University of Chicago - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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O Yerkes Observatory; 3 utilities baren in a stellar Hale. Dakota; and Alice Freeman Palmer of Wellesley. With the latter came Marion Talbot, Miss Palmerls successor as Dean of Women. john W. Coulter, President of Lake Forest was soon added. Great predictions were made for the school even be, fore it had opened its doors. The Standard said it would he educationally Epochvmaking ; the Tribune : Never, since schools were hrst thought of, has an institution of learning been established that has started out with the financial backing, the enthusiasm, and the determination tci win for itself a'place in the front rank that has marked the growth of the plans of the University of Chicago. It was the rapidly expanding plan that forced the founders to realize that inbre buildings would be needed than those originally proposed. This realization resulted in the cam! paign of 1891 to raise'a million dollar building fund. One fortunate gift was from the estate of Mr. Ogden, successor to Stephen A. Douglas as chairman of the Board of TruStees of the old school. In all, this added $600,000 to the funds and made possible the Ogden igraduatel School of Science. A fine addition to the Marshall Field gift ofone and a half blocks of land lvalued at $100,000L and the one and one half blocks beught from Field by the Trustees for $132,500 was the purchase of a fo-urth bIock from Field tprice: $130.0001y Mr.- Hutchinson urged this purchase, saying at the time that the mistake of all public institutions in Chicago had beep made in laying plahs on too small a scale, thus ham! Faring future expansion. At this time transportation between the campus and aha 190p thsisted 0M7 daily 1.0. steamtmins, taking lbUt 25Im1nutes'to make the trip; while the south side PFEYRFCI had. been. prejeeted' to run near the campus. theell'fifiynon'gff F11? 5611901. lying.r along the earth side' of Universit alyA a1sance hetween Ellis and Lexington tnow . .Y . VBHUe. as described by the llStanclard, fur' nished an abundance of fresh aif 'and' pleasure in the park for the'stud'e'nts. ' residential SBCUOHI Of the Clty and' Will permit the institua tion to-sur-rouncl itself with it's own peculiar and stimulat' mg- SOClal and intellectual atmosphere. , ' '- ffirthitcct's had been invited to submit sketches for a reeltanon hall'and 'two dormitories. Henry Ives Cobb. . Who Prascnted'the largest and mosttpicturesque sketch, Was the architect chosen: The sketch showed 'the four bIOCkS With all 'qu'cldran'gles completed as follows: fresh. men'and'sophomores in the northwest corner, juniors and'SEmors 'in the' northeast; women in the southwest, and the graduates'in the southeast. In theicenter was to 'be a a great circle'wherein -a fountain would play. Directly to the north of it was to be a science'quadtangle with a lofty Fo'r miles around it 'forms the best' observatory in the center, to the east the Chapel, and to the west University Hall. One of these was to he sur- mounted by a great tower, the other by a spire. The grand entrance to the grounds was to be on the Midway. 'iOther gateways will be in the nature of sally'ports through masonry walls, said a contemporary account. One DEWS' paper carried large headings announcing Immense Walls of Stone Will Shut Off the Busy Outside 'World. At the time the plan was made, everyone predicted that it would take 100 years to complete it. In one'third that time it was practically realized, but with some changes Cobb Lecture Hall was soon started along with the dormitories then called Graduate, Middle, and South Divinity, since named Blake, Gates, and Goodspeed. Meanwhile, Mr. Rockefeller had decided the University needed more for endowment purposes and gave his see! 0nd million in February, 1892. Marshall Field, in April offered $100,000 on condition that the long hoped 5:31: million dollar building fund be raised in 90 days. Sidney Kent followed with $233,000 for a chemical laboratory- Mrs. Elizabeth Kelly followed with $30,000 for a womenis: hall; other women gave $18,000 through the 'Women's Clubs; Silas Cobb $165,000;Mart1'n A. Ryerson $150,000- Mrs. Nancy Foster $50,000; George A. Walker, $130: 000. Wlith only ten days to go, there still remained $140: 000 to be raised. Getting this sum was a problem. Mr; Jerome Beecher appeared with $50,000 and Mrs. A. J. Snell with an equal amount for a men's dormitory iri memory of her husband. Business men had secretly pledged to make up any dehcieney not exceeding $100- 000. In this way Marshall Fieldas $100,000 gift was obtained. The advance made between October 1890 and July 1392 is seen to be very great. The College of 1890, with 17 acres of land 'as a'site, $1,000,000 and provisions for one building, had developed into The University of Chicago with an enlarged site, $4,000,000 and provisions for ten buildings, with a faculty of 120 teachers, with an Academy, a College, two Graduate Schools, and a Divinity School. Buildings and More Buildings Balmy spring days with the fainous Wheel of the Columbian Exposition going round and round, just over 0 Rockefeller with Harper, both looking pleased about one of the many dedications.

