USA > Oregon > Marion County > Salem > Oregon and its institutions; comprising a full history of the Willamette University, the first established on the Pacific Coast > Part 13
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SECTION 5 .- It shall be the duty of the treasurer to keep a full, accurate, and complete account of the fiscal affairs of the university, to receive all moneys due the institution for tuition or otherwise, and ac- count for the same; to make such exhibit thereof at each meeting as shall furnish the Board a proper and satisfactory knowledge of the same; to make a writ- ten report in detail at each annual meeting, the same having been submitted to and received the ap- proval of the auditing committee, and he shall in no case pay out money except on the order of the Board, signed by the president, and countersigned by the secretary.
SECTION 6 .- The officers of the Board shall be elected by ballot at a regular meeting, and sliall hold their several offices until the next ensuing annual meeting, or until their successors are elected and qualified.
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ARTICLE III .- MEETINGS.
SECTION 1 .- The Board shall hold its annual meetings on the Tuesday preceding the collegiate anniversary, and quarterly meetings on the third Wednesday in November, February, and May, and such other meetings as may be called by the pres- ยท ident upon the application of two or more mem- bers of the executive committee. This article was amended so that the third quarterly meeting could be held at the close of the winter term.
ARTICLE IV .- COMMITTEES.
SECTION 1 .- There shall be two standing commit- tees, an auditing committee that shall consist of three, and an Executive Committee to consist of sev- en, to be elected annually from among the members of the Board. The president of the university shall be ex-officio member of the executive committee.
SECTION 2 .- It shall be the duty of the Auditing Committee to audit the accounts of the treasurer.
SECTION 3 .- It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to have the general supervision of the University and the business of the Board in the interim of its meetings, and to make report thereof at each regular meeting of the Board.
ARTICLE V.
This constitution may be altered or amended by a two thirds vote of all the members of the Board present at any regular meeting.
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In connection with the adoption of the above con- stitution, a course of study, which had been thorough- ly digested by a qualified committee, of whom Rev. F. S. Hoyt, the president of the institution, was the chairman, was also adopted, and the collegiate year was divided into three terms; and it was further provided that the course of instruction should extend through four years in the College proper, and three years in the Preparatory Department; the college years to be designated according to well-established usage in such institutions, by the names of Senior, Junior, Sophomore, and Freshman.
As the course of study which was adopted was subsequently revised, it is not necessary to give it in detail in this place. It may be proper to observe, however, that it compared well in its comprehen- siveness with that of older and more mature institu- tions in the Atlantic States; and, in connection with the amended constitution, and the arrangements in reference to the proper designation of the collegiate years, shows the advancement of our cherished school from the character of a mere primary and academ- ical institution, to the position and characteristics of a real college. It was now passing from its chrysalis condition into a new-fledged university, and was preparing to plume its wings for an upward flight.
In the progress of this history it has been neces- sary frequently to revert to the efforts which the Board of Trustees was putting forth to create an endowment fund by the sale of scholarships, and otherwise; and here we shall resume the subject,
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and present in one view the struggles of the Board in relation to the endowment up to the present time.
The Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church was still in possession of considerable prop- erty in Oregon in lands, having a claim on the land upon which the city of Dalles is located, and also having secured a title to land to the extent of a quarter section in the vicinity of the city of Salem.
The Missionary Society had expended an immense amount of money since the beginning of missionary operations in Oregon, and the country had been vastly benefited, both religiously and financially, by such expenditure, and it was proper and right that the lands which the missionaries had occupied should be confirmed to the Board.
This was done so far as the land at Salem was concerned, and, as this land lay adjoining the univer- sity campus, it was valuable in itself, and might be used greatly to the advantage of the university ; and as the Board of Trustees had been greatly dis- appointed in respect to their original claim, it was very desirable on their part to secure this land, and use it to the best advantage for the enlargement of the endowment fund of the university.
