USA > Ohio > Ross County > Chillicothe > Ohio centennial anniversary celebration at Chillicothe, May 20-21, 1903 : under the auspices of the Ohio State Archaelogical and Historical Society : complete proceedings > Part 42
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In many ways. Otterbein is a typical denominational college. Its origin was in the church ; its declared purposes was to further the interests of the church through the education of her children ; co-education from the founding was heartily approved, and the influence of the college upon the denomination has been most beneficial. Its origin was at a time when the denomination was not well organized, and the sentiment in the church was in many instances hostile to the cause of learning. Nevertheless the early founders saw that "regular communicants when they left their homes for the theatre of literary training were in a large major- ity of instances carried away by the force of surrounding influ- ences, and either fell into the ranks of other denominations, or else made shipwreck of their faith, and were thus lost to the church." It is significant, also, that the founding of the college was followed by the more complete organization of the church in its enterprises for missions, Sabbath Schools, theological edu- cation, church extension and other agencies for the promotion of the interests of the denominations. The direct and indirect benefits of the college to the denomination have been many times the value of its property and endowment, a fact not clearly appre- ciated either by the church or the public. Like all other schools its influence has not been confined to the church. A creditable proportion of the alumni have entered the ministry, but with the growth of the college increasing numbers have gone into the various callings of life and have influenced their surroundings for better things.
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The university has survived the early struggles against poverty and indifference ; has suffered from loss by fire in 1870; has defeated the project of removal from the present location, and meantime has kept its roll of students quite in advance of the growth of the denomination. Its buildings are in good con- dition ; its faculty and trustees are active, and prospects for future growth as bright as ever in its history. Like all other colleges in Ohio its needs are always in advance of its supply, but a wise use of limited funds has produced such results as to commend it most heartily to the church and to benevolently disposed cit- izens.
IO. HIRAM COLLEGE, HIRAM, PORTAGE COUNTY, FOUNDED 1850.
In 1840 Alexander Campbell, of wide repute among the people known as the Disciples, had founded Bethany College, Bethany, West Virginia. At that time this was the only col- lege of that denomination in the country. In the Western Re- serve a considerable proportion of the population were of the Disciple faith. In 1849 at a yearly meeting held at Russell, Geauga County, Mr. A. L. Soule, a leading member of the church, invited those interested to meet at his home on June 12th. A number of gentlemen met, and after discussion, agreed to take steps toward founding a school.
Mr. A. S. Hayden, the secretary, was instructed to prepare an address to the churches and invite them to send delegates to a later meeting. This was done, and a meeting held at North Bloomfield, August, 1849. The enthusiasm increased, and at a third meeting at Ravenna, October 3d, the question was regarded as practically settled, save the two items of location and the char- acter of the school. It was decided in favor of an institute as against a college, although a strong feeling existed for a college. Rival locations competed for the school. While the delegation was visiting Hiram, and attention was being called to the springs, the healthfulness and other attractions, the township physician, lean and lank, rode by. It happened that his horse was leaner and lanker. Someone said, "A township that can't afford sickness enough to keep a doctor better than that is just the place for the school." Tradition does not say that this decided the issue, but
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the fact is that on the thirteenth ballot Hiram won the decision, and the institute was located. At the last meeting of the dele- gates, December 20, 1849, the name of "Western Reserve Eclec- tic Institute" was chosen, and the articles of incorporation drawn. The charter was approved by the legislature March 1, 1850. The first meeting of the board under the charter was held May 7, 1850. The first building was erected during 1850, and the first session of the school began November 27, 1850. From the char- ter we learn the object to be "instruction of youth of both sexes in the various branches of literature and science, especially of moral science as based on the facts and precepts of the Holy Scriptures." The late Dr. B. A. Hinsdale has stated the objects of the college more specifically as -
I. To provide a sound scientific and literary education.
2. To temper and sweeten such education with moral and Scriptural knowledge.
3. To educate young men for the ministry.
One peculiar belief of the Disciples was that the Bible had been obscured through theological speculations and debates and their movement was a revolt from the formalism of the creeds to a simpler life based on the Scriptures. This added to their desire to emphasize its importance in education.
