UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 SAN DIEGO 
 Donated in memory of 
 
 John W. Snvder 
 
 by 
 
 His Son and Daughter
 
 C. M. GOODSELL
 
 The History 
 
 of 
 
 Carleton College 
 
 Its Origin and Growth 
 Environment and Builders 
 
 By 
 Rev. Delavan L. Leonard, D. D. 
 
 Author of "The Story of Oberlin," "A Hundred Yfart 
 of Missions," etc. 
 
 Introduction by 
 President James W. Strong, D. D., LL. D. 
 
 CHICAGO : NEW YORK : TORONTO 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
 LONDON : EDINBURGH
 
 Copyright 1904 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
 Chicago: 63 Washington Street 
 New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
 Toronto: 27 Richmond Street, W 
 London: 21 Paternoster Square 
 Edinburgh: 30 St. Mary Street
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 PREFACE 5 
 
 INTRODUCTION 1 1 
 
 CHAPTER I Minnesota, Physical Features, Ex- 
 ploration, Early Settlement 17 
 
 CHAPTER II The Fifties, The Period of Be- 
 ginnings 35 
 
 CHAPTER III The Sixties, I. The College 
 
 Founded 74 
 
 CHAPTER IV The Sixties, 2. The College 
 
 Opened no 
 
 CHAPTER V The Seventies, I. Election of a 
 
 President 141 
 
 CHAPTER VI The Seventies, 2. The Marvel 
 
 of Carleton's Enlargement 174 
 
 CHAPTER VII The Eighties. Carleton's Ado- 
 lescence 212 
 
 CHAPTER VIII The Nineties. Becoming of 
 
 Age 243 
 
 CHAPTER IX The New Century. Summary and 
 
 Review 265 
 
 CHAPTER X President Sallmon Inaugurated . . . 298 
 
 CHAPTER XI Carleton's Builders 317 
 
 CHAPTER XII Carleton and Missions 357 
 
 CHAPTER XIII Carleton in Oratory and Song. 368 
 
 CHAPTER XIV A Forecast 378 
 
 Historical Address. After Twenty-five Years . . . 386 
 
 Index 415
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The genesis of this volume was on this wise: 
 It had occurred that in 1859-62 President Strong 
 and myself were classmates in Union Theological 
 Seminary, New York City, and that through him 
 in 1875 I had been introduced to the Northfield 
 Congregational church, of which I soon after be- 
 came pastor, remaining seven years, being also a 
 trustee of the college, a member of the executive 
 committee, and serving for three years as teacher 
 of rhetoric and English literature. During this 
 period I was brought into closest connection with 
 the institution, became well acquainted with the 
 faculty, the community and the commonwealth; 
 making also the acquaintance of not a few of the 
 founders and early builders. Moreover, in one way 
 and another it fell to my lot to read and write not 
 a little concerning Carleton, its history, character, 
 work, etc. Taking my departure in 1881, I carried 
 with me a high esteem and a warm affection, which 
 ever since have continued and steadily increased. 
 By several visits my acquaintance has been main- 
 tained. More than two decades have now passed, 
 during which I have gazed upon the college from a 
 distance, possessed thus of opportunities for intelli- 
 gent observation and calm reflection, playing the 
 part of a disinterested looker-on, viewing things
 
 Ti PREFACE 
 
 from the outside, in their relations and their relative 
 proportions to other things. 
 
 But what is much more to the point, it is fortu- 
 nate that President Strong, while unsparing and un- 
 wearied in making history, was also endowed with 
 the historic'spirit in such a way and to such an ex- 
 tent that, from the first, he has carefully collected 
 and preserved a mass of invaluable material in the 
 form of letters, reports, circulars, clippings from the 
 public press, including a complete set of Catalogues 
 and Minutes of the Congregational State Associa- 
 tion; and at an early date, when memory was ac- 
 curate, solicited from some of the most intelligent 
 and trustworthy of the early actors, detailed state- 
 ments concerning the most important events. Of 
 all this material large and grateful use has been 
 made in these pages, thereby adding much to their 
 value. In addition to such rich resources, to the 
 author the freest and fullest access has been granted 
 to the records of the board of trustees and of the 
 executive committee, and to whatever other official 
 papers are kept among the archives. All this wealth 
 of information has been supplemented by conversa- 
 tion and correspondence with members of the fac- 
 ulty, old residents of Northfield, and ministers who 
 shared in the task of laying foundations. Finally, 
 files of newspapers have been consulted, thanks es- 
 pecially to the officers of the State Historical Library 
 at St. Paul. 
 
 It is not common to put in print the story of an
 
 PREFACE vii 
 
 institution of learning so young as this, and hence 
 the undertaking may appear over-ambitious, un- 
 called-for and out of place. Moreover, in such a 
 case there can be found none of the element of the 
 hallowed or romantic which belongs to great length 
 of days and hoary age. But on the contrary, the 
 fact is to be recalled that in this age more changes 
 with far greater progress are often witnessed within 
 the space of a few years than used to occur during 
 the lapse of a generation or a _century. Advance is 
 now frequently made with the speed of steam or 
 electricity, so that institutions like nations are born 
 in a day. But more, in the case of Carleton, it will 
 scarcely fail to appear that enough has actually 
 transpired within the limits of the half-century cov- 
 ered, to supply abundance of worthy matter for a 
 volume. Elements not a few are found which are 
 novel and striking, and hence are well worth setting 
 forth. There is besides a great and obvious ad- 
 vantage in gathering the material and putting it in 
 shape for preservation while so many witnesses are 
 living who will not long survive, and when they are 
 gone much will be lost beyond recovery. And 
 further yet, this particular time is eminently fitting 
 for the appearance of a history of the college. The 
 first president has held his office for a period phe- 
 nomenally long, a full generation, his connection 
 with the institution extending back to the very be- 
 ginning. As he retires, the first epoch closes and a 
 new regime begins.
 
 viii PREFACE 
 
 Nevertheless, there is an embarrassment connected 
 with the performance of this task, which all along 
 has been deeply felt, and found in the fact that so 
 many of the most prominent of the early actors in 
 the scenes presented still survive. How difficult and 
 how next to impossible to speak adequately, and yet 
 becomingly, of them and the part they played. For 
 the most part no attempt will be made in this direc- 
 tion. To avoid the perplexity somewhat, especial 
 emphasis will be laid upon the earlier decades, the 
 first things, the beginnings, with the purpose of 
 speaking so fully of these that no need will arise for 
 doing this work over again, leaving it to some future 
 historian to continue the story. 
 
 No doubt defects will be discovered upon these 
 pages by whoever may examine them with the 
 critic's eye. Omissions which seem serious to some 
 will be noted, as well as matters introduced which 
 in the judgment of some might better have been 
 omitted. Very likely also certain of the conclusions 
 reached and the convictions expressed will be 
 deemed mistaken, with over-praise bestowed here, 
 and lack of appreciation manifested there. But 
 whatever defects, whether real or only apparent, are 
 perceived, let them be charged, one and all, where 
 they wholly belong, to the author. For in every 
 sentence of every paragraph of every chapter, noth- 
 ing stands which does not represent his apprehension 
 of the well established facts in the case. 
 
 The performance of the task now brought to a
 
 PREFACE ix 
 
 close has been a pleasure and a privilege, in deed 
 and in truth a labor of love. The work was begun 
 with the belief that the theme was a worthy and 
 noble one, that it contained divers passages which 
 were both unique and thrilling; and this conviction 
 has steadily increased until at length this closing 
 word is written. 
 
 D. L. LEONARD. 
 Oberlin, Ohio.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Two facts in the history of Carleton College seem 
 to me especially worthy of mention: its religious 
 origin and aim, and the divine guidance made ap- 
 parent in all its development. No true history could 
 be written without such a recognition of these facts 
 as Dr. Leonard has given. 
 
 Carleton's founders were men of faith, of self- 
 denying consecration ; men of noble ideals who, like 
 their Pilgrim ancestors, believed that they were 
 divinely called to lay foundations broad and deep, 
 upon which others coming after them might build 
 better than could they, for the honor of the one 
 common Lord and Master. Being educated men, 
 they knew the value of intellectual discipline as well 
 as moral culture or spiritual quickening; and they 
 esteemed a right combination of the two absolutely 
 essential to the formation of right character, and 
 hence essential to the well-being of society. They 
 believed that an education having the tone and tonic 
 of an earnest religious life, such an education as 
 the church must ever demand, could not be fur- 
 nished by the state. Therefore, even though it 
 should cost the labors and sacrifices of many years, 
 a Christian college must be founded and built up. 
 
 Naturally the leaders in all , educational move- 
 ments were clergymen. With these pioneer minis- 
 ters, whom we lovingly call Father Shedd, Father
 
 12 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Seccombe, Father Barnes, Father Brown and 
 Father Hall, and whose names ought to be grate- 
 fully preserved in our records, it was my good for- 
 tune, on coming to the state in 1865, to be asso- 
 ciated. I could not but admire their spirit and ap- 
 prove their aims. Being elected, in 1866, one of 
 the first trustees of the proposed college, it was a 
 privilege to give time and thought to the educa- 
 tional plans which led to the establishment of the 
 institution at Northfield; though it is needless to 
 say I had not, at that time, entertained the slightest 
 thought of any additional personal responsibility for 
 the realization of those plans. My heart was in the 
 pastorate, and to remain a pastor was my earnest 
 hope and expectation. When, years later, the re- 
 sponsibility of administration was accepted, it was 
 only because of the conviction, which never for one 
 moment, during all the years following, was shaken, 
 that this was the divine will concerning me. The 
 impression was irresistible that God's hand was in 
 the enterprise and hence it must succeed. 
 
 From the first I felt that some permanent record 
 should be made of the genesis and growth of an in- 
 stitution so needed, so desired and of which so 
 much was expected. As years passed on the trus- 
 tees expressed again and again the hope that I 
 would prepare a history of the college ; but so great 
 was the pressure of executive duties, especially in 
 securing the funds needed to carry on the work, 
 that this was absolutely impossible. The most that
 
 INTRODUCTION 18 
 
 could be done was to make brief memoranda and 
 carefully preserve documents for some other his- 
 torian. In 1879 Rev. Dr. M. M. G. Dana, then a 
 trustee, prepared "The Story of Carleton College," 
 which passed through two large editions and was 
 made, in various ways, exceedingly helpful; but as 
 valuable as it was, so rapidly was history being 
 made, that soon it became out of date. For a long 
 time Carleton's constituency has been desiring a 
 much more extended history of the institution, and 
 one which should include something of the history 
 of Congregationalism in the state. Fortunately I 
 knew of a writer especially fitted by his tastes, his 
 training and his personal experiences, for this un- 
 dertaking, Rev. Dr. D. L. Leonard of Oberlin. 
 He was my esteemed friend and classmate in the 
 Union Theological Seminary, was for seven years 
 pastor of the Northfield Congregational church, 
 was a teacher in the college and a member of the 
 board of trustees, and therefore, perfectly con- 
 versant with all the affairs of the institution. For 
 years he had been one of the editors of "The Mis- 
 sionary Review of the World," had written "The 
 Story of Oberlin," had prepared many historical 
 papers and addresses both in Minnesota and Ohio, 
 and in all matters of religious and educational re- 
 search, had shown a profound interest. When the 
 subject was suggested he promptly responded that 
 he was both ready and willing to undertake the pro- 
 posed task, and it should be done at once.
 
 14 INTRODUCTION 
 
 For two years and more, as other duties have per- 
 mitted, Dr. Leonard has devoted himself to the 
 work, with steadily growing interest. It has been 
 my privilege to put into his hands all the historic 
 material of various kinds which has been preserved, 
 and to aid him in every way possible. His increas- 
 ing enthusiasm, as more and more of the details of 
 Carleton's history have come to his knowledge, has 
 given me pleasing proof that the right historian 
 was selected. He has not been content with simply 
 setting forth the facts of our college history, but 
 he has sought to find a philosophical basis for those 
 facts, by connecting them closely all along with the 
 history of Congregationalism in the state. This 
 will make his book of permanent value and of inter- 
 est to a much larger constituency than the students 
 and alumni of Carleton alone could afford. 
 
 While approving most heartily the author's gen- 
 eral plan, and admiring his skill in presenting ef- 
 fectively the details of the history, 1 have from the 
 first been solicitous lest his personal friendship 
 should lead him to attribute too much credit to the 
 one first called to the work of collegiate administra- 
 tion. Against this I have strenuously protested, but 
 in vain, the author insisting upon his right to ex- 
 press his own matured judgment and conviction 
 upon this as upon all other matters presented in this 
 volume. Certainly the undersigned has claimed no 
 special wisdom or ability, but only this, that so far 
 as grace has been given him to discern his duty, he
 
 INTRODUCTION 15 
 
 has tried to do it. He has felt that as a Christian 
 man he had no right to decline any service believed 
 to be divinely appointed, simply because it was hard 
 or unremunerative, or at variance with all his nat- 
 ural inclinations. Often he has been reminded that 
 God chooses the weak things of the world to con- 
 found the mighty, that a willingness to be used is 
 the first requisite for effectiveness. 
 
 Very early it was made manifest that the gracious 
 Father had designs of good concerning our college, 
 and through all the years his blessing has continually 
 rested upon it. To have been permitted to sustain 
 any helpful relation to an enterprise so broad in its 
 aim and so rich in its fruitage, is a cause for pro- 
 found gratitude. With sincere thankfulness I record 
 this fact that my own preferences and natural in- 
 clinations were in God's providence clearly over- 
 ruled, and a work never desired, but to which the 
 call seemed imperative, was so plainly, so unmistak- 
 ably forced upon me. If the results teach any lesson, 
 it is one that needs frequent reiteration, and is 
 especially to be recommended to young men and 
 young women; that to bring one's life into har- 
 mony with the divine will is both the highest duty 
 and the richest privilege. No other life can possibly 
 bring, in the retrospect, such satisfaction. 
 
 JAMES W. STRONG. 
 Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota. 
 
 May, 1903.
 
 History of Carleton College. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MINNESOTA. 
 
 Physical Features, Exploration, Early Settlement. 
 
 It is eminently proper, is indeed quite necessary, 
 in undertaking to tell the story of Carleton College, 
 its origin and development, to make some brief 
 preliminary statements concerning the common- 
 wealth within whose boundaries it. stands, since 
 Minnesota constitutes its environment, as well as 
 supplies also a large proportion of its students and 
 financial resources. 
 
 Location. This state is possessed of propor- 
 tions truly imperial, having an area of nearly 85,000 
 square miles, or upwards of 54,000,000 acres; is 
 therefore the largest in the entire Mississippi val- 
 ley, Texas alone excepted; is nearly twice the size 
 of New York, Pennsylvania, or Ohio ; is greater by 
 one-fourth than the five New England states taken 
 together. Moreover, its location is peculiar, even 
 to the phenomenal, and is fortunate in well nigh 
 every particular. To begin with, the exact geo- 
 graphical center of the continent is quite near, if not 
 actually within, its limits. And further, as Robert
 
 18 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 P. Porter reminds us (" The West, From the Cen- 
 sus of 1880") : " Minnesota embraces the sources of 
 three of the grandest river systems on the globe. Ly- 
 ing midway between the Arctic circle and the Tropic 
 of Cancer, and midway between the Atlantic and the 
 Pacific, it occupies a considerable portion of the 
 central plateau of that immense interior basin be- 
 tween the Appalachians on the east and the 
 Rocky mountains on the west, and stretches all the 
 way from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic ocean. 
 Here the Mississippi takes its rise within sight of 
 springs that flow into the Great Lakes and issue at 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence; while further west in 
 the same state, at the low divide between Lakes Big 
 Stone and Traverse, the falling rain on this side 
 descends into the sunny gulf, and on that into the 
 upper urns of Hudson bay." 
 
 The same striking fact, together with its tre- 
 mendous importance as touching the future of the 
 state, was noticed as far back as 1867 by a writer 
 in the "New York Evening Post" (quoted in the 
 "Home Missionary" of that year, p. 173 et sup.}, 
 which displays a prescience well nigh startling. 
 He says: "There is a remarkable peculiarity in 
 the local position of Minnesota with reference to 
 the future commerce of the world. The steam 
 navigation of the two great internal channels of 
 the continent, the Mississippi, and the St. Law- 
 rence with the Great Lakes, terminates in Minne- 
 sota and there meets the Northern Pacific railroad
 
 MINNESOTA 19 
 
 from Puget Sound, the shortest thoroughfare be- 
 tween Europe and Asia. When that road is com- 
 pleted the whole trade of the water lines will break 
 bulk in this neighborhood and make the state the 
 entrepot and the point of distribution for a com- 
 merce whose extent cannot now be calculated. To 
 be, as a missionary, Rev. Mr. Wheelock, has ex- 
 pressed it, 'the toll-gate of this vast trade, the focus 
 of distribution through all her radiating lines of 
 railroad and navigation, to the east and west, to 
 the north and south, for the incalculable commerce 
 which a Pacific railway will pour into her lap; to 
 enthrone her at the great Parting of the Waters as 
 the central market of exchange for the confluent 
 treasures of Europe and Asia and America,' such 
 is the sublime destiny which develops itself for the 
 future of this young state, as the crowning conse- 
 quence and logical consummation of existing facts 
 and tendencies in the physical and commercial world. 
 Such a trade centering in a state so productive by 
 nature, and so admirably constituted by its popu- 
 lation to improve its advantages and to appropriate 
 its results, cannot but make it the abode of the 
 highest civilization that can be produced by the com- 
 bined influence of health, wealth, intelligence, en- 
 terprise, and the Christian religion. It is of no small 
 importance in estimating the advantages of Minne- 
 sota to look at it as the stepping stone to the great 
 'Fertile Belt,' now British territory, the valley of 
 the Saskatchewan. We naturally look at Minnesota
 
 20 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 as an outside state, but in the future it is to be the 
 center of a vast population spreading out to the 
 northwest for hundreds of miles, whose chief avenue 
 of communication with the rest of the world leads 
 through this state. Professor Hind tells us that the 
 mean breadth of the basin of the Winnipeg is about 
 380 miles, and its mean length about 920, giving 
 thus an area approximating to 360,000 square miles. 
 The belt of the Saskatchewan is a remarkable 
 stretch of rich soil and pasturage of about 40,000,- 
 ooo acres, capable, says Lord Selkirk, of affording 
 means of sustenance to more than 30,000,000 British 
 subjects. The ingress and egress of this region are 
 through Minnesota, its trade will center in Minne- 
 sota, and Minnesota is now filling up with a popu- 
 lation peculiarly fitted to make it a mother of na- 
 tions for the great New World." 
 
