USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 19
USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 19
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The most notable incident of Rector Williams's time was the snc- cession of valuable gifts received in 1731-3 from the generous George Berkeley, dean of Derry, afterward bishop of Cloyne. He came to Rhode Island in 1729, in the hope of founding a college in Bermuda. Having been disappointed in this hope, he returned to England. He then gave to Vale College, as a foundation for graduate scholarships, and undergraduate prizes, his estate of " White Hall," near Newport. He also sent about nine hundred volumes to the library. This act of generosity on the part of Bishop Berkeley, a member of the Church of England, may be accounted for on the grounds of his acquaintance and friendship with Reverend Samnel Seabury, a graduate of Yale (1714) and a former tutor, who had gone over to Episcopacy with Rector Cutler. The Berkeley scholarships and prizes are still offered, while some of the books have long since disappeared. A painting of Bishop Berkeley and his family is in possession of the university.
In October, 1739, Rector Williams resigned his office on account of impaired health, and Reverend Thomas Clap succeeded, in April, 1740. The new rector was a native of Scituate, in Massachusetts, and a Harvard graduate (as usual). He had been for thirteen years pastor of the church in Windhain, Connecticut. His administration lasted until September, 1766, and was thus one of the longest which the col- lege has known. It was also most eventful. Having already been conspienons among the younger ministry of the colony, it was expected that he would bring abundant energy and practical sense to the service of the college, as well as exact scholarship. He justified these expectations. New impulse was given to college interests at every point. He was felt as an administrator outside, for he secured an extension of the chartered powers of the college. He resisted successfully an attempt at visitorial interference. He withdrew the college congregation in the face of violent opposition, from the New Haven church to a position within the college walls. Within the col- lege his administrative powers were quickly and strongly shown. He systematized the laws for the students. He broadened the course of study. so that it might be abreast of the age. He developed the tutorial, and introduced the professorial system, so that the college might be raised to the highest state of efficiency. He inade a new arrangement of books in the library and prepared a catalogue, that
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the library might be of more practical value. He secured an increase of funds for the college, and during his term of office additional buildings were erected.
The earlier years of his administration were marked with religious agitations. New England, throughout its length and breadth, was divided into the hostile camps of the " New Lights" and "Old Lights." President Clap espoused the cause of the "Old Lights," and stood as a champion of orthodoxy. Consequently, he was an ardent supporter of the government policy of repression of all "New Light " revival movements. The evidences of his vigor and orthodoxy were, at first, generally acceptable. The legislature, under his influence, granted an increase of the colony grant in 1743, by means of which he was able to secure an additional tutor for the staff of instruction. More than this he secured for the college. In 1745 the legislature passed a new charter, drafted by President Clap, without a single change. This charter is noteworthy, among other things, that it made legal the name "Yale College," which, before this, had been applied to the single building standing upon the college grounds. It now gave this designation to the institution as a whole. The charter also changed the titles of rector and trustees to president and fellows. This change signified more than an alteration of names. It involved the exaltation of the president to the leadership of the corporation. Before this time the rector was only one among the trustees. Besides this, more explicit and liberal statement of powers and privileges, conferred in 1701 and 1723, was made. A fellow might also be removed, if occasion should require.
Under this charter the college moved forward for some years with increasing prosperity. The number of students increased, and new buildings were erected. In 1750-2 a brick college was built by help from the legislature, which gave more than £1,000. The building was originally known as "Connecticut Hall," but is now commonly called "South Middle." It is the oldest of the buildings now stand- ing on the college grounds. In 1757-8 the college built a house for the incumbent of the professorship of divinity, established in 1755. This house stood on York street, near where the Medical College now stands. In 1761 the work of erecting a college chapel was begun. All available college funds were absorbed in the enterprise, and subscrip- tions were secured, but there remained, in spite of all efforts by the president, a deficit.
