The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-09-22
Meeting Of the Citizens Was
Held Last Evening
CAMPAIGN IS TO BEGIN
Great Possibilities of Institution
Were Outlined BY Faculty
Members
From Tuesdays Daily.

lege are to be raised in a campaign
that was launched at a mass meet
ing held in the Y. NJ. G. A. building
last evening. There are three dis
tinct objects in this campaign. One
is to pay off the college debt, which
amounts to $4,000. Another is to
complete the music hall at a cost
of about $4,000. The third is to
provide an endowment fund.
The meeting last evening or
gained itself into general COM
mittee, and separate committees
were appointed to take care of diff
ferent departments of the work
These various committees will meet
separately this week and then the
general committee will hold it's
second meeting next Monday even
ing. All of the meetings except that
Iof the ladies' committee, will take
place at the Y. M. G.. A., each open
ing at 1880 o'clock. Tonight the
executive committee will meet;
Wednesday night, the business COM
'mittee; Thursday night, the pub
licity committee; Friday night, the
organization committee and Sat-
urday night, the arrangement COM
'mittee. The ladies' committee will
meet Friday evening at 1880 at the
residence of Mrs. w. J. Merchant.
What the college directors de-
sire first of all from the people of
MankatO is moral support and bust
ness counsel. The actual campaign
for funds is to be carried on first at
large among the German Lutherans
of the American northwest and per-
hapS over a larger territory than
that. Yhe German Lutheran demon
nation, from among whom this col
tlege draws it's students and it's sup
port, numbers more than two mil
lion people. After the campaign at
large has been completed, help will
be asked from Mankato itself, if this
is necessary
The meeting was called to order
by W. F. Georg, president of the
bethany college. Rev. Paul Schaller
led the opening prayer.
Introduced the Subject.
Mr.. Georg introduced the subject
/; of the meeting, stating that the citi-
zens had gathered at the request of
the directing board of Bethany col
lege, which desired help in conduct
| ing a campaign to raise funds for
the institution. He told how in 1870
| the Evangelical Lutheran Education
| al association had been formed with
tits members taken from the mem
bers of the Lutheran church of
North America for the purpose of
| founding the college for ladies',
which is here in Mankato on Nc
Mahan hill. At that time the citi-
zens of Mankato had come forward
generously to help the enterprise
and raised more than $4,000.
| Mr.. Georg stated that during the
past school year there were ninety
nine students in the college. This
was rather smaller than it should
have been. He accounted for this by
pointing to the deficient crops.
Mr. Georg said the operating in
come of the college during the past
year was $1S,S7441 and the operat-
ing expenses were $17,5O41S, leav-
| ing net balance of $1,370.23. These
expenses did not include the in
terest on the debt This debt amount
ed to $151, 213.14 The interest ran
from four to eight per cent, though
some of the bonds did not bear in
terest. The interest had run as high
! as 1871 in year, but it had been
somewhat reduced Of late by re-
placing some of the interest-bearing
bonds with others that did not bear
interest, as generous people had
taken up such bonds He said the
assets of the college, including site,
hull
lservatively estimated at a value of
$250,OOO.
Remarks BY Paul sSchalIer.
Rev. Paul Schaller, the field Sec
lretary, said there was no reason why
the student body should not grow
from 100 to 1000 or more. The debt
of the college was the only embar-
RAISING thing that the directors had
to contend with. He said he had
promise from one party to give $10,-
900 towards lifting this debt, and he
expected the money within a few
weeks. He spoke of the three objects
of the campaign: To wipe out the
debt, to complete the music hall and
to provide an endowment fund of
100000 to 100000.
H. H. Morris, of Chicago, one of
the two experts along that line of
work who were present by in
vitation and will take an active
part in directing the campaign,
spoke of Mankato and it's great
future as an educational center.
He spoke of the growth that
the schools of various kinds were
destined to have and he called at
tention to the great benefit to the
city of such an institution as the
Bethany Ladies' college. even when
it did not have more than 100 stu
dents. These 100 would spend at
least $3.50 a year in the city, and
that meant a boost to business in
the sum of $4,000. He predicted
that in 1918 the college would have
200 students and in 1920 it would
have 400.
Said BY Mr.. Winter.
Rev. A. F.. Winter, pastor OF the
German Lutheran church, spoke of
the great body of two million and
more German Lutherans, who had
lust one exclusively ladies' college
There were boys colleges, however,
to some of which ladies were adj
mitted. He spoke of the great i'm
of ,,ronor1u adunqfinU tho