USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > New London > A centennial history, 1837-1937, Colby Academy, Colby Junior College > Part 15
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England and a member of the class of '96, carried off the first prize with an article called "The Might of the Mites." The second prize went to George W. Parker of the senior class for his essay, "The Smith Prize Speaking Contest," while Mary E. Aldrich of the same class found herself with a new dollar to spend as a reward for her paper on "The Violet's Legacy." These were all printed in the Voice together with the best of the rejected manu- scripts.
In June, 1897, the Colby Voice published a souvenir number in honor of the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of New London Academy. It contained an historical sketch by Andrew L. Fraser illustrated by photographs, an article on "The Alumni" by Miss Bur- pee, and another on "The Faculty" by William A. Hill. H. R. Smith wrote on the "Ethical Element in Educa- tion" and Annie L. Cranska, Eva M. Earle and Edward C. Durgin discussed "Colby Academy from a Student's Standpoint." Ernest G. Hapgood contributed an ap- preciative article on The Colby Voice itself. Ray Knowl- ton wrote history and biography under the title of "New London's War Veterans." Several pages were devoted to athletics, "Home Matters" and personals referring to alumni. In honor of the occasion Henry K. Rowe of the faculty wrote "Sixty Years," which is not inappropriate forty years after:
"Sixty years o'er the world have rolled Since Colby first on this hilltop stood;
Sixty years with their constant change, Years which make the familiar strange, A measure of time which makes man old,
Yet brings to her new strength and good.
Sixty years! and the flight of time Dims the vision of years enrolled On history's page, and mars the rhyme And rhythm of life as man grows old. One by one on silent wing
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Into the buried past they fly, To find like the growing buds of spring Their full fruition by and by. But memory oft recalls again The scenes of the past in multitudes, And there rise as of old within our ken The fancy flights of ambition's moods.
Yet the picture, which seemed so fond and fair Of glowing youth, after sixty years Betrays the furrows of toil and care, And that face is blurred with falling tears. Such is the life of man, and time Lays its hand upon every soul, And threescore years mould manhood's prime With growing age to a perfect whole.
But sixty years of a different life Are complete to-day and though time has sealed The scroll of the past, though many a strife Has left its scar on her face revealed, Though the flight of years has brought weal and woe, Though rack of storm and breath of flame Have conspired together to overthrow In wanton strife her sturdy frame, Unbowed like man with the weight of years, Gathering strength with passing time, Fair Colby stands among her peers, Worthy the meed of song and rhyme.
Sixty years! and those who then Were students here are growing old, And their children's children learn again The truths which wisdom's words unfold. And true to the thought of those early days - For among the first in this whole broad land Here womanhood found learning's ways Opened to her with a liberal hand - Still maiden and youth stand side by side In the onward march to the work of life, And in friendly rivalry provide For coming years with their sterner strife. Here, - guarded by the eternal hills, Symbol of God's unchanging love,
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Circled by beauty which ever fills Valleys and lakes and waving woods, Reflecting Nature's varying moods From the green of earth to the blue above, - Here, apart from the rush and roar Of the busy world, we can learn the best That the world has given of life and lore, And leave to the future all the rest.
Ah! how the scenes of the present fade Into the past, and how those days Blend together in light and shade Like sunset in the evening haze. And the distant views of the future rise On hope's horizon clear and fair, And faith believes that the brightening skies Of a better dawn are waiting there.
And so, like a tree which year by year Reaches out to a larger growth, And, whether storm or sun appear, Finds its life and strength in both, May Colby, planted long years ago, Nourished by all the strength of the past, Broader and deeper and larger grow, As long as life and time shall last. And by and by when the last great day Discloses the part of all mankind In working out our finite way The purposes of the Infinite Mind, May it then be found that these sixty years,
With their wealth of toil and sacrifice, With their sighs and hopes, with their smiles and tears, With their faith that calms and conquers fears, And their inspiration that helps us rise, Have been the gateway to Paradise."
