USA > Iowa > Humboldt County > History of Kossuth and Humbolt counties, Iowa : together with sketches of their cities, villages, and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 82
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"Two things are evidently settled by the meeting: 1st. That northern Jowa is to have a first-class college; 2d. Huni- boldt county is to be the favored place of its location."
In the autumn of the same year the as- sociation asked of the county an appro- priation of half its swamp lands in aid of the institution. It was accordingly sub- mitted by the supervisors to a vote, at the general election, but was lost by a small majority.
Though disaappointed, Mr. Taft was not discouraged by this defeat, but held firmly to his purpose of winning success for his chosen work, as appears from the following editorial found in the True Democrat, issued the week next following the election, entitled
"COURAGE, CONFIDENCE AND CHEERFUL- NESS.
"Whoever would successfully enter upon the noble work of elevating society, must do so in no spirit of timidity, but
with a courage inspired by an unfaltering confidence in the triumph of the right and true. Without such confidence and conrage he will became disheartened and fail, for every great and beneficent reform or enterprise has its night of gloom, and often its garden of Gethsemane, and who- ever is unable to maintain heart and courage during those hours of darkness and gloom is nuequal to the glorious and heaven appointed work of a true reformer. To be successful, he must not only main- tain his courage and confidence when mis- judged and misrepresented, maligned and betrayed, but he must maintain cheerful- ness also, that the fountains of physical, mental and moral life be not dried up; with such conrage, confidence and cheer- fulness, there can be no failure to the true man or woman; victory may be postponed but cannot be lost.
"Profoundly impressed with the truth- fulness of the foregoing thoughts, we say to the friends of Humboldt College that the present reverse is not a defeat to the noble enterprise to which we have put our hands, and for which we have offered up our prayers, nor will it long delay the realization of our hopes. The labor thus far bestowed is a great gain, which cantiot be lost without our consent, and we cer- tainly will not thus consent, but carry on to a glorious success the great enterprise in which we have engaged; and at no distant day answer back those who now rejoice iu their ignoble and short-lived victory, by presenting to them a great in- stitution, presided over by noble men and women, where the young of both sexes shall gather to attain that physical, men- tal and moral culture, which shall qualify
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them for life's responsibilities. That this grand victory is attainable, we believe, and upborne by this conviction, we cheer- fully bide our time."
After contracting for 240 acres of land lying north of and adjoining the town of Springvale, securing such contributions as could be obtained in the vicinity of the proposed school, and donating eight blocks of town property, Mr. Taft went where all representatives of large enter- prises had to go for funds, to the Atlantic States. Some of the experiences attend- ing upon his first eastern visit are given in the published address made on the opening of the school Sept 18, 1872. The following is from the address:
"Although I had with me most desir- able testimonials from leading men of our State, yet the enterprise was so new, and to many so visionary, that my suo- cess seemed at first very doubtful.
"My first hundred dollars was from the hands of Hon. Peter Cooper, of New York, whose ripe years are still full of noble deeds.
"Weeks and months hastened by, and no adequate amount of funds had been secured with which to comply with the terms of the contract for the lands; and on the last Friday of May, I received a letter from the district clerk of our coun- ty, informing me that notice had been given that the district court would, on the following Tuesday, be asked to declare the bond a nullity, because of the non- fulfillment of its conditions on my part.
"God alone knows the experiences of my heart during the three days immediately following the receipt of this letter; of them I will not speak; they are too sacred
to be revealed to others. To Rev. E. E. Hale and Oliver Ames (under God) do we owe our deliverance from the untimely overthrow of our cherished plans.
"I had made Mr. Hale's acquaintance, and found that he most fully compre- hended the importance of my enterprise; overwhelmed with work as he always is, he nevertheless gave me the forenoon of Monday, and secured for me the favor and confidence of Hon. Oliver Ames, who let me have between $5,000 and $6,000, by which was assured the work thus far done.
"You who are here present to-day need not be told of the grateful joy of that hour. But the satisfaction of my noble friend was little less than my own; for when descending the stairs from Mr.Ames' office he said, 'Ought we not to go down upon our knees in thankfulness before God, Brother Taft, for this great bless- ing?'
"The money was deposited in a bank, and a telegram sent to Fort Dodge at 1 o'clock P. M., which reached its destina- tion at half-past twelve (thus running a half an hour ahead of time), and through the thoughtful favor of E. G. Morgan, of the First National Bank, the money raised in Boston on Monday, was brought into court in Dakota on Tuesday."
The money was received by Judge Dickey on the day the case was to be called in court. When the case was called, the counsel for the plaintiff stated that the time for payment stipulated in the contract had expired, and he asked that it be declared void and judgment for damage be rendered against the defend- ant.
