Southwestern University - Souwester Yearbook (Georgetown, TX)

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An increase of students marked the opening of the third session, Monday, October 4, 1875. At the beginning of this session Prof. S. G. Sanders, A. M., in charge of the Chair of Modern Languages, was added to the Faculty, and he became a great accession both to the local church and to the University. He is second only to Dr. Mood in the excellence and importance of the service he gave Southwestern in its early days. He served the University some sixteen years. He died while filling the Chair of Ancient Languages, September 30, 1892. Rev. N. T. Burks, A. M., also came to the University in September, 1875. He was Professor of Mathematics. He served until January, 1879, when he was succeeded by C. C. Cody, A. M. The first class to graduate was at the commencement of 1876. Four young men, James Camp- bell, B. Douglas Dashiel, Alfred S. John, and George H. Stovall were awarded the Bachelor of Arts Degree. Rev. I. G. John, D. D., preached the commencement sermon to a large congrega- tion. In 1876 the I. and G. N. railroad extended its line to Austin going through Round Rock, ten miles form Georgetown. This made the University more accessible to the outside world. It was two years later that a group of Georgetown citizens, with home capital, built the tap Hne to Round Rock. It was in the fall of 1876 that Bishop D. S. Doggett presided over the Texas conferences. The representatives on the Board of Curators was increased from one to five mem- bers for each conference. The Bishop attended the commencement of 1877 and presided over the Board of Curators. His presence was notable because of counsel he gave and his great dis- course preached to a crowded house July 8, 1877. From the beginning of operations at Georgetown there was a growing demand for the ad- mission of young ladies to the classes of the University, but because there were Methodist Female Colleges in the State Dr. Mood had refused admission to all applicants. But the demand growing more insistant the Curators authorized the Faculty to open a Young Ladies Department. The basement of the Presbyterian Church was temporarily secured, and the Faculty advertised that the session beginning September 9, 1878, young ladies would be admitted on the same conditions as young men, but taught in separate classes and separate buildings. A temporary building for young ladies was erected the next year. The first class to graduate young ladies was at the com- mencement of 1879, when Misses Kittie Mood and Mary Steele received the M. L. degree. The M. L. degree, which was an accommodated degree, was conferred on young ladies for about four years, and afterwards discontinued. At the commencement of 1883, Misses L. B. Henderson, Virginia Mosely, and Mrs. Anna M. Richardson (nee) Mathis graduated with B. S. degree. In 1887 Mrs. Willie Ford (nee) Sampey received the A. M. degree. She was the first woman to receive that degree from Southwestern. At the Northwest Texas Annual conference held at Georgetown in 1883, under an earnest appeal by Dr. R. A. Young of Nashville, Tennessee, assisted by the Financial Agent, Dr. H. A. Bourland, the start was made for securing money for erecting the Woman ' s Building. On this occasion above $35,000 were subscribed which afterwards increased. The Snyder Brothers, Dudley, John and Thomas, gave $21,000 of this amount. The subscriptions were slow in materializ- ing. At the next session of the Northwest Texas conference, held at Waco in November, 1884, Dr. F. A. Mood, after addressing the conference in behalf of Christian Education and Southwestern University, retired to his room to breathe his last. His body was buried at Georgetown. In June, 1885, Rev. J. W. Heidt, D. D., of Georgia was elected Regent. The University continued to make progress under his administration. In 1886 Mrs. Giddings of Brenham gave $3,000 to erect a Helping Hall where young men needing help might secure lodging free and board at cost. Mrs. Giddings afterwards added a dining room to the Hall system and the conferences supplemented its capacity by building five cottages at a cost of $550 each. The Woman ' s Building was finished under Dr. Heidt ' s administration. In the fall of 1889 Dr. Heidt resigned and the duties of the Regent devolved upon the Vice-Regent, Rev. J. H. McLean, D. D., until June, 1891, when he was elected Regent. For six years Dr. McLean guided the affairs of the University with great success. His name is closely connected with the University almost from the beginning. He has faithfully served the institution as Curator, Financial Agent, Professor, Vice- Regent and Regent until June, 1897, when he resigned to resume pastoral work in the North Texas Conference As the Board of Curators did not elect Dr. McLean ' s successor in 1887 the duties of RegentleTl Page 19

