USA > Pennsylvania > Cumberland County > Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of the Nineteenth Congressional District, Pennsylvania > Part 9
USA > Pennsylvania > Adams County > Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of the Nineteenth Congressional District, Pennsylvania > Part 9
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Colleges. Dickinson is the tenth oldest college in the United States, being founded on September 8, 1783. The colonies had just finished a long and arduous struggle for liberty; they were impoverished and with- out any assurance that permanent govern- ment could be established. The town of Carlisle was very far "West" in those days, and could be reached only by stage coach from Philadelphia and Baltimore. Chief Justice Taney devotes some space of his Memoir to the recital of his very exciting journey from Baltimore to the town. And yet many leading men urged the Legisla- ture of Pennsylvania to grant a charter for "the erection of a college in the Borough of Carlisle * * * for the education of youth in the learned and foreign languages,
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BIOGRAPHICAL AND PORTRAIT CYCLOPEDIA.
the useful arts, science and literature."
The establishment of a college west of the Susquehanna was not a new idea. Many prominent men had agitated the mat- ter before the Revolutionary War, plans had been made and some steps taken. These were necessarily interrupted during the period of struggle, when all energies were bent toward obtaining freedom and many educational institutions closed their doors. Naturally, at the close of the war the matter was again taken up and the col- lege founded. The college owes its origin in large part to Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independ- ence; and to Hon. John Dickinson, one of the most distinguished and respected Americans of his time, from whom it de- rived its name. The gifts of the latter made possible the starting of the college, and it was thought his name would "give character to the young institution." Dr. Rush, however, was more intimately con- nected with the college during its first years. He was continually active in its in- terest, at one time urging care that a suffi- ciently healthful location be selected, sug- gesting the kind of apparatus that should be secured for the various departments; at another time recommending men for the different professorships whom he thought would take a lively interest in the college, and who would do good service.
While these two men, Dickinson and Rush. were most directly interested in the establishment of the college all the public men and educators of the time had a deep concern for the success of the project. Among those who contributed funds were Hamilton and Jefferson, the French Am- bassador to this government, Comte de la Luzere,, and seventeen members of Con- gress. Even from England contributions were received. Being founded at the same time as the establishment of the national
government, it was thought to make it in a peculiar manner the guardian of our liber- ties. In the seals of Brown and Harvard is seen that education was regarded as the supporter of religion; in the seal of Dick- inson is first seen what we now regard as thefundamental principle of our existence as a nation, that the safety of liberty depends upon the intelligence and education of the people. The seal of the college is an open Bible, a Telescope, and a Liberty Cap, thus typifying the connection between religion, culture, and liberty. We have the same sentiment expressed in the motto, "Pietate et Doctrina Tuta Libertas."
The first president of the college was Rev. Charles Nesbit, D. D., of Montrose, Scotland. He had been an earnest sympa- thizer with the colonies in their struggle, and when approached with the offer of the principalship of an institution of learning in the new country, he was willing to accept, thinking that his work, in a country where the "minds of its citizens free from the shackles of authority yield more easily to reason," might do much for them. It was a great sacrifice to accept the position,-it meant that he must separate himself from his friends, by whom he was highly es- teemed and take up his home in a foreign country and among strangers. In Europe he was regarded as a very able Greek scholar, and indeed, his attainments in all intellectual lines were very distinguished.
On July 4, 1785, Dr. Nesbit arrived in Carlisle. Five miles from town he was met by a company of citizens and con- ducted to the barracks, which were for some time used for the purposes of the col- lege. He at once entered upon his work and continued as president until his death in 1804.
For the first nineteen years of Dickin- son's life this man was associated with her as president. He taught Moral Science
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. NINETEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
and Systematic Theology. and was in close personal contact with the students. With him in the faculty were James Ross, pro- fessor of Greek and Latin, Robert David- son, professor of History and Geography, and Mr. Tate, instructor in English. Soon after his arrival, Dr. Nesbit was taken sick with a fever. During this illness he was very much discouraged and regretted that he had ever left Scotland for such a "fever- stricken country." He resigned his posi- tion and thought of returning to the "old country." However, he regained his health and was persuaded to again take up his work as the head of the college. During his term as president he had to meet many discouragements; the professors who were associated with him at the start one by one resigned their positions and new men took their places; money was hard to get, and it was very difficult to keep the college run- ning. Dr. Nesbit remained firm and fully justified the opinion of those who had placed him at the head of the new enter- prise.
