The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-11
A VISIT TO BLOOMINGTON.
Legislators and Educators Inspect the
Condition Of the State University.
The Necessity for a Appropriation to Make
the Institution Eficient-Views
Expressed by the Visitors.

by the extreme cold took a special car on thu
Vincennes road yesterday, at SIS, and reached
Bloomington at IL. There were present Sena
tors Duncan. of Brown; Ensley, of DeKalb
Faulkner and daughter, of Ripley, and Duncan
and lady, of Upton. Representative Hopkins,
of Wabash, also accompanied the committee, as
did also Mr.. Feltz, engrossing clerk of the House,
and Mr.. Neidigh, superintendent of the Brown
county schools. Principal W.. W.. Grant, of the
city High school, Principal j. B. Roberts, of the
female seminary, and Drs. A. w. Brayton and
Allison Maxwell, all of Indianapolis, utilized the
occasion to visit the State University.
Tn Senate conDnittee and friends were in
charge of President Jordan, and at Gosport were
met by a committee from Bloomington and a
special engine, 80 there was no delay. Carriages
in waiting took the visitors to the beautiful new
grounds and campus of twenty acres, undulating
and heavily wooded, in the center of which,
commanding a wide view, are the two new build
ings, nearly completed. These. with the grounds,
cost 500, 900, and are donated by the city of
Bloomington and Monroe county, to take the
place of the old grounds and the buildings de-
stroyed by fire.
The buildings are of native stone and red
brick. They are ire-proof, ornamented and
specially adapted to the purposes for which they
are made. The chemical laboratories and the
natural history rooms are unusually large and
well lighted. The museum occupies the
entire upper floor of the science building,
and has a gallery and wall space, all we'll
lighted and arranged on the best and approved
plans for the display of a general natural history
collection, while on the first floor is a large room
for alcoholic specimens. The buildings were ad-
mired and approved, and facing the iercest west
wind of the winter the party returned to the
Orchard House, where an appetizing dinner was
soon disposed of.
Once more warm and full of good cheer, the
committee visited the college building, where
classes were at their work in recitation. and in
the natural history laboratory, on birds and
fishes. The classes adjourned, with the profess
sor and many citizens. to the chapel, where
President Jordan briefly announced the business
in hand, and introduced Senator Duncan, a grad
uate of the university of ten years
previous. His brief speech showed that
the interests of alma mater were next his heart,
and that the State University had nothing t ofear
but much to hope from the Senate of Indiana,
when they asked but $50, 900 from the State to
make good a loss of $3.50, 900 by fire. 1t may be
noticed in passing that there are six senators who
are graduates of the State University, and a
larger number in the House, all of whom may
be depended on to do good work for the institu-
ton which gave them intellectual birth.
Duncan, of Upton county, himself an accom-
plished educator, made a conservative speech, but
none the less pledged himself to the educational
interests of Indiana in all that pertains to the
higher education.
Mr.. Faulkner, CT Ripley made a long and witty
speech, claiming that he was a representative of
the nnrOlippn0 class. and nOrtPayp0 VIV1IlV the
log-cabip school of his early days. The times,
he said, demanded ten mes more education than
when he was a boy; the State had higher needs
and should furnish a higher education, and for
the same reasons that he would not leave the
State asylums unroofed, he would not ignore the
prompt and generous action of Monroe county,
and let the State leave their benefcence go un-
noticed and unrewarded. His vote should never
cripple the efforts of the State to aid the impo-
tent in body or in mind. The senator was full
of homely, heartfelt and f~elicitous expressions,
and his generous sentiments were often and
heartily applauded.
Senator Ensley, of DeKalb, made a brief speech
in the same mood as the preceding, assuring
them of his sympathy in their loss and willing
ness to aid III making it good.
Representative Hopkins was the last of the
law makers, and coming from the House, where
whatever opposition the bill to appropriate $780,
900 for the State University will be manifested
and must be met, his words were carefully
weighed. He was not as hopeful as his brothers
of the Senate, but put himself on record as one
who would never 60 back on the educational and
benevolent record of his State, but would the
rather enlarge and ennoble it.
This used up the legislative talent, and the
educational reserves were brought into action, as
a half hour of valuable speech-making time was
yet waiting.
Principal Grant made a brief but earnest
speech-dignifed and to the point-which was,
of course, appropriations, and liberal ones for
the State institutions.
Professor Roberts was introduced by President
Jordan as the man who first induced him to
come to Indiana as a teacher, ten years ago, land
who was therefore responsible for many things.
Professor Roberts made a f~elicitous address of
five minutes as to public education, saying that
the public schools were on a firm basis, but the
matter of the rights of high-schools and State
colleges to State aid was not established, and
like BanCuos ghost, was always up before the
Legislature, and would only be put down per-
manently by permanent endowments.
DR.. A. w, Brayton. as an old college friend
of DR.. Jordan, of the State University, and of
education in Indiana, was called upon, and re-
sponded briefly. He said he could not see why
Indiana, the sixth State in the Union in national
wealth, should be the twentieth in rank in edu-
cation. Wisconsin, which, at public sale would
not bring half as much as Indiana, was asked
this winter to appropriate $500 900 for her State
University, and with good prospects of getting it.
Like Indiana, she was making up loss by fire in
her scientific departments. He was a friend of
the State University; it was the right institu-
ton and in the right place; he liked its domi-
nant idea under both it's past and present
management, that a university is not made of
bricks and a catalogue, but by men-live
teachers of its special departments, rather than
by multifarious buildings, dormitories, prepare
tory departments and costly and clumsy ma
chinery of instruction. Still, President Gar
fields view of a university--''Mark Hopkins at
one end of a log as teacher, with a Single and
piece of chalk, and he at the other as student
was crude; and. like his predecessors, he was in
favor of an appropriation. and would walk
across Brown county in this biting wind to
button hole a legislator and lead him to see the
| cially of this institution, in it's hour of fire and
peril. upon him.
Mr.. Miers, trustee at Bloomington, presented
the needs and claims on behalf of the trustees
very forcibly, aud with this the meeting ended,
L - a. $4,000 L.