USA > Maine > Kennebec County > Waterville > The history of Colby College > Part 26
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Possessing a keen, vigorous intellect, he delighted to influence and stimulate young men and women seeking an education. He felt the importance of right thinking in order to produce right living, and no place seemed to offer him such facilities for Christian service as did a Christian college. Alert, energetic, magnetic, he impressed everyone with the earnestness and seriousness of his purpose in life and his de- sire to awaken such a purpose in others.1
President Robins at once set about a task which President Champlin, with all his great qualities as scholar, teacher, administrator and money-raiser, had been unable to accomplish-the badly needed increase in student enrollment. During the last years of the Champlin administration the numbers had remained about static, never fewer than 50, never more than 55. In Champlin's hold-over year after his resignation in 1872, only 15 freshmen entered the College, and the total registration was only 52. With the coming of President Robins, improve- ment began immediately. Freshmen enrollment in the fall of 1873 numbered 25, and in the entire college there were 62 students. The following year, with fresh- men increased to 32, the total was 82, and in 1875 the coming of 38 freshmen brought the whole enrollment up to 91. In the fall of 1876, registration exceeded 100, and two years later, in the sixth year of the Robins administration, came the
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largest class to enter Colby for many years. That freshman class, entering in 1878, numbered 62, which was exactly the size of the entire college in the first year of Dr. Robins' presidency. The peak college enrollment, not to be exceeded or even equalled until more than ten years later, was reached in the fall of 1879 with 157 students.
The influence of President Robins at once became apparent by the publica- tion of two editions of the annual catalogue in 1873-74. Although the second edition showed no difference in admission requirements or in required course of study, still allowing very few electives and none at all until junior year, it did contain additional information. Hitherto the catalogue had published no de- tails about the academic departments. Here, for the first time, appeared state- ments, each filling at least half a page, obviously written by the professors. Pro- fessor Foster said his aim in teaching Greek was "to make the study conduce, so far as practicable, to give refinement of taste, nicety of discrimination, facility of analysis, precision of thought, and elegance of expression." Taylor said of Latin, "The logical power developed by the analysis of its complicated structure, and the habits of precision acquired in translation, go far to form a free, forcible and accurate English style. A free discussion of all points of interest is en- couraged in the classroom, and a course of historical and critical reading, in addi- tion to the study of the regular textbooks, is recommended to the student."
When it came to the modern languages, Professor Hall had an advantage over teachers half a century later. He could take for granted his students' previous study of Latin. His departmental statement said, "In the study of French an at- tempt is made to utilize the knowledge of Latin possessed by the student. Works are chosen for translation which are written in the idiomatic language of today. Correct pronunciation is taught by constant practice in conversation." Hall could claim no Latin affinity for German, of which language he said, "German is taught as a living language, of common parentage with English, which cannot be thor- oughly understood except by its aid." Surprisingly Hall claimed that his students could so far master either language as to enable them to "avail themselves of its treasures of eloquence, philosophy, and science." Either Professor Hall's optimism exceeded the class performance or his students were highly exceptional, because the total instruction available at that time consisted of two terms of French and two of German during the four-year course of twelve terms.
Professor William Elder, who had succeeded Charles Hamlin in the chair of Chemistry and Natural History, announced that in his department instruction was "given by lectures very freely illustrated by experiments and specimens." Contrary to the testimony of several students of that time, Elder claimed to pro- vide for laboratory experiments by the students themselves, not merely by his own demonstration. His catalogue statement said, "Practical instruction is af- forded to students in chemistry, who are assisted to repeat for themselves the experiments given with the lectures." Elder was determined, in his courses in Natural History, to take advantage of what was called "the cabinet," the fine collections which Professor Hamlin had assembled. He wrote, "The collections contained in the Cabinet, illustrating the departments of Ornithology, Conchology, Geology and Mineralogy, are being increased every year and are available for purposes of instruction." In light of prevailing testimony that Elder's method of instruction was chiefly that of memoriter recitation from the textbook, it is surprising to read his concluding statement in the catalogue: "Students are trained to original investigation, and every means is used to render the knowledge ac- quired real and practical." We would not imply that such statements were mean-
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ingless. Doubtless, in their lectures, Elder and other professors of his time, went considerably beyond the bounds of memoriter learning. In later years, alumni remembered the exacting demand to reproduce the words of the text, and forgot what the professor optimistically considered inducements to "original in- vestigation." If, however, one is inclined to be cynical, he has the support of a later Colby president, Arthur Roberts, who used to say, "America's greatest work of fiction is a college catalogue."
