THE HESPERIAN
27
foothold. When tho literary societies said
"Wo cannot agree; you go your way and
we'll go ours," it was a great victory for
white winged peace, a great victory for de
mocracy, a great victory for the student who
knows poverty, and a great source of good
to tho University. In my opinion there are
few things more worthy of approving men
tion during this quarter centennial celebra
tion than tho barbarian revolt of 1884.
-site, (&ruy(
THE UNIVERSITY AND ITS FIRST FACULTY
At first thought it sounds strange to speak
of a "first-faculty" in connection with an in
stitution that is only just celebrating its
twenty-fifth anniversary Yet it is true that
tho differentiation is practically complete,
and that tho characteristics of the life of the
faculty of less than a quarter of a century
ago are distinctly different from those of tho
faculty of today. The rapidity of move
ment in university life is commensurate with
the ago of the telegraph and the telephone.
A few years now in the life of a western
university mean as much as did a century
to Harvard or Yale in the days of their
youth. Not only are the personal character
istics changed, but the very ideals of the
university life are transformed. The aims
in government as well as in methods of in
struction are revolutionized. The dynamic
forces find vent, in general, in new direc
tions; in thesis writing rather than in essays
and orations for the societies; in library
work rather than in society election contests;
in laboratory investigations rather than in
Hesperian fights; in social amusementp, in
foot ball, or in athletics rather than in haul
ing cannon by night from the capitol to the
campus to bo labelled "military department
shot into the ground." Indeed it is almost
aB difficult for the young mon and young
women in the university life of today to put
themselves in touch with this earlier life, al
though so recent in years, as for the people
of the nineteenth century to understand the
ago of George tho Third. The environment
is so changed that all our ways of looking at
tho problems around us are out of harmony
with the University's earlier days.
But what was the educational life of the
university twenty years ago? For an answer
let us turn to the sources themselves, the
faculty records. By tho way, few students
of that day ever heard of, much less ever
saw or used, an original source. Second
hand authorities of the rank of Anderson's
United States History, and Shaw's Manual
of English Literature, were the standards of
the time, in subjects other than the classics
and mathematics.
The records of the first faculty meeting,
held September 9, 1871, show that, in addi
tion to arranging for the hours of recitations,
the attention of the faculty was given to the
discussion of a resolution that there ought to
be "a general uniformity of methods of in
struction, and that specipl attention ought to
be given to secure propriety of deportment
from all students." At the second meeting
the order of business adopted was as follows:
(1) Reading of the minutes; consideration.
(2) Of the attendance of the students. (3)
Of their proficiency. (4) Of their deport
ment, and (5) miscellaneous matters. At
this session a rule was adopted that all stu
dents absent from exercises must "make
their excuses to the chancellor, and obtain
permission from him before they are allowed
to go on with their classes." The records
of the faculty for the next few years show
that much of its time in its meetings, gen
erally held as often as once a week, was de
voted to the discussion of cases arising un
der sections two, three and four of the "or
der of business." The consideration, adop
tion and repeal of petty rules for the regula
tion of the students' daily conduct occupied
a prominent place in the faculty debates.
The penalty for ten unexcused absences was
suspension from the University. Each stu
dent had his assigned seat in the chapel.
When roll call came as it did every morn-
f 13