Knox County, Illinois - The whole text, 1912 (part 15 of 56)

I'Niox Graded Schools Organized ' '

The Iward of directors went to work immediately to organize a system of graded schools, free to all citizens of Galesburg between five and twenty-one }ears of age. The schools up to that time had been mixed schools, having the advanced scholars in the same room with those learning their A B C's ; and the variety of text-Iwoks was said to be some less than the number of pupils. The first thing the board did was to grade the scholars according to advancement in studies into four departments : Primary, secondary, grammar and high school. Many scholars, it was said, had been educated in one branch and neglected in others; hence a regular course of study was outlined and uniform text-books were adopted.

The primary and secondary schools were opened Monday, Sept. 19, 1859, in ihe eight schoolhouses that had come to the board by the consolidation of the districts. There were eight teachers in these schools, and 400 pupils were enrolled the first week and 639 during the year. The advanced departments, grammar and high school, were opened. Wednesday. Sept. 28. 1859. in rooms rented by the board. Three of these rooms were in the old post office building on South Broad street, opposite the Old First church. The board rented three other rooms this year, but where it is uncertain, probably t\vo of them in the northwest corner of the square, the property of Mr. C. S. Colton, for the advanced departments, and the other perhaps, in an outlying section, for the elementary grades. The number of pupils enrolled during the year in the high school department was 60, and in the grammar department i6o. making a total enrollment of 859 for the year in all departments. The number of teachers was fourteen, and they received $2,197.90 in salaries. The total cost of the schools for the year was $3.176.89.

The city council, which had refused in 1859 to allow the people the privilege of voting on the charter, had a change of heart the next year after the city elections and decided to submit the charter to a vote of the people, calling an elec- tion for that purpose to be held on Saturday, June 30, 1860. The friends of the charter immediately inaugurated a campaign in its favor, but they were fearful of the result, for they labored under a great disadvantage, as they had to get all their voters to the polls on election day, whereas their opponents had c«ily to remain away from the polls. The Free Democrat on the evening before the election said, editorially: "To-morrow (Saturday) has been set apart by our city fathers for a vote upon the new school charter. It will be noticed that a majority of all the legal voters must vote for it in order to make it a law. Its adoption will, therefore, require nearly 600 votes in its favor, and its friends will, no doubt, realize the necessity of untiring vigilance; every voter who stays at home practically votes against it." On election day there were cast 505 votes for the act and 55 votes against the act. The friends of the charter were satisfied and its opponents were silenced, as the majority was so decisive that any contest was out of the question, the highest number of votes cast at the last election being 629. The city council accordingly, on July 3, 1860, having canvassed the votes as above, declared the school charter legally adopted and a part of the law of the city. This was in July, 1860; but the schools were not organized under the charter until September, i86i. The explanation of this is, that the charter provides for the election of directors on the first Monday in June ; hence, a board of education could not be elected until June, i86i.

There was nothing to do but to continue the union graded schools for another year, which was done, with R. B. Guild as superintendent of instruction and seventeen lady assistants, being an increase of four teachers over the previous year. A complete roster of these teachers may be found in Root's Galesburg city directory for the year i86i, a copy of which is in the public library. There were nine buildings for the primary and secondary schools, with twelve teachers. The central school, for the grammar and high school departments, was held this year on the west side of the square with five teachers, in rooms rented from Mr. C. S. Colton. There was a special teacher of penmanship; the German language and the rudiments of vocal music were taught; declamations and compositions were required weekly; and a teachers' class was formed in the fall and spring for the especial benefit of those wishing to teach. With this year the union graded school system, originally the ideal system of public schools, came to an end, having been in operation only two years ; but a stronger, better and more complete system took its place - the present one, which came into existence on the first Monday of June, i86i, by the election of the board of education of the Galesburg school district. . - '

Advantages Of A Charter

The provision of the charter that makes the treasurer and clerk of the city, ex-officio treasurer and clerk of the board of education has, in a large measure, preserved the schools in the past from political domination, by taking away the "sinews" of political warfare. If the board appointed its own treasurer, as it would do under the general law, then all the banks and their officials would be interested in the membership of the board, not for the good of the schools, particularly, but for their own benefit, as the school fund is one of the best deposits. If it appointed its own clerk, as it would do under the general law, then the politician for revenue would be interested in who is elected to the board, for that office is good for a salary of a thousand to fifteen hundred dollars, under political management. As it is, there is nothing in the management of the schools by the board of education, organized under the charter, to call forth the legitimate interest of any one, except the welfare of the schools alone.

The provision that empowers the board to locate the school buildings without submitting each to a vote of the people as it would be required to do under the general law, has saved the schools, and the city too, from much bitter and needless strife. Nothing so paralyzes the efficiency of a school as the warring of antagonistic interests in its administration.

At the third meeting of the board of education, held on July 9, i86i, the last move in the battle against free schools, that had been so persistently and ably waged since 1855, was begun. In a section of the charter, which declares that the schools shall be free, follows this clause, "or upon the payment of such rates of tuition as the board shall prescribe." All the facts in the history of the case being considered, this looks very much like another joker. In accordance with this provision the following resolution was introduced: "Resolved, That all student residents attending the Central school shall pay the sum of fifty cents per quarter tuition, and all attending other schools shall pay twenty-five cents per quarter, all to be paid in advance." Both the wording and the spirit of this resolution are an echo from a past age. On motion of Mr. Qement Leach, the member from the Fifth ward, it was laid on the table until the next meeting. At the next meeting, July I5th, the motion was taken up for consideration and after a full discussion, the vote was finally called, and it stood three yeas and three nays. Hon. Alfred Knowles, v/ho was then mayor of the city, was presiding, and it fell to him to cast the deciding vote, which he did, on the side of the negative, in favor of free schools. Thus Mr. Knowles had the honor of firing the last shot in the battle for free schools, and, because he fired it in the right direction, his name will never be allowed to die.

The most serious problem that confronted the board of education when it was first organized under the present charter in June, i86i, was the providing of schoolhouses. Galesburg was then a city of about six thousand inhabitants with more than eight hundred pupils enrolled in its schools. It practically had no school buildings. It is true that the district owned six or eight one-room schoolhouses, but they were built in the days of the independent school districts and were now unfit for school purposes. One of the chief reasons for consolidating the districts in 1858, was to enable the people the better to provide themselves with suitable school buildings. Thus it is seen that the board of education was required not merely to make provision for the natural growth of the city, as the people of today are called upon to do, but to provide at once school buildings for a city with a population of six thousand.

It was not, however, until the first of January, 1867, that the first building was, completed and ready for occupancy. It was then called the high school ; it is today known as the Churchill school. The completion of this building was the fulfillment of the dream, of the independent districts when they voted to unite in 1858. It was an imposing building for that day, comparing favorably with Knox college on the south and Lombard university on the east and costing about the same as each of these institutions dedicated to higher education. Its erection may rightly be considered as one of the great events in the history of Galesburg, since it caused the common schools to be recognized as one of the public and important institutions of the city. It was a credit and an ornament to the city. The State Teachers' association showed its appreciation of what had been done in Galesburg for public education by holding its annual meeting of 1867, in the new building.

- The completion of this building was the first great event in the history of the schools after the adoption of the charter, and, strange to say, it precipitated the first and most serious crisis the schools have yet met. The plant had cost approximately sixty thousand dollars and that was too much for a community that had but recently been converted to the free school system. At the annual school election of that year when the board of education asked for the power to issue more bonds with which to build two new schoolhouses, the people arose and administered to it a crushing defeat. The whole trend of school affairs was changed by it. New schoolhouses were thereafter reluctantly built and they were cheaply constructed ; the board, when it attempted to levy a tax for a new building became involved in a suit with the city council ; it escaped an injunction only by resorting to a sp>ecies of sharp practice; and factions ruled the board for a decade and a half. It has been only within recent years that the blighting effects of this blow have not been felt.

The second great event in the history of the schools was the building of the present high school building which may be justly regarded as the pride of the city. It should be remembered that the importance of the high school in public education was not then so generally recognized as it is today. At that time no city in the state had erected a really fine and modem building for its high school. There was one such building in Joliet, but it was a township high school. The high school was still generally regarded as merely a college preparatory school and did not appeal strongly to the people as their school. When one of the larger cities of Illinois today builds a high school, it makes it the finest public building in the city. It was not so when the present Galesburg high school was built. That building was the pioneer of high school buildings in the state. The board and the people have since had reason to congratulate themselves on having had a vision and rising to it. ) '

The mere building of a schoolhouse is not a great event in a school system, except as it embodies a deep conviction of the people, and this is just what the building of the Churchill school, in 1866, and the high school, in 1906, did, the former giving expression to the belief of the people in a system of free elementary education for all and the latter their conviction that all the children of all the people should be given an opportunity to prepare themselves for life as well as for some of the children of some of the people for college.

