The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-26
LAST OF THE GRADUATES.
Rose Polytechnic and DePauw Univer-
sity Turn Out Grist of Students.
First Glass of Graduates from Terre Haute's
Mechanical School-Important Changes
In DePauw Faculty and Government.
ROSE POLYTECHNIC.

Graduation of the First Class in This School
Of Mechanical and Industrial Work.
Special 20 the indianapolis Journal 4
TERRE HAuTE, June 25.-The commencement
exercises at the Rose Polytechnic, to-day marks
an epoch in the history of an institution the only
one of its kind in the West, and only paralieied
in its scope by its Eastern prototype-the
Worcester Free Institute. The school, as is well
known. was conceived and endowed by Terre
Haute's most liberal citizen, whose name it bears,
and whose memory 1t perpetuates--Ch auncey
Rose, who furnished it with an endowment fund
Of 800, 900, and before his death selected the
grounds and erected the college building and
machine shops.
Mr.. Rose has also remembered Vigo county in
the Terre Haute Orphans Home. where, from
an endowment of 5000, 900, interest amounting to
300, 900 has accrued and been used to equip the
eomeletest home for orphan children in the
West Here are gathered seventy little
waits, with their teachers and matrons, under
the care of Superintendent Lymon F. Alden, so
successful in the care of orphans at Coldwater.
Mich. The writer visited them under the guild
ance of Trustee Robert S. Cox, of Terre Haute.
and John r. Elder and Fl. W. Folz, of Indianap-
olis;s saw them in school, at knitting, kinder
garten, doing baby house-work, and all happy as
the birds in the trees about them. Half dozen
were asleep in their little cots in the dormitory,
overcome by the heat and play of free child-life,
and prettier sight, neater and sweeter 10
doting young mother ever showed
her friends than these parentless babes,
10 whom Mr.. and Mrs. Alden, through the
haau ed of NJ n "a
for the time foster parents. Mr.. Cox relates
that when Mr.. Barnabas Hobbs saw these happy
children, he remarked, with sorrowful hope,
that he would like to meet Mr.. Rose in world
where there is no orphanage or sorrow; and Mr..
Cox further says that if Mr.. Rose is not there,
he shall be content to go to the place divine
Providence has ordained Mr.. Rose to fill beyond
the grave.
Mr. Rose has also given $4,000 for free
medical dispensary for this city and 500. 600 to
the Ladies' Aid Society, beside HE donations to
Wabash College, and to charities in New York
city, in the total amounting to over million
of dollars
The commencement exercises were in the
chapel. There was large attendance from the
city and of friends of the school from abroad
The chapel was decorated with flowers, festoons
of evergreens and growing plants There was
portrait of Chauncey Rose and Gen. Charles
On the platform were seated the board, Josephus
Collett president G. r. Peddle, secretary, and
members Firmin Nippert. Hon. VIM. Mack,
Robert s. Cox, Preston Hussey, Hon. r. w.
Thompson and William c. Ball, editor of the
Terre Haute Gazette; also. the faculty, Edward
s. Cobb, superintendent of the machine shops,
w. L. Ames teacher of drawing; Clarence Wal
pc, mathematics; James Wickersham, language;
Charles Brown, civil engineering, Lucien
Blake physics and Walter Keith, chemistry.
To he riC of he he irSf
fruits of the school who received the degree of
Bachelor of Science Messrs Samuel s. Early
and Ben McKeen, of Terre Haute, and Ozni P.
Hood, of indianapolis. OF visitors may be
missioner of Education; Hon. w. r. McKeen,
George p Brown, Prof w. H. Wiley, DR.. Bray
ton, of Indianapolis, and Revs. Pierce, Breeder
and Wheeler of Terre Haute
The essays were as follows: "Lathes, Sam.
S. Early; Graphical Representation of Strains, D
o. 2. Hood; s'Eyaporative Performance of
Steam Boilers" Ben. McKeen. The essays were
in 'blank verse" They We're technical and
unique, the result OF practical and theoretical
work. No one understood them, except the
: faculty and the advanced students, but the au-
dience all looked wise, satisfied and appreciative
especially the musicians and the learned visitors
The essays pertained so directly. to the subjects
and were so unlike ordinary college graduation
froth and foam, that they partook of the meta
(physcal) and trapsGendental
AS secretary of faculty, Prof. Wickersham
took the place of the lamented president and in
fitting words turned the class over to the board
of trustees for their diplomas. On behalf of the
trustees, Hon. r. w. Thompson, the silver
tongued orator. presented the three blank rolls
of paper, red ribboned. which was used in lieu of
the real diplomas still in the engravers hands
But bad tie diplomas been of chips birch
bark Mr.. Thompson would not have been less
eloquent and impressive. OF their practical
education, he said he could not speak from ex-
perience as to whether it was better than the
I'D a.0I al 81 he 1ol
not been blessed with either; but living in
a world Of matter, and in the nine
teenth century, with steam as the
king of forces, he thought the
course they had pursued was best to aid them in
hitching their wagons to the stars and that for
our day and generation the knowledge of the
turning lathe was more important than knowl-
edge of the language of Sophocles and Virgil
Handing them the dummy diplomas he charged
them to remember they were the first gradual
ing class of the school, which the benefcence of
Rose had created, and into which their dead
president had breathed the breath of life. After
such rasping and blowing of horns as our college
graduations demand and the local college band
furnishes the audience was invited to visit the
shops and museums by Mr.. Thompson, and Rev.
H. o. Breeder pronounced the benediction.
The audience adjourned en- masse to the shops,
where superintendent Cobb, President Thomp-
sons chosen assistant and machinist, showed
them the two sixteen-i inch turret lathes which he
bad designed for heavy brass and light iron
work, and which had been made entirely by the
students One of these has been sold for $500:
the other will be kept for shop work. They
have spindles which may be reversed without
changing the direction of revolution of the
driving cone-a notable merit. There were also
twenty smaller lathes made in the shop and for
sale at $50 each also buggy beds, elegant boats
at $50, and endless iron-work belonging to differ
ent machines. and made by students after ninety
eight days training in woodwork anisthe same
or less in iron.work Every student
W. dau Avs pf
ter hours-in mechanics cap and suit
and the product of their labor is not piled up for
show, but it is to go on to the markets of the
West The machinery is driven by large
engine which is the one upon which McKeep
made his exhaustive experiment on the evapora-
tive power of Indiana COAL and which he made
the subject Of more practical and technical
graduating thesis than has ever been given in o