The evening times., 1895-10-16

1 w
! John A Herrell, Mrs. John A. Logan, and
| Mrs. Elizabeth J. Somers, of Washington
Hon. John Z. Andrews, DIR. A. J. Palmer,
| and DIR. c. H. Payne, of New York city;
Rev. Dr. @. w. Burg, Philadelphia; Rev. DIR.
b. H. Carroll, Baltimore; President w. H
Smith, of Randolph College, Macon; Hon.
Jacob Tome, Fort Deposit, Nd; Rev.
Richard Wheatley, Irvington-on-the--H Hudson;
DR.. C.,B. Stenem, Fort Wayne, Ind; and
Rev. A. NJ. Griffin. of Trivoli. N. Y.
BISHOP HURST PRESIDED.
Bishop Hurst called the meeting to
order, and Mr.. Bciler then read the ac-
count of the treasurer, Hon. Matthew q.
Emery, who is now absent from the city.
Since the last meeting of the board in
May S3s, 900 has been added to the general
fund. This amou Mt does not include
| the gift of Gen. de Peyster but consists
| of cash donations made directly to the
building and executive committees.
The board of trustees passed resolutions
| of thanks to the venera BILE Gen. de Puyster,
whose gift of real estate near Riverside
Park has made it possible to begin another
great university building, in consort with
| the Hall of History. Rev. A. NJ. Griffin,
| who represents Gen. de Puyster at this
meeting, was deputiZed to convey these res
| olUtiOns, and also to accept in behalf of
the board, the bronze statue which Gen.
dc Puyster will place in campus before the
Hall of Languages. This statue viii be
of heroic size, and is being made by cele-
| brated French sculptor In Paris.
NO DECISION REACHED.
There was no definite decision in re-
| gard to the plan for the hall OF history,
| and the board, after a short recessat noon.
| went into session again, and are still
discussing this important point.
now being considered. One is supposed
| to have been prepared by Earnest tlagg,
| of New York; the other by Howe & Van
| Brunt, of Boston and Kansas City. Both
plans are between the Renaissance and
the classic style, and show stately,
graceful structure about $50 feet in length.
The neutrality-suspicious. is tina neither plan
will be dopted without very material
notifications. The general plan for the
laying out of the grounds, submitted by
| Architect Earnest FIagg, received general
APPROPRIATIONS from the trustees and will
probably be adopted.
INCEPTION OF THE IDEA.
While the American University will al
ways have Methodist chancellor, and in
the divinity college will teach Methodist
tenets, it will be for the rest simply a great
university, founded on purely non-secta-
rian lines of learning. 1t was for this rea-
son 1T is called American, not Methodist.
On May %, 1891, Bishop Hurst secured
from the District OF Columbia a charter
granting the university the authority to
teach postgraduate courses OF study and
to conduct colleges OF original research
There were fifty incorporators of this
great plan, the officers being Bishop Jno.
+. Hurst, chancellor. Samuel l.. Bel
Ter, vice chancellor: John E. Andrus,
president OF the board of trustees: Matthew
u. Emery, treasurer; Charles H. Baldwin,
secretary, and Rev. Albert Osborn, regis
trar
The first step toward purchasing a home
Tor this great design came from the wife
OF Bishop Hurst. now dead. 1t was her
faith and generosity which enabled the
Dlshop to secure the present beautiful site,
and 1t was her money which was devoted
to the first payment of the land.
The ninety acres on which the many ha lis
OF this university are to be reared are a.iong
the most picturesque lands around washing
ton. They overlook the reaches of the Po-
tomac toward the south, and the hurry
and turmoil OF. its flood above the Little
rails Is so plainly seen that ones ear in
st1nctively strains for the music Of its
waters. -.- -sH
SUPERB SITE SELECTED.
To the south Arlington, ,Athe fields of
Virginia and all the stOried camps of the
contending armies of the late war are re-
vealed. Westwardly and northerly rise
the Blue Ridge hills, with Sugar Loaf
Mountain in plain view. This ground, SO
soon to become classic and devoted to
Cody study, has already been richly do wer-
ed by natures God, and the poets and
scholars who Will crowd the coming halls
will have lovely setting for their idyllic
or more homely serious thoughts. The
site is on the vantage point of the often
described Inland View, the object OF So
many driving parties from the city.
The buildings that are to be erected are
of course, more important from a uniyer-
sity standpoint than any scenic beauty:
and the ones Immediately contemplated
are the Hall of History and the j Watts
de Peyster H all of Languages. These
properly. as well as by the mCnificence of
Gen. de Peyster, should arise together.
The authorities of this institution have
ordained that these studies should go hand
In hand, and the first courses Of their
postgraduate stutHes will be devoted to
them. Methodists have a peculiar interest
in history. Their evolution springs from
historic causes.
MAY STUDY AT HOME.
The need Of such courses is only too ap-
parent. Last year 351 Americans were en-
rolled in the post graduate classes of the
oSllliln uhiscfSllttS dlobf a biHCtuIe Oh
foreign feeling and sympathy cannot fail
but creep into the minds SO trained.
Oxford and Cambridge have done more,
century by century, to make England great
than the combined labor of all her cabinets.
Such, hereafter, 1t is to be hoped, will be
the fate Of America.
Speaking of the development OF his uni
versity plan, the chancellor says:
''The need for higher education is clear
nm Al.4z m
must be the creation of methods and their
adaptation to new institutions To supply
the facilities that shall be equal or superior
to those found in Europe, in order to keep
at home those who, in large numbers, go
abroad for help not adequately furnished
on American soil, is an object worthy for
our endeavOr.
'Yet moro worthy ambition is to SO de-
velop our future institutions that we NAV
encourage and stimulate a hundred fold
larger number of our trained men and wo-
men to enter these higher walks Of thought,
and to add by large increment to the per-
centage OF those who not only possess kno WI
edge, but who, by personal influence in all
the avenues Of professional, commercial
and social life, tncite the multitudes to do
more independent thinking,
OPEN TO WOMEN.
The American University R opposes to
receive as students, young men and women
who shall have completed their academic
studies and who have received their first
degree. The Intention is to furnish the
amplest opportunities for the broadest
and highest work in professional, special
and original study.
The university, situated In Washington,
must necessarily poss ess unequaled ia
cilities us distributing center for great
intellectual and moral forces, 50 the sue
cess of the Americana is practically assured.
From a financial standpoint, it has the
promise of . glorious future. Its incor-
porated capital, including the present /