Mr. R. B. Guild was superintendent of schools the first year, from June, l86i to June, 1862. There was a corps of sixteen teachers and the number of pupils enrolled was probably as many as eight hundred. No records for this year are preserved.

In June, 1862, Mr. J. B. Roberts was appointed superintendent of schools -and served twelve years, or until June, 1874. During these years the enrollment of pupils increased to 2,268 and the number of teachers to thirty. Mr. Roberts' administration may properly be regarded as the period of organization. It was a period full of educational activity and progress. It was noted, also, for the number of experiments tried. There was the colored school, the German school, the ungraded school for truants and incorrigibles, the night school, the teaching of elementary geometry in the last three years of the graded schools, and the ordering of gymnastic apparatus for the playgrounds of the two new schools. These experiments were all finally dropped ; none of them has been reinstated, and most of them have been completely forgotten. Then there was supplementary reading, bookkeeping and mechanical drawing in the high school, freehand drawing in the grades, and music, which may properly be included in this list. These, also, were tried- and dropped, but in later years introduced into the schools as important features of modem education. Those who are advocating a special school for the truant and the incorrigible of these degenerate days will be surprised to find that in those good old times of forty years ago and more, there were truants and incorrigibles and a separate school provided for them by the board of education. The teaching of the elements of geometry in the grades, partially anticipated the popular plea of President Eliot and others, made thirty years later, for enriching the curriculum by bringing the elements of some of the high school studies into the grades. The resolution of the board of education ordering the playgrounds of the high school and the Fourth ward to be provided with gymnastic apparatus, preceded by a third of a century the movement that is now sweeping over the country to establish public playgrounds and to equip them with physical apparatus. In those days there were surely plenty of fads - "fad" being a generic term for anything new. All honor to those times for what was so courageously attempted as well as for what was so nobly done.

Mr. Roberts resigned in the summer of 1874, to accept the principalship of the Indianapolis high school and Mr. Matthew Andrews, who was then superihtendent of schools at Macomb, Illinois, was appointed in his place.

After a period of active organization involving an unusual expenditure of money, such as the last period had been, would naturally come one of more or less reaction and retrenchment. This is a law of institutional growth and it is well illustrated in at least the first half of this period. There were two other causes that contributed to the general movement, either of which alone would have been sufficient to bring about a reaction. When Professor George Churchill retired from the board of education in June, 1873, and Mr. J. B. Roberts from the superintendency a year later, the management of the schools passed completely into the control, as it were, of another generation. There was then no one left in the management of the schools who thoroughly understood their organization and who could, consequently, be in special sympathy with it. This was the first of the contributory causes. The second was the financial panic that swept over the country at that time, paralyzing business and institutions of

Mr. R. B. Guild was superintendent of schools the first year, from June, 1861 to June, 1862. There was a corps of sixteen teachers and the number of pupils enrolled was probably as many as eight hundred. No records for this year are preserved.

In June, 1862, Mr. J. B. Roberts was appointed superintendent of schools and served twelve years, or until June, 1874. During these years the enrollment of pupils increased to 2,268 and the number of teachers to thirty. Mr. Roberts' administration may properly be regarded as the period of organization. It was a period full of educational activity and progress. It was noted, also, for the number of experiments tried. There was the colored school, the German school, the ungraded school for truants and incorrigibles, the night school, the teaching of elementary geometry in the last three years of the graded schools, and the ordering of gymnastic apparatus for the playgrounds of the two new schools. These experiments were all finally dropped ; none of them has been reinstated, and most of them have been completely forgotten. Then there was supplementary reading, bookkeeping and mechanical drawing in the high school, freehand drawing in the grades, and music, which may properly be included in this list. These, also, were tried and dropped, but in later years introduced into the schools as important features of modern education. Those who are advocating a special school for the truant and the incorrigible of these degenerate days will be surprised to find that in those good old times of forty years ago and more, there were truants and incorrigibles and a separate school provided for them by the board of education. The teaching of the elements of geometry in the grades, partially anticipated the popular plea of President Eliot and others, made thirty years later, for enriching the curriculum by bringing the elements of some of the high school studies into the grades. The resolution of the board of education ordering the playgrounds of the high school and the Fourth ward to be provided with gymnastic apparatus, preceded by a third of a century the movement that is now sweeping over the country to establish public playgrounds and to equip them with physical apparatus. In those days there were surely plenty of fads - "fad" being a generic term for anj-thing new. All honor to those times for what was so courageously attempted as well as for what was so nobly done.

Mr. Roberts resigned in the summer of 1874, to accept the principalship of the Indianapolis high school and !Mr. Matthew Andrews, who was then superintendent of schools at Macomb, Illinois, was appointed in his place. - -After a period of active organization involving an unusual expenditure of money, such as the last jieriod had been, would naturally come one of more or less reaction and retrenchment. This is a law of institutional growth and it is well illustrated in at least the first half of this period. There were two other causes that contributed to the general movement, either of which alone would have been sufficient to bring about a reaction. When Professor George Churchill retired from the board of education in June, 1873, and Mr. J. B. Roberts from the superintendency a year later, the management of the schools passed completelx into the control, as it were, of another generation. There was then no one left in the management of the schools who thoroughly understood their organization and who could, consequently, be in special sympathy with it. This was the first of the contributor}- causes. The second was the financial panic that swept over the cotmtry at that time, paralyzing business and institutions of all kinds. The people of those days did not seem to be conscious that their actions were being guided and controlled by such deep-rooted and inexorable forces, but they were inclined rather to attribute the trend of affairs to the natural perversity of the individuals who were in control. The conditions made retrenchment imperative and it is not strange that under the circumstances cheapness became the chief consideration in the management of the schools. The course of study was pruned, all special subjects were lopped off, special teachers dropped, and all salaries greatly reduced; every schoolhouse built cost less than the preceding one ; the same was true of the furniture purchased, and the amount expended on repairs was practically nothing. The policy of economy continued until the tax levy \vas reduced almost one-half. All this could not be done without much friction, which was manifested in the meetings of the board and at the school elections. In those years the people took a lively interest in school elections, at one or two of which more votes were polled than at the municipal elections. About the beginning of the second half of this period affairs began to improve and by the time it closed the schools were in good condition, having made substantial improvements, especially in regularity and punctuality of attendance.

The number of pupils registered during this period of eleven years remained about the same from year to year. The whole number enrolled for the first year was 2,196 and the number for the last year was 2,112, a decrease of eightyfour pupils. There would have been a slight gain had not the Catholics opened their parochial school, St. Joseph's academy, in the fall of 1879, which caused a decrease in the enrollment for that year of 226.

-.. The number of teachers the first year was twenty-eight, and the number the last year (not including the special teacher of penmanship) was thirt\--six, which made an increase of eight teachers. It is thus seen that the number of teachers was increased twenty-eight per cent, while the number of pupils actually decreased some three per cent, which means that the number of pupils to a teacher was decreased in this period, on an average, twenty-five per cent. Of the eight teachers added, five were placed in the north part of the city.

When Mr. Andrews resigned the superintendency in June, 1885, it was with the sincere regret of the board of education and the people generally. In July, 1885, Mr. W. L. Steele, then county suf>erintendent of schools for Knox county, was appointed superintendent. Mr. Steele has continued to hold that position to the present time.

The schools having passed through the period of organization and the reactionary years that followed, now entered on one most favorable to their steady growth and development. During these twenty-six years the board of education pursued a f>olicy that received the support of the people, for its membership, with one exception, remained unchanged save by death, resignation or removal from the city. Under these conditions whatever plans the board may have had it could mattire and carry through to completion, an ideal state of affairs and one usually calculated to produce the best results.

Without attempting to enumerate all the changes, those that gave character to the period and that will perhaps remain a permanent part of the schools are here named. \\Tiile all the buildings save one have been erected, enlarged or remodeled, at a cost of approximately four hundred thousand dollars, the high school and the heating plant were its chief addition to the physical equipment. The installation of sanitary closets in place of the unhealthful and demoralizing out-houses, mechanical ventilation, automatic temperature control, the method of admitting light into the schoolrogms, the drinking fountains and the school nurse, were its contribution to sanitation. No serious attention was paid to sanitation in the schools prior to 1888. The introduction of music, drawing, physical training, manual training and domestic science came in this period; as also supplementary reading, the removal of the fetish of examinations, and the articulation of the schools with the public library by means of the children's reading room. During this period also the average monthly enrollment of pupils to a room was reduced from forty-eight, in 1885, to forty-one, in 1910, or more than fourteen per cent; the maximum salary in the grades was raised from $55 to $70 per month, or more than twenty-seven per cent ; and a training school for teachers was established. The inauguration of the elective system and the development of the high school into an institution adapted to the needs of the many who wish to prepare themselves for the manual, mechanical and commercial pursuits of life, as well as to the relatively few who desire -to prepare for college, was the most distinctive work of the period. The board of education may not at times have moved as fast as it might have done or accomplished all it was possible to do; twenty-six years is a long time. It had the satisfaction, however, of always moving forward without ever being halted or reversed by the people; every step in advance was followed by another; the last building to be erected was always the best.

