University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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lir ,1 ■ «« I f n ' l 1 ■ I EUSITY HALL

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Dr. Geo. T. Winston from tho presidency of North Carolina University to ], - tlir lirst President of the University of Texas. He proved himself an active, aggressive man, and was ci y successful in bringing the University and its work to the favorable attention of the public. After holding the position for three years Dr. Winston voluntarily resigned and rLturncd to North Carolina, where he is now President of the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. His resignation brought the Board of Regents again face to face with the serious problem of finding a leader of undoubted strength, who could solve the problems confronting the institution. A committee was sent to the leading universities of the country in search of a suitable man; the press of the State took on themselves their accustomed role of advisors and censors, and groomed their candidates : the alumni and friends every- where discussed the situation and offered suggestions looking to its proper solution. The Regents tided over the immediate stress by making the chairman of the board acting president of the University. By the time of the November meeting the trend of the press and the opinion of the public had set so strongly towards a Texas man that, had the Regents refused to heed the warning, the results would have doubtless been most disastrous. At that meeting Mr. Wm. L. Prather, then Chairman of the Board of Regents, was elected Presi- dent of the University of Texas. President Prather brings to this position an intimate knowledge of the affairs of the University, gathered during twelve years of service as a Regent. He is 52 years old, and has resided in Texas since his fifth year. During his stu- dent days at Washington and Lee University, General Robert E. Lee was its President. In 1871 he graduated in law. Since that time he has been engaged in the practice of his jnofession in Waco. Besides being a successful practitioner, he has been engaged in many business enterprises which have been attended with uniform success. Theoretically, President Prather ' s non-acquaintance with the profession of teaching fur- nishes ground for doubting the wisdom of the Re- gents ' choice. To those entertaining such an opinion one need only point to Seth Low, President of Columbia University, ackno vledged to be one of the most success- ful college presidents of the country. President Low ' s academic training was of the kind acquired in the count- ing room of a large business establishment. The Uni- versity of Texas needs for its President at its present state of development, first, a man known and trusted by the people of the State; second, a man who knows Texas and its people; third, a man of distinct business ability, capable of handling every detail of the large financial interests of the University; fourth, a man intimately acquainted with the ideals of scholarship held by the educational world. . 11 of these qualifica- tions are possessed in some measure by President Prather. Whatever he may lack because of his non- participation of late years in academic affairs is largely offset by his broad grasp of men and affairs, by his power of adaptation, and beyond all these, by his love and devotion to the highest interests of our University. With him, her name and reputation stand next to his family and his religion. From this time forward the students will expect him to guard and foster the inter- ests of the University with the same fidelity and faith- fulness that he would give to a client in desiierate need of his services. Thus far his administration has been attended by a single incident. The outcome of this incident is the widely prevalent belief that there is a backbone to his

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laithlullv, unsv In (lutv that 1u ' in. tinu STUDENT LIPE This excursion intn tlic liistory of the University has seemed necessary. The office of the President of tile riii ersit will exert a most powerful influence on itN futui-e. It ! - aid to be the most difficult position which American society can call upon a man to till. Here special and peculiar difficulties environ it. Stu- dent sentiment is colored by an iconoclastic tint that is probably a reflection of the influence of Mr. lirann. The prevalent democracv is so excessive in its demanil for freedom that it is often degraded into a specious populism that would destroy w here it can not convince by peaceful methods. A person in authority is, per- force, one who must be looked upon, if not with sus- picion, with much mental reservation. The lesson of loj-alty has yet to be completely mastered; the license of unwarranted and unjust criticism will soon be rele- g-ated, let us hope, to its proper limbo in the realm of politics, and cease to be invoked by those whom the public confidently look to for higher and nobler ideals. The real university must be a family life in which loyalty of each member to the whole shall be the divine inspiring breath. But while truth and candor comjiel us to admit that this spirit of loyalty is not yet in our midst in perfection, our recognition of the absence of the ideal shows that we have unconsciously set it before us. It is a lesson that will be good for us all to learn, from the President down to the humblest student, — it being understood that the faculty are included in the bodv to whom this recommendation is made. Who r i.a rt in th L - fan lih life that s . .f th ■ Vn vei sitv. In ..r u •posi and mi tual for- this ul ra-d ■moc rae V. falselv tails in this has no ck: should make single the a few years, through i bearance, we shall out called freedom. President David Starr Jordan, of Leland Stanford University, says : In the environment fittest for train- ing young men and women, there are three mighty ele- ments, — healthfulness, beauty, and freedom. When judged bv these standards the environment of our own student body is most fortunate. Few cities can boast of such entire freedom from epidemics, and the general health of all classes is far above the average. Austin is situated on the end of the plateau through which the Colorado breaks to spread out into the broad alluvial valley of the south. The river, the mountains, the lake (that was), the high prairies to the north and east, make it a location of exceptional natural beauty, especially when one comes to contrast it with the unbroken monot- ony of the plains of West Texas and the forests of the eastern portion of the State. The great granite capitol, whose bigness makes the city appear pigmy-like, stands guard to the south of the University —like a protecting husband keeping watch over his tender spouse. Other public buildings, the Blind Institute, the Deaf and Dumb Institute, the Insane Asylum, etc., add picturesqueness and interest to a city made beautiful by the gifts of nature. But, after all, it is the spirit of freedom, the eqalitv of merit, woven into the very organization of the University, that gives it a unique place among the col- leges of the South. A thousand young men and women meet daily in its classrooms, library, and college grounds on term of absolute freedom. The rich and the poor follow Socrates through the mazes of his dialectics; male and female sit together as disciples at the feet of