Moses Lyford, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy, mentions that he taught "several branches" of natural philosophy, but one must look else- where in the catalogue to discover what those branches were. We find that no Colby student then approached the subject which we now call Physics until his junior year. Then he had a first term of Mechanics, and in the third term he could elect Civil Engineering. In his senior year he had a term of Optics. As for Astronomy, it was taught only in the second term of senior year, but may have been better liked than Mechanics or Optics, because "the classes are allowed frequent opportunities for observation with the astronomical instruments at the Observatory of the University, which is located on an eminence near the col- lege buildings." That old observatory was situated on the hill, near what is now the head of Sanger Avenue, not far from the Harris Bakery.
In the Department of Rhetoric, Samuel K. Smith was an advocate of a teaching technique that became almost a fad in the 1920's, long after Professor Smith had died. The Harvard professor who later gave the method its greatest publicity called it "writing through reading," contending that it was the way such diverse worthies as Benjamin Franklin and Robert Louis Stevenson had learned to write. Admitting that one aim of his instruction was to give the student prac- tical skill in the application of the principles of logic and rhetoric, Smith said, "This goal is sought through the study of standard authors."
President Robins was no believer in memoriter recitation. His students later testified that he lived up to the catalogue statement about his courses in philosophy: "Constant reference is made to modern phases of thought, often outside the textbook. Free discussion in the classroom of topics under considera- tion in encouraged."
The President's immediate contribution to curriculum changes is revealed in his first catalogue, not by any alteration of requirements or course titles, but by his introduction of what he called a "course in reading." Nothing like it had previously been known at Colby.
Course in Reading
The course of reading germane to the course of study, is recommended and in part prescribed to the students. Each professor will, from time to time, prepare for his department a list of books, monographs and es- says, and supervise the reading of the students therein. The object is to save the students the loss of aimless and desultory reading, to train them in habits of exact investigation, to broaden their views, and to inform them respecting the literature of the subjects which occupy their classroom attention. A written analysis will be required of what- ever is read in that part of the course which is prescribed. Those who shall present an accepted written analysis of any book not prescribed shall have honorable mention in the catalogue.
The first edition of the 1873-74 catalogue had made only general statements about scholarship aid. Robins thought the time had come to list the scholarships
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by name, and the catalogue's second edition did so. Extending alphabetically from the Appleton to the Yarmouth scholarships, they were sixty in number and the donors or their heirs could now see their names in the public college an- nouncement. Of the sixty scholarships, sixteen had been founded by Baptist churches in Maine, all the way from Portland to Calais. Some of the remaining forty-four scholarships bore prominent names. One had been given by Hannibal Hamlin, Vice-President of the United States. Two of them honored Waterville leaders in the early years of the College, Timothy Boutelle and Dr. Moses Apple- ton. Two were gifts of the Coburn family, one by Governor Abner Coburn, the other by his father, Eleazer Coburn. President Robins' immediate predecessor had given the Champlin scholarship. Family names that were to be prominent down through the years in Colby history were recognized in the Drummond and the Merriam scholarships. Deacon Byron Greenough of Portland had generously donated five scholarships.
Robins revised the scholarship regulations to read:
No student will be nominated as a beneficiary who does not maintain a good average standing in his classes, and whose conduct is not in all respects exemplary. Preference will be given to the students main- taining the best standing.
