The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-19
OUR UNIVERSITY TOWNS.
Franklin, with Its College and Bust
ness Enterprise.
A Live and Efficient Baptist EducatiOna
InstitutiOn-The Pleasant Features
of johnson County's Capital.


under the control of the Baptists of Indiana.
The commencement of next year will be the
fifteth anniversary of the college, making it
the second oldest of our State colleges. The
fathers labored faithfully and long for the
school; the denomination now is wealthy,
and the time ripe for Indiana Baptists to rise
in their strength and put the college upon
plane of financial efficiency and prosperity.
The general financial secretary, Rev. N.
Carr, is in the field, and is meeting with en-
couragement. He has secured s., 900 a month
from the time he began, and will doubtless
find some liberal gifts. Its present net assets
are $128,000, and the productive endow-
ment $72, 900. Since 1872 the Baptists have
raised $1,000 in sums of less than S., 900 for
the use of the school.
The college buildings are two in number,
PLAIN quaint and cosy, situated in campus
of twelve acres covered with heavy growth
of natural forest Ash, beech, maple, buck
eye, wild cherry and walnut, rich in flower
and foliage, grow up to the caves of the build
inss. Birds are as common as in the open
forest Hurricane creek, spanned with
number of irons bridges, runs
at the foot of the campus slope
and furnishes the requisite fishes, frogs and
water plants for the laboratories. The col
lege is within about four blocks of the depot,
justin the outskirts of the city, and the loca-
ton one of the most beautiful in Indiana.
An air of home comfort pervades the entire
institution Its rooms are low, old-fashioned
and homely; they are, however, comfortable
and convenient and well adapted to their
purpose. There are two societies housed in
elegant rooms, the Webster and Periclesian.
The Collegiate is the college paper. There
are the usual chemical and physical labora-
tories of the size and extent requisite to a
strictly classical course, a geological col
lection of 1000 specimens, and library of
1000 volumes, to which the students have
free access
Rev. George Chandler was the first presi
dent; next the eminent educator Silas
Bailey. Rev. H. L. Wayland, son of the emf
nent author, was the third president, and IN
1872 was succeeded by Rev. w. r. Stott, q
graduate of the class of 1861. DR.. Stott
with many other students of Franklin Col
lege, served throughout the late war, retiring
as captain. He is man of intense ac-
| tivities, a thorough student, a preacher
of the gospel, beloved by his faculty
and students, and held in the highest esteem
by the college faculties of the State. These
elected him president of the Indiana College
Association for the present year. The marked
progress of the school in the last decade is
largely uue 10 lne eueTSy, ueNOllOn anu SELL
sacrificing spirit of DR.. Stott His faculty
comprises Rev. c. H. Hall, Greek; Prof r.
]. Thompson, mathematics; Prof. A. B. Chat
fee, Latin, and J. w. Moncrief, history and
English; Mrs. B. R. Stott, painting and draw
ing, and j. M. DUNCAN, teacher of music.
President Stott has the classes in ethics, phi
losophy, political economy, aesthetics and
evidences of Christianity.
The board OF directors are w. W. Wyeth
M, J. Quick, g. johnson, A. J. johnson, w.
H. Mccoy, A. Henderson, D. G. Vawter ].
w. Potter, w. Needham, T. w. Woollen, G.
NJ Overstreet and J. A. Turner. Row. J. L,
Bradley is president, and w. C. Thompson
secretary.
There are 140 students of all classes-30 in
the college proper, about 80 in the prepara-
tory classes, and the usual number of irregu-
lar, and some 30 students of music or draw
ing There are two courses of study, leading
to the degrees of bachelor of arts or of sci
ence. For admission to the course in arts two
years of Greek and Latin are required There
are no elective studies but students may
elect either classical, scientific or English
courses.
The morale is excellent There have been
no college rows, no wholesale dismissals no
hazing, no student tricks played upon the
villagers There are no forbidden sins pub
lished in the catalogue, inviting students to
try them on. The young men and women
come and go as ladies and gentlemen. 1t is
as quiet about the corridors and campus as
the church and yards of Quaker commu-
nifty. There are some sixty graduates, while
hundreds have had the benefit of student
life within its quiet and humble walls Of
the citizens of Indianapolis educated at
Franklin are; d. M. Ransdell, W. c. Smock,
Cass. Byfied, Rev. ]. N. Clark, Frank Block
ledge, D. f. Richardson, Mr.. Cornelius, of
Byram & Cornelius; DR.. Bryan, Rev. G. H.
Elgin, and NJ. M. Chaille, editor of the Indi-
ana Baptist and many Others. Among the
worthy students now residents of franklin
are DIR. B. Wallace, W. C. Thompson, the
present mayor; Miss Lillian Thompson, Of the
high school; W. H. Mccoy, of the firm of
Alexander & Mccoy, and G. Sexton, princi-
pal OF the Whiteland schools.
Among the notable reverends and edu-
Gators, graduates of Franklin College, are L.
C. Happell, of Roger Williams University
T. Thompson, of brownsville College, North
Carolina; J. r. Edwards, pastor at Warsaw;
Rev. c. Hall, Newark O.. d. A. Owen, pro-
lessor of physics in Franklin College, Profs.
Hall and Moncrief, of the faculty, and Rev.
w. Elgin, corresponding secretary of the In
diana Baptist conventions also, Br:sadier-
general T. J. Morgan, now president of the
Potsdam Normal School, New York, and
Hon. G. W, Grubbs, concocter of the both
famous and infamous "Grubbs libel law"
The college has had an excellent influence on
the town. There are but five saloons. Stu
dents are not allowed to room at hotels; they
are busy with their studies are from Chris
tan homes, and of the graduates President
Stott only recalls one who was not pro-
fessed Christian. Such body of young men
and women, with their learned faculty, form
a mighty engine in small city for resisting
evil. Their influence is good; they lend
moral and intellectual tone to society, and
are a constant inspiration to the boys and
girls of the community Franklin College
may we'll be proud of its record, and has
bright future before it.
The following exercises have been arranged
for commencement week:
June z, Thursday, 1880 p. 81, prize declama-
tions.
June 8, 8 A. NJ, oral examinations; 7:3O p. NJ,
Periolesian literary entertainment.
June 8, 7:30 p. M, Webster literary entertain
ment.