Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-05-01
Iowa State UniyerSity.

AoWA SlIIs ApIll Sls 1COOs
EDITOR JOURNAL THE Trustees under
the new School Law met this Pm. Present,
Mcssrs. Fisher. Supt., Chancellor Dean,
Grinnell, Downey, Barris, Burris, Brannan,
Dewey, Lyon and Reno. The meeting was
called to order by Col. Dewey, and Chancel-
lor Dean was invited to preside. The Trus-
tees were then sworn into office. Arson
Hart was chosen Secretary, and II. W. La
throp treasurer.
President Dean then addressed the Trus-
tees, giving his views of the University
past present and future. He stated that he
thought the University had been commenced
too soon by several years that, under the
present circumstances, it was impossible to
make it anythiny but local school of an
inferior grade-a competitor of the local
academies and colleges-and as such it could
not be expected to flourish Hisideas of what
the University should be was to commence
where the academies and colleges left off,
and not to come into competition with those
institutions. He consequently recommended
a suspension for the present, to enable the
Trustees to repair the University building.
to build a boarding house, &C., and to select
a corps of suitable Professors, so that when
they start again, it will be under more IA
vorable circumstances. President Dean was
of the opinion that, to carry out his ideas,
this suspension should continue through q
series of years, to allow the fund time to
accumulate, and the high schools. academies
and colleges to educate class Of students
to fill the University. He did not think at
the present time there was any call for a
State institution of this kind that the high
schools, acadamies and colleges for the
present were sufficient for the wants of the
State that to continue on as now organized
would be to consume the funds without any
practical benefit to the State. There were
two courses for them to pursue-either to
sacrifice the present to the future or the fu-
ture to the present. For the future interests
of the institution and the State at large. he
recommended a suspension. Accordingly,
the Trustees voted to suspend for one year
from the close of this term.
l apprehend this action of the Trustees
will be approved by every friend Of educa-
ton throughout the State, and sincerely
hope that the Trustees will still further carry
out President Deans suggestions to suspend
long enough to allow the funds to &C cumus
late sufficient to repair the loss sustained to
the University fund, in order to enable them
to 90 on successfully without embarrassment
for want of means, and until sufficient
number of young men have been educated
in the other Institutions of the State to fill
the University with good class of students.
Then we will be enabled to maintain an In
sttution that will be credit to the State.
This action of the Trustees discharges all
the present Professors, and as the appoint
ing power under the new law is in thehands
of the chancellor it is not at all probable
that any of them will be re-appeinted.
There is one circumstance connected with
this suspension worthy of note. - All the
resident Trustees warmly advocated and
voted for the suspension. The only oppo-
sition was from the members from distance,
those who had had no opportunity of know
ing anything of its workings heretofore
The motion to suspend came from Iowa City.
The people of Iowa City are beginning to
look at this matter in its true light. They
know that an Institution of the character
that the University has been is no credit to
the place, hence they are anxious to have it
establis shed on the trae basis, and with
corps of competent Professors. They all,
however, bore testimony to the competency
of one or two of the Professors, particularly
the Professors Of Mathematics, Prof Humph-
reys, and Of the Normal Department, Profess
sor Wells. These are both young men of
considerable promise-but l hardly think
they will be recalled: The repairing of the
University bui ding and building the board
ing house WILDE completed as soon as posi-
bic. In haste yours, D.