Ursinus College - Ruby Yearbook (Collegeville, PA)

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Rl V. IOII II. A. liOMlil-RGI.R. 111).. I I I). I'ounder of the ('allege President lt Cx) 1890 I le did not lour to It’art’ seen lily and comfort lor uncharted wildernesses. illing to act apt whatever issue mifihl he in store, he stood ready to follow the path of duty according to (mils pur pose as this became (tear to him. Ur sinus College and Its Leaders Till, lounding of I rsinus ( ollege xxav (lie historical effect «»l a bitter theolog i il (onlioxeisx between the high ami low church parlies ol tin Reformed ( IiiikIi. lien (ompromise bei nine ini|tossilile lire low church group moved. in 18(H). to establish an inslilulion xvliere tlie youlli of I lie land onld lie liberallx edm .tied under llie benit!n inllneiiie ol ( hrislianitx. and aea(leini( instruction was begun on September ft. 1870. in die I 11 iI Ii 111 formerlx oct upied by Ireeland Semin.ii x. I lie nexvlx incorporated college was named lor I rsinus. one ol I lie authors ol I lie I leidelberg ( ale liism. .aid a professor in I lie I niversilv ol I leidel berg. ( MTinanv. I oda die d icological controx ersx id die posl C ix il w ar decade lias little more llian hisloiiial inleresl lot us. bill xx e note xxilli pride dial I rsinus xxas born as .1 result ol a protest made bx men id high courage, xx ho would not yield to xx h.il lliex 1 1 1

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gentleman imisl Ik his before In goes to college. Simple honesty, honor, tin desire to do i man s work and to do it well, the desire to play fair—all this must he developed at home before a boy enters college. nd. in passing, it max he remarked lli.it I ew hoys go wrong in college who have not been weaklings before entering college; the idle inevitably seek the idle, the vi ions seek the vicious, in college and outside. I )o on e pe« I college to aid you in lile by the acquisition ol new friends and by the opening ol social opportunities—hx making, as the phrase is. helplul con tai Is ? Well, i allege max do that. But. il you are xxorth your s,Jt. you xxill wish to st.nicl on your oxx n h et and xxin your oxx n xx.ix on your oxvn merits, rather than to depend upon the aid ol acquaintances more fortunate socially and economically than you arc . Do you expect college to train you for a vocation I he college is. to a certain extent, a kind ol vocational school. One ol the proper func tions of the college is to provide the preliminary education necessary lor those xvlio plan to enter the so-called learned professions—teaching, the ministry, laxx. medicine. But the primary function of the college—its most important function—is not to make a teac her, a minister, a lawyer, a physician, hut to make a certain kind ol man. a man xvliq knows more ol the liistorx ol mankind than lie finds in the daily paper, a man xx ho is not Inn completely ol the year a man xvlio can sc-e the c hanging present against the bac kground ol the past, a man xvlio has had during his years in college the time and the desire and the ability to become more nr less familiar with the best that has been thought and said in the past, .1 mail xvlio has had more than a nodding acquaintance xxith literature, philosophy, liistorx. a man who. in a xvord. is liberally educated. s-c cfc sj: In the better professional schools the importance ol this kind ol preparation is recognized more .end more . In the good medic .d schools. Ini instance, there i' 1 growing tendency to lax less emphasis on the candidate s preparation in the sciences and more emphasis on a prepai.ition that prox ides breadth, b.ic kground. and pei spectixe. A liberally educated candidate, even xxith a minimum ol science . i likely to become a better physician, a more uselul member of society, and certainly a happiei man. th.m a c andidate xx ho has spec ialized early in his college course, to the exclusion ol the more liberal studies. Liberal culture is not merely lor hours nl leisure. It prepares a man lor much more . Il is essentially a search lor standards of exc crllenc e. lor standards of straight thinking, lor the enjoyment ol beauty , for good and xxisc lixing. hi short, il prepares a man to live sanely in a xxorlcl th.it seems lar Irom sane. A graduate ol IVsinus ( ollege. then.—learned what the ( ollege has tried to help him learn—is not merely prepared to earn his lix ing or to enter 1 professional school or to spend his leisure well, lie has learned to appreciate excellence in men and in ideas, to recognize genuine superiority xvherever it appears. Me has learned to study the mob. and to sympathize xxith it. but not to lolloxx it. I le has learned to work hard and const ienliously toxvard a distant goal. I le does not measure success by dollars, lie is qualified and xxilling to assume more than one mail s burden. I lie responsibilities that arc his bec ause ol his ability and training lie considers as a sac red (rust. I le has learned to bring into his oxx n lib the grace and heautv and sanity that liberal education can bring. And he has the lear ol the Lord, xx liich is the beginning of xvisdom. I rsinus ( ollege exists to dexclop this txpe ol man. this lx pc ol woman. In help you in all possible xvays toxvard this goal is the duly ol our l acultx. and to the performance ol this duty xxe pledge ourselves. IS

