UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY may j 9 me Building house Building ^al^ Gymnasium GENERAL VIEW OF THE UNIVERSJTYJDF WYOMING INAUGURATION OF Frederick Monroe Tisdel, Ph. D., President of the University of Wyoming, LARAMIE, WYOMING. 1905 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/inaugurationoffrOOuniv ( J CO w (j INAUGURAL PROGRAM. University or Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo. Wednesday, January i8, 1905. Music, “Soldiers’ Chorus” Gounod University Choral Union. Invocation — Rev. A. C. Hogbin. Music, Vocal Solo Selected Mrs. Trumbull. Address on Behalf of the Board of Trustees, Hon. Otto Gramm, President of the Board of Trustees. Address on Behalf of the College of Liberal Arts, Mr. Jean V. Tidball of Sheridan. Address on Behalf of the Normal School, Miss Margaret Friend of Rawlins. Address on Behalf of the Schools of Agriculture and Ap- plied Science, Mr. John Hill of Lovell. Music, Piano Solo, Rhapsodie Hongroise No. 12 Liszt Mr. J. L. Hunton of Wheatland. Of the School of Music, 1907. Address on Behalf of the Faculties, Proeessor Aven Nelson, Ph. D. Address on Behalf of Other Unversities, President Chas. R. Van Hise, Ph. D., LL. D., President of the University of Wisconsin. Inaugural Address, President Frederick M. Tisdel, Ph. D. Music, Song Selected University Girls’ Glee Club. 3 The following were present as special guests, representing the Eighth Legislature of the State of Wyoming: Hon. and Mrs. J. S. Atherly Hon. and Mrs. J. A. Black Hon. and Mrs. G. C. Hon. and Mrs. Hon. and Mrs. L. Goodman L. B. Cooper George Jackson Hon. and Mrs. Enoch Vaughn Hon. and Mrs. A. Olson Hon. and Mrs. H. Hansen Hon. and Mrs. J. M. Hoge Hon. and Mrs. William Dubois Hon. and Mrs. J. M. Schwoob Hon. and Mrs. Oscar Sodergreen Hon. and Mrs. W. J. Wood Hon. and Mrs. J. W. Johnson Hon. and Mrs. C. K. Bucknam and daughter Hon. John McGill Hon. Isbmael C. Jefferis Hon. R. E. Gildroy Hon. Edward Banks Hon. August Martello Hon. Charles E. Hayden Hon. Thomas Bell Hon. T. R. Wilson Hon. John T. Wedemeyer Hon. Samuel F. Price Hon. Carl Sieverts Hon. M. E. Harvey Hon. Alsey H. Allen Hon. William T. Peryam Hon. Sylvester Collett Hon. George Osmond Hon. James W. Kirkpatrick Hon. Francis S. King Hon. John H. Hinckley Hon. Edward Blacker Hon. John L. Baird Hon. LeRoy Grant 4 At i :30 p. m., January 18, 1905, the University com- munity and invited guests assembled in the Auditorium of the Liberal Arts building for the inauguration exercises of Frederick Monroe Tisdel, Ph. D., as President of the Uni- versity. The members of the Eighth Legislature of the State of Wyoming were special guests. After the Trustees and Faculties had entered in procession and taken their places on the platform, the University Choral Union ren- dered “The Soldiers’ Chorus,” by Gounod. The invocation was pronounced by Rev. A. C. Hogbin, pastor of the Pres- byterian Church of Laramie. Hon. Otto Gramm, President of the Board of Trustees, presided. ADDRESS ON BEHALF OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES. BY HON. OTTO GRAMM. Ladies and Gentlemen : — I feel somewhat like a story that I heard a few days ago; some of you may possibly have heard it. In the early days of Leadville they wished to assume some of the refinement of civilization, so they organized a church and procured an organist, who in turn got an organ, which was old and very wheezy in tone. Knowing full well the Western spirit, he procured a pla- card, upon which he placed the following inscription : “Do not shoot the organist; he is doing the best he can.” So we feel we will do the best we can. It is a great pleasure and our great privilege to have you with us today, and we greatly appreciate your presence. Today we shall inaugurate a President for this University, an institution which is not an Albany County matter, but it belongs to the people of this young and growing common- wealth. We feel highly honored that it should have been 5 placed in our midst, and we have a great pride in the in- stitution. As the Governor in his message aptly stated, “There should be no North, South, East, or West, but we should work for the common good of the whole state/’ Our fore- fathers builded well on the motto which they had engraved upon the old copper coin of one cent value, which was, “United we stand; divided we fall.” A state divided will not succeed. The Presidents who have served the University are as follows : John W. Hoyt, 1886 to 1891, five years. John D. Conly, acting January, 1891, to March, 1891, three months. Alonzo A. Johnson, 1891 to 1896, five years. Frank P. Graves, 1896 to 1898, two years. Elmer E. Smiley, 1898 to 1903, five years. Charles W. Lewis, September, 1903, to 1904, nine months. Frederick M. Tisdel, July, 1904. In selecting the last President, there were numerous ap- plicants. We were very favorably impressed with the strong endorsements from President Eliot of Harvard and from Dr. Gunsaulus of the Armour Institute of Chicago. President Tisdel is eminently fitted for the position, being a college-bred man, from Harvard, Madison, Wis., Oberlin, O., Northwestern, Evanston, 111 ., and the Armour Institute of Technology. He yet will be compelled to “win his spurs.” We have great faith in him, and he is aided by a faculty which will compare favorably with many of the larger uni- versities. The scholarship will be raised, so that the stu- dent who graduates and has received the long-coveted “sheepskin” will realize that it stands for something as he goes forth to assume his duties, and as he grapples with the great problems of life, will consider that his Alma Mater, though harsh, has been his great sponser, and he is well equipped. 6 Liberal Arts Building This University, though young, is growing rapidly, and in the next decade this state will flourish like the bay-tree. We shall treble in population, quadruple in wealth, and blos- som as the rose in the desert. ADDRESS ON BEHALF OF THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS. BY V. J. TIDBALL. President Tisdel : — It is with the sincerest pleasure that I speak the unanimous sentiment of the College of Liberal Arts in bidding you welcome to our University. We wish you increased success and happiness as the coming years pass by. And we hope that you, in turn, may feel in our department that enthusiastic interest which is merited and demanded by the position it occupies at the head of all the many colleges and departments that constitute our Uni- versity. Without hesitation and with perfect candor, I am able to recommend to all the College of Liberal Arts, including, as it does, the Classical, Literary, and Scientific courses. It is the center on which all other departments depend, and from which they radiate. As when a tranquil lake is dis- turbed, the waves spread and spread until they touch the farthest shore, so the influence of the College of Liberal Arts spreads to all the departments of learning. The importance of a liberal education is rapidly becoming recognized in this as well as in other schools, and, as a con- sequence, it is being so arranged that those who belong to other departments may and often must elect studies from the College of Liberal Arts. Greek, Latin, French, German, English, Mathematics, History, Political Science, Literature, Science, Philosophy, 7 Psychology, Metaphysics, all these and many more are the pillars on which this great department rests. And let us hope that when, in future time, we shall view our Alma Mater again, we shall still see the College of Liberal Arts, great and broad, the center of university life, giving character to the entire institution, and with all the departments of applied science and research clustered about her and interwoven into one united institution. And now, in closing, allow me to congratulate the