Evening star., 1937-02-14
CENTURY MARKED
BY KNOX COLLEGE,
Founded in 1887 in Illinois
to Link Manual Labor
With Education.
~ the Associated Press.

GALESBURG, ILL.,, February 13.-
Knox College, alma mater of eminent
authors, editors and poets, is cele-
brating its Tooth anniversary.
The college completes its first CEN
fury of existence tomorrow. 1t was
on February Is, 1887. that the Illinois
Legislature granted a charter to the
Knox Manual Labor College. and 1t
was from this beginning the present
college stemmed.
known to alumni and friends as
"Old Siwash' because George H.
Fitch, author of Tales of Old ST.
wash" was an alumnus. and it was
thought he wove the stories around
the Knox campus, the college was the
brain child of a Presbyterian preacher
from Rome, N. Y.
In 1885, when the New West" was
the subject of excited explorations,
George Washington Gale, stern
Presbyterian of the old school. con-
ceived the idea of THE Prairie COL
lege" It was his thought that the
"IllinoS country" might be a good
setting for a college where the stu
dents could combine manual labor
with "a thorough system of mental
and moral and physical education
Galesburg Site Selected.
An exploring party eventually de-
cided the rolling prairies where the
city of Galesburg now stands would
be an ideal site A plot of 1000
acres was purchased from the Gov
eminent. 1t was portion OF the
newly opened military tract" Of Hill
nois.
The price was $1.25 an acre. Some
of the acres were Immediately sold
for IS each to provide a sum with
which the original buildings were
erected.
Glasses were not actually started
until 1888. The first classes were for
the purpose of training students for
college. These preparatory classes
continued until 184l, when the first
college class matriculated.
The first commencement was in
1846 and nine men were graduated.
Twenty years later it was apparent
Mr.. Gales ideas of manual labor
college were impractical, so the man
ual labor" was dropped from its name.
Present-day journalism owes some
thing to "Old Siwash."
One of the standard adjuncts Of the
modern newspaper, the newspaper
syndicate was brought into being by
q distinguished editor who studied
Latin and Greek within the historic
walls of "Old Siwash."
S. S. Mcclure, founder of the
Mcclure Syndicate, the first Of its
kind. was only two years away from
the college halls when his idea took
shape and grew in 1884. Later, he
also founded McClure's Magazine.
Headed College at 26.
John Huston Finley, distinguished
author educator and editor, who since
1921 has been associate editor of the
New York Times, was graduated by
Knox in 1887. Two years later, at the
age of 26, he was president of the
college, one of the youngest college
presidents in the Nations history.
Eugene Field, children's poet and
long a writer on the Chicago Daily
News. was once Knox student. So,
too, was Don Marquis, New York
author, and Edgar Lee Masters, author
Of Spoon River Anthology"
The late Edgar A. Bancroft. who
died while on duty as Ambassador to
Japan, was an alumnus, as was Clark
E. Carr, also deceased, who, as Min
lister to Denmark. introduced to that
nation the use Of cornmeal.
The only building still standing and
In use which was connected with the
colleges early years is historic "Old
Main" famous as one of the spots
where Abraham Lincoln and Stephen
A. Little Giant" Douglas debated.
This building, erected in 1856, was
recently declared a national historic
site by the Federal Government and
as so marked.
The corner stone of another college
building, Alumni Hall, misnomer,
since it Is used for classes and houses
the college little theater. was laid by
President Benjamin Harrison.
Origin of Name Unsettled.
The question of how the college re-
ceived its name is unsettled. since the
founders neglected to say so in any
surviving writings.
Knox College Is in Knox County.
The county was named for Gen Henry
Knox, Revolutionary War leader and
Secretary Of War in President Wash
ington's cabinet.
But the founders of the college,
most authorities are agreed, prob
ably thought less of the doughty old |
general than they did of the preacher,
John Knox, especi; 'ly since Gale |
was jealous Presbyterian.
No one knows. Tradition saws there
was heated argument and then the
founders compromised - they named
the college Knox - without saving
whether it was for the soldier or the
evangelist.
OF course, there was a certain
James Knox who lived in Knoxville.
ILL.,, only a few miles away, and who
was commissioned to assist Nehemiah
West in persuading the Legislature to
grant the charter Knox, James. prob
ably wasn't displeased to helm estah.