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distance. Publication Work included the printing and publishing of all ofhcial documents, as well as journals, reviews, and books prepared or edited by University professors; but these were taken from the Publications Work and put on a departmental basis before the Uni1 versity opened. Laboratories and museums also were on a departmental basis. The work of the University Affilia- tions, whose purposes were later more adequately cared for by the General Education Board, was the result of Harpefs desire to help, rather than weaken, small nearby schools. Its existence has been indispensible in expanding and strengthening the University. In the original plan there was to be one general body, the Council, to consider and act, subject to the formal decision of the trustees, on matters of general interest to the University. This was soon succeeded by the General Administrative Board, but both prevecl to be unimportant and inefficient, and the Boards power was soon usurped by the Senate. The University Senate had not originally been included in the University's organization and its provision came about through the quick wit of President Harper. He was discussing an important educational ques- tion with Professors Laughliri and Hale when the former suddenly said it was not right for two professors in com! party with the President to decide so farlreaching a matter. Harper looked up and in a flash said That's right. It should be the Senate. ' The Senate was composed of the President, the Uni, versity Recorder, all head professors, the Librarian, and later all full professors. Now, its power extends to the regulation of all actions of the faculties, in that these actions are subject to the revision or reversal of the Senate, unless the trustees overrule its decisions. The proof that Dr. Harper's ideas and plans were sound is the fact that they are still closely followed. That they were revolutionary is shown by the contemporary news- paper head lines. The Heraldl' blared forth with To Up: root Old Plans followed by the subheading uDr. Harper's Scheme of Educationi The Tribunel' carried the head uDr. Harperls New Plan followed by subheadings Novel.ldeas for the Arrangement of the New Uni- versityii and uVacation at Any Quarter.n Dr. Harper himself stat- ed, My plan is going to revolution! ize education. He had come to Chicago not to organize just an, other University, not to work out tentative ideas. but to put a dehnite plan into action. Of necessity his whole plan was not entirely orig- inal. but nevertheless. there were fundamental differences between it and that of any other university in the United States. ' . ' ' Brains andiWealth The HPost'l- carried an interesting description of the President under thelhead HDr. Harper In Black and - White. Thispaper stated that Dr. . Harper was.a man whose face and manner would strike'the student of 'b'Hartief. the brains; Rockefeller. the. wealth. Our daxalogy of yore: llPraise John from whom oil blessings flow. Eight human nature at once though his physique was neither im' pressive not attractive. He had a pleasant personality, was five feet six inches tall, weighed 130 pounds, and was solid! ly built. Although a captivating and genial soul, he was imbued with a strong will WThere is a simplicity and modesty in his hearing . . . he is as unaffected as a child and with an artlessness that augments his native simplicity of character. One of his noteworthy characteristics was his great capacity for work. his inexhaustible patience and perseverance, so great that he could awaken students' interest in a dead language. He was known as the apostle of the inductive method of education. An understanding of the man largely explains why, two years before the doors of the institution opened, the fame of the University had spread so far that candidates were applying for admission. To obtain a faculty, Harper had immediately begun to approach eminent scholars throughout the country. Because of the great opportunity opened to them in formulating work in a new university and the high salaries OEeteCl, many accepted. However, there were some who declared that Chicago was a bubble bound to break. The hrst heads of departments secured after a long, hard. struggle were: W. G. Hale tLatinl; J. L. Laughlin iPolitical Economw from Cornell; President A. W. Small of Colby iSociologyl; H. E. von Holst from the German University of Freiburg tHistoryO ; E. Hastings Moore from Northwestern tMathematicsl; Charles 0. Whitman of Clark iBiologyl; and T. C. Chamberlin, President of Wisconsin tGeologyJ. Despite hnancial limitations, Harper secured a notable faculty with such men s A. A. Michel; son tPhysicsl; George Goodspeed iComparatiive and Ancient Historyl; S. W. Cutting .tGermanl; A. A. Stagg iPhysical Culturel ; C. D. Buck tSanskrit and Comparative Philologyl; R. G. Moulton iEnglishh and E. D. Burton iNew Testamentl. It is interesting to note that on the first faculty there were nine former presidents of colleges or universities: E. G. Robinson, Brown; L. W, Northrup, Baptist Union; A. W. Small, Colby; T. C. Chamberlin, Wisconsin; F. Johnson, Ottawa; H. B. Grose, South

