USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. I > Part 4
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Rev. George Wilson McPhail, D. D., LL. D., who had been for some years the scholarly pastor of the Brainerd Presbyterian church in Easton, was called to the presidency in 1857, Dr. McLean having resigned.
THE STUDENTS BECOME SOLDIERS .- The war cloud of 1861 overshadowed every College in the middle states. The students of the College organized themselves into a military
company for daily drill, and soon there were not enough remaining to go through the form of commencement exercises in 1863. A proud chapter in the record of the alumni of Lafayette is that which contains its military roll. Not counting, of course, the five trustees who served
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in the war of 1812-1815, it bears two hundred and eighty-six names, of whom two hundred and fifty-six served in the army and navy on the Un- ion side in 1861 to 1865. This includes only those who were regularly mustered into military service, and does therefore not contain many who served their country efficiently, but did not wear the soldier's uniform. Every institution felt the heavy hand of war, but not for a day were the doors of Lafayette closed, nor was one recitation cmitted. Such men as Professors Coffin, March, Coleman, Eckard and Youngman, never knew what it was to be absent from their post of duty or to omit a recitation. Although funds were low and students few, the faculty kept on, and the fires on Lafayette's altar were kept burning. It was in 1863 that the happy thought came to the board of trustees to invite one of their number, who had formerly been an efficient member of the de-
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partment of Latin and Greek, to become president of the College. In the recent war with Spain thirty Lafayette students held positions.
THE BRILLIANT PRESIDENCY OF DR. W. C. CATTELL .- Dr. Cattell accordingly left his flourishing charge in Harrisburg to ac- cept the arduous duties of the presidency, and without assurance of any compensation. He brought to his task a spirit of rare devotion and wonderful enthusiasm, and a firm faith that a forward movement could be made with increased success. Genial and sunny in disposition, pro- gressive in his plans, charitable to those who dif- fered from him, he won friends in every direction. His solicitations for funds were not unheeded. Often rebuffed, he did not falter, and in his ample dictionary was no such word as fail. Improbus labor omnia vincit." When in 1864 the number of students was raised to fifty-one, he was wont to humorously answer those who asked how many there were, by replying, "Between fifty and one hundred." And this well illustrated his sunny mood. He early gained the sympathy of Ario Pardee, who for thirty years had been well known as a miner of anthracite in Hazleton. A man of broad views, matured by early training, diligent reading and an equal thirst for knowl- edge, this philanthropist became an ardent friend of the College. Beginning in October, 1864, by the gift of $20,000, he steadily increased his bene- factions until they resulted in the endowment and establishment of the Pardee Scientific Depart- ment, in March, 1866. This twin sister of the old-line classical department has thrived mightily. It is related that Mr. Pardee's sympathy for the College was especially aroused on Dr. Cattell's first visit to him, when the president mentioned that among the alumni who had contributed one hundred dollars each to the endowment was a minister living near Hazleton, who during his College course had been a clerk for Mr. Pardee.
SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY ESTABLISHED .- For thirty-three years the College had been conducted wholly along classical lines. Greek and Latin were pursued by every student. But the tide of industrial activity that was called forth in every part of the land upon the conclu-
sion of the war, was felt in many institutions, and their curricula were extended to meet the new demand for a practical education. Lafayette was not deaf to the call.
Maurice C. Eby, of the class of 1869, who was later mayor of Harrisburg, was the first person to enter the new course of scientific study. The demand for technical instruction sprang up so- rapidly that professorships in mining, civil en- gineering, mechanics, modern languages and the natural sciences were established. Each of these lines of study gained quick development under the assiduous care of able instructors. Hereto- fore the roll of the faculty had never contained more than eight names; now it was enlarged to twenty-one.
