| |
| |
Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
This is a reduced-resolution page image for fast online browsing.
EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:
University Organizes 298 subjects. Of the first faculty he says that the regent's education "is but classical and theological" 20 and of the two professors one would ultimately have the choice of Greek, Latin, and French and the other was prepared to teach the social sciences. It was, in his opinion a poor outlook for agriculture and the mechanic arts. Other items to which Mr. Dunlap objected were: the proposed purchase of the cabinet of Professor Bromby of Georgia. He thought that a collection of the conchology of the Illinois rivers, of the fossils, plants and shells of Illinois coal mines, of the insects that lowered the profits upon Illinois crops and samples of the clay, marbles, and minerals in the state would be of much more benefit to the youth who would attend the institution ; the thousand dollars voted for the nucleus of a library he pronounced too small. He thought that it would be spent to "meet the wants of the professors in moral and inductive literature. It is not likely that Faraday, Liebig, Johnston, or Davy will be consulted in so small a collection." He objected also to the fact that the university Was to be open for instruction for nine months of the year. "The law as has been before stated, provides for six months of school during the autumn and summer months, but the trustees more wise than the Legislature, or without any regard to the law, provide for three temis, beginning September 18, and closing June 6, or occupying a little over nine months. This leaves no time for the students to return, as the law directs " t o their several industries during the spring and summer months. 11 Then, too, Dunlap had no belief in the value of manual labor by the students. He said in regard to stocking and carrying on the university farm: " I t is to be hoped that the folly of attempting to carry on the farm and horticultural department by the labor of students will be saved u s . " As a matter of fact the system of required student labor was proved, by experiment, a failure. As regards the number of months of school for each year the law, in fact, left the matter somewhat to the discretion of the board of trustees. The controversy between Mr. Dunlap and Dr. Gregory arose *The regent's education was classical but he had received no training in a theological institution.
| |