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At the conclusion of his remarks Mr. Dickey produced the largest package of money ever seen in a Humboldt county court, and passed it up to the judge. The scene which followed this unlooked-for turu in the proceedings was one of deep interest to all parties.
Work on the erection of the building was commenced in July, 1870. The ex- cavation for the basement was completed, the stone and mortar were ready, the lines by which to lay the walls were drawn,and a dozen men with shovels, hods and trow- els were on the ground ready for work. They were all men who needed the avails of their labor to live upon, and the ques- tion was raised, "Who will be responsi- ble for our wages?" While this question was under discussion, Mr. Taft came upon the ground, and in answer to the inquiry replied that he had, like Commodore Far- ragut, bound himself fast to the mainmast, and should either enter port or go down with the college, and that he would see that they were all paid. Lifting their hats they gave three hearty cheers, and turned to their work with a will. On the 28th of the following September the corner- stone was laid, Chief Justice Cole deliv- ering the principal address. The distinc- tive character and purpose of the institu- tion was indicated by Mr. Taft in his re- marks on laying the corner-stone, in the course of which he said: "But the chief honor which crowns this hour arises from the fact that Humboldt College is to be an unsectarian and truly Christian insti- tution, practically recognizing at its birth the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man, by recognizing the sacred rights and obligations of all, without dis-
tinction of religious sect, race or sex. And such is the faith of its founders in the purity, sublimity and power of Christian- ity, that they ask no legislation for its protection, either from State, Church or school. While religious forms and be- liefs may change, and ought by reason of increasing liglit and enlarged experience to change, Humboldt College will teach that the center of Christian life-its soul (the care and love of God for man, as comprehensively expressed in the life and death of Christ, and the duty and privi- lege of man to love, obey and trust in God, as taught by Christ), will remain change- less through all ages, and glorious through all time."
Au abstract from the opening address already referred to, sets forthi still more clearly the ideal which he sought to real- ize in the location, character and work of the school.
"To you, members of the board of trus- tees, will the students and the board of instruction look for more particular watch- care. A sacred trust is committed to you, which, if faithfully and wisely discharged, shall make your own day beautiful, and scatter blessings along the pathway of coming ages.
"Would that I could represent to you the possibilities of the future as they stand revealed to my vision to-day. Al- most in the geographical center of this continent, surrounded with a country of exhaustless agricultural and mineral re- sources, blest with a most healthful cli- mate, and over which hangs a sky of more than Italian brilliancy ; this loca- tion within the lifetime of some here present to-day, will be an educational
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centre of more than 2,000,000 of people who will be living within the radius of 100 miles. And then what painter shall sketch, and what poet shall tell all the beauties which surround us and invite settlement and students. From the sum- mit of this building can be seen the groves which beautify the banks of three rivers, two of which seem to meander at our very feet, while all around are fields and dwellings which are to indefinitely multiply in coming years. A mile to the southwest can be seen the long, beautiful pond, on which the boatman may ply his oars. At the foot of the bluff, nature has excavated a basin, which, with little ex- expense, can be made a delightful skating park. Add to this the college campus of over sixty acres, surounded with broad avennes, and soon to be made still more useful and beautiful, with meandering walks, well arranged ball and croquet grounds, and an arboretum. Is not this a picture of promise and beauty suited to inspire you with noble purpose, and move you to untiring work ?
"Among the things demanding your early notice will be dormitories for the students, a library, chemical and philosophical ap- paratus, and the endowment of its pro- fessorships.
"I am not insensible to the poverty which obtains among pioneers, and that we must for the present look to the east for aid, but something can be done here. Small contributions are to be sought and thank- fully accepted. Other institutions had to commence with limited means. The found- ers of Harvard received sheep, cotton cloth, and salt dishes. And in 1775 Ben- jamin Franklin subscribed to Harvard
library the sum of $4.80 a year, for four years. Encourage the contribution of any sum, however small, to the college funds, and devote them wisely to the promotion of its interest.
"But it is by the employment of compe- tent and efficient teachers that you are the most successfully to promote the interests of the school. You stand pledged to teach, not only literature and science, but the sublimest type of morality. This you can do by selecting only such persons as shall illustrate in their lives the moral lessons which may be taught in these halls. If you will redeem this pledge, . you may not employ as a professor any one who violates the law of moral purity, who gives to social dissipation the hours that belong to sleep, or who indulges in the use of tobacco or wine.
"Let the professors employed by you be selected more with reference to social culture and exalted moral character, than to either scholarship or talent.
"I will not say that our colleges have given too much attention to the cultiva- tion of the head, but that they have often given too little attention to the cultiva- tion of the heart is unquestionable. The moral nature stands first in importance in the thought of God, and should in the teacher's.