stu- dents and the faculty of this institution on their good fortune in securing for a President one who is so deeply interested in educational matters, and who has the interests of the Uni- versity so much at heart; and I wish also to congratulate you, President Tisdel, on your good fortune in being at the head of such an institution of learning as we have here, which, though young, is great, and of which we well may speak in the language of Webster: “Though small, there are those who love it still.” ADDRESS ON BEHALF OF NORMAL SCHOOL. BY MARGARET FRIEND. “In ancient times there stood in the citadel at Athens three statues of Minerva. The first was of olive-wood, and, ac- cording to popular tradition, had fallen from heaven. The second was of bronze, commemorating the victory of Mar- athon ; and the third of gold and ivory — a great miracle of art in the age of Pericles. And thus in the citadel of Time stands Man himself. In childhood, shaped of soft and deli- cate wood, just fallen from heaven; in manhood, a statue of bronze, commemorating struggle and victory ; and lastly in the maturity of age, perfectly shaped, in gold and ivory — a miracle of art!” 8 Science Hall Mechanical Building Gymnasium Our Normal School, in its present state, is like the statue of bronze, representing struggle. We are trusting that, in no distant day, it may take, on the form of victory. It is striving to develop high ideals of the duty and responsibility toward humanity, to awaken a love for the educator’s work, to inspire the truest ideals of manhood and womanhood, to impress the thinker with due appreciation of his responsi- bilities, and, above all, to be a progressive factor in the edu- cational affairs of the state and nation. To accomplish these high purposes, we are in need of many things, among which we especially look forward to a Normal Training School, where our students may teach under competent supervsion and learn by practice principles which are now little more than theory. We are assured, in these aims, of the co-operation of our President, to whom we extend our sincere welcome. We have been associated with him long enough to know that he has the best interests of the University at heart, that it is his desire to raise the standard of scholarship and make this institution a University in fact as well as in name. Realizing the great responsibility of his position, the many and varied interests which are intrusted to his care, the Normal School of more than sixty students pledges to him its loyalty and hearty co-operation. ADDRESS ON BEHALF OF SCHOOLS OF AGRI- CULTURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE. BY JOHN A. HILL. President Tisdel : — In behalf of the students of the Col- lege of Agriculture and Schools of Applied Science, I bid you welcome as President of the University of the state in which you received your early education. We are glad that you come to us from one of the great technical schools of 9 the country, the Armour Institute of Technology. Coming as you do from an institution of this character, we feel that you will have a sympathetic appreciation of the life and ideals of students who are devoting their energies to the more practical phases of science. We are already proud of our equipment in books and ap- pliances. The Department of Mechanical Engineering has a shop which contains the best of modern machinery. The Department of Mining and Geology has an assay room of which we are proud, and a library well filled with scientific and technical books. The Department of Agriculture, with its Experiment Farm and live stock, is able to give us val- uable instruction and furnish us material for research in scientific farming and stock growing. While we are proud of our present, we look for rapid advancement in the future. We hope for still better oppor- tunities to do high-class technical work. In the Minng Department we hope for larger laboratories in which to work out for ourselves the problems that are retarding the mineral development of the state. We hope that our classes in Mining Engineering will be able to make inspection tours to the different mining districts of the state. We hope for large additions of live stock to our Experiment Farm, that we may have a better chance to learn practical stock breed- ing and judging, and be able to do experimental work along these lines. The increasing enrollment in the technical departments shows a growing appreciation of the people for high-grade scientific instruction. A better equipment and enlarged ad- vantages will increase the enrollment still further. Thus the institution of which you are now the head will send out into the state each year a larger number of young men en- thusiastic in their professions and well fitted to develop her vast resources. With this hope for the future, we welcome you, Mr. Pres- ident, and pledge the loyalty of the technical students. io Professor Aven Nelson, Ph. D. ADDRESS ON BEHALF OF THE FACULTIES. BY PROFESSOR AVEN NELSON, PH. D. In the life history of individual plants and animals, we note as stages their childhood, youth, maturity, old age, and decay. Human governments have likewise had their periods of youthfulness, their maturity, and their senility. Mountains rise through untold ages but to be leveled again by the passing centuries. Worlds are flung out into space and go circling through their orbits as living entities until overtaken by the chill of old age, probably then again to be buried in the bosom of the sun that gave them being. We have come to think of all things as transitory; that indi- viduals are born, live their little span of time, and pass away into the forgetfulness of eternity; that human institutions rise, flourish for a time, and then yield their places to wor- thier forms. But in reality, are there not some things that endure? Though in the forms of plant life that adorn the earth we see perpetual change, yet the earth has never failed to bring forth her increase. Animal forms have come and gone, but the earth is still full of life. Individual plants and animals pass away, but their generations go on forever. We know not whether the human race is young or old ; whether its supreme development is far or near, but we do know that the race as a whole moves ever onward. One of the chief factors that enter into the environment of the race and de- termine the direction and the rate of her progress, and like- wise her final achievement, are her educational institutions. No other organization of human planting has struck its roots so deep into the soil of civilization as has her schools. From the infancy of the race, power and progress have been proportional to the development and universality of the means for the instruction of her children. Civilization and the perception of human duty are as closely conjoined as are structure and function in the animal organism. Dur- ii ing the passing centuries civilization, in response to the stimuli supplied by our educational systems, has been de- veloping into that complexity of structure which the multi- plied needs and duties of the human race demand. Among the stimuli that have had their origin in the schools is the recognition of the inalienable right to freedom of thought, and to social, political, and religious liberty under law. Among the exponents of this universal freedom, in its best sense, the state university of today stands as the highest expression so far attained. State universities are in a pe- culiar way the schools of a free people. Their doors are entered by the rich and the poor alike. There is no aristoc- racy in them except that of morals and of mind. Oppor- tunity smiles upon every student, and may be grasped by him who has the power to perceive and the will to follow on. No distinctions are made because of sex or religious creed. There are no requirements for entrance except that you must have availed yourself of the means for adequate prepa- ration. When you are ready to profit by the instruction, the doors swing wide open to you, though you be the hum- blest citizen in the state. I said at the beginning that the schools were pre-eminent among the things that endure. Centennial and multi-cen- tennial celebrations of colleges and universities are by no means rare. State universities are still in their childhood, but, by reason of their strength and vigor, as well as that plasticity which enables them to adjust themselves to their environment, we may well predict that they will live so long as human liberty and the recognition of individual merit shall endure. Many of the schools of other types have passed away, but no state university has ever closed its doors. Some have languished or have been checked in their growth by reason of pernicious policies or mistaken econ- omy, but, in the main, their growth has been healthy, uni- form, and continuous. 