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Bishop J. C. Keener, who presided over the Texas Conferences in the fall of 1872, suggested two distinct Boards of Control, a Board of Trustees and a Board of Curators. The Trustees to be made up of laymen who were to have oversight of the property and all financial matters. The Curators, composed of an equal number of ministers from each of the five Texas Conferences, to have charge of the internal affairs, the election of professors, and conferring of degrees. Bishop Keener had appointed the Curators while presiding over the conferences and the first meeting of the Board was held in Galveston, December 21, 1872, and Bishop Keener presided over this meeting. Rev. F. A. Mood was elected Regent at this time. This meeting marked the first official acts of Southwestern University and this explains why the shield on the seal bears the date 1872. At first the institution was named Texas University and after operating two years under that name it was changed to Southwestern University. Dr. Mood says of the Committee of Location: They visited in person, several points, but agreed quite unanimously, that George- town, possessed by far, the greatest advantages presented by any of the competing points; while the subsidy offered in buildings, lands and money was also in advance of all others. It was publicly announced August 21, 1873, that the institution would be located at George- town, and the town was formally called upon to present its subsidy in legal and authenticated form. Methodists have always recognized it as a fact that higher Christian education is a necessary part of church work. As soon as the battle of San Jacinto threw Texas open to Protestant en- deavor, steps were taken by the Methodists to plant their standards in this land. Rutersville College began operations in January, 1840, nearly a year before the Texas Conference was or- ganized, and the thirty years that intervened, until the educational movement of 1870 that re- sulted in Southwestern University, the Methodists of this state projected some twelve colleges and a University. But at the close of thirty years of struggle, this church had nothing in the way of permanent operations to show for this great outlay of men and money. Dr. Mood selected four of the most conspicuous of these ventures and neglected no step to make his enterprise the legal successor of these defunct institutions, and as many of their alumni and former students were yet living he desired to tie all such to Southwestern University. In preparing the charter for his college Dr. Mood made the 7th section to read: The right to confer degrees, regular and honorary, in the arts and sciences, heretofore conveyed through the Legisla- ture of the State of Texas in charters of Rutersville College, Rutersville; Wesleyan College, San Augustine; Soule University, Chappell Hill; and McKenzie College, Clarksville, Red River County, are hereby transferred and perpetuated and retained to said Curators; and the graduates of said colleges and University shall be entitled to all literary privileges and honors inuring to the other graduates of Southwestern University. The seal of Southwestern University had the names of these institutions interlocked, with the dates of their charters, and as long as Dr. Mood lived the names of the graduates of these old schools appeared annually in our catalogues. The subsidy that Georgetown gave for the location of the University included a plain but capacious stone building having six large lecture rooms and a chapel that couid seat four hundred persons. Having these accommodations at hand, Dr. Mood, the Regent, opened the first session, October 6, 1873, and he was assisted by Professors B. E. Chreitzbert, A. M., and H. M. Reynold, M. D. There were 33 young men who enrolled the first session. Their average age was a little over 17 years, and they were classed as Freshmen and Sophomore. There were no graduates the first year, a sermon from the Regent on Sunday, July 19, 1874, closed the year ' s work. The next session opened favorably with the accession of P. C. Bryce, A. M., called to the chair of Ancient Languages, and W. W. Lewis, A. M., to the chair of Mathematics, vice B. E. Chreitzberg, resigned. A fine religious feeling developed among the students during the year, followed by several conversions. At the close of the session three young men received certificates of gradua- tion in certain schools, and a number of ministers from the conferences came to rejoice with the Faculty, the Trustees, and Curators over the measure of success achieved. Dr. J. H. McLean of the North Texas Conference preached the Commencement sermon to a large congregation. Page 18

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upon the Chairman of the Faculty, Rev. John R. Allen, A. B., D. D., the following year. Dr. Allen had come to the University as Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy in 1892 and had filled several positions with great acceptability. Most of the time he had charge of the Woman ' s Building and he added the East wing to that Building besides making other improvements. At the commencement of 1908, Robert S. Hyer, LL. D., was elected Regent. The period of his administration was one of great prosperity in material things in Texas and the University kept pace with the times. The Main Administration Building and Mood Hall were begun and completed. In 1906 the original charter trat had been granted February 6, 1875, was revised so as to merge the tw f o Boards of Control into one Board, the Board of Trustees, and to chang e the title Regent to President. Bishop Ward inspired the Summer School of Theology, which grew to prominence and did much good for Texas Methodism. Dr. John R. Nelson inaugurated the Medical College at Dallas, he also did much towards projecting and completing Mood Hall. Professor R. B. McSwain did much in standardizing the courses of study. An effort was begun in 1910 by Dr. Hyer and others to move Southwestern University from Georgetown, first to Forth Worth and then to Dallas, having failed completely Dr. Hyer resigned at the commence- ment of 1911, and was soon afterwards elected to the Presidency of Southern Methodist University, an institution that grew out of the aggitation to move Southwestern University to Dallas. The Trustees accepted Dr. Heyer ' s resignation in 1911 and at the same meeting elected Dr. C. M. Bishop President. He was a man of rare scholarship, who had filled many places of prominence in the ch urch. He was formally inaugurated December 11, 1911. He soon restored confidence in the permanency of Southwestern University and brought back its old time prosperity. The Science Building was projected and completed under Dr. Bishop and the Endowment Fund was materially added to. Dr. Bishop resigned in 1922 to re-enter the pastorate and the Trustees elected Dr. P. W. Horn President. Dr. Horn will be inaugurated at the coming Jubilee. In this brief history the limits of the paper made it necessary to omit many names of students, faculty and Trustees or Curators who played important parts in the development of the institu- tion. It is hoped that some day a complete history of the University will be written. Page 20