The prevailing method of making up work for ordinary absence had long been a burden on the faculty. The professor was expected to hear the student orally on the content of each missed recitation. Only in the case of prolonged absence, such as "rustication," was the work made up by examination, and for many years even those examinations were oral rather than written. President Robins introduced a welcome change.
Students who shall be absent for two weeks or longer will be required to pass a written examination on those portions of their studies pursued during their absence, the examination to be held at such time as the faculty shall appoint.
President Robins was also of the opinion that a catalogue ought to set forth the advantages of the particular institution, and he was sure that Colby had advantages likely to appeal to the prospective constituency. He therefore inserted into his revised catalogue the following statements worthy of a twentieth century expert from Madison Avenue.
General Information
Waterville is one of the most healthful as well as beautiful villages in Maine. Never has any epidemic disease prevailed among the stu- dents. The climate is especially favorable for study. The expense here is reduced to an inconsiderable sum per annum. The cost in our larger colleges is every year becoming more and more burdensome, and in many colleges it is a positive interdict to the benefits which they offer. Here the terms are so arranged that students may teach school during the winter. Colby is not located in a large city. The studies of a college course can surely be better pursued in the quiet of a village like Waterville. The temptations of city life are here escaped. The Maine Law, restricting the sale of intoxicating liquors, is enforced. The moral tone of the community is high and the social influences are refining.
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Special interest is felt by the faculty in the religious condition of the students. It is not forgotten that the College was founded as a Christian institution.
For the first time, Robins' new catalogue of 1873-74 contained a descrip- tion of the college buildings. For some inexplicable reason South College was not mentioned. North College had already been named Chaplin Hall, in honor of the first president, and Recitation Hall had just been renamed in honor of President Champlin. The buildings owned by the College in 1873 totaled five: South College, Chaplin Hall, Champlin Hall, Memorial Hall, and Coburn Hall.
From the catalogue statement it appears that Coburn Hall did not contain facilities at that time for Professor Lyford's classes in Natural Philosophy, but only for Professor Elder's department of Chemistry and Natural History.
Coburn Hall is devoted entirely to the use of the Department of Chem- istry and Natural History. The building is of rough quarry-stone with granite trimmings, the walls being 56 by 48 feet and 41 feet high. On the first floor are the lecture room, laboratories, and apparatus rooms. On the second floor are work-rooms for students in Natural History, and a hall supplied with elegant cases for the exhibition of specimens. A gallery, more spacious than the main floor, surrounds the hall. The Cabinet is of unusual excellence for purposes of instruction, and is es- pecially rich in the departments of Conchology and Ornithology.
Of Memorial Hall the new Robins catalogue said:
So named in honor of the alumni who fell in the service of their country during the late civil war, Memorial Hall is built of stone and surmounted by a tower eighty feet in height. The eastern wing contains the Uni- versity Library, 44 by 54 feet and 20 feet high, furnished with double alcoves and shelves for 30,000 volumes. The west wing contains on the first floor the College Chapel, 40 by 58 feet, and above it is the Hall of the Alumni, in which is the Memorial Tablet surmounted by a marble copy of Thorwaldsen's Lion of Lucerne.
There is at least traditional testimony that discipline became more rigid under Robins than it had been under Champlin. Whittemore says, "By discipline, occasionally severe and not always well founded, the President strove to keep the life of the College on an ideal plane. Misunderstandings ensued, but those who came to know the real spirit and the kindly heart of the President became grateful for one of the highest inspirations of life."2 Whittemore mentions no incidents to support his assertion, but he knew from personal experience what life at Colby was like when Robins was President, for during all four of Whitte- more's undergraduate years from 1875 to 1879 Robins was head of the College.