While the students were making the most of this abundant school life finances continued to cause anxiety to those who were responsible for the management, and it seemed doubtful whether the academy would live long enough to have another celebration. It became necessary to reduce salaries in the faculty. Herbert L. Morse elec-
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trified the Commencement audience in the church by marrying on the platform Martha Anthony, one of the graduating class, and hied himself away to parts un- known, to be succeeded at Colby in the department of mathematics by Irving E. Miller. Mr. Morse entered shortly upon a career of forty years as head of the de- partment of science in the High School at Troy, New York. After four years at Colby Henry K. Rowe went to a school in Massachusetts. Other faculty changes were imminent.
Not knowing where to turn to secure more money, the trustees on recommendation of the executive committee authorized the treasurer to sell securities held by the school in order to pay debts that had been incurred for running expenses, even if those securities were scholar- ship funds, and to carry the transaction on the books as a loan from the scholarship funds. It seemed to them better that student aid should suffer than that the acad- emy should go out of existence. Some of the trustees were opposed to such action as questionable business ethics in consideration of the terms of the benefactions, and resignations followed. James B. Colgate felt old age pressing upon him and withdrew from the Board in spite of the urgent request of the trustees that he remain.
In an attempt to secure financial support, President Gile in 1898 recommended the formation of a syndicate of ten persons "who shall be willing to sign notes to the amount of the floating debt necessary to be carried for a term of not exceeding three years and that the Board of Trustees make over to that syndicate all equity in whatever real estate belongs to the Corporation, all un- paid coupons belonging to the permanent and scholar- ship funds, and the possession or some legal pledge of all property of whatever kind or value that can be legally held for the debts of the Corporation. This property to be held in trust by the syndicate till they are relieved of
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all financial responsibility." In addition to authorizing this step towards bankruptcy, the trustees decided to try again to raise thirty thousand dollars by subscription now that business recovery had set in.
A temporary addition to income came from the sale of the "Retreat" to President Gile after it had been re- paired at considerable expense. Charles E. Shepard was willing to pay rent for the use of the Heidelberg and Colby Hall for summer hotel purposes. The trustees would have liked to borrow from the town, but that was impossible with the existing opposition. Finally the trustees voted to refund payments "to such individuals as are dissatisfied with the course of the trustees relative to the proposed new building and the repairs on the old."
Before the year 1898 was over President Gile resigned and Professor Griffin was appointed acting president. The situation was discouraging with a debt of thirty thousand dollars hanging over the school and the in- come insufficient to meet current expenses. There was a natural apprehension for Colby's future as the century drew to a close. Yet on looking back it was possible to see that much had been accomplished during a period handicapped by prolonged financial depression.
During the Gile administration an unusual number of students of high grade had been attracted from out- side as well as within the state of New Hampshire, a high level of school life had been maintained and some un- usually high records of scholarship had been made, a new school paper had been started and new literary so- cieties had been organized, and athletic teams had won victory after victory. The religious tone of the school was good, and Mr. Gile's vesper addresses on Sunday afternoons were long remembered by those who heard them. With such a record hope might well replace anxious foreboding.
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IX UP FROM THE DEPRESSION. 1899-1912
T THE turn of the tide came in 1899, though it was not until drastic attempts at salvage were made. An estimate of income and expenditure showed a probability of seven thousand, six hundred dollars re- ceivable from tuition fees, and three thousand, five hun- dred and sixty dollars from invested funds, making a total of eleven thousand, one hundred and seventy dol- lars. Expenditures were likely to be not less than seven thousand dollars. This would leave only about four thousand dollars for a salary budget.
It was obvious that either a larger income must be obtained or a material reduction in expenses must be made. Two ways of increasing income had been tried before. One was a campaign for additional endowment. Reverend D. C. Easton had been appointed recently as financial agent for that purpose, but the financial record of the academy discouraged subscriptions and it was soon apparent that nothing was to be hoped for in that direc- tion. Tuition fees might be raised again, but it was more than likely that such action would reduce attendance seriously. The trustees took the surer way of reducing expenses. J. E. Shepard and N. T. Greenwood were put in charge of the financial and commissary departments in an effort to economize there. It remained to reduce teachers' salaries drastically. On recommendation of Mr. Gile, who still retained membership on the Board of Trustees, it was voted that the total salary list was not to exceed thirty-five hundred dollars. This would almost certainly mean the reduction of courses of study,
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UP FROM THE DEPRESSION. 1899-1912
and it meant particular hardship for teachers whose normal salaries were twice what they would now receive. The trustees realized these things, but saw no alternative to closing the school. Before long all the teachers but one resigned.
