University of Wisconsin Madison - Badger Yearbook (Madison, WI)

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A.vwiiibl) Hall (Music Hall; inhabitid b craiiiiiKrs lutorc exam tiiiic. Hall, originally called Assembly Hall, which was completed in 1879. For nearly a quarter ot a century this building housed the University library. Washburn Observatory, the first build- ing erected by private endowment, had been built in 1878 at a cost of $45,000. TTiis ended the first era of building in Bas- com ' s administration. On the evening of December 1, 1884, old Science Hall burned. Since its completion in 1876, this plain four-story building had been the pride of the regents and the officers of the University. On the night of the fire the alarm sounded about 8 o ' clock. When the first six;ctators arrived, the fire was confined to the engine room, but no one could find the fire hose, and no one could uncap the hydrants that had been in- stalled for protection. The fire slowly ate its way through the building. An hour after it was discovered, students attempted to save as much as could be safely carried out of the building. The museum and art gallery coulil not be reached, but the libraries of Professor Van Hise and Daniells and some of the chemical apparatus were saved. Professors Birge, Irving, and David lost their books and papers, while many science and engineering students lost their instruments. Damage was esti- mated at $200,000. Catalogue, making it fully co-educational. The president of the board was furious and claimed that President Twombly had gone l eyoiid his |)owers. The undergraduates supported the president, thinking he had been fighting the regents on the issue of co-education. When the regents finally denied any opposition to the co-educational principle, the students turned against the president completely. In the spring of 1873 the board decided that Twombly must go. On the advent of Twombly ' s forced resignation in January, 1874, John Bascom became president. Students of University historv usually agree in assigning great importance to Bascom ' s administration. This significance and his long tenure of office (I874-I887) were attributed to the vigor and distinction of his personal character, and the ripeness for progress of the state and University. He resolutely attacked the pressing problems of the University. One of his first achievements was to put women on an equal looting in the University with the men. During his administration a building program was launched. The legislature appropriated $80,000 for the con,struction and equipment of two buildings, old Science Hall, and Music Science Hall, alter the fire. Science Hall, before the fire In the development of science in the University, Prof. Roland D. Irving had an important part. He came to the department of geology in 1870 and brought to his subje ct a youthful enthusiasm and thorough scientific training. The Wisconsin CJeological Survey, which began in 1873, offered him great opportunity for research in the new and difficult field of Lake Superior geology. He became a well-known master in his own field, antl, like Professor Allen, whose service was terminated by death only a year later than his own, founded one of the exceptionally strong departments of the University. At this time Prof. Joseph Fichlin of Missouri State College received his second honorary degree from the University of Wisconsin. He could also claim to be the proud recipient of the first honorary degree ever to be issued by the University. Tlie date of this event was in 1874. By 1884 other well known men had received degrees including Dr. T. C. Chamberlin and Dr. John Muir. Therefore it is easily seen that the University was expand- ing along all lines of endeavor. It was not only in build- ings, science, and history that we see progress, but also in the development of the student as a well rounded citizen. 19

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into the hands of the faculty with Professor Sterling as execu- tive officer. As dean of the faculty and afterwards as vice chancellor. Professor Sterling continued to direct the affairs of the institution until 1867. In 1866 a complete reorganization of the University was effected. Consequently, Dr. Paul A. Chadbourne of Williams College was asked to be president the next year. Due to his capable executive and teaching powers, the University pro- gressed substantially during the following few years. Many important achievements were accomplished during his administration. The legislature made its first direct gift, an appropriation of $50,000 for the building of Ladies ' Hall, now known as Chad- bourne Hall. In 1868 the College of Law was found- ed. In the same year a pro- fessor of agriculture, W. W. Daniells, was added to the faculty, thus placing the agricultural department in operation. This was neces- sary in order to take ad- vantage of the Morrill Act which granted to the state 240,000 acres of public land for the encouragement of agriculture and the me- chanic arts. John W. Sterling, Hrst instrucifir. Chadbourne never advo- cated co-education. In fact, he almost did not accept the presi- dency because of the status of women on the Wisconsin campus. In those days women never had an easy job of being fully accepted on any campus. The University of Iowa was the first state university to admit them. . t Wisconsin a few came to classes as visitors before the Civil War, but not as regular students. When they were finally admitted in 1863, it was only to the normal department, although they were permitted to attend the regular University classes as auditors. They con- tinued to be listed in the official reports as irregular students and in the annual University Catalogue as irregular ladies. Their admission even to the normal department was looked upon with suspicion by some of the males. One student 17 years later declared: They came like an army with banners, conquering and to conquer; they came with bewitching curls. ijoodbvc. Twtjniblv. Main Hall during the 1860 ' s. and dimpled cheeks, and flowing robes, and all the panoply of feminine adornment; and worst of all they came to stay. In 1866 the legislature provided that the University was to be open to both sexes. That should have ended the matter, but it did not. The Board of Regents was then seeking Paul A. Chadbourne for president. As mentioned before, he refused to come to an institution that admitted men and women to the same classes. He was willing that women l- e educated but he wanted them to be taught in separate classes. The re- gents were so anxious to have him accept the presi- dency that they asked the legislature to change the law so as to provide that the University would give equal education to both sexes under such regula- tion and restrictions as the Board of Regents may deem proper. The legislature obliged and the Board then appointed Chadbourne and supported his proposal to establish a separate Female College in the University. The new president went to the legislature and procured funds for the construction of a separate building — ironically enough, later named Chadbourne Hall — which was to house the women students. The building was placed at a safe distance from the other University build- ings, and it was Chadbourne ' s intention to have his female charges supervised and instructed there. Yet the plan of having the women instructed by the regular University staff in separate classes in a separate building could not be carried out fully. It doubled the work of an already overworked faculty. Thus even before Chadbourne left in 1870 some of the women were getting into classes with the men. The peaceful penetration of the woman continued during the next years and in 1874 the Board of Regents adopted a reso- lution admitting them to all classes without discrimination. While the administration was having trouble with women, William F. Allen, who taught both classics and history, was making Wisconsin known to all classicists and historians of America. He was one of the first of the many Wisconsin lib- erals. Allen helped build an educational program for the freed men of the South in the post-war period. However, he is best known for his historical contributions. He conceived of history in terms far broader than those prevailing in his time, as he recognized the role of land in all the cultures he examined. With the regretted resig- nation of Chadbourne in 1870, Dr. John H. Twom- bly, a Methodist minister from New England, be- came president. His ora- torical abilities were con- siderable, but he was no scholar. It is most interest- ing to note that he was an outspoken champion of co- education, for which at first he was loved and hailed by all. In fact, the most signifi- cant event of his short and unhappy administration was the dedication of La- , , „ u u ■ ■ dies ' Hall. In 1872 Twom- John Bascom, the beginning i i tt • of an era of progress. bly prepared the University 18