For a detailed history of the schools see "Galesburg Public Schools - their History and Work," - published by the board of education in 1911.

Among the colleges of Illinois, Knox college ranks fourth in point of age, having received its charter from the state in 1837. Shurtleff, Illinois college and McKendree were all chartered in 1835, although instruction was begun at Shurtleff in 1831, at Illinois college in 1829 and at McKendree in 1828. The early history of Knox college is identified with that of the city in which it stands, for hioth city and college were the realization of one idea. .

In 1827 Rev. George W. Gale established a school upon a fertile farm adjoining the village of Whitesboro, three miles from the city of Utica, New York. Here he remained for seven years, erecting buildings for instruction, for lodging and for manual labor. The course of study was made equivalent to a college course. Of the teachers whom he associated with him, two, Innes Grant and Xehemiah Losey, were afterward members of the Knox college faculty. The peculiar feature of Mr. Gale's idea was this : He believed that in a college located on a farm and with Workshops attached young men could secure their edu- school and the heating plant were its chief addition to the physical equipment. The installation of sanitary closets in place of the unhealthful and demoralizing out-houses, mechanical ventilation, automatic temperature control, the method of admitting light into the schoolrooms, the drinking fountains and the school nurse, were its contribution to sanitation. No serious attention was paid to sanitation in the schools prior to 1888. The introduction of music, drawing, physical training, manual training and domestic science came in this period ; as also supplementary reading, the removal of the fetish of examinations, and the articulation of the schools with the public library by means of the children's reading room. During this period also the average monthly enrollment of pupils to a room was reduced from forty-eight, in 1885, to forty-one, in 1910, or more than fourteen per cent; the maximum salary in the grades was raised from $55 to $70 per month, or more than twenty-seven per cent ; and a training school for teachers was established. The inauguration of the elective system and the development of the high school into an institution adapted to the needs of the many who wish to prepare themselves for the manual, mechanical and commercial pursuits of life, as well as to the relatively few who desire -to prepare for college, was the most distinctive work of the period. The board of education may not at times have moved as fast as it might have done or accomplished all it was ix)ssible to do; twenty-six years is a long time. It had the satisfaction, however, of always moving forward without ever being halted or reversed by the people ; every step in advance was followed by another ; the last building to be erected was always the best.

For a detailed history of the schools see "Galesburg Public Schools - their History and Work," - published by the board of education in 1911.

Knox College

Among the colleges of Illinois, Knox college ranks fourth in point of age, having received its charter from the state in 1837. Shurtleff, Illinois college and McKendree were all cliartered in 1835, although instruction was begun at Shurtleff in 1831. at Illinois college in 1829 and at McKendree in 1828. The early history of Knox college is identified with that of the city in which it stands, for hoth city and college were the realization of one idea. .

In 1827 Rev. George W. Gale established a school upon a fertile farm adjoining the village of \Vhitesboro, three miles from the city of Utica, New York. Here he remained for seven years, erecting buildings for instruction, for lodging and for manual labor. The course of study was made equivalent to a college course. Of the teachers whom he associated with him, two, Innes Grant and Xehemiah Losey. were afterward members of the Knox college faculty. The peculiar feature of ^Ir. Gale's idea was this : He believed that in a college located on a farm and with workshops attached young men could secure their edu- cation and at the same time be self-supporting. All should be required to labor on the farm or in the shops three hours a day. Thus they could provide the means of support and secure the exercise essential to their health and yet have sufficient time for study and recitation. Upwards of a hundred students attended the school during this period. Those who had trades were put to work in the shops ; they paid their board, which was charged at cost, and received the proceeds of their labor. Some were able to pay their entire expenses by their work. The rest were told off into classes of half a dozen, each under direction of one of their number called a monitor, and set at work on the farm or at market gardening. A farm superintendent arranged the work in concert with the monitors. The boarding establishment was supported from the profits of the farm and labor of the students without a deficit. The funds necessary to establish the institution and the professorships were contributed by benevolent persons living in the vicinity who had confidence in the management and appreciated the design. Such was Oneida institute in 1834, when Mr. Gale resigned his connection with it. These facts are preserved in a sketch of the founder by his son, William Selden Gale, from whose narrative they are taken. From this statement we see how the idea that was embodied in the Knox Manual Labor college was conceived.

In the cheap government land of the fertile central west, then to be purchased at one dollar and a quarter per acre, Mr. Gale saw a great opportunity : for the development of his idea on a larger scale. He would buy a township of land, reserve a town site and a large farm for the use of the college, then he would lay of? the remainder of the land in farms, place on the land a price averaging five dollars an acre and with the proceeds of the farms and the town lots endow the college. The project met with favor and subscribers to the plan were found. In 1835 the committee appointed to make the purchase came to Illinois, inspected the land available and completed the bargain. Returning to Whitesboro, the purchase was reported, a plat of the land was made, the village and farm reservation marked, an appraisal of from three to eight dollars an acre placed on each tract and the distribution made. ,- ; - "

January 7, 1836, in the old academy building in Whitesboro (now Whitestown), New York, the original circular which led directly to the founding of Galesburg and of Knox college was adopted. This circular clearly indicates the serious moral purpose in the minds of the founders. Their plan comprehended something very different from a mere investment in western land for personal profit, and something, too, broader and deeper than merely the experiment of establishing such a school. Their enterprise was inspired by a definite missionary purpose and was characterized by religious zeal - ^although the material advantages to follow were by no means lost sight of. Rehearsing the obligations imposed on Christian people to devise and execute plans for the promotion of religion throughout the world and to provide for that purpose an educated and devoted ministry, the circular proceeds to show the advantages of the manual labor system as furnishing the opportunity to secure an education by "hundreds of youth of talent and piety and enterprise (who) stand ready to enter upon the work of preparation whenever a 'wide and effectual door is opened' for them." The following paragraph, the phraseology of which strikes oddly on the modern ear, is of interest as indicating the thought of the founders regarding the education of women : -'

' ' "It is beginning to be believed, and not without good reason, that females are to act a much more important part in the conversion of the world than has been generally supposed; not as preachers of the gospel, but as helpmeets of those who are, and as instructors and guides of the rising generations, not only in the nursery, but in the public school. It should therefore be an object of special aim with all who pray and labor for the conversion of the world to provide for the thorough and well-directed education of females. Experiment has already proved that manual labor may be successfully introduced into female seminaries, and that it is highly conducive to health and piety and adapted to reduce the expenses of education sufficiently to encourage many young ladies to qualify themselves in such seminaries for fields of usefulness, who, without that encouragement, would never have put forth such efforts." -j - : ' - -

The circular closes with these sagacious words: "It is perfectly in the power of a /^cf families of moderate property to rear up such institutions, at this time, in the valley of the Mississippi, on a permanent basis, unth a great part of the endoivment required and on a liberal and extensive scale with a great advantage to themselves and families.. Such a plan is here proposed, with the design, if it may please the Lord, to carry it into effect."

There were forty-six subscribers to the plan. They voted that the proposed institution should receive the name Prairie college, but as this name was afterward thought not properly distinctive it was changed to Knox Manual Labor college ; and it was under that title that the new institution was incorporated in 1837. There was a twofold appropriateness in thus adopting the name of Knox, for it would designate the location of the school and would also immediately suggest the relation of the founders to Presbyterianism - although not especially selected on that account.

Five of the original colonists were named as incorporators ; these were George W. Gale, John Waters. Nehemiah West, Thomas Simmons and Nehemiah H. Losey. To these were added Matthew Chambers and Frastus Swift, of the Vermont accession, Parnach Owen and John G. Sanborn of Knoxville, George H. Wright, a Monmouth physician, and Ralph H. Hurlburt, a leading merchant and landholder at Mount Sterling; these two gentlemen were former residents of Oneida county, N. Y. The first meeting of the trustees was held in Knoxville, August 9, 1837. The board organized with Rev. John Waters, president; Nehemiah H. Losey, clerk, and John G. Sanborn, treasurer. By the terms of the charter the board was made self-perpetuating, with power to increase the number to twenty-four in addition to the president of the college, ex-officio a member. William Holyoke, Peter Butler and Sylvanus Ferris were at this time added. It was voted by the newly organized board to erect an academy building as soon as possible. In order to make a college it was necessary to prepare material to fill it.