12 Our own beloved institution, though among the youngest of the sisterhood, is by no means the least. Its past has been vigorous and hopeful ; its future never in doubt. To- day, in the midst of its eighteenth year, we pause for a mo- ment to recall the past, and more especially to look out into the future. During the short period that the University of Wyoming has been in existence, five adminstrations have come and gone. Five good men and true, as chief executives, have left the impress of their personality upon the student body and have given direction to the educational forces of the school. May I mention these in the order of their service : Hon. John W. Hoyt, LL. D., at one time territorial Gov- ernor of Wyoming, was chosen as the first President. In him the University had an executive of high scholarship, re- fined culture, and lofty ideals. As a lifelong student of edu- cational systems in this and other lands, he came to the po- sition to which he had been called with plans as broad and deep as education itself. But the four years of his service were indeed four years of struggle. The educational plant that he administered consisted of one building, for a portion of the time only partly completed, a faculty of six members, some sixty to eighty preparatory students, and no funds for library or laboratory purposes. It was perforce a time for high thinking and plain living. Judged by purposes, as he should be, and not by results, he set the standard high and far to the front. He never forgot that scholarship and char- acter should be the aim of an American unversity. Perhaps no one has had a higher conception of the American system of public instruction than President Hoyt. To most people the system seems complete. The state stands back of the common schools, the high school and the state university. For many years it rested its responsibility when the student received his first, the Bachelor’s degree. President Hoyt had a different conception of this matter. Years before the 13 real university idea had begun to take hold of the public thought he had conceived the idea of a national university. This institution was to receive the graduates from the state universities for their final preparation for life in the pro- fessions, in literature, in science, and in business of what- ever nature. To his mind, our public school system just lacked this crowning institution to make it complete. For more than a third of a century he has labored in season and out with the Congress of the United States to bring about such an establshment. Although success has several times seemed about to crown his efforts, it is yet no more than the dream of an optimist, which must vanish on the morrow. The establishment by the Carnegie millions of the Carnegie Institution, at Washington, seems to have permanently blocked the way for a national university. However that may be, I count it a distinct honor for the University of Wyoming to have had for its first President, during its four years of poverty and struggle, a man cherishing such lofty ideals and possessing the intellectual power and the sweep of vision of the now venerable John W. Hoyt. I have entered into these details of the first administra- tion because the beginning of a great institution, like the early life of great men, is always of interest. The next twelve years of the life of the University I must pass with a word. In these years are embraced the admin- istrations of Drs. A. A. Johnson, Frank P. Graves, and Elmer E. Smiley. The beginning of this period witnessed the establishment in fact of the schools that President Hoyt had already indicated as departments. The Agricultural Col- lege, the Experiment Station, and all the technical schools, which are now so considerable a part of the whole, were established when the acquisition of the Morrill and the Hatch funds made possible such expansion. These twelve years were years of growth, as well as years of organiza- tion. Students came ; instructors were added and organ- ized into our present faculties ; laboratories were estab- 14 lished; libraries secured; buildings erected; grounds en- larged; all of which activities have resulted in the forma- tion of an educational establishment of which the young State of Wyoming may well be proud. To these three ad- ministrations we must ascribe the honor that is due. Each was characterized by good business sense ; by loyalty to the best interests of the state and its institutions ; and by a high appreciation of what was worth while in scholarship and noble in character and conduct. Those who have success- fully labored in the establishment of such a school as this, which is profoundly influencing for good the future citizen- ship of a state can never be forgotten. I pause now to mention the fifth administration, as glo- rious as it was short. I hesitate to bring into this joyous occasion this note of sadness. Our hearts are tender when the recollections of the year that has gone crowd upon us. But a few short months have elapsed since we welcomed to our midst Dr. Charles W. Lewis. We recall the beautiful life that he lived among us. But we feel as if we were scarcely out of the shadow that fell upon us while his life hung in the balance, while his weary body lay in state in these halls, and while we later tenderly placed in the bosom of mother earth his mortal remains, to await the glad morn- ing of eternal day. The character of his administration may be inferred when we say, we loved him. His voice of coun- sel has been stilled, but the spirit of his life will not be for- gotten so long as memory endures. His gentle solicitude and forgiveness for the erring ; his high appreciation of the beautiful in character, and his forgetfulness of self as he labored, beyond his strength, for the University and its students, must ever shine with brightness from the pages of our history. His life will be reflected from the life of many a student who sits before me today, and Wyoming must be immensely richer because Dr. Lewis came to live upon our sun-kissed plains, encircled by the majestic moun- tains that he loved so well. 15 But we stand now upon the threshold of another admin- istraton. The bow of promise is bright in the educational sky, and we turn to the future with rejoicing. Our hearts are made glad because the institution that we love so well has found another worthy leader. Dr. Frederick M. Tis- del, it is my pleasure and proud distinction to have the privilege of thus publicly greeting you, in behalf of all the faculties, as President of the University of Wyoming. A united welcome is extended to you by a harmonious faculty ; by a body of scholarly men and women, whose devotion to their life work needs no recital here. Let me assure you, Mr. President, that among