Indiana University - Arbutus Yearbook (Bloomington, IN)

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David Starr Jordan Pioneer in Indiana ' s development of its members was Joseph A. Wright. It is not recorded with what honors he left the school, whether they were high or low; the average Indiana student of today knows not whether he was a shining student, a mediocre one, or a poor one. The people of the State of Indiana do know, however, that he served the state and the nation as an executive and as a statesman. We find that from the very start, humble and inaus- picious as it might have been, men and women were unconsciously inspired by this mighty spirit to obey its unspoken commands. To trace the growth of the University through the first hundred years belongs to another agency. It is our part to show the continuity and permanence of the products which were illustrated at the very start. The years passed on and, when the nation was plunged into civil strife that threatened its very existence, the students of Indiana University responded to the utmost of their ability. This, too, is a matter of history — history of which we, as her sons and daughters, may well be proud. But not all of her feats and achieve- ments occurred on the field of battle or in diplomatic and political fields. We find that in everyday life, not only in this state nor even in this nation, thousands of men and women have been per- forming deeds worthy of remembrance which have never been recorded. There is no definite record of how many lives are due to the teach- ing of Indiana, of how much misery and poverty have been eradicated through her agency, nor of how many industrial and economic advances have been influenced by the foundations which she has laid. We do not know definitely to what an ex- Memorial Hall, part of the project tent the beauties of the earth Alumni of ' 73 returned for commencement si-iif l v .. — f jilt m lift 1 H IB ■1 [ I A G E 2 0]

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Joseph A. Wright A graduate of the first cla Is it the spirit with which new buildings are paid for by the sacrifice of loyal students and alumni? These are but the ebullitions, some great and some very small, of this great force which is causing Indiana to advance to some- thing entirely different. The true spirit of Indiana is the spirit that causes the students and graduates of Indiana to be true to themselves and true members of the society in which they are placed. Indiana University is placing citi- zens of the state and of the nation in positions where they may benefit the individual and those people who are dependent upon that individual in that he is a necessary part in the action of the society to which he belongs. Soldier, statesman, scientist, educator, it matters not. The part is a minor thing; the action is the vital necessity. And has there been proof that the spirit of Indiana has functioned in this manner? Let us turn the pages of her history and perceive the actions of her men and women. They will tell us of the manner in which the injunctions of the true spirit have been carried out. In the early pages of Indiana University ' s history, we find that classes in a very few subjects, taught by a very small faculty, in a diminutive building, were the sum total of the activities of the time. There was no frenzied shouting at football games; there was no daily paper; there was, ostensibly at least, no social organizations with their various pursuits. Yet, at that very time, when all seemed so quiet, when there was really no Indiana University, the spirit of In- diana was operating. The first class left the small building in 1829; one Dr. Andrew Wylie First President Owen Hall, one of the first campus building [PAGE 19]

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President W. L. Bryan have been enhanced to her sons and daughters through the theories and facts which they have learned from the philosophies of life which they have studied within her walls. It matters not that we cannot measure these things. The only truth is that they have existed and that they do exist. The scoffers and sneerers cannot deny this fact. Now that we have defined this spirit, let us proceed to the proof of its existence. The proofs which have been offered during its defi- nition were merely incidental, convincing as they might be to a person open to conviction. But within recent years, indisputable proof has been added. It is also well to point out to the undergraduate of today and the alumnus of tomorrow that many of the tangible things which he sees about him were not procured through absolute necessity. In 1917, when the nation took up arms against a foreign power in the greatest conflict of which she has ever been a participant, Tndiana University im- mediately became a contributing factor to the mili- tary forces of the United States. Students rushed to volunteer for the defense of their nation ' s standard. They knew not if they should be able to pursue knowledge further; they could not foresee whether they should take the places in life for which they had prepared or whether they should not. They only knew that there was necessity for them in the ranks of the armed forces, and, despite the horrible contingencies of modern war- fare, they did not hesitate in filling the places which were open, regardless of the danger to which they might be exposed. It is again a matter of history that they fulfilled their destiny on the field of battle well. No one who has read this enviable record can deny that the sons of Indiana who took part in the conflict did their respective parts in a creditable manner. A nut her phase of Indiana ' s Memorial W. A. Alexander Director of the campaigns [PAGE 2 1]