USA > Indiana > Lawrence County > History of Lawrence and Monroe counties, Indiana : their people, industries, and institutions > Part 44
USA > Indiana > Monroe County > History of Lawrence and Monroe counties, Indiana : their people, industries, and institutions > Part 44
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75
"In the fight for the medical college he was the most potent factor. His office was headquarters. He was a heavy contributor and was present when the money was raised to save the medical college building. And during all these years his work was unselfishly, willingly and cheerfully done. without reward or hope thereof, and only to advance the interests of the community in which he lived and his alma mater, which he loved. In every great emer- gency an appeal to him for his ability and his means was not in vain.
"J. W. Fester, an intimate friend for years and a member of the board (30)
466
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
of trustees with him, in an interview truthfully said, 'Every stone on the campus is a monument to Nat Hill.' Everybody knows that he has done a great deal for the university, but only those on the inside realize just how much. Once, twice, perhaps three times, he has saved the very life of the in- stitution. We shall all miss him-the people of Bloomington and the authori- ties of the university. To what extent, we will not realize until trouble arises or there is some big movement to push through. For the past thirty years when there has been anything to do we would say, 'Send for Nat,' and he would do it. Now who are we going to send for?
"He was a strong. forceful man physically, mentally and intellectually ; of rare good judgment in business, as well as other matters; of a high order of executive ability, and, most of all, a judge of men. In his estimate of men he seldom made a mistake, but if he did it was a grievous one. He had that talent which inspired others with the enthusiasm he himself possessed. He correctly divined the thoughts, motives and desires of others, and in a political contest anticipated the acts and movements of his adversary. In a campaign, political or otherwise, he never let up. He was locally known as 'The man who never sleeps.' He was a hard and persistent fighter, but when the battle was over he quit. He never carried animosities, was not resentful, but pre- ferred to live at peace with all mankind. With his remarkable physique he looked to live to be an old man, but by his zeal, untiring energy, ceaseless vigilance, active industry and constant labors he burned the candle at both ends.
"He was brave physically, morally and intellectually, but with a heart as tender as a woman. I sat with him in the theater and heard the 'Old Home- stead,' by Denman Thompson, and he wept like a school girl. When the old soldiers marched by with their wreaths on Decoration Day his voice choked and his eyes filled with tears. His position was never equivocal. While not parading his opinions, or offensively thrusting his views on the public, it was always known where he stood. On all questions affecting the public welfare -on all moral, educational and religious questions-he stood with the best element and for that which was for the moral, intellectual, material and re- ligious advancement of the community. While not a communicant of any church, he was always loyal to the Methodist church-that in which he was reared-and in all cases of emergency, especially of a financial kind, he was regularly taken into its councils.
"His domestic relations were the most pleasant-in fact, ideal. The love, respect, confidence and esteem manifested by each of the family toward
467
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
all the others was sublime, while he and his two sons constituted a brother- hood of three big boys, with grave doubts as to the oldest.
"Persons here at his own home, at his old home in Brazil, at Indianapo- lis, can testify to his benevolent acts, kindnesses shown and favors bestowed.
"The highest tribute I have heard since his death, and I have heard many, was by one who had gone down into the valley of adversity, but had regained his standing, as his body was put in the hearse at the station, said 'There is the best friend I ever had,' and this could be truthfully said by scores of others of this community."
President William Lowe Bryan, of Indiana University, paid the follow- ing tribute :
"He was my friend. We were friends without capitulation on either side. We did not always agree. Some of our differences we scarcely or never touched. In other cases we talked them out. I remember those talks with deep satisfaction. For even when we arrived at ultimate disagreements we looked each other in the eyes and knew that we were friends. No friend- ship is worth while which cannot meet the test. In most cases, however, when we met we were on the same side. The basis of our agreement was deep. We shared together a great affection-for a cause.
