Bethany College - Bethanian Yearbook (Bethany, WV)

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In M emoriam CHAMP CLARK A. McLEAN

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be obtained for any purpose other than that for which it was intended. He urged his friends to give and was continually adding to the fund from his own pocket. The struggle was a long and hard one. i Ir. Cochran gave when he had to borrow to give. Each year Bethany seemed to come closer to his heart and each year it seemed that new difficulties beset the old institution. In the closing years of the last century it seemed that Bethany was doomed. She was unable to pay her professors, her debts continued to increase and her friends lost heart and many of them gave up. Not so Mr. Cochran. Each new difficulty seemed to make him more determined that Bethany should live. He stubbornly refused to allow them to close her doors. She was going to live, and he, Mark Mordecai Cochran was going to see to it that she did liv e. Finall} ' he obtained the right man to manage the affairs of the college. The first years of this century seemed to be little more than a continuation of the old struggle. To those who knew, however, it was evident that improvement was coming. The student body w-as growing, her endowment was increasing and at the end of the first decade of nineteen hundred Bethany was in good condition. She was tided over the period of danger and to the unquenchable courage of IM. M. Cochran belongs the credit. Mr. Cochran was not satisfied with this, however. He had faith in Bethany ' s ideals and tenets. Bethany should grow and spread them. He continued to add to the endowment; he built new equipment and improved living conditions; he did everything in his power to bring Bethany to the fore. The old college thrived and prospered and now she stands where few of like institutions can rival her. We, who are permitted to live in the light of her learning today, can little realize, perhaps the great travail through which she has passed, but nevertheless we experience a feeling of sincere gratefulness toward this man who has made it possible that she should live. Bethany men and Bethany women of future generations will revere the name of Mark IMordecai Cochran. His spirit of meek sincerity, his quiet unpretentiousness, his sincere loyalty, his indomitable courage, his great service and the love and Christian ideals that prompted it, will be come part and parcel of Bethany ' s rich heritage and centuries hence when students read of the early days of Bethany they will associate the names of Campbell and Cochran, the one the founder, the other the savior of Bethany.

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Champ Clark From the great mass of American statesmen there emerge a few who stand preeminent as leaders. One of the most statuesque of these prominent men has made his last contribution to this -world as his soul has passed into eternity. Champ Clark stood out in public affairs as a great man because he endeavored to fulfill the principles of his life. He seemed destined from his youth to become an outstanding figure in any of his undertakings. His massive frame gave him the necessary vitality which permitted him to perform the strenuous duties, not onlj ' of an able lawyer, but of a wide-awake and alert politician, statesman and man of religious worth. The principles of his life — loyalty, frankness and fair- ness — were manifested with sincerity in all of his endeavors. The opportunity to serve his country as a Congressman resulted from his adherence and faithfulness to the principles of the Democratic Party. His competence as a law-maker was recognized when he was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. It is said that he was the most impartial of all the leaders of that legislative body. This honor resulted from the fulfillment of the principles of his life which were illustrated when he remarked: The worst enemies of our race are those who debauch public opinion. In religion Mr. Clark was a devout Christian. He once said: I am a Campbellite and a Democrat, and I expect to die in the faith of both. From these words, one can plainly see that Christianity was not a sham to this man, but that his convictions were rooted deep in the faith itself. One cannot help but admire such a man as Champ Clark for the splendid manner in which he endeavored to perform his obligations to the church. The principles of life expressed in the service of Champ Clark are recognized by all, but what means more to us as students of Bethany College is the pride he maintained in his relationships to his Alma Mater, since he stood so prominently in affairs of national importance. Champ Clark contributed at various times to Bethany ' s welfare. Those contribu- tions however are insignificant when compai-ed to that larger gift to his .Alma i Iater, a life of service to mankind.