The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-09-23
THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
A Colossal Educational Enterprise
and It's Projectors
Evanston and Its Peopie-A Simple Bap-
tismai Ceremony-Points About the
New University A City OF
Great Undertakings.
Especial Chicago Correspondencel


some think it is wetter than river
water.
But there are some unterrlned bap-
fists in Chicago who still cling 70 the
idea that actual water baptism IS nee
essary and they use Lake Michigan for
their font.
1 saw a baptism of this sort the
other day at Evanston. This Is a city
about ten miles north from the center
of Chicago, a very pretty town with
straight streets, cement sidewalks and
well kept lawns All it's beauties are
artificial, but it is pretty, nevertheless.
An Evanstonian would object to being
classed as Chicagoan in Chicago, al
though they do say that when they travel
they register from Chicago. They would
probably take exception to my state
ment that the baptism | saw was In
Chicago, for strictly speaking it was in
Evanston. There is big pier at the
foot of Dempster street, and the beach
there is shallow and sandy; good
place for going in swimming if 1t was
allowed. Last Sunday there was
large assemblage of colored people on
the pier. They were under consider
able excitement. Just as ! was leaving
the pier by boat n party of col
ored people came down to the
beach and everybody about there
joined them. 1t was a negro baptism.
They marched the convert down to
the waters edge, and amid hymns and
chants he walked into the chilly water
and went through the ceremonies. To
one accustomed to the sober ceremony
of divine service in a stylish house OF
worship, this primitive form of bap-
tism has something startling, but even
such a one cannot deny that there Is
something unusually impressive in the
earnestness and fervor of the congre-
cation emphasized by the very simple
ity of the whole thing, and, after all,
if the ceremony produces the proper
| effect upon the believers its purpose is
accomplished.
The mind loves contrast. So from
this extreme l wander to the opposite
extreme and think of the other class of
Baptists, men like John d. Rockefeller,
who can give 81, 900, 900 towards endow-
ing great institution of learning And
we are at home once more in Chicago
with its wonders, novelties and colos-
sal enterprises. Among these one of
the most prominent is the new Univer-
sity of Chicago.
| How is that connected with the bap-
tism? BY nothing further than the
fact that it was made possible and, in
fact, started by the gift of q round mil
| lion dollars by Mr.. Rockefeller for the
purpose of locating such university.
| And although organized by Baptists
| this new institution of learning is not
to be a sectarian institution in any
way. 1t is to be Christian but not de-
nominational.
As in most other things Chicago had
! the advantage, in starting this great
enterprise. OF not being hampered by
any traditions; of being able to take
advantage of the combined experience
! of all previous seats of learning, and,
the means at its disposal being ample,
of selecting from this vast fund of eX-
! perience ali that was good and protita-
| bic and avoiding all that was improper
or would hamper its fullest growth.
| Thus Chicago set out to produce a
university that would be worthy of the
! Chicago that is to be, to make an edu-
cational institution in keeping with the
greatness of the city of the future. 1t
is doubtful if any university ever began
| its career with such ample means and
| built upon so broad 4 basis as this one is.
The original endowment has been
doubled. There is now at the disposal
of the institution a fund exceeding
! So, O0O 900, and Chicago's richest citizen,
/ Mr. Marshall Field, endowed it with
! the necessary grounds situated in the
southern part of the city between Jack
son and Washington parks. a gift that
will amount TO about half a million
! dollars came from the estate of the late
| William Il. Ogden, Chicago's first
mayor, who bequeathed seventy per
| cent. of his estate to the institution.
| The will is being contested by the heirs,
but it is confidently expected that the
university will realize all that the tes-
! tator intended it should receive.
Prof William R. Harper, of Yale
college. was selected 10 be president OF
.
agement the institution is rapidly de-
veloping. 1t will be departure, in
many respects, from all the traditions
of other universities. One of the most
notable innovations will be the provis-
| ions made for women. 1t is intended
to place women students on an equal
footing with the men in every respect.
They will not only be admitted to all
the studies. but will be provided with
dormitory of their own and thus en-
ter fully upon all the privileges OF
college students. There are other new
features in educational methods. The
! university will be in session the year
! around There will be four quarters
of twelve weeks each with a vacation
| of one week at the end of each quar-
ter. Each quarter will have two terms
of six weeks each. Both professors
and students can take their vacations
during any two terms or work the en-
tire year if they prefer. If teacher
remains at work for three whole years
he will be given full years vacation
! with pay. II student works the year
| around he may finish a course in three
years. \ student need not wait Tor the
end of a year but may enter at any
quarter or term, making an opening
for him every six weeks.
Some of the leading men in the
various branches of learning in thi:
country and Europe have been secured
as professors for the new university
and will be surrounded by q corps o.
able assistants.
| Work on the buildings was com
menced in November, 1891. They will
not all be erected at once, but about
one-ffth of them will be in READINGS: