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Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
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University Organizes 295 the legislature which was reported upon favorably by the senate, but too late for action, for "an act to incorporate the trustees of the Illinois university," the objects of the university were stated as, first: to provide a normal school department; second, an agricultural school department; third, a mechanical department After these were provided for and not until then were other departments to be added as the bill itself states:—"To these departments others may be added from time to time, as the wants of the people may require, and the funds and means of the University will justify, so that finally the university may become a place of resort for acquiring an accomplished and finished education in all useful, practical, literary and scientific knowledge."32 This was the position of the founders—to be sure the normal department had been cared for elsewhere so that was eliminated —that the agricultural and mechanical studies should be provided for first, from this the founders never had swerved, nor should Mr. Dunlap. Right here a question may be raised. The attitude of the agriculturists was unmistakable but was it entirely in accord with the federal law ? The law states unequivocally that classical subjects were not to be excluded just as Dr. Gregory had contended. Suppose such subjects as pertained to agriculture and the mechanic arts only had been provided for in the curriculum of the new university and the classics omitted until it was convenient to provide for them, would not critics have arisen in their righteousness to point to the law? To be sure the law also states that the branches of learning related to agriculture and the mechanic arts should be the leading subjects and Dr. Gregory, perhaps, erred when he accorded to agriculture, mechanics and classics an equal place in his theory and possibly an emphasis on the classics in his practice. From documents now at hand it appears that it was at a meeting of the board of trustees held in Urbana on March 10,11, and 12, 1868, that a majority of the board brought M. L. Dunlap to task for statements that he had been making in the press and elsewhere which they considered injurious to the welfare "BUI of 1865, appendix, p. 546,
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