those who now hail you as chief there are no factions. No jealousies rankle in any bosom. The conditions that prevail are those of mutual respect and helpfulness. Each rejoices in the successes of the other. The promotion of the welfare of the University is our chief concern. Knowing the spirit and personality of this faculty as well as I do, I feel, sir, like congratulating you. I believe I am right when I say there is no one for whom you will need to apologize, either because of his scholarship or his character. I know I am right when I say you need never question the loyalty of any, either to the University or to you. When we extend to you today the welcome of fellowship and of greeting, our hearts are in our hands. Among those who greet you are some who have watched with solicitude, as well as joy, every step in the progress of the institution, from the day of its birth. It is too early to say that there are those who have grown gray, but I may say that there are those who are growing gray in its service. But, whether long in the service or just enlisted, we greet you today with the same loyalty, and pledge to you, and to your policy for the development of the University, our heartiest support. I cannot pass this point without calling your attention to our alumni. Young as we are, we have children of whom we are more than proud. They are our jewels. In the fac- 16 ulty that welcomes you today is one who, in an especial sense, is a child of this institution. I refer to the daughter of the author of the bill creating the University. With the highest distinction she passed successfully the preparatory and college years of the courses offered. After pursuing elsewhere advanced studies, she returned to her Alma Mater to become a member of its faculty. As instructor, as assist- ant professor, as professor, she has been and is an honor to the alumni and to the University. Through her the alumni greet you today. But, Mr. President, we also wish to congratulate our- selves and the University of Wyoming. In the short time since first we met you, there has been revealed to us a man. Kindly fellowship, sound judgment, ripe scholarship, a strong sense of responsibility and right, .and a Christian character are traits that we have not failed to read. We believe that in you we have a leader on whom we can rely — a leader who will stand for the rights of each, but for spe- cial privileges to none. The permanency spoken of at the beginning as inherent in the schools of the nation I attribute to the things for which they stand. These are the eternal verities — truth, justice, faith, love. In you we see one who has perceived that the real j^urpose of the training of the schools is the attainment of that which endures. The mere acquisition of knowledge is only an incident contributing to the supreme ends of education. We conceive these to be (i) the forma- tion of correct habits of thought and action; (2) the devel- opment of power to do, to appreciate, to help ; (3) the fixa- tion of those purposes in life which make for the highest character in man and assure the perpetuity and righteous- ness of the nation. The faith that shines forth in your own life will be reflected in the hundreds, nay thousands, that shall feel the influence of your guiding hand. In closing, I say again, we welcome you. May your ad- ministration have the Divine guidance that shall lead us all 1 7 into the golden fields of service. May it be yours to see this institution grow as it never has grown before. May the small things which have been placed in your hands be multiplied as were the loaves and fishes when Andrew brought them for the Master’s blessing. Again, Presi- dent Tisdel, I greet you in the name of the faculties of the University of Wyoming. ADDRESS ON BEHALF OF OTHER UNIVERSITIES BY PRESIDENT CHARLES R. VAN HISE, PH. D., LL. D. Of the University of Wisconsin. It is indeed a pleasure and an honor to have the priv- ilege of speaking upon behalf of the universities of the country upon this auspicious occasion. It is especially fit- ting that other universities should have the opportunity to address the University of Wyoming upon the assumption of the presidency by Dr. Tisdel. The undergraduate course of President Tisdel was at Northwestern University, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. A little more than a decade since, the University of Wisconsin, after a year of work at that institution, conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts. Finally, several years ago, Har- vard, the oldest of American universities, conferred upon him its highest degree in course, Doctor of Philosophy. These three universities of different classes — one associated with a religious denomination, another a state university, and the third the greatest of the non-sectarian institutions — look forward with confidence to a long and successful career for President Tisdel at the University of Wyoming, for they know he has the broad training and the large views necessary in an executive of a state university which is to develop to the greatest advantage of the state. But Wisconsin has a peculiar interest and gratification on this occasion, because she, in common with Wyoming, is 18 a state university and believes in the state university ideal — that is, education of the highest type, supported by the peo- ple of the state, open to the youth of both sexes and in all walks of life. Wyoming is one of the states which thus far has concentrated all of its higher educational work in one instituton. This, also, has been the good fortune of Wisconsin and a number of other state universities, among which are California, Illinois, Minnesota, and Nebraska. It is to be remembered that these are among the most notable state universities in the country. The oldest of them, Wisconsin, has just celebrated its jubilee. We may well ask the question : What is the reason for the rapid rise of this group of state universities, while many other older state universities, some of which are in great and wealthy states, are as yet in a less advanced stage of de- velopment? The answer is plain. These universities have attained their great positions because they have had the advantages of the concentrated support of their respective states. But in this connection the question also arises : Are the states in which these universities are located as fortunate as the universities themselves? Is the advantage of con- centration mutual? Upon this point there is no doubt in the minds of the taxpayers and citizens of any of the states which have adopted the policy of massing the funds which are to be devoted to higher education. The economies in ed- ucation by concentration are as great, indeed if they are not greater, than they are by concentration of capital in large industrial enterprises. Such concentration of capital has beeh the striking economic lesson of the last half of the Nineteenth Century. The application of this great principle to education has unfortunately been neglected by many of the newer states of the West. The desires for recognition on the part of various local interests, combined with an unfortunate lack of appreciation by the states of the great problem of higher education, have sacrificed for many years, 19 if not permanently, the educational interests of many of the states. Thus far Wyoming has avoided this fatal mis- take. And at the present time the argument in favor of massing the higher education of a state is so overwhelming that it is hardly possible to believe that any state, once hav- ing begun this wise policy, can sacrifice the interests of the entire state to those of some community. In the state universities mentioned, where concentration of all the university efforts of their respective states is found, the advantages of the plan are so obvious