in peace ; men scientifically trained in engineering, in chemistry, in agriculture, in medicine ; materials in the shape of food, munitions, supplies, and ships. The immediate call for both men and materials will doubtless drain the higher schools. It will to some extent reduce the attendance in the lower schools as well. The young men in our colleges are already offering themselves by the hundreds for national service, and by preference in those branches where the danger is likely to be greatest. It was to be looked for. It is the tradition of American colleges. But it is none the less noble and glorious because expected. Young men in high schools and colleges will probably go out also to fill the gaps in industry, to help speed upon the wheels of production in agriculture and in the making of supplies. These will be the immediate effects of a change from a peace to a war basis. But it must not be forgotten that the successful prosecution of a modern war demands a full and constant flow of both men and materials. It demands not only ever more men for the firing line, but also more and more men trained for leadership, trained for technical pursuits. This is pre-eminently a war of engineers, of chemists, of doctors, and latterly and increasingly of scientific agriculturists. Both now and later it will demand large num- bers of officers, and by the nature of their training college men are among the best fitted to acquire the knowledge that officers must possess. It would be fatal to America’s prospects of suc- 17 cess if the supply of men equipped for any of these services were cut off. What is the available supply? The last annual report of the Commissioner of Education showed in round numbers 152,000 men enrolled in colleges and universities. Of these about 10,000 were graduate students, about 32,000 were studying engineering, and about 17,000 were registered in agriculture. The vast ma- jority were of course undergraduates in liberal arts. By common consent the men in the two upper collegiate classes and in the graduate school are the ones who can make effective use of their training, whether it be general or technical. Those who have finished their courses are naturally still better prepared. Col- leges graduate something less than 15 per cent of their total enrollment. It is safe to estimate that not over 40 per cent of the whole number enrolled are included in the three groups just mentioned. In other words, there were last year in all the higher institutions of the country about 61,000 junior and senior and graduate men, of whom about 12,000 were engineers and about 6,000 agricultural students. Now consider certain details of the immediate demand. The Secretary of War has recently stated that 20,000 officers will be needed as soon as they can be got ready to train the first incre- ment of 500,000 troops. This is only the first installment. More than three times that number will be summoned as time goes on. The Government has just issued a call for 12,000 engineers, nearly as many as are now enrolled in the two upper classes of all engineering schools. Engineers are not only indispensable to our own army, for the building of defenses, of bridges, of railways, and for the designing and operating of machines ; they are also urgently needed by our allies for similar services. In- creasing numbers of them must be furnished both to our own forces and to Europe. The world is facing a shortage of food. Unless more land is brought under cultivation and more skill is applied to the production of crops, the prospect is not pleasant to contemplate. The obligation to bring about this increased production rests particularly on the United States. The Presi- dent has emphasized it in a special message to the nation. The Department of Agriculture is devoting every energy to stimulat- ing it and to the conservation and efficient distribution of foods already produced. Mere hand power will not alone be sufficient, however, to make two blades of grass grow where one grew 18 before, and even hand power will be more and more difficult to secure. The intelligent guidance of those who have mastered the science of agriculture is more necessary than ever. It is for the graduates of our agricultural colleges and for those 6,000 upper-class students to furnish this scientific knowledge and to apply it to the almost infinitely varied conditions of soil, climate, and product under which the 12 million persons engaged in agri- culture in the United States work. Whatever the length of the war the shortage in the world's reserve of food will apparently continue for some years. With it will continue the demand for still larger numbers of expert agriculturists. The implication of these statements is clear. The colleges and technical schools must be kept as far as possible in full operation in order that there may be no diminution in the sup- ply of trained men and women. I have not mentioned the women specifically before, but it is obvious that they must take many places left vacant by men and that their part in the conservation of the country's resources will be conspicuous. The high schools must perform the double task of sending large numbers of young people to higher institutions and of preparing still greater num- bers than at present for industrial vocations. It is not a ques- tion of preserving educational institutions at the expense of the country in its hour of need. The institutions must be preserved and strengthened for the country's service. No other thought animates those who control them. On the fifth day of May some 200 college presidents from all parts of the country assembled in Washington at the call of the Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense, to decide upon the general policy to be pursued by their institu- tions during the war. The meeting adopted by unanimous vote certain resolutions and a statement of principles. As expressing what I believe to be the common sentiment of all educational officers I venture to quote the simple and eloquent preamble to these resolutions: 'Tn the supreme crisis that confronts the nation the colleges and universities of America have the single-minded thought and desire to summon to the country's service every resource at their command ; to offer to the nation their full strength without reser- vation ; to consecrate anew their every power to the high task of securing for all mankind those ideas and ideals that gave them 19 birth and out of which have grown their most precious traditions/' Two of the