The institute opened with eighty-four students, and grew in favor until in a short time there were as many as three hun- dred in attendance in a single term. On February 20, 1867, the name was changed to Hiram College, and the work of the college dates from August 31, 1867. In 1872 the charter was amended so as to increase the number of trustees to twenty-four. By pro- vision of the charter the trustees are elected by stockholders for a term of three years. In this respect Hiram is not exactly par- alleled by any other Ohio college. The system has worked well. The college maintains a collegiate department, a preparatory de- partment and a conservatory of music. In recent years substantial development has been made in buildings, equipment and funds. The college is on a firm footing. A most satisfactory history is found in the semi-centennial volume - Hiram College - pre- pared by F. M. Green, of Kent, and published in 1901.
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II. URBANA UNIVERSITY, URBANA, CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, FOUNDED 1850.
This institution was founded by the members and friends of the New Church, commonly known as the Swedenborgian. The charter by the legislature bears the date of March 7, 1850. It was "designated to encourage and promote the diffusion of knowledge in the branches of academic, scientific and exegetic instruction, and to combine therewith instruction in the productive arts and the practice of rural economy; which shall be under the man- agement and direction of persons known and recognized as be- longing to the New Church and attached to the principles there- of." The purpose is further declared to be that the university "shall be forever under the management and direction of the New Church, with the purpose that it may not only cultivate the liberal arts and sciences, but that it may also perform a use to the New Church in cultivating and developing the philosophy and theology of the New Jerusalem." This object, it is affirmed, has been kept steadily in view during the existence of the university. Students are thoroughly instructed in the doctrines of the New Church. The university maintains a collegiate department, a preparatory department and a primary and grammar department.
The university has some scholarship funds for needy stu- dents and some valuable property. The constituency is not large in Ohio, and the attendance has been correspondingly small. Eight persons are engaged in the faculty.
I2. HEIDELBERG UNIVERSITY, TIFFIN, SENECA COUNTY, FOUNDED 1850.
Heidelberg University owes its name and origin to the Ohio Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States. Its gov- ernment is by a board of twenty-four regents elected in four classes for the term of four years by the Ohio Synod. The school was opened in rented rooms November, 1850, and the charter granted to Heidelberg College February 13, 1851. The first building was begun in 1850 and completed in 1853. In March, 1890, the articles of incorporation were amended changing the
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name to Heidelberg University, and the title of the trustees to that of "Board of Regents." The amended articles were filed with the secretary of state March 28, 1890.
Many Ohio colleges have grown out of local needs. Heidel- berg grew out of a conviction that the denomination should have an educational center where the churches might send their young people, and where under church direction the needed education could be furnished. In developing the plan a theological sem- inary was also established as early as 1850. The charter was. granted in 1836, and the seminary was moved from place to place until in 1850 it was permanently located at Tiffin. The in- terests of the college and the seminary are one; the constituency is largely the same. It is but natural that the relations should. be close, cordial and mutually helpful.
The present organization of the university provides for the: college of liberal arts, the academy, the conservatory of music, the art department, the commercial department, the department of pedagogy and the department of oratory and art of expression.
The university at the beginning had a comprehensive plan, looking toward classical, scientific, teachers' and farmers' courses, but gradually changed to meet the conditions as they arose. The idea of manual training and education for farmers did not long- continue in any of the colleges where they were undertaken,. chiefly because they were expensive and not in popular demand. The university has rendered valuable service to the church and stands as the exponent of the best ideals in the Reformed Church in Ohio.
I3. CAPITAL UNIVERSITY, COLUMBUS, FRANKLIN COUNTY, FOUNDED 1850.
