The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-05
KANSAS news.
President A. B. Taylor Leaves
Emporia Normal.
Is Called to Miliikin University,
Decatur, Illinois.
PROBABLE SUCCESSOR.
j. N. Wilkinson, Vice Presiden t,
May Be Promoted.
Mr.. Taylor Has Been With State
School Is Years.


Emporia, June president A r. Tay-
Ior of the Kansas State Normal school
has rendered his resignation to the board
OF regents which was accepted. Tor
some time this resignation has been ex-
pected, as it was known that the posi-
ton of president of the new million dol
lar James Millikin university at De-
catur, Ill, had been rendered him some
time ago.
Prof. Taylor had been carefully con-
sidering the matter for months, and
finally made up his mind. Although the
salary paid him in Illinois is $1,000 a
year, $500 more than he now gets at the
normal, that was not the consideration
that Influenced him to go. The Millikin
university is a Cumberland PRESBYTERIAN
school. President Taylor is a member
of that church, as are his wife and fam
lily. He is the leading educator of that
faith in the union, if not the world The
entire influence of the church was
brought to bear on him to see it as a.
duty that he should take charge of the
university of the faith in which he was
reared.
Beside this although Mr. Taylor is
very reticent on the subject, there a is
little doubt that the political wire pull.
ing at every meeting of the legislature
in order that the necessary appropria-
lions may be given the school was not
congenial work for him.
A r. Taylor, PHI. D., was born at
Magnolia, Illinois, October is, 1916. He
was educated in the public schools, State
Normal university of Illinois. Knox col
lege, and Lincoln university, Lincoln,
Ill. was elected tutor in the natural
sciences in Lincoln university on gradua-
ton in 1872, and advanced to a full pro-
censorship before the close of the year
in which position he remained for ten
years
In 1882 he was elected to the presidency
of the State Normal School of Kansas
Under his administration the school has
grown from an attendance of two hun
dred in the Normal department to nearly
two thousand last year; the faculty has
grown from seven to forty members and
the income has more than quadrupled.
He is the author of several books, among
them being 1.-THE Church at Work in the
Sunday School, sgThe Study OF the
Child and Among Ourselves-The
Schoolmaster with his Friends at the
Round Table" He has been a contrib
utor to educational and Other. magazines
and has occupied many official positions
in state and national organizations. be-
ing a life director of the National Edu-
cational association. He was president
of the national council of education for
1899.
j. N. Wilkinson, at present vice presi-
dent of the Normal faculty will probab-
ly be promoted to succeed President Tay-
lor as his capa bilities are thoroughly
unders TODD by the board of regents, as
we'll as the fact that for years he has
been the right hand of Mr. Taylor and
is entirely conversant with all the de-
tails of the great institution, which, by
the way, is the largest state normal
school in the world.
J. N Wilkinson is a native of Ohio.
Born in a log house and reared on a
farm, he gained his early education in
the country schools. His first experience
in teaching was in Newberg, ILL.,, at the
age of 16 At % he graduated from the
normal university of Illinois. After
graduating he was for five years prin
cipal Of the Buda, H., schools, and was
there married, in 1879, to Miss Nellie B.
Reynolds. He was next principal of the
district school Of Peoria and later prin-
cipal of the high school at Decatur. In
1881 he was offered and accepted the
training department of the Kansas
state normal school and has been with
the school continuously ever since, be-
ing vice president when Mr.. Taylor re-
signed