USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 20
USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 20
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In 1832 Reverend Wyllys Warner succeeded the Honorable James Hillhouse as treasurer of the college, at his death. The year 1822 saw the beginning of a theological department. Reverend Nathaniel W. Taylor was inducted into the professorship of didactic theology in this department. He was aided by Professor Chauncey Goodrich,
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who, in 1839, resigued his chair in the academical department to take the professorship of the pastoral charge. Mr. Josiah Gibbs was appointed lecturer on sacred literature in 1824. In 1826 the lecture- ship became a full professorship. The theological department thus formed attracted many students, so that, in 1835-6, a building was erected in line with the others for its uses. Doctor Taylor was a tower of strength to this department, and his name was early noised abroad as an instructor and theologian.
The advance in other departinents was also marked. A law school was established in 1824. In 1841 a system of graduate instruction, outside of the three learned professions, was devised.
The medical school was ably conducted, and, until the establish- inent of other medical schools, had a growing number of students.
In 1846 President Day resigned at the age of 73. He had tried twice before to lay down the burdens of his office, but had been pre- vailed upon to remain. His health had always been delicate, yet he served the college with ability and faithfulness in various capac- ities for a great many years. He died in 1867, leaving behind him, as one has said, " a memory for universal veneration."
We now come to the administration of President Woolsey, which is still fresh in the minds of the graduates of the college. He en- tered on his office in October, 1846, and, like his predecessor, received ordination when inducted into the presidency. His administration lasted 25 years, and was an era of unprecedented prosperity for the college. A great advance was made in the quality of instruction and the number of new professorships which were established. In 1847 Reverend Noah Porter entered upon the duties of the new professor- ship of moral philosophy and metaphysics, made possible by the accumulation of a fund given in 1823 by Mr. Sheldon Clark, of Oxford, Connecticut. President Woolsey himself gave instruction in history, political science and international law. Mr. James Hadley took charge of the Greek department, over which President Woolsey had formerly presided, in 1848. Mr. Lewis R. Packard was promoted from a tutorship in 1863 to a second chair in this department. In 1865 a professorship of history was created, to which Mr. Arthur M. Wheeler was called. Geology was, in 1850, assigned to a distinct pro- fessorship, to which Mr. James D. Dana (now of wide fame as a geolo- gist) was appointed. Mineralogy was added in 1864.
Doctor Fitch resigned the pastorate in 1852, and was followed by Reverend George P. Fisher in 1834. He held the office till he was transferred, in 1861, to the divinity school. He was succeeded, 1863 to 1866, by Reverend William B. Clarke, who in turn was followed by Reverend Doctor Oliver E. Daggett, until his retirement in 1870. In 1855 Mr. Hubert A. Newton succeeded to the chair of mathematics, made vacant by the death of Professor Stanley in 1853. Professor Elias Loomis succeeded Professor Olmsted in the chair of natural
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philosophy and astronomy in 1860. Mr. Cyrus Northrop was appointed successor to Professor Larned in the professorship of rhetoric and English literature in 1862, the year in which Professor Larned died. The new professorship of modern languages, endowed by Mr. Augustus R. Street, of New Haven, was filled by Mr. Edward B. Coe, who began his instructions in 1867.
In 1846-8 four freshman scholarships were endowed by President Woolsey, and in 1848 a scholarship was established by Charles Astor Bristed, of New York city. With the increase in professorships and improvements in instruction came new buildings. A stone build- ing, called Alumni Hall, was erected in 1852-3, on the northwest corner of the College Square. The lower floor was finished as one room, in which were to be held alumni meetings, examinations and general meetings. On the walls were afterward hung portraits of officers and benefactors of the college. The upper floor was divided into three halls for the use of the large literary societies of the col- lege.
In 1869-71 two new dormitories, with accommodations for 169 persons, were built by the generous gifts of Mr. Henry Farnam, of New Haven, and Mr. Bradford M. C. Durfee, of Fall River, Massa- chusetts. These two new buildings were called, respectively, Farnam and Durfee colleges. The old Divinity College, in line with the old brick row, was removed. The president's house, on the site of which Farnamn College was built, had been removed in 1860. About the time of the erection of these new buildings a steam boiler house was constructed, from which most of the buildings on the college grounds and in the vicinity are heated.