principles adopted by the meeting bear so directly on the point under discussion that I will read them also : '‘We believe that all young men below the age of liability ta the selective draft and those not recommended for special serv- ice, who can avail themselves of the opportunities offered by our colleges, should be urged so to do, in order that they may be able to render the most effective service both during the full period of the war and in the trying times which will follow its close. “We believe that, in view of the supreme importance of applied science in the present war, students pursuing technical courses such as medicine, agriculture, and engineering are ren- dering, or are to render, through the continuance of their train- ing services more valuable and efficient than if they were to enroll in military or naval service at once." The meeting left behind it a permanent committee organized under the Council of National Defense to consider how colleges can be of greatest usefulness to the country during the war, to learn from the Government departments the technical and military preparation these institutions can give, and to suggest modifications of curricula and calendars. The first of the principles I have quoted alludes to the period which is to follow the war. It is difficult in a crisis like this to look ahead, perhaps a long way ahead. No prophecy is in fact likely to be worth much. Nevertheless it appears evident that the United States will face certain new and grave responsibilities in the days that are to come. We are now very definitely a part- ner of other nations. Our position of complacent aloofness is gone forever. Even if peace should come before our own man power and resources are substantially depleted — a prospect on which no one dares count — we are bound to contribute from our store of both to replace the wreckage which our partners have suffered. If the war continues till we too are drained the work of reconstruction will be all the greater. In any event, a por- tion of the world must be rebuilt by our hands and our brains. We must furnish for this work not only money, but men of scientific training. To that end, as well as for the prosecution of the war, the full and efficient services of our higher schools will be needed. A task is now presented to the college presidents of the coun- 20 try which requires the wisest judgment, the exercise of the utmost tact combined with the utmost firmness, the subordina- tion of every selfish desire for personal or institutional aggran- dizement to the interests of the individual students under their charge and to the welfare of the nation. The college president is looked to beyond all others to exert a steadying influence upon his community. It falls to his lot to keep constantly before its eyes the purity and the greatness of the mission upon which America is embarked, to prevent the distortion of its high pur- poses by those mean animosities which are almost inevitably bred by the strains and losses of war. He will be relied upon to make instant and willing adaptation of the resources of his institution to the needs of the Government, in the face of aca- demic inertia and without regard to traditions. It will be his duty to see that the holy flame of enthusiasm for national serv- ice is not dimmed in the hearts of young men and young women, to counsel each one wisely, to place no obstacle in the way of those whose consciences cannot be satisfied except by immediate enlistment, and at the same time to interpret the dignity and usefulness of that service which can be rendered only after patient preparation. The fulfillment of this task will place him truly among the builders of the nation. President Rail, it is my privilege to bring to you, as you set forth on this enterprise, the warm personal greetings of the Commissioner of Education. As a friend he offers you his sincere good wishes. As the head of that portion of the Federal Government which concerns itself with education he sends to you and to this institution whose destinies have been placed in your care his official congratulations. 21 ADDRESS OF INSTALLATION By Bishop Samuel P. Spreng, D.D., President of the Board OF Trustees North-Western College has been in operation as an institu- tion of learning since 1861, a period of 56 years. It has been known as North-Western College since 1864, a period of 53 years. It has been located in Naperville since 1870, a period of 47 years. It is therefore not an experiment nor an adventure in educational enterprise but a firmly established institution with more than a half century of growth and service behind it — growth that has been steady and constant and healthful ; service that has borne fruit in thousands of lives for time and eternity. Its former students and its alumni are found in every walk and profession and calling in church, in state and in society, and in every part of the globe. They have gone with Evelyn Bald- win to polar regions, and with James H. Breasted to Egypt’s burning sands and cryptic monuments. During this entire time it has had but four presidents, a striking indication of the stability and persistence of the institu- tion; perhaps also of the conservatism of its constituent body. Its first president. Professor Augustine A. Smith, an alumnus of Oberlin College, assumed his duties in the fall of 1862, fifty- five years ago. Much of the well-known high moral character and lofty idealism of the college is due to the influence of this great man who, in the formative stage of the institution, guided its policy, taught its students and led its faculty for a quarter century with singular devotion, skill and purpose. He was succeeded by Professor H. H. Rassweiler who carried the bur- dens and honors of the presidency for five busy and prosper- ous years. Then came Doctor H. J. Kiekhoefer with twenty years of service in this important position. After an interim in which Professor L. M. Umbach served as acting president. Doctor Lawrence H. Seager also presided for five years until he was elevated to the episcopacy by the General Conference of 1915. The present incumbent therefore is the fifth in the line of succession. North-Western College is a denominational institution, founded, created and maintained by and for a religious body known as the Evangelical Association and is in the fullest sense an exponent of the religious zeal, the patriotic fervor and edu- cational ideals of this distinctively American church. The church 22 was founded at the beginning of the