The property was in Oregon, and had been secured to the Missionary Board through the instrumentality of those men "who counted not their lives dear unto them so that they might finish the ministry committed to their hands; and it was thought by all that the avails of that property should be appropriated to the
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promotion of religion and science in Oregon ; and if so, that it could not be employed better than to put it into the hands of the Trustees of the Willamette University.
The subject of the endowment of the university was one of the deepest possible interest to the state of Oregon and the Pacific coast generally, and con- sequently it was proper for the Board to use all law- ful and Christian means to compass so desirable an end. Little, however, had been effected previously to 1856, but at that time the Rev. T. H. Pearne, who had been elected as a delegate to the General Conference from Oregon, was authorized by the Board of Trustees to make application in the Atlantic States for aid to- ward the endowment of the Willamette University. Mr. Pearne presented the subject before the Mission- ary Society in New York, and that body received it with their usual liberality, and proceeded to pass the following resolution :
" Resolved, That our agent in Oregon who, for the time being, may hold legal power from the Board to act for it, be authorized to pay over to the Trustees of the Willamette University the sum of five thou- sand dollars toward the endowment of said univer- sity out of any moneys in his hands arising out of the mission property in Oregon belonging to the Mis- sionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; "Provided, that before said agent shall pay over as aforesaid, the Board shall be informed and satisfied that the sum of fifteen thousand dollars has been invested in good and sufficient and productive secu-
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rities, other than simply individual liabilities, said securities to be free from all claims against them, and to have arisen out of sources not heretofore granted by this Board, but from other and different sources."
This resolution was reported to the Board of Trustees in Oregon in September of 1856, and was hailed by them as an act worthy of the Missionary Board of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and it afforded them very great encouragement in their efforts to raise funds for the endowment of the university. Prompted by the necessities of our in- stitution, and this generous offer of the Missionary Board to aid us in its endowment, we proceeded through our agent, the Rev. A. F. Waller, to canvass the country for the purpose of raising the funds requisite to entitle the Board to the five thousand dollars.
The principal method adopted to raise the fifteen thousand dollars was the sale of perpetual schol- arships at five hundred dollars each, though other measures, with some degree of success, were also employed. It was found to be a very difficult matter in the sparsely settled and undeveloped state of Oregon to raise so large a sum; but by energetic and unceasing efforts for nearly three years, it was found on the fifth of August, 1859, that the whole amount of fifteen thousand dollars had been raised and invested in good securities. So soon as this was ascertained by the report of the agent, the Board of Trustees passed, in substance, the following preamble and resolution :
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" Whereas it has been understood that the Mis- sionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church proposed to secure to the Willamette University the sum of five thousand dollars on condition that said university would raise the sum of fifteen thousand dollars; and whereas the sum of fifteen thousand dollars was raised on or before the first day of August, 1859, therefore,
" Resolved, That a committee be appointed to cor- respond with said Missionary Board, and secure as soon as possible the said five thousand dollars, so that it may be funded, and the interest thereof used for the support of said university."
- Rev. William Roberts was appointed that com- mittee, and he addressed a letter to the Missionary Board informing them that we had substantially ful- filled the condition upon our part, and consequently were ready to receive the five thousand dollars accord- ing to the offer of the Missionary Board.
After this correspondence several years passed by, and the matter remained unadjusted ; but at the ses- sion of the Oregon Conference held in Salem, 1864, Rev. T. H. Pearne, who was the authorized agent of the Missionary Board in Oregon, informed the con- ference that the Board proposed to convey to the Trustees of the Willamette University a certain piece or parcel of land lying in the vicinity of Salem, con- taining some eighty acres, more or less, in lien of the five thousand dollars in cash, and requested the con- ference to take action upon the subject. The action of the conference was favorable to this arrangement,
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and immediately after the adjournment of the con- ference a special meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to take into consideration the proposition of the Missionary Board. At this meeting, which was held August 20, 1864, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution accepting of the land as a full satisfaction for the five thousand dollars in cash.
