University of Denver - Kynewisbok Yearbook (Denver, CO)

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brother, in a common cause. Pausing a moment, he asked with the sincerity and directness ever characteristic of him: “Will you take me in?” A tumultuous outburst of applause showed that he had won the student-body. In June of the same year he came again, to be formally inducted into office. Before a great assemblage in Trinity Church the keys of the institution were turned over to him by Governor Evans; in response he made one of the finest educational addresses ever delivered in Denver. The ideal of Christian education which then lay in his mind, and which he has succeeded in developing in our University, is best expressed in an extract from his inaugural address: “A Christian education is exactly like a Christian life, the unfoldmcnt of all the powers that exist, and the creation of new powers. And just as the Christian's THt RESIDENCE OF CHANCELLOR M« DoWfcll life is the ideal life. Inrcause not fragmentary, but complete, so a Christian education is the ideal education for the same reason. It will not aim to make mere pious nobodies, nor smart rascals, but to make the education correspond to the ideal of life. The pure heart most surely brings the clear brain. ‘Our education will never be perfect, unless, like the ancient temples, it is lighted at the top.’ Our great name here is not Socrates nor Plato It is the Name that is above every name. That our students shall know Him and the power of His resurrection is our prayer and aim. That they may be like unto Him here, and with Him hereafter is our largest hope for them. During the eight years of the Chancellor s administration notable progress has been made in the University. The College of Liberal Arts has moved front

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 3 Ulillidm Trascr McDowell ILLIAM FRASER McDOWELL, the Chancellor of our I'niversity, was born on February 4th, 1858, at Millersburg, Ohio. At the age of twenty-one he graduated from the Ohio Wesleyan University, having taken the classical course. Since graduation his alma mater has conferred upon him successively the degrees of Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Sacred Theology, the last degree being given in 1894. His course in Theology was taken at Boston University, where his record augured a brilliant future. Refusing overtures from an eastern church he returned to his native State, married Miss Clotilda Lyon, of the class of ’80, O. W. U., and entered the North Ohio Conference. His first appointment, at Lodi, was made by Bishop Warren, who then little dreamed of the intimate association with the young preacher, which coming years would bring about. After a year at Lodi and two at Oberlin came five years of service as pastor of St. Paul’s M. E. Church at Tiffin. His pastorate was abundantly successful; in it was developed to no small degree that skill in public speech, which is now so marked a characteristic of the Chancellor. He became known throughout the Conference as an earnest preacher, popular, magnetic, and effective. His zeal and decision of character were noteworthy; his pastoral plans were well considered, and were carried out with an enthusiasm which both won and inspired those with whom he was associated. When Bishop Warren, in the winter of 1889-90, asked the President of Boston University to suggest some one for the Chancellorship of our University, he was advised to look up the young pastor at Tiffiu. His inquiries brought forth satisfactory replies. From one of these we take the following statement: “ His devout, intensely spiritual and manly character, his scholarly methods and attainments, his power to inspire the devotion and admiration of young men, his executive ability, revealed in the management of a large church—all these qualities, it seems to me, eminently fit him for the position. Of all the young men of my acquaintance I would give him easily the first place in my recommendation of a man for your important institution.” The Bishop dropped in at an evening service at St. Paul’s, unannounced. The result is briefly told; he came; he saw; he was conquered. The North Ohio Conference lost one of its most esteemed members, and the University of Denver gained a Chancellor. In May, 1890, the newly chosen Chancellor came to Denver, to look over his future field of labor. He addressed the students, setting forth his wishes and hopes; he told them that he wished to be one of them, to work with them as a

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 5 the cramped and unsuitable quarters at the comer of Fourteenth and Arapahoe Streets to the fine building at University Park. The Iliff School of Theology has been opened, and its beautiful building erected. The Chamberlin Observatory has been built, and the great telescope installed; this has rendered possible the prosecution of original scientific research on a scale never before attempted by the University. An endowment of $100,000 has been received from the late Governor Evans, the steadfast patron and friend of the institution. The School of Law has been established, and has become, in point of amount and thorough- THfc CHANCELLOR'S LIBRARY ness of work, one of the best in the country. The different Schools of the University have been bound more closely together, and a University Council created. Though the Chancellor is at the head of the entire group of Schools, his influence is most felt in the College of Liberal Arts. There his hand is on every detail. The curriculum of the College has been greatly enriched, and the corps of instructors increased, through his efforts. The proportion of candidates for degrees, among the students, is much higher than formerly. A spirit of scholarship, of love of learning for its own sake, has been largely developed. Lectures and addresses by prominent men have become a valuable feature of college life. The students are continually urged to seek after what is best and highest, to