 More than thirty years ago J. T. Trowbridge 
 wrote in the "Atlantic Monthly" (Vol. 25, p. 605, 
 et sup.) : "The head of Lake Superior is equidis- 
 tant from Boston, New Orleans, and the sources 
 of the Saskatchewan towards which the course of 
 empire is fast taking its way. Not far from this 
 geographical center we may look, with Mr. Seward, 
 for the 'ultimate political center of America,' and it 
 will not be many years before the frontier state of 
 Minnesota will wake up and find herself in the heart 
 of the Union." And the year preceding, Burdett 
 Hart had written in the "New Englander" : "Nature 
 with infallible finger points to this [Northern Pa-
 
 MINNESOTA 21 
 
 cific] railroad as the one highway across the conti- 
 nent. Note the belt of lakes projected half way 
 across, the natural and inevitable path of commerce 
 and trade, inviting fleets from every part of Europe, 
 and from the hither Atlantic, to carry the products 
 of all industry into the heart of a vast and populous 
 region. The Northern Pacific starts at the very 
 western outpush of all the lakes, at the point where 
 Superior, like a wedge, drives farthest into the con- 
 tinental mass. Passing inward we come to a pe- 
 culiar water system : the Mississippi, the Red River 
 of the North, the Columbia, and the Missouri. The 
 Mississippi to the south, the Red, starting at the 
 same point, directly north 575 miles to Lake Winni- 
 peg, which is 250 miles long, and at its foot at right 
 angles the Assiniboine, 200 miles, and at its head 
 the Sasketchewan navigable its whole length. By 
 this route it is nearly 1,000 miles less between New 
 York and Shanghai." 
 
 To-day, after fifty years of development, almost 
 every word of all these glowing prophecies and an- 
 ticipations has actually come to pass, while much 
 also can be repeated with substantial enlargement. 
 These writers never dreamed of what Minnesota's 
 ore product was destined to become, the abundance 
 and variety of her cereals, or the extent of her rail- 
 way development. And, certainly, an institution of 
 learning planted in such a highly favored region, 
 constituting a worthy factor in the fashioning of
 
 22 
 
 the best things, cannot but have an important mis- 
 sion. 
 
 Physical Features. Unlike most of its neigh- 
 bor states, Minnesota is not chiefly an immense tree- 
 less expanse, but instead, to its 32,000 square miles 
 of prairie are joined 52,000 square miles of timber. 
 The vast pine forests which cover most of the north- 
 ern half have been one of the chief sources of wealth. 
 The Big Woods take rank among the most unique 
 features, extending north and south through the 
 south-central portion, originally some three hundred 
 miles in length by twenty to thirty miles in width, 
 or covering about 5,000 square miles. Besides, a 
 charming park region stretches along the line of the 
 Northern Pacific, while even the prairies are in many 
 quarters dotted with multitudinous groves. For 
 the most part the surface is diversified, alternating 
 between rolling and hilly, and the soil is mainly of 
 the very best. The whole world now knows that as 
 a wheat-producer, whether for the number of bushels 
 or the quality of the flour, this state stands at the 
 very front, while Minneapolis outdoes all other 
 cities in the number and size of its flouring mills. 
 But as yet all the world does not know that oats, 
 corn, flax, potatoes, as well as all the hardier vege- 
 tables, are produced in rich abundance. Although 
 the season for growth is comparatively brief, yet 
 such are the superb qualities of earth and air that 
 vegetation advances toward maturity by leaps and 
 bounds.
 
 MINNESOTA 23 
 
 This portion of the Northwest is remarkably well 
 watered, not only by rivers and smaller streams, 
 but also to a phenomenal extent by lakes, frequent 
 in well nigh every portion, though massed also in 
 several counties of the north-central portion. The 
 traditional number is a round 10,000, and the best 
 authorities put the total as high as 7,000. In size 
 they range from the Lake of the Woods with 612 
 square miles of surface, Red with 342, Rainy with 
 146, Winnibigoshish 78, to several hundreds which 
 scarcely rise above the dignity of ponds. The areas 
 of all combined form a total of 4,160 square miles. 
 Their waters are pure and well stocked with fish. So 
 abundant was water found to be wherever he went 
 that the explorer Nicolet could hit upon no name 
 so appropriate for the entire territory as Fouque's 
 immortal water-spirit, Undine.* 
 
 The climate of Minnesota constitutes one of its 
 most characteristic and most valuable features, 
 though, on account of the high latitude, it is often 
 thought of as approaching inconveniently near to 
 the arctic quality. Abundant experience, however, 
 proves this to be a gross misapprehension, an infer- 
 ence not at all justified by the facts in the case. It 
 is true that the 46th parallel divides the state into 
 nearly equal portions, which is about the latitude of 
 Montreal; while in distance from the equator, St. 
 
 * Rev. Myron A. Munson, in a published historical sermon, 
 gives the original Indian name of the region, as indicative of 
 the great multitude of lakes, as Mi-ni-so-ta, The-land-of-sky- 
 tinted-water.
 
 24 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Paul is not far from the same as Bangor, Me., or 
 Montpelier, Vt. But, by a beneficent ordering of 
 nature, to the west of the Great Lakes the isothermal 
 lines make such a prodigious sweep to the north 
 that St. Paul actually has the average temperature 
 of Chicago, Cleveland, New York City, and Boston. 
 The summer temperature is* that of Philadelphia. 
 The mercury may rise high during the day, though 
 the nights are quite certain to be cool and refresh- 
 ing. The spring temperature is that of northern 
 Illinois, northern Ohio, or central Pennsylvania; 
 while the average for the year is that of central Wis- 
 consin, central New York, southern New Hamp- 
 shire and southern Maine. And yet, as late as the 
 thirties of the last century, the learned officers of 
 the government exploring expedition gravely de- 
 clared Minnesota to be "uninhabitable save for In- 
 dians and herds, and to be unproductive except for 
 a few of the hardiest cereal crops!" And as late 
 as the seventies, when a certain clergyman was about 
 to exchange a Missouri pastorate for one in this 
 hyperborean and utterly forlorn region, a sympa- 
 thetic saint, saying good-bye with eyes full of tears, 
 straining faith well nigh beyond reason, exclaimed : 
 "I trust that a kind Providence will protect your 
 little ones from the cold !" Nor must another not- 
 able compensation be omitted. Its high latitude 
 gives to Minnesota longer days in summer. Dur- 
 ing the growing season therefore, as the learned 
 tell us, there are upwards of two hours more of sun-
 
 MINNESOTA 25 
 
 light here than in regions farther south, say in the 
 latitude of Cincinnati. This fact, combined with 
 the usually abundant rain-fall in the early summer, 
 goes far to account for the surprisingly rapid growth 
 and speedy ripening visible everywhere in the vege- 
 table world. It is noticeable that frosts are no earlier 
 nor more destructive in this state than in Iowa. 
 And finally, a peculiar quality of the soil helps won- 
 drously in the same direction. Seed time comes 
 earlier than in many regions lying much further 
 south, and because it is not at all necessary to wait 
 until the frost is all out and the ground is settled be- 
 fore the seed may be sown. So soon as a few inches 
 of the surface has thawed, that is, so soon as the 
 harrow or drill can do their part, sowing may safely, 
 begin; and this though a foot or more of soil be- 
 low is frozen solid. Let one in early June journey 
 from the Twin Cities southward three hundred 
 miles or more, and he will perceive no great differ- 
 ence in the stage of vegetable growth.* 
 
 *Nature has made the entrance from the Gulf more than the 
 portal of a single basin. The south winds which are swept in 
 from its tropical waters, uniting with other currents drawn 
 thither from regions bordering on the Pacific, course north- 
 ward together to be precipitated at the sources of the Missis- 
 sippi, Saskatchewan, and Mackenzie rivers. Thence passing 
 up those boreal valleys, reinforced by the ch'inooks from the 
 North Pacific, they make the soil fairly tillable almost to the 
 Arctic circle, and agriculture profitable as far north as the 
 62 of latitude. There is another natural cause of the culti- 
 vable power of these high latitudes in the average altitude of 
 the land, as shown in the 8,000 feet of elevation where the Union 
 Pacific railroad runs, and the 4,000 on the line of the Canadian 
 Pacific. It has been computed that the depression of altitude 
 from Wyoming to the Mackenzie river would counteract
 
 26 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 The strange absence of malaria and general salub- 
 rity of the climate were noticed early, when as yet 
 the sanitary excellences of Colorado, California and 
 Florida were altogether unknown. In particular, 
 pulmonary diseases are not indigenous, and if con- 
 sumption at an early stage is taken in hand by re- 
 moval to this trans-Mississippi Northwest, the 
 abundant sunshine and dry atmosphere are next to 
 certain to bring healing. A large percentage of the 
 early settlers were attracted to Minnesota by its 
 fame as a health-restorer. Said a writer in the 
 "New Englander" as early as 1859 : "That state is 
 already an asylum for invalids from all parts of 
 the land. The dry bracing air has proved pecu- 
 liarly remedial. Many have found there the boon 
 of health, from the Yankee who left the damp sea- 
 board with a cough, to the Hoosier who came 'to 
 git shet of the ager.' A speaker at a railroad meet- 
 ing, who was exalting the climate of Minnesota, 
 declared among other things, that it was 'a tri- 
 umphant vindication of all pulmonary diseases !' ' 
 After Carleton was planted, Rev. A. K. Packard, 
 of Anoka, wrote in the "Home Missionary" : "The 
 climate must draw many students from the East, 
 
 climatically a northing of thirteen degrees. Furthermore, the 
 greater length of sunlight everywhere characteristic of high 
 latitudes conduces at least to the rapidity of botanic develop- 
 ment. All these causes put spring on the Peace river ahead 
 of that season on the Minnesota, and the ice in the river at 
 Fort Snelling, near St. Paul, is said to break up simultan- 
 eously with that at Fort Vermilion in Athabasca. Winsor's 
 " Mississippi Basin," pp. 7-8.
 