republic, very soon after the close of the Revolutionary War, and called the college into existence at the very beginning of the Civil War. One can not but admire the faith, the courage and vision of the men who, in the most trying period of the Nation’s history, undertook the formidable task of launching an educational enterprise like this. This should hearten us as we think of the fact that President Rail begins his administration in the midst of the only real world-war in history. The old church will not falter now in her support of this vital enterprise. This college we believe is vitally essential to the growth and perpetuity of the denomination and an important instrument in the fulfillment of the church’s mission. But even so, the church is necessary to the college. The two are interdependent. But above and beyond that, the college has been founded and is being maintained for the purpose of distinctively Christian education. We believe the Christian college has a definite and vital mission in the educational systems of all Christian nations and especially of America. The Christian college must be loyal to scientific truth; must foster freedom of thought and progress in scholar- ship and conservatism in learning ; but must, above all, inculcate Christian principles, inspire and sustain Christian faith and in- still the Christian spirit ; for only so can it lay a real foundation of character and supply inspiration for the attainment of the highest ideals. With due appreciation of the honorable history of North- Western College ; with cordial recognition of the heroic services of former presidents, and with true vision of the possibilities of the future of the institution, the trustees have chosen Edward Everett Rail, Ph.D., as the head of our beloved college. In call- ing you, sir, to this high position we are aware that we are invit- ing you to a grave responsibility, but also to an alluring oppor- tunity. Much is expected of you. You are to pilot the ship through storm and calm and hold her steady amid the pounding billows of a troubled and restless age, an age in which old ideas, old forms, old institutions and standards are being tested and in part discarded, and in which all things are being made new. We have confidence in your character, your equipment, your fidelity, your devotion. We have confidence in the ability of the institution to maintain its steadfast way and even to outride the storm of the world-war by the help of almighty God, under 23 your skilful guidance. Above all, we trust in Him who is unmeas- ured in power, perfect in wisdom and infinite in love. We cherish high hopes for the future of our college. We bespeak for you and your associates on the faculty the highest measure of success. Therefore, by the authority vested in me by the trustees and in behalf of the corporation which they represent, and whose instrument they are, I take very great pleasure in placing in your hand your commission as president of North-Western Col- lege, assuring you of our co-operation and support, and praying upon you the abundant blessing of our Heavenly Father in your great task. 24 THE COLLEGE OF THE FUTURE Inaugural Address, Edward Everett Rall, Ph.D. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS One would indeed be an ingrate not to be deeply moved by all the evidences of regard and appreciation shown the speaker on this occasion. One would indeed be an indifferent man not to feel the great responsibility of the office into which I am thus inducted. I would first of all, therefore, express my deepest appreciation of the honor thus bestowed upon me, of the confi- dence and trust shown, of the generous words of appreciation and of the heartiest and most cordial co-operation accorded me by all. Let me express also my full realization of the magnitude of the task herewith undertaken and the responsibilities of the office upon which I am entering. I would not dare in my own strength or by my own unaided efforts to undertake the task. I undertake it only because I count with confidence on the continued support and co-operation al- ready so generously accorded me by all concerned — by faculty, trustees, alumni, citizens of Naperville, and the church at large. Only this has made possible the measure of success that I may so far have enjoyed and only this will assure success in the future. With this cordial co-operation of all concerned I feel sure that North-Western College cannot fail in its great work. But tasks such as these demand more than human wisdom and human strength, and so I shall pray there may be granted me that wisdom from above, that divine strength and faith, which alone can bring success in our labors and divine approval upon the work. THE COLLEGE OF THE FUTURE With your indulgence let me in the short time allotted speak to you on my conception of the college of the future. It is the wont of older men to look backward and to recall the achievements of the past; it is the prerogative of younger men to look forward to the tasks still to be achieved. If I may presume to count myself still among the latter, I wish to ask you to take with me a forward look and consider briefly the college of the future. WILL THERE BE A COLLEGE OF THE FUTURE? But before proceeding farther it seems necessary to consider the question, ''Will there be a college of the future?’' Has the 25 college as it has existed a place in the educational system of the future? It has been contended that the upward growth of high schools into junior colleges and the downward reach of the pro- fessional schools and universities to the middle of the college period has made unnecessary the traditional college and that it is bound to be crushed by these upper and nether millstones. One need not be alarmed that a junior college, especially one created by the mere enlargement of a high school, will ever displace the standard college in the preparation of students for professional or for graduate study in a university. As President Wilson ex- pressed it while still president of Princeton, ‘‘You cannot make a philosopher out of a sophomore.” I grant, however, that there is some truth in these contentions, but I am thoroughly con- vinced that there will always remain a place for the college which it alone can fill. The phenomenal increase in high school gradu- ates has furnished more students than any one type of institu- tion can provide for, so that there will always remain students for the old, along with the many newer institutions. More- over, the far greater variety