The land proposed to be given possessed a value which would justify the Missionary Board in convey- ing it and the Trustees of the University in receiving it as an equivalent for the five thousand dollars. The impression had gone abroad that this land possessed an immense value in consequence of a certain water privilege which it contained. This, however, was an entire mistake. The water which ran through the premises in a ditch which had been excavated for that purpose, did not belong to the premises, but was the property of the Oregon Milling Company, subject to their control, and liable to be removed into another channel at their option. The premises, therefore, were not made more valuable, but rather injured in value by the ditch which was dug through them. Consequently, in conveying that land to the Board of Trustees, the Missionary Board would not be giving more than was first proposed, and the Board of Trustees would receive what they could ultimately use to about the same advantage as would have resulted from the investment of the five thousand dollars.
There arose between the Missionary Society and the Board of Trustees, doubtless more from a mis-
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apprehension of each other's views and intentions than from any other cause, a somewhat protracted controversy in relation to this business operation, and, consequently, there was a delay of the final arrangement until the present year, (1867.) Early in this year the Missionary Board through their sec- retary, W. L. Harris, D.D., and much to the satis- faction of the Board of Trustees, took effectual measures to transfer to that body, by a good and sufficient deed, the said tract of land, comprising eighty acres, more or less, in lieu of the five thousand dollars. This transfer was eminently wise and just upon the part of the Missionary Society, first, because the property thus appropriated becomes a permanent fund for the accomplishment of good to the end of time; and second, by a reflex influence it doubtless will tend directly to the promotion of the future interests of the missionary cause by returning four- fold into the treasury of the Missionary Society ; third, because this arrangement becomes the occa- sion of greatly increasing the confidence of the public in our institution, and will contribute greatly toward relieving the Board from all embarrassment arising from a want of income, and open the way for the Willamette University finally to enter upon a career of great usefulness and prosperity. In this connection it may be proper to observe, that while the negotiation between the two Boards was going on, the Board of Trustees was laboring faithfully and constantly for the maintenance and advance- ment of their beloved institution, and they had
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succeeded, entirely outside of all sources granted to them by the Missionary Board, in raising the endow- ment fund up to the amount of twenty-four thousand dollars, nearly all of which was amply secured. Be- sides this, the Board of Trustees had but recently invested in real estate, in the form of a splendid brick edifice located on their college campus, which in size and beauty when finished would do honor to any state in the Union, the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars. This was nearly all provided for by subscription, and the entire property, amounting to about fifty thousand dollars, was, indeed, free from all incumbrance. . This amount does not in- clude the college campus of sixty acres, nor the lands which the Board received in their settlement with Dr. W. H. Wilson, the value of which it would be difficult at this time to determine ; but the fact, in itself of considerable importance to the Board of Trustees, which here should be clearly exhibited, is, that at the time the Missionary Board made the transfer of the land spoken of, the Board of Trustees had raised and invested in real estate, and funded as the beginning of an endowment, from the resources of the country, independent of any and every thing that had ever been received from any other source, the sum of fifty thousand dollars. To accomplish this, and to keep the building which we were erect- ing free from debt, or rather, unembarrassed with debt, it was necessary to pull upon every string and to move with great precaution. Also, by this con- stant and unusual draft upon the people it was
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extremely difficult to sustain the other financial departments of the university. The population of Oregon was small, the people were poor, and money was scarce, and the Willamette University felt the pressure ; and the bestowment by the Missionary Board of the eighty acres of land spoken of, from its present, but especially from its prospective value, was indeed a godsend to our cherished institution, for which the Board of Trustees and the friends of religious education generally in Oregon cannot be too thankful.
The Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Book Concern have, under God, been the greatest benefactors of the Pacific Coast. Aside from that part of the coast embraced in the state of California, they have paid in cash for the religious and civil benefit of the country within the limits of the Oregon Conference, since the first missionaries went there in 1834, not less than five hundred thousand dollars. Oregon should not forget her benefactors; and the friends of the Willamette University should remember that but for the benevolence of the Mission- ary Society, and the interest it has ever taken in the advancement of the Church and its institutions, the success which has crowned the effort to establish the institution is to be, in part, attributed to the timely and efficient aid which that society has afforded.