 MINNESOTA - 27 
 
 especially those with consumptive tendencies. 
 Christian parents, who wish to secure most favor*- 
 able moral and religious influences for their sons 
 and daughters, together with the advantages of our 
 climate, cannot do better than send them to this ris- 
 ing institution." 
 
 Exploration. The honor of first making this 
 favored region known to the civilized world is to 
 be divided between two Frenchmen : Father Henne- 
 pin, a Franciscan missionary, who in 1680 ascended 
 the Mississippi from the mouth of the Illinois as 
 far as St. Anthony's Falls (to whom also this cata- 
 ract owes its name), and later published an ac- 
 count of what he saw ; and, after remaining for sev- 
 eral months in these parts, was met by Du Luth, an 
 adventurous courier des bois, who had just crossed 
 the wilderness from the head of Lake Superior. 
 These were followed in 1684 by Perrot, entering 
 by way of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, and upon 
 Lake Pepin establishing the first trading post; and 
 by Le Sueur, who in 1695 established a second trad- 
 ing post between this lake and the mouth of the St. 
 Croix, and a third, five years later, upon the Blue 
 Earth, within the limits of the county which now 
 bears his name. Other missionaries and traders 
 came after these, but their achievements possess 
 slight historical significance. The former presence 
 of Frenchmen in Minnesota is abundantly recalled 
 and perpetuated by scores of such proper names as 
 these : Duluth, Faribault, Hennepin, Lac qui Parle,
 
 28 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Le Sueur, Mille Lacs, Pomme de Terre, St. An- 
 thony, St. Cloud, St. Croix, St. Louis, St. Paul and 
 St. Peter. 
 
 The first of Anglo-Saxons to touch the soil of the 
 state was Jonathan Carver, a Connecticut Yankee, 
 who, soon after the fall of Quebec and the transfer 
 of the Mississippi valley from French to British 
 dominion, determined to visit the new possessions, 
 and in 1766-68 journeyed back and forth through 
 this remote Northwest, spending a winter not far 
 from the present site of New Ulm. Carver county 
 fittingly keeps his memory green. This is the dis- 
 cerning judgment which he put on record: "It is 
 a country which promises in some future period to 
 be an inexhaustible source of riches to that people 
 who shall be so fortunate as to possess it." As one 
 of the results of the Revolution, by the treaty of 
 1783 that portion of Minnesota lying to the east of 
 the Mississippi became American soil, while the 
 residue continued to be Spanish, or French, until 
 the purchase of Louisiana in 1803. And then, 
 almost at once, not only was the memorable expe- 
 dition of Lewis and Clark dispatched to the sources 
 of the Missouri and across the Rockies to the mouth 
 of the Columbia, but General Pike was also ordered 
 to explore the Upper Mississippi, and while in that 
 region he secured from the Sioux a liberal grant 
 of land at the junction of this stream with the 
 Minnesota (or St. Peter's, as it was formerly called). 
 Here a body of soldiers was located in 1819, to over-
 
 MINNESOTA 29 
 
 awe the Indians and punish murders of traders, 
 trappers, etc., and a few years later, Fort Snelling 
 came into being. Other important explorations 
 were made by General Long, 1819-24, by Nicollet 
 about the sources of the Father of Waters in 1836, 
 and by far the most extended of all, by Schoolcraft 
 in the two decades, 1820-40. His work proved most 
 timely also, for the beginning of civilized settle- 
 ment was near at hand. Immigrants had begun 
 to pour into Illinois and Wisconsin upon the east, 
 and also into Iowa upon the south, and would soon 
 be clamoring for admission into the regions beyond, 
 which as yet were wholly in savage hands. 
 
 It is well worth while to pause for a moment at 
 this point to take note of a veritable curiosity of his- 
 tory, a phenomenon well nigh unparalleled (at least 
 in the New World) in the way of frequent change of 
 ownership, or jurisdiction. From time immemorial 
 the aboriginal inhabitants had been in actual pos- 
 session in all these parts, though by the hazy "right 
 of discovery" in modern times Spain had laid claim 
 to dominion. Next, after La Salle's famous descent 
 of the Mississippi, France insisted that the entire 
 vast expanse lying upon either bank of that stream 
 belonged of right to her, and proceeded to occupy 
 the same. But, alas for her, by Wolfe's momentous 
 victory on the Plains of Abraham, whatever be- 
 tween the Appalachians and the Great River had 
 been French was at once transformed into British 
 territory; while all rights to the soil the defeated
 
 30 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 party had possessed beyond that stream were signed 
 over to Spain. And finally, as a magnificent part of 
 the outcome of the surrender at Yorktown, and 
 after an aggravatingly brief holding of the coveted 
 prize (only a paltry twenty years), the United 
 States entered into the priceless inheritance. But, 
 behold! the bulk of this same roomy domain had 
 long since by solemn charter been deeded to Vir- 
 ginia Colony by King James I., for by that instru- 
 ment her limits were made to extend westward and 
 northwestward even to the Pacific ("South Sea"), 
 and thus embraced nearly one-half of the entire con- 
 tinent! Therefore, when that colony was consider- 
 ing the question of becoming a state in the Union, 
 she manifested a strong determination to maintain 
 her legal rights and to hold her own against all 
 comers. But unfortunately for her, no less than 
 three other states were in possession of similar docu- 
 ments, all bearing the seal royal, and giving to each 
 right and title to at least a portion of the same ter- 
 ritory, since the same South Sea was named as 
 fixing their limits towards the setting sun. How- 
 ever, Connecticut's claim lay too far south to apply 
 to Minnesota soil; but Massachusetts and New 
 York joined with the Old Dominion in insisting 
 upon a division of the tract in dispute ; and finally, 
 after months of bitter debate and wrangling in Con- 
 gress, which for a time even seriously threatened to 
 nullify the attempt to "form a more perfect union," 
 mollified one and all by certain liberal reservations
 
 MINNESOTA 31 
 
 of soil, these claims were surrendered, the Federal 
 government was acknowledged sole owner and ad- 
 ministrator, and the Northwest Territory was set 
 up, including a portion of Minnesota. But ques- 
 tions of jurisdiction were by no means yet all set- 
 tled. For when Ohio attained to statehood and In- 
 diana Territory was constituted, the courts of the 
 latter bore sway to the Mississippi and to the Do- 
 minion of Canada, a fraction of Minnesota being 
 therefore included; while later for Indiana judicial 
 authority, that of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin 
 in succession was substituted. So much for the 
 fraction of the state lying to the east of the Mis- 
 sissippi, but the bulk of the acreage is beyond, 
 and this had remained Spanish until transferred by 
 a trade to Napoleon, and destined soon after by pur- 
 chase to become American. When Louisiana be- 
 came a state, Missouri included everything to the 
 British line, as also Iowa did at a later time, until 
 finally Minnesota attained to a name and to an in- 
 dependent existence. If now we count up all these 
 transfers of jurisdiction, we shall find that they 
 number no less than thirteen before the transmigra- 
 tion is complete. 
 
 Beginning of Settlement. For unknown centuries 
 the aborigines had found in these parts a fine field 
 for hunting, and fishing, and fighting, which latter 
 occupation was well nigh constant, especially be- 
 tween the Sioux and the Ojibways. But these sav- 
 ages, like all their kind farther east, were soon to be
 
 32 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 compelled to vacate and make way for Anglo-Saxon 
 civilization. However, their former presence is 
 properly kept in mind by numbers of such really 
 euphonious names as these, beginning with that of 
 the state itself: Anoka, Itasca, Kandiyohi, Man- 
 kato, Minnehaha, Minnetonka, Shakopee, Wabasha, 
 Waseca, Watonwan, Winona ; and such as these by 
 translation, Big Stone, Crow Wing, Otter Tail, and 
 Yellow Medicine. 
 
 Through all the early decades of the last century 
 this wilderness was altogether too remote and in- 
 accessible for invasion by home-seekers. But by 
 the thirties settlers by the ten thousand had begun 
 to pour into Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, thus 
 approaching Minnesota simultaneously from two 
 sides. Also, in the very nick of time, upon the 
 lakes and the river the steamboat had made its 
 advent to facilitate this influx of population. As 
 far back as 1812, by the agent of Lord Selkirk, a 
 number of families had been brought from Switzer- 
 land and located on the Red River of the North, 
 though a decade or more later a portion, dissatisfied 
 with their surroundings, had removed to the 
 neighborhood of Fort Snelling. Christian mission- 
 aries were the next to come, the Pond brothers lead- 
 ing the way and locating on Lake Harriet; with 
 Riggs, Williamson and others soon following, to 
 open stations on Lake Pepin, and on the Minnesota 
 as far up as Yellow Medicine; also, S. G. Wright
 
 MINNESOTA 33 
 
 and a company from Oberlin to plant the Cross 
 far to the north upon Leech lake. 
 
 By this time the fame of the vast pine forests of 
 this region had spread southward to the prairie 
 states where lumber was so inconveniently scarce 
 which also were so easily reached by the Missis- 
 sippi and its upper tributaries. As early as 1837 the 
 government procured, by cession from its Ojibway 
 possessors, the valley of the St. Croix, as well as all 
 the region lying betwen that stream and the Mis- 
 sissippi ; nor were lumbermen long in improving the 
 opportunity to commence vigorous operations 
 therein, with an agricultural population also enter- 
 ing soon to till the soil and lay the foundations for 
 homes. By 1845 tne number of steamboats ascend- 
 ing annually from Galena had reached a dozen, 
 and three years later had increased to 150. 
 
