Princeton University - Bric A Brac Yearbook (Princeton, NJ)

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HISTORY DF PHIMCETDN Princeton is the child of the Great Awakening, a religious movement which swept colonial America in the early j art of the eighteenth century. It was founded by a group of serious-minded, profoundly- disturbed men who gathered in Elizabeth one day in 1738. They met there to make plans for the establishment of a New Light College, destined to become, 158 years later, Princeton University. They had re- cently attended a meeting of the Presby- terian s}Tiod in Philadelphia, where the conflict between the New Lights and the Old Side had reached a crisis. The liberally- inclined Old Side group had carried the synod and resolved that clergy trained in New Light beliefs Avould no longer be ordained. This edict was met with determined opp osition by the delegates from those vari- ous sections of America which embraced the philosophy of the New Lights. The represenutives of New Jersey, who were particularly attached to New Light dogma, set about to discuss a means of distributing their ideas regardless of Old Side edicts. So it was that four ministers— Jonathan Dickinson, Aaron Burr, Sr., Ebenezer Pem- berton, and John Pierson, combined with three laymen— William Smith, Peter Liv- ingston, and William Peartree Smith, to formulate plans for a new college. They proceeded with organizational plans and procured the necessary funds, and in 1745 applied to Governor Lewis Morris of New Jersey for a charter. They were met with disappointment, however, for the request was denied because of certain clauses in New Jersey ' s laws which prevented grant- ing a charter to a dissenting college. It is

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Kodachrome by W. J. Stuber

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now felt that the reasons were actually more personal than because of legalistic objections. On May 21, 1746, Princeton met with the first of many fortuitous circumstances which were to characterize her history in coming generations. On that day Governor Morris died, and the aged John Hamilton succeeded him. Hamilton was under the influence of a group of advisers who fa- vored the granting of a charter to Dickin- son. Thus, on October 22, 1746, the char- ter was issued, and the seven trustees were granted authority to found a college with all the privileges usually customary for col- leges in our realm of Great Britain. To the house of Jonathan Dickinson, Princeton ' s first president, in Elizabeth came about 10 students in May, 1747. Using his library as a study, his dining room as a lecture hall, and his guest rooms as bedrooms, they began a course of in- struction designed to prepare them solely for the ministry. Just as they were getting established into a routine, Jonathan Dick- inson died. The students had to pack their belongings and move to the house of Aaron BuiT in Newark, who was elected to be the next president. Under Burr the college began to take shape. The students led a dull life by pres- ent standards. There were fines for those who missed prayer, and the adventurous student who was willing to undertake the boat trip to New York for the weekend was liable to expulsion. Card games, gam- bling, and dice throwing were serious of- fenses. The hours were long and the studies tedious. It soon became apparent that a sepa- rate building for the college would be necessary. Emissaries went through the Col- onies to collect funds, and in 1753, Prince- ton was chosen over New Brunswick as the location of the college, a fact which has, no doubt, confounded many of the town ' s later inhabitants. It was situated almost in the center of New Light influences. Besides this fact, Princeton contributed £1000, ten acres for a campus, and 200 acres of wood- land. To the astute and economically minded trustees this was indeed an offer which could not be overlooked. Robert Smith and William Shippen designed the building. The cornerstone was laid on September 17, 1754, and the work proceeded until in July 1 756 Edward Ship- pen wTote that Our college is almost fin- ished and looks exceedingly well. Shortly thereafter, the trustees decided to honor Governor Belcher, who had done much to aid the young college after he was elected to succeed Governor Hamilton. He was, however, either an unusually modest man or one with a profound sense of history, for he refused to accept the honor and sug- gested that the building be named Nassau Hall, after the royal branch of William III. Princetonians of succeeding years may be glad that the trustees acceded to his wishes. The pundits of later years were able to deride Nassau Hall with some fa- cility; what a fertile field they would have had with the name Belcher Hall to inspire them! In November 1756, the students moved into their new quarters. There they took up the same life they had left. The building had a large chapel complete with organ— a fact which shocked many Presby- terians. The cellar had a large kitchen in it, while the first floor provided recreation rooms and library space. The upper floors were used for living rooms. It was, in 1756, the largest academic building in America. Soon after he moved to his house on Nassau Street, President Burr died. Al- though still a young man, his work in and around Princeton had severely weakened him. He was in great demand as a minister. 10