Lycoming College - Arrow Yearbook (Williamsport, PA)

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SUMMER TERM 6 A.M. to 8 A.M.; 2 P.M. to 6 P.M. 9 A. M. to 12 M. : 8 P. M. to 9 P. M. During the hours of study the students shall not be unnecessarily absent from their rooms. At no time shall any student loiter in the halls, or about the doors, or indulge in jump- ing, loud talking, whistling, or any other un- necessary noise, or in the use of Tobacco in the buildings. The students shall not be absent from their rooms at night after 7 o ' clock, during the Fall and Winter Terms; or after 8 o ' clock during the Summer Term; nor shall they, .it anv time, attend parties, or mixed assemblies, without permission from one of the teachers; nor hall they, at any time, visit the taverns, eating-houses, or otlwr places nl public resort. or on anv occasion indulge in the u c of in- toxicating li(iuor ' -. All profane and indecent language, play- ing at games of chance, injuring the property of the In-titution. or of the citizens, quarrel- ing, fighting, or the carrying of firearms, or other dangerous weapons, is strictly forbid- di ' n. The Teachers and Steward must, at all times, have access to the students ' rooms, and if it be judged necessary, the rooms will be cleaned at the expense of the occupants. Cleanliness of person and of apparel, and a gentlemanly and lady-like deportment mu-l be observed by all. No water, dirt, or other material, -hall be thrown from any window in either build- ing. The occupants of the Boarding House must have their rooms swept and in order by 6 o ' clock, A. M.. and their lights extinguished by half past 10 P. M. The Sabbath must be strictly observed by all. No walking about, or visiting, or re- ceiving of visits, will be allowed. All must attend i)ublic wor liip tuice during the day at such place as they or their guardians may prefer. The Rev. Mr, Bowman continued as prin- cipal until March, 1858, when he resigned. Rev. John H. Dashiel was appointed princi- pal at the Conference in March of 1858. Ed- ucated at Dickinson College and former resi- dent of Maryland, Mr. Dashiel resigned in 1860 to return to a pastorate. Financial difficulties became paramount and in 1860 the Seminary was sheriff ed at a public auction. Four businessmen and ardent -upporters: Abraham Updegraff, 10 year member of the City Council and bank pres- ident: Honorable John Smith, associate judge of the Lycoming County Courts; Colonel Jac- ob Sallade, owner of two saw mills; and Levi Hartman. contractor and builder who con- tructed the middle portion of Old Main in conjunction w ith Sallade. purchased the school for $16,.500. They oiTcred to sell the Acad- emy to the East Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Church for this price. The Con- ference formed a joint stock company issu- ing 165 shares at $100 each and bought some of the shares. On March 26, 1860. the chart- er was approved by Governor Packer. In March, I860, Thomjison was appoint- ed principal of the in-titution with a salary of S800 per year. He changed the name of the Academy to Williamsport Dickinson Semin- ary and the title of its head man from princi- pal lo |)rc-i(lcMt. Mulberry Street Methodist Cluirch bciamr the official Seminary Church. Student- could now arrive in Williamsport, one of the most beautiful and healthful plac- es in the -tate. by railroad. A new rule had been added to the by-laws: The Ladies and Gentlemen mu-t not visit each others ' apart- ment, walk or ride together, without permis- -ion: nor conver-e together from the win- dows. The school did allow for slight as- sociation in the recitation-room, at the table, and in the public exercises of the Chapel. 186.3 marked a significant point in the mo- dernization of Old Main: rniuiing water was introduced into the building. By 1866 there were 4.% students enrolled in the Seminary. Dr. Mitchell made a proposition to the directors on June 20, 1866. He wanted to lease the school for five years. On July .3rd of that year a formal document allowing this was executed and signed. It stipulated that Mitchell was to receive the uncollected assets of the institution and was to erect an addition on the west end at his own expense. Mitchell, making all the decisions, consequently ran the school as though it were privately owned. VI

