Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1871 [PAGE 332]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

324 that was done on the farm and in the garden, and in the nursery, in the workshops, in the college—cleaning out halls, cleaning out privies: all the work was done by the students. Each student was required to work. This was carried on during Dr. Pugh's administration, until about 1864. The college was successful up until about that time, when he died. I may say that about 1863, a good many of the students went to the war. This was its first stroke. The building was completed, and when it was completed it had a load of debt of some $80,000 upon it. This was in the shape of bonds, and the interest on these bonds had to be met. The students that left this college at that time did not come back. They got into the army and then came home and went into business. Dr. Pugh in the meantime died, and the college for almost a year was in a state bordering on chaos. The Professors of the college attended to the finances, and also to the administration of affairs. The students were discouraged to some extent by this want of organization. At the beginning of the year 1865, Dr. Allen, of Philadelphia, who was formerly President of Girard College, was elected President—a very able man, and one eminently fitted for this position, a farmer himself and a thoroughly practical man. He brought a good number of students with him, but at the end of two years, owing to some difficulties which I will not explain, he was desirous, compelled by his circumstances, to leave the college ; there was no inharmonious feeling between him and the officers of the college, however. It was entirely a matter of his private affairs. This was unfortunate ; students went with him. General Fraser then came in. Dr. Allen, I may say, tried to modify this labor system. He told the Trustees that if they would do away with this labor system he would fill the college inside of two years; and an effort was made in the Faculty to do away with this system of labor, and it was abolished to a great extent. The students at that time were not required to do these offices in the kitchen, and dining-room, and to work about the buildings so much. Dr. Allen left us and the college began to cleline. Gen. Fraser, who was at Canonsburg, came there and took the Presidency of the college. He drew up a paper that was signed by the Faculty, protesting against this matter of labor—an able paper, which I wish would be read by the members of this Convention, each of them —giving the reasons why the labor system was not practicable, why it was not profitable. I will not give an opinion as to the value of this paper. I have some views that differ from it to some extent, yet there are many suggestions in it that are valuable. He gave the matter a