Purdue University - Debris Yearbook (West Lafayette, IN)

Page 24 text:

F.M ' Kki.MKM Station lUKillv. It is liaril to R-alize- the relentless energy with which I ' resiilent Smart an l the Trustees lahoreil to tide the Tnixersily liver its liankruple , tn pacilv the creditors ami kee|i from ,; its (liiors. At the next meeting;- nf the Legislatnre the much needed relief was given and there was also approiiriated $12,300 to be nsed in erecting a hnilding to accommodate the shops. L ' ntil this time the students in Mechanical 1-jigineering had been having their shn|i . .rk in the basement of the riiarniacy Puiild- intendent nl lublic Inslniclii m. was chusen as Ins succosur. ' riu- next two years were the darkest in all nf I ' urdne ' s histurv. The bill for j, ' eneral appropriation had failed in ISSJ- ing. lint the grow di .if llie department had made the space en- ' K.V There coiihi be no more moin ' v obtained until the ne l lirely inadec|naie. im-i-liiiK f tl ' Legislature in 1SS5. and all the mone in die Unring the luxl live years many changes took place at Tre.-isury liad been exliaiisled. ' i be sum otiiained from the Purdue. In the fall of 1SS7. a ftdl foin years ' course of Civil (•iidownieiit cotilrl not be used to pay the currrul expenses, and I ' .ngineeriug was eslalilished, and it drew a large number of tile reports sliowed ih.al these amounted to nearl .SJO,l)()0 .an students froni the beginning. In ISSSt, a special course in ' et- 16

Page 23 text:

1874, so in March, 1874, Professor Hoiighnian began work and conducted classes until June. The following special courses of study had been organ- ized by the Board of Trustees : School of Science (1) Physics and Industrial Mechanics. (2) Chemistry. (3) Natural History. Scliool of Eiigiiiccring ( 1 ) Civil Engineering. (2) Mining Engineer- ing. (3) Architecture. School of -Agriculture (1) (2) (3) PllAKM. |-V BriLllINi; Theoretical and Practical Agricul- ture. Horticulture. Veterinary Science. On September 17, 1874, the school was formally open- ed witli the following faculty : A. C. Shortridge, President : y. S. Houghman, Professor of Physics and Industrial Me- chanics ; W. P). Alorgan, Professor of Mathematics and Engi- neering ; John Hussv, Professor of Botany and Plorticulture ; W. H. Wiley, Professor of Chemistry; and E. F. Brown, Pro- fessor of English, Literature, and Drawing. In November, 1875, President Shortridge resigned and Emerson E. White was elected to fill the vacancy. Owing to the low standard of the large majority applying for admis- sion, it was deemed advisable to have an Academv in con- neclinn with the L ' nixxrsity . ' [ hereafter fur a number of years we find that the majority of students were entered in ihe ] rei)aratory classes. In 1877, University Hall was completed, and i)i 187 ' , ' , Mr. .Martin L. Pierce. Treasurer of the L ' niversity, presented her with money for the erection of Pierce Conservatory. The I ' xperiment Station, then kn(.)wn as the Agricultural Building, was erected two years later. Almost every } ' ear since the opening of the L ' niversity. Ihe faculty has found it nec- essary to make some change in the lines of study. In the lieginning the work had nearly all li e e n done in special courses. In 1883, the Curri- culum underwent a uumlser of changes, and there were three l ' . ading schools established ; tlie Scientific, the Agiicultural, and Mechanical, with a special course in .Agriculture, and a School of .Mechanics with a workshop. The Art Department was improved and Ijccame one of the regular Courses. Latin and German were dropped and an- other year of English, and two years of Laboratory in Biology and i ' h sics were added. The practical training was increased in all departments, a new chair in Physics and Mechanical En- gineering was established, and the standard of admittance was raised. President While, who had spent seven years of faith- ful ser ice, and who had done much in the building of Pur- due, resigncfl during this year and James H. Smart, Super- 15

Page 25 text:

crinary Science was added to the regular courses in Agricul- ture and Horticulture. These latter harl been further strength- ened the previous year. For, with the passage of the Hatch Act, the Experiment Station in connection with the Univer- sity, was to receive $15,000 per annum for the furtherin esti- gation along the lines of Agricultural Sciences, and for the distribution of the results among the people of the United States. In 1889, the School of Electrical Engineering, which was an outgrowth of the study of Physical Science, received an ap]3ropriation of nearly $20,000 for the erection of the Electri- cal Building. The second IMorrell Act was passed in 1890, anrl from this source the University received an additional annual income of $2.T,000 which was to be applied onlv to instruction in Agri- culture, the Mechanic Arts, the English Language and various branches of Mathematical, Physical, Xatural and pA-onomic Science, with special reference to their application in the in- dustries of life and to the faculties for such instruction. At this time there were 463 students enrolled in the I ' ni- versity. Of these, 348 were enrolled in the College and 11, were in the Preparatory Department. The School had main- tained a steady growth since its founding and its standard was continually being raised. It was no longer a local school but was being recognized in the other states as well as in all parts of Indiana. Prior to 1893 the shops of the Mechanical Laboratory had been built. In that year the old shops were fitted up and turneil over to the School of Science, thus leaving the School of F ' har- macy in full charge of its building. During this same vear one of the long felt wants of Purdue was supplied. . mos Lleavi- lon gave to the L ' niversit} ' $33,000 and to this the Legislature added $.t,000, thus making possible the erection of the Mechan- ical iiuilding. This building was iledicated with great cere- mony on the nineteenth of January, 1894. .Vs the night of the nineteenth had closed down upon this great structure alive with activity, so, the morning of the twenty-fciurth wakened to see a mass of scorched and broken walls and a heap of smouldering ashes. Two hours told the tale from beginning to end : the starting of the fire, its destructive progress, the heroic work of students, faculty and friends ; and the end when only the west wing, a little pile of e(iuipment, and a heap of useless rub- bish remained in the place where had stood The Pride of Indiana. The destroyed building had been to all lovers of Purdue, a monument to the untiring energv of I ' rofessor Smart. If that were true, s( i nuich was it true of the new building which rose as nearly as possible an exact counterpart of the first. Where n:ost men would have despaired President Smart saw the demand for greater energy and he went at the task anew with a courage which was undaunted. . s a reward for his labor, on December fourth, 189.3, the restored building was opened. . s the institution advanced, the enrollment of students in the preparatory department had been gradually diminishing. The University had reached a point where it was no longer fed by this department and it was thought best to do awa}- with it. Consequently, in the spring of ' 94 it was abolished. In the fall of ' 95 a pre-Medical course, courses in . rchi- tectural Engineering, Sanitary Science, and Industrial Chem- istrv were added to those already in operation. In the death of President Smart, which occurred in Febru- arv. l ' 00, Purdue lost a great benefactor, one whose ever ■ effort had been bent toward the bettenuent of the Universitv. 17