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

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o The football team of 1893 The thrand Old Manta initial 2f. fort. the average ability and echo: larship of the women exceedv ed that of the men. They defied the Victorian concepe tion that a woman was a helpless, fluttery individual. But the social tab005 of the time could not be lightly over- looked. nIt is not regarded quite nice, I believe, wrote Robert Herrick concerning the University in an 1895 Scn'bner's Magazine, ' f 0 1' young women to' walk about the campus With the men, or to gossip and flirt in the public recitation rooms. A high de1 gree of social propriety was maintained; women did not drink or smoke, and social functions were very properly Conducted and supervised. The women's residence halls functioned as clubs. After a girl had-been' in re? 1- idence one quarter as a guest, she was either elected to membership, or politely dismissed to hnd other housing accomodations. Dances were held monthly in the reception room of each hall. and romance of a dignified type flourished. Afternoon tea in individual rooms was a popular custom even then. The young ladies conducted themselves with decorum. -It must be remembered that the University was a Baptist institution. N0 card playing was allowed at mixed gatherings. Dancing at first was allowed only in University buildings, but gradually approved hotels were used for student dances. The need for organization among the women on the campus was not imminent for several years, but in 1901 the Board of Student Organizations authorized a commis' sion, headed by Dean Marion Talbot, to organize the Women's Union of the University of Chicago. The object was to unite all the women in the University for the promotionrof their common interests. Many distin- guished women were guest speakers; receptions and env tertainmente were given weekly. But back in 1894 the beginnings of the present club system had been made. Sororities had tried to establish chapters, but had met with definite opposition. The Uni versity had by then provided ample housing facilities for its women students, and its executives objected to the outside control indicated by the sororities. However,- three highly esteemed young ladies asked permission of Mrs. Palmer and Dean Talbot to form a selective'elub for 'lliterary and social purposes. Having secured the permisv sion Of the President, Mrs. Palmer and Dean Talbot; these girls organized Soon other groups fpllow'ed their example, and the present club system was-established. The clubs, unlike sororities, were under the supervision of the Uni! versity and subject to its regulations. The date that rated highest among the girls of the University was an invitation to a tallyho ride. The young lady and her escort went up'town on the I. C. to a livery Twelve stable, then rode back to a footballgame in a coach drawn by four sleek black horses T Tallyho. Be sure that all dunng this period of expansion and adjustment camp-us life was proceeding merrily on its way. Student activities were considered an important part of the University. Chicago's famous coach, Amos 'Alonzo Stagg, held foot! ball practice in Washington Park on the hrst clay of school, 1892. With a very small number of men the team man! aged to tie their first game, which was with Northwestern. This was the beginning of the rivalry which has continued ever since. Their hrst and only collegiate victory that year was over Illinois 00-10. A more close examination of those early days leaves one in no doubt about the emphasis that Chicago then placed on athletics. It was a leader not only in competition but also fostered intercollegiate athletics, being, in fact, instrumental in the formation of the Western Conference ethe Big Nine. From 1892 until the turn of the century most of the competition was With city high schools, scrub teams from Y.M.C.A.'s, and various companies. During this time of-disorganized athletics C'clirty football and games played on weekday afternoonsy Chicago 'became famous in the Mid-west; twice leading the conference. In '96 the school tied for the title With WisconSin and in 99- Chicago and Stagg Woh their hrst undisputed championship Baseball and tennis, the other big sports of the time were veritable u pushovers for Chicago. She held the tennis title in both singles ahcl doubles from '94 through '00 except for a loss in doubles in '99, and the baseball title from '95 through '98. Those. were the days of the famous Herschberger, when even the coach got in and played 1f necessary iStagg was a famous pitcher? Mar shall Field, later renamed Stagg Field; was made p054 sihle as earlv as 1898 bv the combined gifts of' Red: efeller and Marshall Field, and in 1904 Bartlett Gymnav slum Was contnbuted by A C. Bartlett

