UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS JOHN MILTON GREGORY, LL.D. First President of the University MEMORIAL CONVOCATION AT THK CHAPEI^ Sunday, October 23, 1898 The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. University of Illinois Library ,M 25l9Ki NOV 2 2 21105 m Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2009 witii funding from CARL!: Consortium of Academic and Researcii Libraries in Illinois http://www.archive.org/details/johnmiltongregor1898univ UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS TR5 U^l^ CF THE SEP 1 1932 UNiVERSiTY OF ILLINOIS. JOHN MILTON GREGORY, LL.D. First President of the University MEMORIAL CONVOCATION AT THE CHAPEL Sunday, October 23, 1898 1898 PUBLISHED BY THE UJTIVERSITV JOHN MILTON GREGORT, LL.D, 19)22— July 6, Born at Sand Lake, New Vork. 1846 — Graduated at Union College. 1852 — Principal Classical School, Detroit, Michigan. 1854 — Editor Michigan Journal of Education. 1858-63 — State Superintendent Public Instruction of Michigan. 1863-67 — President Kala^nazoo College. l^dd— Published ''Handbook of History.'' 1867-80 — President U^iiversity of Illinois. 1873 — United States Commissioner to World's Fair at Vienna. 1876 — Member Board of Judges, Educational Department, Centen- nial Exposition, Philadelphia. 1878 — Illinois Commissioner to International Exposition at Paris. 1881-82 — Superintendent American Baptist Home Mission Schools. \%Z2— Published "^ New Political Economy.'' 1882-85 — United States Civil Service Co7nmissioner. 1883 — Published ''Seven Laws of Teaching." 1895-98 — President Civic Center of Washington, D. C. 1898 — October ig. Died at Washington, D. C. e MEMORIAL CONVOCATION. The first President of the University, Dr. John M. Gregory, died in the City of Washington, D. C, on Wednesday evening, October iq, 1898. Having expressed the wish that his burial place might be within the grounds of the University, and the suggestion having been approved by the Trustees, the remains were received and taken charge of by the University on Sun- day morning, October 23. Under the care of a guard of honor from the University Military Battalion they lay in state in the rotunda of the Library Building, where the public was per- mitted to view them between the hours of 12:30 and 2:30 p. m. Great numbers availed themselves of the opportunity. At two o'clock the Trustees and former Trustees, with the specially invited guests, assembled at the President's Rooms, the Corps of Instruction at the Faculty Room, and students of years prior to 1881 at the Business Offices. At 2:15 the University procession moved to the Chapel from the Library Building, passing through the rotunda and around the casket in the following order: President of the University with the Chaplain of the day, Rev. W. H. Stedman, D.D. Speakers: Dean Thomas J. Burrill. Judge Charles G. Neely, of the class of '80. Honorary Pallbearers: Trustees Francis M. McKay and Samuel A. Bullard. Professors Samuel W. Shattuck, N. Clifford Ricker, Ira O. Baker, Stephen A. Forbes, David Kinley and Eugene Davenport; Hon. Emory Cobb, Hon. J. O. Cunningham and George F. Beardsley, Esq. Board of Trustees of the University. 4 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. Former President Selim H. Peabody, former Trustees and former members of the Faculty. Mayors of the cities of Champaign and Urbana. Boards of Education of Champaign and Urbana. Students of years prior to 1881. Clergymen and other specially invited guests. Instructional Force of the University. The exercises in the Chapel were as follows: SlNGING-"Lead, Kindly Light," Male Quartet REMARKS, President Andrew Sloan Draper, LL.D. RELIGIOUS EXERCISES, .... Rev. W. H. Stedman, D.D. Singing— "The Lord is My Shepherd," .... Male Quartet ADDRESS, .... Dean Thomas Jonathan Burrill, LL.D. REMARKS, Judge Charles G. Neely, Class of 1880 SINGING— "Abide With Me," ...... Audience Benediction at the Vault. REMARKS OF PRESIDENT DRAPER. In opening the convocation President Draper said: The University meets in a convocation today which is altogether unusual. We open our gates to give sepulcher to the physical body of our pioneer President: we assemble to signify our respect for the tenement of clay and give expres- sion to our sentiments and feelings concerning that life which has just gone to the inheritance of the righteous, and is at one with the Father and the host of the sanctified gone before. The occasion is melancholy. It touches our innermost feelings to stand by a bier. It stirs them deeply to stand by the bier of the great and the useful to whom we have been deeply indebted and about whom the affections have grown strong. Yet the entrance into life, at full maturity, of a great man who has been widely and splendidly inspiring to his fellows, and whose work on earth was ample and well com- pleted, is very far from being an occurrence which is altogether sad and melancholy. It is the special privilege of others, whose relations to the facts particularly qualify them for the grateful service, to formulate the thought and give suitable expression to the deep feeling of the University upon the event which has called us together. I am permitted but a brief word in the way of opening the exercises. John Milton Gregory came here in the spring of 1867 to make plans for this University, to lay the very bottom stones of its foundations, and, a year later, to stand in its doorway and receive its first students. How singularly qualified and adapted he was for such a work has for years been upon the lips of many, but can never be told too often. He was then at the age of forty-five. He was a sound English "and classical scholar. He had even more than the ordinary versatility of thorough scholarship, and he had already had much experience in educational administration. On occasions he wrote poetry of no mean order; silvery chimes 6 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. rang melodies in the temples of his soul. Our art gallery will always bear witness that he had the eye and the feeling of an artist. He was a clergyman. Not only was his heart keyed to the music of the humanities and consecrated to the service of the Master, but his mind had been disciplined by the coldly intellectual and logical philosophy of Calvin. He had studied the Law. He knew the story of its development and venerated it for what it had cost. He had the battles of mankind for freedom and for progress engraved upon his heart, and was thoroughly familiar with the growth of institutions. He had many of the elements of a statesman. In a word, he knew history, and, guided by its lights, could look clearly into the future. He was a forceful writer and an orator who could com- mand a hearing. He had courage. He had Puritan blood in his veins, and it settled the way in which he would maintain a conviction. He could withstand an assault or he could lead an advance; he could rise to an occasion or he could wait with patience and bide his time. Perhaps more than all else he was a teacher. He had been an apt pupil, the ardent admirer and the strong friend of Eliphalet Nott of Union College, than whom no man in America had inspired and molded more lives. He acquired the spirit and the ways of his own great college president. He could put his heart against the hearts of others and warm them, and he could link his mind into the minds of others to draw them out and invigorate them. Again and again former students have testified to me, and in telegram and letter are hourly testifying now, of the uplifting and last- ing influence of Dr. Gregory upon their lives. These different qualities, blended together, mellowed and refined by experience, produced an altogether unusual man, — one who could manage men and lead movements as well ; one who could deal with the every-day questions of educational detail better than most men could do it, but who could not be content with doing that alone ; one who could both fire souls and build institutions, and whose frail body was charged with a spirit which would permit him to do nothing less. Even more, and what is of more import to us, there were not half a dozen other men in the world thirty years ago who saw, as he did, the necessity of the next great step which was JOHN MILTON GREGORY. 