USA > Indiana > A history of education in Indiana > Part 29
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In general, it may be said the selection was made from the point of view of scholarly men familiar with great libra- ries, not from the experience of the readers of the books.
The Superintendent's report for 1855 showed a total cata- logue in the libraries of 333,379 volumes, 150,000 of these having been added during the year .* In some townships the circulation of books was six, eight, and even ten times the entire number in the library. They were well used. St. Joseph County, having 2,600 books, reported a township cir- culation among readers of nearly 21,000. Where books were most read the system had best support. With all its disad- vantages, it was generally regarded by the people as a means, both legitimate and efficient, for diffusing knowledge; a sup- plement to the school; an agency of so large service for good as to be deserving of a permanent place in the educa- tional system.
* Sec Fifth Report. p. 125.
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LIBRARIES.
But with the levy of 1855 the tax for libraries ceased and the books began to be less used. Within five years 15,000 volumes had disappeared, and none were added. It was the old story of neglected interests, the more than unbusiness- like management of a promising institution. For the pur- pose of replenishing the libraries the Legislature in 1865 re- stored the levy, making it one cent on the hundred dollars, but repealed the section the year following, after a single collection and a second levy. The assessment for 1866 yielded something over $41,000 and was expended in books. That for the year following, upon the recommendation of the State Superintendent-Prof. Hoss-was diverted to the building fund of the State Normal School, then in process of erection. It was argued that all parts of the system were in urgent need of money-the two revenues and the State Normal School particularly-but, inasmuch as "there are in some sections of the State doubts whether the library system, as at present managed, quits cost," it seemed wise to take more time for experiment and investigation before putting additional money into it.
By September, 1866, the books in all the libraries num- bered but 265,388; the readings but one third as many. By reason of the additions made from the tax of that year, the list was increased again to 282,892, the readers being almost doubled. Six years later there were 268,086 volumes; within ten years more they had been diminished by 40,000 volumes. For the year ending July 31, 1887, but 185,368 volumes were reported, with 89,000 loaned. Their use has diminished as support has been withdrawn.
For twenty-five years nothing has been done either to improve the libraries or to utilize the books now owned. Since 1867 no tax for their increase has been authorized, though the uniform interpretation of the law has been that trustees may use a reasonable portion of the township reve- nue to keep them in proper condition.
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5. Town Libraries.
As early as 1843 the inhabitants of city, town, or village were authorized, when the sum of fifty dollars had been raised for the purpose, to incorporate themselves as a public library association, with certain specified powers. But such body was purely a private corporation, whose responsibilities and privileges appealed to stockholders alone. Its only pub- lic aspect was the legal sanction. In the act of 1852 the priv- ilege was reaffirmed.
Under these laws, for a score of years, libraries were in- corporated in various towns of the State, some of them with marked success. Such were the Sigourney Library Society, by the ladies of Logansport (1848), and a similar one in New Albany the year following. The Richmond Library grew out of the Franklin Institute, started in 1824, but was reor- ganized under this law, as it was again given larger privileges along with the rise of the school system.
Under these laws, however, libraries were no more than private corporations, supported by, and managed in the in- terest of, the stockholders. They were in places made available to the public through a system of guarantees and limited loans. Indeed, the efficient management of a few of these stock organizations, together with the open field for a larger service, led to the modification and extension of the law.
By act of March 8, 1873-thirty years after the first stat- utory provision-the law of 1852 was repealed; industrial companies and other voluntary associations were empowered to take stock in such library; and incorporated cities, in order to the purchase of shares, might "annually levy and collect not more than two mills on the dollar of taxable property," being privileged, at their discretion, to use such shares by distribution and transfer " to the children of the public schools in the city for good behavior and scholarship." Under this statute libraries were started in a number of the towns and cities of the State, notably Princeton, Muncie, Huntington,
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Frankfort, etc. There are perhaps twenty such libraries in the State, in cities of three thousand to ten thousand inhabit- ants, centers of a wholesome influence, and efficient re-en- forcements of the public school.