that no one connected with such institutions thinks of division. In the Colleges of Liberal Arts is carried all of the funda- mental work for the Colleges of Applied Science. Thus the work in mathematcs, language, and literature, necessary for all students of engineering, agriculture, medicine, and law, is done in this college. Also the work in the pure sciences of chemistry, physics, and other subjects, basal to the study of agriculture, engineering, and medicine, is pro- vided for in this same college. This may be more fully illustrated by the Colleges of Agriculture which are associated with universities. For instance, at the University of Wisconsin the students of the College of Agriculture, including those in both the long and short courses, obtain all of their training in language, literature, history, political economy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and botany, basal to their technical agricultural work, in the College of Letters and Science. In the build- ings of the College of Engineering they take their shop and forge work and other general engineering studies. The consequence is that the College of Agriculture is able to concentrate its entire funds upon the subjects strictly apper- taining to horticulture, dairying, the physics of the soil, ani- mal husbandry, etc., etc. The inestimable advantages in economy to the agricultural department is manifest. If the college were by itself, it would necessarily support, in addi- 20 tion to the special technical courses in agriculture, all of those subjects which are fundamental to this applied science. In a similar way the College of Engineering gains by being a part of the general university. This college is able to devote its funds to engineering subjects with no heavy draft upon the funds for the work in language, mathematics, and the pure sciences. The students in the College of Let- ters and Science also gain by the association with the technical college. They may broaden their education by taking advantage of the studies in the Colleges of Agri- culture and Engineering. Thus the advantages of the as- sociation of the three colleges are mutual. Each is stronger with the other two than if it were alone. In marked contrast with this situation is that in those Colleges of Agriculture and Engineering which are sep- arated from the university. Such colleges are obliged to spend a large portion of their funds for teaching mathe- matics, language, and the pure sciences. Recently, when I visited a Western university in a state which has adopted the plan of division of its funds, the professor in charge of the physical laboratory, a former student at Wisconsin, said to me : “Our laboratory in its character and equipment does not much resemble the physical laboratory of the Uni- versity of Wisconsin.” My reply was : “In your state you maintain three physical departments of collegiate grade, whereas in Wisconsin we sustain only one, and naturally our department is better housed, better equipped, and better manned. Such a strong department can do the work in physics demanded by the youth of the state incomparably better than can three departments scattered in different parts of the state, each small, each imperfectly equipped, each feebly manned. In a weak department one, or at most two men, must cover the entire range of a great field of knowledge, whereas if there were but one strong depart- ment there may be several men in it, each being a specialist in some one part of the subject, and, therefore, a master. 21 What is true of physics is true of many other departments of knowledge.” It is impossible to have a separate College of Agriculture or Engineering of standing and repute which does not offer thorough-going training in language, literature, mathemat- ics, and science, and thus it is that every independent tech- nical college must repeat a large part of the work of the university. In a similar way the university as it grows, hav- ing as its foundation work in pure science and the human- ities, is sure to develop the application of science to the problems of life. From the above it follows that every state which starts out by dividing its higher educational interests sooner or later has before it the problem of sustaining not one uni- versity, but two or three universities. This is illustrated by the State of Iowa, in which the State University of Iowa and the Iowa State College have practically equivalent in- comes, and each have laboratories and courses in language, literature, history, the pure sciences, and engineering. The same situation obtains in Indiana, where Purdue University, the state technical institution, and the University of the State largely overlap. And what is true of Iowa and Indiana is true in part in every state where the principle of division obtains. In a given state the amount of overlapping and duplication de- pends upon the number of institutions within it and the stage of their development. But wherever in a common- wealth there are two higher state institutions of learning the work of these two institutions overlap, and wherever there are three institutions the work of each of these in- stitutions overlaps some part of the work of the other two. This duplication or triplication results in the useless ex- penditure of great sums of money and makes the bill of a state for higher education unnecessarily large. Also, and this is the worst feature, the work in each department thus 22 duplicated is less effective than it would be were a smaller amount of money massed at a single point. The State University of Wyoming, having concentrated the entire funds of its state devoted to higher education, has the opportunity to rise conspicuously among the uni- versities of the surrounding states which have not adopted this policy, as have risen the State Universities of Cali- fornia, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The policy of concentration adopted by Wyoming, if continued, is sure to make its University great, and at the same time will give better opportunities to the students of both pure and ap- plied knowledge than would be obtainable in two or more in- stitutions. Notwithstanding the undeniable truth of the above, I hear with surprise and regret that there is talk of division of the Wyoming State University. If, contrary to the clear teachings of the past, this calamitous course be adopted by the state, it is certain that the University, as well as the colleges which are separated from it, are condemned to perpetual obscurity. With this obscurity will go inferior education to your sons and daughters. And yet a much larger cost will be paid by the state for higher education than would be necessary if the funds were concentrated. But I look forward with confidence to the future, for I cannot believe that any state which once seriously consid- ers broadly the problem of university education can consent to sacrifice the financial interests of the state, sacrifice the education of the youth of the state, sacrifice the future of its University to the local and selfish demands of any com- munity. Upon behalf of the universities of the nation, I congrat- ulate Wyoming upon calling to the head of the University a man of such wide training and experience as is President Tisdel — one who at this critical moment has the breadth of view and the wisdom to safely guide the educational de- velopment of the state. 