Oregon State University - Beaver Yearbook (Corvallis, OR)

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Legislative Axatmblf, were rend, ami on motion, adopted: U'mkkw, The Is-gislativc Awmbly of the State of Oregon did, on the twenty-fifth (tar of OctoixT, A. D. 1 S8$, |mM an Act entitled “An Act to « -cure the location of the lands donated to the State for an Agricultural College and to establish such College,” the Mine having been approved October 17th; and Whereat, Said Legislative Assembly did designate ami adopt Corvallis College as the Agricultural College, in which all students sent under the provisions of said Act shall be instructed in all the Arts, Sciences, and other studies, in accordance with tie- requirement of the Act of Congress making such donations; therefore He it resolved by the Trustees of Corvallis College, That said Act. with nil its privileges and requirements, is hereby Acccpt.il, and we promise on our |.ort faithfully t » carry out the provisions of said Act. W. II. Bryan, Prescient pro tern. II. II. Ilmiu.K. Secretary. At a ul cqurnt meeting this Hoard of Trustees ap|M int il a c mmittee to prepare a two year course of study in Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts. “Ko doubt we are making a grv.it experiment and taking a leap in the dark” said the conservative Karl of Derby during the discussion upon the Reform Hill of 1X»»7 in the English Parliament. Similar remarks, it seems, were heard on the floor of the state hours- in Salem, when Section 2 of the above named Act was under debate. Rut just two years after the passage of the Act the Assembly was ready to make another leap, not now in the dark, however. This leap was made in the form of An Act to Permanently Locate the Agricultural Coll«-go of Oregon. He it enacted by the legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon: SECTION ]. That Corvallis College, in Benton County, is hereby designated and permanently adopted as the Agricultural College oft la? State of Oregon, in which all students sent under the provisions of law shall Is- instructed in accordance with the requirements of the Act of Congress approves! on the 2nd day of July, 1862, granting public lands to the several States and Territories which might provide Colleges for the twnefil of agriculture and mechanic arts, and the Acts amendatory thereof. Section 2. The following (a-rsons, towit: J.C. Awry. I,. K. C.rover and N. II. Cranor, an hereby constituted a B ml f Commissioners to pnq» w a plan for the instruction and education of the students in Mid Agricultural College, and to prepare rules, regulations, and by-laws for the government of the same, all of which shall lie submitted to the legislative Assembly at its next regular session for its adoption or rejection, and in the mean time the said College shall b? governed by and under the provisions of the Act of the Legislative Assembly, approved the 27th day of Octol«cr, ISftS, in relation to said College. Skihox 3. That the Board of Trust of Corvallis College shall, by resolution, accept the provisions of this Act, and agree to bo bound by the same within thirty days nfler its passage, and cause a copy of said resolution to Is til.il with the Secretary of State; and U|»on their failure to do so, they shall l e deemed to have rejected its provisions. Secno.N 4. Inasmuch as there is no provision of law permanently locating the Agricultural College of Oregon, this Act shall take effect and lc in force from and after its approval by the Governor. Arrmoved, October 21, A. I). 1X70. At a special mu-ting of the B »ard of Trustors of Corvallis ColK-g« , eight days after, we find on the minutes the following resolutions: Whereas, The State of Oregon, through its representatives, offers to |n-rmnnently locate the Agricultural College with Corvallis College. Is it therefore Peso I red by the Ho.ml of Trustees of Corvallis College. That said Board does accept the provisions of said Act of the Ixgislntivc AsM-mhly aforesaid, and they do agree to l»e bound by the same. Kcsolvcfl. That the Secretary of the Board is hereby directed forthwith to forward to the Secretary of the State of Oregon a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolutions. R. S. Straiian, I resident. Attest: B. R. Biddle, Secretary. Tins document, we find, was filed in the otlice of the Secretary of State, November 2, 1X70. A committee of the Board aided l»y the faculty, consisting of President W. A. Finley, A. M., I . I .; l’rof. Joseph Kraery, A. M., Mathematics; Prof. II. McN. Finley. A. B.. Intermediate Hrp’t., immediately e t to work to plan a courts of study that should conform to the new conditions. l t it be understood that the task was not w ithout its difficulties. This VMt new field. There wen then practically no guide |« ts. not even a trail blazed that might direct tin searchers for information on their way. Tin first attempts