"This strong man was a strong lover of many things and persons. He loved his business. He loved the Republican party. He loved Abraham Lincoln with religious passion. He loved his friends, right or wrong, and fought for them at his own peril. He loved, above all, his home and family. But short of that supreme attraction, the one great sentiment of his life was love for Indiana University.
"It is a historic fact that every part of the school system of Indiana provided for in the original constitution has had to fight for its life. In 1848, after a hard-fought campaign, the free common school system won by a majority of only six per cent. of the total vote. The free public high school had a less conspicuous, but no less real, battle for recognition and has only been fully established in law within the past ten years. It is not strange, therefore, that the higher institutions of learning have had their share in the struggle for the 'complete system of schools ascending in regular gradation from the township schools to the State University.' The crisis between life and death which faced the common school system in 1848 has faced the Uni- versity of the State again and again. It is easy to look back upon those crises as a matter of history. But to live through them-to be on the spot-to be there in the desperate moment of doubtful decision-to feel singly responsible
468
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
for the life or death of the University of the State-with all its past, with all its future-that was not easy. But that was what our friend again and again did for us and for the people of Indiana. Again and again he stood in the imminent deadly breach, like Richard of the Lion Heart, with his battle-ax refusing the possibility of defeat. If this university stands today, realizing the hopes of the makers of the constitution, accepted now as the entire system of which it is a part, is now accepted by the whole people as one of the chief glories of the state, this is due to no man living or dead more than to him whose body lies before us in silence.
"Now, because he fought for the university, he loved it ; and because he loved the university, his whole relation to it was ennobled.
"As a man of affairs he was accustomed, like other men, to seek his ad- vantage in business and politics. But he did not seek them at the expense of Indiana University. To take a single illustration, if he has ever suggested the appointment or removal of any man in the faculty or of any one in our corps of working men on personal or political grounds I have never discov- ered it. I have known the men of this university since the days of Doctor Nutt-trustees, teachers, students and alumni-and I say that there are few of them who have given more or asked less than he; few who have risen to the decision of university questions with less selfishness, with greater magnanimity, with less of the spirit of the hireling or with more of the spirit of the shepherd and the father. ** My friends, in a little while we shall all be gone and presently quite forgotten. But our work and our af- fections are preserved in the institutions to which we have devoted them. Here. therefore, is the monument which he shares. Not yonder in the cemetery, but here upon this campus. Here, in these stones which his labor and his devotion helped to assemble. Here, in this university where the boys of today and tomorrow may have their chance."
J. W. Fesler, a trustee of Indiana University : "Of Mr. Hill's work as a member of the board of trustees of the university I would not assume to speak in detail at this hour. That every member of the board has instinctive- ly turned to him upon every important question that has come before it, and always with benefit, is but statement of fact. 'What do you think of this, Mr. Hill?' has been a frequent question from us all. And Mr. Hill's answer generally suggested the action of the board. His wide experience as a success- ful man of affairs, his wisdom, his courage, his absolutely unselfish and tire- less devotion to the cause of the university made him invaluable in any emergency and an inspiration to us who shared with him the responsibilities
469
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
of membership upon this board. That the board of trustees has now sus- tained an irreparable loss is not a common-place when spoken today of Mr. Hill. He stands out conspicuously alone in that part of the life of the uni- versity with which he has been associated. No soldier ever fought for his flag more devotedly, more loyally, than he fought for thirty years for this institution. No priest of religion ever had more implicit faith in his creed than our friend had in his Alma Mater.
"In time a marble shaft will mark the place on yonder hill where our friend shall sleep. But here in this beautiful campus, purchased largely through his efforts; here, where every building is, in a sense, a monument to him-for there is no building here that does not represent the money. and time, and effort of Mr. Hill; here, amid these beautiful and inspiring sur- roundings, his spirit will ahide and his influence will remain. The memory of such a man, appreciated at its worth, is the most valuable and enduring legacy that can come to our beloved university.