A supplemental act of March 7, 1881, gave the ground for a different form of the public library. (1) It was made the charge of the school trustees and Board of School Commis- sioners, who were authorized, if in their discretion they deemed it to the public interest, "to establish a free public library in connection with the common schools of such city," and "to levy a tax of not exceeding one third of a mill on each dollar of taxable propery," to be used "for the support and maintenance of said public library." (2) It applied only to cities having ten thousand inhabitants or more. This was still further modified, however, two years later (1883) by ex- tending the privilege to "all the cities and incorporated towns of the State." A few cities have taken advantage of this law, and their school boards have greatly added to the effectiveness of the system by adding the library to the other agencies for general public education. In twenty years there have been thirty such organizations. Among city libraries, that of Indianapolis, founded in 1872, is the largest and the best, and most generally patronized perhaps. It has about fifty thousand volumes, and is managed by the Board of School Commissioners. The total volumes in town and city libraries for the State is about one hundred thousand.
6. The State Library.
Besides the local libraries mentioned-district, township, county, town, and city-represented in most other States as well as in Indiana, every State and Territory has its central library also, located at the capital, supported by the State and devoted to general use. Of all public library organiza- tions in Indiana this is one of the oldest. It is a very natu- ral outgrowth of the common civil and political relations of the States. Prior to the admission of Indiana in 1816, at least four States had such fairly well established libraries.
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These were New Hampshire, whose first collection antedates the Revolution; Pennsylvania, from 1777; Massachusetts, begun in 1811; and South Carolina, from 1814. All of these, however, but the last, had grown up until 1816, or later, without the aid of legislation. That in New York was es- tablished by act in 1818, one in Ohio the same year, and in Illinois the year following. The State Library of Indiana was officially ordered in 1825, in Vermont in 1826, and in Massachusetts the next year. By 1840 twenty-one of the twenty-four States had such libraries.
Their beginnings in other States, as in Indiana, were gen- erally in the necessity of preserving State documents. Along with this went the incidental exchanges of official papers, laws, and reports between the States. The collection, wherever made, was given a somewhat more permanent form by an act of Congress in 1813, ordering one copy of each of its journals and documents to be deposited in the Executive Department of each State. In some States the first collections were at the instance of the Supreme Court, and consisted chiefly of legal works, reports of decisions, legisla- tive acts, etc. In a few States, among which is Indiana, the law library is held as a branch of the general library, has separate apartments, and constitutes the library of the Su- preme Court, but is under the same general management. Its books in Indiana number about fourteen thousand.
From its founding until 1841 the State Library was in- trusted to the care of the Secretary of State. Being an inci- dent of the office, it was greatly neglected, the entire accu- mulation in 1841, after sixteen years, numbering but two thousand volumes.
It was then provided that there should be collected an- nually, and preserved in the library, "duplicate copies of the messages of the President of the United States and of each of the governors of the several States, reports of the differ- ent heads of departments of the General and State Govern- ments, of the Committees on Ways and Means of the several States, the reports of the committees of Congress on all gen-
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eral subjects, and, not to exceed two copies, of the leading speeches made in Congress on each side of the question on every subject of general interest; also copies of the reports of the proceedings of public societies for the promotion of agriculture, the mechanic arts, history, and literature."
By the same act, also, the librarianship was made elective by a joint ballot of the General Assembly, with a term of three years and an annual salary of three hundred dollars. An appropriation,of four hundred dollars a year for the re- plenishing of the library was made. Under an act of 1852 the term of office was shortened to two years, to correspond with the biennial holding of the legislative sessions, and the salary raised to five hundred dollars. The appropriation for the library remained unchanged until 1889. Since 1841 the laws, the law books, legislative journals, and documents have been by law assigned to separate rooms, as mentioned else- where.
In the words of the act of 1852, the library is open to " members and officers of the Legislature, all State officers, judges of the courts of the United States and of this State, attorneys, editors, clergymen, physicians, professors and teachers of literary or scientific institutions, superintendents of public instruction, members of the State Board of Agri- culture, officers of benevolent institutions, clerks of the Su- preme Court, county clerks, treasurers and recorders, and all other persons who have at any time been entitled by law to the use of such library, and such strangers as the librarian may be willing to intrust with books at his own risk, when any of them shall be at the seat of Government."
