The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-03-09

Francis Huntington Snow was born
at Fitchburg. Mass, June 10, 1910.
He was educated at Williams College
and at Andover Theological Samin-
airy, the expectation being that he
would devote his life to the ministry.
The scientific and educational bent
was too strong in him, however, and
after teaching short time in the
Massachusetts, public schools, he came
to Kansas in 1856, and became one Of
threr men who formed the first faculty
of our State University. AS showing
the breadth of his learning and cul-
ture, it may be stated that his expec-
tation, when he came west, was that
he would fill the chair of Latin and
Greeks. The Regents chose another
man for that place, however, and
made Snow Professor of Mathematics
and Natural Sciences,-a chair which
has since been divided and sub-divid-
ed until some twenty men are now
engaged in the departments which in
the beginning Prof. Snow took upon
his own young shoulders. In 1869 the
Professor was relieved of his mathe-
NAUTICAL work and from that time on
he devoted himself to tho natural
sciences, making a speciality of en-
tomology. For twenty years he de-
voted all the forces of marvelously
facile and powerful mind, all the en-
ergies of tireless body, and all the
zeal of an unconquerably buoyant and
enthusiastic nature to building up his
department. And the result Is a
natural museum that is ranked among
the very foremost in the whole world,
not only as to the number but as to
the artistic arrangements and the
scientific value of its specimens. This
museum is now housed in a beautiful
building which, by act of the Legisla-
ture, was most appropriately named
"Snow Hail."
In 1890 Prof. Snow was chosen
Chancellor of the University, and the
selection has proven most fortunate
one. The University has prospered
under his management as, it never
did before, his popularity through the
State at large making it easy to Sc
cure generous appropriations from the
Legislature, his dignity and tact COM
polling harmony within the Faculty
of the University, and his sympathy
and wisdom and scholarship winning
the enthusiastic good will of the stu.
dents. 1t is rare indeed to find SO
large an institution managed with SO
little friction.
While the executive work of the
Chancellor's office has made it neces-
sary for him to resign his old depart.
ment largely to other hands, yet he
has by no means abandoned it, as the
experiments in che determination of
the chinch bug abundantly prove.
The idea of destroying noxious insects
by inoculating them with a contag-
ious disease is not original with Chan
cellor Snow. Other scientists had
tried it-and abandoned the attempt.
He was the first to achieve success.
He will be in lola this afternoon to
tell us how and how far he has sue
ceeded. We can only say now, that
in the judgment of practical men this
one work of Prof. Snow will prove to
be worth more to the State of Kansas
than the entire cost of the State Uni
versity ever has been or can be.
In person, Chancellor Snow is slight
and, in spite of his 81 years, almost
boyish looking. He is somewhat
gray now and is getting bald; but his
step has all the elasticity of youth,
and his blue eyes blaze with the fires
of a spirit that can never grow old.
With all his intellectual aggressive
ness, with all that he has accomplish
ed, with all the honors that have been
heaped upon him, Chancellor Snow
remains the most modest and ap-
proachable of men. The editor of this
paper has known him long and we'll,
first as a student in his classes, then
as his associate in the management of
the University, and in all these years
we have never heard from his lips q
harsh word or rude word or word
that even limited in the direction of
self praise.
He is 20 be with us this afternoon,
and lola should give him a generous
welcome. For better Christian, q
truer friend, more supplemented,
high-minded gentleman, a greater