Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1895-03-01
HOT SPRINGS. SOUTH DAKOTA, FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 1896
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.

THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
The Star Correspondent Pays 1t a Visit
and is Delightfully."- Entertained.
PIERRE, s. D., Feb. 26.-1t was the
good fortune of the STAR scribe to
recently visit the city of Vermillion, in
company with the senate committee,
appointed to visit the state university
at that place. Aside from being agree
ably surprised with the size and the
apparent prosperity of Vermillion, we
were exceedingly surprised with the
state university, for we had not the re-
motest idea that the enterprising people
of Vermillion and Clay county had
gone to the great expense of erecting
such a magnificent and substantial
structure in place of the one that was
destroyed by fire on Oct. 15, 1893. The
embers of the former university, hall
had not ceased smouldering before the
enterprising citizens of Vermillion had
called a public meeting for thepurpose
of arranging for continuing the school
and constructing anew building. There
was no insurance upon the old builds
ing, SO that the state had suffered a
total loss of about $4,000, and the
citizens of Vermillion, shrewd and far
seeing as they are, realized that unless
they eXerted themselves they could
scarcely hope for any aid from the
state, either toward constructing a new
building or keeping the school going.
The general stringency of the times
would not warrant them in hoping
otherwise. But the people of Yer
million, although they had, at the in
ception of the university, expended
several thousand dollars in various
ways, decided to construct another
university hall, and with voting county
and city bonds, and by individual sub
scriptions, they have had erected one
of the finest buildings in the state. It
is built of Sioux Falls granite, with
white sandstone trimming, costing
about s45,OOO-all raised through the
liberality and enterprise of the citizens
of Clay county. Under ordinary Cir
cumstances, with no financial stringen-
cy alarming the country generally, it
might not be surprising that those
loyal citizens would do SO much, but
with such generally depressing con-
ditions it is the subject of much COM
ment by strangers that Vermillion has
done SO nobly by the state in building
aud donating this beautiful structure.
Its interior arrangement is well nigh
perfect, and its heating andventilating
system is the finest. No one can view
the new university hall without con-
graduating the state that the univer-
sity is located at Vermillion. for we
believe it would be difficult to find
another town whose people take such
pride in and are so enthusiastic over
possessing an institution like the uni
versity. Particularly among the uni
versity enthusiasts we must mention
ID. b. Inman, NJ. d. Thompson, Mayor
Lee, President Mauck and the other
university professors. Excellent work
is being done in the various depart
ments and the attendance is good. 1t
has been stated that large percent
age of the students were from the
vicinity of Vermillion, but the regis
tration of students shows that just
forty-six per cent. are from Clay county.
With President j. w. Mauck and the
excellent corps of professors in charge,
the South Dakota university is taking
leading rank among the higher insti-
tutions of learning in the west, and
when our young state shall have ar
rived at that condition when it can
afford to properly equip its various
departments with library and para
phernalia, it will be second to none in
any particular and steadfastly remain
the pride of the state.
The STAR editor and wife are especi-
ally indebted to President Mauck and
wife, and to Mr.. NJ. d. Thompson and
wife for their generous hospitality and
kind attention, which made brief
visit at their pleasant homes and their
attractive town one long to be remem-
bered.
The Degree of Honor Instituted.
District Deputy John G. Richer in.
the Degree of Honor at the A. O. u. w