Sacrificing the faculty did not meet the situation. Saving two or three thousand dollars of current expenses would not help to meet a debt of thirty thousand. John F. Jones, who was trustee for the creditors, reminded the trustees that only small payments had been made and demanded either the payment of indebtedness or the furnishing of better security. In default of that action he demanded that the academy should be closed and that the income from the Permanent Fund and whatever ad- ditional money could be raised should be used to pay off the outstanding notes. The trustees could not pay the debt out of hand and they were ethically inhibited from the use of permanent funds, but they were unwill- ing to bring to an end the educational work of more than sixty years on New London hill. They decided to temporize and try to renew the notes.
It was at this time that Captain E. M. Shaw of Nashua came to the front as leader of the forlorn hope to save Colby Academy. He had been a trustee for seven years, but had not held any position of power. In 1899 he was elected business manager of the school. It was he who in the next few years straightened out financial tangles, secured the transfer of the Permanent Fund from the care of its special trustees to the Nashua Trust Company, as the trustees voted and James B. Colgate preferred, and co-operated with the new administration to bring the academy to its Jubilee celebration in 1903. Other men soon rallied to his aid. Gilman C. Whipple of Lebanon was a tower of strength among the trustees and in collaboration with Captain Shaw. Eventually Whip- ple succeeded him as business manager. George A. Rol-
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lins of Nashua pledged five thousand dollars to reduce the floating debt. Captain Shaw himself offered to pay five hundred dollars towards the salaries of teachers if the trustees and the alumni would each raise the same amount, provided the trustees should not borrow any more or sell any of the scholarship funds.
Captain Shaw further showed his good will by con- tributing to a new scholarship, and by having trans- ferred to his own account a debt of fifty-two hundred dollars due from the academy to three banks. He made investigation of the history of the scholarship funds, found that they had been drawn upon to meet pressing obligations not proper for such trust funds, and proposed a resolution, which was adopted by the Board, to the effect: "That the Board of Trustees of Colby Academy pledges itself to use all possible means to raise sufficient funds to restore again these scholarships to their original condition, and that never again will they be used for any other purpose than that for which they were originally given, by those, many of them long since dead, who are not among us to defend the funds they with so much confidence placed in our hands for safe keeping. Re- solved, that when these scholarships are again restored to their original condition, and as fast as any money may be collected for that purpose, it be deposited with the same trustees as now hold the Permanent Fund of Colby Academy, subject to the same restrictions and conditions as the Permanent Fund is now held."
It was voted to restore at once the Smith and Fuller scholarships. Captain Shaw called attention to the in- security of the Permanent Fund, which was not safe- guarded except that it was in the control of men who were loyal to the academy and in the confidence of the trustees. With the hearty consent of the Colgate family an indenture was therefore made by which the custody of the funds was transferred to the Nashua Trust Com-
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UP FROM THE DEPRESSION. 1899-1912
pany in January, 1901. The next year a committee of the trustees was appointed to speed the raising of twenty thousand dollars towards the elimination of the debt and thirty thousand for general use. Meantime the title to the real estate had passed to James B. Colgate, and he was asked through Captain Shaw to state the terms upon which he would restore promptly the title to the property. Two conditions were laid down, one that the existing debt should be paid first, and the other that the school property never again should be mortgaged, sold or alienated from the purposes for which it was intended.