In 1757 a college church of twelve members (eight of them under- graduates) was formed. This was the outcome of the withdrawal of the college congregation from the church in New Haven, Reverend Joseph Noyes, pastor. President Clap feared the influence of Mr. Noyes' preaching. The latter had become decidedly unpopular because of his vague doctrinal statements and his dull preaching. So, when Philip Livingston, of the Manor of Livingston, in New
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York province, gave to the college the sum of £28, 10s., sterling. it was voted by the corporation, through President Clap's influence, to appropriate this sum to a fund for a professorship of divinity: In 1753 the president was directed to hold regular services in the College Hall. At the same time strong declarations were adopted, securing for the future the adherence of the college to the Westminster and Saybrook standards. In 1755 Reverend Naphtali Daggett, a graduate of seven years standing, was secured to fill the professorship of divinity and to act as college preacher.
In the meantime, during this season of energetic work, opposition began to be manifest against President Clap. He had rendered him- self obnoxious to many by his course in regard to the religious posi- tion of the college. In 1755 pamphlets were issued against him and his policy. In the same year the legislature refused to give the usual grant to the college. Further than this, a proposal of visitation on the part of the colony authorities was openly made by some members of the corporation in 1758. The matter was pushed to a test in 1763 by representative clergymen and laymen in a memorial to the legis- lature. But the president was equal to the occasion. He met, single- handed, two of the ablest lawyers of the day, representing the memorialists, and vanquished them in argument, notwithstanding his unpopularity. He claimed the independent right of the corporation, as representatives of the founders, to manage the affairs of the college without being subject to visitation from the legislature.
President Clap had now triumphed in what was, perhaps, the greatest contest of his life, but disorders were rife among the stu- dents, fomented by enemies of the college and his administration. The unfortunate inefficiency of some of the tutors aided in this. The college was almost in a state of anarchy. In consequence of all these troubles, oppressed with the approach of old age and infirmity, he felt compelled to resign, in 1766, the position he had held for so many years. He died at New Haven January 7th, 1767, less than four months after his resignation. His lot was cast in stormy times. It was, undoubtedly, well that Yale College then had at the head a man of so much energy, decision and ability. The institution received. during his administration, many improvements, and stood upon a higher footing than before. He has left behind a small volume of "Annals of the College History," which was published in 1766, and is. for many particulars, our only authority.
In closing the account of this administration, it may be noted that David Brainerd, now known as one of the most prominent of American Christians, was expelled from the college. This took place in the winter of 1741-2, in consequence of his religious opinions.
After the resignation of President Clap some difficulty was experi- enced in finding a successor. The corporation elected to the presi- deney Reverend James Lockwood, but he declined the office. Finally.
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the professor of theology, Reverend Naphtali Daggett, was elected president pro-tempore. This arrangement continued for nearly eleven years. These years, from 1766 to 1777, were years of political excite- ment. The opening scenes of the American revolution were then taking place. Many of the students left to join the army, and, before the close of the war, arrangements were made for the freshman class to reside in Farmington. the sophomores and seniors in Glastonbury. The progress of the college during these years was comparatively slow. There was, however, a succession of brilliant young men, who filled the tutorial office. They did much to redeem the otherwise backward condition of the college. Among them was John Trumbull, author of " MacFingal," said to have passed through many editions, and Timothy Dwight, who, at the age of 19, wrote the " Conquest of Canaan." These men inspired their students with new zeal for learn- ing and new subjects of thought. In 1770 the corporation established a new professorship of natural philosophy, to which Reverend Nehe- miah Strong, formerly a tutor, and then pastor of the church in East Granby, Connecticut, was appointed. He held the position till Decem- ber, 1781.