By the fall of 1838 the academy was ready for students and the formal opening took place. There were forty pupils. This building stood on the northeast corner of Main and Cherry streets and was afterward moved a few rods to the north, where, at this date, it still stands, in use as a boarding-house. Nehemiah H. Losey, who, since the spring of 1837, had conducted a school at the temporary settlement of Log City, was the principal and Hiram Marsh was his assistant. It was not until 1841 that the college was fully organized. Rev. Hiram

H. Kellogg was its first president. The faculty included Rev. George W. Gale, ^ professor of belles lettrcs and acting-professor of ancient languages, with Nehemiah H. Losey, professor of mathematics. In the following year Innes Grant was added as professor of languages. The first catalogue, published in 1842, names ten freshmen and 147 preparatory students. The preparatory department in the college must be distinguished from the academy, which was a separate institution.

' In 1841 a ladies' seminary had been built on Seminary street, opposite the beginning of Tompkins street, at a cost of $5,000. This building was destroyed by fire in 1843. The household effects and library of President Kellogg had been stored in the building for some time, and it had also furnished lodging for a number of the students. Its destruction at this time led directly to the erection of the first building on the Knox campus, a brick building of moderate size, afterward enlarged, known as East college. This was built in 1844; it remained, in a rather dilapidated condition at the last, until torn down in 1900. In the following year a companion structure, named West college, was built on the Cedar street side of the campus. It was afterward given the name of Williston ; hall; it remained standing until its removal became necessary in 1890. The old distinctive names of these two earlier buildings had passed from use long before their demolition, and they were popularly known as the "East Bricks" and the "West Bricks" - designations which not inaptly emphasized the contrast between them and later more pretentious structures. They, however, served well their generation. Not only did they contain recitation rooms, offices and society halls, they also supplied quarters for about forty students. Apparently the young ladies, dispossessed of their quarters by the burning of the seminary, sought shelter elsewhere. In 1846 a new academy building was erected on the public square. It was a substantial brick structure of two stories, the upper story, according to the annual catalogue, being "appropriated to the female branch." For the next twelve years it continued to serve this purpose and then was leased to the recently organized board of education, to be used for the new high school. The academy was then transferred to the new college building, and the "female branch" was transplanted to the seminary, where it has flourished ever since. The academy building was afterward demolished to make room for the Union hotel. In 1843 there were 175 students in the college. On account of failing health. President Kellogg resigned in 1845, ^"d Rev. Jonathan Blanchard was chosen his successor. There were 201 students then enrolled.

The period of President Blanchard's administration forms an important epoch in the history of the college. During this period the foundations were strengthened, the enterprise took on the aspect of permanent success; and then there' came a crisis in the affairs of the institution which, for a time, threatened disaster. In June. 1846, the first class was graduated. Of its nine members five entered the ministry, two of whom became missionaries; one became a lawyer, one a physician, one an editor and one a professor of mathematics. The material growth of the college was noteworthy. \,

Mr. J. P. Williston of Northampton, Mass., who through the influence of President Blanchard had become interested in the college, had given it in successive donations about $10,000. Another liberal benefactor of the college in this early period of its history was Mr. Charles Phelps of Cincinnati, a relative of President Blanchard, who, in 1853, turned over to the trustees the titles to eighteen quarter sections of Illinois land, at an estimated value of $30,000. The names of these philanthropists and their notable gifts should not be forgotten in the annals of the institution.

During the college year of 1849-50 the question of admitting women to collegiate courses in the institution was evidently settled in their favor. With the sanction of the executive committee a special department was conducted for their benefit and additional teachers' were employed. The names of fourteen young women are listed in the catalogue published at the close of that year as members of this department, and the records of the trustees show that in June, 1850, they voted that a female collegiate department should be organized with a three years' course of study. The school year was to begin regularly on the first Wednesday in February and to terminate on the third Wednesday in January. But the principle of co-education had not yet been adopted. In January, 1851, three young women were graduated from this department - the first Knox alumnae.

The advent of the railroad in 1854 greatly enlarged the resources of the college. A part of its land was selected as the site of depots, shops and yards, and the valuation of adjoining property increased accordingly. There was a ready sale for the city lots and the farm was sold advantageously. It had become evident long before this that the manual labor feature of the original plan, although successful at the school in Whitesboro, was impracticable under college management in Galesburg, and it had been abandoned. The name, Knox Manual Labor college, having now become misleading, the phrase manual labor was, on petition of the trustees, in 1857, stricken from the title by act of legislature. It was estimated in 1855 that the property of the college was worth $400,000. In 1856 two important buildings were begun, and in the following year these were completed at a cost of nearly $100,000. The central college building, as it was then called, now affectionately known as Old Main, a splendid example of the Tudor Gothic style, thus found its place on the campus between East college and Williston hall. The other building, known as the seminary, stood on Tompkins street - and still stands, the central portion of Whiting hall. It accommodated between eighty and ninety young women. This was not the first building provided for the use of the female collegiate department; an earlier seminary had been built, at a cost of $5,000, in 1841, which was burned in 1843. There had been a steady increase in the attendance, which in 1857 reached 446, counting all departments ; of these fifty-one were in the college classes. The growth of the town had been very notable. The following figures are significant: :;

In 1856 there were 304 new buildings raised with a combined valuation of $551,060; most of the dwellings costing from $3,000 to $12,000 each. As many more were built in 1857. vC ;

Notwithstanding the financial prosperity of the college at this point in its history, a serious crisis now occurred. A bitter controversy had already developed over the question of denominational control. Presbyterians and Congregation- of President IJlanchard. who, in 1853, turned over to the trustees the titles to eighteen ciuarter sections of Illinois land, at an estimated value of $30,000. The names of these philaiitliropists and their notable gifts should not be forgotten in the annals of the institution.

During the college year of 1849-50 the question of admitting women to collegiate courses in the institution was evidently settled in their favor. With the sanction of the executive committee a special department was conducted for their benefit and additional teachers were emjjloyed. The names of fourteen young women are listed in the catalogue published at the close of that year as members of this department, and the records of the trustees show that in June, 1850, they voted that a female collegiate department should be organized with a three years' course of study. The school year was to begin regularly on the first Wednesday in l-'ebruary and to terminate on the third Wednesday in January. But the principle of co-education had not yet been adopted. In January, 1851, three young women were graduated from this department - the first Knox alumnae.

The advent of the railroad in 1854 greatly enlarged the resources of the college. A part of its land was selected as the site of depots, shops and yards, and the valuation of adjoining property increased accordingly. There was a ready sale for the city lots and the farm was sold advantageously. It had become evident long before this that the manual labor feature of the original plan, although successful at the school in Whitesboro, was impracticable under college management in Galesburg, and it had been abandoned. The name, Knox Manual Labor college, having now become misleading, the phrase manual labor was, on petition of the trustees, in 1857, stricken from the title by act of legislature. It was estimated in 1855 that the property of the college was worth $400,000. In 1856 two important buildings were begun, and in the following year these were completed at a cost of nearly $100,000. The central college building, as it was then called, now affectionately known as Old INIain, a splendid example of the Tudor Gothic style, thus found its place on the campus between East college and \\'illiston hall. The other building, known as the seminary, stood on Tompkins street - and still stands, the central portion of Whiting hall. It accommodated between eighty and ninety young women. This was not the first building provided for the use of the female collegiate department ; an earlier seminary had been built, at a cost of $5,000, in 1841, which was burned in 1843. There had been a steady increase in the attendance, which in 1857 reached 446, counting all departments : of these fifty-one were in the college classes. The growth of the town had been very notable. The following figures are significant:

In 1856 there were 304 new buildings raised with a combined valuation of 8551,060; most of the dwellings costing from $3,000 to $12,000 each. As many more were built in 1857.