of types, of degrees of ability, and aims of this increasing flood of students will demand a corre- sponding variety of types and aims among our higher institu- tions which receive them. The college, therefore, while not remaining in exclusive possession of the field as in the past, will always And work within its own peculiar field. And this will be a real advantage, for it can then more effectively perform those specific tasks which we shall note later as peculiar to the college. NOT A UNIVERSITY Here, then, is the first differentia of the college of the future. It will not be a university, or studium generate of the middle ages. It will not attempt the impossible task of fitting everyone for every possible calling. In this respect it will tend to return to the type of the older college, omitting advanced research work beyond the M.A. degree as well as many expensive professional departments. On the other hand it will not claim to furnish a universal preparation through a single fixed curriculum designed equally for all pursuits as the older college claimed to do. NOT GOVERNED BY “FORMAL DISCIPLINE” DOCTRINE And here a second aspect of the college of the future emerges. It will not be governed by that philosophy of education, known as the doctrine of “Formal Discipline.” By this I mean the theory 26 that the exclusive and compulsory pursuit of a few fixed studies, regardless of individual interests, vocational destinations, or social needs, constitutes the chief instruments of a liberal educa- tion. Instead, the college of the future will be guided in common with all other educational institutions by the principle that courses of study, methods, and organization must all be adapted to individual differences, must take account of vocational aims and must be based on social needs. These two limits of all educational endeavor, the individual and society, will control the work of the college. MEET MODERN SOCIAL NEEDS And so in the next place the college of the future will seek more than ever to meet modern social needs. It will continually adapt its courses and its methods to the changing demands of the age and the society it serves. It will find its life in the present, not in the past. It will relate its teachings to American, not to Roman or medieval conditions. It will interpret the present world and its problems to its students. RETAIN BEST OF OLD The college of the future, however, will always retain the best of the old. I would not be misunderstood in my reference to the study of the ancient and medieval. Greek and Roman life and literature will always be studied because they will always be modern. The problems of a Plato and a Euripides are the problems of men always and everywhere. The qualities that made Demosthenes and Cicero supreme as orators are qualities which men must always possess who would persuade or convince their fellows. The principles that made the art of Homer and Praxiteles supreme are the eternally valid principles which must guide poet and artist for all time. The future college will retain the older disciplines but will emphasize their vital treatment and their present day applications. ADD NEWER STUDIES Not only will the college of the future thus retain the vital in the old, but it will continually add the newer and more modern studies. It will find in modern politics and industry, in present day thought and life, materials as valuable in the education of the human spirit as the college of the past found in the classics. It will still hold to the humanistic ideal but will give it a broader and deeper meaning, it will still keep faith in liberal studies but 27 will greatly enlarge their number and variety. Practical studies, vocational courses, professional and pre-professional studies will all have their places. A twofold task here awaits the master educator who has the genius to its performance, namely : to relate vitally the older disciplines to the present day demands for the practical; and to make of the newer, cruder, practical studies real instruments of education and of culture instead of mere producers of impersonal machine-like efficiency. In other words, the great problem of the so-called “new education” in every field is to vocationalize the older liberal studies, and conversely to liberalize the newer vocational studies. This is the common problem which high school, college, technical school, and uni- versity alike must solve. How can real education, the training of intellectual capacity, the cultivation of aesthetic apprecia- tion, the formation of moral judgment and will, and the assump- tion of social obligations — how can all these fundamental aims of all education be secured from the newer studies, from cooking or carpentry, from banking or bridge-building? LIBERALIZE NEWER STUDIES The solution to this problem will be found, I believe, in broadening the treatment of these subjects so as to include these four things: their historical development, their relationship to human progress, their underlying scientific principles, and their possible aesthetic values. Thus the history of industry is as significant as the history of politics and as pregnant with human values as the history of wars. Likewise the development of indus- trial arts parallels the development of civilization. The first task of the missionary, for example, in elevating the African savage is, as someone has said, the literal lifting of him up from the ground, teaching him to sit on a chair, eat from a table, to use the tools and instruments of civilization. Again, he who would be master of any industry must be master of the principles of all the sciences underlying that industry ; in fact, it is through their industrial application that scientific principles can be understood and their study made to appeal to the average student. Again, beauty and utility are commensurable. It has been pointed out that there is an actual correlation between mechanical efficiency and aesthetic proportion. A modern mogul engine, an automo- bile, or even a carpenter’s tool grows in beauty as it increases in efficiency and mechanical perfection. 