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John D. Rockefellefs $3,000,000 gift, but it was disapv pointing to him that all of his gift could not have been added to the endowment. One problem which had arisen was where to locate the long plzlnned'for Observatory. The matter came to :1 head when the University had the opportunity of ob mining il forty-ineh retracting lens if an observatory could be provided to house it. This Would be the worlds largest retracting telescope, just as the eighteen and one half'ineh one of the 01d University had been in its day. Mr. Yerkes came forward with enough money to build an observatory, and, after considering a number of possible sites1 Lake Geneva was chosen as the most desirl able, although Peoria offered $200,000 to induce its Ineation there. John D. Roekefeiler made his second and last appear :mee at the University in 1901, the year of the Deeennial. To commemorate lhe occasion the Press published 28 volumes in the greatest series of scientific publications ever attempted by any institution. It was at this time that the Corner stones of the Tower group were laid. These buildings were made possible by C. L. Hutchiw son, Leon Mandel. H. E McCormick, J J Mitchell. J. Reynolds, :md 11 D. Rockefeller. The Press needed better quarters than those in the old gymnasium, so Mr. Rockefeller, as mentioned prcvil ously, gave the Press building, which for a time also housed the Law SehooL the General Library, and the Bookstore, The Law SChooI was founded when Mr. Rockefeller agreed to the use of $90,000 of his $2,000,, 000 gift for a library. The present Law Building was put up in 1904 on funds advanced by him until u ILlOIIOI' could he found who had the desire to have his name affixed to it. Theodore Roosevelt laid the corner stone and in his speech he said, n'We need to produce not genius, not hrilliancy, but, the homey. com: 1 monlpktce elemental virtues? 1 Hitchcock Hall, the gift of Mrs. K Hitchcock as a memorial for her 1 husband. was completed in 1902. It was then the largest of the res' idence halls. a coeducational system, so the outcome of the infant western universitfs policy of absqute equality of men and Women students was awaited wnth intense misgiving-not only among Americans but also among the foreign visitors who were drawn to Chicago by the Columbian Exposition But women quickly took an important place in the intel' Ieetual life of the campus, and, while in 1901 the sexes were segregated in the Junior College, it wals not so for long. The fuel was established that women were to be accorded opportunity and consideration equal to that granted to men. Many questions arose. How would the women eon! duct themselveg under the temptation of the elective .svstem': How could they resist the demorulization of being domiciled in college halls separated only by a stretch of greensward from the merits halls on the other side of campus? And last, but not least, were they phys' ieztlly strong,r enough to stand the mental strain of 1'nte1- Ieetuzllly competing with the men? Elizabeth Messick, a tall, dark'eyed girl from Memphis, was one of the first Women to arrive. Finding the Univer- sity of Chicago consisted of little more. at that time, than one buildingY and a lot of prairie, she was at a complete loss for hoarding accomodatinns Undaunted, she adjusted her little patent leather visored hat, wrapped her circular cape closer ahout her slim bodv, marched up to President Harper's door and informed him of her arrival! President Harper. with his usual kindness and ingenuity, assisted in her orientation. 11 was women of just such courage that were drawn to the new University: many, no doubt, attracted by the gradute courses as well as the undergrad- uate courses. Most of these young women were from Southern and Eastern homes. Intellectual standards ware not lowered by the admittance of women; in fact, f'l I 11-h 3m .' oi '1 ' .- ,1? . 1. The School of Education was established in 1901 when the Chi; cago Institute, founded by Mrs. Edwonds Blaine, was committed to the University. Three primary and secondary schools were ah- sorhed as laboratories. Mrs. J. Y. Seammon contributed the land on which Elaine and Belhefd Halls were erected and dedicated in 1904. The latter building was named in honor of H. H. Belfield who had been principal of the Chicago Manual Training: School from the time of its establishment to the time it became the Univer' sity High Schoolr Women and Heroes in the Nineties In the early nineties most edu- cational authorities cfisapproved of I Harper at his best. Courtesy of the Chicago Daily News. mPH FUNCTION OF gonna: inntm WE CHIQAGO DAILY NEWS. ,1