DONATIONS AND NEW BUILDINGS ERECTED. Men of wealth accepted seats in the board of trustees. Thomas Beaver, of Danville, endowed the chair of botany, to which he gave the name of the Jessie Chamberlin Profes- sorship, in loving memory of a daughter. Rev. Thomas C. Porter, D. D., LL. D., a alumnus of the class of 1840, who had for a score of years ably filled the Professorship of Natural Sciences in Franklin and Marshall College, was called to this chair, a position which he graced for thirty- five years, until his death in 1901. Dr. Porter gradually built up an extensive College Herbar- ium particularly rich in North American species. It contains the type-specimens of the species de- scribed by him in his monographs. A Library also, rich in the literature pertaining to the sub- ject, has been accumulated in the same way, and the letters received in correspondence with dis- tinguished naturalists have been preserved. The flora of the state of Pennsylvania is acknowledged to be the most complete in existence. It is fully described by him in a posthumous work edited by his nephew, John Kunkel Small, Ph. D., 1903. In Northampton county and at various points along the Delaware river Dr. Porter discovered many rare plants some of them belonging to vege- tation of the glacial epoch.
Another liberal donor was Barton H. Jenks, of Philadelphia, who built on the lower slope of the campus the handsome and commodious hall
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that still bears his name, and is now used by the Biological Department. The Astronomical Ob- servatory was erected in 1865 by the liberality of Professor Traill Green, M. D., LL. D., whose services to the College as professor and trustee began in 1837 and ended with his death in 1897. At the time of laying of its corner stone an ad- dress was delivered by Professor William Hark- ness, M. D., LL. D., of the class of 1858, who for a long time was connected with the scientific work of the government, and well known as the head of the Naval Observatory at Washington.
of the building. Another trustee who also served the College long and well, was found in William Adamson, a manufacturer of Philadelphia, who was an elder in the church at Germantown, of which Dr. Knox was pastor. The latter so ur- gently stated the needs of the College that Mr. Adamson was led to endow the Professorship of Analytical Chemistry in the sum of $20,000. The Professorship of Mining Engineering was en- dowed by George B. Markle, of Hazleton. John Welles Hollenback, the successor of Mr. Pardee as president of the board of trustees, endowed
OBSERVATORY.
It consists of a tower, two transit rooms with a lecture room attached, is fitted up with re- volving dome and telescope, a transit instru- ment, and other apparatus for observing astronomical facts, and for
a thorough study of astronomy. The citizens of Easton added a commodious wing at the east end of the original College building, and several ladies of Pennsylvania contributed funds to build a chapel at the west end, thus completing the symmetry 2
the Professorship of Mathematics, besides mak- ing generous gifts to the College. The benefac- tions of Mr. Hollenback constitutes of itself a long chapter in the history of the College. He is still living, and continuing his friendly interest in the institution, with which members of his family have been connected during nearly all its history.
In "The Men of Lafayette," page 47, we find the statement that the citizens of Easton con-
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tributed in 1872 the sum of $22,624 to complete the east wing of South College, and in 1872, the sum of $4,700 toward the new Chapel, to which also Mrs. W. C. Ferriday and Mrs. Ellen J. Welles, of Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, contributed each $5,000. John A. Brown, of Philadelphia, $20,000 ; Charles O. Baird, of Philadelphia, $16,- 000; F. Marquand's estate, of Brooklyn, $17,500; William E. Dodge, of New York and Joseph H. Scranton, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, each $15,- 000; Thomas L. McKeen and Mrs. W. C. Cat- tell, both of Easton, each $10,000; Seldon T. Scranton, of Oxford, New Jersey, $7,500; Al- fred Martien, of Philadelphia, and Benjamin G. Clark, of New York, each $6,000; Morris Patter- son, of Philadelphia, Rev. Matthew Newkirk, of Philadelphia, John T. Johnston, of New York, Alexander Whilldin, of Philadelphia, Thomas Dickson, of Scranton, G. Dawson Coleman, of Lebanon, and Matthew Baird, of Philadelphia, each $5,000. Hon. John I. Blair, candidate for the governorship of New Jersey, gave a consider- able tract of land to the College. When the little red memorandum book of President Junkins (previously mentioned in this article) was shown him by Dr. Cattell, in which was recorded his sub- scription of $2.00 to the College in 1834, he readily accepted the suggestion that this invest- ment had proved so profitable that it deserved to be increased. Accordingly he bought a residence for the president, and endowed the presidential chair in the sum of $40,000.
