Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-04-26
HARVARD UNIVERSITY.
THE FAMOUS AND MOST ANCIENT
COLLEGE IN AMERICA.
Its early Siruggle-The Great Institution
Of To-Day-HaNard libray-The
Most Valuable Collection Of
Books on the Continent
Memorial Hall.
THE LIFE o. "Ye eASY-6OING STU.
DeNT."


RosToS, April %.
To the religious zeal and fearless ener-
gy OF the early Puritans, Harvard Col
lege owes its origin. Six years only
alter the earliest settlement in Boston,
while the surrounding country was still
a wilderness beset with hostile Indians,
the General Court OF Massachusetts,
Bay passed its memorable vote to give
E400 towards school or college. The
site chosen for the school was Newtown,
but the name OF the town was changed
to Cambridge, in memory OF the Eng
lish University, where a considerable
proportion OF the colonists had received
their education. The name given to the
college was adopted two years after the
grant OF the General Court, in recogni-
ton Of the extraordinary liberality of
John Harvard, q non-conforming cler-
gyman Of England, who died at Charles
town in 1888, after about years resi-
dence in the colony, leaving one.half OF
his whole property and his entire libra
ry to the College. Created by Legisla-
ture, the new college was almost newt
ably
State Institution;
established in a community where
church members alone were freemena
and voters, it was also necessarily sec
tartan institution; and being n reproduc-
ton in its essential features OF an Eng
lish university, its curriculum was
made up exclusively Of the studies pur.
sued by candidates Tor the clerical pro-
fession-that is to say, the learned Ian
gIages and divinity. In a word, Har'
ward College was at its foundation and
for many years afterwards govern
ment school. established for the educs-
ton OF candidates for the ministry, and
with the ayowed purpose of maintain
ing and propagatIng q religious creed.
Ii we compare the college OF today
With the college of two hundred and
fifty wears, we shall find that the three
characteristics of the institution of our
ancestors have vanished. Harvard Co..
lege is no longer an institution OF state
nor an institution Uf any religious sect,
nor q preparatory school for a single
d roiession. The college is at length a
university independent alike OF church
and state and devoted TO literature and
science and all
The Liberal Professions.
The month of April at Cambridge is
in many respects the most delightful OF
any during the college year. Back iron
the short vacation, well rested from the
labors Of the preceding term, the hard
working student takes up his books
with redoubled yigor in the bracing
spring air, so different from the oppres.
sive days of June. have spent several
DAYS at the University with my friend
Mr.. Ed. w. ;. Tingle, of Wheeling, who
is soon to close his sophomore year with
high honors and good standing among
his fellow classmates. He graduates
here in two wears and then goes to the
University OF Virginia to study law.
| am indebted to him for many facts
concerning the management OF and the
history of the institution. The college
grounds contain a little more than twen-
ty.two acres, and nearly the whole avail
| able space is already occupied by the
numerous buildings required by an IN
stitution OF such magnitude. Several
of these buildings deserve separate men.
ton, but i have space but Tor a orlei al
| lusiOn to them. Some OF the more re-
Gently erected dormitories are tine speci-
mems of architecture and admirably
suited 10 the use for which they were
designed. Among these are Thayer
Hall,
An Imposing Structure,
containing sixty-eight suites OF rooms,
built at a cost OF $4,000; Gray's Hall,
a long fiye-story brick build.
ing erected in 1858, and
containing fifty-two suites; and
Matthews Hall, an ornate Gothic
editice, which was built in 1872 at a cost
of $4,000. An important change has
been made within the past few years IN
the government OF the University: the
oy,reri, consti u'ing the ts6cond and
| more numerous branch OF the Univer-
sity legislature, were originally the Gov.
ernur and Deputy-Governor, with all
the magistrates, and the ministers ofthe
/ six adjoining towns. All this system
has been abolished. The graduates oil
the college have been granted the priv
lege of choosing the entire board, and
every member OF it, as now constituted,
| has been elected by this constituency.
| The advantages of thus making those
who are most interested in the good
management of the college partially re-
sponsible for its government were at
once apparent, and other colleges have
no, been slow in pre- ising upon so salts
factory an experiment. Another change
which has been gradually going on for
wears, gives students a much wider
range OF studies tnan formerly. The
number Of
:Elte:ivs studics
has very greatly increased, and
one ia not now as formerly.
compelled to pursue fixed and
unalterable course, but may
choose the branches he will pursue IN
accordance with his tastes and his in-
tended business in life. There are near
Iv 400 students in all branches oil the
University, and ls5 professors and teach
ers OF various grades Without speak.
ing OF the variou. society libraries, the
university has eight minor libraries con.
nected with various departments, and
containing over 10000 volumes; while
the College library has more than 400, 900
volumes. The latter is in Gore Hall, q
gothic building OF Quincy granite, erect
! Ell in lS4l, and reinforced in 1877 by a
large fre-proof extension OF granite and
iron.
When John Harvard. nearly two GEN.
turies and a hall ago, bequeathed his
few books to the newly-iounded college
at Cambridge, he probably little dream
ed that he had established the nucleus
Of one of the worlds great libraries.
Yet, from that humble origin, the libra
~ of Harvard University has grown
stea,.lly. until there are now but two in
this country which can boast OF larger
number of volumes. There are the
Boston Public Library and the library
OF Congress. While these surpass Har-
wards collection in number OF volumes,
they are neither OF them nearly 80 valu'
able from a photographed point ol
view, for the reason that both Of them
!, owe their vast number OF vol lines to the
1 n0saasai0n nj Hu nlieafoa Tina fha