In 1864-6 a fine building, to be devoted to the School of Fine Arts, was erected by Mr. Augustus R. Street, on the southwest corner of the square. Two of the professorships in this school were endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Street. To one, the professorship of paint- ing, Mr. John F. Weir, N. A., was appointed. He was also director of the school which was opened to students in 1869. To the other professorship, that of the history of art, D. Cady Eaton was appointed. The paintings deposited in the Trumbull Gallery by Colonel Jolin Trumbull were transferred to the art school. Not far from the square on the west a gymnasium was erected in 1859.
Under President Woolsey's administration funds for the general use of the college and for the library increased. But prosperity was not confined to the academical department. In other departments great progress was manifest. The divinity school entered upon a new era. The old professors who had given it a great reputation had died or resigned by the year 1861, and new ones were appointed. Such men as Timothy Dwight. George P. Fisher, George E. Day, Leonard Bacon, Samuel Harris and others were, in due time, called to professorships. Funds were, through the generosity of friends,
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provided for the school. In 1869-70 a fine building was erected on the square next north of the college. This building is known as East Divinity Hall. Then followed the erection of a chapel adjoining this building, given by Mr. Frederick Marquand in 1871. A lectureship on preaching was established the same year by Mr. Henry W. Sage, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Other important additions were made to the scholarship and general funds. The number of students increased, and the school began its career of steady growth and prosperity, which it still pursues.
The medical school underwent an entire reconstruction of its faculty. The old professors, as in the divinity school, died or resigned, and new ones came in to take their places. In 1859 the old building and grounds belonging to the school were sold, and a new medical college built in 1860 on York street. Since that time efforts have been made to put it upon a good basis, but the lack of pecuniary endowments has interfered with all plans.
The law school did not participate in the general prosperity at this time. The students fell off, and it was not until the time of President Porter that the school was put upon a prosperous basis, through the gifts of generous friends. The school was at that time entirely recon- structed, and is now in a high state of efficiency.
Before 1846 plans were laid for the establishment of a department of graduate instruction. This, in time, grew partly into what is now known as the Sheffield Scientific School. At first the Scientific School had poor accommodations in the old president's house and the attic of the chapel. In 1859, however, Mr. Joseph E. Sheffield, of New Haven, purchased and enlarged for the use of the school the old medical college. He stocked it with necessary apparatus, and gave a fund of $50,000 for the endowment of professorships. In 1860 the school came to be known, by vote of the corporation, as the Sheffield Scientific School. This school has grown rapidly in facilities for instruction and in the number of students eager to take advantage of these opportunities. In the meantime, the other courses of graduate study not provided for by the scientific school, were steadily main- tained by Professor Whitney and others. Mr. O. C. Marsh, whose name and reputation are well known, was added in 1866 as professor of paleontology.
The important event that marked the close of President Woolsey's administration was the change in the composition of the corporation. In response to a general sentiment among the alumni, which Doctor Woolsey favored, an act was passed by the general assembly, in Con- necticut, July, 1871. consenting that six of the graduates of the college should be substituted for the six senior senators of the state in the membership of the corporation. This change gave the graduates a more direct interest in the college, and was widely welcomed. Presi- dent Woolsey resigned in 1871, at the age of 70, but continued till
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within a few years of his death (in 1889) to give valuable assistance to the college. He was a man of preeminent scholarship, and has made the fruits of that scholarship of great service to the world. To all who came under his instruction he was the beloved and revered instructor, the scholar and the Christian gentleman. As an adminis- trator his influence was strongly felt in the marked prosperity which attended the college during the 25 years of his presidency.