In 1787, the first class was graduated from the college, the degree of Bachelor of Arts being conferred on nine young men. About this time an appropriation for the college was made by the State, and the erec- tion of a building was begun on the lot which is now the beautiful campus of the college. This land was purchased direct from the Penn family. The hopes of the college began to rise. It was now the ob- ject of care of the great State of Pennsyl- vania, and began to take a prominent place among the institutions of learning of the country. But after Dr. Nesbit's death the college began to experience trouble. The faculty and trustees were joint administra- tors of discipline, and they did not always agree. In 1832 the authorities began to think of suspending operations. During this time, however, several distinguished
men filled positions as professors in the col- lege. Dr. Atwaler, president of Middle- bury College, Vermont, resigned his posi- tion to take the presidency of Dickinson. Dr. Thomas Cooper, one of the most dis- tinguished men of the early part of this century, who had been an able presiding judge for eight years, when he was im- peached and removed from office, was elected to the chair of Mineralogy and Chemistry. He was born in England, graduated at Oxford, and was on intimate terms with Pitt and Burke. His opinion on legal questions was regarded as author- ity by Madison and other Americans of that day. Among his legal writings is a translation of the Institutus of Justinian with notes. As a scientist, he was the friend of Priestly and had the use of his laboratory in Northumberland. There was much op- position to his election to a professorship in the college on account of the strong public sentiment against him. His first lecture was attended by the Board of Trus- tees in a body. It was ordered to be printed by the board and with the notes filled an octavo volume of 236 pages. He revived and for a number of years edited the Em- porium of Arts and Sciences, a bi-monthly magazine which had a subscription price of seven dollars per year. He also edited an American edition of Accum's Chemistry in two volumes, and of Thompson's Chemis- try, both of which were enriched by copi- ous notes of his own. He attracted many students to the college.
In June, 1815, President Atwaler, Dr. Cooper and Professor Shaw resigned, be- cause of what they considered unjust inter- ference on the part of the Trustees.
John B. Mason, D. D., of New York, was elected president and accepted. He was a graduate of Columbia College, New York, and had been provost of that insti- tution. For the first few years after Dr.
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BIOGRAPHICAL AND PORTRAIT CYCLOPEDIA.
Mason's taking office, the college pros- pered, but then, owing largely to his de- clining health and the jealousy between the Faculty and Trustees, it began to lose ground. In 1824, Dr. Mason resigned. Between this time and 1832, when the col- lege came into the hands of the Metho- dists, there were three presidents and two complete changes in the faculty, all the pro- fessors resigning in each case.
In 1832, committees of the Baltimore and Philadelphia conferences of the Methodist Church entered upon negotiations by which the control of the college came into their hands. Up to this time Dickinson had not been strictly a denominational school, though it was largely under Presbyterian influence. It was especially stipulated in the charter that at no time should two- thirds of the Trustees be of any one de- nomination. The State had made appro- priations from time to time amounting to over $40,000, and when it was supposed that the college was being controlled by the Presbyterians, it was made the subject of legislative investigation. So Dickinson begins her history as a church college in 1833, when the Methodists secured control.
Dr. John Price Durbin was elected pres- ident and had a most successful administra- tion. He surrounded himself with an able faculty, composed of distinguished men. Among them may be mentioned Caldwell, professor of Science; Rev. Robert Emory, professor of Ancient Languages, and Rev. John McClintock, professor of Mathemat- ics. An endowment fund was raised and the number of students began to increase. Strong discipline was enforced, the charter having been changed, placing this matter entirely in the hands of the Faculty. The administration of Dr. Durbin was the most successful the college had yet seen. The number of students was larger than at any previous time in its history, and
reached in 1849 two hundred and fifty-four. The character of the work done in the col- lege was high, and many of the graduates of those days have since become distin- guished. The history of colleges repeats itself, as well as the history of nations, and the story of Dickinson from the time of Durbin to Reed contains the usual periods of success, financial embarrassment and lack of students which are common to institu- tions of learning. Perhaps the most dis- couraging period was that of the Civil War, but all other colleges experienced the same troubles, as did Dickinson. Since the war, Dickinson has been constantly growing and improving. A scientific building, the gift of Jacob Trone, now accomodates the scien- tific departments, which were but illy pro- vided for in former days. Bosler Hall, the gift of the widow of the late James W. Bosler, now affords room for the libraries of the college and literary societies, and has also a large chapel. Some years ago ladies were admitted to the college, and within the past two years a hall has been secured for them. The last addition in the way of buildings is Denny Hall, given up entirely to recitation purposes and the accommoda- tion of the literary societies. The material equipment of the college is thus complete. Within a few years, several of the chairs have been endowed, so the college seems to be at the beginning of a prosperous period.