One noteworthy change under the administration of Doctor Daggett should be noted, which shows the march of public sentiment. It was the adoption, in the year 1767, of an alphabetical arrange- ment in the class lists of the students. Hitherto the names had been placed in the order of family rank and respectability. The Triennial Catalogue still retains the latter arrangement for the classes down to 1767. Another evidence of democratic tendencies was shown in the year 1768, by the formation of a new literary society among the students, called the Brothers in Unity. The older Linonian Society, formed in 1753, was supposed to embody the aristocratic principle, so the other was started in opposition. These two societies had great influence over the students till they began to lose power in 1850, owing to the formation of smaller class societies. In 1771 the stu- dents grew uneasy under the unpopular control of Doctor Daggett, and, as the spirit of restlessness continued, he refused, in 1777, to dis- charge the duties of the presidency any longer. The college again was without a head. Owing to the condition of the times and the opposition still existing against the college, there was need of an able, judicious and learned man to meet the juncture. That man the corpo- ration found in the Reverend Doctor Ezra Stiles. At the commence- ment, in 1777, the fellows, with the general approval of the public, elected Doctor Stiles to the vacant office of president. Doctor Stiles was a graduate of the college in 1746, had long and successfully served in the office of tutor, had been a friend of President Clap, and was greatly devoted to the college interests. No better man could have been chosen. He was of New Haven stock, and had been pastor of the church in Newport until driven out by the war. He had then
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gone to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he had ministered to a congregation. After some consideration Doctor Stiles accepted the presidency, but did not remove to the college until June, 1778. He found a bad state of affairs. The students were much demoralized by their irregular residence during the past two years The college had, during these years, been practically broken up and the several classes scattered, owing to financial derangement and the want of provisions. Doctor Stiles was an ardent patriot, and labored hard for a closer union between the college and the state. In this hope he persevered during the dark days of the revolution and the confederation. The two professors whom he had found in the college when he entered upon his duties soon left him. Doctor Daggett, the professor of the- ology, shouldered a musket in defense of the college and town when it was invaded in 1779, and was taken prisoner by the British. Four- teen months later he died, his death being hastened by the brutal treatment at the hands of the enemy." Professor Strong, on the other hand, was too much of a loyalist to relish his position in the college. and resigned his place in December, 1781.
Thus additional duties fell upon Doctor Stiles. He not only instructed the senior class in mental and moral philosophy, but also in ecclesiastical history, of which he had been constituted professor, at his own desire. He seems to have been competent to fill any of the professorships, for, when they were vacant, he took upon himself their duties. He gave lectures on mathematics, natural philosophy and astronomy. In addition to these labors he had to look out for the interests of a larger body of students than there had been at the col- lege before. The places of those who had gone to the army were more than filled by those who desired to profit by exemption from military service, secured by law to members of the college com- munity. At the end of the war, in 1783, on the rolls were 270 under- graduates, as against 132 in 1777 and 139 in 1787.
In 1782 an attempt was made to fill the professorship of divinity. Reverend Samuel Wales, of Milford, was inducted into office, but in 1783, being attacked by a nervous disorder, by means of which he was partially disabled, he struggled along for ten years, until his retirement, in 1793. The duties of the office, again made vacant, fell upon Doctor Stiles.
During these dismal and trying years the college was cheered by a few contributions to its permanent resources. Among them was a gift of a tract of land from Reverend Doctor Richard Salter, of Mansfield. Connecticut. The avails of this land, amounting to $3,700, were to endow a professorship of Hebrew and other Oriental languages. Other gifts were given for the library, and a new philosophical appa- ratns. These gifts were very welcome, as the college had suffered serious losses during the revolutionary period. In the autumn of * See account of the invasion of New Haven.
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1782 a new brick building was erected in the rear of the other build- ings, to serve as a common dining hall and kitchen. It was later known and used as a chemical laboratory. The original college, erected in 1717-18, in front of the present South College, had fallen into decay, and was removed in the winter of 1775-6, with the .excep- tion of the hall and kitchen at the south end. These were retained until the erection of the new building mentioned above.
Toward the close of Doctor Stiles' presidency the closer union between college and state was at last realized. He had hoped for it, and worked for it all these years. His labors had been carried on in the face of much opposition. Outside sentiment had not grown favorable to the college. It was occasionally the subject of malicious comment in the press, of pamphlet attack, of memorials to the legis- lature, as in President Clap's time. Finally, in 1792, the legislature adopted a plan suggested by the Honorable James Hillhouse, treasurer of the college, by which, in return for a grant of money from the state treasury, the governor, lieutenant governor and the six senior members of the Upper House, for the time being, became ex-officio members of the corporation. The new arrangement took effect by the ratification of the old corporation in June, 1792. Its wisdom was vindicated by the advantages experienced. It met the outside demand for state oversight, and was not distasteful to the president and clerical fellows.