Notwithstanding the financial prosperity of the college at this point in its history, a serious crisis now occurred. A bitter controversy had already developed over the question of denominational control. Presbyterians and Congregation- alists had been intimately associated in the social and religious life of the community. For more than a decade they had worshipped harmoniously together in that broadly built and spacious meeting house on the square, the historic First church of Galesburg. The official head of the college had served at times as minister to the congregation. President Kellogg had been installed as pastor in 1846 and Doctor Blanchard had followed him in the pulpit when he succeeded him in the presidency, serving the church thus for two years. But with the expansion of the community jealousies had arisen and the quarrel grew so fierce that it threatened to disrupt the college. This is the period of what has been sometimes called "the Blanchard war." Jonathan Blanchard was a man of strong convictions, combative and fearless. During his pastorate in Cincinnati he had been a vigorous and outspoken abolitionist. After his removal to Illinois he had dared to meet Stephen A. Douglas in public debate and was thought by his friends to have issued from that encounter with the honors of the field. His position on the great issue of the time could not have been obnoxious in Galesburg, but his views on other matters had aroused strong (^position among some of the prominent citizens ; at the same time he had a large and ardent following. The core of the quarrel was the denominational issue in Knox college, and the two parties, the Presbyterians headed by Rev. George W. Gale and the Congregationalists led by President Blanchard, were intensely stirred. ' :.^; /

The situation became acute and at its annual meeting in June, 1857, the board of trustees, by resolution, respectfully requested both Doctor Blanchard and Mr. Gale to resign their places on the faculty. Both gentlemen immediately complied. When this action was announced there was great excitement. The student body, which was devoted to President Blanchard, assembled on the steps of the college building and passed resolutions of regret at his departure. Many of the undergraduates asked for dismission. The Adelphi and Gnothautii literary societies disbanded, placing their effects in the hands of trustees. Only one of the ten members of the graduating class appeared on the commencement platform to deliver his address. The "war" continued for many weeks in pulpit, on platform and in the columns of the local press. It became more than a local issue; letters discussing the situation appeared in the Congregationalist Herald and in the New York Independent. Some prominent people were drawn into the controversy. Pamphlets were printed and tables compiled to show what financial support had been given the institution by the two denominations. As late as in May, 1859, the general association of the Congregational church in Illinois adopted and printed a report reflecting severely on Knox college and the Presbyterians. Into the merits of this controversy it is altogether unnecessary to go ; for many years it has been a matter of ancient history and all bitterness of feeling has long since vanished. The final result was that Knox college was made independent of all denominational control and, happily, thus remains to this day.

August 21, 1857, the executive committee published "a circular to the students of Knox college in the different departments." It began and closed with the following statements :

"The executive committee are happy to inform you that the causes which led many of you to withdraw from this institution are now so far removed as to present no serious obstacle to your return. President Blanchard has consented to resume his former place in the faculty, by invitation of the executive committee, and the place of Prof. Gale will be filled by an experienced and successful teacher. '---'--' -' . /" .^ - .: vvO' -- . - ' r' "- 1^- / --u X

"It is with peculiar pleasure that we announce these arrangements (for boarding, lodging, etc.), which indicate the continued and increasing prosperity of our college. It has been a favored institution. But the means of its usefulness are now greatly augmented. The trustees have the ability and disposition to add something to its educational advantages every year, until they are complete in every department. Let the friends of the college implore for it the favor of God, and we trust that our past troubles will furnish a lesson of wisdom for our guidance, until those very troubles shall be forgotten in the joy of our future prosperity and success."

In the spring of the following year, 1858, Rev. Harvey Curtis, D. D., was elected president by the trustees. The catalogue of the college published in June, 1858, presents some facts which are interesting for comparison. The faculty -was composed as follows : Rev. Harvey Curtis, president-elect and professor of intellectual philosophy ; Nehemiah H. Losey, professor of mathematics and natural philosophy ; Innes Grant, professor of ancient languages ; Henry E. Hitchcock, professor of mathematics and natural philosophy in the female collegiate ; department ; Albert Hurd, professor of natural sciences ; E. S. Willcox Phelps professor of modern languages ; Junius B. Roberts, tutor ; George Churchill, principal of the academic department ; Miss Jane Everett, principal in the female collegiate department ; Miss Ada H. Hayes, lady principal in the academic department ; Miss E. L. Gary, Miss Mary Allen West, Mrs. Sara M. McCall, assistants in the academic department; Miss E. S. Kendall, teacher of drawing c and painting; Miss Jennie W. Sweetland, teacher of the piano. The chair of vphilosophy was filled during this year by Ex-President Blanchard and that of moral philosophy and belles-lettres, by Rev. J. W. Bailey, pastor of the Presbyterian church. The roll of students was : in the college, 109 ; in the female collegiate department, 60; in the academic department, gentlemen, 167; ladies, 158. Deducting names appearing more than once, there were altogether in the institution 455 students. :-!.- --:''---'.''-'.-.-.-/ --:'^-^'^-- ' !. I ? ^:' ;

The requirements for admission to the college were such as were then standard in American colleges and were confined to Latin (Ovid, Caesar, Sallust), Greek (Anabasis), mathematics (elementary algebra) and geography. No one under fourteen years of age could be admitted to the freshman class. Prescribed courses in Latin, Greek and mathematics ran through the first three years ; rhetoric was studied in the second half of the freshman year; logic, anatomy, physiology, zoology and botany were taken in the sophomore year ; chemistry, mineralogy, astronomy and German, in the junior year. The senior year included courses in intellectual philosophy, plan of salvation, political economy, Paley's Natural Theology, geology, German or French, psychology, Butler's Analogy, British Eloquence, Shepherd On the Constitution, moral philosophy, Paley's E'cidences, composition and declamation. It was a well-rounded course of study and, for its time, supplied admirably the requirements of a "liberal education." In the curriculum of the female collegiate department this course was somewhat diluted. There was no Greek ; there was a year and a half of Latin ; the mathematics, however, included about what was required in the college. There was a course in universal history and one in English literature.

The college library contained between two and three thousand volumes; the mineralogical and geological cabinets had about five hundred specimens each, the beginnings of that remarkable museum of natural history collected by the patient effort of Professor Hurd. Special attention is called in the catalogue to the fact that an excellent skeleton has also been obtained for the illustration of anatomy. It is also announced that the first half hour of each day is appropriated to devotional exercises and to lectures by the president on various moral and religious subjects, on which as well as on the worship of Gkxi on the Sabbath, all the members of the institution are expected to attend. The chapel talks instituted by Doctor Blanchard were remarkable examples of the versatility, intellectual power and moral purpose of that president; they produced a lasting impression on the students of that generation and became a tradition of the college.

The college year Was divided in two terms of twenty weeks each ; there was a vacation of two weeks in the winter and one of ten weeks in the summer. College opened on the first Thursday in September, "at eight-thirty A. M." The female collegiate department had its commencement regularly in January ; the college commencement occurred on the fourth Thursday in June. Tuition in the college and the seminary was $20 per annum ; in the academy it was from $12 to $i6. All students paid a fee of $2 for contingent expenses. Board, room and fuel in the seminary cost $ioo and $5 was charged for the use of furniture. Room rent in the college buildings was $6. Board in the college boarding-house varied from $1.50 to $2 per week; in private families board could be had at from $2 to $2.50.

-' . This year of 1858 was distinguished in the history of the time as the year of the great public debates between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, when the momentous question of slavery then agitating the entire country was discussed by Lincoln and Douglas, both men being candidates for election to the United States senate. These debates were held in seven of the important towns of Illinois ; the fifth in the series took place at Galesburg, on Knox college canjpus, October 7. Thousands attended. It was a great day for Galesburg and the college, and one of the most spectacular events in their history. A huge banner emblazoned with the motto "Knox College for Lincoln" was stretched across the east wall of the main college building, just over the platform occupied by the debaters. In 1860 Knox college conferred on Mr. Lincoln the degree of LL. D., and was thus the first educational institution to bestow academic honors on this great citizen of Illinois.

With the outbreak of the civil war the attendance of students was greatly diminished. The catalogue of 1861-62 shows but forty-eight names of young men, and of. these five are designated as "gone to the war." George Gregory Foster, of Newark, Wis., is starred as "killed at Fredericktown." Mulford E. Dunham, of Bushnell, as "killed at Fort Donelson." There were twenty-four young women in the seminary and one hundred students in the academy a total of 172, as contrasted with 455 in 1858. In the following year, 1862-63, ^or some reason the college did not publish a catalogue, but one was published by the literary societies which gives the entire attendance as 163. In 1863-64 we find 39 men in the college and 94 in the academy; seven of the academy boys are registered in the United States army, and two in the navy. There were 129 young women in their department, making a total of 262. The next year there were but 32 men in the college and 98 in the academy, the number of young women, however, had increased to 140, making the total number of students 270. At the end of the catalogue for this year, (1864-65) is printed a list "of the graduates and students of Knox college, who have been or are now in the United States military or naval service." This list does not include the names of academy students "because unfortunately their names have not been preserved." Over the list of names is printed the motto: "Honor to Whom Honor." All classes from that of i86i to that of 1868 are represented here, the class of 1864 providing eleven names, that of 1865, twelve; there are in all fifty names, including one adjutant, two majors, one lieutenant-colonel, one captain, ten lieutenants, and four sergeants. Four men were killed or died in the service : G. G. Foster, '62 ; W. D. Latimer, '63 ; J. W. Shields, '63 ; M. E. Dunham, '65. In a statistical paper prepared in 1866 by Rev. Frederic T. Perkins, pastor of the First church, the statement is made that Knox college furnished to the Union army two brevetbrigadier generals and forty-five officers and privates.

