The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-12
TO FOUND 4 UNIVERSITY
WASHINGTON CORRINGTON, AN ILL
NOIs FARMER, GIVES $1,5OO,OOO.
Deprived of Education in His Youth,
He Determines to Provide NOnsec-
tartan Ethical Learning.

PEORIA, ILL.,. Aug. 11-Washington Cor
rington. the millionaire farmer of this city,
has accomplished the dream Of his life by
providing for new university in Peoria. to
cost ST. 100000. His entire fortune, gathered
during a long life of toll, is to be devoted
to the new school, which is to commemo-
rate the founder by bearing the name of
Corrington Institute and University. 1t Will
be erected his old homestead, near
Peoria, where he has toiled for 1tty-three
years. Education on an ethical basis is to
be the fundamental principle of the new
university. Sectarianism will have no
place within its walls. 1t will be a univer-
sity for men and women, as Washington
Corrington believes in higher education for
the fair sex. The conduct of its affairs will
be- modelled after the plan of the founder,
who acquired all his education away from
schools and during intervals of rest on his
farm.
Washington Corrington is now eighty-five
years old He may live a score of years
more, but for twenty years he has been
thinking of this plan to give others the ed
ucation he could not get in his youth, and
he finally has resolved to make arrange
ments for the disposition of his wealth in
the way he ardently desires. He does not
quite know how wealthy he is but it is
calculated he is worth 81, 500 900. He has de-
termined to devote all he owns to this uni
VerSity.N With this end in view he has APP
pointed Judge Samuel d. Weed, Francis II.
Iichener and Oliver j. Bailey as trustees
to take care of his property and to have
absolute control of everything. On his
death they will be empowered either to
sell his property or hold 1t in trust. AS soon
as 81, 900 900 is realized from his property the
foundation of the Corrington Institute and
University will DE laid, ana the work of
construction will be rapidly pushed to COM
In the charter of the new university the
clause setting forth the objects and pur-
poses of the institute of learning is of Mr..
Corrington's own composition. This is how
it reads: THE name of the said university
shall be the Corrington Institute and Uni
Versity. Its object and purpose shall be to
collect and diffuse knowledge AMONG man
kind, embracing science in all it's depart
ments, classic and modern; mathematics,
astronomy, philosophy, geography, history,
political economy, law, medicine, metaphy-
sizes and higher criticism and all else that
may be worth knoWing-al on pure ethi-
cal basiS-to the end that We may have a
higher grade of instruction for the human
family. and that all truth and knowledge
may be disseminated.
This clause represents his idea of a. uni
versity and his frequent consultations with
Director Sisson, of the Bradley Institute,
with President Harper and Professor
Small, of the University of Chicago, have
not changed his ideals. The prospective
curriculum may STRIKE tne average educa-
tor as original. but that is the makeup of
the donor. He is original but he is also
resourceful and we'll versed in everything
modern. Despite the fact that his own ed
ucation was limited to the log house in
which he was born, and his wife's was
equally limited, he is firm believer in the
cause CT co-education. The new school will
be open to both sexes and to members of
all sects and of none. 1T will be founded
as you notice. on an ethical basis" said the
agricultural Croesus to-day. Il don't be-
lieve in sectarian schools. They have no
place in education"
That is the keynote to his belief. and he
also original in that. He contends that
religion is good thing in its proper place
but that sphere is not in education He is
liberal in his views. but not offensive He
is not an atheist, but believes in freedom
of thought and action. His neighbors call
him philosopher He takes the keenest in
tereSt in all the sciences and has read
every scrap of writing turned out by the
complete file of that institutions publica-
tions, and it was with considerable pride
that he emphasized the fact that he had
read every page. On other shelves were
fifty bound volumes of the Popular Science
Monthly There is not a word in that en-
tire publication that | have not read" he
said.
nations. scientific publications of various
sorts. two encyclopedias, writing of Spen-
cen and SchOpenhauer, and he had read all
of them. Every spare moment for the last
thirty years he has spent in his library. and
scores of men who know him assert that
there is no better informed man in the CITY
He has been called upon TO read papers be
ers have complimented him on his scholar
lv attachments He vows that he never
saw the inside of a schoolhouSe-