28 OCCUPY FIELDS PECULIARLY ITS OWN As has already been suggested, the college of the future will limit itself to certain fields peculiarly its own. Let me enumerate these fields in which the college of the future will be able to render its distinctive services: preparation for vocations requiring the ability to manage men, training for leisure, education of women and training for the home, pre-professional training and voca- tional guidance. TRAINING OF TEACHERS AND SOCIAL WORKERS In the first place the college will furnish the best training for those vocations involving the management of men, especially those of teaching, social service, public or political life and busi- ness. The training of teachers has always been a special work of the small college. In recent years this calling has surpassed all others in the number of graduates it attracts. Thus the largest single group of North-Western Alumni comprises the teachers and this is true practically of all the smaller colleges. The superiority of the college will be due to the fact that it will contain upon its faculty superior teachers, that it will give more opportunites for practical apprenticeship not only in the specific work of teaching itself but in all the various social relationships of the larger world found in the numerous activities of the typical college. Again it has been shown that 90 per cent of the preachers and 85 per cent of the social workers of the country are prod- ucts of the American colleges. In the higher ranks of public service also college graduates predominate; not Doctors from universities, but Bachelors from small colleges fill the Houses of Congress. TRAINING FOR LEISURE The second field in which the college will have a special duty is in the training of its youths for the proper enjoyment of leisure. The shortening of the hours of labor and the corre- sponding increase in the hours of leisure make imperative train- ing for a rational and elevating as well as a harmless and enjoyable use of such leisure. The small college with its varied athletic activities and its wholesome social and literary life offers unusual opportunities for such training. EDUCATION OF WOMEN In the education of women the college will be superior for it will be co-educational. Through normal associations during 29 college life young men and women will be best fitted for normal associations in after life. In an age which will accord to women equal opportunities with men in social, economic, and political activities, an education must be provided affording the same equality of opportunity. Besides offering to women the same opportunities as it does the men, the college of the future will also furnish that special and important training for the home which will ever remain an essential element in the education of all women whether destined for domestic, industrial, or professional life. PRE-PROFESSIONAL TRAINING Again the college will enter even more fully than it does at present into the preparation for advanced professional studies by offering what I have called '‘pre-professional” training in such fields as Medicine, Theology and Law. The tendency to require such training will become more general until for all these fields a minimum of two or three years if not four of preliminary train- ing will be demanded. Not only will the college endeavor more fully to meet this demand but it will also recognize its obligation to furnish such vocational guidance to its students that they may be enabled to find themselves and their work in the world. It is a deplorable fact that many college students enter and graduate from college without definite assistance or direction in the choice of a profession and dependent chiefly upon chance opportunity or passing circumstance to determine their work in life. Thus in a recent study of the student body of North-Western college it was shown that among the replies to the question of vocational preference, the second largest group comprised those who had made no choice whatever. As the elementary and high schools have awakened to their responsibility in this matter so the col- leges must likewise awake to a recognition of the even greater task of determining, guiding and stimulating vocational choices among its students. REASONS FOR SUPERIORITY I have claimed superiority for the college of the future in the fields just enumerated. Let us briefly note some of the reasons that may be advanced for such superiority. In the first place the college of the future will limit the number of its students as several colleges have already done, seeking quality instead of quantity. Thus the individual will 30 not be lost in the mass. Students will really know each other and will know their instructors personally. This will afford also greater opportunities for participation in the various college activities and more chances for exercising leadership. In the next place the college will do superior work because it will place supreme importance upon personal relationships between student and teacher, between student and student. While not neglecting scholarship in its faculty it will insist on the higher qualities of personality and character for its leaders. Likewise in its students, it will seek to form the man first, the scholar afterwards. It will strive to produce character, devo- tion to the common good, and to God. The efforts and interests of teachers will be directed as much toward the student as toward the study, as much to the discovery of men as to the discovery of truth. In administration and discipline, moreover, the govern- ment of the college will be personal rather than mechanical, will appeal to moral rather than material motives. In the third place the college will be superior because it will recognize and utilize more than ever the great educational value of student activities outside the curriculum. Such activities make the college more truly a microcosm, a world in little, than is the case with any other institution. Here will indeed be found a real apprenticeship in living, a real preparation for the larger world beyond. This it is which will give the college its unique value in training students for professions like teaching and social and political service where co-operation, leadership, and personal relationship with one’s fellows are of chief importance. While not neglecting academic and professional training which is essen- tial especially in the preparation for teaching, the college can provide perhaps even better than university or normal school every element needed in a teacher: scholarship, character, loyalty, adaptability, leadership. Finally the college of the future will render all these services most satisfactorily because it will and must be genuinely and positively Christian — Christian in atmosphere, in personnel, and in moral standards. It must and will recognize definite religious and moral training as integral elements in all education that claims to