 The date now reached constitutes an epoch, since 
 it was in 1849 tnat by act of Congress, Minnesota 
 Territory was launched into history, endowed, too, 
 with such generous proportions as to extend to the 
 Missouri, and to include some 200,000 square miles. 
 Alexander Ramsay (until recently living in St. 
 Paul and held in high honor), was appointed gov- 
 ernor, and the capital was fixed at St. Paul. The 
 entire population of the territory did not much ex- 
 ceed 4,000, located mainly at a few widely scat- 
 tered points, and composed of a mixed multitude of 
 whites and half-breeds. Stillwater, upon the St. 
 Croix, was the real metropolis, boasting as it did
 
 34 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 of divers sawmills and two hotels. As for the 
 capital, a few traders had located there in 1838, 
 and three years later a Jesuit father had built a 
 log chapel and dedicated it to the great Apostle to 
 the Gentiles, though for a season the locality was 
 to the profane familiarly known as " Pig's Eye." 
 When the decade was half gone only three families 
 were as yet in residence, but by June of 1849 no 
 less than 600 buildings had been erected, including 
 10 stores, 3 hotels, 2 printing offices, and a school- 
 house. However, one of the pioneers of the natal 
 year records that " you cannot walk out but you 
 meet some Dakota with his pipe and blanket." It 
 must be remembered that up to this date all the 
 settlements were located to the east of the Missis- 
 sippi, while beyond the Indians were in full and 
 undisputed possession. 
 
 While these feeble beginnings were being made 
 in Minnesota, what was going on in the land at 
 large? In 1842 Fremont had traversed the South 
 Pass, and Dr. Marcus Whitman made his famous 
 ride across the Continent to Washington, and the 
 year following led 1,000 emigrants across the plains 
 and mountains to Oregon. In 1846 the Mexican 
 war began. In 1847 tne Mormons crossed the Great 
 Plains to Salt Lake. In 1849 began the wild rush 
 to California in eager quest for gold.
 
 CHAELES SECCOMBE.
 
 THE FIFTIES 
 
 CHAPTER 1 1. 
 
 THE FIFTIES. 
 
 The Period of Beginnings. 
 
 It will be profitable in many ways to divide the 
 story of Carleton college into periods of ten years 
 each, and also in each chapter to connect the de- 
 velopment of the institution with important move- 
 ments in progress in the land at large, in the state, 
 in the Congregational churches of the state, and 
 in the community which supplies its local habita- 
 tion. And, although no actual beginning for the 
 school was made until the sixties were well advanced, 
 yet, since the real foundations were put in place dur- 
 ing the decade preceding, some of its more signifi- 
 cant and pertinent happenings may well first pass 
 under view. 
 
 In the Land at Large. The wild craze for gold 
 was everywhere and reached its climax, accompanied 
 by a wholesale migration to California overland, 
 across the Isthmus, around Cape Horn, with the 
 Pike's Peak excitement added during the closing 
 years. The tide of emigration to the prairie region 
 was rapidly swelling, and to the Great Plains 
 ("Great American Desert") beyond, even to re- 
 motest Oregon, greatly facilitated and increased by 
 the astounding development of the railway system.'
 
 36 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 By wondrous leaps and bounds Chicago was 
 advancing to the estate of a metropolis ; the locomo- 
 tive joining her to the Atlantic seaboard in 1853, 
 and not long after reaching the Mississippi and 
 the Missouri. Wisconsin to the east of Minnesota 
 had but recently attained statehood, likewise Iowa 
 to the south; yes, and Oregon, with California 
 following during the first year of the decade under 
 view. Let these pregnant phrases stand for the 
 situation in realms political and moral : The Repeal 
 of the Missouri Compromise; the passage of the 
 Fugitive Slave Bill; the Dred Scott Decision; the 
 Kansas Struggle; the formation of the Republican 
 Party ; the appearance of Uncle Tom's Cabin ; John 
 Brown's Raid; the enactment of the Maine Law. 
 Those were indeed stirring days; times that tried 
 men's souls. 
 
 In Minnesota. Coming now to the region espe- 
 cially under view ; for several years and increasingly, 
 the surging tide of emigration had been beating 
 impetuously against all barriers to farther advance. 
 It was in response to this pressure that Congress 
 had framed a territorial government for Minnesota. 
 But for three years longer settlers were strictly 
 forbidden to pass beyond the Mississippi, and thus 
 were altogether excluded from the bulk of the 
 Canaan of their dreams and longings. In 1852, 
 however, a treaty was negotiated with the savage 
 possessors, whereby, for value received, they con- 
 sented to retire at once to the upper waters of the
 
 THE FIFTIES 37 
 
 Minnesota river, and to cede their claims to every- 
 thing as far as the Missouri. Thus was this coveted 
 and roomy domain thrown open to all who desired 
 to enter; and at once a great host, the eager settlers 
 began to pour in, naturally first of all occupying 
 the southeastern portion. It was noticed then, as 
 often afterwards, that the pioneers to an almost 
 unprecedented extent were from New England, or 
 at least were of pure Yankee stock, the latitude 
 being favorable, and the wealth of the extensive 
 pineries possessing peculiar attractions, especially 
 for the men of Maine. It was this fact, this phe- 
 nomenon, that very soon and from that day to 
 this kindled and kept alive in the breasts of Con- 
 gregationalists all the land over a profound interest 
 in matters pertaining to Minnesota. 
 
 As indicating the sterling character of the early 
 settlers of the region, we quote from Dr. J. B. 
 Clark's " Leavening of the Nation." Of the first 
 territorial legislature he says : " Four of its mem- 
 bers were from Canada, two from Maine, three from 
 Vermont, one from New Hampshire, two from 
 Connecticut, three from New York, two from Penn- 
 sylvania, two from Michigan, one each from New 
 Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Ohio, and Missouri, 
 twenty-four in all and two-thirds of them from 
 New England or the Middle West. With 
 no personal knowledge whatever of these early 
 legislators, it would be safe to assume that a body 
 thus derived might be trusted to deal intelligently
 
 38 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 with all questions of public interest. Furthermore, 
 the young territory appears to have been equally 
 fortunate in its first governor. The opening note 
 of his inaugural message is an appeal for a strin- 
 gent temperance law, accompanied with some plain 
 words upon "the disreputable and demoralizing 
 business of liquor selling." It was a brave and 
 timely note, and without discounting in the least 
 the sincerity of Governor Ramsey, we may presume 
 that his message reflected the sentiment of the 
 majority of the people. The entire document, clos- 
 ing with an appeal for " liberty and law, religion 
 and education," was the prophecy of a Christian 
 commonwealth, a prophecy amply fulfilled, and af- 
 fording the best evidence that the Puritan spirit, 
 in its migration to the Mississippi and beyond, had 
 lost none of its early virility. * * * Within 
 a few months of territorial organization, we find 
 further proof of the enlightened spirit of the govern- 
 ment in their report on education. " Virtue and 
 intelligence," it declares, " are the only pillars on 
 which republican governments can safely rest." 
 " Man should be educated for eternity." " Morality 
 and religion should be regarded as the most essen- 
 tial elements of education and should hold their 
 due prominence in every institution of learning. 
 The sublime truths and precepts of Christianity 
 should be impressed, urged and clearly explained, as 
 presented in the Bible, and as taught and illustrated 
 by its Divine Author; and bigotry, fanaticism and
 
 THE FIFTIES 39 
 
 narrow-minded sectarian prejudice be forever ex- 
 cluded from every temple of knowledge, and con- 
 signed to that dark oblivion to which the progress 
 of light and knowledge are hastening them." 
 
 " We beg the reader to note," Dr. Clark con- 
 tinues, " this is not an extract from some preacher's 
 Sabbath morning sermon, but is taken from a legis- 
 lative report of Minnesota's committee on educa- 
 tion. Thus far we have failed to discover any 
 other utterance of its kind so complete and un- 
 equivocal, and so clearly demonstrating that the 
 early spirit of New England, which was the effort 
 of Home Missions to plant in New York, and the 
 Northwest Territory, had taken root in the public 
 life of the newer West, and was propagating itself 
 now beyond the river and onward towards the 
 Pacific." 
 
 It happened that just then a most extraordinary 
 business boom was on throughout the entire country, 
 and perhaps nowhere was the excitement more in- 
 tense than in this, the latest Eden to be discovered. 
 Almost without number claims were located for 
 farms, for village sites, for great cities-to-be. Not 
 only was the soil exceedingly fertile, but here also 
 was Nature's boundless sanitarium, a matchless 
 health-resort where the world's consumptives, and 
 hapless invalids of every kind, might secure restor- 
 ation to health and vigor. But ominously, it soon 
 appeared that but a small fraction of the in-comers 
 were proposing to resort to agriculture to secure
 
 40 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 a livelihood; or to any other kind of useful toil; 
 but speculation in real estate was the ruling form 
 of activity. Breadstuffs were almost wholly im- 
 ported as yet, though this perhaps in part because 
 of the impression that grains and vegetables could 
 scarcely be grown so far towards the Arctic circle. 
 As late as 1854 it was ascertained that only 15,000 
 acres were under cultivation. Railroad schemes 
 preposterous both for number and magnitude were 
 launched ; the legislature also encouraging the wild- 
 est of them all by issuing bonds for their benefit. 
 As a significant sign of the times, the number of 
 steamboats arriving at St. Paul in 1850 was but 
 104, had only advanced to 200 three years later; 
 but in 1857 had swollen to 1,068. At the end of 
 the decade the population had reached the 175,000 
 mark. It is to be noted that it is just now, when 
 all hearts were full to bursting with great hopes 
 and boundless expectations, that schemes for a col- 
 lege begin to appear. 
 