In 1793-4 a new college dormitory was erected to meet the want of better accommodations for the student. This building is now known as South College.
In October, 1794, after a vacancy of thirteen years, the professor- ship of mathematics and natural philosophy was filled by the appoint- ment of Josiah Meigs, a graduate of 1778, who had just returned from Bermuda, and who, as tutor in the college some years before, had shown special aptitude for these studies.
Just at this time, when signs of returning prosperity were evident, Doctor Stiles died after a brief attack of fever, May 12th, 1795, in the (8th year of his age. He had devoted all his powers, for seventeen years, to the interests of the college, and had seen it advance steadily in popular reputation and in solid usefulness. President Stiles was a man of great versatility, and was interested in almost every branch of learning. He kept voluminous journals which have been of great assistance to the historians of the period in which he lived. He was, also, a broad minded and generous man, clinging, it is true, to the forms and usages of earlier generations, but withal humble and charitable in his religious character. No president ever labored with more zeal for the prosperity of Yale College.
Though the death of Doctor Stiles was sudden, it was not long before the corporation agreed upon his successor. The friends of the .college instinctively turned toward Doctor Timothy Dwight. Accord-
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ingly, he was inducted into office in 1795. He had been a tutor at the college, laboring with remarkable success in that office, but at the time of his election was pastor of the church at Greenfield Hill, where he had also conducted a flourishing academy. The advent of Doctor Dwight into the presidency was received with satisfaction. At the outset of his administration the action of the faculty, i. e., of the pro- fessors and tutors, sitting in consultation with the president, came to be a vital part of the college government. This was in 1795. Later, in 1804, the ancient system of fagging was given up, and a little later the system of pecuniary fines was abolished.
Doctor Dwight had a direct personal influence upon the students. He was a man of striking personality, eloquent as a preacher, stim11- lating as an instructor. At first he was not called to the office of col- lege preacher and the professorship of divinity, now vacant. Some of the fellows did not like his position as an ardent exponent of the theology of his grandfather, Jonathan Edwards. But, in the mean- time, he temporarily assumed the duties of the vacant professorship, and thus was brought into closer contact with the students. It was during this period that he met and vanquished the popular infidelity of the day, and built up the feeble life of the college church. In 1805 he was formally invited to the chair of divinity, and held it, with the presidency, till his death. Besides these duties, he gave the full attention expected from the president to the studies of the senior year, in philosophy, and did much to create a new department of instruction, that of rhetoric and English literature, for which he had shown special adaptation as a tutor.
Doctor Dwight was quite successful in perpetuating his influence by a rare insight into the capacities and promise of those he invited to permanent positions in the faculty. He called to his side such men as Benjamin Silliman, professor of chemistry in 1802; Jeremiah Day. appointed professor of mathematics in 1801: James L. Kingsley, pro- fessor of languages in 1805. These men soon became eminent in the various departments to which they belonged. Doctor Dwight also interested himself in the formation of professional schools in connec- tion with the college. In 1806 the first steps were taken by the corpo- ration toward founding a medical school to be under their control. together with the academical department, as it now came to be called. The new department was eventually established under the auspices of Yale College and the State Medical Society. In 1813 Doctors Nathan Smith, Eli Ives and Jonathan Knight were appointed pro- fessors. Professor Silliman filled the chair of chemistry in the school. It started in 1813 with 37 students, in the building at the head of Col- lege street, which was at first leased, and then purchased with a sum of money granted by the state in 1814. The first class was gradi- ated with the degree of M. D. in 1814. Before this Doctor Dwight had taken deep interest in the formation of a theological school at
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Andover (this being the earliest in the country), and had begun to entertain the idea of developing a similar school in connection with Yale College. His plan for this, however, had not matured at the time of his death. In addition, he had in mind, also, the formation of a law department, but this also failed to be realized.