"Let it go forth and be everywhere pro- claimed, that the student in Humboldt College is to be taught that harmony ob- tains in all God's word and work; that in his revelation to man he never contra- dicts himself; and consequently that science and true religion, so far from be- ing in conflict, are in perpetual concord. That he is to be taught the omnipresence
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and authority of God, that he may be led to say of him, with David,-
" 'If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
"If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts ofthe sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.'
"That he is to be taught the changeless justice of God, as declared by the Apostle Paul when he exclaimed,-
" 'Be not deceived, God is not mocked: whatsoever a man sow that shall he reap.
. If he sow to the flesh, he shall of the flesh reap corruption: but if he sow to the spirit, he shall of the spirit reap life ever- lasting.'
"That he is to be taught the love and mercy of God as declared by the Apostle John, who said, 'God is love, and he that loves is born of God;' and as taught by a greater than John, even Jesus of Nazareth, who said that 'God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'
"That he is to be further taught the eternal beauty of virtue and the glorious rewards of holiness, which insure to their possessors 'the life that now is, and that which is to come.'
"All this is to be taught with whatever authority and influence the institution may properly command. But on questions of speculative theology, such as constitute the basis of the numerous religious sects into which the Church is divided, he is to be left as free as the eagle in his mountain eyrie.
"To one thought more, ladies and gentle- men of the board, do I invite your atten- tion. That is with regard to what you should seek to make Humboldt College eventually.
"Let nothing short of a noble university be the measure of your desire, and to the accomplishment of this supreme triumph, devote your best energies. Snch a pur- pose may seem extravagant at first, but a little reflection will assure us that it is not. The venerable institutions which we are wont to think of, as possessing an antiquity like the everlasting hills, had their birth but yesterday, as time is counted by the chronometer that measures the flight of ages.
"Of the 100 universities now in exist- ence, only four of them date back to the twelfth century, not one-half of them ante-date the sixteenth. And their be- ginnings were generally small, with many of them much smaller than ours to-day.
"Of the early history of the great uni- versity of our own country (Harvard), one of her own poets has said,-
"Who was on the catalogue When college first begun ?
Two nephews of the president, And the professor's son."
"To work toward a university will not only infuse a nobler inspiration into every department of the institution, but it will the more certainly insure the sympathy and aid necessary to complete success."
In addressing the teachers, he said : "You have been chosen as professors in this new-born institution, have doubtless thought upon the peculiar responsibilities of the positions you occupy ; you are not only made the guardians of the students
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who shall come under your instruction, as in other schools, but to your keeping is given more fully than in older institutions, the reputation of the college. The name which it shall attain under your supervis- ion will be accepted as a kind of first fruit, indicating what may be expected in coming years. I trust that I shall not be considered as transcending the proper limits of remark if I submit to your con- sideration some thoughts which the occa- sion suggests to my mind, relative to the work before you. The task of the teacher is one of great responsibility and labor.
"It is very much easier for a general to command an army, than for a faculty to govern a school; for the general has to consider only immediate results, besides being invested with absolute anthority, while the teacher has to consider chiefly results to be attained in the future, and is forbidden by considerations of his own and the students' good, to exercise other than qualified authority. Then the military com- mander trains his soldiers to wield only weapons against material fortifications, while the teacher is to discipline those un- der his or her control in the skillful use of the mental and moral powers, and prepare them to contend successfully against su- perstition begotten of ignorance, wrong habits of thought and action which reach their roots far back in the centuries, and 'against spiritual wickedness in high places.' Then it should be born in mind, that as science advances educational insti. tutions of high order are more and more to mould the character of the press, influ- ence the instructions of the pulpit, and give laws to the State.
"In government, be gentle, yet firm; not anxious to govern much in those things which are innocent and harmless; but practices which are unquestionably im- moral, restrain by the exercise of all the authority with which von are invested. And a vicious student expel as promptly as the elder Brutus pronounced sentence against his own son; for however you may wish the reclamation of such an one, it is attended with quite too much hazard to other students, and the good of the school, to permit you to attempt such a work. Colleges are not penal colonies, to receive everybody sent to them. * *
"In order that you may worthily dis- charge the duties which thus confront you at the threshhold of your new field of labor, it is of the first importance that your own habits of thought and life be wholly correct. No one is fit to govern others, until he has learned to govern himself.
"Beyond this, it is essential that you possess a surplus of vital, moral and spirit- ual force, to dispense unostentatiously among students. This can only be at- tained by a careful observance of the laws of health, and by humble commun- ion with God.
"Jeans told his disciples to 'tarry at Jeru- salem, until endowed with power from on high'. Even so, you will do well often to tarry where you are wont to attain to sweetest communion with God, that you may go forth to your work upborne by considerations of its opportunities for usefulness, as also of the glorions harvest, which may be gathered by yon not only in this life, but also in the world to come."