 The insane excitement attending the period of 
 speculation is admirably pictured by Edward Eggle- 
 ston in his " Mystery of Metropolisville," which, 
 though not published until 1873, gives an accurate 
 report of what his eyes beheld, while sojourning for 
 a year as an invalid, within a dozen miles of the 
 present site of Carleton, and a second time not long 
 afterwards. Cannon City was one of the boom 
 towns whose magnitude was mostly upon tongue 
 and paper, and whose birth was followed swiftly
 
 THE FIFTIES 41 
 
 by its decease. Cannon river and lake still sur- 
 vive, while the chief characters of the story are not 
 pure figments of the imagination, but were taken 
 from real life; and the leading incidents also have 
 a solid historic foundation. It was by a curious 
 coincidence that at this time, or in 1855, the " Song 
 of Hiawatha " appeared from the press, to leap at 
 once into a popularity most fervid and next to uni- 
 versal in the literary world. It cannot be doubted 
 that this timely poem did much to lift the infant 
 Minnesota to fame by throwing over it the glamour 
 of poetry and romance in one passage of consider- 
 able length, and especially by the frequent use of 
 certain sweet-sounding proper names, with Minne- 
 haha as easily the chief. From henceforth who is 
 able to separate that charming waterfall from the 
 charming lines which thus introduce it to us ? 
 
 Thus the youthful Hiawatha 
 Said within himself and pondered, 
 Much perplexed by various feelings, 
 Listless, longing, hoping, fearing, 
 Dreaming still of Minnehah'a, 
 Of the lovely Laughing Water, 
 In the land of the Dacotahs. 
 As he journeyed without resting, 
 Till he heard the cataract's laughter, 
 Heard the Falls of Minnehaha, 
 Calling to him through the silence. 
 
 After nine years of inchoate existence under ter- 
 ritorial conditions, statehood was secured in 1858, 
 the original boundaries remaining the same as be-
 
 42 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 fore for four years, when Dakota Territory was 
 formed, covering more than half of what had been 
 Minnesota since 1849. But even before that event 
 occurred, a crushing catastrophe had befallen 
 through the universal financial crash of 1857, which 
 brought general ruin to business of every kind both 
 East and West, but was no doubt felt most keenly 
 upon the frontier, where only the few were pos- 
 sessed of much more than the bare necessaries of 
 life. In particular, every railroad company went 
 into utter and hopeless bankruptcy, was unable to 
 fulfil its contracts, and so forfeited its bonds and 
 charter. An untimely visitation of grasshoppers 
 added much to the general distress, with two sea- 
 sons in succession otherwise unfavorable to crops 
 to lend increase to evil conditions. Just now also 
 the Pike's Peak excitement was at its height, with 
 the Land of Gold upon the Pacific offering seduc- 
 tive inducements, so that thousands of the disheart- 
 ened departed westward. Immigration fell off 
 rapidly and at length well nigh ceased. The times 
 were exceeding hard. As for those who without 
 flinching endured all these sore trials, who of course 
 constituted the bone and sinew of the population, 
 they now turned finally away from all foolish 
 dreams of wealth easily and quickly acquired, and 
 began to lay solid and certain foundations for com- 
 petence, for social, intellectual, and religious pros- 
 perity. 
 
 Beginning of Congregationalism. As prelimin-
 
 THE FIFTIES 43 
 
 ary and explanatory, in order to understand better 
 some of the events to be mentioned farther on, a 
 glance will be taken at the condition of the de- 
 nomination as a whole. And in part for the special 
 reason that the period under view in this chapter 
 witnessed the fruitful beginnings of a radical 
 change in its history. Hitherto there had been no 
 sort of coherence or cooperation among the 
 churches, and because conference of a national char- 
 acter had been wholly lacking. Only local and 
 state gatherings had ever been held, nor were even 
 these everywhere in vogue ; with almost utter absence 
 of esprit de corps as the natural result. But in 1846 
 the western churches had ventured to hold a conven- 
 tion at Michigan City, with such sweetness of fel- 
 lowship and such spiritual profit resulting, that in 
 1852, the Albany Convention followed, whose mem- 
 bership represented the entire Congregational sister- 
 hood of churches in both East and West. It was the 
 year preceding this memorable convocation that the 
 first Congregational church was formed in Minne- 
 sota. The fateful " Plan of Union," dating from 
 1801, designed to adjust the relations of churches 
 bearing the New England stamp with those fash- 
 ioned after the Presbyterian pattern, had been work- 
 ing mischief increasingly for more than a genera- 
 tion ; but by unanimous vote the Albany Convention 
 had counseled and exhorted the churches and min- 
 isters so far as possible to utterly eschew the Plan 
 from henceforth; also, to be true to their funda-
 
 44 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 mental principles, and to do their own work for the 
 Kingdom, in their own way. This same sage coun- 
 sel was commonly followed, though yet for almost 
 two decades the entangling alliance continued with 
 the New School Presbyterians in connection with 
 the operations of the American Home Missionary 
 Society. Minnesota Congregationalism is happy in 
 not having been born until the Plan had at least be- 
 gun to lapse into " innocuous desuetude." 
 
 The Presbyterians were the first of Protestants 
 to occupy Minnesota soil. That is to say, the Amer- 
 ican Home Missionary Society sent two Presby- 
 terian missionaries thither in the summer of 1849, 
 Rev. E. D. Neill, who soon organized a Presby- 
 terian church in St. Paul, and Rev. J. C. Whitney, 
 who a few weeks later gathered a second one in 
 Stillwater. The year following, Mr. Neill com- 
 menced work at St. Anthony, out of which a third 
 Presbyterian church was in due season evolved. 
 With three organizations thus existing, only one 
 additional minister was needed in order to make 
 a presbytery ecclesiastically possible, whereupon one 
 was imported up river from Galena, being tempo- 
 rarily borrowed for this specific purpose. But, lo! 
 just then it occurred that two other missionaries 
 appeared upon the scene, commissioned and sent out 
 by the same society, but both stanch Congrega- 
 tionalists; Rev. Richard Hall* (still living at St. 
 
 * Richard Hall was born August 6, 1817, in New Ipswich, 
 N. H., where he attended an academy under the charge of
 
 THE FIFTIES 45 
 
 Paul and beloved in an honored old age), desig- 
 nated to Point Douglas; and Rev. Charles Sec- 
 combe, with St. Anthony named as his field, where 
 a population of about 600 was found. Essaying to 
 take charge of the church recently organized, he was 
 blandly but emphatically informed by the " pres- 
 bytery " that such a step could by no means be al- 
 lowed unless he would become a member of that 
 judicature, which condition precedent, doughty son 
 of the Pilgrims that he was, he emphatically refused 
 to accept. A Congregational church, as the fitting 
 outcome of the ecclesiastical muddle, was formed in 
 November of 1852*. Within a twelvemonth, under 
 
 Rev. Charles Shedd, subsequently known in the West as 
 "Father Shedd." He graduated at Dartmouth College in 
 1847 and at Union Theological Seminary in 1850. Com- 
 missioned by the American Home Missionary Society as 
 missionary to the territory of Minnesota, he came west im- 
 mediately after his marriage, Aug. 20, 1850, to Miss Mary 
 E. Chapin, who shared all his privations and labors until 
 her death, Jan. 14, 1898. In 1856 he was commissioned by 
 the national society as Superintendent of Missions for Min- 
 nesota and N. W. Wisconsin, serving in this capacity for 
 Minnesota until his 1 resignation in 1874. For some years 
 he sustained official relations to the St. Paul Society of 
 Charities, and by his judicial yet sympathetic spirit made 
 himself very useful. His advanced age and infirmities now 
 forbid active labors. 
 
 * Charles Seccombe was born in Salem, Mass 1 ., June 10, 
 1817; graduated at Dartmouth College 1847, and at Union 
 Theo. Sem'y in 1850. Pastor at St. Anthony Falls, 1850 to 
 1866. Agent for the college, or teacher, 1866 to 1870. Pas- 
 tor in Francestown, N. H., 1871 to 1873 ; Green Island, Neb., 
 1873 to 1881 ; Springfield, So. Dak., 1881 to 1898, and died 
 there Nov. 4, 1000, in the 84th year of his age. He was 
 one of the founders of Yankton College, as he had been of 
 Carleton. His first wife, who died May 28, 1853, was Ann 
 Maria Peabody. April 24, 1854, he married Harriet M. 
 Tolman, of Atkinson, N. H., who died March 29, 1895. Two
 
 46 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 influence from the Society, these two so nearly re- 
 lated bodies concluded to coalesce in a " Plan of 
 Union " church ; which, however, being neither fish, 
 flesh, nor fowl, suited nobody concerned, and there- 
 fore finally, after the passage of another year, by 
 unanimous vote of the members, the policy and 
 name was changed again, and the First Congre- 
 gational Church of St. Anthony came into exist- 
 
 sons, Samuel H. and Charles H., entered the ministry the 
 former being now settled at Weatherford, Okla., and the 
 latter at Waterloo, Iowa. 
 