be symmetrical or complete. Thus it alone, within its own walls, through its own officers and its own instructors can supply every element, physical, intellectual, social, moral, and religious, essential in such a symmetrical education. This con- 31 fessedly is something that a state institution is unable to do, for it must depend upon the outside agencies of religious denom- inations or Christian associations to provide the religious element. And because the college is thus Christian it will place personal and human values first in all its endeavors. Because of the Christian devotion and idealism of its teachers it will have power to call forth the highest and the best in its students. It will deem service to mankind as of more importance in determining the choice of vocation than mere material gain. Because it is Chris- tian it will recognize the Christian ministry and other forms of social service as callings worthy of college men; and because it is Christian it will retain affiliation with organized Christianity, with some branch of the Christian church, for the world has yet to find another institution than the church through which a vital Christianity can live and grow and find expression. The college of the future will not, however, be sectarian, either in its teach- ings or in its control. It will rather seek support and oversight from the church, and in turn furnish to the church trained lead- ers and an educated ministry, a vitalized creed, and a body of efficient as well as devout laymen. In fact, evidences are mul- tiplying that the breach between the church and higher educa- tion, artificially stimulated under the influence of a desire for material advantage, is being healed and that the common aims of the two institutions are being more clearly seen and the mutual advantage of co-operation realized. THE COLLEGE AND THE FUTURE WORLD ORDER Finally because it thus makes human values supreme and is genuinely Christian, the college of the future will have a large share in the great task of making another world war like that of the present forever impossible. It will render this service first by compelling men to see that the principles of Christianity, of justice, and of righteousness must become the rule of conduct for nations as they have become the rule of conduct for the indi- vidual man, and that it is only upon the firm foundations of Christian righteousness and justice that the world state can be founded. It will render this service, further, by teaching men to think in world terms, by giving them that insight into the problems of international law, justice, and commerce as can only come from disinterested and thorough study and that must pre- vail before nations can deal justly one with another. It will render this service in the third place because it will make nations 32 better known to each other. Mutual knowledge and understand- ing still constitute the best safeguards for peace, and it is not too much to claim that if, for another decade or two Rhodes Scholarships and Exchange Professorships could have exerted their beneficent influences, the present war would never have taken place. All the more necessary will it be for the colleges to overcome the hatreds that have been engendered among nations and to restore again the spirit of fraternity, forbear- ance and justice which alone will guarantee a permanent peace. I trust that what I have said will not be viewed as a mere Utopian ideal but rather as a working faith to guide and stim- ulate the college of today, an ideal in fact already realized in large part in our best colleges and in North-Western College. But to realize this ideal in full measure is a large task and will be the work of no one individual or set of individuals, it will come only through the united efforts of all who have a share in making up the college : students, alumni, faculty, and trustees. And only as all shall labor thus together combining wisdom with zeal and sacrifice with prayer may we hope that here at North-Western shall be realized all that has been set forth as belonging to the college of the future. 33 EXTRACTS FROM FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF PRESI- DENT RALL TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Gentlemen of the Board of Trustees of North-Western College: I have the honor to submit herewith my report for the college year 1916-17, together with the reports from the various pro- fessors and departments and recommendations for the coming year. First of all I must express to you my deep appreciation for the unusually cordial and kindly reception accorded to your president by the trustees, faculty, students, citizens of Naper- ville, alumni, and the church at large. From every source I have been given most generous support and have received the most friendly co-operation. I am sure none could have been received more cordially. I believe this is due fully as much to the deep interest that all have in North-Western College as in their per- sonal regard for the new president. I need not say how much this has encouraged me to look forward hopefully to the future of North-Western College and to redouble my efforts to measure up to the demands and almost unlimited opportunities of my office. WORK OF THE YEAR I am glad to report a most successful and prosperous year for the college in all its departments, thanks not so much to the new president as to his able predecessor and to the cordial co-op- eration of the faculty, trustees and alumni. In reviewing the work of the year, I wish to call your attention to a number of significant features. ATTENDANCE The total enrollment for the college in all departments is 447 students, distributed as follows : College proper, 300 ; Academy, 61 ; School of Commerce, 45 ; School of Music, 131 ; School of Art, 27 (duplicates included). Compared with last year this shows an increase of 35 students in the college as a whole, 49 students, or 20 per cent in the college, and a loss of 14 students in the other departments. Certain significant features of the attendance are worth special mention : (a) The extremely rapid growth of the college department, the increase in four years being 143, or from 157 to 300, an increase of over 90 per cent. The freshman classes of the last four years numbered as follows: 41, 77, 109, 112, being an increase during that period of 174 per cent. 34 (b) Another very significant feature is the persistence of attendance of students at North-Western College. By this I mean the power of the college to hold