The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-17
FRIENDS, BOARDING SCHOOL.
Many Who Attended II Have Become
Eminent in Various Professions.

Eminent in Various Professions.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
RICHMOND, Ind, May 16.-In connection
with the annual commencement exercises
of Earlham College, from June to 8, will
be held the exercises III honor of the iftieth
anniversary of the founding of the old
Friends Boarding School. 1t has been de-
cided that Monday afternoon, June I, shall
be given up to these exercises, and that
the programme shall be composed exclusive
ly of exercises by those who were either
officers. teachers or students in the Friends
Boarding School prior to 1889. Among those
expected TO speak are Prof. Moses c. Ste
vens, of Purdue University; Charles S, Hub
bard, of Raysville, Ind. Mordecai NJ. White,
of Cincinnati; Prof. Joseph Moore and
Prof. William Il. Morgan, both present
members of the faculty, and Rev. Allen
Jay, of this city. Others have been invited,
but have not yet been heard from. Let
tiers will be read from a number of old
students who now live in various parts of
the country.
Many of the old boarding-school students
are now occupying places of honor and
trust. Among them are the following, only
one of whom, Professor Stevens, is a mem
Der of the alumni of the college: William
Penn Nixon. of the Chicago Inter Ocean;
Hon. Joseph c.. Cannon, for fifteen years
a member of Congress from Illinois; Nor
decai M. White, of Cincinnati, ex-president
of the American Bankers Association;
Francis Il. White, banker, of New York;
Judge VinSon Garter, of the Marion Su-
perior Court, Indianapolis; Hiram Hadley,
president of the University of New Mexico;
Moses {. Stevens, professor of mathemat-
les, Purdue University, and Elkanah Beard,
formerly missionary to Mexico.
Another noted student is Achilles w. I'm
thank. His home was at Spiceland, and he
was in attendance at the boarding school
In 1859. He was, while there, very pro-
ficient in mathematics, and took further
work in that line at the University of Michi-
gan. Before his graduation at the univer-
slty he, with some other students, received
a call from government officials to aid in
engineering work on the great lakes. He
was assigned to the photographic depart
ment and remained there during the sea-
son. He atterWard engaged in railroad
engineering along the line of the Union Pa
cific road, and some work of hike charac-
ter near the Pacific coast. His next i'm
pOrtant work was as one of the two Amer
lean engineers who had the overseeing of
the construction of the highest railroad in
the world-that in Peru, South America,
which reaches a height of about il, 500 feet
above sea level. On his return to this
country he received the appointment of
professor of engineering in the Emperor's
College Of Japan. From Japan he went to
China, where he made q preliminary sur
vey for a railroad, but the government was
not at that time sufficiently advanced in
Western ideas to proceed with the work.
Since then his business has kept him in
California and Arizona, where he has been
very successful in overseeing the construc-
ton of narroW-gauge roads along noun
tain sides and in perfecting methods of ir-
rigation.
The entire number of students who at
tended during the boarding-schoo period
was 1,050. OF those who held the position
OF superintendent or matron prior to 1859
three are still living-Elizabeth B. Hopkins.
seventy-eight, and Walter r. Carpenter,
aged ninety-eight.