Swarthmore College - Halcyon Yearbook (Swarthmore, PA)

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We have now reached, in this brief outhne. which may, we trust, form some sHght basis for a fuller and more complete history of the College in later years, the close of the first fifteen years after the open- ing of the College in ' 69, and beginning as we did with a large Preparatory School, and only one small College class, the Freshmen, we feel that a great work was accomplished in those fifteen years by the earnest efforts of the early founders; but in the fifteen years that have followed, from ' 84 to ' 99 inclusive, the progress has been far greater, and the present condition and bright prospects of the College, with its strong Facultv of fifteen, its 208 College students, and no longer burdened with a Preparatory School, are great causes for gratitude to Him from whom all blessings flow ; and we can now confidently say that the wish publicly expressed at the opening of the College, by one of its early founders, that it might yet be found that they had ' builded better than they knew, has been abundantly realized. IS

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matters, in connection with her husband, John Jackson, a name so famihar and so dear to all Sharon students, her counsels were especially valuable, and had deservedly great influence with those associated with her in the work. The whole number of students this year reached 289, a greater number than was ever before in the College at any one time. But of this large number, 221 were in the Preparatory School, and but 88 in the College classes. Thus, the day seemed still distant when the College was to be well filled without the presence of a Preparatory School. Eight schools were reported this year as permitted to enter students without examination, on presenting certificates of qualification from their principals. The Library of the College had now reached, since its total destruction by fire two years before, about 5,700 volumes, the funds for which had been largely contributed by the Alumni Association ; and an earnest appeal was made to the Alumni at this time to contribute towards the maintenance of the Library, that the instructors and students might have access to the latest and best works at all times, and that the excellent working collection that was lost might soon be replaced. Nor did this appeal fall upon deaf or inattentive ears. An active working committee of the Alumni was soon in the field, and their labors being much en- couraged by a liberal conditional subscription of several thousand dollars by Clement M. Biddle, a permanent fund of $10,000 has since been secured, the interest of which is now devoted yearly to the increase of the books of which the Library most stands in need. The College society libraries were also reported at this time as numbering collectively nearly 2,000 volumes. Earnest efforts were made this year to restore our excellent working museum of Natural History, col- lected through all the history of the College thus far with so much care by Dr. Joseph Leidy, Some of us well remember that the day after the fire, when he started from our station up the asphaltum walk, having been called from his home in Philadelphia by the startling news of the morning, as he looked up at the blackened walls of the College, and the great empty water tank hanging upon the ruin, he said, mourn- fully, Ten years of my life gone ! Many specimens were sought out and purchased to supply this great loss, by funds furnished by Joseph and Anna T. Jeans, and contributions of material for the museum were liberally made by William S. Vaux, Professor F. A. Genth, C. S. Bennett, John Hartmann, Joseph Wilcox, and Edward Farnum. The report of the Managers was unusually full this year, taking up, in unusual detail, the various depart- ments of study, all of which are represented to have been in a very satisfactory condition. 14

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Faculty and Instructors WILLIAM WILFRED BIRDSALL, President and Professor of Pedagogy. B. S., Earlham College (1873); A. M. (1899). ELIZABETH POWELL BOND, Dean. A. M., Swarthmore College (1897), Author of Words by tlic IVay. EDWARD HICKS MAGILL, Professor of French Language and Literature. A. B., Brown University (1852); A. M., Brown University (1855); LL. D., Haverford College (1886). Member of A K E and B K. Author of Magill ' s French Grammar; MagiU ' s French Prose and Poetry; MagiU ' s Modern French Series. ARTHUR BEARDSLEY, Emeritus Professor of Engineering and Librarian of Friends ' Historical Library. C. E.. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1867); Ph. D., Swarthmore College (1889). ]vlember of A K E. WILLIAM HYDE APPLETON, Professor of Greek and Early English. A. B., Harvard (1864); A. M., Harvard (1867); LL. B., Harvard (1869); Ph. D., Swarthmore College (1888). Member ot X ■ ' and J B K. Author of Greek Poets in English Verse. 16 ■