Mention may be made of the appointments to new chairs of pro- fessorial instruction. Professor Jeremiah Day succeeded Josiah Meigs in the chair of mathematics in 1801. Professor Benjamin Silliman, Sr., was appointed to the new chair of chemistry, mineralogy and geology. Professor James L. Kingsley took charge of the new pro- fessorship of ancient languages and ecclesiastical history. Professor Elizur Goodrich was the incumbent of the new professorship of law. These new professorships were a great addition to the scheme of instruction. The results were soon manifest in an increase of stu- dents. In 1800 217 students were on the rolls, as against 115 four years earlier. To meet this increase new buildings were required. Accordingly. in 1801, a new dormitory, now known as North Middle College, was begun and completed in 1803. At the same time the Lyceum building, containing recitation rooms, a library and a chemi- cal laboratory, was completed. The legislative grant of 1792, increased by a supplementary vote in 1796, supplied the means for the erection of these buildings. The president's house (built in 1722) having fallen into partial decay, a new house was built 1797-9, on the present site of Farnam College. The land for all these buildings, together with the larger part of the College square, had been acquired by Doctor Dwight in 1796.
President Dwight died in January, 1817. Under his management Yale College made rapid progress, beginning to acquire a national reputation. Doctor Dwight was a man of acknowledged power and ability. He exercised a remarkable influence over the young men of the college, and this contributed, together with his great learning and ability, to make him known over the whole country. Under him certain principles were set in operation which, long afterward, bore their fruits for the well being of the college. When he died the insti- tution was no longer a mere collegiate school, but was moving toward what it afterward became, a university.
After his death Professor Jeremiah Day was elected president. His inauguration took place in 1817. The new president was not a clergyman, but, having studied theology, was ordained at the time of his induction into office. The professorship of mathematics he had hitherto held was filled by the appointment of Mr. Alexander M. Fisher. President Dwight's place in the chair of divinity was sup- plied by the appointment of Reverend Eleazar T. Fitch. A new pro- fessorship of rhetoric was established, to which Reverend Chauncey A. Goodrich was appointed. In addition to these, in 1831, Mr. Theo- dore D. Woolsey was appointed professor of Greek, and Mr. Thomas.
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A. Thatcher as assistant professor of Latin, in 1842. Reverend Matthew Dutton, in 1822, succeeded to the chair of mathematics left vacant by the death of Alexander M. Fisher, who was lost on a voyage to Europe in 1822. Professor Dutton died in 1825. Professor Denison Olmsted then followed, but in 1836 the chair was divided, Professor Olmsted devoting himself to natural philosophy and astronomy, while Mr. Anthony D. Stanley was appointed professor of mathematics. In 1839 Professor Goodrich was transferred to the divinity school, and Reverend William A. Larned followed him as professor of rhetoric and English literature. Great improvements were made in the course of instruction. Some elementary subjects were discarded, as English grammar and geography in 1826 and arithmetic in 1830. New sub- jects were introduced. There was greater thoroughness in examina- tions.
The enlargement of the academical faculty resulted in the exercise of greater power by the faculty, and developed the idea that in grave matters affecting the college the corporation should not take action until the faculty had been consulted. This principle has become a fixed one in the college. The need of additional accommodations for the students was again felt. In 1818-19 a large dining hall was built near the center of the College square. It was three stories in height, with the kitchen in the basement. The upper floor was devoted to the exhibition of the mineralogical cabinet acquired previously through the efforts of Professor Silliman. The former dining hall was, in 1820, used for the chemical department. In 1842, however, the system of a common dining hall was abandoned, and the rooms hitherto used for this purpose were devoted to the uses of the depart- ment of natural philosophy. In 1820-1 North College was built in line with the other brick colleges. It contained 32 rooms. In 1823 4 a new chapel was erected between North and North Middle colleges. The upper story contained rooms for students, and the attic contained the library, which had been removed from the Lyceum. In 1831 2 the Trumbull Gallery, now known as the Treasury Building, was built to contain the college collection of paintings, especially those by Colonel John Trumbull, which, at first deposited by the artist, after- ward became the property of the college. In 1842 a library building was begun, and finished in 1846, at a cost of $34,000. The library funds were materially increased by gifts from various sources. Addi- tions also were made to the general funds of the college, by means of which separate chairs of Greek and mathematics were established and provision made for the employment of an instructor in elocution.
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