23 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. BY PRESIDENT FREDERICK MONROE TlSDEL, PH. D. In this modern time, even more than in past ages, the university is a great force in both the material and the spiritual development of a people. As a force of civilization it stands between the church on the one hand and the farm, the workshop, and the mine upon the other. The church is primarily concerned with the spiritual develop- ment of the people. The world of industry and commerce has to do almost exclusively with our material prosperity. The university partakes somewhat of the functions of both. It propagates no religious dogmas ; it stands for no par- ticular religious creed ; it represents no religious estab- lishment. Yet its highest concern is the development of character and the enrichment of the human spirit. At the same time it is frankly utilitarian. It concerns itself with the direct application of science to industry. It sends its influence out upon the farm for the purpose of producing larger and richer crops and more valuable herds. It enters the workshop and the mine for the purpose of making workmen more skillful and developing our natural re- sources more extensively and more economically. Even more — it goes in search of new resources and seeks new processes of manufacture, concerning itself with whatever may add to the comfort and happiness of men. Fifty years ago this was not true. The higher education was the luxury of the few; not the necessity of the many. The college curriculum consisted almost exclusively of Greek, Latin, Mathematics, and Mental Philosophy. The aim was merely to develop the thinking powers and enrich the individual life with the treasures of literature and art. It produced great leaders of men in the church and in the state, but its aim was not distinctly utilitarian. It did not seek a direct and practical influence on commerce and in- 24 I i — President Frederick Monroe Tisdel, Ph. D, dustry. During the Nineteenth Century, however, along with the growth of the scientific spirit, science gradually won its way into the curriculum of the college ; at first as pure science without any practical aim ; but later in America, and especially in the state universities, there grew up a de- mand for the practical application of science along the lines of agriculture, engineering, and medicine. In 1862 the Congress of the United States passed a bill for the endowment by land grants of Colleges of Agriculture and the Mechanical Arts, and later, in 1890, granted to each state an annual appropriation of $25,000 for instruction along these lines. Thus the old English university system upon which our institutions of higher learning were mod- eled has been modified in America by the addition of pure and applied science, and by this means immeasurably broadened and made more democratic. Furthermore, within the last few years a new influence has entered the universities. To the function of instruc- tion has been added the function of original research. The idea came to America from Germany, where for years past the state had paid certain professors in the universities not so much for teaching as for investigating new truth. The researches, especially in Chemistry and Physics, have brought to light new methods of manufacture and new in- dustrial processes, until the trade-mark, “Made in Ger- many/’ is recognized everywhere as a mark of excellence, and until German industry and German commerce lead the world, having in the last few years surpassed even the boasted commerce of England. About thirty years ago the Johns Hopkins University was established in Baltimore, modeled on the German school and devoted primarily to research and the training of original investigators. Har- vard and other universities of the East were quick to feel the influence and establish laboratories and seminaries of research. Out of Johns Hopkins and Harvard have come a crowd of trained investigators, and, joining themselves 25 to the company of young Americans who have been abroad for university study, have spread themselves over the West- ern states and brought with them the spirit of research. State universities like Wisconsin, Iowa, and California have taken up the work with enthusiasm and profit. President Van Hise, in his recent inaugural address as President of the University of Wisconsin, said : “It is easy to show that the discoveries at the University of Wis- consin bring vastly more wealth to the state each year than the entire expenditure of the institution.” The Congress of the United States has felt the importance of this work and appropriated to each state $15,000 annually for the maintenance of experiment stations for original research in agriculture; and Mr. Carnegie has recently endowed what is known as the Carnegie Institute, devoted exclu- sively to the advancement of original research. The investigations of the scholars have often been a source of ridicule for their seeming uselessness, but their investigations have in the end proved of estimable value. If one would learn the advantage of research to the world of industry, he needs but to visit the great packing houses of Swift and Armour, and notice how the researches in chemistry have made it possible to utilize every atom of substance to the very hairs and hoofs of the animal which enters the slaughter room. A few years ago, if one had wished to raise a laugh at the expense of the scientist, what could have afforded a better opportunity than the great Pasteur and Koch spend- ing days in their laboratories patiently watching the trans- formations of yeast and microbes? Who could then have guessed the importance to the world of the study of bac- teria? Cholera and yellow fever have lost their terrors and are plagues no longer. Smallpox is under control. The first signs of diphtheria in the throat of the child no longer chill the heart of the parent with utter despair. Even tuberculosis has ceased to be a hopelessly fatal dis- 26 ease. Antiseptic surgery has made possible operations un- dreamed of heretofore, making lifelong invalids robust and strong. The university of today is thus a complex and compre- hensive institution. To its originally simple course of study have been added courses in pure and applied science, and to its original function of instruction has been added the function of original research. These, however, have only been added to the original course of study; they have not taken the place of it. The old liberal studies, the so- called humanities, still maintain their high place. They have been modified to meet modern needs. The languages are now taught to serve a practical as well as a cultural purpose, and to language and mathematics have been added courses in political science and history and commerce. The nature of man and of human life as expressed in the insti- tutions of civilization are studied with the same scientific care as the material world. The College of Liberal Arts, however, has not lost its old ideals ; it still stands primarily for the development of character, the enrichment of the human spirit, the development of broad and high-minded citizenship. It remains one of the best things the univer- sity has to offer to the fortunate who have the time and the money to spend upon it. To make the well rounded man, both the liberal arts course and the technical or professional course are desirable. Fortunate the young man or young woman who can go to school until he is twenty-five, and thus reap the profit of a broad as well as a specialized edu- cation. A university, then, is an institution for liberal and cul- tural studies, for the study of applied science, and for original investigation. To what extent is the University of Wyoming such an institution, and is the State of Wyo- ming able to provide for its growth along the lines which other like institutions have laid down? What is the basis of our pride in her present and of our hope for her future? 