7 imperative to the complete and enduring development of pop- ular education. His knowledge of history, his study of eco- nomics, his frequent contact with questions of state, and his love for the common brotherhood of man led him to see that the old system of education was not equal to the support of democratic institutions. This particular knowledge was the consuming fire in his soul. The enlargement of the educa- tional plan so that it should carry the opportunity for a collegi- ate education to every home, and so that the influence of lib- eral learning should bear directly upon the vocations of the industrial masses, was the matter to which he was impelled by an irresistible impulse of his heart to give the great powers of his mind. This is the particular work he undertook for the people of the prairies and the new towns of this then pioneer common- wealth. His plans were adequate. He knew that in essentials they were imperative. He did not bow his head to the demand which the thoughtless multitude made for merely practical training, for he knew that what was demanded would be neither scientific nor practical, and that it must be both if it would endure; he would have been false if he had wavered, and he could not be false. He would never lower the plane of education : he would uplift the common life. The crowd was disposed to ridicule his theories and overthrow his plans, but he would not allow it, and as he was right there was no need to allow it. In all this he but brought his personality to the surface of affairs. If he had permitted himself to be con- trolled by the crowd he would have disappeared in the crowd, and the University of Illinois would have been insufficient for its constituency and unworthy the great State for which it stands. His humanity, his learning and his courage laid the foun- dations not of a merely technical school, but of a University ready to supply instruction in any branch of advanced learn- ing to anyone prepared to receive it. This distinguished him among his fellows : it won him the enduring gratitude of Illi- nois and of the friends of progress throughout the world, in his own and in all generations. His students will cherish his memory for what he did to shape their lives, and well they may : but the University that is now, and the still greater Uni- 8 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. versity that is to be, will hold him in tender recollection for what he did for it. Indeed, his work is respected and his mem- ory has become already a sacred influence in our life, but their value and their beauty will be more manifest to the University, the State and the Country, with each of the coming years which is yet unwound from the great reel of infinite time. We may take such formal steps as we can to honor his memory now; but what we do will seem feeble indeed ; the University is his monument. He received from the State whose citizen and benefactor he became at middle life many marks of esteem ; he was sent abroad upon important missions and called to high public service by the General Government more than once : but the honors which will be most substantial and last the longest will be the minds he quickened and the souls he inspired through personal contact, and yet more through the form which he was able to give and the spirit which he was able to breathe into the University. These will be reproduced and multiplied infinitely. The University is honored by his desire that his mortal body should rest forever in the soil of the institution which his genius, his generosity, and his courage went far to establish upon broad and enduring foundations. It is hardly too much to say that, without knowing it, he paid for the high right with his brain and his blood. So the University opens its gates to receive him again to its own and to his own. Its Trustees, instructors, and students convene in convocation to lay their tributes upon his bier. It welcomes to the sad service his distinguished successor in office and others who have been of the instructional force, and the students of other days who come by common impulse to testify of their love. In doing all this we can not but feel that we are indeed making history now, for we are rounding out the first great cycle in the life of the University. It shall remind us that the ordinary incidents of daily life are relatively of but little moment, and it shall register a resolution that the ashes of the departed shall be tenderly guarded; that the best years of his life shall not have been given to us in vain; and that the great results which his noble spirit conceived and longed for shall be secured in the most abundant measure. JOHN MILTON GREGORY. Q READING SCRIPTURES AND PRAYER. Rev. W. H. Stedman, D.D., of Champaign, conducted the religious exercises, as follows: Dr. Gregory once gave me an incident connected with his personal experience which I think will make a fitting introduc- tion to the reading of the Scripture lesson. He said, as we were talking upon the subject of the inspiration of the Scrip- tures: "Do you know, I have found a new use for the Bible. I have been for many years troubled with insomnia. I have gotten into the habit of taking up some portion of Christ's sayings. I have committed to memory whole chapters of the Gospels and the writings of St. Paul, and have sought to go to the bottom of them. I have turned them over and over. I have looked at them from every point of view until my soul was aglow with light. My brother," said he, " I no longer dread sleepless hours. I rather rejoice in them. They are the most blessed of my life." Scriptures: Psalms Ixv. i-8; xli. 1-4; 1. 1-6; xxiii. 1-6. Prayer: Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we yield unto Thee most high praise and hearty thanks for the won- derful grace and virtue declared in all Thy servants who have been the chosen vessels of Thy grace and wisdom, and the lights of the world in their several generations; and we most devoutly thank Thee for the life and character of Thy servant, our honored and beloved father and friend, whose remains we this day bury out of our sight. We thank Thee for the strength of his character, for the breadth and tenderness of his sympa- thetic nature, for his devotion to truth and righteousness, and for the stimulating and uplifting power of his instruction. We thank Thee that in the morning of life his feet found a resting place on the Rock of Ages, and that he was led by the Good Shepherd into green pastures and by still waters. And we most humbly beseech Thee that the greatest desire of his heart for this University, which was conceived and brought into being by him, may be realized. We pray Thee that a double portion of his spirit may abide upon all who are and all who shall hereafter come into places of authority in this lO UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. institution, and we humbly entreat Thee that the student body may ever be stimulated to higher moral and intellectual attain- ments because of the abiding power of that great life that Thou has taken to Thyself. We pray especially, our Father, that Thy richest blessing maybe given to this inner circle of bereaved