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I el ic- c-c I was lalse doi Irinc. I)r. Bomherger possessed tin spirit and |iml it i s ol tlie pioneer: 11i was an indomitable will. Ili.it the C ollege endured il .ill i sldiicient tribute to Ins genius. In the prospectus ol the ( ollege. in iSOC). he wrote th.it the institution owes its eslahlishmenl to the lively interest fell h its founders in the advanc emeut ol education in the higher hr.un lies ol learning, upon the basis ol ( lirisli.mit . and with chief regard to religious ends. (Italic-s by editor.) ith out sue 11 constant devotion, ol whic h Dr. Bomberger was chiefly exemplary, the ( ollege would surely never have taken the- direction which it has steadily pursued. .lust .it the time Robert Patterson, of Philadelphia, tendered financ ial assist a nee ol a badly needed sort. Dr. Bomberger dic’d, and lor the succeeding two years Dr. I lenry Supe r and I )r. (ieorge illiard each served as ac ting president for one year, until Dr. Super was elected president in 1892. only to resign his office one year later. Super I louse, standing on Main Street opposite the- Past ( ampus. is his gift to the- C ollege. I lie third man to occupy the president ial chair was Dr. I lenry I . Spangler, an alumnus ol the lirst graduating c lass, w ho remained in olfice from i s()“, until I90.|. Bomberger Memorial I hill had been erec ted in iNgi. and now Dr. Spangler instituted the group system ol courses, io acant faculty posts lie brought men ol university training, thus opening the- way lor many I rsinus graduates to enter prac tic all any graduate or professional sc hool in the I nitc’d Stale ■s. where they have since- accpiitled themselves with distinction. O11 the- physical side- laboratories lor study ol the physical and natural sciences were equipped, and the- library was enlarged and reorganized. I Tom the eight acres purchased in iS(3q the College expanded to liltv two at res. )r. Omwalie lakes Office Lor slightly less than two years the reins of office were lie-id by Dr. David . Pbbert. aftc-r which a committee ol the- faculty guided the- institution until Dr. A. Pdwin Keigwin was elected president in 11)07. Dr. Keigwin. the- tilth president, was also the- tilth, and hist, minister to date- to hold the- position. He remained until 1012. when Dr. ( ieorge I . Omwake. vice president since- 1909. replaced him. With his rise- to power the- ( ollege entered upon its third period of remarkable de clnpment. During his twenty four years of stewardship, a career cut short by .1 weakened lie-art. I rsinus experiene eel a phenomenal growth in all departments. I lie first task was to provide- satisfactory living quarters and dining accommodations. I lie old dormitories and kitchen were remodeled and a new dining hall added, and in 1927 twin dormitories of C hestnul Mill stone, the benefactions of 11drew R. Brodbec k and ( yrus I I. I . ( urlis. were constructed for additional men students. I hre-e other buildings completed the- physical transformation of the c ampus— Alumni Memorial Library. I hompson ( «ay Ciymnasiurn. and the- Science Building. All of these improvements were occasioned by the- growth ol the- student body from 17s in 1912 to 177 in ic)“ 2. Accompanying these other developments were ,m increase in the size and breadth of experience of the- faculty. .111 expansion of the- curriculum to provide for more varied kinds of training, the- enlargement of the program of ac tivities, and the institution ol an intramural athletic polic y. theology School and Academy At the- outset I rsinus contained both .1 Sc hool ol I lu-ology and .111 cademy. and enrolment was open only t » men. In 1N81 women were admitted on ecpial conditions with men. but the- policx was adopted that the- men shall always have a heir majority in numbers. I he theology department was moved to I Miiladelphia in 1898. and the- academy, because of the- public high school development, was la