Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

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y.v-.I.1Ay-3Hf.p 1:311- 11'01'11'5 in which he has been engaged; to the end that we may know him bet- ter, more fully appreciate his experience, 111111 most loyally support him in the great public work to which he has been called. Edwin Ei'le Sparks was born, in 1860, in Licking county, Ohio. He was the only child of 11111511111115, a descendant from Captain Sparks, who was a member Of the second group of colonists sent 11y the London Comp: any to Virginia. Captain Sparks settled at Jamestown, but, about 1700, the family moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, 111111, about 1825, that branch of it to which Dr. Sparks belongs, emig' '11te11 to Ohio 111111 settled in Licking county, near the site 111' the present town of Newark. I113 111ot11er,Jane Erie 1101111, was a descendant of the 11111111s 111111 1'C1'1es, English families that only settled in Vi1trini1'1, nearC11111e1111e1'C11111't House Owing to their 01111osition t0 the institution of s1a1e1'y,1Vhiss 1301111 s parents left Virginia, and, searching 101' free soil, came to Ohio, about 1840. Dr. Sparks was born 1111 a farm 111111 experienced in his childhood both the advantages and the disadvantages that belong to such an environment. His home was three miles distant from the nearest school. 111 inclement weather, he was carried on horseback, seated 1111011 the saddle in front of his father, to the little 111g; se11001h11use,whose furniture consisted of 1'1111e desks, puncheon seats 111111 a rusty stove, 111111 whose educational 111111111111ees,othe1' than the birch, were few. '11'1e1e he reeen e11 his fn'st lessons in the 1'1111i- ments of 11'11011'1e11g'e 111111 his 111st introduction to his country 5 history, which, in 111te1'11ays,he was to bring- to the knowledge of so 1111 my of his countrymen. Our college presidents have been chosen very largely from the men of countIy birth. Particularly is this true of. the great 1111111- -g1'ant colleges and universities. Between 1850 111111 1862, 011 farms and in small towns, were born XVheeler, of California; V1111 Hise, of Wisconsin; Jesse, of Missouri; j11111es,0f 111ii1ois; S11y11e1',01 Michigan; Stone of' Indiana; 11110111115011, of 1110; Schur,111an of New Y';0111 l'juiinton, of West Virginia, 111111 S11111'ks,of Pennsylvania. 1t 15 fitting that these colleges of the people, by the people, 111111 for the 11e0111e,establishe11 that 11111' children might have the largest 0111101111- nity 1'01 training to ht them for the highest service in 1111 the vocations of life 511011111 have at the helm men 11110 through 11e1 5011111 experience, are enabled most 11111y to understand 111111 to guide sympathetically the students from the homes of the farmer 111111 the artisan, because chiefiy from such homes these colleges are filled. The Sp'11'11s family left 1'1ie11'i11g county in 1870, when the boy was ten years of age, 111111 removed 10 London, the county seat of Madison county. This little town t11e11ty- six miles south- west of C01un11111s, 1111s the center of a thrifty agricultural community of 11111111 it 101111e11 the business focus The little town 111111,eve11 at that time, a well- -g 1a11e11 school system including a good high 511111101 111 the public schools of. this town the subject of 0111' sketch completed his elementary education. 111111 in vacation 11e1'i01ls,sha1'e11 the boyhood life of the village. 111 due time he entei e11 the London High School. Here, however, his course was interrupted. Owing to the limited

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QEbtnt'n QErIe 51mm Ph.D.. LL.D. a ?Btugrapbical gketcb By WILLIAM FREAK l . 'O'l . . N :1 large institution of higher education, with its thousand or more students and its hundred 01' more teachers, its highly diversified work and ex11'respomlingly e0111plex organization, its great tinaneiztl requirements 111111 large constituency, the presi- dent should possess :1 great variety of talents highly developed. The captain of 21 great passenger steamer must be the master ofw his craft, organize and keep in discipline his utilitters and crew, see that the 11121- chiuery is kept in good repair 211111 is operated elheently 21nd economically, look to his passengers welfare, determine his ship's course, and bring her safely through every storm tn the desired haven. The president of :1 great college 01' university has all these responsibilities, 211111 more. Experience. technical knowledge, organizing- ability, 1111 failing tztct, resolute purpose and genius for e11111111:111d, he needs us much us any other leader 01' men. Upon him ehielly rests, marem'er, the responsibility of for111i11g his institutionls ideals of keep- ing it abreast ml the tithes. :11111 of piloting it through new, uncharted ehzmnels ot progress. .X111eric11 has come to see that higher education is 11s much :1 duty of the e111111111111we11lth to itself, :15 is general e1e111e11t111'y education. The rich promise 111' public henelit', is the reason for the investment of public funds in State mlleges 111111 universities. In such institutinns, the president 11111st'. 1'01'111 definite conceptions of the public values of the various departments of his institutionis wm'k. and must he :1l1le to emwinee the :111111i11istrzttors of public, funds that his Conceptinns are well founded 211111 that he has justly CSl'lIllIllCtl the investments that these de- pui'tnit'nts severally require and will repay. .l11 111:111y respects, indeed, the respm1sihilities of :1 modern college or university president :11'e unalogoiis to the UHCI'UUS cures resting 11111111 the shoulders ml the chief executive of. :1 great modern milwzty system. ,It is natural. therefore, that 2111 concerned in the welfare mi The lite1111syl- 1':111i:1Stiltetiollege, Should feel :1 deep interest in the qtizilitiesof its new president. The qualities of each 1112111 are the products of his heredity. his en- virm1111eiit. :11111 his own will. .It would nut he tilting tn :1tte111pt' in this place 1111 analysis of the persimnl qualities ut- 0111' llnnm'Ctl president. but we deem it appropriate to present :1 fuller zleeimm than has yet been given of the e11- 1'i1'1111111el1ts 01' his childhood, youth and 111:1t111'e1' years. 11ml concerning the

