New-York tribune., 1909-04-11
ESTABLISHED IN 1909.

Miami University is only SIX years younger than
the State OF Ohio. and, fact her beginning dates
beyond thar of the state When Congress. IN i7s2
granted enormous tract of the Wilderness lying
between tile two Miami rivers, and extending as
far north as Dayton, to John Cleyes Symmes. it
was provided in the grant hat tract was 70 be
aside for the purposes Of education. This was
the real beginning of the university. In 1893 the
Legislature of the new state. which had into
control of The Symmes purchase amended the
grant, and passed an a,J entering one complete
township west of the Great Miami River for the
support of college In 1869 The act WAS hnaIi,
passed entitled An act To establish Miami Uni
versity-" II is from this act that the history OF
the college dates
The name of oxford WAS given the village. which
was TO be the seat of the new school in recogni-
ton Of the great parent university in England.
But oxford almost missed becoming the home of
The Institution that las been her chief glory The
first trustees named by the state held their initial
meeting at Lebanon, and some OF them lived
there they decided to locate the college in that
town This plan, however, met with the disap-
proval OF the state and III the following year an
other board was chosen. This board met in Hamil-
ton and located the college in oxford The entire
oxford township became the property of the college
I'D p.rDetuo. and al land owners in the township
hold their lands in perpetual lease from the college,
paying a college rent in lien of tax TO the
state. This rental supplemented ny appropriations
from the state. constitutes the colleges support
Ii was not until 1916 that the filst session was
held the erection of the three story brick building
having occupied Il long time. The surrounding
country was still practically wooded wilderness.
and al the start there only an academy with
Two teachers They were both Presbyterian
ureachers-John Ebenczer AMMAN. graduate Of
Dickinson College and Princeton, and William
Sparrow a graduate Of Columbia College, New
York
The third To Join this pioneer force became one
of the most famous teachers America has known
He was William II. McGuTey. author Of the series
of readers that millions of American boys have
used i'm their early school days DR.. McGufey was
a graduate Of old Washington College, in Pennsyl-
vania. and closed his career as teacher in the
University Of Virginia one Of his daughters mar
RED Dr. A u. Hepburn, who became president
Of the university in 1871
The real beginning Of Niami's career a unfVer-
srv dates from 1924 when DR.. Robert Hamilton
Rfeh5p. who was graduated from the University
of F6fnburgh in l79s was called 10 the presidency.
Dr. Bishop remained in charge of the university
,lDtH 1871 when he retired 20 the chair of political
erienra During his administration Miami grew in
size and influence. and when Dr. Bishop laid down
his official responsibilities he left it The best known
institution of its kind west Of the AIeghenles- A
number of famous teachers succeeded DIT. Bishop
through the years. and until the time of the civil
War the Institution thriyed and grew steadily.
There was a large percentage of Southerners in its
.student body. and at the outbreak Of the war all
these went away. No other college in America, 1t
is said gave so large proportion of its students
to both armies. The close OF the war cut of South
ern patronage entirely and dealt Miami a blow
from which she did not fully recover until recent
years She is now larger than ever having up
ward of one thousand students, faculty of forty
uembers and a library Of twenty-five thousand vol
umes.