President Harvey Curtis died in the spring of 1863. On commencement day, June 25, Rev. William S. Curtis, D. D., was inaugurated as his successor. The new president took as the theme of his address "The American College." In discussing the relation of the college to politics he described the dangers of popular ignorance and passion, and the intense love of power in political leaders.

"What a sea have we spread out before us, susceptible to every wind that blows, and what elements of storm are ever ready to visit it. The ship of state must ride upon this sea. * * * Its sails are liable to be torn; its masts cut away ; its helm may pass into the hands of unskillful pilots ; its crew may become mutinous and arrayed in hostile factions one against another, as painful events are now teaching us." . - ',' ' "' .'I

This is the only reference in this address, the tone of which is purely academic, to the exciting period through which the nation was passing.

Five years later the finances of the college had fallen into a critical state. To meet current expenses the college land had been disposed of without thought of future values or of the necessity of preserving the productive endowment on which the security of the institution must inevitably depend. Although the location of railroad property on land purchased from the college twelve years before had greatly increased the value of its holdings, a proportionate increase had taken place in the expenditures for buildings, equipment and salaries. The income from tuition had been abnormally decreased, not only through the effect of the war in diminishing attendance, but also owing to the fact that a large proportion of the students were on free scholarships which had been given to each original purchaser of a lot at the founding of the town, and which were effective for twenty-five years. It was felt that an appeal must be made to the public ; and it was proposed that the trustees should secure a head for the institution whose influence in this direction would be recognized. Rev. John P. Gulliver. D. D., pastor of a prominent Congregational church in Chicago, was selected for the position and accepted the presidency. He was noted for his brilliant talent in pulpit and on platform, and it was thought that students would be attracted to the college by his reputation. President Gulliver remained at Knox registered in the United States army, and two in the navy. There were 129 young women in their department, making a total of 262. The next year there were but 32 men in the college and 98 in the academy, the number of young women, however, had increased to 140, making the total number of students 270. At the end of the catalogue for this year, (1864-65) is printed a list "of the graduates and students of Knox college, who have been or are now in the United States military or naval service." This list does not include the names of academy students "because unfortunately their names have not been preserved." Over the list of names is printed the motto : "Honor to Whom Honor." All classes from that of 1861 to that of 1868 are represented here, the class of 1864 providing eleven names, that of 1865, twelve; there are in all fifty names, including one adjutant, two majors, one lieutenant-colonel, one captain, ten lieutenants, and four sergeants. Four men were killed or died in the service : G. G. Foster, '62 ; W. D. Latimer, '63 ; J. W. Shields, '63 ; M. E. Dunham, '65. In a statistical paper prepared in 1866 by Rev. Frederic T. Perkins, pastor of the First church, the statement is made that Knox college furnished to the Union army two brevetbrigadier generals and forty-five officers and privates.

President Harvey Curtis died in the spring of 1863. On commencement day, June 25, Rev. William S. Curtis, D. D., was inaugurated as his successor. The new president took as the theme of his address "The American College." In discussing the relation of the college to politics he described the dangers of popular ignorance and passion, and the intense love of power in political leaders.

"What a sea have we spread out before us, susceptible to every wind that blows, and what elements of storm are ever ready to visit it. The ship of state must ride upon this sea. * * * Its sails are liable to be torn ; its masts cut away ; its helm may pass into the hands of unskillful pilots ; its crew may become mutinous and arrayed in hostile factions one against another, as painful events are now teaching us."

This is the only reference in this address, the tone of which is purely academic, to the exciting period through which the nation was passing.

Five years later the finances of the college had fallen into a critical state. To meet current expenses the college land had been disposed of without thought of future values or of the necessity of preserving the productive endowment on which the security of the institution must inevitably depend. Although the location of railroad property on land purchased from the college twelve years before l;ad greatly increased the value of its holdings, a proportionate increase had taken place in the expenditures for buildings, equipment and salaries. The income from tuition had been abnormally decreased, not only through the effect of the war in diminishing attendance, but also owing to the fact that a large proportion of the students were on free scholarships which had been given to each original purchaser of a lot at the founding of the town, and which were effective for twenty-five years. It was felt that an appeal must be made to the public ; and it was proposed that the trustees should secure a head for the institution whose influence in this direction would be recognized. Rev. John P. Gulliver. D. D., ])astor of a prominent Congregational church in Chicago, was selected for the position and accepted the presidency. He was noted for his brilliant talent in pulpit and on platform, and it was thought that students would be attracted to the college by his reputation. President Gulliver remained at Knox from 1868 to 1872. The attendance was increased and the faculty was enlarged. But the expenses of the institution increased likewise, and, differing from the trustees on the policy to be followed, the trustees insisting on retrenchment. President Gulliver resigned. For the three years ensuing there was no president. Professor Albert Hurd discharging the duties of that office.

Reference has been made to the course of study in the female collegiate department. In June, 1870, the trustees adopted a plan whereby the young women in that department were enabled to take a course equivalent to that pursued in the college and to receive the degree of B. A. at its completion. They were allowed, however, to take six years instead of four "to avoid injury to health, and to give time for the cultivation of the fine arts and other accomplishments which are not pursued by young men." The courses were given, as previously, in the seminary and in separate classes ; except that in the more advanced studies and lectures of the senior year the young women attended classes with the young men. It was not long after this until all recitations were conducted in mixed classes in the college building. In 1891 the distinctive course for women was abandoned and replaced by the literary course, leading to the degree of B. L., - bachelor of letters. After 1901 this degree was no longer conferred, the literary course having been dropped from the catalogue two years before. . .

In 1875 Newton Bateman, LL. D., accepted the call of the trustees to the presidency and a new epoch was begun in the history of Knox college. Doctor Bateman, whose name is forever linked with the educational development of Illinois, had but recently retired from office as state superintendent of schools - an office in which he had rendered signal service for a period of fourteen years. To the duties of his new position he brought the ripe experience of that term of public service and also the experience gained during fourteen years of active teaching previous to his work as superintendent. Warm-hearted, genial, sympathetic and tactful. President Bateman was beloved by his students and admired by his fellow-citizens. His scholarly attainments, his native dignity and nobility of character commanded universal respect. Throughout the seventeen years of his long period of service as its president, the college enjoyed a placid era of continuous progress. : -

A department of musical instruction was opened in 1883 under the direction of Miss Lepha A. Kelsey. A department of art was created in the same year. In 1884, a military department was organized under a law authorizing the detail of ten army officers to various institutions in the country ; the passage of the bill through congress was largely due to the influence of President Bateman who secured the assistance of Robert Lincoln, the secretary of war, and the two senators from Illinois, General Logan and Hon. Shelby M. Cullom. A cadet corps was maintained at Knox until the outbreak of the Spanish- American war in 1899, after which event the special details were withdrawn from all educational institutions except the state universities.'

An addition was placed, in 1885. on the east end of the seminary, and given the name of Whiting hall in honor of Mrs. Maria Whiting, for fifteen years the beloved and devoted principal. Seven years later the west addition was built and, in 1894, on the death of Mrs. Whiting, the entire building was named Whiting hall to honor her memory. Building operations were resumed in 1890 with the erection of alunmi hall, the gift of former students of the college. On October 8th, the corner stone of this structure was laid with appropriate ceremony, in the presence of several thousand spectators, by President Benjamin Harrison. The first half century in the life of college and city was completed in 1887; and the semi-centennial was observed with enthusiasm. The town, the church and the college joined in a three-fold celebration of the founding in a series of gatherings held principally in the historic First church, February 25, 26 and 27.

The college was in a prosperous condition. There had been a steady increase in the attendance during the years of President Bateman's incumbency. In 1879-80 there were 391 students; in the following year there were 411; at tlie time of the semi-centennial the total reached 512; and for the college year of 1889-90 there were 6oi enrolled. The spirit of the institution throughout this administration was admirable, and, although the financial situation was not materially strengthened, the affairs of the college were felt to be in good condition because of the popularity it enjoyed and by reason of the atmosphere of harmony and enthusiasm in which its work proceeded. One note-worthy gift was bestowed on the college in 1889. This was the first donation received from the Chicago philanthropist, the generous friend of colleges throughout the land, Doctor D. K. Pearsons. In 1889 he gave to Knox college real estate in Chicago then valued at $50,000. Unfortunately this property has not proved so valuable to the college as was hoped; it has depreciated in value and the income has decreased in proportion. .,;"'-- I .

