DePauw University - Mirage Yearbook (Greencastle, IN)

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Hy HIE older aml more distinguished an institution becomes the greater is the interest attached to its beginning. The new'era in the history of DePanw. signalized by the victory in the en- dmvment eaiirpuign, leads us to hark back to the simple and humble origin 01 the University. The progress of the institution can be traced by a sketch of the men who were prominent in its organization and early career. The first name to attract our attention is that of Robert Richford Roberts, commonly known as Bishop Roberts. He was the sixth Bishop, countingr Bishop Coke the first. of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America. He was elected at the General Conference held in Baltimore in 1816. With his family he came to Tndiana in November. 1819, and settled on the old farm in Lawrence County, and lived in it primitive log cabin. Notwithstanding the pi'ivzltions of his early life, Hishop Rolr el'ts was an earnest student, a diligent reader, a tine organizer and a preacher of great power. He was, perhaps, the leading: spirit in promoting the establishment of a Methodist university in Indiana. He was the first President of the Board of 'Iitistees. t. .. WV: uns Beginnin L IWI DR. HILLARY A. GOIJIN .rl it A mtvmy N Out of his limited means he gave $100.00 in the first endowment campaign. Then an ettort was made to secure a larger foundae tion by the sale of perpetual scholarships at $100.00 each. In the Life of Roberts. by Dr. Charles Elliott, this allusion is made to his relation to the University: ttHis interest in the Universityandhisardetitdesires for its success continued to the last. 011 his deathbed, after providing for his faithful wife, pay- ing his debts and providing for some poor relatives, he made the University his first residnary legzitee. There is an example of poetic justice in the fact that the remains of the good Bishopaml his wife rest in the oldest campus of the university. 0in the unpretentious monument there is in- scribed an epitaph written by Bishop Smile. He could not have desired a more honorable resting place than in the scene of his most productive labor, and where an endless procession of stur dents will he pasuing his grave for unnumbered years to come. Not the least of the many great services of Bishop Roberts was the fact that he was ehieHy instrumental in the election of Matthew Simpson, PFOfCSSOY of Atlathematies in Allegheny Cole loge, as the Ilitst President of this institutimi. President Simpson Page nine

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What They Say About It W110 GAVE THE NEW l 1ALF-1111LLIONF The best and only fair full answer to that question would be, tiliive thousand very gen- erous friends of DePanw University. Their contributions ranged between fifty cents to twenty-five thousand dollars. M 1's. Frances M. DePanw, widow of the generous patron whose name the Uni- versity is prowl to bear, matle the first subscription, $10,000. Mrs. Ann M. Studebaker, widow of another liberal patron of precious memory, made a like subscription of $10,000. The Methodist preachers of ,lndiana subscribed $73000, and by that heroic sacri- fice inspired a long line of generous givers in the Churches. Alumni from near and far responded to the call of Alma lilater in a way to make her oltl heart warm and young: The Board of Trustees texactly half of them are alnninil gave more than $100,000. Mein- bers of the Faculty are on the list for $6,300, and students in attendance last year and this, have made the splendid aggregate subscription of $10,076, distributed by classes as follows: Class of 1911 ...... $2700 Class Of 1914 ...... $1.046 Class of 1912 ...... 31770 Class of 1915 ...... 714 Class of 1913 ...... 1250 Academy .......... 596 SALEM R, Tow N. JOHN CLARK eran Sun: tllf lndiana Nlethmlism has any one duty which is inexorable, it is to rebuild, and build high, the ramparts of DePauw University. This is a great truth uttered near a score of years since, and while there have been many dark days for the University covering that period, yet today light is breaking and the future 01 old Dellauw as a leader in the educa- tional world is assuredethat great ntteranee will soon be a fact. The one imperative demand of the church is high inspiring leadership and such leadership must come from the Christian colleges, Page eight Delflanw, with a million endowment will now enter into a new life and the time and worry in the past by the Board of Trustees as to how to make ends meet. will be given to direction which will redountl t0 the benefit of the student body. TO say there was no misgivings by the Board Of Trustees when we entered into the work of raising so large a sum would be far from the mark, and while the task was a hard one we ate all glad of 0111 part in it. ' HUGH Dmrmuck'rv. The Campaign for the l'lwlall Million Dollars additional lin- dowment for HOltl DePanw was courageously, hopefully and pelt sistently made. It was without blare of trumpets 01' waving of banners. The work was done in a personal every day ianvass. so quietly conducted that many of the good and loyal friends of the University feared the outcome; but on January Erst, nineteen hun- tlted and twelve, when the bells rang out the Ultl Year, and joyously rang in the New. there was added joy and rejoicing at DePanm for lfive Hundred and Forty-liive Thousand Dollars had been secured, and the victory had come. There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done 3 . There are thousands to prophesy lfailnre :, There are thousands to point out to you, one by one, The dangers that wait to assail you. :lnt. just lbnekle in' with a bit of grin, Just take off your coat and lgo at it 2' Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing: That tcannot be ilone' and you'll do it. CYRUS ll. XVlmn.

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was inaugurated September 13, 1840, as HPresident and Profesv sot Of hil'athematics. The charge and delivery of the keys was made by the Honorable David XIVallace, Governor of Indiana. The hrilliancy of Simpson as an orator attracted great attention and brought many students and friends to the University. A novel event of his administration occurred in 1843, when an agreement was made with the Secretary of War that ten boys of The experiment the Choctaw nation should be educated here. was not a success. in 1848 President Simpson was elected Editor of the XVestern Christian Advo- cate, and Rev. Edward R. Antes was elected his successor. Dr. Ames tle- clined, and Lucien 1V. '31erry was elected and in! augntated in July, 1850. the principal address be- ing' delivered by Gover- nor Joseph A. XVright. President Berry resigned at the end of his fourth year in the office, and Davis W. Clark. after- wards Bishop. was elected his successor. Dr. Clark declined and Daniel Curry, Of New York, was elected. During Dr. Curry's administration occurred the great col- lege rebellion: when. on account of certain exactions which the students considered unreasonable. a majority of them withdrew from the University. On account 01 the Hstorm and stress during his presidency, his administration has been underestimated. and his great and strong characteristics as a man have not been properly appre- ltage ten OLD ASBURV. ciated. I quote from a written testimonial by one of his stu- dents, the Rev. B. Wilson Smith of the class of 55: ttHe was deliberate in speech, concise in statement, absolutely assured of his premises and certain of his conclusions. His sentences were compact and always uttered with the confidence born of an as- surance of their correctness; if declarative, with no doubt or hesitancy; if controversial, you saw in him at once a master of his subject, and in his manner a trained polemic. At his fireside he was a genial host, in the recitation prince in the art of teach.- ing. The student never tired or never counted the minutes, never feared to 1110111 3. ask a question, and never sought any information that he did not obtain. Although he left a pro- found impression on the University. he had while here only reached the threshold of his great ea- reei'. Dr. Curry resigned in 1857, and the Honorable David McDonald, better known as liJudge McDonald, was elected President and de- clined. Thus once in the history of the school a layman was elected President. The Rev. Thomas Bowman was elected in 1858. and served with great eFliciency for fourteen years. Two events signalizetl his administration: the erection of East College and the 21d- mission of women as students on equal terms with the men. He still lives, and in less than six months he will he 95 years old. He remembers with pride the fact that he opened the front door