After the resignation of President Woolsey, in 1871, his place was filled without delay by Professor Noah Porter, who was called to the presidency from the chair of moral philosophy and metaphysics, which he had held since 1846. The fifteen years of his administration was a period of steady growth and prosperity. The early years of his presidency were notable, from the fact that a permanent fund, raised by subscription and called by the name of President Woolsey, was established. This action was followed by a continued increase in facilities for instruction. All the graduate and undergraduate courses not included in the departments of theology, medicine and law were in 1872 consolidated under the name of the department of philosophy and the arts. There was also an extension of the elective system, by means of which nearly one-half of the work of the last two years was left to be determined by the student himself from a large number of elective courses left open to him. To keep pace with new demands new professorships were established. Some changes also occurred in the faculty from death and resignation. Additional buildings were also erected.
In 1874-6 a new chapel was built on the northeast corner of the college square, and received the name of Battell Chapel, in honor of Mr. Joseph Battell, of New York city, from whose gifts the chief part of the expense was defrayed. The old chapel was rearranged at this time, so as to provide much needed recitation rooms.
In 1882-3 a physical laboratory was erected on the south side of Library street. The expense of building and the necessary equip- ment for use were provided by Messrs. Henry T. and Thomas C. Sloane, of New York city, as a memorial to their father.
In 1885-6 another dormitory was built, next to Farnam College, on the south, containing 42 suites of rooms, and of five stories in height. This was called Lawrance College, in memory of Thomas Garner Lawrance, of New York city, who died in 1884, while in his senior year.
In these same years was erected Dwight Hall, so called in memory of President Dwight. The funds for this building were provided by Mr. Elbert B. Munroe, of New York city. The building is a beautiful one, and furnishes an attractive center for the religious life of the col- lege, with its reading room, its select library, its rooms for class meet- ings and general meetings.
In 1876 the initial portion of the Peabody Museum of Natural History was built on High street, facing Alumni Hall. at a cost of
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$100,000. The expense was defrayed from a'portion of the fine endowment provided by Mr. George Peabody, of London, in 1866.
Another addition was the Observatory, for astronomical and physical researches, which was erected in 1882.
In 1871-2 the libraries belonging to the Linonian Society and the Brothers in Unity were consolidated.
The various schools connected with the college prospered during this period as perhaps never before. The Sheffield Scientific School, the Art School, the Law School, the Medical School attracted a large number of students and offered great advantages. The law school, in particular, received great impetus, and for the first time became worthy of the university. The divinity school also received import- ant additions to its funds, its professorships and its buildings.
In 1873-4 West Divinity Hall was built, and a building (called the Bacon Memorial Library, in honor of Reverend Doctor Bacon) was erected in 1881, to contain the reference library provided for by Mr. Henry Trowbridge, of New Haven.
Just at the close of President Porter's administration Doctor William R. Harper was appointed professor of Semitic languages, while Mr. Arthur T. Hadley was called to the chair of political science. Both of these men have a wide reputation in their respec- tive departments.
The continued progress so manifest under the administration of President Porter still continues under his successor, Timothy Dwight. In 1886 President Porter resigned, and was followed by Professor Timothy Dwight, a grandson of the former President Dwight, and who had hitherto been professor of sacred literature in the divinity school. Soon after his accession an act of the legislature, in March, 1887, made legal the term university as applied to the corporation. From this time Yale became in name, what she had been for some years in fact, a university. The first official use of the name " Vale University " was in connection with the annual catalogue, published in 1886. During the period of President Dwight's administration up to this time (1891) there has been a marked progress of the university idea. All departments have been most closely linked together, and have, to a greater or less extent, participated in a common university life.
There have been some changes in the faculty. Professor Barbour, called to the pastorate of the College church, in connection with the duties of the Chittenden professorship of divinity in the year 1877, resigned in December, 1886, but did not leave until the close of the college year. Professor Elias Loomis died in 1889, having served the university 29 years. New men were called to new professorships. Notable mention may be made of the establishment of a professorship of music, to which Doctor Gustave J. Stoeckel was appointed in 1889. In 1888 a new building, called the Kent Laboratory, was completed,
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and named after the donor, Mr. Albert E. Kent, of Chicago. It is located on the corner of High and Library streets. In 1889 a new building for the university library was erected. This building is called the Chittenden Library, in honor of the Hon. Simeon B. Chit- tenden, of Brooklyn, N. Y., who generously gave the funds necessary for its erection.