The faculty records for the Robins years give some support to Whittemore's statement. At any rate Robins insisted on a resumption of detailed faculty records -a practice which had been discontinued through most of Champlin's presidency. When Professor Charles Hamlin was succeeded by Professor Foster as Secretary of the Faculty in 1873, the former made the following note in the faculty record book: "The full records of the earlier years were not favored during the period of my service as secretary; hence the infrequency of my entries." Beginning with Foster's secretaryship the records again become detailed, and they do indeed show that President Robins was determined to have stern discipline.
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One unpopular action of Robins was his introduction of a system of dis- ciplinary demerits linked to academic standing. He put through the faculty a regulation which not only set up a complicated demerit system, but also decreed that "each demerit for misdemeanor shall reduce the rank of the offending stu- dent, for the term in which committed, in the ratio of one in a scale of one hundred, or one-tenth in a scale of ten." President Robins saw to it that the rules concerning upright behavior on the part of holders of scholarships and en- trance prizes were rigidly enforced. In October, 1880, he informed two students that they had forfeited right to claim scholarship aid because they had violated Rule 17 of the College Laws. That rule read, "No student shall be allowed to disturb, or attempt any imposition on his fellow students, in any manner what- ever; and every student shall be required to preserve order and decorum in his own room and shall be responsible for all disorder therein."
In June, 1881, the President cracked down on a group of students who seemed to be stirring a sort of strike. At Robins' request the faculty voted that "the members of the junior and sophomore classes concerned in the combina- tion to absent themselves from their classes on the afternoon of June 9" should receive the penalty of ten demerits.
So far as the faculty record reveals, Robins was the first Colby president to feel the intrusion of athletics upon the academic life. In June, 1877, the Colby Baseball Club presented a petition to be allowed to attend a baseball tournament at Bath. The President informed the messenger that he regarded it as wholly inexpedient to grant the request, but would lay the petition before the faculty. Robins well knew the temper of that faculty, and the petition was summarily rejected without discussion.
Although religious emphasis was never lacking all through the nineteenth century at Colby, it was especially strong under President Robins. He was a sincerely devout man. With him religion was not outward display, but inner life. By both word and precept he made it clear to the students that Colby was indeed a Christian college, where the way of living taught by the Man of Nazareth was the campus way of life. Of course he expected too much, but perhaps he realized that, while boys will be boys, they will also some day be men. In spite of his stern disciplinary views, he faced no such crisis as Chaplin's in 1833, and he won the admiration of students for his fine Christian living.
President Robins' great Christian spirit was revealed in many of his letters. In 1878 he wrote to Ellen Koopman, a girl who had been obliged to leave college because of serious illness: "We know that all things are included in God's plan for his children and work together for their good. We cannot see how this can be, but we trust our Heavenly Father's wisdom and power to bring it to pass. May it be God's will to so far restore your health that you can next year finish your course. We will wait on Him. May His presence ever guide and cheer you amid all life's perplexities and trials." Miss Koopman sought a warmer cli- mate in Georgia, and for a time did seem to be on the road to recovery. But she was not able to return to college, although she lived for seven years after receiving President Robins' letter. She died in 1885 at the age of 31.
In 1877, to a student who had been called home by the fatal illness of his mother, President Robins wrote: "News of your mother's death reached me this evening. I feared she might not survive the attack, but hoped and prayed her loss might now be spared you. The tidings brought to me memories both sweet and sad. I remembered the night I saw my own mother pass through the
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dark valley. I have seen other great and sore troubles, but for them all I bless His holy name. I am sure that He never errs in His providential dealings."
Of course a more sophisticated generation of the 1960's regards such let- ters as sentimental and excessively pious. But in our modern sophistication we have no right to doubt their sincerity. The God whom Jeremiah Chaplin asked to save Waterville College on that far-away day in Portland was the same God in whom Henry Robins put implicit trust, both for himself and for his college.