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A new series of championships started in l05. Eckersall, because of his spectacular runs and his miraeulous dropr kicks, was for four years the idol of Chicago football. Already many stories of the golden days had sprung UP? such as Eckersall's 50 thrilling the crowd by running - through the whole Wisconsin team on the kickoff that spectators fell forward over the seats while cheering or straining forward to l'see every move he made. In'1905 llEckie supplemented by other Chicago immortals such as Babe Meigs, Wally. Steffan. and John Sehommer, reached his peak, and Chicago defeated Michiganls 'most famous Champions 210, when. Mark Catlin tackled Clarke. Michiganls stat behind the goal for a safety. Later that year Eckie -'saved the day at Wisconsin by kicking the winning field goal out of a sea of mud. Eckersall C051 was the first western player ever chosen on Walter Campis All'Ametican Team. In the peak 'year, 1905', a strong basketball team reached the top in a three way tie .with Minnesota and Wisednsin; the tennis team regained its old 'foothold; the outdoor track Championv ship was brought to Chicago with the help of Ned Merriam; and'swimming and cross-country brought in two more championships. -' ' Campus Activities The fraternity spiritentered with the opening of the Un'ivei'sityis doors, even though fairly adequate housing facilities had been provided for the men. There were- a. number of national -fraternities represented on the campus from the start, as some of the men had been initiated at Northwestern, and eventually the local Clubs were absorbed .by-them. The hrst fraternity was formed in 1893. In the early days the men met in-their rooms, but gradually the more - ambitious fraternities rented rooms, for their meetings, then apartments and houses, and hnally built or bought their own houses. I These early men on the campus, like the college men of today, were swayed by campus politics and fade. The Cap and Gown? published first in 1895, was under no particular monopoly until 1898, when Iron Mask seized l mm u u. u. a I m I' l . l! l.': m ' 1 control of it. Then in 1906 the Junior class broke the monopoly and in turn gained control of the board by .1907. 'In later years the editing and publishing of Cap and. Gown became too large for any one organization ortlass to handle.-As for fads, the Reynolds Clubiin days of yorewwas- an organization patronized almost exclusively by fraternity men-and all who used it had to pay dues. Despite Harperls plan to limit the students' expenditures, it never worked. Then, as now, there were wealthy students .and students who had to work their way. Lighting the gas street lamps was one of the jobs available to those who wanted to Work. All in all these early students, playboys and plebians, had the right material in them, for out of the early graduating classes have come many of the men now prominent in our national life. The women also have had their share of recognition. Early students did not overlook dramaties as a means of intelligent self-expression. The history of dramatics at the University is long and varietl but illustrates vividly the spirit of progress so native to the school itself. It is a far cry from the early satirical marionette shows of the 903 to theirecent presentation of Maxim Gorki's LlLower Depthsff 'The dancing dolls tunmistakably prominent members of the Universitv facultvl brought down the housein those first entertainments characterized bv satire and. wit, given in Kent Theater, the largest auditorium until Mandel Hall was built. The lyrics and dialogue were written chiegv by members of thefaculty. In time 'the faculty withdrew, leaving the field entirely to student orgamzatlons. . - .r - ' - Student productions, given on Academic Days, were rather hopeless. Imagine in the modern Aristotelian atmosphere a production such as the pantomime, HThe Three Lovers, given in 1894, with a cast including Farmer Jeremiah HollyhockgEZekiel Green Gtassgrower, and Reginald Van Marshall. Nevertheless, the very students who participateti in such productions had so vital an interest in dramatics that they formed the Dramatic Club in the Spring of 1895. The club, consisting of 13 members, was directed by E. H. Lewis, and was intended to give annual-per' formances. It rated one insig' nificant paragraph in the 1897 uCamp and Gownf1 as follows: A triple bill was given, consisting of a curtain raiser, llCourtship Withi- Variations, Barbara by .Jerome K. Jerome, and . ?Cupid's Touchdown, a local play. the work of James Weber Linn, 96. . . . In short, the warm reception given the plays proved conclusively that a good local production is not only a possibility but an accomplished fact. Many people must be puz' zled as to how Blackfriats en! tered the dramatic held as a separate organization. The I The old library. Fire threat- ened Harpefs peace of mind. Thirteen