The State Library is for reference only, no books being taken from the room except in an official way, and tempo- rarily to other halls in the State-House. But it is, neverthe- less, easily available for every citizen of the State who has need to use it, and without needless restrictions. The collec- tion comprises considerable literature concerning Indiana, chiefly gathered within recent years, but nothing like so much, or so complete an exhibit, as every library should
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have of its own State. Some valuable additions have been made since 1880 on American history, biography, and poli- tics, agriculture, the applied sciences, and geography; and what is of greater interest, perhaps, to scholars, a really val- uable set of maps of America-European publications of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries.
Among the most valuable parts of the library are the newspaper files. Certain papers are fairly complete for half a century. For many years more than a score of news- papers have been regularly received by the library and filed. These are valuable now, and as the State grows older become more so. For certain facts, and most localities, they are the only printed record of the earlier days. Besides, they trace the life of a people in all its complexity-social, private, in- stitutional, civil, religious, industrial-as no formal treatise is able to do it.
The library contains about twenty-five thousand volumes, exclusive of pamphlets, manuscripts, and maps. Valuable as it is, it has never received more than the scantiest support. Of all the States of this section, in Indiana the library has received least recognition. While Michigan has been making annual appropriations of $3,000, Illinois of $2,500, Wisconsin $2,000, and Ohio $1,500, Indiana has been working along on $400 a year. It was given a special grant of $5,000 in 1889, and has had $2,000 each of the years since. With meager support, infrequent additions, and insufficient assistance, the usefulness of the library has been greatly diminished. Nev- ertheless, it is deserving of a far larger patronage than it yet has.
7. Miscellaneous Libraries.
NOTE .- Mention of the college libraries will be found in the chapter on " Superior Institutions."
Besides the libraries already mentioned, there are others of a semi-public or public character, both because of their service and the conditions of their establishment.
William Maclure, who came to this country in 1796 and
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LIBRARIES.
to Indiana in 1825, left, at his death in 1840, a considerable estate, $150,000 of which was by will devoted to the estab- lishment of workingmen's libraries in a number of towns in Indiana, and in some other States. Indiana received $70,- 000. The bequest was available to clubs, societies, and insti- tutes maintained for general or membership improvement. These societies must have a corporate existence, have already not less than one hundred volumes in their library, and have established and maintained a reading-room. Among the towns availing themselves of this bequest, most of which yet maintain the libraries in some form, are Attica, Brazil, Con- nersville, Edinburg, Knightsville, Oxford, Rising Sun, South Bend, Tipton, Vincennes, and Waterloo. There were, per- haps, half a dozen others.
Another kind that acquired a place, but has received far less recognition than it deserves, is the county teachers' library. How many such libraries there are in Indiana is not known. They belong to the last decade chiefly, have been variously originated, and have an equally various maintenance.
All of them, so far as known, are voluntary organizations among the teachers, and managed by or under the advice of the Superintendent of Schools. The resources are consti- tuted by a tax upon the teachers, an examination fee volun- tarily imposed, and devoted to the purchase of books; the annual surplus from the County Institute Fund, subscrip- tions, donations, etc.
"The St. Joseph County Teachers' Library Association," organized in 1884, may be taken as a typical one. The book fund in this county comes from the surplus from the insti- tute fund, and for the last five years has averaged more than one hundred and fifty dollars annually .. The library has about six hundred volumes, and reports a circulation double this number. Among the books are included biography, history and travels, essays, poetry, translations of the classics, fiction and general literature, science, works of reference, and about sixty volumes in pedagogy.
As will be seen, they are not merely professional, but are
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UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION, 1851-'91.
designed for the use of teachers, looking to their general im- provement and discipline, as well as pedagogical furnishing.
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE STATE'S SUPERIOR INSTITUTIONS.