 "Father Seccombe," as he was called, who with Rev. 
 Richard Hall laid the foundations of Congregationalism in 
 Minnesota, was a New England product, Puritan by in- 
 stinct and training, a firm believer in Christian education, and 
 he entered into the project of a Congregational college in 
 Minnesota with great enthusiasm. His name heads the list 
 of the first trustees appointed for the institution. Though 
 modest and unassuming, he was a man of much native force, 
 of strong convictions and corresponding fearlessness. Hard- 
 ships endured in early life and the rigid economy practiced 
 while working his way through college tempered his will 
 almost to the point of sternness, but he was gentle in spirit, 
 mild in manner and slow to cherish a sense of personal in- 
 jury. His public utterances had the earnest ring of sin- 
 cerity. Rev. Dr. G. S. F. Savage, describing one of his 
 speeches, says : "The question under discussion was one 
 which deeply interested Mr. Seccombe. When he ascended* 
 the platform, his 1 quiet manner hardly arrested attention ; 
 but as he began to speak, his clear statements and impas- 
 sioned eloquence thrilled the audience. His was the speech 
 of the occasion." His intense anti-slavery sentiments were 
 never concealed. With true dramatic art he pictured many 
 scenes of the Civil war, and showed that the church and 
 the schoolhouse had been largely instrumental in bringing 
 victory to the North; and the people of Minnesota were 
 asked to give even out of their poverty, to found a Christian 
 college. Thus was raised the first ten thousand dollars for 
 Carleton College. The house built by Prof. Seccombe for a 
 home still stands on the campus 1 . In its cupola the wife 
 often sought counsel and help in prayer, when the flour 
 barrel was empty, and her husband was absent soliciting 
 money for the infant college.
 
 THE FIFTIES 47 
 
 ence, nowadays known as Minneapolis First, the 
 mother organization in Minnesota. Meantime, Mr. 
 Hall had been able to gather a church at Point 
 Douglas, the second in the territory, but later moved 
 across the St. Croix, and hence within the boun- 
 daries of Wisconsin. 
 
 By this time a choice community was gathering 
 at Excelsior upon Lake Minnetonka, composed 
 originally of Eastern families united in a colony, 
 with Rev. Charles Galpin prominent among them, 
 largely through whose influence a church was organ- 
 ized in 1853, ne a ^ so becoming its pastor. Gradu- 
 ating from Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1844, 
 two years afterwards he was a delegate to the Lon- 
 don meeting of the Evangelical Alliance, and was 
 so charmed with the simple and catholic doctrinal 
 statement upon which that body was based, that 
 he sought to reproduce and perpetuate it in the Ex- 
 celsior organization; calling it also the "Indepen- 
 dent Church." Of this godly man and this excel- 
 lent community we shall hear further in later para- 
 graphs of this chapter, for it was perhaps in his 
 perfervid heart that the idea of a Congregational 
 college for Minnesota was born. The next year 
 but a single addition was made to the sisterhood of 
 churches, at Winona, but three followed in 1855, 
 at Anoka a few miles up the Mississippi from St. 
 Anthony, at Sauk Rapids still further north, and at 
 Butternut Valley, a Welsh body which has since 
 disappeared. The year following, the immigration
 
 48 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 boom being fairly on, added eight to the list, one 
 of them of prime importance to our narrative: 
 Cannon Falls, Faribault, Lake City (later one of 
 the competitors for the location of the college), 
 Monticello, Northfield (not knowing in the least 
 what high honors were in store), Princeton, Sara- 
 toga, and Spring Valley. It was now, under the 
 impulse given by the rapid multiplication of 
 churches, that the Home Missionary Society found 
 it necessary to organize and push its work, and so 
 appointed Richard Hall superintendent; a position 
 held by him for eighteen years. This same eventful 
 year also saw the organization of the State Con- 
 ference (the Kansas state body dates from the same 
 year), though three years before, a Congregational 
 Association, a purely clerical body, had been formed 
 when but six ministers could be mustered, and part 
 of these resident in Wisconsin. At the first meeting 
 of the conference eight churches were represented 
 by eight pastors, three delegates, and Mr. Hall, the 
 superintendent. In 1857 eight more churches came 
 into being, with Austin, Minneapolis Plymouth 
 (now the largest in the state), Owatonna, and 
 Zumbrota among them. But 1858 is easily the ban- 
 ner year (which also saw the climax of the specu- 
 lation boom), since it gave birth to no less than 
 thirteen organizations. St. Paul Plymouth belongs 
 to this group, hostile influence from a certain 
 ecclesiastical quarter having hitherto prevented the 
 institution of a Christian church in the Congrega-
 
 THE FIFTIES 49 
 
 tional way. It was also within the same twelve- 
 month that Minnesota emerged from the period of 
 tutelage and became a sovereign commonwealth. 
 
 Nevertheless, financial collapse was at the door, 
 bringing paralysis to all business enterprises, and 
 producing retrogression in every realm. For a long 
 and dreary period to come, the entire population 
 was wholly engrossed, not in pushing any advance 
 movements, but in merely sustaining such under- 
 takings as, already existing, were in sorest straits 
 and in mortal peril of perishing. Convincing evi- 
 dence of the current embarrassment and confusion 
 appears in the fact that during the last year of the 
 decade only nine churches were added, diminishing 
 to seven in 1860, to one only the next year, actually 
 to zero the next after, and only climbing to one in 
 1863. In all, during the fifties, 47 churches came 
 into existence, with a total membership of 1,446, 
 and an average of less than 30. In every case the 
 congregations were small, the people were generally 
 poor and oppressed with heavy financial burdens; 
 almost every church was yet receiving and requiring 
 missionary aid, and a large majority were either 
 destitute of sanctuaries or else in the midst of the 
 struggle of providing them. But already, be it re- 
 membered, as displaying in part the noble en- 
 thusiasm, the splendid optimism abroad in this new- 
 est Northwest, but even more. the fine intellectual 
 and spiritual quality of at least a portion of the 
 population, for four or five years talk of an institu-
 
 50 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 tion of higher learning had been in the air, and not 
 a little of earnest scheming had been done. To a 
 consideration of these first attempts, in a sense 
 premature and abortive though they were, let us 
 now turn with something of detail. 
 
 Agitation For a College. Coming great events 
 cast their shadows before. There were reformers 
 before the Reformation. While the multitude in 
 Minnesota were in a craze for money-making, by 
 not a few objects far nobler and more spiritual were 
 as eagerly pursued. Burning zeal for the Kingdom 
 was by no means wanting for the speedy planting 
 of all manner of Christian institutions, with schools 
 of every grade among the rest. The pioneers, being 
 mainly of Pilgrim stock, and true to the traditions 
 of New England, deemed the school every whit as 
 essential as the home or the church, and therefore 
 almost at once began to make provision for all 
 three. It is interesting to notice these several hints, 
 or prophecies, of what was certain to occur at the 
 soonest. The first suggestion of a college is con- 
 tained in a statement of Rev. J. R. Barnes, who 
 had recently been financial agent for Marietta col- 
 lege, and whose wife was a pupil of Mary Lyon. 
 As he for substance narrates : In May, 1856, being 
 in Hastings and desirous of reaching Cannon Falls, 
 and by chance meeting Mr. North, the founder of 
 Northfield, he was invited to ride home with him. 
 This was when as yet that destined college town 
 consisted of scarcely more than a site, a name, and
 
 THE FIFTIES 51 
 
 a few rude dwellings. While journeying together, 
 Mr. North mentioned the fact that he had set off 
 sixteen acres which he would donate to any church 
 which would undertake to establish a college upon 
 it. Curiously, it has come out that a portion of the 
 selfsame tract he had in mind is now actually 
 included within the limits of the Carleton campus. 
 Mr. Barnes further informs us that in months suc- 
 ceeding, as he went here and there back and forth, 
 and particularly when he observed Northfield's 
 choice location and the superior quality of its in- 
 habitants, he " repeatedly remarked to others that 
 here was the spot for a college." But, more than 
 this, Zumbrota was founded in the same year by a 
 colony from the East, with the idea of a college as 
 a part of the original plan. Rev. Charles Shedd,* 
 
 * This saintly servant of Christ was born at Ringe, N. H., 
 Oct. 21, 1802, and died of old age at Zumbrota, Minn., May 
 5, 1885. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1826 and 
 was principal of Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, N. H., 
 from 1826 to 1834 and of the academy at New Ips"wich, N. H., 
 from 1834 to 1841, when he went to Campton, N. H., and 
 the next year was ordained pastor of the Congregational 
 church there. In 1857 he removed to Zumbrota where he 
 organized a Congregational church and became its pastor, 
 remaining until 1858, when he removed to Mantorville, 
 Minn., organizing another church of which he was pastor 
 until 1874. Without undertaking another pastorate he did 
 considerable ministerial work, assisted in the organization 
 of churches at Wasioja, Claremont, Hamilton and other 
 places in southern Minnesota, and returned in 1880 to Zum- 
 brota, where he entered into rest at age of 83. "Father 
 Shedd" was a man of thorough scholarship, strong convic- 
 tions and devout spirit, consecrated to his work and always 
 loyal to the truth. He was one of the most useful and hon- 
 ored of all the pioneer ministers of Minnesota.
 
 62 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 who had been for years at the head of a New Hamp- 
 shire academy, coming to be pastor of the church, 
 and bringing with him a zeal for learning, is be- 
 lieved to have been largely the inspiration of his 
 flock with reference to the proposed founding of 
 such a school. Again, it occurred that in August, 
 1858, C. M. Goodsell, a resident of Illinois, wrote 
 to Rev. Richard Hall inquiring if a college had as 
 yet been started in Minnesota, stating that he pro- 
 posed removing thither the next year, and would 
 be glad to locate near such an institution and assist 
 it to the utmost with his means and his influence. 
 Such encouraging statements were received in reply 
 that a removal thither was made in 1859, with 
 Northfield selected as his home. 
 