The year 1889 witnessed the completion of the Osborn Memorial Hall. on the southeast corner of the college grounds. This fine build- ing contains about twenty recitation and lecture rooms. It was the gift of Mrs. Miriam Osborn. of New York city, as a memorial of her husband, the late Charles J. Osborn. The old cabinet building was taken down in the summer of 1890. The removal of this building and the old chemical laboratory, in 1888, has greatly improved the college grounds. There is left but one of the old buildings in the line back of the old Brick Row, and that is the Treasury Building. formerly known as the Trumbull Gallery.
With the completion of the Chittenden Library building the books belonging to the university library were removed into the new build- ing in 1890. The books belonging to the consolidated Linonian Society and Brothers in Unity were at the same time removed from the north wing of the old library building to the south wing.
On the east side of the college grounds a new dormitory is now (1891) in process of erection. When it is completed one side of the proposed college quadrangle will be for the most part finished. It is hoped that the quadrangle will in a few years be completed. The old "Brick Row " will then come down and Vale will have as fine a quad- rangle or interior as any university in the world. Even now the beautiful elms still remaining, together with statues of Rector Pierson and Professor Benjamin Silliman, Sr., and fine buildings make the college campus an attractive spot, especially to the graduate who returns to renew the memories of the past.
A new gymnasium on Elm street is being built and will probably. when finished. supply the needs of the university in this direction for many years to come.
By the death of Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield further benefactions have been received by the scientific school. Mr. Sheffield's house and grounds on Hillhouse avenue have been generously given for the uses of the school.
Yale University is thus prospering externally. In breadth of instruction and in number of students it stands among the first in the country. It has to-day (1891) 1.645 students, as against 1,076 five years ago. Its graduates have made their mark upon the public life of our country. As President Dwight well says in his last report. " It is a matter of much satisfaction to the authorities of the institution, and it may well be to all the graduates, that as the student community grows in its numbers and changes of various kinds necessarily occur
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in its daily life and workings, the Vale spirit abides always the same- breathing itself into the mind and heart of every worthy student who enters the gates of the University and inspiring for their career ever afterwards all who go forth with its gifts into the activities of the world. It is this spirit which more than all things else makes the University what it is." The Yale of the future will be undoubtedly true to the spirit of its past, and under the administration of the second President Dwight, be blessed with further growth and prosperity. Her graduates, in whose hearts Yale University has a warm place, will ever wish for this result.
The Connecticut Gazette was the first newspaper issned in New Haven. Its publication was begun in April, 1755, by James Parker, and soon thereafter was carried on by James Parker & Co., John Holt and others being associated with him. The size was small, the sheet being but 10} by 153 inches, which was folded to make four pages; each page had two wide columns. The matter was largely local and there was but little resemblance to the newspaper of to-day. Other particulars in regard to it can best be learned from an announcement in the paper itself, as follows:
" NEW HAVEN:
"Printed by J. Parker & Company, at the Post Office, near Captain Peck's, at the Long Wharf, where this paper may be had at 2s. 6d. Lawful Money, per quarter, if sent by the special post; or 1s. 10d. Half Penny without Postage; the first Quarter to be paid at Entrance.
" Note .- Thirteen papers go to a quarter, none to stop but at the end of the Quarter.
" Saturday, October 1st, 1757."
The issue was suspended April 14th, 1764, but July 5th, 1765, it was revived by Benjamin Mecom. In his announcement of the resumption of publication he stated that the price would be " two pence for each paper," and that no increase would take place in consequence of the stamp act. "All kinds of Provisions, Fire Wood and other suitable Country Produce will be taken as pay of those who cannot spare money."
Mr. Mecom invited "the benevolent of all parties to send him an account of whatever novelties they think may be useful to their coun- trymen," and promised, on his part, the following: " Besides the help he hopes to receive from different Correspondents in this Colony and elsewhere, the Printer has sent for three sorts of English magazines, the Monthly Review of New Books, and one of the best London News- papers; these, together with the American Intelligence from Nova Scotia to Georgia, inclusive, and also from Canada, cannot fail to fur- nish him a constant stock of Momentous materials and fresh advices to fill this Gazette.