Great demands were made on the College on account of its peculiar relations to the industrial resources of our country. Lafayette College is in the midst of the great mining and manufac- turing region of the middle states. Every process used in the mining and working of the various ores of iron, and the manufacture of iron into the thousand forms in which it is used, is going on almost within sight. Near by are the coal mines that supply the markets of Philadelphia and New York. Mineral wealth abounds on all sides. The expert is continually called on to examine new tracts of land, to analyze new ores, and to devise new ways of working and handling them. Here every resource of engineering is
displayed in the works connected with the prep- aration and transport of lumber, and the carry- ing of railroads and canals through the moun- tains and over the rivers. Those who wish to prepare themselves to be working engineers in any of these departments come from all parts of the country to observe and study these works, and it is most desirable that adequate means should he provided for the prosecution of scientific stu- dies in the midst of them. It will be noticed throughout that the whole scientific course is intended to have the christian character which its trustees have always endeavored to impress upon the studies of the College, and that science shall be here so taught as to become the hand- maid of religion. Beside the scientific and thor- ough study of the Word of God in all the classes special lectures are given upon the relation of science with religion.
PARDEE HALL ERECTED .- In 1869 Pres- ident Cattell made an extended tour of Europe, where he visited many institutions of learning, and particularly those in which scien- tific instruction was prominent. On his return Mr. Pardee gave ready ear to his report, and list- ened cheerfully to the suggestion that the outfit of the College should be completed by the con- struction of an edifice especially adapted to the growth and new needs of Lafayette. Consequently Mr. Pardee began the erection of the stately hall that was honored with his name. Of generous proportions and large capacity, it has long proved a comfortable home for the technical courses of study. Though accidentally destroyed by fire in 1879, it was rebuilt with increased facilities for instruction. At the rededication in 1880 there was present an illustrious group, including among others President Hayes, Hon. Alexander Ram- sey, Secretary of War, Hon. Horace Maynard, Postmaster General, General William T. Sher- man, and many other officials of high repute.
In its various laboratories, museums, and apartments devoted to many lines of professional study for the engineer and man of science. Par- dee Hall has an ample and generous equipment. Valuable apparatus of great variety has been gathered, models of machinery are ready for in-
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spection by the students, and many original dis- coveries have been made by those who have searched diligently into the recesses of natural physics.
The labor of President Cattell was assiduous and in every way successful. His last work was the gathering of funds with which to erect a suitable gymnasium, which was completed about
him. A beautiful dormitory bearing his name commemorates his welcome aid.
DR. WARFIELD CHOSEN PRESIDENT .- In 1890 Dr. Traill Green became acting president upon the resignation of Dr. Knox. The trus- tees sought for a permanent president, whom they found in 1891, when Ethelbert Dudley War- field, LL. D., was called from the presidency of
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the time of his resignation in 1884. The imme- diate successor of President Cattell was Rev. James H. Mason Knox, D. D., LL. D., who had long served the College efficiently as a trustee and under his care the institution continued to maintain a high standard of scholarship in all its departments. It was through his wisdom and foresight that Daniel B. Fayerweather, a wealthy manufacturer of leather in New York City, be- came interested in the College, and added La- fayette to the list of institutions so generously remembered in his will. The fruits of his bene- faction came to the College a few years later in double the amount of the $50,000 first written by
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, to take charge of the fortunes of Lafayette. It is interesting to note that a half century before Lafayette had given to Miami a president in Dr. George Junkin, and soon afterward an able professor of Greek and Latin, Charles Elliott, D. D., LL. D., of the illustrious class of 1840, whose members all at- tained great prominence. At the time of his elec- tion Dr. Warfield was one of the youngest col- lege presidents in the land. A lawyer by pro- fession and gifted as a writer, he had already penned articles for Quarterly Reviews, and writ- ten a book entitled "History of the Kentucky Res- olutions of 1798." He entered upon his work
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with ardor, and brought to it that energy that comes from quick perception, tact and readiness to improve every opportunity offered for the ad- vancement of the College. Without undoing any of the good work of his predecessors, he built well on the foundation they had so wisely laid. Political Science, as embraced in the study of the Constitution of the United States, Political Economy, and an elective course in the study of Blackstone's Commentaries, had long been a notable feature of the College curriculum. To this Dr. Warfield added a prescribed course of read- ings upon the history of the American Colonies, their relations with Great Britain prior to 1775, and the causes and consequences of the Revolu- tion. These and the study of English Constitu- tional History are designed to give intelligent basis for American citizenship, and to prepare the way for original investigation into the early history of our Country.
