The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-07-22
TEXAS PRESBYTERIAN UNIVERSITY
No Doubt About Raising the Neces-
sary Endowment.

sary Endowment.
Taylor, Tex July 16-Rcv. w. IL.
Claggett. president of the board of the
trustees of the Texas Presbyterian Uni
versity. returned today from New York
and the east. where he has been for sew
cral months in the interest of the uni
vcrsity. Asked about his trip and if he
was pleased with the results of it, he re-
Piled
Every much, indeed. | visited New
York. Brooklyn. Philadelphia and other
points. and was most cordially received
everywhere | had the pleasure Of pre-
senting the plan of the university to the
presbyterics of New York. Long Island.
and Brooklyn. and il awakened the
livclicst interest in every instance. At the
Brooklyn Prcsbytery it was presented in
in after dinner talk. and the brethren
were enthusiastic over the plan, applaud
ing il to the echo.
zone of the most pleasant incidents of
my trip was parlor conference ut the
home of Mrs. l.. ID. Mason, president of
the Ladies' Missionary Society of the
Brooklyn presbytcry. Mrs. Mason is Il
southefner, true blue. whose long resi-
dence in the north has in no way alienat-
ed her love for the sunny southland.
That was from the south was enough to
give me n warm welcome to her home.
II
when she learned the object of my visit.
and the large things that we had planned
for the southwest 1t was a matter OF
some surprise and Of no small gratifica.
tion to find southern woman at the head
of Il ladies' missionary work in the city
of Brooklyn, and also that her society ~
"banner society" of the entire church.
My surprise, however, ceased when
came to know her. She is host in her.
self and with true southern hospitality.
placed her home at my service, and sent
n personal invitation on to some fifty or
more of the leading Presbyterian ladies
of the city to meet me in her .parlors.
This conference made us friends in every
Presbyterian church in Brooklyn"
How did you succeed in raising money
"Times are very hard in the east, all
their home institutions are pressed finan-
cially. and it is exceedingly difficult to
raise money for any outside purpose.
Notwithstanding this. l secured II good
many subscriptions and the promise of a
good many more in the fall, but these
represent the least part of the result of
my trip. 1t was the foundation laid for
future work We have opened the way
to secure help from the whole church. We
have enlisted the interest of some. men
with large capital. They have intimated
their willingness to help. We have ask
ed them to make the most careful exami-
nation before doing anything. and we feel
quite sure that the more tlsdr examine
the deeper will become their Interest"
Have you any doubts as toahe ultimate
success of raising the endowment!
"Not the slightest. | have never had
a doubt about il from the beginning of
the movement. The manner in which II
originated, the remarkable interest that 1t
Immediately awakened, and the success
that attended it from the very first. the
plan on which we are chartered, all these
profoundly impressed me that the hand Of
God is in this movement, and il it is of
God ii can not fail to succeed"
How soon do you think you can open
the school.
''It will take little time. of course, and
our friends will have to exercise little
patience. No work of such magnitude
can be accomplished in a day. We hav'e
undertaken to raise an endowment of
$2,0O0000. Our charter forbids us to
permanently locate the school until at
least 100000 of this amount has been
subscribed. We have now nearly $2O,OOO
in unconditional subscriptions, and much
remember what the times have been dur
ing the past years is this not remark
able showing for a new enterprise like
this?'
TO what do you attribute this success?
"First, as / have just said, to the fact
that the movement is of God. | believe
His hand is in it. Humanity spea king, its
success is due to the plan on which it is
chartered In the first place we have
planned upon a large scale. We have un-
dertaken something worthy of large
gifts. What does 100000 university
in Texas mean to this state and the
southwest? We have founded il as q
memorial Of the semi-centennal of the
state. What grander memorial can
Texas build? What monument could be
more honorable to her as a state than a
great educational institution like this,
representing the educational and moral
growth of the past fifty years.
"T'hen the position of the Bible in our
curriculum. We have given it the first
place. purposing to take the students
through it from Genesis to Revelation.
This commends it to every Christian
parent. 1t is just what he wants for
his children.
"Then our plan of management com