This university is the lineal descendant of the German Evan- gelical Lutheran Seminary founded in 1830 by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio, and incorporated January 30, 1834. Prior to this time but two other seminaries had been organized, the Hartwick Seminary, in Otsego County, New York, and the Gettysburg Seminary, in Pennsylvania. The rapid flow of settle- ment to the West led to the conviction that a start should be made toward the education of a ministry for the German people. In
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1828 Rev. William Schmidt, a graduate of Halle, Germany, be- gan in his own house in Canton, Ohio, the instruction of six stu- dents. In the following year a board of management was elected. In 1831 in accordance with a resolution adopted by the synod, the seminary 'was removed to Columbus, where fourteen acres in the south end of the city had been secured. In January, 1833, the building was so far completed as to be occupied. Here the seminary lived until in 1850, when a new location on the north side of the city near Goodale Park was secured for Capital Uni- versity. Capital University was incorporated March 2, 1850. This act also provided that the Seminary should become a part of the university, with the provisions that the funds should not be diverted from theological education, and that the act of 1834 incorporating the seminary, was not by this act repealed. Cap- ital University thus began in 1850 as a literary and theological institution, and was under the patronage of the same church as the seminary had been.
On March 30, 1857, an act was passed by the legislature which changed the quorum of the board from twelve to seven members and repealed section 4. This section related to the con- stitution of the board of trustees and the act of 1857 provided- "that the trustees of said seminary, mentioned in the preamble of the said act, together with three citizens of Columbus, to be statedly chosen by said trustees, shall from and after the pas- sage of this act constitute the board of trustees of said Capital University ; provided that until the further action of the trustees of said seminary the said three citizens of Columbus in said board shall be Lincoln Goodale, Robert Neil and William Dennison, Jr. This gave the university a board of fifteen trustees, three of whom were to be residents of Columbus. These are now chosen from among the Lutherans of the city, so that the control is com- pletely in the hands of the synod through its chosen representa- tives.
In 1853 the new building near Goodale Park was dedicated. Here the university continued until in 1876 when it was re- moved to the present location about three miles east of the state capitol, just south of Main Street. The university now main-
30-0. C.
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tains preparatory, classical, scientific and theological courses. In the announcement we read-"While the chief purpose has been and still is to serve as a feeder to the theological seminary, the institution seeks also to prepare men for other professions by offering them a truly liberal education on the basis of the prin- ciples of God's Word. Instruction in this Word accordingly constitutes a regular part of the curriculum, but it is not obliga- tory for those whose parents or guardians desire to have them ex- cused. For practical reasons special attention is paid to German, the majority of the congregations of the synod for whom the institution aims to prepare pastors being entirely or partly Ger- man."
14. WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY, WILBERFORCE, GREENE COUNTY, FOUNDED 1856.
The earliest effort toward higher education for the negro in Ohio was at Union Seminary, twelve miles west of Columbus in Franklin County. This movement began with the appointment of a committee September 21, 1844, by the Ohio Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. One hundred and seventy- two acres of land were purchased and the seminary opened. On September 28, 1853, the Cincinnati Conference of the M. E. Church appointed a committee on the education of the negro and this committee reported in favor of the "establishment of a literary institution of high order for the education of the colored people generally." In May, 1856, "Tawawa Springs," a summer resort which had been improved at a cost of $40,000, was bought and a location was fixed for Wilberforce University. By an agree- ment the M. E. and A. M. E. Conferences of Ohio entered into a cooperative management of the institution. It was incorporated August 30, 1856, and a board of trustees selected. In October, 1856, the school was opened. It continued with commendable progress under this management until March 10, 1863, when Bishop D. A. Payne purchased the property for $10,000 and as- sociated with him Rev. James A. Shorter and Professor John G. Mitchell, Bishop Payne becoming president. It was specifically stated in the transfer that these men were acting for the A. M. E. Church. The property of Union Seminary in Franklin County
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was sold and efforts concentrated at Wilberforce. The uni- versity was then incorporated and a charter secured. This pro- vided that two-thirds of the Board should always be members of the A. M. E. Church. The charter was granted in the name of the A. M. E. Church. July 3, 1863, the school was reopened under the new management. In 1865 through the work of incendiaries the building was utterly destroyed by fire. This was a calamity that brought distress to the friends and rejoicing to the enemies. The date will not soon be forgotten as it was the day of the assas- sination of President Lincoln. Efforts were renewed and the school sustained. In 1870 Congress appropriated $25,000; Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase bequeathed $10,000 ; the Charles Avery estate added $10,000; The American Unitarian Association gave $6,000, for lectures. The school steadily grew in numbers and property.
