The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-17
THE PRINCETON OFINDIANA
A Visit by the Journals Representa-
tive to Wabash College.
The Educational Work at Charlottesville
The College and It's Equipment-Prof.
CouIter's Biological Teaching.

Presbyterian culture-is Wabash College at
Charlottesville. Fifty years ago the found
ers assembled near College Spring one of the
most beautiful groves i'll Indiana, and con
secrated this enterprise to God for the fur
therance of virtue and knowledge among
mankind" and "kneeiug in the snow, dedi-
Gated the grounds to the Father, Son and
Holy Ghost for a Christian college," This
was the decade of college-founding in In
DIANA. The State University and In
diana Asbury, with Wabash, have
passed their first -half century,
and stand as tho leading representa-
tives of professional culture in the State.
With Hanover and Franklin these institu-
tions have nodded the plastic minds of thou
Bands who are low shaping the society, bust
ness and history of the great West.
Wabash has graduated, since 1888, nearly
five hundred young men, many of whom
have won fame in the learned and business
professions. "They are scattered through
out the United States, have shown in metro
politan posts, have reached judicial and SEN
atorial honors They have been on the side
of moral ty and virtue, and have pushed the
frontiers of Christianity among heather peo-
pie" The college has received notable ben
efactions--in its early days from the East,
and later from three men who, between
them, donated Wabash College over $275, 000
Other donations amounting to $4,000 are
pledged and in due time will fall to the use
of the college. The buildings, campus, libra
ry, museum, village surroundings, ac-
81 ,,1,
nil in fact that pertains to the material of in
struction are not excelled by any college in
the Mississippi valley. There has always
been harmony between its faculty and board.
Save the devastating fires which have Sc
lectsd Indiana colleges for their especial
wrath it has met with no serious drawback
throughout its history. There have been
few changes in its faculty. from Caleb Mills,
fits first teacher, in 1888, there have been but
twenty-five different professors and about as
many tutors. One professor was fourteen
years, another thirty-three, another thirty
six, one forty-four and one forty-six years
in the faculty. OF the eight teachers who
have died six were vet in Office. The pres
ent faculty is composed of President Joseph
F. futile, a college president in all that term
should imply. As teacher of Christian evil
dences, social science and logic he daily inn
presses his eminently strong, genial and
Christian character upon the higher classes
and meets all the students professors and
ma y citizens al the presidents lecture on
Sabbath. His venerable gray head genial
face and cordial hand-shake are never for
gotten by those who come within the sphere
OF his influence. Latin language and literature
are conducted by Professor S. s. Thompson,
English and modern lausuages by Professor
w G. White, Greek by Professor II. r. Nc
Lain, mathematics by Professor Jacob Norris
Daniel A. Bassett is principal of the pre-
paratory department, with J. H. Osborn and
q. L. McNutt as tutors. The preparatory
department has one hundred students, Sc
lecting either scientific, classical English or
business courses. 1t has the usual normal
school appendage of Western colleges, and
what is very noticeable in both the college
and preparatory schools only n moderately
small proportion of the students are from
Charlottesville. While Wabash is an Indi-
ana college, it has drawn pupils from all
parts of the West, notably from Illinois.
The departments already noticed have all
The requirements and necessities essential to
their success. Classical and literary subjects
are taught in most schools by the methods,
books, appliances aud results of three CEN
turtles ago The same teachers books and
apparatus are in the class-rooms that were
there thirty years ago. The only difference
ID tiidb lIle DldCk-tlulTeu ana Trim professor
is now silver-haired and feeble, and a second
generation are punching their heels into the
worn boards their fathers trod, and for the
6ftieth time the announcement is made
that all Gaul is divided into three parts.
A QUESTION AND IT'S ANSWER.
Visiting our college town from the capital
city, it is hard to forget that one is whisked
away forty miles before he has finished the
news telegraphed from all parts of the world
''set up" and printed at the rate of IL, 900
sheets an hour; that he can step into any
business house and telephone his family that
he has concluded to stay over one train and
they need not meet him at the depot that
the country through which be rides is Guilt
waited by the most efficient labor-saving de-
vices; that the streams are spanned with iron
bridges; that the very vegetables and animals
upon which he is dependent for food and
clothing are many of them brought from far
countries and are but recent conquests from
the wilds of nature; that madden indigo al
cohol, and the most beautiful dyes known in
the arts are made synthetically In the chem
lists laboratory; that steel is now as cheap as
iron, and both nearly as cheap as dirt One
remembers also, that the greatest inven-
tons and arts of modern times, that have
revoutionized society and are rapidly max
ing the world a unit, were discovered and
perfected in nine cases out of ten by men
who never walked across a college campus or
knew any language save their mother
tongue. The question arises what are the
relations of old colleges to modern life? Are
they giving it tone and direction? Are they
leading or following? Are they for use or
beauty aesthetic or Unitarian? Are they pre-
pairing young men for the serious business of
nineteenth century life, or turning out year
by year those who have studied French or
German until they are unAmericanized-
Latin and Greek at the expense of English
classics-metaphys to the detrment of
physics? Is the college life interpretive and
retrospective only, or does it teach young
men to look forward and around?