Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-11-20

by Raymond RiOTdan, principal or the IN
stitution. In view of the fact that the
college was the subject of consider
able attention during the convention
of the Episcopal diocese of Quincy in
this city recently, the article will be
of interest here. Judge Lucian Adams
of this city. is one of the trustees of
the institution. The article by Princi-
pal Riordan is entitled, "Jubilee-The
Little Place in the Woods" 1t is Civ
en- in full below:
MANY parents realize this fact
that, at a certain stage of child's life
he can be better trained and managed
at school than at home. if the school
is of the right kind. Are YOU looking
for such q school? Then listen 10 the
story-book tale of Jubilee, the Little
Place in the Woods. an ancient land
mark. as ancientness goes in our raw
young country.
Away back in 1897. Bishop Chase,
having got his hand in at founding,
colleges (Kenyon. in Ohio, and anoth-
err farther easD. came TO Illinois, took
I'D 5000 acres of land near Peoria
then but little more than an Indian
trading post. and. full of the traditions
of his English alma mater. full of zeal
for the church and education, built a
little stone chapel and school; and,
flushed with the success of his darling
project. worked for hard and long,
named *. Jubilee.
AN infant of the church, it grew 10
mans age. with varying fortunes like
3 oil NJ
hOary. and fell into senile decay. For
the last decade or two it was TO-
mantle ruin, where people came 70
picnic and to carve their names in the
soft sandstone walls.
Then. on q summers day in 1908,
came Bishop Faweett and his helpers.
and the result of that visit was a re
juvenated Jubilee. They found owls
and bats as tenants, rubbish without
end. and desOlation everywhere.
But soon the old house awOke from
it's Rip Van Wrinkle slumbers TO find
saws and axes at its vitals. Steam
pipes. gas pipes and pipes for city wa
ter gave it a circulatory system. and
ventilating CRATES. and tunnels in the
roof formed the respiratory organs Ill
had always lacked
City water of course means coun-
try water Several old wells. that
must me as deep as SpenceTian philo-
sophy, for the house stands on hill
show how the early jewellers got their
supply; but now little red rooted
pump house nestles down in the valley
among the trees. and the engine makes
the water from a chain of allied
springs run ND hill. in direct defiance
of the old adage which says it can't.
"A coat of paint on the wooden trim
mings was all that the outside of the
building needed, for vines embower II,
clinging lovingly to their old friends,
the sandstone walls.
Within. there was carpentering and
joining. and painting and glazing. and
paper hanging and plumbing. until ev-
erything that could be done was done,
and the bishop said to the children,
Gomez
They came. TO the capacity of the
building, and more would have come
had there been room Like RoOse-
veltian family in a small city fiat we
were slowed at the beginning of this,
Oul HI 81 ytdl, anu 6NtlN DIV clldDlC lllN-l
was utilized. But a cottage dOrmitory
begun late in November sprang up
as by rub of Aladdin's wonderful
lamp to house a certain number of the
pupils. and amply relieve the pressure
within the old stone walls. This cot
tage. standing at the top of a gentle
slope to the south, commands a view
of miles DER hill and dale, field and
forest and running stream. and every
window frames a picture to delight a
landscape artists heart. The furni-
ture of the cottage was made by Jubi-
lee boys. in Jubilee shop, the large
walnut folding doors used in the early
days of the college providing a good
share of the material
ANY repairs needed in the carpen-
tering. plumbing. or painting line are
also done by these youthful wOrkmen-
on-thes spot, for boys love to work. and
if allowed to work will not be likely
to hatch up mischief.
Only 100 acres of the original 5000
remain. but we find that enough for
the children to turn loose" in; where
girls may run and gather roses, of the |
American Beauty kind that blooms |
only out of doors. and increase their
lung-and foOdi-capacity Where |
boys may dig caves. build RATS, and
huts. and chief staff of a boys life, |
whoop and hurrah as much as they |
like, with no signs of Keep Off the
Grass and no one to say Don't In
short. where boys and girls alike may
have all kinds of fun.
And they have it. except when en-
gagged in business. Their business is
school work. and their office hours are
six hours day five days in the week. !
This time is spent in recitation and in
study under the eye of a teacher.
There is no evening study, to tax the
eyes and overhead the brain, and night
work is limited to shop employments,