University of Minnesota - Gopher Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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QW leaf front the flposst T is to the high credit ot' the founders of Minnesota that no sooner ' had they accomplished the political organization of the territory than they turned theirattention to the establislunent of institutions 3' , H 2 which promote and adorn civilization. ln the second session of the . ' 'jx ,tg legislative body, in 1851, a law was enacted to establish the Univer- -Efi-G7 vl,s,,lbpfZ,.f77? IE sity of Minnesota. This legislation was obviously had in anticipa- .I UE IQ tion of an act of congress almost cotemporaneous, making a grant of D U D l mggi public lands for the support of such an institution. E .QTY Ten years passed, and all there was to show. was an untinished I E E wing of a large building, begun in the tlush times, before the 5 g!Q'jE3 ,i 'Lng'l1igiQfif panic year, 1857, and an enormous debt bearing I2 per cent. in- - .4 111- f 11,1 111 f ,fl terest. Repeated but unsuccessful etlorts to cancel this debt were jp g' 4,3','j ,t followed by despairg and when the war of the Slaveholders' Ne- 'fff' at-1,51 bellion began to drain the resources of the country, the regents and 'uqrlf the legislature virtually abandoned the unlucky undertaking. ln 34415- J the midst of their despair there was found one man, who, after a patient study of the situation. conceived a plan by which to rescue and rehabilitate the institution. It is no injustice to his predecessors and only justice to hlm to name John Sargent Pillsbury, then a merchant of St. Anthony Falls, as the real founder of the University. In pursuance of his plan the legislature of 1861 passed an act. creating a special board of three regents, empowered to adjust and settle all claims. authorizing them to sell certain University lands for this purpose. The colleagues of Governor Pillsbury on this board were the llonorublejolm Nicols, of St.l'au1, now deceased, and the llonorable 0. C. Merriman, still living in Minneapolis. ln the course of three years the debt was substantially adjusted to theusatisfaction of all concerned. Upon the recommendation of the ,Board the legislature of 1867 made an appropriation of 5l5,0tltb to complete and furnish the old building. This having been done a preparatory school was opened in October of that year wit h a corps of four able instructors. Another task of almost equal magnitude remained to be undertaken. Not only had lands been sold to pay the debt, but much pine stumpage, belonging to the University, had gone the same way. The endowment had thus been seriously reduced in value. In some way it must be increased or only an inferior institution could be developed. The same wise manager appeared in this exigency, and this is what was done ln 1862, congress had made the well known grant of public lands to endow colleges of agriculture and the mechanic arts. The share of Minnesota was 120,000 acres. The legislature, previous to this, had provided for the establishment of a State college of agriculture at a point in the central part of the State, and on the passage ofthe land grant act, the legislature revised the charter and pledged to that college the income to be derived from the proceeds of the lands. This meant the separation and dissipation of the state's resources for higher academic, professional and teclmical educat.lon. The argument used cannot here be told, but it is matter for everlasting congratzulation that a later legislature was persuaded to undo this folly ami to adopt the wise policy of concentrating the revenues for the higher education. The special board ot' regents having discharged their particular functions and their term about expiring, the legislature of 1868 passed a bill, approved February 18th, to reorganize the University. This act,since amended in minordetaits,is the CIIARTER of the University. XVisely and skillfully drawn, as a whole, its crowning excellence is that which commits to the board of regents the income of the land grant of 18432. A separate agricultural college would have been in its main parts, president and faculty, buildings, library, laboratories, shops, etc.-a duplication of the University, and the state would have had a double burden to carry for all time. Experience has so conspicuously and overwhelmingly justified the action of 18158 that argument is altogether superfluous. The preparatory school, meantime, was prospering. and by it was being quietly settled with- out debate, an educational problem which has tried the souls of many a college board and faculty. Upon the opening day some persons in female attire, and without question of that sex, presented themselves for admission. It was a school not yet a college. There was no one who wished to object and the young women took their places in the chapel and class room. Depending on ex- pected appropriations the new hoard of regents addressed themselves to the opening of the institution as a college and resolved that this should take place at the beginning of the college year in September, 1869. A faculty of nine persons, three of whom had taught in the preparatory -15

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Jour: -fQfl5QOHNpNIC0l.S - 'Q - 2 . ' -ORLANDO-C4-NERRIMAN

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C.-XDIPl'S'LO0KIXG SOLTTHEAST FROM ROOF OF COLISEUPI.