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The way in which Williamsport Dickinson Seminary came to be at all reads almost like a romance. Toivard the end of the year 1847 Rev. Benjamin H. Crever, who was himself the highest type of a broadly cultured Christian gentleman, then stationed at Milton, thirty miles east of fVilliamsport, hastened to Wil- liamsport to ascertain what might be done toward maintaining the life of the Academy or transforming it into a Methodist institution. It is au- thenticated history that he walked a large part of the weary ivay through slush and mud, fearing to lose an hour lest the opportunity might be gone. B. H. Crever had done his work well and on January 4, 1848, representatives of the Methodist Episcopal Church proposed to the Town Council and the borough of Williams- port that a Board of Trustees should be formed to found a school called Dickinson Seminary which would be auxiliary to Dickinson College at Carlisle. The Baltimore Annual Confer- ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church would supervise the school and act as patron. The Town Council accepted the propositions and when, in March of 1848, the Baltimore Con- ference agreed to extend patronage and sup- port to the school, a foresighted church be- came associated with a floundering educa- tional adventure. At the first meeting of the trustees in April, 1848, Rev. Thomas Bowman was appointed president of the school and Rev. Benjamin Crever financial agent. Rob- ert Fleming was elected secretary and Judge John Smith treasurer. An energetic program was launched. Plans for future expansion of the then existing build- ing were expressed by Rev. Bowman in a let- ter to the Rev. Mr. Crever on May 19, 1848. . . . As to the Semy. buildings I have a new plan in my head, which I think will save some money and still do well in other respects. The plan is this — to raise the present building another story and a half, and add on to the east about 70 ft. of the same height. Have lecture rooms, dining hall and the kitchen all in the basement — run a Hall on first floor east to west through the en- tire building and have rooms fitted for teacher, steward, and pupils. Leave the Chapel as it is and in the new building on the same floor have rooms for scholars. This I think would give us all the room we want — would save considerable and look very well. . . . This was the beginning of the project which ended with the completion of Old Main. On July 3, 1850, the cornerstone was laid for the east wing. In 1854, for $45,575.08 a six story building connecting the two wings was erected. This structure provided rooming accommodations for 200 students and marked the first in a long series of realities fostered by plans for future expansion. Dickinson Seminary opened its doors on September 14, 1848, and 212 students at- tended that first year. The faculty consisted of the Rev. Mr. Bowman, the Rev. and Mrs. Crever, and Miss C. E. Crever, sister of Mr. Crever. By 1850 the Seminary ' s catalogue could claim that its success has far sur- passed the most sanguine anticipations of its friends. Convenient access to the school could be had by coach or canal. The young school had a three year course of study fol- lowing which a student was prepared to teach in high schools, go into business, or continue education through college. Ambitious stu- dents found at their disposal courses such as Latin or Greek grammar, surveying and nav- igation, logic, rhetoric, astronomy, and even Xenophon ' s Anabasis. Average cost of room and board for the eleven weeks ' quarter amounted to $20,071 2 with the highest tuition (for the language course) set at $6.37V2 per quarter. The discipline of the school in 1850 was described as mild but firm, calculated to promote intellectual advancement and im- prove the heart. Perhaps a glance at some of the by-laws will give us an idea of what this policy actually meant: The hours of study shall be as follows: FALL AND WINTER TERMS 6 A.M. to 8 A.M.; 1P.M. to 5 P.M. 9A. M. tol2M. ; 7 P.M. to 9 P.M.

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The Methodist General Conference dis- solved the East Baltimore Conference and formed the Central Pennsylvania Conference in May, 1868. The first session of the Cen- tral Pennsylvania Conference was held in Danville, Pa., from March 10-15, 1869. Two days before the Conference convened the Pennsylvania Legislature had chartered the Preachers Aid Society. The new organiza- tion was formed for the purpose of afford- ing relief to the itinerant ministers of said conference, their wives, widows, and children, and for the education of the latter. The Society was an outgrowth of the East Balti- more Conference ' s Preachers ' Aid Society and was given $36,635.63 as its proportionate share for the churches in the new conference. On October 23, 1868. a local newspaper. The Bellefonte Watchman printed an article scandalizing the Seminary. This was later carried by the William sport Daily Standard. The trustees promptly met and issued a de- mand for a retraction. It was granted. Thus, probably as a result of this unfavorable pub- licity, the Williamsport Dickinson Seminary became the main topic of discussion at the Central Pennsylvania Conference session of 1869. The founder, Rev. B. H. Crever, who had left his teaching position many years be- fore, introduced the proposal: Resolved, That we now re-affirm our interest in our insti- tution of learning at Williamsport, and pledge ourselves anew to support it to the full extent of our opportunity. According to Crever, one of the main values of the Seminary was that it has been recruiting the ranks of the ministry with young men from among its graduates, many of whom now hold no small space in the public eye. Part of a committee report to the Confer- ence stated: Though liaving confidence in the present owners of the stock, yet cir- cumstances may urge them to a dif- ferent disposition of their invest- ment, and in that case this noble in- stitution tvould be lost to the Church. Are we prepared for this? It is understood that some of the larger stockholders are ready to sell their stocks to the conference at par . . . As there are in all 165 shares of stock, the Conference, in order to obtain this control, must have at least 83 shares. But as the Conference is not in pos- session of the needed funds, and as our share of the funds of the Preach- ers ' Aid Society of the East Balti- more Conference will now be placed in the hands of our Preachers ' Aid Society, which has been duly organ- ized under the charter recently ob- tained from our Legislature: There- fore, Resolved, that should the managers of the Preachers ' Aid Society of the Central Pennsylvania Conference find that a sufficient amount of the stock can be obtained at a fair price, to secure the conference controlling power in said institution, and in their judgment deeming it a safe in- vestment, we recommend them to make such investment. The Conference directed the Preachers ' Aid Society to secure the Seminary stock. On March 25, 1869, the society Board of Mana- gers appointed a committee consisting of B. H. Crever, Colonel J. Sallade, and I. H. Tor- rence, which was given the power of purchas- ing a majority of the stock. At the second session of the annual conference President Mussina reported: At a meeting of the board, held June 3, the committee reported the number of shares of seminary stock to be 168, and that 80y of these had been secured to the Aid Society, at a cost of $9,150, and that 6 shares had been given, making 86 2 shares in all, and that subscriptions had been obtained to reduce the actual outlay for S6I 2 shares to $8,225. At the same meeting of our board the directors of the Seminary were re- quested, should they find it expedi- ent, to cancel the lease with Dr. Mitchell at a cost of $1,000; to issue stock to that amount, to be pur- chased by the Aid Society. This was accordingly done. Since then, two new heaters have been put into the Seminary, for payment of which seven shares of stock have been is- VII