The Law School has had a long and hon- ored life.
The Collegiate Preparatory school of the college is coeval in history with the college itself and has been a very important factor in the life of the institution. More than 100 students have been in attendance dur- ing the final year, 1896-7, and there will be a necessity of enlargement of its accommo- dations in the immediate future. The school does only college preparatory work
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NINETEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
and in its line has few superiors.
In the earlier part of the century a law department was established in con- nection with the college, which for many years was under the efficient supervis- ion of Judge Reed, in his day one of the most noted jurists of Pennsylvania, who in turn was followed by Judge Gra- liam, of the Cumberland county bar. Under the administration of these efficient gentlemen were trained many young men afterward famous as lawyers, jurists and statesmen, notably Hon. A. G. Curtin, the famous war governor of Pennsylvania; the Hon. Nathaniel B. Smithers, of Delaware; Justice Gibson, of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; Chief Justice Chas. B. Lore, of Delaware, and many other of similar dis- tinction. Just prior to the war the school was discontinued after a long and most successful career.
In 1890 under the administration of President Reed, who associated with him- self William Trickett, LL. D., and Hon. Wilbur F. Sadler, President Judge of the district, the school was re-established, no longer, however, as a department of the college proper, but as an associate institu- tion, being known as the Dickinson School of Law, of which the president of Dickin- son college is ex-officio president. Wm. L. Trickett is dean and the following gen- tlemen instructors: Hon. Wilbur F. Sadler, A. M., professor of Criminal Law; Hon. J. M. Weakley, professor of the Law of Plead- ing; H. Silas Stuart, A. M., professor of the Law of Partnership; George Edward Mills, Esq., A. B., LL. B., professor of Law of Torts; M. W. Jacobs, Esq., A. M., profes- sor of Equity; Albert H. Bolles, Ph. D., professor of Law of Contracts.
Among the fifty incorporators are a ma- jority of the president judges of the State and men eminent in professional life in ad- jacent States. Since its re-organization
the school has been attended with almost unprecedented prosperity. Beginning with II students, in the year 1897, 93 were en- rolled and a class of 30 men graduated. It has for its accommodation a commodious building with a fine library, the latter being one of the best in the State.
During the past four years great efforts have been made to reform the department of the college curriculum and to bring the institution, with respect to requirements for admission and extent of courses of study fully abreast of the leading colleges of the country.
During the administration of President Reed the number of students in attendance at the institution has increased from 160 in 1889 to 410 in 1897, with every prospect that the remarkable growth of the past eight years will be surpassed by that of the future.
As indicative of the value of the work accomplished by the so-called "small col- leges"-small only as compared with the numbers of a few great institutions, the records of the Alumni of Dickinson Col- lege since its establishment in 1783, is highly suggestive and would seem to show conclusively that the day of the small col- lege has by no means passed away in the United States.
STATISTICS.
Alumni of Dickinson College.
Whole number, about 3,700
Entered professional life, so far as
known, 1,559
Entered the ministry, 560
Entered the legal profession,
College presidents, 530
30
Presidents of professional schools,
30
Professors of colleges, 80
Principals of seminaries,
83
Army officers,
70
Members of the State legislatures, 61
State Senators, 8
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BIOGRAPHICAL AND PORTRAIT CYCLOPEDIA.
Journalists,
50
Chief Justice of the United States,
I
Associate Justice of the United States,
I
Chief Justices of States, Judges of lower courts,
12
43
Cabinet officers,
7
Governors of States, 2
Bishops of M. E. Church, 2
Bishops of P. E. Church, 2
Bishops of Reformed Episcopal Church, I
President of the United States, I
Competent judges have declared that the record of the Dickinson Alumni, considered relatively to the number of men graduated from her halls, cannot be surpassed by that of any other college in the land.
