The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1895-03-28
FIRST COLLEGE IN KANSAS,


Founder In the POorhouse.
Early in the sixties when the town
site of Atchison was first being settled
up, tall, intellectual looking woman,
giving her name as Miss Sarah Abdell,
and who said she was from the east.
arrived on steamer and announced
that she had come to establish the first
college in Kansas. She stated that tho
college would teach the sciences and
highS< branches, although some atten-
ton would also be given to children.
Although there were u good many men
in the town the women did not mum Der
more than dozen, and the children
were fewer still The men paid more
attention to an education in shooting
than in book knowledge, and the out
look was certainly not very encourag-
ing for an educator who wanted to
found college. If the learned teacher
thought she had made mistake she
evidently did not propose to show it.,
for she ordered her college built and
paid for the building when it was COM
pleted. 1t was one of the best build
ings in the town at that time and her
pluck attracted the admiration of the
inhabitants.
The few children in town enrolled,
but no college students could be seen
gamboling on the campus, which, by
the way, was covered with thick
growth of hazel brush and wild rose
bushes. Whether the learned founder
of the college-"The Western Uni
versity" it had been named-had
imagined that Kansas was then COM
posed of men whose sons wanted some
thing easier than work, or whether
she thought the bull team drivers
pinned for a 'higher" life, the oldest
settlers cannot now remember; but
anyway she did not receive the class
of patronage she anticipated. Within
year or so good many families
moved to Atchison. The students"
who crowded the schoolroom were just
learning to read, write and cipher.
This was eXasperating, but the cul-
tured teacher was still confident that
her university was to become great
institution of learning and took no
pains to conceal her convictions.
Within few years the town was
very respectable place, as to size at
least. One day a young lawyer put in
an appearance and announced that he
had come to grow up with the coun-
try. He stopped at the same tavern
where Miss Abdell was boarding, and
they soon became acquainted. She
told him all her plans, and then he up
set them all by marrying her. They
lived together some years, during
which time she was social favorite
and set the literary gait of the town.
Finally there was gossip about town
which was hushed when either of them
was near. A good many said that she
was high tempered and that he could
not get along with her if he were deaf,
dumb and blind. They parted and the
husband was granted divorce.
1t would not be pertinent to go into
details, but it might be said that he is
now distinguished United States
judge, while she is in poorhouse only
a few miles from the spot where her
college was erected The college
building still stands, but am sorry to
say the temple of learning is now a
combined blacksmith and tinker shop
Thus it is that the first college In Kan
sas, which started out with high hopes,
is now place where dan be heard the
vulgar sound of the anvil and the rasp-
ing noise of saws being filed. --Kansaa
City Star.