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1'11'1'11mstanees 01' his family at this time, he 10111111 it necessary, early in his teens, to gain by his own exertinns most 111 the money 11ee11e11 1111' his sup- 11111't 111111 101' 11efraying his school expenses. By the age of sixteen, be 111111, 1111' this purpose, entered 11111111 a journalistic apprenticeship in the printery 111. a 1111111is1111 county paper. The 111st rung in this ladder of progress was the position of printer's devil . 1111111 111111; be substituted printer's i1111' 1111' his normal 1:11111p1exi011, 1'1111 e1'1'111111s, s1'1'11bbe11 galleys, turned the press, 111111 se1ni-111'1'11si11111111y swept out the pri11te1'1', we 1111 not know. 11 is certain, how- ever, that he soon lifted his fuot tn the rungs next higher in his apprentice- ship. His '111'1ie1' lessons in orthography 111111 syntax, putietuatinn 111111 para- graphinm were reinforced by weary hours 111 work at the e11111p11si11g' desk. The 1'11111111ei1ts 111 the advertising 111111 promoting art were i11sti11e11 by actual practice in the job-p1'i11te1'y.As a local 1'e11111'te1,' he became acquainted with the men of his t111111 111111 county the st1'111'ii11- 1.1'e11ts 111 the 11111' 111111 place 1'1'11111' i11t11 touch 11ith the spirit 111 these. pi'ngiesshe times, 111111 gained many a glimpse be11i1111 the scenes s11 that he 1': mm to 11111111 how the 1 11111i1's 111' s11- eiety-sbtisiness, p111iti1'111 111111 socialsare organized, guided 111111 brought to pass. 111s sense 11f perspective was sharpened by his experience, during thnse years, as 11 special 1:111'1'esp111111e11t 1111' his 1111'111it1r 1111' city papers, especially the Cohimbtts 0111.11 Slate Journal 111111 the Cincinnati 17011111117111'111. The broader 1111011'1e11g'e 111 men 111111 affairs thus gained, was expressed, 111111 be- came more definite by expression in the e11itm'ia1s that he was called 1111011 to write 1111' the paper 11111111 which his journalistic apprenticeship was se111111 Me 1111111111e the hin'h s1'1111111 routine was e111'1ie11 t111'1111gh,111111 doubt- less, its 1'1'11'e11111y meas1h'111, ine1easing discipline gave essential strength 111111 1'11111111e11 11e1'e101m1e11t tn the pupil's 11111111; but the impress 111 the newspaper Oftiee, with its 11'i111111ws wide open 11111111 111e11 111111 affairs. 111111 with its pre- sentation of history in the 111111111111, was deeper 111111 its 1'11111'11111111111 values more 111'1111i111111t in their effects upon the life 111111 thought 111' the subject of this sketch. 111 1870, at the age Of nineteen, with his powers Of 1111se1'1'ati1111 sharpened and his 1111011'1e11g'e of men broadened by his secondary education in a coun- try printery, 111111 with the greenness of 1'11111111' youth 1111' changed toward the golden hue of maturity under the stress 111 self-suppm't 111111 by contact with affairs, young Sparks entered the Ohio 1Ves1eyan University, 111111 was classed as a student in the E11111 year 111 its prepa1'at1'11'1' 1'11111'se. lhis university, founded at Delaware Ohio by the Methodist 1C11is1'11p111 denomination, was then a thriving 1'0 e1111111t11111111 institution 111 this educational center the first choice of the buy 11115 United. because at his mother s 11'11ee be 111111 been taught, with his prayers, the Methodist 1Cpis1'11p111 1'e1ig'i1'1us beliefs. The following year 111i111esse11 the registration 111 1C11wi11 1C1'1e Sparks 11s 11 11111t1'ie11- 1ate in the Freshman Class 111 the University. The means of earning a 1iveh'h1'1011, at the same time that he was gaining his collegiate education, were, however, too limited in the 1itt1e town, 111111 he was driven to seek 11 held that offered 1111'g'e1' hope of subsistence: accord-