ones, who, because they knew him best of all, are today the most sorely afflicted. Grant that they may each be comforted as only Thou canst comfort. May the place made vacant be joyously filled by Thy spirit ; may they find that Thou art indeed a " father to the fatherless and a husband to the widow." And now, our Father, may each one of this vast assembly go from this sacred place with a renewed determination to love and serve Thee with oneness of mind and heart ; and to Thy great name, to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we will give ever- lasting praises, world without end. Amen. SINGING : "The Lord is My Shepherd," Male Quartet JOHN MILTON GRKGORY. II ADDRESS BY DEAN THOMAS J. BURRILL. " I should be something more or less than human not to feel the solemn pressure of this hour." These words consti- tute the first sentence in Dr. Gregory's first official public ut- terance in connection with the institution here over which he had been called to preside. I have quoted the first line of his memorable inaugural address. Had he then fully compre- hended all the labors he entered upon, all the hardships and painful experiences he was to endure, the heavy burden he was to bear, — the words would have been weighted with further significance than was then understood, though he better than anybody else comprehended the situation in which he was placed. Had they meaning then and to him, they have re- doubled and reweighted significance now and to me. Dr. John M. Gregory, he whose voice in former times was so often echoed back from these walls, he whose words of wis- dom and helpfulness were so often heard by intense and grate- ful listeners in these seats, he to whom in a very large degree this institution owes its being, — the wise counselor, the heroic executive, the gifted teacher, the friend of professor and of stu- dent, the manly Christian man, — has departed from Earth, and his mortal remains seek a resting place within the grounds he loved so well. Only, as it were, the other day, he spoke from this platform and in that hall across the street. With what happiness he revisited the scenes of those other times when the beating pulse was stronger and the days proved all too short for the plans and purposes begotten in the fervid heat of an active brain! His life had been devoted to the work of the University. He would not and could not forget the thirteen years of his official connection here, and we, all of us, old friends and new ones, were glad that he did not forget, that he did come back, and out of the fullness of his understand- ing and of the wealth of his heart delivered anew a message of information and of help, of inspiration and of hope. The body will molder back to dust in yonder grave, but the lessons he taught will never perish in their interest and power ; time 12 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. will grow old and all the things mortal will pass away, but the immortality of a life like his is insured this side of the tomb as well as beyond. It now falls to my lot to recount in simple fashion and humble wording something of the history of our first Regent's plans and accomplishments in connection with this University. I would gladly leave out in this all mention of the obstacles encountered, and of the shattered hopes that bestrewed his path- way ; but light is revealed by shadows, and smiling valleys lie only between hills. There is neither in this nor should there be an^^where in this connection condemnation of anyone, or of anything. Opinions rightfully differ even though on one side or the other there may at length be found costly and irremedi- able error. It is exceedingly difficult for anyone not having in mem- ory the conditions of things as they existed when the move- ment was made for the founding of institutions of higher learn- ing in the several states based upon the idea of special use- fulness to the industries, rather than to what were at that time called the three learned professions. Let it be remem- bered that this movement began in real earnest just in the mid- dle period of our century. It was in 185 1 that the memorable convention was held in Granville, this state, where in direct and public way the agitation began ; and it was less than two years subsequently that the Illinois General Assembly sent that notable first memorial in February, 1853, to the National Con- gress, praying for the endowment and establishment in each state of industrial universities for the promotion of the more "liberal and varied education adapted to the manifold wants of a practical and enterprising people." But what a transformation has taken place in industrial affairs since these dates! Never before in the history of the world has there been in an equal length of time such accom- plishments, such a stupendous forward movement in the asser- tion of the dominion of man over nature, in controlling and managing the forces and;forms of nature for the good of man and the uplifting of his race. The magnetic telegraph had its introduction in 1844, only seven years before the Granville convention, and it had hardly made a beginning in usefulness JOHN MILTON GREGORY. I3 as we now know it until after this latter event. The man who first persuaded the Michigan Central railroad, in 1853, to con- trol the movement of its trains by telegraph — a thing nowhere known before — is in this room to-day, and was a member until recently of our Board of Trustees. Railroads themselves began creeping into Illinois in 1847 from what is now that marvelous focus of traffic on the shore of Lake Michigan. In 185 1 the Grand Prairie of Illinois, a part of which is now occu- pied as the attractive campus of this institution, stretched in great bodies of native green, bedecked with multitudinous flowers never culled by man, through more than two hundred miles of our territory. Notwithstanding the wonderful rich- ness of its soil it was in great part uninhabited and uninhab- itable by man with out further knowledge and power than he then possessed. During this half century how the elements and forces of nature have sprung into use at the command of man! Conti- nents have been discovered anew, the waste places have been recovered and beautified as a garden for the king. Old Ocean toys with the things of man upon his tempestuous surface, but the tranquil depths pulsate since 1858 from shore to shore with human thought, making neighbors of nations and binding together with bands stronger than iron their common interests and mutual concerns. Heavy loads, then borne by human machines, have been transferred to those framed of oak and of steel, transforming a race of slaves into masters and con- querors, subjugating not nations, but nature. But even the cannon of these later times are noisy with proclamations of peace. Assuredly the difference in the conditions must be remembered if we would understand the discussions of the earlier though not very remote times. Let us now, in no critical or fault-finding mood, but in just and high appreciation of the facilities and accomplishments of the then existing institutions of higher learning, turn to them a moment and catch a slight insight as to what they were, the best of them, when the agitation of which we write began. They had been proved to be by their fruit admirable organi- zations and exceedingly influential instrumentalities in prepar- ing men for certain spheres of life. None of them opened their 14 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. doors to women. They had in their service men of wide repute and of magnificent scholarly endowments. They had libraries of which they were justly proud, though more often these were only open at designated intervals. They