" BENJAMIN MECOM, at the " July 5, 1765.
Post office, New Haven."
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The paper, as published by Mecom, was permanently suspended after the issue of No. 596, February 19th, 1768, having in its last year to contend with a rival paper, the Connecticut Journal and New Haven Post Boy, which was begun October 23d, 1767, by Thomas and Samuel Green.
Some notices and items extracted from these early papers reveal strange practices and quaint ideas. Both poor whites and blacks were treated as chattels, and the rudest kind of punishment was meted out to law breakers. As examples:
" New Haven, March 5, 1762.
" Last Saturday afternoon, David Slusher and James Daley were cropt, branded with the letter Bon their Forc-heads, and received each of them Fifteen Stripes on their naked Bodies, pursuant to their sen- tences, for sometime since breaking open and robbing the shop of Mr. Philo Mills, of Derby."
" A likely Negro Wench and Child to be sold.
" Inquire of the Printer. " To be sold by the Subscriber of Branford, a likely Negro Wench, 18 years of age, is acquainted with all sorts of House Work, is sold for no fault. " June 15, 1763.
"Just Imported from Dublin, in the brig Darby.
" A parcel of Irish Servants, both Men and Women, to be sold cheap, by Israel Boardman, at Stamford, 5th January, 1764."
" The subscribers having erected a Powder Mill near this town, would hereby inform the public that they are ready to receive any quantity of Salt Petre for Manufacturing into Powder.
" ISAAC DOOLITTLE. " JEREMIAH ATWATER.
" Who want to purchase a quantity of Sulphur, for which they will give a generous price.
" July 10th, 1776."
" Any Gentlemen, Farmer or others, that may have any juice extracted from Corn Stalks, which they are desirous of having distilled into Rum, are hereby notified that the subscribers, Distilleres in the town of New Haven, will distill the same on shares, or otherwise, as they can agree. And those who please to favor them with their employ, may depend on having the strictest justice done them, and their liquor distilled to the fullest proof. Or any person that would rather dispose of said juice or Corn Stalks, on delivering it at the Distillery, will receive the Market Price; and every favor will be most gratefully acknowledged by the Public's very obedient servants,
"JACOBS & ISRAEL.
" September 24, 1777.
" N. B .-- Private Families may have Cider distilled for their own use by Jacobs & Israel."
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The Journal, from which the two last extracts are taken, did not find it smooth sailing altogether, as the following notice will show: . "# ## We are very sorry that we cannot procure a sufficiency of paper to publish a whole sheet; but as there is now a paper mill erected in this town, we expect, after a few weeks, to be supplied with such a quantity as to publish the Journal regularly on a uniform sized paper, and to be able to make ample amends for past deficiencies. " July 3, 1776."
The usual size of the paper was a sheet 14 by 16 inches, with three columns to a page. It was printed in an office near the college. After having many publishers and a varied career extending through more than half a century, the publication of this paper was suspended with No. 3,517, April 7th, 1835.
In addition to the foregoing there have since been so many ventures in journalism that the names of some of the most important ones only can here be given. The facts pertaining to them were arranged by a former librarian of Yale.
In 1891 the principal papers published in New Haven were the following: Morning Journal and Courier, Evening Register, Palladium, Union, Morning News, Yale News and Connecticut Republickaner, all dailies.
The weeklies were the Columbian Register, Connecticut Herald and Journal, Palladium, Union, Connecticut Freie Presse, Connecticut Republi- kaner, Connecticut Volksblatt, Nutmegs, Standard, Workmen's Advocate, Weekly Record and Shore Line Times.
Less frequently are issued the old and popular American Journal of Science, a bi-monthly, established in 1818 by Professor Silliman; the New Englander, also a bi-monthly. established in 1843; Loomis' Musical and Masonic Journal, a monthly, published since 1867; the Vale Literary Magazine, established in 1836; the Vale Courant, established in 1865, all of which have well merited reputations.
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