Meantime the trustees were faced with the necessity of getting together a faculty and restoring scholastic stand- ards. Following the policy of drastic economy that had been adopted, they resolved not to pay more than fifteen hundred dollars for a principal and two thousand for the remaining faculty. It soon appeared that it was ridiculous to try to keep the school going on such a basis and the salary budget was increased to forty-five hundred dollars. Reverend Horace G. Mckean of Chester, Penn- sylvania, was elected principal at a salary of sixteen hun- dred dollars. Older residents of New London tell of Mr. and Mrs. McKean riding into town on a tandem bicycle on a tour of inspection, and they rode speedily into the hearts of the students of the academy and the people of the town.
The first year of the new administration passed quickly. The new faculty consisted of Principal Mc- Kean, who taught Bible, ethics, English and oratory; Edna B. Arnold, a recent graduate of Pembroke College in Brown University, who was first lady teacher and gave instruction in French, German and English; Herbert F. Moore, an alumnus of the University of New Hamp- shire, in charge of mathematics and science; Walter B. Bullen of Brown, who was responsible for the Greek and Latin; Annie M. Roberts of Bates College, whose
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task included music, botany and physical culture; and Nathaniel W. Colby of Boston University, who remained in charge of the business department. Fifty-six students were in attendance, which was encouraging in considera- tion of the gloomy prospects of the preceding summer when it seemed as if few, if any, students would present themselves. The proceeds of the available scholarship funds made it possible to offer ten scholarships of forty- one dollars each for student aid.
It was with a feeling of relief that the trustees and friends of the school saw the principal creating a new school spirit breathing of optimism, giving a tone to the chapel services, and keeping up the standard of instruc- tion in spite of the small salaries, and closing up the gap between income and outgo. They were glad enough to commend his administration and to increase his salary.
As the new century opened Colby Academy was func- tioning in all departments. There was a gain of ten students over the year before. Webster Chester replaced Herbert F. Moore as teacher of science and mathematics and Enoch C. Stubbert succeeded Walter B. Bullen, but otherwise the faculty list was unchanged. The students heard the rising bell at seven o'clock, breakfasted at seven-thirty, and enjoyed a period of recreation until they were called to chapel at 8.45. After a half hour of devotions three class periods followed and dinner came at 12.10, preceded and followed by periods of recreation. The afternoon was given to recitations after 1.30 until the girls turned from mental to physical culture at 4.15, and the boys went into the gymnasium at 5.00. Supper was at 6.00, and from 7.30 to 9.15 students were studying in their rooms. Lights went out at 9.30.
The customary social affairs were begun as soon as the term opened in the fall. On the seventeenth of September everybody gathered informally in the chapel
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UP FROM THE DEPRESSION. 1899-1912
to get acquainted. Games and college songs enlivened the evening. On Saturday Mrs. McKean invited the girls and the teachers at the Heidelberg to a marsh- mallow and corn roast at the Mckean summer cottage at Little Sunapee. In return for this courtesy the whole school gave a surprise party to the McKeans on the anniversary of their marriage. On the first Tuesday eve- ning a reception was held for the new students in the gymnasium. Green and red decorations were a reminder that autumn days were at hand. The members of the senior class introduced the new students and tried to make them feel comfortable. An orchestra furnished music and the eatables were plentiful. Doubtless some of the students felt like cats in a strange garret and equally without doubt some were homesick, but that was not the fault of the entertainers. A few days later the girls of the Heidelberg made an excursion to Royal Arch, in Springfield. Then not long afterward on a Saturday evening a chapel social was held in celebration of a football victory, when charades and promenades provided entertainment.