had associations and memories tending wonderfully to foster and beget intellectual refinement and strength. But they had no laboratories worthy of mention. There was no opportunity for, nor spirit of research other than in books and manuscripts. Modern science, in none of the mul- titudinous forms by which modern life is now so potently touched and so significantly vivified, had gained practical entrance. In the fifties, and almost as truly for the sixties, it was impossible for a student so inclined to gain anything beyond elementary instruction in any American college course in chemistry, physics, physiology, botany, zoology, geology, astronomy except upon the mathematical side, political science, economics — in sociology not at all — engineering in any of its branches except again the mathematical applications, archi- tecture, agriculture or anything closely related thereto, and in many other somewhat kindred branches now considered important in courses of collegiate instruction. There was no institution on the American continent, or any number of insti- tutions, in which a score of professors now engaged in the work of this University could have prepared themselves for the duties they were severally called upon to perform at the beginning of their services here. To study science in these early days of our half century one must have gone abroad, perhaps with little purpose, or must have done it outside of college walls and college helps. There was little or no liberty in choice of studies. The undergraduate— there was practic- ally no graduate instruction offered — might choose, it may be, one of two or three general courses which, when chosen, he must pursue from beginning to end as laid down. This was the first concession to individual needs and personal tastes and aptitudes, and it sometimes strained severely the possibilities of the institutions to grant so much as they did. It was usually impossible that they should offer more in this direction. The call for new institutions of higher learning with largely increased endowments to meet the newly growing JOHN MILTON GREGORY. 15 demand was therefore earnest and importunate. Said Dr. Gregory, in his inaugural address: "Slowly, a great want has struggled into definite shape in the hearts of mankind. The demand has arisen for deliverance from the evils of ignorance and for a more fit and practical education for the industrial classes. It is Labor lifting its Ajax cry for light to guide its toil and illuminate its life. Daily the feeling grows stronger that the old courses of classical study do not meet the new and increasing wants of the working world. The industries are steadil}- and rapidl}' becoming more scientific. They are no longer the rude, manual arts of the olden times. They have brought the might}^ powers of nature to their aid, and seek to conform their labors to the great laws of matter and life. Agriculturalist and artisan find themselves working amid great and significant phenomena, which only science can explain; and the}' have caught glimpses of possible triumphs in their arts which they may win, if they can be educated to the better master}' of better processes and more scientific combinations. Hence the cry for the liberal education of the industrial classes." In our State the movement culminated upon the last day of February, 1867, when the Legislature passed the act found- ing and practically locating the Illinois Industrial University upon the broad basis of the so-called Land Grant Act of 1862, backed and forfeited by the wealth and power of the State. The newly-appointed Board of Trustees had a difficult duty to perform in finding men capable and ready to take the offices of administrators and teachers. These were not merely to do work that had been done, but they were to mark out new paths, to devise new methods. The old was not to be forgot- ten or forfeited, but upon it as a foundation where feasible a new superstructure was to be raised. School men are proverbially conservative. The old with them is better because of age. The established is likely to be to them the law and the gospel in education. To whom could the Trustees turn in the emer- gency? Fortunately, — or was it by one of those Providential order- ings by which the affairs of man are directed? — one member of the Board had heard in a convention in Chicago the elo- quent words representing the fertile and timely ideas of a man l6 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. from Michigan, where he had gained distinction as an educa- tor, wide reputation as a writer and orator, and above all, as an alert and sympathetic friend of the new order of things touch- ing industrial and practical life. On the motion of Mr. Quick of Irvington, at the first meeting of the Trustees in Spring- field, Dr. Gregory was, after due inquiry and consultation, elected to the office of Regent. All that he had previously known of the matter was from a letter from Mr. Quick, received the week before. How little does man understand the full consequences of his acts! To what momentous issues do even what appear small matters lead! This election, more in trust and hope than in confidence of judgment, carried with it importance big beyond estimate and lasting beyond the possibility of determi- nation. It was my privilege, as one of a small audience of spectators on the evening of May 8, 1867, to hear Dr. Gregory read, for the Committee on Courses of Study and Faculty, a re- port in which was first embodied his ideas concerning the scope and character of the institution he and his colleagues of the committee would provide. That report carried upon the face of it the strong convic- tion that the author was pre-eminently the man for the place and the hour. In the light of all subsequent study and discus- sion, in the understanding gained by the tests of time, and in the illumination and culmination of results, the fact is verified and emphasized that the trustees made no mistake in that birth- giving and soul-shaping election, during that Springfield meet- ing. He who now reads that luminous initial document may find in it not only the prophecy of what was to be, but the solid and well-laid foundation upon which the growing edifice rises to its later day beauty and grandeur. Dr. Gregory was singularly well fitted by nature, by attain- ments, and by experience for the work which was so suddenly assigned to him. He was a broadly cultured and widely in- formed scholar of the classical type, a graduate of Union College, and had devoted himself to the study of the Law, expecting to make it his profession. Among those who pass judgment in such matters he was considered to have attained eminence in theology, though never having taken a regular JOHN MILTON GREGORY. 