Swarthmore College - Halcyon Yearbook (Swarthmore, PA)

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classes alone will fill Swarthmore to its utmost capacity, and soon require additional buildings for their accommodation. The only change in the head of a department th e present year was the appointment of Henry W. Rolfe, A. M., a graduate of Amherst College, previously an Instructor in Cornell University, to take charge of the Department of Latin. The President, who had assumed this charge the previous year, now in- structed only the Senior Class, requiring this relief that he might give more attention to outside lectures, and the general duties of the College. As an Assistant in Latin, Ferris W. Price, A. B., a graduate of Swarthmore in the Class of 1874. and for some years a successful Instructor in Friends ' Central School, in Philadelphia, was appointed in place of Mary L. Austin, who resigned at this time after fifteen years of most satisfactory and faithful service in the College. The Department of Chemistry was much strength- ened at this time by the appointment of Albert G. Palmer, Ph. D., of Johns Hopkins University, as As- sistant Professor of Chemistr} ' , and considerable new apparatus was added to this Department. A change, which was practically, though not nominally, a change of the head of a Department, was made this year: Dr. Joseph Leidy, who was appointed Professor of Natural Llistory in 1870, and served the College so well in that capacity for fifteen years, was now made Emeritus Professor of Natural History and Curator of the Museum ; and Dr. Charles DoUey was appointed Assistant Professor of Natural History and Lecturer on Physiology and Hygiene. Dr. Dolley had recently returned from abroad, where he had been pursuing his studies in Zorn ' s Biological Laboratory, in Naples. He entered most zealously upon his new duties, and the work of this Department was greatly extended. Dr. Dolley giving us three entire days each week, whereas Dr. Leidy had given us but a few hours weekly of his valuable time. Under Dr. Dolley the Col- lege opened a Biological Laboratory for practical work, and made Biology an elective study for all who desired and were prepared to enter upon it. Among the minor changes made by Dr. Dolley is one which the young women of the College have since especially enjoyed, the establishment of the flower-garden on the border of the drive, at the east end of the College. We felt that the changes and additions in the corps of Instructors this year were eminently satisfactory, and that the teaching force had never hitherto been so strong and efficient as at that time. The Instruction Committee appointed, this year, a part of their number as a Visiting Committee, who visited and reported upon the classes everv month, and the President made to this Committee monthly reports of his visits to the Classes, and their condition, both in the College and Preparatory School. 17

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as in the past, self-supporting, so far as the regular current expenses are concerned, it must be seen that we cannot make the various improvements needed, and depend for this work upon the current receipts. And in an especial manner is it true that, as our requirements are advanced, and the number in our Col- lege classes constantly increased, we shall be under the necessity of incurring greater expense for instruc- tion than in the past. To meet these added expenses it is exceedingly desirable that Friends who have the means should extend aid by the endowment of the Professorships. Friends should understand that, without such aid, no institution for higher education can or should ever expect to be self-supporting. It is therefore earnestly hoped that the friends of the College will look toward the endowment of the prin- cipal Professorships in the College at an early day. Se ' enteentii Year, 1885-86. — The number of College students continuing steadily to increase with the more advanced condition of our Preparatory School, the number in the College classes reached 123 for the present year, and at this time Class C, the lowest in the Preparatory School, was dropped, and the for- ward movement toward the elimination of that school, and having Swarthmore take her place as a college proper, among the colleges of our State and country, was thus fairly begun. An earnest appeal was made to Friends to so arrange the courses of study in their preparatory schools as to fit students to enter our Freshman class, and remain four years and complete the course, instead of entering too early, improperly prepared, and, becoming discouraged, leaving to enter upon business before the College course was com- pleted. To increase an interest in this subject the President began, during this vear, visiting various places in this and adjoining States, and speaking, to Friends and others, of tlie value and importance of a Modern College Course of Study for all, and especially for all intending to teach, in whatever grade: and one of the results of this outside labor was the organization of the College Association of Pennsylvania, which has now increased, and become the Association of Colleges and Preparatory Schools of the Middle States and Maryland. The Managers, who have been, from the first, so deeply impressed by the import- ance of their work for the present and future generations ' , say at this time: In this work we bespeak for him the cooperation and sympathy of friends of the College generally. We believe that it may be made one among the various means by which additional interest in a higher education may be aroused among Friends throughout the country: and that thus, in a few years, instead of one college among us, not quite half filled with college students, and eking out its numbers by a large preparatory school, the demand for places for Friends ' children, properly prepared at home, ma)- be so great that the College 16

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Another important change was made at this time : Class C, which had been used as a Model School in the Teachers ' Department, being now dropped, it was decided to abandon this school of practice, and to open a course in the Science of Teaching, for those intending to become teachers, and the Professor to be appointed was to use the class itself as the practice or model class, thus obviating the necessit) ' of a school of small children for this purpose. Thus, the College proper was, little by little, being evolved from the large mixed College and Preparatory School. About 1,200 volumes were added to the Library this year, for more than half of which we were in- debted to gifts of our friends, Stephen DarHngton, W. J. Youmans, Joseph M. Truman, Jr., Dilhvyn Par- rish, and Joseph C. Turnpenny ; and Friends Historical Library was considerably increased by gifts from Howard M. Jenkins, Charles Thompson, Dillwyn Parrish, Eli M. Lamb, Lydia H. Hall, and Lydia Jackson. Increased attention was given this year to the Department of Physical Culture, and Walter W. Ford, A ' l. D., was appointed to train the students in accordance with the carefully graded system of Dr. Sargent, of Harvard College ; and Susan P. Stackhouse, M. D., was appointed Lecturer on Physiology and Hygiene to the young women, and Dr. Dolley gave a similar course to the young men. At this time the report of the students ' standing in scholarship in exact figures, indicating the per- centages, was abandoned, and the present system of first, second, third, and fourth grades was established. A full report of this prolific year would lead me quite beyond the limits prescribed by the Halcyon, and I must close with this remark, again repeated by the Managers at this time. They say : Let us again remind you that th€ one great need of the College, to place it beyond all question upon a safe and secure foundation, is the endowment of Professors chairs, in all of t he leading and essential departments. ' The next chapter will show that this reiterated counsel did not go very long unheeded. 18