The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-10-23
LAST MEETING IN OLD CHAPEL
Continued from Page One)

the next three school days, while wait
ing for the finishing up Of the new
class rooms, he made out a schedule
of examinations for that period. The
Friday or Saturday the first faculty
meeting was held in what is now the
presidents room and teaching assign
ments we're made. This series of ex-
aminations was the last use made OF
that room for a general assemblage
room. On Monday, October II, 1885,
we moved into the new chapel just
across the hall. This comprised what
is now the two rooms of the library.
A platform about three steps high had
been erected at the north end of the
room large enough to accommodate
the faculty and occasional visitors.
The room was seated with 90 single
school desks to serve as a study room.
These seats would hold two in a pinch
and was all the assembly room accom-
modations we had for two years. That
first chapel exercise on the morning
of October II, 1885, consisted in the
reading of a passage of scripture by
the president and all joining in repeat
ing the Lords prayer. The results Of
the last weeks examinations ere
read. Some 10 freshmen, more or less
conditioned, % senior preparatory stu
dents and some 81 junior props. The
daily program was made u and post
ed. The first half hour vas assigned
to music and the whole studert body
was expected to remain and take vocal
lessons whether they could sing or not.
This gave an interval Of time for the
other professors to repair to their
class rooms and indulge in their final
posting up before meeting their
classes, for you may remember what
Prof. Keffer said last summer about
the early professors having to study to
keep ahead of their classes. Latter
day professors, it is to be presumed,
are not so hard pressed, or else our
later students are not so exacting or
ambitious. On account of some of the
other Uses to which that chapel was
put in those early days will not be
amiss. Chapel exercises were held
every school day morning beginning
at 900 O'Clock, the town clergy acting
in turn as chal lains. A few members
of the faculty took turns in conduct
ing devotional exercises when no min
lister reported for duty. Every student
was expected to attend these services
daily and did so almost without ex-
ception. For the first three or four
years the day Of prayer for colleges
was observed, some minister being
asked to deliver an appropriate SER
mon on the occasion and the remain
der Of the day was observed as a holt
day.
Instead of literary societies that fall
term of 1885 the students were arrang-
ed in three divisions headed by a cap
tain of each division and we had rhe-
toricals every Friday afternoon. This
showed how closely We were allied to
the public schools, from which the
most Of the students had lately ar
rived. We had debates, essays, ETC.,
and there was considerable friendly
rivalry between the divisions to see
which could give the best program.
All went we'll with this arrangement
until about the close of the term
when in a joint program a mock facul-
ty meeting vas staged and it hit some
of the members so hard hat it was
not enjoyed by the victims and the
movement for the organization of reg
ular literary societies was actively en-
couraged. This was the end of Friday
afternoon rhetoricals. That room
was also used for a study room, men,
bers Of the faculty taking turns at the
platform desk to see that proper de-
corum was observed. The larger
classes such as writing, drawing and
bookkeeping were assembled there
and classes in physical culture had
their exercises in that also. We
had to resort to the expediency of plac-
ing short boards cro the aisles
from seat to seat and the girls stood
on these in practicing with dumb bells
and the militia boys in setting up ex-
e~rcises, on bad days. One amusing
incident connected with services in
that old chapel will suffice for the
time being and this room will receive
the remainder Of our attention. Dur
ing the college year 1886, there m
an applicant with some collegiate Gre
dentials who wished to take special
work and graduate at the end of the
year. Marcus Antonius Saylor by name.
BY commencement time he had barely
fulfilled all conditions but in Difference
to the presidents promise to give him
a degree he was allowed to pass. On
Sunday, June 81, '86, Rev. s. G. Updyke
preached the baccalaureate
OH $780,