The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-23

happy to say that I do not stand here to-
Gay IN my own unaided strength. Never, L
Delieve, did a college president have back
men than the trustees of this university;
Ihey are a calm, judicious, experienced
company OF which any institution migns
Wen De proud They are men everyone OF
whom has become distinguished in his sue
cess in large undertakings, and have be-
come ~wel-known either locally, nationally,
or internationally. AS / mention their
names the history of their work will pass
before your minds without a word on my
part; Alien M: FIetcher, ADDISON =. mar
RS, Herman Lieber, George r. Hunt, Ben
lamin Harrison, Sterling r. Holt, Mason y.
Osgood, Hilton Z. Brown, w. 2. Fishback,
+. II. Jameson, Z. II. Dean.
wish to ask their loyal support as well ana
upon them l must lean heavily. They, too,
are a body of men of whom any institution
might be proud. | am happy TO say that
the list is too long to mention all their
names, but their representatives upon the
senate of the university, such men as scot
Butler, Demarchus c. Brown, L. +. Hodges,
Harry S. Hicks and ". c. Bobbs will, with
their experience and their strength, DO
are in all the faculties men Of large brain
and large heart, who have offered these
large sources Of strength TO aid me. so, you
see, l do not stand alone.
"And the students. shall / say or
the students? Why the other morning in
Butler Chapel, when all the classes OF the
University of Indianapolis were gathered
there, as Dean Fishback and l sat together
on the platform, my heart glowing already
with q sort Of sense of paternal possession,
and his eyes blazing, for he could not keep
them off Of his Blackstone, birthstone, holy
smoke lawyers'-I say as We ooked over
that company, we said: "A inner looking loL
of men-and Women--a finer looking lot of
students'-but never mind what we Sald.
] forbear, to save your blushes. But II Is
these same students l count upon also. very
largely, for support in the administration or
my office. l am confident that they Will
help to preserve the dignity or this unlVer-
sity before the people OF the city, ana snow
by manliness and womanliness-l can use no
igher terms-the seriousness and lmpor-
lance of their work. 20
strength it will be impossible to butld up, q
great institution here in a day. 1t Will take
time. 1t must grow. Not a year. nor wv
years, perhaps many more years, VIII not
suffice to see the university anything IKE
equal to the high ideals we have set Tor II.
We shall centralize as much as posfapls
several years before all departments OF the
university can be brought together upon
ali be SO United. But very much nay be
Berlin, It takes The Initiated t9
find the university at all for it is scattered
all over the city in insignificant buildings,
and yet it is perhaps the greatest IN the
world. Much can be done to build up our
colleges as they stand, to equip them more
fully. to add to their faculties, TO increase
the number of their students.
For all these things we nave q splenalo
opportunity. Here is a city the most fayora-
bly, situated of almost any IN the country
for a great educational institution. 1t IS
within but an hou nricd rae Bo Of 5ne m Gsrte once ce
have been the hub Of the universe, but II is
so no longer. indianapolis is the center OF a
very SPIDERS web of railway; 1t is nelther
too small nor too large for a great unlVer-
sity. You cannot any longer build govern
ment universities in little country towns
any more than you can build them under
the control of religious denominations, Uni
v~ersitieS must be built in cities, ana must
have free contact with all modern culture
and thought. Such a center we nave, such
an opportunity. There is with us mere no
rivalry with other institutions in this
State. Indeed the building up OF one col1ETge
is never the tearing down or announcer. Inc
success Of one institution only adds to the
success Of others. And those OF you, cltl-
Gems of Indianapolis, who have other anna
matters that are dear to you, you need not
for a moment fear that this institution Will
in any wise be hostile to those. In educa-
ton there is none save frlendiy TIvalry; rH1
of another. l say that here we nave a great
start-8O students n some
and eQuipment. We nave the good will OF
evervbody in the city. The p~ress-that pow
erful agency-has been kind to US, and IS
deeply Interested. The ministers are with
US. Our two Senators ana our represent.
tives, 1 am safe in saying, are our frlends;
the bar Is friendly, the physicians, the Com
mercial Club, the Board Of Trade, and the
School Board, all these have countenanced
the recent efforts of our institution and may
be counted among our friends. Such is the
bright outlook before US, and never ala d
young institution nave a brighter.
''In this work, fellow-students, ! ask you
to-day to pledge your support Personally
let me say that the policy OF the adminlstra-
ton will be to foster every legitimate form
Of college life within all reasonable and just
pounds. I believe in such gatherings as this
to-day, and such enthusiasm commence
ments). l believe in college athletics, always
considered as a means and not an end end
l hope to see the day when no football
teams, nor baseball teams, nor track teams
in the State can carry honors over the
royal purple. l believe in the glee club, and
second only to the success of its members
in their classroom work. l shall endeaVor
to aid in the success of the club in it's trips
through the State. [ believe in the literary
clubs, contests and debates, and | hope to
see the day when no student bearing our de-
gree but can, in true American fashion,
make his speech when called upon and the
day when no college in the State, or neigh
boring States, can stand against our orators
and debaters. All interests of college life
! hope to foster, and l want personally to
know and to be of use to the students. |
would like to be a friend to any student who
needs a friend. l have no gray hairs and
little wisdom; l can give little sage adj
vice n perhaps not much counsel, but II
ever there comes a time in any students
life, as come there surely will, when he
needs a friend, and scarcely knows whittier
to turn, he will find the door of the univer-
sity office will swing inward for him. To
the citizens let me say that the time o
has surely come to put the keystone to our
city arch Of culture; Indianapolis has pro-
vided almost everything else for herself, let
her now provide the one thing she has left
undone so far, and l believe she will. In
Millions words, speaker of a great Nation,
I think I may say to-day, changing but a
single word: Methink l see in my mind a
noble and p~uissant city, rousing herself like
invincible locks. Methink l see her, as the
eagle, renewing her mighty youth, and
kindling her undazZled eyes at the full
midday BEAM"