In 1892, at the instance of Doctor Bateman, whose physical strength had failed with advancing years, the board asked John H. Finley to accept the presidency. The call was accepted by Mr. Finley but Doctor Bateman continued to act as president for the following year. President Finley was inaugurated at commencement, 1893; and Doctor Bateman retained his relation to the college as president-emeritus until his death, October 21, 1897.

At the time of his election to this office. President Finley was twenty-nine years old - the youngest college president in the country. He was a graduate of Knox and his career as a student had been unusually brilliant. He had worked his way through college achieving every possible honor in scholarship, had won the highest prizes in inter-collegiate and inter-state oratorical contests, and had been one of the most popular men in the institution. After leaving college, Mr. Finley had taken graduate work at the Johns Hopkins University, and then had become secretary of the State Charities Aid Society of New York. He was the founder and editor of The Charities Review, and remained its editor for several years. To his new position he brought the enthusiasm of youth and the devotion of a loyal son of the college. His own undergraduate life was so recent that he was able with rare ability to enter into the circumstances and needs of his sudents, and the relation thus established was intimate and helpful. The feeling of personal comradeship that existed was remarkable. During President Finley's administration the modernization of the college was accomplished in the development of courses in science; the courses in physics, biology and chemistry were arranged in separate departments. In 1894 the position of Dean of Women was created. Instructors in physical culture for both men and women were added. A department of

Bible study was established. Special lecturers were secured from the universities and some of the most distinguished scholars in the country were brought by President Finley to supplement and amplify the work of the college.

It was at this period that university extension became a popular feature in education and numerous lecture study courses were given under the auspices of the college. Among the special lecturers who thus appeared were Professors J. C Freeman, Richard T. Ely, Frederick J. Turner and Fdward A. Birge, of the University of Wisconsin; Frederick Starr, Harry P. Judson and Albion W. Small, of the University of Chicago ; Frederick A. Wines and Jacob A. Riis, of New York ; J. Graham Brooks, of Harvard University ; J. W. Jenks, of Cornell University; William R. French, of the Chicago Art Institute; Alice Freeman Palmer, then Dean of Women at the University of Chicago; and Jane Addams, of Hull House. The lectures thus delivered were usually in courses of six each, and covered the fields of literature, history, economics, anthropology, bacteriology, sociology, ethics and art. Knox college itself took up the method of extension work and several of its own instructors conducted courses in nearby towns and cities. In 1894, 1895, and 1896, a summer session of five weeks duration was maintained with some success.

The custom of observing the anniversary of Founders' Day on the fifteenth of February was introduced by President Finley in 1894, on which occasion the principal address was delivered by Hon. Geo. R. Peck, of Chicago, his subject being "The Kingdom of Light." The anniversary of the Lincoln- Douglas debate was celebrated for the first time in 1896, with a program of notable addresses by Hon. Chauncy M. Depew of New York, Senator Palmer of Illinois, Governor Bois of Iowa, and Hon. Robert T. Lincoln. In 1900, a still more noteworthy celebration occurred when President William McKinley and his cabinet honored the occasion with their presence. Charles Emory Smith, postmaster general was the orator of the day, but President McKinley, John Hay, secretary of state, with others of the cabinet, made brief addresses.

During the seven years of President Finley's administration there was but one in which the attendance fell below 650; in 1898-99 the total number of students was 673. In 1899 Doctor Finley resigned to take up editorial work in New York ; one year later he accepted a call to the chair of politics in Princeton University. Prof. Thomas R. Willard served as acting-president of the col-^^ lege during the year 1899-1900. ^V; > v'^.^.i^v^

With the opening of the year 1900-1901, began the administration of President Thomas McClelland, whose inauguration took place on Founders' day," February 15, 1901. Doctor McClelland, at the time of his election by the trustees of Knox college, was the president of Pacific University, in Oregon ; a man whose long experience as an educator and college executive had been accompanied with distinguished success. His administration, which has continued happily to the present time, is, perhaps, the most significant in the history of the institution. There has been a visible enlargement in the material equipment, both in buildings and endowment; and, parallel with this substantial increase in its resources, there has been also a notable development in the position of the college as a conspicuous factor in the educational work of the middle west. In these two phases of its growth, in this development both external and internal, those connected with the college and its affairs recognize

The new gymnasium, a handsome structure, perfectly equipped with all the apparatus necessary for the fulfillment of its useful purpose, was completed in 1908 and formally dedicated on Founders' day in that year. A banquet was served in its spacious hall to five hundred enthusiastic students and alumni. The cost of this building with its equipment was $3O,ocx). It has supplied a much-needed element in student life and now admirably serves the needs of the college in the important field of physical training. There had long stood upon the campus an ugly, barnlike structure, known as the "Gym," 'erected by enthusiastic' collegians in 1876 ; it sen'ed its modest purpose fairly well for a time, but became ruinous and was torn down in 1904, to be replaced by its worthier successor.

Another notable observance of the anniversary of the great debate occurred on October 7, 1908, when Hon. William H. Taft, republican nominee for the presidency of the United States, was the guest of honor and the distinguished orator of the occasion. United States Senator Theodore E. Burton, of Ohio, delivered the historical address of the day ; and Hon. Adlai E. Stevenson, the former vice-president. Senator Albert J. Hopkins, of Illinois, and Robert Douglas, of North Carolina, a grandson of the Little Giant, were also speakers.

The administrative force of the college was already engaged upon a most important and most strenuous undertaking; this was a year-long campaign for an endowment fund of a quarter million. The successful achievement of this task was finally consummated at a mass-meeting of students and friends of Knox held in Central Congregational church on Founders' day, 1909. The full amount of this fund reached $260,000, an amount sufficient to relieve the college of a debt accumulated in annual deficits for several years, and to produce an income sufficient to meet the annual expenses of the institution. It was felt that a new era had begun and that the greater and better Knox was now assured. To this endowment fund Mr. Andrew Carnegie contributed $50,- ,000 and the General Education Board, which administers the Rockefeller fund, gave a like amount ; both gifts being conditional on the raising of the entire sum. Citizens of Galesburg contributed amounts aggregating $88,000,. this amount including large individual gifts from resident trustees of the college. The remainder of the fund was secured in various sums from hundreds of Knox alumni and friends of the college scattered from coast to coast. The success of this laborious and anxious enterprise bears emphatic testimony to the genuine and widespread interest in the welfare of the institution, as well as to the persevering effort of President McQelland and his faithful assistants.

The enthusiasm aroused by this event was revived a month or so later by the announcement of another very noteworthy and significant donation. In the summer of 1909 Doctor and Mrs. John Van Ness Standish gave to the college property estimated at more than $75,000. This included a deed of their own beautiful residence and spacious gardens which face the college campus, to be known as the Standish Home for the President of Knox College. The remainder of the gift consists of valuable real estate in the city of Chicago. Doctor and Mrs. Standish had passed the greater part of their lives in Galesburg, contributing to the improvement of the city to a degree that cannot be estimated. They had lived beside Knox college for many years and had personally interested themselves in beautifying its somewhat neglected campus. To them the college owes the present arrangement of trees and shrubbery that now adorn its grounds, in the later improvement of which the creator of the beautiful Standish park has been an active agent. Furthermore Doctor and Mrs. Standish had devoted their lives to the cause of education, and had long planned to bestow their property where it might best promote the cause of intelligence and culture after they should have passed away. Convinced of the permanency of this institution and of its broadening influence and usefulness, they thus acted - bestowing on Knox college the largest single gift it has ever received. .-'V^: ' :-

On October 13, a day appropriately designated as Knox-Galesburg day, in recognition of the close relationship existing between college and city, the city and the college united in a fitting testimonial to these public-spirited benefactors. At noon the college body, trustees, faculty and students, with many representative citizens of Galesburg gathered in the gymnasium. Doctor and Mrs. Standish were guests of honor. An informal luncheon was followed by exercises eloquently appreciative of their philanthropic work. Rev. Stuart M. Campbell, Knox '88, made the principal address upon "The Debt of Galesburg to Doctor and Mrs. Standish." At its close, in the name of the college, he presented to the subjects of his address a silver loving-cup "in appreciation of their life-long, broad-minded and far-reaching service in behalf of civic improvement and the advancement of education; and as a token of the love and esteem in which they are held." : ^

The last conspicuous addition to the material equipment of the college is seen in the splendid building known as the George Davis Science hall, erected in 1910-1911 for the use of the departments of chemistry, biology and physics. This building receives its name in memory of a former treasurer of the college, -whose son-in-law, Mr. J. T. McKnight, for many years a useful and an honored member of the board of trustees, together with Mrs. McKnight, gave the sum of $25,000 toward its erection. In its construction and furnishing no neeessary expense was spared to make ample provision for the needs of these de-' partments. The laboratories are thoroughly modern in their equipment and are not surpassed in convenience and efficiency. The entire cost was approximately $ii5,ocx). The dedication of Science hall was the feature of the annual Founders' day celebration in 1912.