the students to the end of their course after once they have entered. In a recent study made by a professor in Beloit College, it was shown that among thirty- one colleges and universities of the middle west, North-Western College stood fourth in its power to hold students. Excluding the two state universities, we are surpassed only by Oberlin Col- lege in this respect. Whereas, for the colleges of the United States as a whole, something under 40 per cent of the freshmen j who enter college ever graduate, in North-Western College during the past seven years approximately twice that number or between 65 per cent and 75 per cent have graduated. (c) A third significant feature of our attendance is the wide territory from which we draw our students. Whereas the average college draws 58 per cent of its students from within a radius of fifty miles, North-Western College draws less than 22 per cent. This of course is primarily due to the fact that our constituency is widely scattered throughout the United States, but it tends to enforce the fact that we are not drawing our proper share of students from within the immediate vicinity of the college. During the past year North-Western College participated in a statistical survey of Illinois Colleges recently published by the Council of Church Boards of Education. In the comparison with other Illinois colleges, North-Western College made a good show- ing. For example, it was shown that excluding the three largest universities, North-Western stood third among the colleges of the state in enrollment in the college. Another interesting study concerned the reasons why students chose particular colleges, thus it was shown that among our freshmen 39 per cent gave the church connection or the religious life of the college as the chief reason for coming, while another 35 per cent mentioned the same causes as their second reason ; only 7 per cent gave nearness of college as their reason, whereas for the colleges of the state as a whole, 23 per cent gave this as the first reason. SURVEY OF STUDENT BODY The above facts and a number of other interesting statistics concerning our student body were secured during the past year from a survey made of the students. A few significant facts brought out by this survey are the following: Over 96 per cent 35 of our students are church members, 87 per cent are members of the Evangelical Association. Out of 350 reported, 337 were church members, 11 indicated a church preference, and only two indicated neither preference nor membership. The average age of our senior class was found to be 23.7 years, of our freshman class, 19.8 years, whereas, that of the academy students is 22.1 years or higher than that of either the freshman or sophomore classes. Again, it was shown that 87 per cent of the men and 39 per cent of the women reported were earning part or whole of their expenses. It was further shown that out of a total of 305 replies, 123 students were planning on entering the teaching pro- fession, 68 the ministry or similar service, while 68 were undecided or made no reply. CURRICULUM CHANGES It may be of interest to the board to report fully on some of the changes made by the faculty in the various courses for the coming year. A revision has been made of the courses for the B.A. and B.S. degrees and a full four-year course has been out- lined for a degree of B.S. in Home Economics. In addition, there has been definitely outlined a Pre-Medical course covering two or three years, and a Pre-Law course of the same length sug- gested. The faculty has also taken action allowing students who have satisfactorily completed their junior year to secure a degree with their class after they have completed satisfactorily a full year’s work in a standard medical or law school. The work in education and especially the courses in Practice Teaching have been systematized and enlarged. The six-months’ course in the School of Commerce has been dropped and a full year’s course in Stenography outlined. In the School of Music there has been a thorough revision of the courses. Regular courses have been outlined with definite entrance requirements, equal to those of the college proper, covering two or three years’ work in seven different departments, namely: piano, voice, violin, pipe organ, band instruments, piano normal, and public school music. It is believed that the outlining of these courses will tend to improve the work of the department, bring it up to the standard of regular college work, and hold students for a longer period of attendance. ADMINISTRATION AND DISCIPLINE The general conduct of the student body has been excep- tionally good. The present administration holds to the policy 36 of few rules, and individual and collective responsibility on the part of students singly and in organizations. The faculty has under consideration a plan whereby a faculty advisor will be selected for each organized class, society, or club in the college to look after their interests and aid them in their activities. RELIGIOUS LIFE I am glad to report a healthy and vigorous religious life among the students of the college. Under the direction of Dr. John H. Elliot, a former Y. M. C. A. secretary, we had a very successful and helpful week of prayer. The fact that 96 out of every 100 of our students are members of the church is a tribute to the strongly religious character of the institution. I have been especially gratified at the many religious organizations and activities that are conducted by the students entirely voluntarily. The Y. M. C. A., the Y. W. C. A., the student volunteer band, the quiet hour and fellowship meetings, prayer meetings, mission study classes, and the joint Sunday meetings are all conducted most efficiently and without any need of direct suggestion from the faculty. Moreover, in the local church, Sunday school, choir, Y. P. A., the students all take an active part. These spontaneous and self-directed religious activities constitute one of the finest elements in the training furnished by the college. OTHER STUDENT ACTIVITIES From the point of view of the student body, an important change this year has been the abolition of the two literary societies which have had such a long and, on the whole, honor- able career at North-Western, the Philologian and Cliosophic societies, and a substitution therefor of six new societies. The chief advantage of this change will, in my opinion, be an oppor- tunity for a more general participation in society work among the students. In order to supervise