With a small school it was difficult to produce a win- ning football team, but Colby made the best use of what it had. Principal McKean encouraged athletics by his interest and presence, and he taught the men to fight to the last ditch in their games. The result was that Colby defeated the Richards High School at New- port twice that fall without allowing its opponents to score and won a game from the Laconia High School. Several men played on the team who have filled respon- sible positions in New England since academy days. Alfred W. Poore was captain of the eleven; perhaps his judgment and sense of responsibility were so well trained that he naturally moved on to the position of municipal judge in the city of Manchester. Warren C. Goodwin at right tackle learned how to attack problems on the field
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as he has since in the ministry. Robert M. Blood played center on the team. Just how his experiences helped to make him an editor is not so clear, but he acquired staying qualities that have made possible his long con- nection with the Manchester Union. Sam Best at left tackle was a novice at football. Coming up from Boston, he was without football experience, but he was willing to learn even at the age of twenty and by the last of the season he had developed into one of the most valuable men on the team. The Colby Voice said of him: "He was the strongest man in the line on the defensive, and has done brilliant work on the offensive." Harry E. Pattee from Bristol, right half back, went to Brown for his college course, and there he developed into such a successful athlete that he became a Brown coach over an extended term of years. At left end was Eugene C. Carder, winning his spurs on the gridiron as he has since won them by his effective ministerial service in the Park Avenue, now Riverside, Church in New York City. In spite of all this talent in embryo the team lost a game to Vermont Academy at Saxton's River late in the season.
In the course of the months the Colby boys learned how to smile in defeat. They lost more games than they won, but they practised faithfully, and if they tasted defeat it was because they were outplayed. The next May they entertained the Dartmouth freshmen at New London and beat them at baseball. This was one of several victories on the diamond that season, including the scalps of Tilton Seminary and Kimball Union Academy. In the fall the football season was disastrous, culminating in a defeat from Kimball Union Academy to the tune of 63 to o. The Colby Academy Athletic Association included football, baseball, basket-ball, ten- nis and track interests.
While the ball teams were engaged in the strenuous
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UP FROM THE DEPRESSION. 1899-1912
life, most of the students contented themselves with milder sports. Seniors had a class ride to Webster Lake and Franklin, which by horse conveyance was a fairly ambitious excursion. They were still more ambitious when they entrained at Potter Place, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. McKean, and made the trip to Bartlett and return to get a view of the White Mountains in the glory of their autumn foliage. Some of the girls con- tented themselves with going to Bradford to a Colby ball game with two of the teachers as chaperones.
As in all schools occasional lecturers spoke to the stu- dents on subjects of wider range than the classroom dis- cipline would permit. The literary societies from time to time invited men to come from a distance and paid them a moderate honorarium. Sometimes a principal or professor gave a lecture illustrated with the stereopticon. When the discovery of X-rays was made, Professor Griffin demonstrated it with the apparatus of the physical labora- tory. In 1901-02 a course of lectures was given through the season under the auspices of the Academy which drew to the auditorium of the church the people of the town as well as the students. During that (and the suc- ceeding) year they listened to J. Trask Plummer, who spoke on "The Picturesque Netherlands"; Reverend Howard B. Grose on "A day with Bismarck"; Dr. George Bullen, pastor of the church, on "Spain and Bolivar"; Honorable Henry M. Baker, on "Incidents at Home and Abroad"; Reverend John B. Lemon on "The Stories of Herodotus"; and Reverend J. T. B. House, on "Naples and Pompeii."
Six more were delivered during the following year. Reverend A. T. Kempton of Cambridge gave one of his delightful illustrated lectures on "Evangeline"; Mr. Hezekiah Butterworth spoke on "New England Folk Lore"; Reverend T. J. B. House came again and de- scribed "Every Day Life in Holland." Professor Griffin
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discussed "Present Perplexing Problems"; Professor D. O. S. Lowell pictured "The Women of Greece and Rome"; and Reverend John R. Gow brought "Optimism of a Great Poet." Once more Miles Standish, Venice, Life and Scenes among the People of the Mediterranean Coast were treated. Senator J. H. Gallinger came to the hill with an illuminating address on "How we are Governed," and President W. H. P. Faunce of Brown University spoke on "The Contribution of the School to the State and Church." By that time the lecture course had become one of the established features of the school year.
The students of course attended the social events of town and church. They were out of town at Old Home Week in August and they missed the annual grange fair. They regretted to learn on their return that 'Biel Everett had told his last funny story and related his last reminis- cences of Civil War days. But they made the most of a Hallowe'en social at the Grange Hall, and some of them enjoyed the incomparable cooking of New London dames at the annual church roll call two days before. It is the nature of academy students to dismiss regrets briefly and to make the most of the opportunities for a good time.
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