"Great, big, broad-shouldered, warm-hearted, generous friend; tender as a woman's love, gentle and forgiving as a child, sincere and earnest as youth itself ; modest, unassuming, unconscious of your commanding strength -you have stood four-square to every wind, you have fought a good fight. you have kept the faith. Hail and Farewell."
President Joseph Swain, of Swarthmore College: "He had one of the most forceful personalities of any man I have ever known. To have a clear conviction with him was to act. No one had any doubt as to where he stood when his convictions were formed. He showed his resolution in his face, in his eyes and in his every act, and a large body of men were ready to follow him.
"He had a remarkable tenderness of heart. It was said of a friend of mine here at Swarthmore that he had the head of a man and the heart of a boy. This could have been truly said of Nat. U. Hill. Any one who has had close and confidential relations with him can recall many occasions when he shed tears of sympathy or of joy over a recollection of some passing event. No boy or man ever came to him in distress but he found help.
"He knew human nature. No one understood it better. If he desired to convert a man to his way of thinking, his knowledge of human nature was such that he rarely made a mistake.
"He had a scientific mind, though he was not so much a student of things as of men. He was sure of his facts. He was never caught napping in his field. He never claimed for anything more than the facts would warrant.
470
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
"He was a man of unquestioned courage. He knew no such thing as personal fear. He did not like a fight, but opponents of his in politics or in business knew what to expect if the lines were drawn. He never asked nor gave quarter. Yet if he found he had made a mistake, no one was quicker to apologize and undo what he had done.
"He was loyal to his friends and to any one cause in which he believed. It was thoroughly understod that his promises were kept. He paid his obli- gations and much more if it lay in his power."
Board of Trustees of Indiana University : "He was a man of convic- tions-a positive force always for that in which he believed. He never op- posed without reason, and his opposition was always positive, never negative. He acted only after deliberation. He knew men and believed in them until they gave him cause to distrust them. He seldom underestimated the strength of opposition. He was, therefore, a man of unusually sound judgment.
"Unlike many men of his aggressive and positive character, no man was ever more patient or more generous with those who opposed him, and none was ever quicker to forgive and forget when the contest was over. All these qualities had made Mr. Hill a most useful and helpful friend of the university from his student days and his election by the state board of educa- tion to membership on this board and his subsequent reelection have been most fitting and deserved. He brought to the discharge of his duties here a passionate love for the university, a devotion to its interests as unselfish and as pure as ever inspired personal service, and unbounded faith in the future of the university that have given him first place in the long line of the uni- versity's friends.
"After the destructive fire of 1883, Mr. Hill was most active in ac- complishing the purchase of the present beautiful campus and in preventing the removal of the university from Bloomington. In the many close and bitter contests for appropriations before our State Legislature during the past twenty-five years, when failure might have meant the very life of the uni- versity, no man was so tireless, so persistent as he.
"Mr. Hill's interest in the material growth of the university was no greater than his concern for the welfare of the student body and his active interest in student affairs. We regret it is not possible to enumerate more in detail the services of our associate and friend for the institution he so much loved and so intelligently and loyally served, but we esteem it a privilege now for us to pay him this tribute-that it was his high privilege to accom- plish more for Indiana University than any friend who has yet passed by."
47I
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
Bloomington Telephone : "Mr. Hill has left his footprints in the political sands of Indiana ; he has left his name written high among those who have done much for Bloomington in a business and financial way, but far greater than either of these, he has left indelibly printed upon the hearts of hun- dreds of his fellow men the memory of a man-a man who stood for all things that were best at all times, a Republican and a patriot whose one motto above all others was 'Loyalty.'
"Not only in Bloomington today were there heavy hearts at the final parting, but all over the state and far away at the nation's capital. many a man standing high among the nation's honored men in public life dropped a silent tear to the memory of their friend. But it was not only these men who stood high in the financial and political world that mourned, but from the 'boys in the trenches,' the school children of the city, the students of the university, the colored people of the community, came expressions of deep loss."