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the fence from the new women's dormitories, inspired the poet of 1893 to write, Oh! there were more profs than students, but then . we didn't care; They spent their days in research, their evenings at the Fair. And life upon the campus was one continual swing; We watched the Ferris Wheel go round, and didn't do a thing. The first dormitory for women had been the Beatrice Apartment Hotel. a six-story. building still standing at :the corner of 77th and Dorchester. It was built to house visitors to the .Colurnbian Exposition, hence when the Fair opened in the spring of 1393, the girls moved into Snell Hall on the quadrangles, a handier place for noc turnal serenades. In the fall quarter the men moved. into Snell; the women into the newly completed Kelly, Beecher, and Foster H3113. Mrs. Foster had increased her original gift in order to make the hall five stories high, and late1 she provided funds for Green as an annex to Foster. New buildings went up rapidly. Walker was dedicated at the fourth convocation in 1893; Kent dedlcated January 1,1394 for which occasion Lorado Taft made a baswelief of Mr Sidney A. Kent. Ryerson, given in memory of: the donor's father, was dedicated July 2, 1394. The President's house was finished in 1895'. As the million dollar building fund failed to provide for a library, gymnasium. or press building, it was decided. to erect a temporary structure for all in the center of the northeast quadrangle. now Hutchinson Coutt This structure was made as- cheaply as possible of red brick, with tnhber trusses supporting the roof, but without a permanent foundation The trusses extended above the building and 'resemhle'd huge isaw horsesehard to imagine! It was not in any senne a beautiful building but it served many purposes. The men .5 gymnasium as we11 as the women s 'was in it. Around 'the walls of this' gym was a running 'traek with twelve laps to the mile at the time the best indoor track in 'the west. This'blot on' the la'ndgcapg was removed hit bv hit, 'for in 1901 Mitchell; Tower and Hutchinson Hall replaced the women's-gyrn. In 1903, Ten- n1 2 ! ' ' 3. 'At-m: ' fFu-r -- .19 1 . .11.:.M 0 The Old Gym - an early archite ct ural monstrosity. the remainder was removed to clear an approach to Mandel Hall and the Reynolds Club which were then nearing completion. The second building period of the University opened with the Quinquennial in 1896. In that year Haskell Oriental Museum and the Hull' Biological Laboratories were completed. The latter was the gift of Miss Helen Culver who requested that they be named for H1111. The most important part of the Quiriquennial was the founder's 5151: visit to the campus. He was given :1 won: derful reception by the students who lustily sang: John D. Rockefeller, wonderful man is he: Gives all his spare change to the U. of C. The Convocation that year was held in a large tent in the center 0f the Quadrangles, and Mr. Rockefeller made an address in which he said of the University: 11It 1's the best investment I ever made in my life . . . the good Lord gave me the money and how could I withold it from Chicago? Beginning in 1893 and continuing until 1910 there was a struggle to meet the budget. Mr. Rockefeller nearly always arranged to meet the defzcit, and usually gave a million dollar Christmas present for the endowment. But it was becoming evident to Rockefeller and Dr. Harper that the Universitv was organiZed on a. vaster scale than its resour'ces could justify. So in 1895' Rockefeller gave ' three million dollars, with the understanding that two million must'be raised by other gifts. This necessitated a third strenuous campaign. Miss Helen Culver gave one million and Wlth gifts from Mr. Charles Hitchcock Marshall Field. Elizabeth Keilv.Char1es L Hutchinson, W. F. .E GUrley, Iohn L. Mitchell Martin A. Rverson, Catherine Bruce. Mrs. B. E. Gallup. Mrs. Edmonds Blaine, Nancy S. Faster, and Mrs. Caroline Haskell, there was almost enough to make up the two millions. 'An e1'1tra three months were granted 1'11 which to raise it, but would have proved insufficient had not F. T. Gates obtained enough pledges to make up the shortage. Most of the money, as You note, was put into builtiings bearing .the gi-irers' names. The Press and Power Plant came from