1 7 course of instruction of this nature. He had been for many years the editor of a successful educational periodical, and for five years was State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Michigan, and a member of the Board of Regents of the State Universit}'. For four years, next preceding his election as Regent here, he was president of Kalamazoo College. He never became an investigator in natural science, but he followed with the keenest relish the results of the labors of others, and held himself ready to accept conclusions so reached. Added to all this, perhaps in some respects above all this, he was capable upon short notice of masterly efforts upon the platform. If he was not an orator, he had a wonderful gift of utterance, and had the power of lucid presentation of ideas so that audiences large and small, upon common or upon exalted themes, were held in rapt attention and tireless mental follow- ing. His chapel talks were gems of diction and models of stir- ring helpfulness. In his efforts before agricultural societies, at the county fairs, in the country school houses, in teachers' assemblies, before the learned and before those of little scho- lastic attainment, he was ever the forceful, the instructive, the convincing, and the inspiring master of the hour. In the pul- pit his power was none the less, for the plain truths of a prac- tical and consoling Christianity came from his lips in rare sweetness and in hope-inspiring power. It remains, however, to mention the element of fitness which, perhaps, more than any other designated him for, and probably brought him to, the high office which he held. That was his intelligent, broad-minded, and sincere conception of the needs and possibilities of the proposed new lines of edu- cational activity. No one who knew him as a man could read that first report, to which I again refer, and his other papers and speeches of a similar import, including his numerous rec- ommendations to the Trustees, without gaining the conviction that his burning rhetoric and cumulative logic came from the well-springs of his heart ; though it is proper to say that it was just here that opponents made their most serious charges and most destructive assaults. Because especially he clung tena- ciously to what he believed to be of value in classical educa- tion, those of different thought pronounced him unsafe as a l8 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. leader in what no doubt appeared to them to be an opposing, if not hostile, idea. A word now as to the dissensions of opinions and the disa- greements in procedure which, during the time under consid- eration, so harrassed the administration and hazarded the enterprise. The young University was the subject of abundant criticism. It was a disappointment in one way or another to the valorous hosts and their leaders, who had labored so hope- fully and assiduously for its founding. Vague and inconsid- erate objections were made, through want of information, by many who took little pains to inquire; and those best informed and most heartily interested were often aggrieved at the course things were taking. The redoubtable Professor Turner thought at one time that all was lost. The storm of criticism from one side beat persistently and almost piteously upon the literary department, and from the other side artillery explo- sions occurred because these branches had been neglected or overshadowed. Almost the entire press of the State, at one time or another, was open to, or active in, disparaging or hos- tile discussions. From one quarter it was charged that the magnificent possible achievements had been sacrificed in making simply a farmers' college, and that of mediocre kind. The mountain had brought forth, not a mouse, but a mole to dig forever in the dirt. Again — and in this the clamor was louder and longer continued — that what should have been a school of practical applications only, and devoted solely to agriculture and the mechanic arts, had been made, through the unwise and destructive ambitions of its administrators, too large and comprehensive in idea, too magnificent in outlook, too grand for the purposes involved, and for the possibilities of support. Meetings in various parts of the State were called, committees were appointed and reported, resolutions were passed by the General Assembly, and even from pulpits came alarms and warnings. There were troubles within, and there were blockades and rebuffs without. With all this unfavorable commotion, friends came to inquire with much concern for the cause. Of course they found various reasons and made various answers. But for our pur- pose we need only quote from the inaugural address, where JOHN MILTON GREGORY. I9 appears the clear and penetrating foresight of the author. He says: " The Industrial University is peculiarly a child of the pop- ular will. Designed to promote, by education, the industrial interests of the largest classes of the people, and challenging, on this ver}'^ ground, popular sympathy and support, it is on these accounts more liable to be affected by the fluctuations of public sentiment regarding it than institutions of a less popu- lar constitution. A thousand noble but vague hopes and aspi- rations will look here to find the help they crave ; a thousand deeply-felt needs of skill or power will turn to this University for their supply without knowing precisely how it is to be gained. Evils long endured will send up here their appeal for remedies. Fierce resentment against old wrongs or fancied wrongs, and still fiercer resolves in favor of cherished reforms or fancied reforms, will demand that these halls shall feed their hate or battle in their cause. Urged by such variety of motives, and viewing the matter from such a diversity of stand- points, it will not be wonderful if an almost endless variety of plans shall be presented for our guidance. "Each theorizer will have some one or more favorite notions concerning education, and each will count his notion as of central value and importance, and will demand that the University shall be constructed on his idea as its chief corner stone. Unfortunately only one plan can be adopted, and its adoption will be the signal for a hundred men, of dogmatic turn, to shout that a great 'mistake has been made.' 'The institution has failed in its great aim and purpose, and nothing but disaster can be expected till revolution shall come to right the wrong.' The 'mistake' is simply failure to take their advice. The 'purpose' lost sight of is their purpose, and the 'disaster' is the loss of their approbation and patronage. They never seem to reflect that the adoption of their plans would have equally disappointed many others, perhaps, whose interest in the enterprise is equally great, and whose knowl- edge of its conditions may possibly be vastly greater." What prophecy was there in this! By changing the future 20 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. to the past tense it would not only read like history, but would actually be history, and the explanation would be complete. It is not strange, however, that, measured by the apparent possibilities, and by the fervid hopes of the original workers and builders upon paper, rapid progress was not made, large developments were not secured. The wonder rather is that under it all and through it all so much was accomplished, that throughout there was a steady, unfaltering, unbroken, undevi- ating, forward movement. In essentials there was no shifting of plans or of purposes and no let up in endeavor. With per- sistent adherence to the original outline of organization and character, and with a sublime faith in the rightfulness and therefore ultimate success of these original propositions and provisions, the great work, made unnecessarily and monstrously arduous, went right onward. Yonder was the goal high above intervening obstacles, and straight was the roughened road leading thereto. Final triumph shone out in the mental hori- zon of the chief executive like a star in the East, and it alone was accepted for guidance. And triumph came, not final and complete in Dr. Gregory's day; but encouraging side victories were never wholly wanting, and these, gaining in number and kind as time passed, the vantage ground, high and secure, became evident to the dimmed eyesight of even prejudiced observers. From this there was, there could be, no retreat. The banner of advanc- ing columns floated proudly in the clearing and re-oxygenated atmosphere, and the ringing call of the leader was answered along the line by many an encouraging cheer. Professor Turner, heretofore disheartened by what seemed a failure in the outcome of his strenuous and herculean labors, accepted an invitation of the Regent to visit the place, and in his address at the laying of the corner stone of University Hall gladly acknowledged his misinformation and misunderstanding, and proclaimed his re-enkindled hope and magnified conception of realized success. General Eaton, then Commissioner of Education at Washington, at the dedication of this same build- ing, December lo, 1873, said: "Of the thirty-seven state institutions benefited by what is known as the National Agricultural Grant, I consider this among- the most JOHN MILTON GREGORY. 