The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-02-06
Tho universitY Of Chicago

A public journal in the city Of Cincinnati |
speaks, ignorantly, Of the baptist Universi |
~ Of Chicago" as being involved in the lit !
cation which Mr. n. p Iglehart has com
menced in the matter OF the Douglas estate |
Mr.. Iglehart writes letter to correct the !
blunder, but reiterAtss the ignorant Nlusion
20 "the Baptist University Of Chicago
There is no such institution as the "Bsp.
fist University of Chicago There is no
university Of, or in Chicago, either Of that
name or Of that religious denomination.
There is university Of Chicago" found.
ed by Stephen A. Douglas, who gave for
that purpose ten acres Of land on which the
beautiful university buildings now stand.
Ia the deed Of gift, it was made one Of che
express aud fundamental conditions that the
institution should be in no sense sectariRn
college that il should never be perverted 10
the ends Of any particular religious denoml.
nation but should be and reman forever a
university Of learning in the broadcast sense
OF the term.
The proposition was open to any iudivid.
ual, or association Of individuals, who, upon
that broad basis, would undertake to pro.
cure the requisite additional endowments to
establish the institution. That undertaking
Vas assumed by the Rev. DR.. J. c. Bur.
roughs, q gentleman Of immense energy and
persistence of high scholastic sttainments {;
and Withal, Baptist clergyman as be had
perfect right to BEL Had he been Pres.
byterian, Methodist, al Epscopalan, or
any other sort of clergyman, or no clergy.
man at all, it would have made no differ.
ence to Judge Douglas, whose religious
views were not very perSpicuous, perhaps
even to himself. The essential point was,
that the party undertaking to establish the
University of Chicago should succeed and
this Dir. Burroughs did, as probably man
Of less energy and perseverance would not
have done.
Thus was the University Of Chicago
brought into existence. The gentlemen
who gu INSCRIBED literally toward the endow.
ment funds represented nearly all religious
denominations, and some of them no relig-
ion. Mr.. William Jones, the first president
Of the board of trustees, was a Baptist. Mr..
Jonathan Young Scammon, who built the |
Dearborn tower, for the great Clarke tele
scope, wholly at his own expense, is the
chief pillar Of Swedenborgianism in Chicago.
Mr.. Thomas Hoyne, who endowed the HOyne
professorship of international and constitu.
tional law, represents no particular religious
creed. Mr.. William b. Ogden is now pres. |
dent of the board of trustees The board
includes representatives Of Swedenborgian.
ism, Roman Catholicism, Unitarianlsm, and
several other religious creeds, the majority
being other than Bsptsts. SO, also Of the
faculty, Of which DoctoE Burroughs is the
president, The professors represent various
forms Of religious faith, excepting that some
Of them have not enough religion of any
sort to hurt.
There is Baptist theological seminary
situated not far from the university, on
ground which was formerly owned by Judge
Douglas, but not on that which was given to
the university This theological seminary
is in no way connected with, or related TO, |
the university. Ii was founded and is un.
der the control Of the Baptist Theological
Union an organization that existed prior
TO the founding Of the University of Chicago,
and which has no connection with the latter,
SIS the latter had no connection with IT,
These explanations are made in the hope
that the people who habituslly confound the
University Of Chicago with a particular Dc.
nomination of religiOnists will take the
trouble TO disabuse themselves of that error.
1t is, what its name imports, q university Of
learning in the broadcast. freess, and most
comprehensive sense Chicago Times.