This last suspension left the board in debt $13,000, and the college grounds were sold at sheriff's sale to The Franklin College Association. This time one of her own sons, Dr. William T. Stott, a native of Indiana, was chosen president, and the school was opened in September, 1872. President Stott thoroughly understood from the start the peculiarities of Indiana people. His caution amounts to conservatism, but he has in a large degree the faculty of "conservative innovation," which Mr. Bagehot defines to be "the gift of matching new institutions to old."1 School opened with a faculty of three. From the first there was such enthusiasm that, notwithstanding difficulties, it was evident that the struggle for existence was over and that the question was simply one of extension. From then till now the college has slowly but steadily grown. The number of friends has rapidly increased. Each year has found a larger number of students than the preceding year. The courses of study have been changed and enlarged and have been fully equal to the courses in other Indiana colleges. The assets have grown from $78,000 in 1873 to $207,434.89 in 1888. The old-style buildings, have been completely outgrown, and in 1887 a large and commodious building, with all modern improvements, was begun and is expected to be ready for use in September, 1888. The library has grown from a few hundred volumes in 1873 to nearly 6,000 volumes. At the organization of the college there were chairs of intellectual and moral philosophy, Greek and Latin combined, mathematics and natural philosophy combined, and a lecturer on chemistry, which was dropped after two years. All these departments were well manned. In 1853-'54 a chair of agricultural chemistry and kindred sciences was added, and so the departments remained until the suspension, in 1864. In the first year after revival the only departments were intellectual and moral philosophy and mathematics. The work of the other departments was distributed among professors and tutors. But in 1875-'76 the department of natural science was organized. Greek and Latin have been separated into two distinct departments. But in 1877-'78 the chair of natural sciences is again vacant, to be occupied, 1878-'79, by a professor of geology and chemistry, to drop again, 1879-'80, into the management of a tutor who was to be made professor in 1883. This ends the vicissitudes of the scientific department. It has grown rapidly of late, and in June, 1887, the chair of chemistry and physics was created. There are, then, by recent action of the board, two departments in natural science, biology, and chemistry and physics. In August, 1881, the board, in view of the growing interest in historical research and the wide application of historical methods, established the chair of history, and in 1888 created a separate department of modern languages. Thus at present there are eight organized departments. 'Physics and Politics, p. 81. The faculty in 1890 was as follows: Rev. William T. Stott, D. D., President, and Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy. Rev. Columbus H. Hall, B. D., Vice President, and Professor of Greek Language and Literature. Miss Rebecca J. Thompson, A. M., Professor of Mathematics. Wellington B. Johnson, A. M., Professor of Chemistry and Physics. Rev. Francis W. Brown, A. M., Professor of Latin Language and Literature. John W. Moncrief, A. M., Professor of History. C. E. Goodell, A. B., Instructor in Modern Languages. Mrs. Arabella R. Stott, Instructor in Painting and Drawing. James M. Dungan, Instructor in Music, Instrumental and Vocal. J. T. Polk, Vice President, Greenwood. Dr. Barnett Wallace, Treasurer, Franklin. Rev. Norman Carr, Financial Secretary, Franklin. It is perhaps interesting to run over the list of institutions whose graduates have been teachers in Franklin College. She has taken many of her teachers from her own alumni and alumnæ, but among the other institutions that have given her teachers are Brown University, Michigan University, Princeton College, Colby University, Denison University, Asbury (now DePauw) University, Young Ladies' Institute (Granville, Ohio), Georgetown College (Kentucky), University of Chicago, Kalamazoo College, University of Leipsic, Germany, and perhaps others. It is believed that something of what is distinctively good in each of these institutions has entered into the conception of Franklin College. It is the firm conviction of the present faculty that it must keep in close connection with other faculties, and that a professor can best do his own work by frequently seeing how other professors in his line do their work. Hence the president and the board encourage members of the faculty frequently to visit other colleges and universities and to attend the great national associations of specialists which meet from year to year. Franklin College has never claimed the rank of the university. She is absolutely clear in her conviction that she is only a college; that her business is to give a liberal education; that in her Junior and Senior years she may start specialists for the universities in our country or in Europe, but that she can not make specialists. It is but just to say further that while Franklin College is under the control of the Baptist denomination she is not and never has been narrowly sectarian. Members of other denominations and persons of no denomination have been on her board. Some of these have been her truest friends and wisest counselors. Among her students have been and are members of the various Protestant sects, and of late years Roman Catholics have been in regular attendance. To any one looking over the records of this college the conviction must abide that, all things considered, the progress has been remarkable; that while the area of its operations has been small, the heroism of its founders and early workers has been genuine and great. It may be said, that although the college is 53 years old, it has only a beginning; but the beginning is well made. It remains for the college faithfully to do its part in advancing the civilization of its own com. monwealth and the world; and it will find reward of honest work in steady growth. HANOVER COLLEGE, HANOVER, IND.1 Hanover College is an institution under the care of the Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Indiana. It was the outgrowth of a desire on the part of this church to provide itself with an educated ministry, which could not at that early day be obtained from the East. With this in view, the Presbytery of Salem, which embraced Indiana and Illinois and was connected with the Synod of Kentucky, in 1826 requested the pastor of the church at Hanover, Rev. John Finley Crowe, to open and conduct an academy until further provision could be made. Hanover contained one of the largest congregations in the Presbytery, and was easy of access by the river. Mr. Crowe having consented to make the experiment, opened a grammar school January 1, 1827. This school, which consisted of six boys, was held in a log cabin on Mr. Crowe's own premises. Four of these six boys afterwards became ministers of the Gospel. When in May, 1826, the Synod of Indiana was constituted, the care of the proposed school at Hanover was transferred by the Presbytery of Salem to that of Madison. This Presbytery applied to the legisla ture of the State for a charter, and that body passed an act December 30, 1828, incorporating Hanover Academy. The next year the acad emy was taken under the care of the Synod of Indiana, on condition "that the trustees of the academy will permit the Synod to establish a theological department and appoint theological professors." This condition was readily granted, and the Synod at once unanimously elected Rev. John Matthews, D. D., of Shepherdstown, Va., to the chair of theology. Dr. Matthews accepted the appointment, but before removing to Hanover secured the support for five years of an additional professor and a number of volumes for the library. The theological department was continued at Hanover for ten years, when it was removed to New Albany in 1840, and from thence, in 1859, to Chicago, Ill., and is now known by the name of the McCormick Theological Seminary. Dr. Matthews remained with the seminary till his 1 By Prof. J. B. Garritt, Hanover College. |