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To the students he said: "A few words to you, young men and women, who are to make up the first classes of our school, and I have done.
"I need not ask you to cheerfully com- ply with the rules which ordinarily obtain in a high school: your presence here is a pledge that you have resolved on doing this. But the occasion makes it fitting that I should ask you to refrain fromn, and discountenance, as utterly unworthy the name and character of a student, those low tricks which are practiced in many col- leges. It is high time that every noble school should have done with these relics of a barbarous age.
"Let not Humboldt College be disgraced by any of the young gentlemen here pres- ent to-day, ever engaging in hazing or the charivari. What of overflowing vital- ity you have beyond what you may appro- priate to study, can find innocent and healthful expression in the gymnasium, with the oars, upon the base ball or cro- quet grounds, or in still other healthful sports.
"You have entered a school which as yet cannot furnish you with the advantages of an extensive library, well appointed apparatus, art galleries, and numerous other important aids to the attainment of ripe scholarship and culture. But you can make these disadvantages conduce to the higher development of energy and self-reliance; so that it shall not be all to your disadvantage that you are students here, instead of attending at some one of the well endowed colleges of the east.
"And beyond this, there is within your reach an honor and an influence which could not be attained at one of the old
colleges. The time will come when it will be a signal distinction to have been among the first graduates of this institu- tion; and when its centennial shall be cele- brated, your name and history will be sought out with more interest than the names and histories of a like number of students in any one of the well established schools of older States.
"It is therefore your high prerogative, by application to your studies, by virtuous lives, and earnest work, to stamp upon Humboldt College an impress of purity and nobility, which shall canse your influ- ence for good to descend to the latest generation. Remember always, that it is not the number of students graduated, but their character, which calls down upon an institution the blessing or con- demnation of society.
"The mingling of both sexes in the chapel, the recitation rooms, and in meet- ings of literary societies, will, I am sure, exert a healthful, intellectual, and moral influence upon all. But in order to this, yon, young ladies, must let judgment and conscience bear rule over sentimentality and impulse, and thus be true to your best thought. By so doing you will exert a benign influence over all with whom you associate, and call down upon your path- way heavenly benedictions.
"And you, young men, are laid under obligations of no ordinary character to deport yourselves with true courtesy and moral purity, in your associations with young ladies. Bear in mind that your behavior in the presence of ladies is a most truthful indication of your social culture. The ill-bred are often seen to gaze at ladies in their presence, and make
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their passing by an occasion for coarse remark or rude laughter; but a well-bred man, a true gentleman, neither by word nor act does aught that would make a lady feel ill at ease in his presence. Let it be your aim, young men, to aid in demon- strating that it is not only admissible, but in all respects most desirable, that the sexes should attend the same college. I charge you by all that is sacred in the name and character of mother, sister, friend, that you ever make the presence of lady students an occasion and means of cultivating all noble qualities and pure aspirations."
During the two years intervening be- tween the laying of the corner stone and the opening of the school, Mr. Taft spent most of the time in the east, and was suc- cessful in securing the sympathy and co- operation of leading educators and capi- talists.
The following from an address de- livered in Dr. James Freeman Clark's Church, in Boston, shows the line of argu- ment pursued by him in his appeal to the east for financial aid:
"When near the close of the last cen- tury the Congress of the United States was discussing the question of the perma- nent location of the National capital, one member suggested that both Germantown (one place named) and Washington, were too far east to be central, if any regard was had to the territory west, and north- west of the Ohio. The answer was, that the day was quite too far distant when that territory would be occupied by a civ- ilized people, to entitle the gentleman's suggestion to any consideration. To-day a majority of the members of the Senate
of the United States reside west of the line named, while by far the greater por- tion of the meat and grain consumed in the country, and shipped to foreign ports, is produced there.
"This marvelous change, which has been wrought in fifty years, is but an intima- tion of the still greater changes to be ac- complished within the next half century, when a majority of the people of the United States will live in the valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri, and thus control the destiny of the Nation. Whether that power will be exercised to bless or curse, still rests largely, where it has in the past, with yon of the east. A large majority of the settlers of a new country are poor, for the reason that few persons of means, are disposed to brave the hard- ships of pioneer life. As our railroads and manufactories are built with eastern capital, so are our colleges, and so must it continue for a time.
"The opportunity which this state of things gives you to permanently mould the institutions of the west, is recog- nized by the Presbyterian, Congregational and other Churches, which annually ex- pend millions there in educational work. The vast importance of this eastern influ- ence was seen at the time of the Kansas struggle, when it saved that State from falling into the hands of the slave power. Again in the War of the Rebellion-a little less of this influence would have left a number of our States to have gone with the south, and our country would have been lost. I trust that I shall make it plain that this same fostering care (vital ized with a still higher and broader relig- ions sentiment) is at the present time in-
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