Beautiful tributes of respect were also paid by the Indiana Beta, Phi Kappa Psi, the Indiana Beta, Phi Kappa Psi Alumni Association, the Repub- lican county central committee, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. the senior law class of Indiana University, Monroe Lodge No. 22. Free and Accepted Masons, all of whom expressed not only sympathy for the family in their loss and sorrow, but also the loss which the county and the state sus- tained in Mr. Hill's death.
WILLIAM LOWE BRYAN. A. M., PH. D., LL. D.
Not too often can be repeated the life history of one who has lived so honorable and useful a life and attained to such notable distinction as he whose name appears at the head of this sketch, one of the most successful and dis- tinguished educators that the state of Indiana has produced. His character has been one of signal exaltation and purity of purpose. Well disciplined in mind, maintaining a vantagepoint from which life has presented itself in cor- rect proportions, guided and guarded by the most inviolable principles of in- tegrity and honor, simple and unostentatious in his self-respecting. tolerant individuality, such a man could not prove other than a force for good in what- ever relation of life he may have been placed. His character is the positive expression of a strong nature and in studying his career interpretation follows fact in a straight line of derivation, there being no need for indirection or
472
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
puzzling. His career has been a busy and useful one and his name is respected by all who have had occasion to come into contact with him or who have knowledge of his life work. As an educator Doctor Bryan stands in the front rank in Indiana, and the cause of higher education in this state owes to him a debt beyond human calculation. He has dignified and honored his profession, for his life has been one of consecration to his calling, and well does he merit a place of honor in every history touching upon the lives and deeds of those who have given the best of their powers and talents for the betterment of their kind.
William Lowe Bryan, president of Indiana State University since 1902, is a native son of the old Hoosier state, having been born in Monroe county on the IIth of November, 1860, and is the son of Rev. Jolin and Eliza (Philips) Bryan. The father, who was a minister in the United Presbyterian church, held a number of pastorates in Indiana and Ohio and was counted among the successful preachers of his church. In the larger affairs of the church he was prominent and at various times served as moderator of church courts. He was a graduate of Jefferson College and was a theologian of the old school. The Bryan family has been long established in this country, the emigrant ancestor having been John Bryan, who came to this country in about 1750. On the maternal side, the subject is also descended from sterling old stock, his great-grandfather, David Philips, whose father came to America in 1750, having been a captain, and later a lieutenant-colonel in the Revolutionary war. His son, Enoch Philips, served with the rank of major in the war of 1812. To Rev. John and Eliza Bryan were born the following children : Elizabeth C. (Mrs. John A. Ramsay), Houston, Texas; Mary Belle (Mrs. Joseph K. Philips), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Enoch A., president of Wash- ington State College. Pullman, Washington; Jennie P., of Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania ; Joseph C., who died in 1898; William Lowe, subject of this sketch; three sons died in childhood.