and limit the presentation of amateur plays the faculty has approved an establishment of a Dramatic-Arts society under the direct supervision of the pro- fessor of English. This society will tend to secure real educa- tional value from the study of standard plays, such as Shakes- peare. PROGRAM FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT Having thus reviewed briefly the work of the year, may I next outline what under normal conditions I consider the min- imum program for the development of North-Western College for the next few years : 37 (a) Additions to the Faculty. — There should be added the following position approximately in the order of relative im- portance: (1) A Department of Military Science; (2) Profes- sorship of Physics; (3) a second instructor in Home Economics; (4) a full-time professor in Greek and Latin; (5) a second pro- fessor in Psychology and Education; (6) a full-time Physical director for women; (7) a full-time professor of Bible and religious education; (8) an enlargement of the administrative force; (9) additional allowance for janitor service; (10) a Col- lege Department of Commerce. (b) Equipment. — In the matter of equipment there is urgent need for the following: (1) The renewal and the expenditure of the appropriation already made of $1,200.00 for physics appa- ratus; (2) a far more generous provision for purchase of new books for the library. As soon as possible, the appropriation should be raised to $500.00 and $1,000.00 per annum exclusively for the purchase of new books; (3) provision for the proper housing of the Herbarium and Museum, a possible solution being the placing of the herbarium on the top floor of the Science Hall, requiring but little in the finishing of the room, and the placing of the museum on the second floor of the library, the chief expense for which would be the purchase of suitable cabinets; (4) pro- vision for additional society halls, the space at present occupied by the museum being perhaps quite satisfactory for the purpose. (c) Buildings. — It has been well known to the trustees for a number of years that a woman’s building would be a very desir- able addition to our present equipment. Such a building should not only include dormitory room for from seventy to one hundred women, but also a dining hall and a gymnasium, and would easily cost, if properly built, $100,000.00 ; (2) a second building equally needed is an auditorium or a combined auditorium and music building; (3) it is also imperative, in order to provide for the future growth of the college, that additional campus space be secured even though the need therefor may not be pressing for ten or more years. Unless a tract of available vacant land within reasonable distance of the campus be secured in the near future by the college itself or by friends in trust for the college, it will later mean the expenditure of large sums to secure prop- erty that has already been improved and occupied. (d) Future Development of the Campus. — It is quite im- portant that a carefully worked out, practical and artistic plan 38 for the future development of the campus and the placing of future buildings be provided for as soon as possible. A com- petent firm of architects should be employed to draw sketches for such a plan. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEXT YEAR In spite of the disturbed conditions of the country due to the war, I believe it is imperative that a careful, thorough endow- ment campaign be launched at once. Should the war continue a number of years it will become increasingly difficult to secure funds. Should the war close very shortly, the campaign could proceed all the more successfully. I would recommend that a special committee of the board be appointed to co-operate with the president and treasurer in the conduct of this campaign. In view of the seriously unsettled state of the country due to the war and to the rather problematic nature of our attendance, it is difficult to find definite grounds for making specific recom- mendations for next year. No one knows what will be the attend- ance upon colleges and universities. This much may be said, however, that the minimum age limit of the draft being 21 years, exempts practically the whole of the freshman and sophomore students, while from those over 21 only a very small fraction, possibly not more than one-tenth, will be called during the com- ing school year. However, we should expect and plan for a somewhat reduced attendance or at least no increase. In view of this condition it will be wise to make no addition to the present expenditures except as may be absolutely neces- sary and to reduce the expenditures for maintenance and opera- tion to the absolute minimum. However, it would seem almost impossible to reduce salaries in view of the unusual increase in the cost of living and the present very low scale of salaries. It would seem, therefore, that we must count upon the expenditure of practically the same amount for next year as was spent this year with the possible saving of between $2,000.00 to $3,000.00, as will be shown in detail elsewhere. This means that there should be unusual efforts put forth, first, to increase our attend- ance by an extra effort through advertising, and secondly, to proceed at once in increasing the productive funds of the college. If the board should consider it proper to adopt the recom- mendations of the executive committee, a detailed budget of the 39 receipts and expenditures for the coming year will be presented later. I wish to recommend that the president and the executive committee be authorized to arrange for the establishment of a department of Military Science, provided they can secure with- out expense to the college a detail of a suitable officer from the War Department under the National Defense Act of June 3rd, 1916. - In this connection I wish to report that the faculty recently passed a resolution unanimously recommending this action. With compulsory military service at present in force and with every prospect that some form of compulsory military training will be required even after the war, it would simply be a matter of self-protection for ourselves and our students to pro- vide for such training. Space does not permit a detailed discus- sion of this topic here, but in my opinion, this consideration, added to the fact that military training has a decided educational value, makes the establishment of such a department desirable. Respectfully submitted, E. E. Rall May 15, 1917. 40 '-,.V''vv':::i