21 successful in its administration. Honoring- all, moreover, who have contributed of their skill and wisdom to these results, I can not fail to observe how largely they are due to the ability, character and attainments of your chief administrative officer. I seem to see how certain portions of his experience have served to fit him specially to do this work with success. Scholarly in tastes and pursuits, devout according- to his conscience and honoring the same in others, familiar with the state system of education in which a similar experiment had been proceeding- successfully, he was thus, as it were, in training- for the work here undertaken. I need not call to your minds how easy, at different points in the progress of this institution, it would have been for a one-sided character — a man of crotchety ideas, or one unacquainted with affairs or with the conditions and sympathies of all the classes of persons, and interests and subjects to be here har- monized, in the means and methods employed and the results attained — how easy it would have been for such a man to place this University in the rear instead of in the front rank of the institutions of this class, in spite of the greatness of your State, the largeness of your popula- tion, the abundance of its wealth, and the general prevalence of education among your people." It is impossible now to enlarge upon this interesting and consoling portion of my theme. The most assuring and convincing testimony is before us all to-day. The maturing fruitage of the wise conceptions, of the toilsome labors, of the unmeasured sacrifices, and of the heart-begotten devotion of the first Regent, is found in the character and strength, in the purpose and grandeur of the University to-day. Others have assisted, have added, and broadened, and builded, and they have their appropriate and large share of rightful honor ; but before all and, in a sense which can never be changed, above all there appears upon the scroll of great names in connection with this institution of the people, one at the head of the list, magnified by history, illumined by love, made sacred by death, — that of the first Regent, Dr. John M. Gregory. The time arrived when he desired to lay down the heavy load for younger and stronger workers to take up. The Trus- tees reluctantly accepted his resignation, and at a public recep- tion caused to be read the following resolutions, written by one who is present, and who was at the time an honored member of the Board of Trustees : 22 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. Whereas, Dr. J. M. Greg-ory, our esteemed and beloved Regent, who has been at the head of the Illinois Industral University from its birth, and to whom the people of the State of Illinois owe a debt which cannot be paid by mere words, has tendered his resignation of the trust so long and so faithfully held by him ; therefore, Resolved^ That while this Board accepts the resignation of Dr. Gregory, it does so with feelings of regret ; and, while compelled to lose his valuable services in the future management of the University, the Board takes this occasion to express and extend to Dr. Gregory its appreciation of his past service in behalf of the University, the har- mony and good feeling which exist between himself and this Board, and the valuable services and affectionate devotion on his part to the welfare of this institution and all connected with it. Resolved, That the Illinois Industral University is and ever will be a monument to the name, fame, and genius of Dr. Gregory ; that in him this institution has had, for over thirteen years, a friend con- stant, faithful, and devoted to the cause of higher education, as applied to the practical and useful arts, as well as to the full and com- plete university system, which he has crystalized and incorporated in the system of education adopted by the University. Resolved, That this Board in its own behalf as well as in behalf of the people of the State of Illinois, desires to, and does hereby, express its thanks to Dr. John M. Gregory for his long and faithful service in behalf of the University ; that while we are compelled to part with him, we shall ever remember and appreciate the services he has performed, for the institution and for the State, and shall ever follow his future career with feelings of affection and personal regard, fully believing that his future work will ever be, as it has been in the past, devoted to the moral and intellectual elevation of his fellow beings. JOHN MILTON GREGORY. 23 REMARKS BY JUDGE CHARLES G. NEELY, OF THE CLASS OF '80. Dear Friends: We are here today under circumstances peculiar and pathetic. This vast concourse of people has as- sembled to pay a tribute of respect to the memory of a friend. He who does not in any great trial-hour of life take immedi- ate note of the situation in which he finds himself, loses half the advantage of the particular occasion. In this hall are many of the distinguished citizens of the State. The people of Urbana and Champaign, and many visitors from cities near and far, have come to participate with the great University in this solemn memorial for the beloved dead. The whole ser- vice is sweetly, sadly impressive. In what more touching man- ner could expression be given to human sorrow? We have invoked the spirit of prayer; we have asked a tribute of song; we have commanded of the lips speech. Our hearts are ten- der under the spell of memory. I come to the performance of a grateful, though mournful duty. How shall a pupil of the great teacher, recalling the forceful character of the man, his words of gentleness and wisdom, his self-sacrificing devotion, best speak a simple word of just praise? This hall is so familiar and so dear! So often has he stood here to declare some great principle or truth of life! How luminous now do his words seem! They are appealing to us to heed the lessons they taught. There is a difference between recognition and realization. We very readily say we recognize the truth of a statement made, but it often requires years of living and expe- rience to realize the truth of the statement. Those who heard Dr. Gregory, here from this platform, could not understand his wise words until the exigencies of life revealed their worth. When I was a boy, I went with my father to attend a county fair, and in the afternoon the people gathered around a wagon from which a speaker was talking. His voice rose clear and strong above the crowd, and his presence and theme commanded attention. In the midst of an exhibition of mate- rial products, he invited them to consider the importance of educated citizenship. There he insisted upon mental and 24 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. moral development, and made plain the duty of the State to teach her children how to live. My father said to me: " When you are old enough, you will go to the University." Today, I can see the man lifting the people around him to higher ideals. It is the only incident of the fair that I can recall. Its deep impression has never left me. After many years I came here, and at once felt acquainted with that friend of