New York University - Violet Yearbook (New York, NY)

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Physics Department Chairman--Professor Joseph C. Boyce: Princeton, B.A. 1922, M.A. 1923, Ph.D. 1926. was elected chairman, and universal educa- tion for the preservation of a republican form of government, training in more practical subiects, and non-sectarian control were adopted as the principles upon which the university would be established. O An in- teresting innovation was a meeting to discuss the organization of the university, to which such notables as former Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin and Daniel Webster were invited. The control of the university was put in the hands of a council, elected by the shareholders, which in turn would elect a chancellor to serve as executive head of the institution. O Having little more than half of the proposed capital, the University, chartered by the New York State Legislature in April, 1831, opened its gates at Clinton Hall. The initial matriculated class contained one hundred and thirty-eight students, of whom thirty-six received their baccalau- reates. In order to keep the school in opera- tion, the administration faced the problem of raising sufficient funds and the construc- tion of a permanent building. When it was German Department Chairman-Professor Henry Brennecke: IIN, 'l'liK, Columbia College, A.B. 1914, A.M. 1915, New York University, Ph.D. 1926. discovered that Chancellor Mathews had neglected to alleviate the school's financial deficit and that the University was running deeply into debt, he resigned and steps were taken to pay off the obligations. O ln the summer of 1833 the construction of the mar- ble, Gothic-style building which was to be-

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security, graduates gave more time to self- analysis and thoughts about their later years in a world they had not made but must continue. I Similar uncertainty with less disastrous consequences, was general some one hundred and twenty years ago. Then, the cause was the accession to the presi- dency of Andrew Jackson, with the control of the nation passing from the aristocratic, landed few to the unprepared masses as a result. O So long as this ruling class re- mained socially and politically ignorant, so long as it could not lead, there was danger. Fear of such a situation provoked public- minded men throughout the country to find means to educate the people. In New York City a group met to lay the foundation of a university whose purpose would be to pro- vide useful and practical education for the now governing elements. A school of liberal arts already existed in New York, devoted to the training of men for the professions, but the new university was planned to serve men who intended to enter business, engi- neering, or architecture, but who lacked the classical background necessary for admission to the universities of the day. U The gene- sis of the university was a meeting held on English Department Chairman-Professor Albert Ste- phens Borgman: flllilfg Michigan, A.B. 1911, Har- vard, A.M. 'l9'l2, Ph.D. 1919. December 30, 1829, presided over by the Reverend James Mathews, who later be- came the first chancellor. The men at the meeting decided to invite leading citizens of New York to a gathering, at which the actual formation of this university would be dis- cussed. At the second session, General Mor- gan Lewis, former governor of New York, 'NN Trees, hedges, and bush. Trees shade, they cover, and they lighten the spirits: This green plot shall be our stage . . . - Midsummer-Night's Dream

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come the home of NYU, was begun. The structure, of which a contemporary made the ambiguous remark, I have seen nothing abroad to equal it, was opened in 1835 simultaneously with the creation of the Law School. Although the exterior of the build- ing was impressive, many complaints were fini. ',,,,- Physical Training Department Chairman-Professor Howard G. Cann: 1l'l'A, New York University, B.S. 1920. soon made by its occupants. Samuel F. B. Morse, one of the University's first illustrious faculty members, constantly grumbled about his office, which he claimed was a perfect shower bath with wet walls and smoky chimney. This condition in his quarters, however, did not prevent Professor Morse from developing the telegraph and experi- menting in photography with his colleague, Professor John C. Draper. O Draper, who won his reputation as one of the first scien- tists in the United States by his experiments in radiant energy, also enhanced the repu- tation of NYU, and was a brilliant defender of scientific thought and rationalism. Other members of the faculty included men noted for their achievements in other directions, such as Professor Cyrus Mason, who fre- quently had to lock the doors of his class- room to prevent interruptions by bill collec- tors, the aftermath of his faulty speculations. O In the years following Mathews' ad- ministration, the University followed a seem- ingly placid life disturbed only by minor academic storms, until financial problems came forward once again about 1850. The Q we . fi +P' 1 Mechanical Engineering Department Chairman-Frm fessor of Mechanical Engineering Austin Harris Church: IE, ll'l'l, 'l'lilC, Cornell, M.E. 1928, New York University, M.S. 1934.