It seemed proper to indulge in these reflections while considering the manner in which the un- pleasant controversy between the two Boards in relation to the five-thousand-dollar donation was
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closed up. Surely, the final issue was of such a nature as that the Board of Trustees of the uni- versity has been laid under lasting obligation to the Missionary Society ; while at the same time they claim, in all the protracted controversy, to have been actuated by honesty of purpose, and a sincere desire to promote the best interests of humanity in Oregon. And here the old adage. may be properly inserted, " To err is human ; to forgive, divine."
Having traced the history of the five-thousand- dollar donation to the endowment fund, it will be necessary to revert back to the period when the Board of Trustees considered that they had fulfilled the condition in relation to the fifteen thousand dollars. This was in July 28, 1859. At a meet- ing of the Board held at this time it was ascer- tained from the report of Rev. A. F. Waller, who had been acting as agent without remuneration for two years, that the endowment of twenty thousand dollars, embracing the five thousand, was completed, and it was resolved forthwith to raise an additional endowment, if possible, of twenty thousand, and a request was voted to the next annual conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church to appoint Rev. A. F. Waller as agent of the university for the ensuing year, to carry out the wishes of the Board in reference to the endowment. According to this request the bishop presiding at the ensuing conference appointed Rev. A. F. Waller agent, and he continued his efforts, as circumstances would permit, to enlarge the endowment fund by the sale of scholarships. As he
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had already thoroughly canvassed the ground in raising the fifteen thousand dollars, and as the com- munity was quite limited, and the people of wealth few and far between, it was found, after years of effort, to be quite impossible to raise an additional twenty thousand dollars. A few thousand, however, was added to the former collections, and the follow- ing is a list of the names of all the persons who, by the payment of five hundred dollars, have entitled themselves to perpetual scholarships :
Francis Fletcher
$500|Rev. William Roberts $500
Rev. C. S. Kingsley
500 Rev. J. H. Wilber 500
Rev. T. H. Pearne
500 Fletcher Crabtree 500
Hon. - Lansdale
500 W. W. M'Kinney 500
Hon. J. S. Smith. 500 William Odell 500
Rev. J. L. Parrish
500 Martin Vaughn 500
Rev. David Leslie.
500 W. O. Gibson 500
Mrs. C. A. Wilson
1,000 George Belknap 500
Rev. Jason Lee .
600 Orrin Belknap 500
Hon. L. F. Grover
500 Ransom Belknap 500
E. Strong
500
M. Swank. 500
M. Swegle
500 Elias Buel 500
J. N. Gilbert
500 James M'Kain. 500
Joseph Waldo
500 Mrs. Jane Armstrong. 500
Joseph Holman
500 Hon. John H. Moors 500
Rev. J. D. Boon.
500 Abijah Carey. . 500
Thomas Cross
500 Hon. Joseph Lane 500
Rev. Gustavus Hines
500 Hon. S. Stout
500
Webley Hauxhurst.
500 Hon. E. D. Baker.
500
Hon. J. M. Harrison
500 Rev. L. H. Judson
500
W. S. Ladd
500
500 Hon. Jeremiah Lampson 500
Rev. A. F. Waller
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CHAPTER X.
THE INTERNAL HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY.