In 1866 the theological department was opened and on June 18, 1891, the reorganization took place which resulted in the Payne Theological Seminary of Wilberforce. The scientific de- partment was opened in 1867 and the normal in 1872.
In 1887 the legislature of Ohio established a combined nor- mal and industrial department and made appropriations for its support. This department is governed by a board of nine trus- tees, five of whom are appointed by the governor and four by the university board. In 1896 the legislature made the provision more permanent by placing the university on the state levy. Some new buildings have been erected and additional land bought for the purpose of providing instruction in scientific agriculture. The buildings and property are valued at $200,000. There is an endowment of $28,000. In 1900 there had been 6,756 negroes in attendance. Three hundred and fifty-eight had graduated from the literary course and 259 from the industrial department.
15. SCIO COLLEGE, SCIO, HARRISON COUNTY, FOUNDED 1857.
This college began as Rural Seminary in 1857 at Harlem Springs but was soon removed to New Market, now Scio, and in- corporated as New Market College. After continuing on the old lines the school in 1875 changed its methods and name to corre- spond and was known as "The One Study University." This
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novel plan attracted attention and had some advantages not as readily recognized in the days before electives as would be at the present day. On the whole, however, the plan did not satisfy. The college spirit as well as college traditions could not thrive and many disappointments were met. In 1877 the college was reor- ganized as Scio College and returned to former methods. At this reorganization the college passed under the control of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church. The organization includes the collegiate department, the department of pharmacy, the department of music, the commercial department, the department of oratory, the art department, and the normal department. The aim of the college as set forth in its published statements and illustrated in its work is "to give such a thorough Christian training as will amply fit students to discharge creditably their duties in life, whether they intend to enter business or follow a profession. More than two hundred of the alumni have entered the ministry chiefly in the Methodist Church.
16. THE UNIVERSITY OF WOOSTER, WOOSTER, WAYNE COUNTY, FOUNDED 1866.
The Presbyterian Church was the last among the larger de- nominations in Ohio to organize for higher Christian education. This was not in keeping with the historic position of the Pres- byterian Church with respect to education. The reasons for the delay in Ohio are not easily discovered. It must be recognized that the division into Old and New School parties in 1837 did not help the cause. This division remained until 1870. Prior to this. time the need of a denominational college was felt throughout the church. The war and the discussion looking to reunion were. uppermost in the thought of the church. During these earlier years Presbyterians had affiliated and supported Western Reserve College in the North, Marietta and Miami in the South, and in other instances had local attachments. To this day these attach- ments are not entirely broken. However the discussion con- tinued and immediately after the close of the war men became active in the cause. It is a happy coincidence that the year of the union of Old and New Schools should be the opening year of the:
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university that was in the future to be the strongest bond among all the churches.
In 1866 the synods of Ohio, Cincinnati and Sandusky united in an action founding the University of Wooster. The charter was dated December 18, 1866. When the reunion came in 1870 the then existing synods of both the Old and New Schools were consolidated into the four synods of Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleve- land and Toledo. These became the legal successors to their predecessors and the formal relation to Wooster was established. However the former attachments so far as individuals were con- cerned were continued. The reunion had the effect of uniting the Presbyterians of the state but the four synods left Wooster more to the care of the synod of Columbus in whose bounds the university was located. In 1882 the four synods were consoli- dated into the Synod of Ohio and at the first meeting held that year in Columbus the report of the trustees was received and the university unanimously endorsed. After the university had been chartered, work was begun to raise the funds necessary for the beginning. The corner-stone of the first building was laid in 1868 and by 1869 sufficient endowment had been secured to war- rant the opening of the school. In September, 1870, the doors were opened and six persons graduated in the first class in 1871.