THE CURRICULUM MODIFIED AND EXTENDED. -The course in Ethics and Theism has been much extended. President Warfield early heeded the call that came so loudly from the medical profession for an extension of the old line of study in the natural sciences to embrace biology, at least so far as to initiate college students into the new methods of Biolog- ical research. The aim is to provide in the last two years of the College course for the attain- ment of practical knowledge in botany, zoology, mammalian anatomy and histology, without sac- rificing the ends of general culture and discipline, which are sought in all the undergraduate courses. A concise knowledge of the lower forms of ani- mal and plant life is given, including a brief sur- vey of bacteriology. Special attention is given to the life history of the invertebrates and their economic relations to the human race. Vertebrate morphology gives an opportunity for the comparative study of the various systems and organs in the vertebrata. Amphioxus, petromyzen, carp, frog, tur- tle, pigeon, cat and dog, are among the forms dissected and otherwise studied. The manner of development of the animal kingdom is brought prominently before the student by specially pre-
pared charts and diagrams. Human anatomy and physiology are taught by experiments, draw- ings, reports, and recitations, by the students and lectures, demonstrations, and quizzes by the instructor. A large laboratory well equipped with microscopes, microtome, water bath, Koch's vegetation incubator, reagents, numerous skele- tons, etc., afford ample facilities for the above work.
Geology and mining are thoroughly studied. Among the teaching appliances of this depart- ment may be mentioned an excellent study col- lection of igneous rocks consisting of about eight hundred specimens, many of which have their corresponding thin sections for microscopic study. They are added to from time to time. Also an equally good collection of twelve hun- dred specimens illustrating stratigraphical geo- logy, numerous physiographical and geological maps; sixty-four large palaeontological charts, made under the direction of Prof. V. Zittle, of the University of Munich; an excellent stereop- ticon, with about seven hundred slides, illustrat- ing a great variety of geological and palaeonto- logical subjects, and numerous wooden, glass, and plaster models for class room work in geo- logy and mineralogy.
Another course that has proved extremely popular was established in 1889 because of an ur- gent call for it, viz : the course in Electrical En- gineering. Several fine rooms in the eastern end of Pardee Hall are devoted to it. The gen- eral Laboratory is supplied with continuous cur- rents from the Edison Illuminating Company. There are separate laboratories for testing, for photometric and spectroscopic work. A work- shop is run by a gas engine and electric motors. In it are lathes, emery wheels, and the usual ap- pliances of a repair shop. Special libraries are provided for the various technical courses-one for the department of physics, for civil and min- ing engineering, and biology and chemistry.
Early in Dr. Warfield's presidency came the bequest of Daniel B. Fayerweather by means of which the hall that bears his name and Knox Hall were not only added to the dormitories, but the architectural construction of all the buildings.
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in the row was renovated ; steam heat and electric light were introduced; and all the arrangements of the dormitories made more convenient to the students, and at the same time numerous archi- tectural changes made the row far more pleasing to the eye.
The Van Wickle Memorial Library was com- pleted in 1900. It is the fruit of the bequest of the late A. S. VanWickle, of Hazleton, a son-in- law of Ario Pardee. This library has given to the College one of the most needed additions to its equipment. A beautiful building of Pom- peian brick and terra cotta thoroughly furnished with the most approved appliances for library work. It is at once a most beautiful and useful feature of the College's development. It con- tains a reading room in which the periodicals and books of most constant reference are to be found ; a reference book department ; a large room for general storage of the library; librarian's room, and smaller rooms for special work. Mrs. Van- Wickle has placed in the reading room a memorial window executed by Tiffany & Company, repre- senting Sir Philip Sidney at the siege of. Zutphen. The whole number of volumes in possession of the College is now thirty thousand.