Crowned with the laurels of one hun- dred and fourteen years of successful his- tory, full of hopefulness and progressive spirit and with an accomplished corps of instructors, there is every reason to pre- dict that the college will enjoy a career of unprecedented prosperity in the future years that are opening up before it.
PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE. This institu- tion of higher education was chartered April 7th, 1832. The class work began in September of the same year. The first class graduated in 1834.
The origin of the college was the neces- sity of college training for ministers of the Lutheran Church. The beginnings of the college were very moderate, the small plain building on the southeast corner of Wash- ington and High street; no endowment and few teachers, but a large faith in the support of the Lutheran Church. This faith has been justified and the college has been true to the church. No other instru- ment has been so potent for the advance- ment of the English Lutheran Church in the United States.
The establishing of the college was specially the work of S. S. Schmucker, D.
D., the professor of Theology in the, at that time, recently established Theological Semi- nary at Gettysburg. Dr. Schmucker and his co-laborers had been interested for some years in the Gettysburg Gymnasium, out of which they developed the college.
The location of the college was deter- mined by the presence at Gettysburg of the Theological Seminary of the General Synod of the Lutheran Church, and by the accessibility of the town by the modes of conveyance then in vogue, the stage coach of the early third of the century. Some years after the general construction of rail- roads, Gettysburg was out of the ordi- nary lines of travel, but in recent years it is again easy of access from all directions.
The control of the college is in the hands of thirty-six trustees, who elect their own successors, except that the Alumni associa- tion selects six of the members. The trus- tees have been most faithful to their trust and have carefully done all that has been possible to increase the efficiency of the in- stitution. The college campus has gradu- ally grown from six acres, in 1835, to forty- three acres. The larger portion of the grounds are in fair condition, the other por- tion being held for future improvement. The buildings consist of the Dormitory Building erected in 1835-8. This was orig- inally used for all purposes and has gradu- ally been restricted to its present use. The Gymnasium, originally the Linnaean Hall, erected in 1847, for museum purposes and class rooms for the preparatory depart- ment, was in 1890 considerably enlarged and fully equipped for its present uses. The Recitation Hall, erected in 1888-9, is a mon- umentof the devoted good will of the friends of the college. This building is used for lecture rooms, class rooms, library and mu- seum purposes, besides containing the handsome halls of the literary societies.
Brua Chapel, erected in 1889-90, is the
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NINETEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
gift of the late Col. John P. Brua, Col. U. S. A., as a memorial to his parents.
The chemical laboratory is a well equip- ped building for the uses of that depart- ment, and was arranged for its present uses in 1890.
The astronomical observatory waserected in 1874, and is equipped for instruction and investigation. Besides these buildings there are the President's house, two pro- fessor's houses, the boiler house, furnishing steam heat to the various buildings, and three Greek letter society houses. At this writing arrangements are being made for the building of additional dormitory ac- commodations. The various buildings aggregate a value of about $250,000.
The curriculum of the institution has been the great care of those entrusted with the management of the affairs of the col- lege. The ends aimed at have been men- tal training and the acquisition of valuable knowledge, with the great purpose of train- ing students for manly labor in God's work in the various activities of life. With these purposes in view the courses of study have been frequently advanced that the institu- tion might manfully co-operate with other colleges in the field of higher education. The two principal changes in the curricu- lum have been: the establishing in 1888 of a course of study leading to the B. S. de- gree and the introduction in 1891 of a lim- ited number of elective studies.
The college possesses a large mineralog- ical collection an extensive herbarium, a fair lithological collection and smaller col- lections illustrating other departments of instruction. The libraries number in the aggregate nearly twenty-four thousand vol- umes.
The Literary societies of the college have had a history of great usefulness, beginning with the ception of the college The
Young Men's Christian Association has been for a number of years an important factor in the religious work of the college. Young men have, and must largely have, a very great influence in moulding the character of their associates. Conscious of this fact many students during their college life begin to be, what they should be, influ- ential for good among their fellows. Believ- ing that the body must be wisely cared for, athletics have been fostered by the authori- ties of the college. The purpose has been to make the training of the body not sub- sidiary to but correlative with mental dis- cipline and thus better fit men for a true life of usefulness.
