Hillsdale College - Winona Yearbook (Hillsdale, MI)

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jfinancial values of Tbillsbale Glollege. RANSOBI DUNN, D. D. In hlanuary, 1853, when Hillsdale was first visited with reference to its advantages for the location of a college, its population was about 800, with nearly 150 dwellings, one school-house and two small wooden churches. There was one railroad with several barn- like warehouses, with a small ticket office in the corner of one of them instead of a depot. These buildings had just been rendered useless by the change of business upon the completion of the railroad farther west. The population is now 5,000, with atleast one thous- and dwellings, worth more than 31,500,000 above the value of the homes possessed in 1853. There are now four ward school-houses and one high school building, which together are worth at least eighteen times as much as the original school house, and the two original churches were certainly worth less than one-eighteenth of the value of the eight churches now owned and occupied. The south part of the village, where the high school building now stands, was covered with shrubbery, irregularly marked by cattle paths. The north part was a sheep pasture, worth from ten to twenty dollars an acre. One road, now Hillsdale street, extending through the horrible marsh north of the original village, was the only street, upon what is now college hill, where there then was one small house, the native trees standing upon one-half of the surface and the stumps left of trees but recently removed upon the other half. Only two native trees are left upon the 2:-acre campus, but, thanks to the students and their friends, many better ones now ornament the grounds. These grounds, with the buildings, apparatus, fur- niture, libraries, etc.,-are worth 3150,000, and, although not taxed for municipal purposes, really is the most profitable property in the city for the support of its business. It is the occasion, if not the cause, of the assembling here of more than six hundred students and teachers and their friends, who expend upon an average for tuition, incidentals, books, board, rents, clothing, etc., more than four dollars per week. Not all of this SI20,000 is expended in I-lillsdale, but most of it is, and it is safe to expect the expenditure of over 375,000 each year in this city by those directly connected with Q7

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TRGV. lREll'l5Ol11 ELITII1, E. E. ln attempting to sketch the life and influence of Dr. Dunn, we scarce know what to say, so far-reaching has been his influence and so marked has been the imprint of his personality upon the his- tory of the Free Baptist denomination. At the age of twelve years he embraced Christianity, and since that time his voice has been heard, exhorting men to a higher standard of Christian morality in all grades of society. The corn- mon people, as well as the richer and more highly cultured, have listened to his eloquence and have been moved to pursue pure and noble lives. Being a descendant of a race strong and robust, he inherited a clear and acute mindg an intense purpose Whichrknows no defeat. To these were early added those eternal truths that later developed into a Christian life and character, which, with all its richness and intense yearning for good toward mankind, has been freely given to the world. In View of these facts we wonder not at the place he has won in the hearts and estimation of all who know him. Pre-eminently he is a soldier of the cross. Yet Why do we eulogize? 'Why do we multiply words? To be first in the hearts of a christian people, is not this the grandest monument to one's christian life and character? However, it is not our province to speak of Dr. Dunn in his relation to the people alone, but also in his relation to the students. In 1852 Dr. Dunn became connected with Hillsdale, and since that time he has served as President of our college, pastor of the college church, and in 1863 he was elected to the Burr Professorship of Systematic Theology. ln 1888 he was transferred to the DeVVolf Professorship of Homoletics. His life among the students has ever been elevating, and no one has ever sat in his classes who has not caught some of the inspiration of this devoted life. His students instinctively feel that they are in the presence of a man who has the deepest interest in their success, and one who has given, and is still giving, his best energies, that they may in a just and noble manner profit thereby. Wfith him we find none of the stiff conventionality of the ordi- nary class room, and we come to him as to a father for advice and instruction. It is but a faint tribute of respect and gratitude that we pay Dr. Dunn here: for he has brought to this college a life frought with the rich experience of years, and from its students, numbered by hun- dreds, grateful and sincere thanks arise. 26

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the college, in addition to what is expended by those attracted to this location, who, but for the college, would live elsewhere. The growth of Hillsdale city since 1853 cannot be attributed exclusively to its college. but in view of its lack of water power, manufacturing enterprises, mining interests and opportunities for speculation, we must conclude that the college has been the cause of at least one-half of its steady growth. lf one-half of its public prohts could be turned into the college itself it would increase its funds more than one mil- lion of dollars. But even the financial value of the college is largely a matter of individual experience. Actions caused by animal instinct have about the same merit as the animals. Knowledge and mental power if- the great work of the college, and every fact learned, and every degree of mental power acquired increases ability for the increase ol personal or public values financially, as well as otherwise. Even the most simple manual labor may be performed with higher mo- tives, more ease, and greater success by educated man than by others. And in proportion as the mental elements enter into human actions do they become valuable to society and profitable to the actor. Divinity, Law and Medicine, once termed the learned pro- fessions, have ceased to be the only ones deserving of that appella- tion. Soldiers and statesmen, teachers and editors, poets and mu- sicians, sculptors and architects, manufacturers and merchants, scientists and philosophers, are now just as devoted to their profes- sions, and need quite as much learning as clergymen, lawyers or doctors. Mental labor is quite as useful as manual labor, and re- ceives compensation accordingly. Learning and education is valu- able capital, whether used judiciously or not. A man may own a gold mine and never use it, or millions of bank stock and use it to his injury. So one may possess much unemployed mental power and suffer for what he might acquire, or apply his knowledge without moral principle and be only a learned fool. Or he may employ his education in the most simple labor profitably to himself and others. Or he may use his education for more general purposes, with cor- responding salaries or consequences. lt is undoubtedly true that one-half of all the past students of Hillsdale College have found their education profitable Hnancially, and at least Eve thousand are at work where their education is indispensibly necessary: and that 28