Wabash College - Wabash Yearbook (Crawfordsville, IN)

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quent debates. Competition was keen, and many l1ours were devoted to preparing orations and debate speeches. The first Wabasli fraternity was Beta Theta Pi, established in 1848. The facultyfrowned on secret organizations, and the present posi- tion ot' fraternities was not secured until after the Civil VVar. A resolution passed by the Phi Delts in 1860 illustrates the fear of faculty action: That in tl1e eve11t of any member of the lndiana Beta of Phi Delta Theta being questioned by any member of the f2lUl1l1f' regarding said Society, its existence or functions, that then and there said society ceases to have an existence in NVabash College. Wabash, with its strong religious founda- tions, had long been a supporter of the Aboli- tionist movement. Negro students were admitted even before 1860. NVhen the Civil War came, the College was virtually unanimous in its support of Lincoln and the North. The student body trained under the leadership of Lew Wallace, and most of the students left for the battlefield. As a result, in 18641 only three men met the graduation requirements. Cf the soldiers recruited from the student body some were to return, but many did not. In 1902 formal recognition was given to these men when the Memorial Tablet on Center Hall was dedicated. In 1861 Dr. -Joseph Tuttle. only 48 at the time, was selected to become the new President of the College, a job he held until his resigna- tion in 1892. Tuttle. a native of New Jersey. had studied at Newark Academy. Marietta Vol- lege. and the Lane Theological Seminary before coming to Wabash. During his time, the Vollege went through a period of continuing growth and experimen- tation with tlie eurrieuluin. In 1867 the Bache- lor of Science degree was first offered. The program attained neither success nor popular- ity and was soon dropped. In 1887 VVabasb offered a program leading to the Pb.D. AI- though several students attempted to complete requirements, none ever finished, and this. too. was dropped. Military Science was offered for a nine-year period after the Civil VVar. fre: ff . ew 2 Q9 f' Presidcfnt Tuttle STORE 'i.,M f , ,W J t ww : .lin mm- M .X , ' v ff? , .L , .WW EW ' W l efj.t.J5' Crawfordsuiilc in the 1860's Page Seven .li-4

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,,, L WElJESl'l In Its FUI'1T1EllVB SETS Wahash was g'i'ow'ing'. anal 'gg'row1'li requirezl new hiiilchngs anrl new ifleas. The main wing' of Center Hall was hiiilt in 1856. An unsuc- eessfulr attempt' was inaile To estahlish a law school in 1854-. 'l'he l'ollege, ahouf 11850, hail also alleiliplefl lo ineorporale agricnlfure ancl civil eng'iiieei'ing' inlo The curriciiliiin hui with no inure success than The law school. Une of The most striking' llifferences between Wahash of Today anrl The XVahash 100 years ago is the make-up of The stiulent hmh' anlfl sfmlenl' life. The college rle,Q'ree was noi' con- Slfl91'l,'ll the iileal preparation for a business career as it is loilay. Of the 1351 gracluates bc- tween 1842 and 1861, 47 hecanie ministers, 41 enlerecl law. ineflicine clainierl 12, anml The re- maining 9 slayeml in The acaileinic world as Teacliers. The Temperance inoveinenl was strong mluring' this perioml, ancl more Than one Wahash man was askecl To leave hecause of his aflaclinienlc To the holtle. IT is interesting' to lllblk' that smoking has always heen perinifierel. ln 1846 sfiiclenfs pairl a total. college hill of 3486. Social life lluring' this perioil was iniprovecl hy The presence of The ''Crawforilsville Female Seniinaryf' a sorl' of finishing' school. Extrzi-ciirricular life in these early years centerec1 on oratory and debating. The literary societies, Philoinathean, Lyceum and Eupher- onean, kept their own libraries and held fre- Page Six

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t'enter Hall was expanded by the addition ot' a north wing in 1870 and a south wing two years later. The second tloor ot' the north wing was a t'hapel, and the first' served as a library. Peek llall, a seienee building. was dedicated in 1878. XVhat is now South llall was converted l'1-ont a dormitory to a preparatory building. 'llllis change was necessary. because living von- ditions were so had in South that students were living in private homes. ln 1890 Yandes lii- hrary, named for one ot' the Uollegels most helpful friends, was eoinpleted. The building was intended to lloltl 75,0tltl volumes. all on the first tloor. The railroad was completed in 1870, and in 1883 a new boiler room was built in the niiddle of the campus. Student activities increased in quantity and variety during the Tuttle period. The first re- corded VVabash inter-collegiate baseball game was played with DePauw in 1867. Hazing be- came a part of student life, and the frequent class tights were often bloody. Literary maga- zines of some type or another had always been popular, and in 1890 the first college yearbook. The Ouiatenon, appeared. A new president, George Stockton Bur- roughs, came to 1Vabash in October of 1892. He was a minister and scholar who had done much of his work at Princeton. A visitor to Wabash during this time would have found ten , vi F. ' ,mn . 4 .375 . I 1 i 1 1 j , 1 n 7 .1 Peck Svierirc' Hall-This building wus at one time the lreoflq1mrter.s' for all .science courscfsg it w:1.s' fnally rc'- plucecl by xxfllllgll in 1946. private tennis courts on or around the College. a dark red fence around the grounds Cdating from the not-so-distant days when part of the campus was used as a pasture landj, and a well-forested campus. The student body during the Burroughs administration numbered about 250 men. The fraternities had their quarters above the down- town stores. and student 'timm0rality had grown with the College. This period saw two important. although contradictory. additions to The n1urcle'rou.s- Caveman football team of 1897 is f. V 'W nm 'WPG