young men. He is the only man to whom I ever went to school that I felt was a great teacher. No single thing in my college days so deeply impressed me as Dr. Gregory's chapel talks. Politics, religion, social conditions, were his themes. He would take some living question of the day and present it in a manner so attractive and forceful that it became a possession of the hearer. This very place, this hall, this desk by which he stood recall the many scenes with surprising vividness. Here I heard him declare that every man's life is like some great wheel in the factory, a segment of which is at one time down in the foundation; then again that same segment sweeps up- ward to its highest arc until it catches the full sunlight. Again he said: "It makes little difference what a man thinks pro- vided he will be sincere and think long enough. If he does this he will think to a right conclusion." Once, rising to the occasion of his speech, with silver tongue, he proclaimed truth and justice God's two vicegerents upon earth, and that it was man's duty to manifest the one and strive after the other. In his closing years he was at work upon a book on Sociology in which he labored to set men in right relations and bring justice to their affairs. At another time in a burst of eloquence, he said: "Some men build of blocks of marble; others there are who build in immortal thought." He was an orator in every sense of the word, and easily held and convinced men by the pure diction of his thought and eloquence. He was a leader of men and was naturally first in a distinguished company. Sin- cerity of purpose was his chief characteristic. We must judge of a man after he is gone. He is so near to us when living, that there is no perspective to reveal his true relation. What any man is, must be determined by what he did while it was yet day. Doctor Gregory founded a great univer- sity. The very fact that his work outlives him, and will live JOHN MILTON GREGORY 25 without him, proves the merit of his work. An institution that perishes with the builder is little worth while. That it can endure after him manifests the grandeur of conception and its stable foundation. The foundation gives character to the edifice. The archi- tect in planning the foundation, prepares the way for beauty, symmetry and proportion. The foundation is prophetic of walls and roof, window and arch. The catalogue of i8q8 is the curriculum of 1867, developed on the great lines laid down then. Doctor Gregory did not build better than he knew. He built as well as he knew. Two epochs come together today — the past and the pres- ent. It is my privilege to speak for the student body. How shall I do it? The task is large. Those who knew him, loved him; this I know. You who hear about him will honor him, I feel sure. The human heart is most wonderfully kind. It very lovingly broods over the scenes that are gone. It most gently calls up in memory the faces of the loved. Memory, so sweet! so sad! A great spirit has this day passed into the tomb. We stand uncovered at his bier. How solemn the scene! Over in the Library Building there he sleeps, so quietly. His dear face gives no recognition, but his life and example are our inherit- ance. Thousands, this bright October afternoon, sitting by their hearthstones, with their little children about them, are thinking of this memorial and of him. No grander monu- ment could be uplifted toward the skies than this splendid University, where the sons and daughters of Illinois and her sister states shall come to drink freely of the Waters of Life. On the 7th day of June, 1880, Dr. Gregory delivered the baccalaureate sermon to our class. We were his audience, though this hall was crowded. He said: " My text is from St. James: 'What is your life?' " The question came home to each of us, bringing us face to face with the future that lay before us, out in the big, round world, when we should go there to assume duty. Many, many times that question has arisen. What my life is today, or may be, is largely due to his teach- ing and example. I stand here loving him for what he did for me and for others. I know he loved me. This sweet child of God drew men unto him. He was known and loved and hon- 26 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. ored on two continents. His work is done! How well done history shall record! The hand so strong to direct has fallen by his side. The stir of great events shall summon him to duty no more, nor move that great heart again! In these grounds, so dear to him, we shall gently lay him down to sleep. Many feet in the years to come will make pilgrimages here to lay softly on the grassy mound that holds his dust, the sweet flowers of spring. " What Is Your Life? " Answering, I say: Your life was an inspiration to hundreds and thousands of the young men and women, citizens of this great Republic. At the conclusion of Judge Neely's remarks the Convoca- tion, under the lead of Professor Fernie, of the School of Music, sang "Abide With Me," and then the University proces- sion took up its way to the vault at Mt. Hope cemetery, where the remains were to be retained until the precise place of burial should be determined by the Board of Trustees. PRAYER AND BENEDICTION AT VAULT. Now, God and Father of our risen Lord, we leave here in this Machpelah our precious alabaster box. The costly oint- ment which it contained has been poured out upon the heads and into the hearts of many of the best citizens of this com- monwealth, and wilt Thou grant that all of these and each one of us may share with Doctor Gregory in the first resurrection at the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and may the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, abide with you all. Amen On Saturday morning, November 19, 1898, at 11 o'clock, the remains were interred, as directed by the Board of Trustees. JOHN MILTON GREGORY. 27 ACTION OF THE GENERAL FACULTY. At a special meeting of the General Faculty held Friday, October 21, 1898, President Draper announced the death of Dr. John Milton Gregory, First Regent or President of the University, On motion of Dean Burrill, the following memorandum was adopted: Yesterday the telegraph brought the sad intellig-ence from Wash- ington, D. C, of the death of our distinguished and honored friend and colleague, Dr. John M.- Gregory, first Regent of the University and later, until the time of his death. Professor emeritus of Political Economy. Today, we, the members of the General Faculty, assemble in special meeting to express our sense of deep bereavement and personal loss, and to place upon our official records our high and loving esti- mate of the man and our grateful appreciation of the notable and enduring services he rendered to this University and to the general cause of higher education in our country. By the legislative act organizing the University the Regent was ex-officio member and chairman of the Board of Trustees, and was also by the same act chairman of the Faculty. Dr. Gregory therefore exercised the functions and bore the responsibilities of the two im- portant offices in the nascent institution, and had officially by far the most power and influence in shaping and developing its character. Added to his official possibilities there were those of an engaging and effective personality, 'of an energetic and indomitable worker, of a charming and convincing platform speaker, and of a man of broad scholarship and unimpeachable personal character. Others of high official and wide personal influence differed with him from the begin- ning in ideas of what the institution should be, and strong opposition from one quarter or another, and in one way or another, developed and was persistently and vigorously urged. That he, with the assist- ance of co-workers, at length triumphed, is witnessed by the broadly founded and liberally organized University as it stands today, instead of an exclusively technical school, or perhaps as an exclusively agri- cultural college. Others share with him the honors of wise fore- thought and heroic execution under discouraging conditions and of an ultimate victorious outcome. Yet there was but one Regent Gregory. 