The organization at the outset was by a board of self-per- petuating trustees, but in 1901 a new charter was adopted which provides that the election of trustees shall be by the Synod of Ohio. The alumni are given the privilege each year of nomin- ating two of their number to the synod. The board consists of thirty trustees in three classes elected for the term of three years. The president of the university is ex-officio a member of the board. The title to the property now vests in the synod, thus making the ownership and control completely in the ecclesiastical body having jurisdiction over the entire state.
The object of the university as set forth in the charter is : "the promotion of sound learning and education under religious influences." At the first meeting of the board of trustees the following resolutions showing their spirit were adopted : -
Resolved, That we enter upon the work of establishing the Uni- versity of Wooster with the single purpose of glorifying God and pro-
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moting sanctified education, and thus furthering the interests of the church and its extension over the whole earth.
Resolved, That we will in every way possible strive to imbue all our operations with the spirit of Christianity and bring religious influence and instruction to bear earnestly upon all who may be connected with the institution.
In October, 1870, a medical department was opened in Cleve- land and continued until 1896. The preparatory department was opened in 1872. The graduate school was organized September 1881 but arrangements are now made to close it when present matriculates have completed their work. The musical depart- ment was organized in 1882 and the school of art in 1895.
The great trial came December II, 1901, when the original main building was burned. This was regarded a great calamity but proved to be an unmeasured blessing as it made friends and affection not known before. In twelve months to a day the uni- versity had raised over four hundred thousand dollars and com- pleted five buildings making one of the most modern and com- plete college plants, with the chapel and library that remained from the fire, to be found in the Central West. The university. is now well organized in buildings, faculty and equipment to do the work asigned to it. But one thing remains-to furnish added endowment and grow up with the demands of the future as they come.
17. OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY, ADA, HARDIN COUNTY, FOUNDED 1871.
The founder of this institution was its first president, H. S. Lehr. In 1866 he came to Ada to teach in the village schools and made a provision by which he might have the use of the school buildings during the vacation period. If his venture in securing a constituency proved successful the vicinity was to aid in the erection of buildings suitable for normal school pur- poses. After four years he had 120 non-resident students. A movement was begun for a new building which was formally opened August II, 1871, with an enrollment of 147 pupils. In 1875 the Northwestern Normal School then located at Fostoria was consolidated with the school at Ada under the name of the latter-the Northwestern Ohio Normal School. The institution
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being owned by the faculty continued as a proprietary school until 1885. On May 21st of that year it was incorporated under the laws of Ohio as an institution not for profit as the "Ohio Normal University." In 1898 at. Sidney, Ohio, the board of trustees sold the real estate and personal property belonging to the university to the Central Ohio Conference, from which time it is to be classed among the denominational colleges. President H. S. Lehr retired from the active management at the close of the year 1901-02 after forty years of service as a teacher and leader in education.
The institution has grown up around the idea of President Lehr that a person should have an opportunity to begin improve- ment whenever he is ready. He sought to make the school an open opportunity to all classes at all times. He did not favor the rigidity of the public schools and colleges for all schools. He believed that some place every student should find a chance to go to work. The result was that many hundreds found the Ohio Normal University an open door when other schools were closed to them. The enrollment has gone beyond three thousand dif- ferent students in a single year. The faculty has always worked in harmony with the prevailing ideas of the president and stu- dents have been enthusiastic in support. The school has always lived without endowment. Numerous departments are organized, the most important, however, being the normal. In addition to these may be mentioned the literary, the commercial, pharmacy, engineering and law. In July, 1903, the name was changed to Ohio Northern University.
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