FROM the imperfection of the records kept during a number of the early years of the school's history, and the fact that some of the records have been lost, it will be quite difficult, if not utterly impossible, to refer to the names of all who have taken a part in the internal management and conduct of the institution. I now refer to those persons who have been employed in the very responsible positions of presidents, pro- fessors, and teachers in the institution from the be- ginning in 1844 up to the present time. Some of the teachers who have been connected with the school have remained but a very short time, and considerable teaching has been done during some of the years of the school's history in the lower depart- ments by persons who have at the same time been pursuing their studies in the higher departments of science. If the names of any who have been regu- larly employed as teachers in any department shall be omitted in this chapter, such omission will be the result of the absence of the proper data. Some of the names of the early teachers have already been mentioned in this work ; but I shall run the hazard of being charged with repetition for the purpose of pre- senting the internal history of the school in one con-
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nection. The patrons of the Oregon Institute were very fortunate in the teacher that was employed to open the school. Mrs. Chloe E. Wilson has the enviable reputation of having been the first teacher in the Oregon Institute. The school was opened August 16, 1844, with some twenty pupils. These were mostly primaries, as up to this period but slight opportunities for the acquirement of even the funda- mental principles of education had existed. Mrs. Wilson continued in the school as the only teacher for two years, during which there was a large in- crease of population, and a corresponding growth of the school. In the spring of 1846 the number of pupils had increased to sixty, and at that time it was found necessary to employ an additional teacher. Accordingly Mr. Hinman, now the Hon. Mr. Hin- man, of Washington County, was employed to assist Mrs. Wilson, and continued in the institution for one year. In August, 1847, Mr. J. S. Smith, now the Hon. J. S. Smith, of Salem, and a most active and efficient member of the present Board of Trustees of the University, became connected with the school as teacher, and remained until February, 1848, when he left in consequence of ill health. Mrs. Wilson re- mained the principal conductor of the school until 1848, when the names of Rev. James H. Wilber and his daughter are found connected with the institution. How long the two latter taught in the institution does not appear.
Mr. St. J. M. Fackler, an Episcopal clergyman, who subsequently married the daughter of Mr. Wilber,
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but now deceased, though very much of an exclusive churchman, favored the institution for a short period with his experience as a teacher. In the estimation of many it was thought that it was a little doubtful which of the twain commanded most of the attention of the reverend gentleman, the school itself, or the accomplished daughter of Mr. Wilber. Judging, however, from the fact that so soon as the young lady was secured Mr. Fackler ceased his connection with the institution, it is natural to conclude that to win this inestimable prize was the principal motive that influenced him to condescend to become a teacher in the Oregon Institute. I do not intend by any means to cast reflections upon Mr. Fackler. He had an undoubted right to use all lawful and religious means to procure the blessing of a good wife, and having accomplished this somewhat difficult task in the manner above indicated, he settled in Oregon, and became the most active and efficient Episcopal clergyman in the country. Providence, however, did not long permit him to cherish the prize which he had won. An only daughter, and a fond and doting wife, her friends wept over her grave in the church- yard in the city of Portland ere she had attained her twentieth year. Mr. Fackler subsequently married a second time; but on a passage from Oregon to New York, after leaving the Isthmus of Panama, he died, and was buried at sea.
After those already mentioned, the names of the Rev. M. Eells and his wife, formerly connected with the mission in the Walla Walla country, established
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by Dr. Marcus Whitman under the direction of the American Board, appear among the teachers of the institute. This mission was broken up by the Indian war which followed the Whitman massacre, which occurred in the fall of 1847, and the surviving mem- bers were scattered to other portions of the country. Mr. Eells and his wife found employment for a while as teachers in the Oregon Institute, where they ex- erted an excellent influence, and contributed much while they remained to give character and stability to the school. The precise time when they com- menced their services and when they ceased their connection with the school do not appear upon the records ; but it is presumable from what does appear that they were officiating in the winter of 1849 and 1850.
At the second session of the Oregon and California Mission Conference, held at Oregon City September 4, 1850, the Rev. F. S. Hoyt and the Rev. Nehemiah Doane were appointed as teachers in the Oregon In- stitute. Mr. Hoyt had received his appointment from the Eastern States to Oregon with a view of taking charge of the Oregon Institute as the princi- pal whenever he should arrive in the country. He had not yet arrived, and Mr. Doane was placed in charge until Mr. Hoyt should reach the coast. Mr. Doane continued in the school for one year, Mrs. Doane assisting him as teacher during the same time. They were efficient and active, and gave excellent satisfaction to the patrons of the school ; but it was not necessary to continue both Mr. Hoyt and Mr.
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