27 The University was fortunate in the beginning, for it was organized as a College of Liberal Arts, an institution of culture and refinement. This is the fit basis upon which to build a great institution of learning. This foundation Ijas stood firm and still gives, and should continue to give, strength and tone to the entire institution. The Univer- sity, however, has from the beginning felt the influence and taken advantage of the new educational forces. First, the curriculum was enlarged to include the pure sciences, and the courses in Chemistry, Physics, Botany, and Zoology are now among the strongest in the University. The fed- eral appropriation of $25,000 annually for instruction in Agricultural and Mechanical Arts made possible a devel- opment along the lines of applied science, and courses in Agriculture and in Mechanical Engineering were empha- sized. Later a Normal School was developed and a School of Mines established; still later a Department of Com- merce, a School of Music, anid, finally, a course in Irriga- tion Engineering. But the University has also undertaken original investi- gation in a limited degree. The Department of Botany has built up the best Rocky Mountain Herbarium in existence, consisting of 48,000 specimens. The Department of Paleon- tology has discovered many valuable fossil remains, es- pecially of the Jurassic period. The Department of Geol- ogy has done much to make known the mineral resources of the state. And the Department of Agriculture, aided by the federal appropriation of $15,000 annually for ex- perimental purposes, has conducted valuable experiments in agriculture and in stock-feeding and breeding. This year the department has added to its force a Station Chem- ist, whose entire time is devoted to research work, es- pecially research into the nutritive quality of our forage plants. The State of Wyoming is able to congratulate itself on having a real modern University; an institution for liberal 28 and cultural studies, for the study of pure and applied science, and, in a limited degree, for original research. Other institutions, however, are advancing, and advancing rapidly. State universities especially, with the help of the liberal appropriations of State Legislatures, are increasing their equipment, and enlarging and strengthening their courses of study. We must face in Wyoming the prob- lems of university progress. The College of Liberal Arts is confronted with prob- lems growing out of the general movement among the universities toward a free elective system. It became clear a number of years ago that the old college course, with its narrow system of prescribed studies, was not the most de- sirable, because what is adapted to the development of one mind is not necessarily adapted to the development of all. The old system gave no opportunity for the play of in- dividuality in the student. To remedy this, the elective system was introduced at Harvard and other schools. Under this system, with the exception of the study of English, the student is allowed to take any studies which he is able to pursue with profit, only he must pursue a cer- tain amount of work with a certain degree of excellence before he can receive a degree. The system has been in vogue long enough to show that it gives ample room for the display of the individuality and taste of the student; but it has also brought in the dangers of a one-sided or superficial education. Unsystematic nibbling in the vari- ous fields of knowledge does not develop mental power. The exclusive attention to a single department of knowl- edge, especially in the earlier years of the college course, narrows and distorts the mental vision. It has been found necessary to modify the free elective system. The best solution seems to be a combination of the elective and the group systems. A few studies should be requred of all students : one or two years of English, a year of foreign language, a year of laboratory science, and possibly a year 2 9 of mathematics. At the beginning of the Sophomore or Junior year the student should choose some one subject in which to specialize, and this he should pursue systemat- ically and exhaustively for at least two years. Under the advice of the professor in his chosen subject, he should fill out his program each year with allied studies and studies for general culture. Such a method gives opportunity for the development of the peculiar abilities of individual stu- dents, yet avoids the danger of a narrow or superficial edu- cation. It gives breadth of culture and at the same time insists upon a certain amount of intensive and careful scholarship. To keep abreast of this progressive move- ment some changes may be desirable in the course of study at the University of Wyoming. Another progressive movement is the tendency of Col- leges of Liberal Arts to offer more extended courses in political science and sociology. The problems of public finance, the relations of labor and capital, the intricacies of our highly complex industral life, commercial, constitu- tional, and international law — all are taking an important place in the curriculum of the state universities ; and rightly so, for the state is vitally concerned in the devel- opment of intelligent, practical citizenship. For a number of years the head of this department at the University of Wyoming has been the President of the institution, and the pressure of the administrative duties of his office has made it impossible for him to develop the Department of Political Economy in a way to keep pace with other schools. The problem of a summer term is also pressing, and this is especially true in the Normal School. Many teachers throughout the state who have not received collegiate or normal training, and who are not able to attend the regular sessions of the University, are eager to receive the advan- tage of university training. Some who have already re- ceived their degree are applying to the University to devise means by which they can continue their work for the Mas- 30 ter’s degree. A few of our teachers succeed in getting away into other states for summer study. But only a compara- tively small number are able to take advantage of distant schools, and even for these the expense of tuition and rail- way transportation is excessive, and the heat of summer in the lower altitudes makes systematic and concentrated men- tal work exceedingly difficult. A summer term at the University would do away with many of these difficulties. It would place the advantages of collegiate and normal training within the reach of a very large number of our teachers, for the expense of tuition would be practically eliminated and the expense of railroad fare very much reduced for most. Moreover, the heat of summer in Laramie is never oppressive. No other school in America has a location better adapted to concentrated mental work during the summer months. Furthermore, it would be a great advantage to others who are not teachers. Our young men and women are eager to get at their life work early. They do not feel that they can spend the time necessary to get the best education. They, therefore, content themselves with short and inade- quate courses. Summer work at the University, however, would make it possible for our boys and girls to finish their study in shorter time and so get at their life work either earlier or better prepared. In the Departments of Applied Science we are face to face with the problem of inadequate preparation for high grade technical work. At the University of Wyoming and other schools in the West students have been admitted to the courses in Agriculture and Engineering two years be- fore they could be admitted to the College of Liberal Arts, and consequently receive their degree two years sooner. Young men have thus been allowed to undertake highly specialized technical studies without sufficient training or maturity of mind to make these technical studies most val- uable. Our technical teachers are generally agreed that it 3i is intellectually impossible for a boy to become a capable professional