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The second era of building came at the close of President Bascom ' s administration when the legislature appropriated about $400,000 for erection and equipment of a new Science Hall, the chemical laboratory, the machine shops, and a power and heating plant for the group of buildings. The importance of this period was in the quality of the moral and intellectual service given to the student body and to the state at large. Student activities were not too numerous at that time. Except for the literary societies and a joint debate team, no extra-curricular activity in the intellectual sphere was so im- portant in undergraduate life as collegiate journalism, the University Press, though it was not the first student organ at Wisconsin, was the first to survive for any length of time. Its The new Science Hall. most notable editor and publisher was one of Bascom ' s greatest students, Robert M. LaFollette. He took over the paper in 1876 and operated it for four years. It was a free newspaper which did not hesitate to criticize president, faculty, students, or the Board of Regents. It was thus an admirable stimulus to inde- pendent thought. The paper was written by the faculty to a certain extent, but most of the contributions came from the students. Up until 1882 the University Press had no competition. In that year the first issue of the Badger came out. It did not fare too well, and in 1885 the two papers effected a union under the joint title, the Wisconsin Press and the Badger. In 1886 the Aegis came out and proved to be too much competi- tion for the Wisconsin Press and the Badger. By autumn it had bought its competitors for |650. Until the appearance of the Cardinal in 1892, the Aegis enjoyed a monopoly on Wisconsin journalism. The publication of the yearbook was begun by the junior class in 1884. This book, called the Trochos 1885, was finally published, after great bickering over the arrangements of organ- izations, etc. In 1888 the annual appeared under the title of the now defunct newspaper, the Badger, and it has borne that name ever since. Slowly the musical organizations, Junior Prom, etc., all received pages in the Badger. A sidelight on student interests at this time was the house built by Professor Owen in the 600 block on State Street. On the Langdon Street side of the property he erected a long red brick wall. He had no idea that the years would enshrine the wall in the hearts of generations of students as one of their favorite campus landmarks. From the beginning, the presence of that long, blank surface was an irresistible temptation in the heart of the Greek quarter. It was a bulletin board such as had never been used before. Professor Owen, however, did not approve of the use of his wall as a bulletin board. He posted The forerunner of the BADGER. guards to watch it on the nights before big campus events. Paint-splashed students were hauled to the local jail as a warn- ing, but the wall bore its messages regularly. Following Bascom ' s resignation, Thomas C. Chamberlin assumed the presidency in 1887. He was a graduate of Beloit College and an eminent geologist. Although he was only here for five years, much progress was made in scientific and techni- cal instruction, in agricultural research and extension, and in inducements and facilities for graduate work. During his ad- ministration the first University fellowships were established a nd the University was now prepared to confer the degree of doctor of philosophy (the first degree going to Charles R. Van Hise, later to be president). In 1892 the School of Economics, Political Science, and History was established under the direc- torship of Richard T. Ely. Some of the most impor- tant scientific discoveries in the College of Agriculture developed in this time. Dur- ing this five year period the number of students in the University had doubled and diversification of their pursuits had set in, not only through a wider range of studies but through the introduction of inter-colle- giate rivalry in oratory and athletic games. The devel- opment of college journal- ism and other student ac- tivities also stimulated the student body. In the social life of the student as well as in the character and or- ganization of the academic work of this period there was a marked transition from the college of the former times to the modern University. Students were as fun loving and wild then as now; how- ever, the prank that Chamberlin disapproved of most was hazing. The faculty up to this time had tried to ignore it, but in 1887 a case came up that could not be ignored. A boy by the name of Rosenstengel, a graduate of the University, had returned to do some post-graduate work. He had made himself obnoxious to some students by pretending that he was a fresh- man. He wore freshman colors and attended freshman meet- ings. Accordingly, some students decided to accept him as a freshman and to haze him. Unable to apprehend him in the open, a group of the boys went to his father ' s house, and there sought to capture him. The attempt was not successful, partly because someone had called the police. The police ar- rived, seized several of the crowd, and bore the cul- prits ofl to the police sta- tion, followed by the rest of the student crowd. Once inside the police station, all the students were arrested and their naines taken. The police offered not to press the serious charges of re- sisting arrest against the original violators if 20 of the students would plead guilty to disorderly con- duct. The offer was accept- ed, but later the students grew openly resentful when Thomas C. Chamberlin, eminent geologist. 20