William Lowe Bryan secured his elementary training in the district schools of his home neighborhood, followed by attendance in the public schools of Bloomington. He then entered the preparatory department of the State University, and graduated from the university in 1884. During prac- tically all of his school career Mr. Bryan was a leader in his studies and also took an active part in athletics, having been a member of the university base- ball team several years. During that period also he conducted the college paper, The Indiana Student. In the meantime he had been engaged in teach- ing school at Grayville, Illinois, where he gained his first experience as an
473
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
instructor. After his graduation, Mr. Bryan was appointed an instructor in the preparatory school of the university, but before the close of that year he was transferred to the university staff as instructor in Greek. The following year, 1885, he was made associate professor of philosophy, and during 1886-7 he was a student in the University of Berlin. On his return from Germany, he was made professor of philosophy, in which capacity he continued until 1902, when he was chosen president of the university. He was vice-president of the institution from 1893 up to the time of his selection to the presidency. Intensely optimistic, conservatively enthusiastic and untiring in his energy, Doctor Bryan brought to the presidency a mind and body both well fitted for the complex duties connected therewith, for, be it emphasized, the office of president of a great institution like this is no sinecure. The growth of Indiana University since Doctor Bryan became president is the highest testimonial that could possibly be paid to his ability and foresight as an executive and to his eminent standing as a broad-minded, scholarly and progressive educator. Since assuming the responsible position which he now so worthily holds and so signally honors, the advancement of the university has kept pace with the leading institutions of the kind in the United States, the attendance increasing from thirteen hundred and thirty-four in 1902 to approximately twenty-six hundred in 1912, while the number and capacity of the buildings have been increased, the value of the university property materially advanced, and several new departments added, including those of medicine and commerce. The faculty now numbers about one hundred persons, among whom are some of the leading educators of the country, in their special lines of work. no pains being spared in securing the best ability obtainable in order to keep the insti- tution at the high standard to which it has been raised under the present administration. Admittedly one of the best schools in the land, Indiana State University's reputation is so high and its work so thorough that many students are attracted to its walls every year from other states. Doctor Bryan has always stood for the highest grade of work in the class room, economy in the use of the public funds and thoroughness in all matters com- ing within the sphere of his authority. He exercises the greatest care over the buildings and grounds. looks after the comfort and welfare of the students, and, being proud of the university and jealous of its good name and honorable reputation, it is easily understood why he enjoys such great popu- larity with all connected with the institution and is so well and favorably known in educational circles throughout the country.
Doctor Bryan has been identified with the State University for thirty
474
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
years, eleven years of the time as its chief executive. While professor of philosophy, he did much scientific work, made many important researches and discoveries, especially in the realm of psychology, and gave the results of his investigations to the world in a number of scholarly papers and treatises, published in this country and in periodicals abroad. In conjunction with G. Stanley Hall, he was a leader in the movement for the scientific study of children, and made some early addresses on this subject, both prophetic and conservative, which attracted considerable attention at the time and brought to him recognition as an educator and thinker. He was a pioneer in this state in experimental psychology, a department of science in which he has been a persistent and enthusiastic investigator. In 1888 he purchased some appa- ratus and carried on research work with his advanced students, and in 1892, on his return from Clark University, where he had spent a year, he established a laboratory which soon ranked among the best anywhere, and, under his guidance, the laboratory has grown until it now occupies fourteen rooms and possesses a splendid equipment. In 1900-1 President and Mrs. Bryan so- journed in Paris and Wurzburg, studying psychology, one fruit of which work is an unpublished series of addresses on the psychology of occupations, espe- cially in relation to education. President Bryan's published works embrace the following : "Psychology at Indiana University," in American Journal of Psy- chology, Vol. III, pages 283-284 (April, 1890) ; "On the Development of Voluntary Motor Ability," in American Journal of Psychology, Vol. V, pages 125-204 (November, 1892) ; "Auditory and Visual Memory in School Chil- dren." in Proceedings of the International Educational Association ( 1893) ; "Child Study : Systematic and Unsystematic," in Proceedings Department of Superintendents ( 1895), Proceedings National Educational Association, pages 412-418 (1805) ; "On the Methods and Results of Child Study," article in Johnson's Encyclopedia : "Science and Education," in Proceedings National Education Association, pages 161-165 (1895) ; "Scientific and Non-Scientific Methods of Child Study." in Proceedings National Educational Association, pages 856-860 (1896) : "Studies on the Physiology and Psychology of the Telegraphic Language," ( with Noble Harter) in Psychological Review, Vol. IV, pages 27-53 (January, 1897) ; "Hygiene of Motor Development," in Proceedings of Department of Superintendents, National Educational Asso- ciation for 1897; "Report of a Special Committee on the Organization of a Committee on School Hygiene": "Plato the Teacher ; being Selections from the Apology, Euthydemus, Protagoras, Symposium, Phaedrus, Republic and . Phaedo of Plato," edited with introduction and notes (joint author with Mrs.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.