engineer in five years after he has completed the eighth grade of our public schools. Moreover, all bach- elors’ degrees granted by any university should be as nearly equivalent as possible. The degree in applied science should not be cheaper than the degree in pure science or in arts. To be sure, all the studies in the University should be open and are open to anyone who has the training or maturity of mind to pursue them; and persons of mature years, whose early education has been neglected, should be al- lowed to enter the University and take whatever studies they desire and are able to pursue, without a rigid insist- ance on all the requirements for admission ; but however long these special students remain at the University, they should not expect a degree unless they can meet the full requirements of well-rounded scholarship. The require- ments for graduation need not be cheapened to meet these special cases. A good school is quite as much to be desired as a large school. Every sane man in the State of Wyo- ming, who is able to send his children to college, would rather send them to a good school than to a school which is merely- big. We should be eager to have more of our young men and women go to the University ; but we should be quite as eager to have the University the best place for them to go. The real value of a school does not necessarily depend upon a large enrollment. It is a trite saying that greatness in battle depends not so much upon the calabre of the guns as upon the calabre of the men behind the guns. Just so the value of an institution of learning depends not so much upon the number of its students as upon their scholarship and character. The requirements for a degree in all departments should be as high at the University of Wyoming as elsewhere. The University has recently de- cided to add one more year to the preparatory work for the courses in Engineering and in Agriculture. Before many years it may be practicable to require a complete high school 32 education for entrance to all departments which confer the bachelor’s degree, thus putting the Departments of Applied Science on an equality with the College of Liberal Arts. The demands for advancement in lines of original re- search are also pressing. In the Department of Agricul- ture much has been done that is gratifying and useful, but it is highly desirable to do more. Experiments in stock feeding and stock breeding should be carried on more ex- tensively, but for this purpose we need a larger amount of stock. • The work can be carried on in the old penitentiary buildings if they remain at the disposal of the University and if the University is enabled to make a few needed re- pairs. And there is another department in which an ad- vance is highly desirable, the Department of Geology and Paleontology. At present the professorship of Geology is merged with the professorship of Mining Engineering, and the duties of the double professorship make original in- vestigation well nigh impossible. When a professor of Geology can be appointed, a further investigation of the mineral resources of the state can be undertaken which will more than repay the state for the expense of the professor- ship. Moreover, work could be done in our rich fossil fields which would give the University of Wyoming a national and even an international reputation. Fossil fields which contain the remains of the Jurassic age are very rare, in- deed; but Wyoming is rich in such fossils. Moreover, if field work in this department were once well under way it would be practically self-supporting, for without retarding the growth of our museum duplicate fossils could be sold for considerable sums. The progress which I have outlined is possible in the State of Wyoming within the next few years. We can maintain in this state one institution of high university rank and keep abreast of educational progress. The future of this institution, however, depends upon two things — (i) the continued generosity of the taxpayers, and (2) the 33 highest possible economy in the administration of all avail- able funds. Neighboring states give far more for higher education than the State of Wyoming, even in proportion to population and wealth. We have a quarter of a mill tax for running expenses, which brings to the University an an- nual income of a little less than eleven thousand dollars. Colorado devotes an entire mill to her higher institutions of learning. That is to say, a citizen of Colorado whose property is valued at $10,000 pays four times as much for higher education as the citizen of Wyoming whose property has the same valuation. Nebraska has a levy of an entire mill. South Dakota has no mill tax for higher education, but makes an annual appropriation of $52,000 for the State University, besides contributing to a State Agricultural College and a State School of Mines. Montana makes an annual appropration for the University of $44,000, besides contributing to other institutions of higher learning. In Idaho the last Legislature appropriated $50,000 for the sup- port of the University, besides $43,000 for buildings. Utah gives $54,000 annually to its State University, besides con- tributing to the support of an Agricultural College. The Territory of Arizona gives to its University two- fifths of a mill tax, and Arizona offers for us a most inter- esting comparison. The assessed valuation of Arizona is about $45,000,000; that of Wyoming $43,000,000. The University of Arizona receives from the United States gov- ernment exactly the same as does the State of Wyoming. The number of students reported is exactly the same. But the Territory of Arizona gives twice as much to higher education as Wyoming. The two-fifths of a mill tax in Arizona amounts to about $22,000. The quarter of a mill tax in Wyoming amounts to a little less than $11,000. Moreover, the University of Arizona is asking from this present Legislature, in addition to the regular tax levy of two-fifths of a mill, a special appropriation of $12,700 for improvements. The people of Arizona are no richer than 34 the people of Wyoming. Surely they are no more intelli- gent and enlightened. Shall they be allowed to contribute more generously to the cause of higher education than we? The University is perhaps the most important institution appealing for state support. The grounds, buildings, and equipment are now worth about $350,000, besides the Uni- versty lands and the lands set aside for the Agricultural College. So much money is already invested here that sound public finance demands that the investment be at- tended to. Nor does the development of the University at present demand an enormous expenditure. If the present tax levy were raised to half a mill most of the improvements which I have indicated, except the stocking of the Ex- periment Farm, could be instituted within the next few years. With a half mill tax, Wyoming would be giving for the maintenance of higher education only half in pro- portion to wealth of what is given in Colorado or in Ne- braska, about the same as is given in Arizona and not only less absolutely, but less in proportion to wealth than is given by any other state in the Union. Wyoming is certainly able to provide for the adequate development of one institution of higher education. Through the reasonable generosity of the taxpayers and by an economic administration of funds the future of this University is assured. Wyoming will not allow herself to drop back and lag along in the rear of civilized life. I have confidence in the enlightenment and generosity of the tax- payers of Wyoming, and I have a consequent faith in the future of this institution. It is, therefore, with pleasure that I have accepted the honor of the presidency and have assumed its duties with confidence and high hopes. 35 12 105553736