Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-05
HALF CENTURY OF
DELAWARE COLLEGE
Story Told in Interesting Fashion
by Edward N. Vallandigham,
Who Has Issued Book.
Special Correspondence of Every Evening

tallandigham, 1873, is n historical sketch
issued aS memorial of the academic half
century since the resuscitation of Della
ware College, after her sleep of eleven
Years. Tins book was written solely ms
labor of love by the author and was
printed in the same spirit Mt kclls, the
-prlntcrv of Secretary of State Everett G.
Johnson, at Newark The book will be
sold on account of the college, with the
simplc stipulation by MIR. Johnson that
be hc permitted to indicate the cause 10
which shall go the appropriation IN and
of TIC work made hy the Board Of frus-
tccf. That cause will be some deserving
adjunct of the college In form the book
isIa handsomely printed volume of $50
phgcs. about 9 by 5 p inches on paper of
Hcautiful finish and excellent quality.
Fart of the edition viii be bound in paper,
part in yellow boards, with blue back,
| and on the front cover an inset vignctte
of old College The main text, divided
into four chapters. numbers 120 pages,
and the other thirty pages are IN he
appendix and index. Facing the index rs
q plan of grounds and buildings and pro-
posed buildings of the two colleges.
In brief preface the author says OF his
narrative as concerned with the roughcr
places in the history Of fifty wears Here.
as elsewhere throughout tins work, the
author takes full responsibility for both
fact and opinion. and freely absolvos the
authorities of Delaware College from any
share whatever in such responsibility,
tie earnestly disclaims however, any
intent 10 set huhhllng anew the tempest
uous tcapots Of he past
Having thus cleared the ground FOR
saving his say untrammcled OF aught that
might cmharrass the official authorities,
IL. al no ~
not mere " to make a narrative of events.
Int to sci forth what he believes 70 hc
thcir significance. and to express his own
notions as to principles Of college govern
Inent and Of education lie avoids, how
ever. pcrsunal criticism and esChews 2
partisan tone.
Chaptcr entitled "Rcawakening.
carries the narrative through DIR. Pur-
nell s administration from 1870 to lSS5.
The author sketches the httle group ot
mon that made III the faculty Of 1H40.
ch9ractcri7ug Professor Nac6cy as the
maSt beloved, Dr Wolf as bic sole man
abreast of university scholarship. fro-
fCssor Porter rs the most brilliant and
versatile. and President Puruell rs having
more distinctly the flavor Of man OF the
world. acquainted with public life and
characters OF Professor Porter he writes
He had an agreeable smile. fascl-
mating speech. and large reservoir ot
General information. This last the
students soon learned to tap with skill and
prcclsion at critical moments III the class
room. and many a student saved himself
and his mates from embarrassing queS-
t,ons directed to LAYING bare What they
did not know Of tho lesson III hand hy q
well-put query tending to draw out
copiouslv what Professor Porter did know
upon some other subject.
.It was darkly whispered among the
students and throughout the community
saws Mr.. Nallandigham, that DR.. Vol
was that awful new thing. an cvoiu-
tlonist. that as like as not he believed
almost any fellows great grandfather had
been an anthropoid ape. He disappointed
the censorious, however. by attending
church and making no attempt at Dar-
winlau propaganda
The bare and So vcrelv simple conditions
of Old College in the seventies tho author
pictures in pitIlcSs detail. There were,
10 saws no toilet ConvenlCnCCS of any
kind IN the building. and students bathcd
where and when they could. Fortunately
,or personal sanitation, White Clay Creek
was near at hand. There was no general
heating system. 81 shat individual rooms
had to be heated with stoves. There was no
general lighting system, 80 that every
student had To have lamp Of his own and
n supply OF coal oil, brought, borrowed, or
otherwise acquired.
NO INTERCOLLEGIATE CANES.
College sports were as crude IS all
elSc. and there were no intercollegiate
games. "Ono student brought to Colcso
hlcvclc of antique type with two wooden
wheels Of equal size, and rather crude
steering gear. Upon this odd machine
something like half the students
learned 70 ride. and its pondcrous sturdi-
ncSS enabled ii To with stand for many
months such promiscuous use AS 1t seldom
moved without at least two persons aboard
lts endurance was a high tribute 10 the
excellence Of its material and the articula-
tion Of lis parts
Mischief occupied much Of the students
time IN the early seventies, and MIR.
Nallandigham compares the crude art
then displayed in college pranks to work
the ballad-makIng period OF literature,
or the early Italian attempts at painting
"As was to be expected. the art soon
outgrcw its cruder condition, and came
10 exhibit breadth oi conception, boldness
OF design. practiced technical ease, and
at the same time rare perfection Of de-
tail. ''He proves his thesis by a detailed
account "a IIl4AtAfA dNAollEiliS " "AAEAN hAC
calls the high renaissance of the art.
Philasophizng upon student mischief,
Mr. Nallandigham concludes The stu
dent Of any particular time is . traitor
10 ms Alma Mater if be lend his example,
council, or influence Of whatever sort
to act that may tend to transmit the in
stitution to the student body Of the future
8 less effective instrument Of education
than il might have been.
Chapter ii, struggle, with is pages,
is a record Of the hard times up to the
opening OF DIR. Harters administration.
and Chapter III, "ModernizatiOn, tells
IN sixteen pages the story Of that admins
tration, with that dffhe establishment Of
the Agricultural Experiment Station.
and the development of college sports
In Chapter ~, Expansion, occupy
ing A pages, is narrated the history Of the
last SIX wears Here the share Of Delaware
College in two wars is discussed, the beaut-
ifving of Old College is described, and the
events leading up to many recent changes
IN the faculty are set forth. There are
many references to the Women S College
IN this chapter, though detailed MARIA
tive Of It's founding follows the account
OF the discountiuance Of co-educatlon IN
Chapter IL.
The appendix contains rapid sketch
OF Delaware College from It's charterlng
in 1888 to 1859, a neurology, in which ap-
pear the names of those lost in the world
II r H. k.u4f