28 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. He stands alone in an important, prominent place in the educational history of our commonwealth, and to him alone in many potential particulars the University owes its being". To-day we, who in a special sense share the benefits of his mas- terful labors, and who fondly cherish the memory of his eminent per- sonal character, hereby express our thankfulness for his life and influence in connection with this University, and, for his loss, mingle our sorrow with a very wide circle of warmly appreciative friends. We offer the condolence of sympathetic hearts to his children and especially to her who with us was an esteemed member of our body and with him bore the endearing- relation of a devoted wife. ARTHUR H. DANIELS, Sccj'etaiy General Faculty. JOHN MILTON GREGORY 29 ACTION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. At a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, held at the University on Saturday, November 12, 1898, the following members were present, viz.: James E. Armstrong, Samuel A. BuUard, Lucy L. Flower, Francis M. McKay, Alexander McLean, N. B. Morrison, Isaac S. Raymond, and Thomas J. Smith A committee, consisting of Messrs. Bullard, McLean and Raymond, was appointed to prepare a suitable expression of the sentiments of the Board touching the demise of John M. Gregory, LL.D., Regent of the University from 1867 to 1880. The committee reported the following, viz.: Whereas, Dr. John M. Greg-ory, the first Reg-ent or President of the University, died in the City of Washing-ton, D. C, on the 19th of October last; and Whereas, the deceased had expressed a wish that his remains mig"ht have burial within the grounds of the University, and such suggestion has already had the approval of the members of the Board individually, therefore, Resolved, That the Board of Trustees of the University takes the first opportunity since the death of Dr. Greg-ory to renew an official expression of its appreciation of the great debt of g-ratitude under which the University must always rest to its first Executive. He was endowed in liberal measure with the qualities which were needed to prepare the plans and effect the organization of such an institution. His scholarship, his intellectual balance, his familiarity with public questions, his courage in the face of much opposition, and his skill in debate, laid foundations for a University upon which the superstruc- ture has been continually growing stronger and nobler since he ceased to be so potent in guiding- its affairs. His sympathetic nature and his efficiency as a teacher not only endeared him to students, but gave inspiration and direction to their lives. His works will remain after him to do him honor, and his memory must always have a unique and enviable place in our history. His death, even at the end of a long- and exceeding-ly fruitful life, fills all friends of the University with sorrow. The Board of Trustees, not only because of its official re- sponsibility and its point of vision, but perhaps more particularly be- cause four of its members were students of the distinguished deceased, is in position to realize the great worth of his services to individuals, 30 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. to the University, and to the educational progress of the State, and knows how very feeble this formal action is in adequately expressing- it. Not only in an official and a formal way, but with a depth of feel- ing- which we cannot utter, we declare that it was rare g-ood fortune which brought his great gifts to the aid of the University in the days of its infancy; and in the years of its strength it will never cease to cherish his memory and draw inspiration from his words and his example. Resolved^ That his desire to be buried in the grounds of the Uni- versity is not only sig^nificant of his unceasing" affection for it, but bringfs to it the opportunity to secure in larg-er measure the continu- ance of his influence upon its life. While any common practice in this direction is doubtless to be avoided, even in the case of strong- characters who have exerted telling influence in the affairs of the University, the exceptional prominence of Dr. Gregory in this regard is sufficient justification in this instance. Therefore, the Board directs that burial be made in mason work in the neighborhood of a point south of the line of John street, if projected into the University grounds, and about one hundred feet therefrom, and about midway between University Hall and the west line of the University grounds, and the Board will, as soon as practicable, give appropriate treatment to the grounds in that vicinity and assume the perpetual care of the grave, to the end that it may unceasingly remind us and coming gen- erations of the virtues of the departed, and forever exert an influence at once mellowing and uplifting in the life of the University. And the executive officers of the University are directed at an early date to carry this action into effect. Respectfully submitted, S. A. BULLARD, ALEX. McLEAN, ISAAC S. RAYMOND, Committee. Adopted: W. L. PIIvLSBURY, Secretary Board of Trustees. JOHN MILTON GREGORY. 3I ACTION OF CHICAGO CLUB OF UNIVERSITY ALUMNI. At a meeting of the Chicago Club of the University Alumni, held November 5, 1898, the following memorandum was adopted: Full of years and honors, like a shock of ripened corn in an abundant year, our beloved instructor and friend, Dr. John M. Greg-- ory, the founder and first Reg-ent (President) of our Alma Mater, has been gathered to his fathers. A man of pure life, of hig-h ideals, a leader of men, a friend of humanity, devoted to the progress and advancement of those whose education was intrusted to his care, faithful and watchful as a parent, he stands as a model for imitation in all those virtues which crown a Christian manhood. Well versed in every field of knowledge, he was a man of uncom- monly broad culture, which gave him as a teacher the power to im- part information in a clear and forceful manner. In this particular, he has had few equals — no superior. Possessing in a remarkable deg-ree the faculty of attracting- and endearing his students to him, he was throug-h his own personality, enabled to lead them to hig-her and nobler achievements. His ashes are given to the soil of the institution that was so dear to him, but his character, his work, his influence, his fame, belong- to the country, the world, to humanity, to civilization. The University is his monument; his name shall live in our hearts forever and ever. CHARLES H. BARRY, HERMAN S. PEPOON, SAMUEL A. HARRISON, Committee. The following committee was appointed to secure contri- butions from the Alumni, and prepare a suitable memorial to Doctor Gregory at the University: N. Clifford Ricker, 1872, Chairman; F. L. Hatch, 1873; I. O. Ba- ker, 1874; George R. Shawhan, 1875; H. W. Mahan, 1876; Charles H. Barry, 1877; Ellis M. Burr, 1878; Lorado Taft, 1879; Charles G. Neely, 1880; Charles H. Dennis, 1881; Frederick D. Rugg-, 1882; W. A. Heath, 1883, Treasurer; Solon Philbrick, 1884; John E. Wright, 1885; William D. Pence, 1886; John Farson, ; Arthur N. Talbot, 1881. TBS tB.?4Py OF r«E ^^"^ 11932 mMl^^il^ OF lUlNOIS. Im/nf^^O^'LUNoii: ^£112070068918