- A change was made in the educational policy of the institution in 1909, when the official board determined to discontinue the existence of the Knox academy. It had become apparent that this department was no longer a necessity. With the modern development of the high schools throughout the territory from which Knox receives her students, the number of those entering the preparatory department had steadily decreased until practically no students were enrolled below the third year, and most of these were here merely to make up deficiencies that could be covered in a single year of well-ordered work. Thus in 1909-10 there were in the academy but thirty-five students, as compared with 352 in the college, 136 of whom were regular freshmen.

and lighting plant, costing $40,000 with its connections, was built in 1911. It stands on a lot just east of VVillard field, and furnishes steam heat and electric lighting for all the college buildings.

Knox college enjoys the distinction of being the first educational institution in Illinois - and to this date the only one - to be placed upon the list of the Carnegie Foundation for the advancement of Teaching. This admits the professors on its faculty to benefits of the retiring allowance provided by that fund. Especially significant is the recognition thus given to the standing of the college in the educational world. Equally significant is the recent establishment of a system of exchange professorships with Harvard University. The plan originated at Harvard. Four representative colleges in four western states are included in the arrangement : Knox, Beloit, Grinnell and Colorado. By the terms of this agreement Harvard is to send a professor for a half year to these colleges, dividing his time equally among them, and giving such regular instruction in their courses as they may require. In return each of the four colleges is entitled to send to Harvard each year one of its instructors for half a year, with the understanding that he is to devote one-third of his time as an assistant and the rest of his time to graduate or research work in Harvard university. The significance of this agreement lies in the fact that it is an alliance between colleges that stand for the integrity of the four year college course and a university that is committed to the same educational policy. The plan went into operation in 1912. Albert Bushnell Hart, Eaton professor of the science of government, at Harvard University, spent the month of February at Knox college. He gave courses in American history and American government, and a series of eight public lectures on American biography ; he also delivered four illustrated lectures on Japan, China, India, and the Philippine Islands. ' '. :; ' ." -- -'

The policy of the institution throughout its history has been to fulfill, in so far as its equipment permitted, the ideal of a college education. The scope of its work has varied at different periods. Some of the departments of the institution in its earlier years have been successively abandoned ; the so-called commercial courses, the department of art, and finally the preparatory department, the old academy, have been discontinued. The curriculum of the college itself has been broadened and strengthened ; its faculty has been increased until it now numbers twenty-three active members ; its equipment has been greatly enlarged ; but its does not seek to enter the field of the university. It stands for recognized college work and does not attempt that of the special or professional school. Although the lines of admission and classification are now closely drawn the number of students in attendance has increased steadily. In the seventy-fifth year of its existence Knox contains a body of 346 college students.

The limits of this history will not permit any account of the social and literary activities, which form so prominent a part of undergraduate student life; but no sketch of Knox college would be adequate which omitted mention of the service rendered by instructors and trustees. The members of the executive board of the college have from the first been men of integrity and ability, loyal to the highest interests of the institution, and often displaying a remarkable degree of wisdom and foresight in their supervision of its affairs ; had it been otherwise Knox College would not stand where it does today. It must be reen and lighting plant, costing $40,000 with its connections, was built in 1911. It stands on a lot just east of VVillard field, and furnishes steam heat and electric lighting for all the college buildings.

Knox college enjoys the distinction of being the first educational institution in Illinois - and to this date the only one - to be placed upon the list of the Carnegie Foundation for the advancement of Teaching. This admits the professors on its faculty to benefits of the retiring allowance provided by that fund. Especially significant is the recognition thus given to the standing of the college in the educational world. Fqually significant is the recent establishment of a system of exchange professorships with Harvard University. The plan originated at Harvard. Four representative colleges in four western states are included in the arrangement : Knox, Beloit, Grinnell and Colorado. By the terms of this agreement Harvard is to send a professor for a half year to these colleges, dividing iiis time equally among them, and giving such regular instruction in their courses as they may require. In return each of the four colleges is entitled to send to Harvard each year one of its instructors for half a year, with the understanding that he is to devote one-third of his time as an assistant and the rest of his time to graduate or research work in Harvard university. The significance of this agreement lies in the fact that it is an alliance between colleges that stand for the integrity of the four year college course and a university that is committed to the same educational policy. The plan went into operation in 1912. Albert Bushnell Hart, Eaton professor of the science of government, at Harvard University, spent the month of February at Knox college. He gave courses in American history and American government, and a series of eight public lectures on American biography ; he also delivered four illustrated lectures on Japan, China, India, and the Philippine Islands.

The policy of the institution throughout its history has been to fulfill, in so far as its equipment permitted, the ideal of a college education. The scope of its work has varied at different periods. Some of the departments of the institution in its earlier years have been successively abandoned ; the so-called conmiercial courses, the department of art, and finally the preparatory department, the old academy, have been iliscontinued. The curriculum of the college itself has been broadened and strengthened ; its faculty has been increased until it now numbers twenty-three active members ; its equipment has been greatly enlarged : but its does not seek to enter the field of the university. It stands for recognized college work and does not attempt that of the special or professional school. Although the lines of admission and classification are now closely drawn the number of students in attendance has increased steadily. In the seventy-fifth year of its existence Knox contains a body of 346 college students.

The limits of this history will not permit any account of the social and literary activities, which form so prominent a part of undergraduate student life; but no sketch of Knox college would be adequate which, omitted mention of the service rendered by instructors and trustees. The members of the executive board of the college have from the first been men of integrity and ability, loyal to the highest interests of the institution, and often displaying a remarkable degree of wisdom and foresight in their supervision of its affairs ; had it been otherwise Knox College would not stand where it does today. It must be ren membered, too, that the college has been carried under their guidance and with their liberal assistance through some difficult and critical experiences. The success of any educational institution is closely associated with the influence of the stronger personalities among its teachers. This is eminently true of Knox college. The lives of three men are inseparably interwoven with the life of the college. These were the men who composed the "triumvirate" as, in the closing years of their long and splendid service they were affectionately called. George Qiurchill, Knox, 1851, became principal of the academy in 1855 and remained its head for forty-five years, until his death in 1899. Albert Kurd, Middlebury, 1850 became a member of the Knox faculty as teacher of the sciences, in 1851 ; in 1897 he was made professor of Latin, and continued to fill that chair until his death in 1906, having taught continuously in the college for fifty-five years. Milton L. Comstock, Knox, 1851, became professor of mathematics in 1858, retiring from active work in 1898. He died in 1906. With the record of these men, strong in character and great teachers, stands that of Mrs. Sarah M. McCall, Mt. Holyoke, 1851, who became an instructor in Knox academy in 1865. She was principal of the Galesburg high school from 1869 to 1876, when she became again an instructor in Knox academy where ; she remained until her retirement in 1901. Her death occurred in 1906. The extent to which the influence of these noble liv;es has entered into the spirit of Knox graduates and former students who have established the reputa- ; tion of their college in all parts of the world and in every field of honorable activity can not be estimated. And it is in the ability and usefulness of its graduates that a college is justified.

The history of music in Knox college is simply a repetition of the history of music in America, although when Knox college was* founded in 1837, music was past the early stages of our Puritan Fathers, who believed that musical

; instruments belonged to the devil and had no place in our religious life. The Puritan clergy opposed even the study of music ; "The names of the musical notes were considered blasphemous." "To sing man's melody was a vain show of art." "God could not take delight in praises where the man of sin had a hand in making the melody." Having to overcome so much of opposition it is

, no wonder that music in America in 1837 was still in the crudest of conditions, and only comparatively a few of those who lived in the larger cities of our country, even in the "Hub," Boston, knew music as an art or science. Music, however, is a part of man's existence, the same as speech, and as men converse together without a knowledge of grammar or rhetoric, so they sing and play upon instruments without a knowledge of melody or harmony.

Music in Galesburg and in Knox college was, at first, principally vocal music, as there were few musical instruments owned by the dwellers in "Log City." A limited number of Psalm tunes sung "by ear" was the extent of the religious music of the day. The popular music consisted of love songs, ballads, glees, and rounds, both humorous and pathetic, which all tried to sing.

During the long winter evenings, the great diversion for the young people, as well as the old, was "The Sings," which were held in the different homes and which were greatly enjoyed, the refreshments of pop-corn, apples, and cider, aiding, no doubt, in the enjoyment.

It would be interesting to follow in detail the growth of this early music, but that is not the object of this article ; therefore only a few facts will be mentioned, and for this data the writer quotes largely from historical articles written by Prof. George Churchill and Mrs. John T. Avery, which have previously appeared in our college and city papers. : -- L. ,-. - . .-: I '