In 1874 President Robins made curriculum advance in the direction of elec- tive subjects. At that early date neither he nor anyone else had the slightest intention of tampering with the traditional requirements in Greek, Latin and mathematics. In President Champlin's time it had been possible for a student to choose, in certain instances, between two alternatives. Sophomores, in their third term, could take either Calculus or Botany. Juniors had a choice between French and Natural History in the second term, and between Civil Engineering and Evi- dences of Christianity in the third term. Strangely enough, seniors, usually the most favored of classes, had no alternatives at all.
The word "elective" first appeared in the catalogue for 1874-75. In the third term of sophomore year, the student could elect Anglo-Saxon or Botany; in the first term of junior year, Civil Engineering, English, Constitutional History, or Greek; in the second term of senior year, French or Natural History; and in the first term, German or Latin. Actually there was not much enrichment of the curriculum; the only subject not previously taught was English Constitutional History.
In 1875 Robins introduced a division of courses into those requiring recita- tion and those given by lectures. The course in Evidences of Christianity was changed to freshman year, and was given in all three terms entirely by lecture. The same technique was applied to Physiology and Hygiene throughout fresh- man year. The freshman subjects handled by recitation were still Latin, Greek and Mathematics. Lecture courses for sophomores were two terms of Roman History, one of French History, and one each of Botany and Pneumatics, the lat- ter appearing in the catalogue in 1875 for the first time. In the same catalogue, in place of Natural Philosophy, appears Physics, given to juniors for two terms in the form of lectures. In one of those terms, along with the lectures in Physics, there were recitations in Sound, and in another term recitations in Optics ac- companied lectures on Light. For two terms the juniors also had lectures on Greek History. Senior lecture courses were German History, Astronomy, Eng- lish History and Political Economy.
For some time previous to 1873, the President of the College had been ex-officio chairman of the Board of Trustees. At the annual meeting in 1873 Josiah Drummond presented a resolution to secure legislative amendment to the College Charter, permitting the Board to elect its own presiding officer. The amendment was duly made by the 1874 Legislature, and Abner Coburn was elected Chairman of the Board (Appendix N).
Even before President Robins' arrival there had been dissatisfaction within the faculty both as to salaries and teaching hours. At the annual meeting on the day before Robins' inauguration, the Trustees had acted on a faculty petition. "Voted to consider the petition of the professors for increase of their salary." On motion of Gardner Colby it was voted that the salaries of Professors Smith, Lyford, Foster, Hall, Elder and Taylor be increased to $1600 a year. At the same time the Trustees expressed their emphatic opinion that "the interests of the University demand that each professor give to the University his undivided serv-
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ices." Gardner Colby was made chairman of a committee to confer with the faculty about "a division of labor in the work of instruction." The committee was empowered to "arrange and prescribe the duties of each member of the faculty."
In spite of unsuccessful attempts to operate a college commons at various times since the foundation of the College, the Trustees listened in 1874 to the vociferous pleas of students and parents that the venture be given another trial. The Prudential Committee was authorized "to put into proper condition the building formerly used as a Commons Hall, and allow its use and occupancy by any suitable person who would agree to furnish board for the students at a price not exceeding $2.50 per week."
Although the College had been operating for more than half a century when President Robins took office, the Trustees still exercised a large measure of con- trol over matters later left to internal administration. An example of such con- trol is the list of rules which the Board adopted in 1874 for the guidance of their examining committee.
1. Each instructor in the University shall prepare a list of questions on the studies pursued in his department during each term, two weeks before its close, and submit the list to the Examining Com- mittee for revision and approval.
2. The several classes shall be examined in writing under such regula- tions as the faculty shall establish, and the results shall be sub- mitted to the Examining Committee.
3. There shall also be an oral examination at the close of each term, in the presence of the Examining Committee, of all the classes in the several studies which they have been over during the term; and in case any study is concluded during the term, the class shall be examined therein at its conclusion, and the instructor shall see that the Examining Committee have timely notice that their services will be needed for that purpose.
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