A fine structure occupies the northwestern part of the campus, the gift of James Gayley, a graduate of the class of 1876. Mr. Gayley now occupies the responsible position of first vice- president of the United States Steel Corporation. He, his honored father, and several other mem- bers of his family before him, completed their studies in Lafayette. They have all been devoted to the interest of the College. This stately build- ing bears over its front the inscription "The Gay- ley Laboratory of Chemistry and Metallurgy."
Perhaps no addition to the College in recent years is more appreciated than the stately Brainerd Hall, dedicated in 1902. It is intended for the convenience of the students, and to be- come the headquarters for their various public and social enterprises. It occupies a command- ing position on the northern part of the campus. It is seventy-five feet east of Powell Hall. It has a frontage of ninety-five feet and a depth of fifty-five feet. It is designed in the English
Gothic style of architecture, and built of New Quincy granite at a total cost of $35,000. It has three stories, the second containing the chapel for religious meetings, seated for three hundred persons. The whole building is finished in most artistic style, and is a splendid memorial to the taste and generosity of the giver, Mr. James Ren- wick Hogg, of Philadelphia, a graduate of the class of '78. Mr. Hogg succeeded his father as a manufacturer of carpets. The Presbyterian Hos- pital in Philadelphia owes its origin largely to the beneficence of his father.
The Young Men's Christian Association in- cludes in its membership about one-half of the students. They conduct Sunday schools and numerous religious meetings ; and by their annual contributions support a foreign missionary.
ATHLETIC, SOCIAL LIFE AND FRATERNITIES .- The students of Lafayette have made the college conspicuous in the eyes of the youths of the land by their prowess in the various departments of athletic sports. Harvard, Princeton, and Yale have frequently been beaten by the Lafayette team in the spring contests on the diamond. In the autumnal season of football, Lafayette men are always heard from, and the personnel of the team is watched with interest. A trophy room in Brainerd Hall is devoted to a large collection of symbols and memorials of their prowess. When the team of 1882 gained a great victory over Harvard, in the presence of an assemblage of twelve thousand, in the "tug of war," the Boston papers explained the defeat of their home team by saying, "No wonder those Pennsyl- vanians had such a pull for their college is built on a high hill, and their calves have had no end of muscular development."
The social life of the students, as indicated in part by the existence of flourishing mandolin, banjo, and glee clubs, by a dramatic association, a press club, and a series of student assemblies, is such as to have given a marked attachment to "the City at the Forks of the Delaware," where these youthful pleasures become pleasing mem- ories. Nor is it at all unnatural to add that not a few return after graduation to carry away brides from the Triple City.
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In 1889 the high standing of the College was testified to by the granting of a charter to es- tablish a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa fra- ternity. This was the earliest organization of men of letters, in this country, and it bears date before the Declaration of American Independence. None but the highest scholars are eligible to its membership, and it now numbers one hundred members. Numerous other Greek letter fratern- ities exist-the Delta Kappa Epsilon, Zeta Psi, Theta Delta Chi, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Delta Theta, Chi Phi, Phi Gamma Delta, Delta Upsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, Psi Alpha Kappa, and Al- pha Chi Rho Rho. The Sigma Chi has a beautiful hall on Clinton street. The Delta Kappa Epsilon in January, 1904, occupied their charming home on Sullivan street, seventy by thirty feet, three stories high, and containing twenty-two rooms. The architect was J. N. Harris, of Philadelphia, who has made the structure tasty and appropriate in every respect. The hall cost $17,000.
WHAT THE COLLEGE HAS ACCOMPLISHED .- As an incentive to high scholarship among the students, there are distributed annually twenty- five prizes which range from five to one hundred dollars each. These are given for excellence in various departments of study. Few graduates of the College fail to secure immediate posi- tions. The books of the institution show that 5,123 have been enrolled as students during the past seventy-two years. Of these two thousand and seventy-one have graduated. This number in- cluded over six hundred ministers; forty-three foreign missionaries ; seven hundred and sixty lawyers ; forty-two judges ; seventy-one members of Congress or the Legislature; three hundred and ninety-two physicians; three hundred and eighty-two professors and teachers ; and seventy- eight editors. Those in the technical courses num- ber twelve hundred. These are engaged in en- gineering and chemistry, assaying, railroad man- agement, mining and the like.
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