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consequently wen? necessarily ofa tentative nature,ami if tlwrourw of study, a reproduced below, appear unusual, « |illy arranged, or incomplete, it niuia l«e born in mind lluit it takes time and experience, and a great deal »f Itotli at that, to develop anything of real |K'rmancnt value. The course of atudy adopted i a follow : Fnwr Vkak -First Term.—Chemical Physic , Inorganic Chemistry, Structural and Physiological Botany, First five book of Davies Legendre. Second Term. Organic Chemistry, How Crop Grow. English Language. Third Term. Qualitative Analysis, Detection ol the Alkalies, Alkaline Earths, Systematic Botany, Excursions and Collections, English Language. Sboono Vkak- First Term. Qualitative Analysis, continued, Detcc-tion and Separation of the Elements, Chain Surveying and Mensuration, Geometrical Drawing, General Principle of Zoology.—Second term. General Principles of Geology, Vegetable Economy, How Plant Feed, Topographical Drawing. Animal Physiology. Third term.—Geology of Oregon, Vegetable Economy, Entomology. How a faculty of three, one of them sltouldcring executive burdens, managed to distribute this course between themselves and carry it along with their other work i somewhat hard to understand. One delightful feature, agreeable alike to student and professor, must have been the ''excursions and collections” of the Spring term. With what ineffable longing the students must have looked forward to the days of the week when they were | ermitlvd to leave the narrow confines of their dingy room and quafT in copious draughts the balmy air a they roamed through the woods and meadows in soareli of flowers, bird or beetle. Have ever sound valid reasons I wen advance-1 why this particular feature disup| -ared from the modern college curriculum? What a boon it would l e to the pale-faced, anaemic youth with stooping shoulders and hollow chest! What a “lesson not in books he might learn from the white wonder of the apple blossom, the fragrance of the new-mown hay, tlw billowing of the grain under the wind of June, accompanied by a chorus of hallelujah from the bird and insect world! The year 1 72 shows a change in theodiccnf the Executive. President Finley retires and his place is taken by one who was to guide the affairs of the institution for two decades: Years of incessant labor, unremitting real and momentous change . Associated with Pres. Arnold,thenew incumbent, who in addition to his executive work taught Physics und Languages were Rev. J. Emery in the chair of Mathemati -s; Prof. II. McN. Finley, principal of tin- prc|«aratory department; Mi-s Clara A. Watt, teacher of French and head of tin- primary department, and Mrs. Alice X »bit. head of the depart- ment of music. This staff of. assistants was increased or changed as necessity dictated. Not until about the year 1 S2, however, do we find the authorities emphasising the peculiar character of the institution by the election of a train'd agriculturist to the chair of agriculture and chemistry; and while the study of practical agriculture was enforced upon students by the regents ever since April 12, 1 71 and » small farm, where practical experiments might liecar-ried on, bad lieen purchased by them, it was not till now that proper and needful attention could la-given this important branch. The farm above mentioned consisted of thirlv-fivc acres. It constitutes the present campus and doe not appear to Is as valuable a the original purchasers suppovd it to lie, much of the portion east of the open ditch being low and unproductive. The price |inid was ♦1500. There was then on this tract of laud a neat dwelling house, (then standing on the site of the present administration building and now used by Prof. Cootc), a rather ancient looking barn and a good orchard. There were then twenty-srvon young men taking the agricultural course among whom was the present chief legal advisor of a very large corjswalion. It must have been interesting to see him uncover the brown earth and watch tlw early struggle of the grass to lie green. Nothing appears to have occurred to mar the pleasant relations then existing in all departments, and this institution moved along pleasantly in the even tenor of its way. Its annals during that period are brief. In 1885 the church voluntarily relinquished its claim on the funds of the Agricultural College, and the state,resuming control, propo- d to relocate the college at Corvallis on condition that a brick building, to cost not less than 20.000. Is- erected on the Agricultural College farm to serve as a College building. The condition was complied with, the citizens of Benton county rising nobly to tin- task. August 17. 1887 witnessed the laying of the corner stone, and a year later the board of regents, as then constituted, were able to take charge of the building. A new faculty was immediately apptinted, at its head the veteran educator President B. I- Arnold who la-Iwred assiduously and ably until the very day of hi taking off. Jan..T), 1882. anunexspectcdand untimely end. During thefouryearsof bis incumbency the attendance had more than doubled, increasing from ninety-nine in 1888 to two hundred and eight in I8S»2. President Arnold w.i followed by President J. M. Bios of Kansas, from 1892-1886; President II. B. Miller. |H .W-I897, and Pres.Tho . M. Hatch from |« 7 to the present time. The faculty, front three in 1 70. lu grown to