The finances of the college have been carefully husbanded by the Trustees; at present the endowment is about $210,- 000. Much must yet be done. New fa- cilities must be had in training force, appli- ances and those matters which can be ob- tained from enlarged endowment. The confidence which is placed in the college by . the graduates and by the church to which the college belongs has been a source of direct and of moral strength which has in a large measure been the reason for the suc- cess attained.
The graduates of the college now num- ber 1,043, of whom 806 are living. Among these are numbered many who have been potential for good in their own day and for many other days in their work in directing the thoughts and labors of the many who have been under their influence.
Among the principal benefactors of the college have been: Mr. J. E. Graeff, who beside establishing the chair of English Lit- erature has given largely in many other di- rections; the Ockershausen Brothers who gave the fund on which in parts depends the Ockershausen Professorship; the Graff family, who have established the chair of Physical Culture and Hygiene in
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BIOGRAPHICAL AND PORTRAIT CYCLOPEDIA.
memory of the son and brother, Charles H. Graff, M. D .; Mr. James Strong who has founded in honor of his wife the Amanda Rupert Strong Professorship of English Bible and the Chaplaincy; Mr. Wm. Bitten- ger who bequeathed funds to maintain the Professorship of Intellectual and Moral Sci- ence; and the Pearson family who have given the funds for the Latin Professorship. Among others who have given largely we mention several from the territory included in this volume: the late C. A. Morris and Mr. P. H. Glatfelter, of Spring Forge, both of whom have given largely in money time and thought to the affairs of the col- lege.
There may be distinguished three periods in the history of Pennsylvania College: the establishing and foundation of the college under the direction of Dr. Schmucker, act- ing President for two years and the Presi- dency of Charles P. Krauth, D. D .; the development of the institution under the Presidency of H. L. Baugher, D. D., and M. Valentine, D. D .; and the epoch of a new departure during the Presidency of H. W. McKnight, D. D. Each of these periods has been marked by its own elements of usefulness, each was the outgrowth of con- ditions existing in the preceding period and each was necessary to the succeeding per- iod. The college has been served by men devoted to her interests and using the op- portunities which from time have occurred to further the growth of the college and to enlarge her field of usefulness. From the beginning there has been allied with the col- lege, a preparing school; this department has been of great importance to the advan- ced department. In earlier years nearly all the students of the college classes were from this preparatory school; of late years a large portion of the students enter Fresh- men from various High Schools and Acad- amies. This preparatory school has occu-
pied since 1868 the building specially erec- ted for its use on Carlisle street, while un- der the same Board of Trustees and in a general way under control of the faculty of the college. It has its own system of gov- ernment and is in arrangement of work adapted to those in a less advanced course of work.
The Faculty of Pennsylvania College for the year 1896-7 consists of:
Harvey W. McKnight, D. D. LL. D., president, and William Bittinger professor of Intellectual and Moral Science. Adam Martin, D. D., professor of the German Language and Literature, and instructor in French. John A. Himes, A. M., Graeff professor of English Literature and Polit- ical Science, and Librarian. Rev. Philip M. Bikle, Ph. D., dean, and Pearson profes- sor of the Latin Language and Literature. Edward S. Breidenbaugh, Sc. D., Ocker- shausen professor of Chemistry and Min- eralogy, and Curator of the Museum. George D. Stahley, A. M., M. D., Dr. Charles H. Graff, professor of Physical Culture and Hygiene, and secretary of the Faculty. Henry B. Nixon, Ph. D., professor of Mathematics and Astronomy. Eli Huber, D. D., Amanda Rupert Strong professor of English Bible, and chaplain. Rev. Oscar G. Klinger, A. M., Franklin professor of the Greek Language and Lit- erature. Hon. John Stewart, A. M., lec- turer on Jurisprudence. Rev. Charles H. Huber, A. M., principal of the Preparatory Department, and professor of Latin and English. Clyde B. Stover, A. B., assistant in Chemistry. Abraham B. Bunn Van Or- mer, Ph. D., tutor in Greek and History. Luther P. Eisenhart, A. B., tutor in Math- ematics and Natural Science. William E. Wheeler, Physical instructor. Thomas J. Reisch, instructor in Penmanship. George F. Abel, proctor. Henry C. Picking, A. B.,
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