Evening star., 1909-09-12

In connection with the International
boundary; also letter to the Secretary
of War, signed by DR.. Whitman. recon-
mending the establishment of series of
I'm the passes of the Rocky mountains
for the protection of immigrant trains.
Mrs. Whitman's diary, which is brought
down to the very day OF the massacre,
and which discloses her apprehensions as
to their safety, and several other per-
sonalr relics has been preserved. and "a
gruesome souvenir in the form Of a TOM
ahawk, which it is believed was used
by Tamchas to strike the murderous
blows.
Whitman College, which was founded
fifty years ago in memory Of DR.. Whit
man by one of his disciples, occupies a
handsome group OF buildings in the heart
of the city of Walla Walla, and was
attended last year by about 900 students,
mostly from Oregon and Washington
and other northwestern states.
Early Days Of Institution.
Prof. w. A. Bratton, secretary Of the
faculty. in answer to my questions, said:
THE college was founded by Gushing
Eells. a fellow-missionary Of Marcus
Whitman. and in his memory. It strug-
gled along from 1863 to 1888 as kind
Of preparatory school and seminary. DR..
and Mrs. Eells cultivated the mission
farm, on which the massacre occurred.
and made many other sacrifices for the
college, giving nearly $4,000 themselves
In 1883 DR.. A. ]. Anderson, at that time
president Of the state university. was
called to Its presidency, a small amount
of funds was obtained. and the old COL
lege building erected. The institution
prospered, doing excellent work on high
standards until 1893. when long period
of depression, corrected with the resig-
nation of President Anderson. caused it
TO lag for two years. Toward the close
of the year 1894 DR.. s. 3. L. Penrose,
the present president, assumed his Office.
Through the good Offices of Dr. O. w.
Nixon or the Chicago Inter Ocean, DR.
ID. X. Pearson OF Chicago, gave $4,000
on condition that the endowment be
raised 10 100000 He also wiped out the
debt by loan of $1,000, taking as Sc
curity the personal note of President
Penrose. Two years later Dr. Pearson
presented this note as a wedding present
10 Mrs. Penrose. with one of his char
acteristic letters. Up to this time DR.
Pearson has given altogether about $2s5-
600. which includes the sum necessary
for the erection of the memorial building
1--WE have campus Of thirty acres of
land splendidly located in the finest sec
tion of the city; four large brick build
ings, eight serviceable wooden buildings
and one fine brick building now in course
OF construction. We had last year 213
students in the College of Liberal Arts.
16S in the School of Music and 121 in the
preparatory department. These three
schools are separate, the main connection
being that they are under the same board
OF trustees. The college is non-sectarian,
The courses offered are those given or
dinarily in the best type of small New
England colleges.
Maintains High Standard.
1.-The standards maintained are high, the
Carnegie foundation ranking us with six
teen entrance requirements the same as
Harvard University. That this high
standard is appreciated in the northwest
is indicated by the fact that last years
dred students and the present indication
is that this falfs class will be forty per
cent larger, although the tuition fees. 500
per year, are the highest charged at any
mountains. Whitman is college
founded on noble tradition. growing not
too rapidly, but substantially, whose hon
est administration and high entrance re-
auirements have commended it not only
to the people in the vicinity but to edu-
Gators everywhere.
IA plan for a greater Whitman College
has been carefully developed under the
leadership of President Penrose and Dean
Hendrick. 1t involves the union Of three
North Pacific states In the foundation OF
an educational institution adapted to the
particular needs which have developed. A
careful choice Of the board of overseers
SO ais to represent: every section has
brought together sixty-hve men who rep
resent the wealth, the intelligence. the
leadership in every line OF activity In the
northwest. They are enthusiastic because
they believe that through the establish.
ment at Walla Walla, the geographical
center of the territory embraced in the
| three states. of a great privately endowed
educational institution the course of de-