"THE history of the colleges of any commonwealth is always an interesting study, as their number and character are a sure index to the enterprise and intelligence of the people. It is a remarkable fact that educational institutions grow downward. Instead of the primary schools coming first, and the academies and colleges growing out of them, the reverse is true. In all countries colleges have preceded lower schools. . The ruling classes have always been the edu- cated classes, and just in proportion as the common people have gained the franchise and the right to help rule, have they provided themselves with the facilities for obtaining an education. It is no more true that an army, to be under dis- cipline and to be successful, must have well-educated and well-trained officers, than it is that society, to be well-regu- lated and prosperous, must have well-educated and cultured law-makers and leaders.
"To reduce generals and colonels and captains to the rank of common soldiers, both in education and position, would presage no more certainly the demoralization and utter overthrow of an army than cutting off all higher edu- cation would foretell with certainty not only a halt in the march of civilization, but a speedy return to barbarism. . It is as essential to the welfare of a State that its leaders be thoroughly educated as that its voters have a common-school education. In an important sense, then, the colleges are the life of the State." *
* W. A. Bell in The Schools of Indiana, p. 133.
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THE STATE'S SUPERIOR INSTITUTIONS.
The Indiana system for higher education comprises the Indiana University, founded in 1820, and Purdue University since 1867 *- the former including, besides departments of general culture, a course in law ; the latter, established under the Morill Land Grant act of 1861, being held to a more specific purpose of fitting for agriculture and the mechanic arts. Both are in direct connection with other State agen- cies for education, and are essential parts of the public sys- tem. Each depends in large measure for its patronage upon the product of these public secondary schools.
1. Indiana University.
It has been elsewhere mentioned that in 1816, by an act of Congress whose provisions were accepted by the people, a township of land was granted to the State "for the use of a seminary of learning." This was to be in addition to the one granted in 1806, and located in Gibson County. The township so appropriated was, upon the recommendation of a committee,t located officially by President Madison as township eight, range one west, being in Monroe County, and then named Perry Township.
By the Constitution no lands granted for educational pur- poses could be sold prior to 1820. Immediately upon the expiration of this period, however-January 20, 1820-the Legislature passed an " Act to establish a State seminary, and for other purposes." To this end Charles Dewey, Jonathan Lindley, David H. Maxwell, John W. Jenkins, Jonathan Nichols, and William Lowe were constituted a board of trustees. They were authorized to sell not to exceed one section of land, and with the proceeds erect the necessary buildings. Two days later the Legislature provided further a superintendent of the Gibson County lands, who was made
* The State Normal School is generally classed as a part of the system, but, because of its professional character, is elsewhere considered in this volume. See Chapter XXIX.
+ Appointed by the convention at Corydon, met to frame a constitution, and consisting of Jonathan Lindley, Benjamin Parke, and James Noble.
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UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION, 1851-'91.
responsible for their renting, and for turning the proceeds into the State treasury. Two years later these lands (the Gibson County township, exclusive of the four thousand acres already disposed of) were ordered sold, that the pro- ceeds might be made "a productive fund for the benefit of the State Seminary." It was claimed by the Legislature that the Vincennes University corporation had forfeited its claims to the Gibson County land, and that by the terms of the grant it of right belonged to the newly established semi- nary at Bloomington .*
The income from rents and the interest from the pro- ceeds of the first sales of lands were paid over to the trust- ees, and in 1823 the seminary building and a residence were completed at a total cost of about $3,300. Rev. Baynard R. Hall, a graduate of Union College and Princeton Theologi- cal Seminary, was made first principal at a salary of $250 per year. For three years he was the only teacher, and Greek and Latin were the only branches taught. Among the ten students who first entered-all boys, for girls were not admitted until 1867-was Joseph A. Wright, afterward Gov- ernor of the State, and others only less generally known- the Dodds, the Maxwells, and the Dunns.
By the Legislature of 1826 the number of trustees was increased to nine, and the year following the sale of all the seminary lands of both townships authorized, except three sections contiguous to the seminary buildings in Blooming- ton.
* President E. A. Bryan, of Vincennes University, is authority for the statement that the organization of the board had not lapsed when their lands were taken in 1822, and that instruction was provided for " al- most continuously from 1811 to 1824, and long after, though the record ceases there for the time being." Most of the original records are in cxist- ence, and would seem to imply that the Indiana Legislature was misin- formed as to the suspension of the organization "through the negligence of its members."
These facts have been obtained since the first writing, and too late to correct the proof and original statement (see chap. ii, p. 19), but are grate- fully acknowledged and inserted here.
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THE STATE'S SUPERIOR INSTITUTIONS.
A second instructor was added in May, 1827, in the per- son of John M. Harney as Professor of Mathematics and teacher of such natural sciences as were thought to belong to a college course sixty years ago. The seminary was grow- ing. Upon the recommendation of the Board of Visitors, the governor in his message, and the president of the Board of Trustees, in 1828 it was raised to the dignity of a college. In the language of the day, it was enacted by the Assembly "That there shall be, and hereby is, created and established a college adjacent to the town of Bloomington, in the county of Monroe, for the education of youth in the American, learned and foreign languages, the useful arts and sciences, and literature, to be known by the name and style of the Indiana College." Dr. Andrew Wylie, then president of Washington College, Pennsylvania, was chosen president of Indiana College, which position he honorably filled for twenty-one years .*
A. THE COLLEGE ORGANIZATION.
Under the new constitution of the college and the vigor- ous administration of Dr. Wylie, the curriculum was consid- erably extended and enriched. Thoughout the period there were included moral and mental philosophy, political econ- omy, polite literature, the ancient languages, mathematics, natural philosophy, and chemistry. French was added in 1835 to the department of Greek, under the teaching of Prof. A. W. Ruter. A preparatory department was formally or- ganized also with the beginning of Dr. Wylie's administra- tion in 1829.
In 1838 another session of the Legislature chartered In- diana University, as the legal and actual successor of Indiana College, with a board of twenty-one trustees for its manage- ment. Among the members of this board were such men as Governor Wallace (ex officio), Isaac Blackford, Jesse L.
* The early history of the Indiana College and Indiana University has been faithfully and entertainingly detailed by Judge D. D. Banta, and may be found in the Foundation Day addresses for 1890, 1891, 1892.
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Holman, Robert Dale Owen, Richard W. Thompson, Hiram A. Hunter, Samuel K. Hoshour, and others-all men emi- nent in the State in many ways. The board was made self- perpetuating. But in 1841 the number of trustees was re- duced to nine again, no two of whom might be from the same county. Students were exempted from road taxes and militia duty, and the civil courts deprived of jurisdiction over trivial breaches of the peace within the college grounds. Ten years afterward the University board was reduced to eight members, who since 1855 have been chosen by the State Board of Education. Except from Monroe, no two may be from the same county. By the Legislature of 1891 it was provided that three of the eight trustees should here- after be chosen by the alumni of the institution resident in Indiana; the remaining five by the State board as before.
Upon the reorganization of the institution in 1838 as a university, the subjects of instruction were made to include law and medicine. But the former was not given a depart- ment until 1842, and the latter only after thirty-three years. The medical school was the Indiana Medical College at In- dianapolis, adopted by the University, having a nominal connection only with it, and no control, for the five years from 1871 to 1876. The law school was contemplated directly upon the organization of the college in 1828, and from its opening in 1842 to its abandonment in 1877 it was one of the most successful of all the departments, graduating three hundred and thirty-six students, against three hundred and sixty-four sent out from the college of liberal arts for the same period. Connected with it at various times were Judges McDonald, Hughes, Bicknell, Perkins, and Eckels, Colonel J. R. M. Bryant, Hon. D. W. La Follette, and C. F. McNutt. The school, closed in 1877 by the Legislature for want of funds, was reopened in 1889 under Judge D. D. Banta. The course covers two years, of nine months each, has begun an admirable library, and has a full complement of instructors and classes.
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