 Before giving at some length the narrative of a 
 seemingly futile educational attempt at Excelsior, 
 it may be well to pause long enough to suggest that 
 others also, outside of the Congregational fold, 
 were pondering and planning upon similar matters. 
 Thus, as early as February of 1851, and therefore 
 during the territorial regime, Governor Ramsay 
 signed an act incorporating a state university, " to 
 be located near the Falls of St. Anthony"; though 
 the legislature provided neither endowment nor 
 appropriations for its support. However, the No- 
 vember following, recitations commenced, and con- 
 tinued for three years and a half, with an average 
 attendance of some sixty students. In 1854 the 
 regents purchased a portion of the present uni-
 
 THE FIFTIES 53 
 
 versity campus, and two years later the founda- 
 tions were laid for a structure of which the main 
 part was to be four stories above the basement, 
 with two wings of three stories, and a total length 
 of 277 feet. But soon ensued the universal finan- 
 cial crash, with the walls only partly in place, and 
 a consequent scattering of the students, not to be 
 gathered again for the better part of a decade. 
 Meantime the Baptists had been agitating for a bet- 
 terment of educational facilities, had secured a site 
 for a college at Hastings, the corner stone had been 
 laid, and $20,000 had been subscribed. The 
 Methodists had entered into possession of property 
 at Red Wing designed for the same purpose, and 
 valued at $29,000; while the Episcopalians were 
 making beginnings at Faribault, not to mention 
 the enterprise for education displayed by the Pres- 
 byterians and Roman Catholics. But with all these 
 creditable schemes business panic and paralysis 
 played sad havoc where utter ruin was not also 
 wrought. 
 
 Returning now to what is much more nearly re- 
 lated to our theme, a school only taking rank as 
 an academy, though in the desires and planning of 
 its friends destined to develop into a college, was 
 already in existence only a few miles to the west 
 of St. Anthony, planted in what was in some re- 
 spects an ideal locality, and besides, to all appear- 
 ance, exceedingly fortunate in the circumstances of 
 its birth. Almost contemporarily it was written by
 
 54 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Rev. C. B. Sheldon in the " Home Missionary " : 
 " In the winter of 1856-7 a revival of remarkable 
 power was enjoyed in the village of Excelsior and 
 its vicinity. Not a family, and hardly an individual, 
 was left unblessed. In the midst of those hallowed 
 scenes it was conceived that they might do eminent 
 service for Christ and the church by founding 
 an educational institution, which should have for 
 a special end the interests of religion, as well as 
 sound learning. Subscriptions were made and 
 pledges given, which in view of their means and 
 circumstances must be regarded as eminently liberal. 
 Freely had they received, and freely did they wish 
 to give in return." 
 
 The community named was favored with a most 
 beautiful location upon the shores of Lake Minne- 
 tonka; and the early inhabitants, as to both intel- 
 lectual and spiritual qualities, were of a grade ex- 
 ceptionally high. As we saw, it was here that the 
 second Congregational church in the state was 
 formed, with the Rev. Charles Galpin as the de- 
 voted pastor. With the funds secured a good build- 
 ing was erected, Mr. Galpin being the lavish donor 
 of $500, and a school was duly opened. But it soon 
 became evident that sympathy, patronage, and finan- 
 cial support as well, must be sought from outside 
 of Excelsior. What followed in the way of effort 
 to gain ecclesiastical countenance and cooperation, 
 we gather from the report of a certain commit- 
 tee made to the State Conference (the body which
 
 THE FIFTIES 55 
 
 since 1881 has been known as the State Associa- 
 tion), still in existence in manuscript, bearing no 
 date, but from abundant evidence belonging to 
 1859, from which these two lengthy quotations are 
 made: 
 
 " At the meeting of the General Association of 
 Minnesota (which we are to remember was a purely 
 ministerial body, formed in 1853, the conference 
 of churches having no existence until three years 
 later), held at River Falls, Wisconsin, in April, 
 1857, the brethren made a statement of what they 
 had done and of what they wished to accomplish, 
 and succeeded in securing the approval and sanc- 
 tion of the association for their attempt to build 
 up there a Congregational college; and also the ap- 
 pointment of a board of trustees to manage the 
 interests of the embryo institution. In the spring 
 of the next year the meeting of the association 
 was held at Excelsior, when it was ascertained 
 that a charter had been secured from the legislature, 
 a neat building had been erected suitable for a 
 preparatory department and one or two terms of a 
 seject, or high school, had been held. During the 
 session it was concluded that as, whatever might 
 be their name, they were in fact likely to be only 
 the Association of Northern Minnesota and not of 
 the whole state (the gift of statehood was be- 
 stowed this very year), and could not in any case 
 have authority to act for the churches, it would 
 be better to transfer the patronage of the
 
 56 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 institution to the conference, if that body should 
 be ready to receive it. Accordingly this request 
 was duly presented to the conference which met 
 in Faribault in October, 1858. The committee to 
 which its consideration was assigned, in their re- 
 port, while highly commending the benevolence 
 and zeal of the brethren at Excelsior, and ex- 
 pressing the hope that they would go on and give 
 to their institution as high a character as possible, 
 yet stated it as their judgment that the conference 
 was not then prepared to comply with the request 
 to adopt it. Therefore the whole subject was re- 
 ferred to a new committee to report, as they are 
 now doing." 
 
 This second committee consisted of Revs. 
 Lauren Armsby, J. R. Barnes and David Andrews, 
 who in the autumn of the year following reported 
 that they had carefully considered these four ques- 
 tions : " Ought we to have a denominational col- 
 lege? If so, should the foundations be laid at 
 once? Had we better adopt the institution at Ex- 
 celsior? Should the college be taken under the 
 patronage of this conference, and so this body 
 appoint the trustees ? " Feeling themselves incom- 
 petent to answer such weighty questions, they had 
 written to a number of eminent scholars and edu- 
 cators outside the state, among whom were Rev. 
 Drs. H. Humphrey and John Todd, Pittsfield, 
 Massachusetts; Joseph Haven, Chicago Theological 
 Seminary; J. M. Sturtevant, Illinois college; and
 
 THE FIFTIES 57 
 
 Jonathan Blanchard, Galesburg, Illinois. From 
 their replies these characteristic quotations may 
 well be made : Deprecating the " impolicy of the 
 times" in establishing too many denominational col- 
 leges, Dr. Humphrey adds : " I would not plant 
 a college too far from a considerable population, 
 * * * but I am decidedly in favor of a pleasant 
 and prosperous village, rather than a large city 
 or large commercial town. Experience, I think, 
 proves that a country location is the best." 
 
 Dr. Todd expressed himself quite vigorously : 
 " I don't like any denominational institutions ex- 
 cept churches, and especially colleges. It seems 
 like putting literature in a straight jacket, a re- 
 ligious jacket, but too tight. I don't believe that 
 if Christ were to found a college there, he would 
 make it denominational. * * * No! No! Ap- 
 point the best men you can get for trustees and 
 make them self -perpetuating, and then let them 
 be under the patronage of God and the public. 
 I would not have any denominational management 
 about it. If it is chartered it doubtless has trus- 
 tees. Is it not then already in their hands? What 
 can the conference do then but baptize the child 
 and give it a name and then go to nursing it? By 
 all means I would have the trustees self -perpetuat- 
 ing. * * * God is never in a hurry and we 
 need not be; only be at the post of duty when 
 wanted. By your account you are already flooded 
 with sectarian colleges and I would not make an-
 
 58 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 other. If I could not have it on a basis broader 
 than any ism I would not have it. I don't sympa- 
 thize with anything sectarian. * * * I write 
 you my honest convictions and if they are not 
 worth much they do not cost you much. I should 
 want a college or educational establishment under 
 strictly Christian teachers and guardians, but I 
 would not have it with sectarianism written on its 
 walls, or have it sustained for the pitiful purpose 
 of serving a denomination. * He that findeth his 
 life shall lose it.' " 
 
 Instructed by such suggestions as were received 
 from such high sources, after pondering long and 
 well, this conclusion was formulated and presented 
 to the brethren : 
 
 " There are colleges enough started already, if 
 they ever become worthy of the name, to educate 
 all who wish to avail themselves of their advantages 
 for fifty years to come" (no doubt alluding to 
 the nearly half-score of "colleges" and "univer- 
 sities " already launched in the state, at least on 
 paper). "But these are not likely to supply our 
 . wants as Congregationalists. We do appear to 
 need a college of our own, or we shall need it 
 before a long time has elapsed. We would like 
 to build up a Congregational college in Minnesota 
 as good as any of those from which we graduated, 
 or even better than they, if that might be. As to 
 the time of beginning to lay the foundations, we 
 can hardly start the movement too early. It can
 
 THE FIFTIES 59 
 
 be only a beginning, and probably only a small 
 one at first; and we wish there were some proper 
 appellation for an infant college, as there is for an 
 infant man. An infant man is a babe, and we ex- 
 pect nothing from him beyond a babe's capacity. 
 It does not seem to be appropriate to give the 
 name of college, or university, to an infant institu- 
 tion of learning. If we were to wait (e. g., as 
 some of the wise men of the East had counseled) 
 until we can build up an amply endowed institu- 
 tion, we should be in our graves before the first 
 step could be taken. As to location, in favor of 
 Excelsior it may be said that a beginning has al- 
 ready been made, a building has been erected, 
 and subscriptions of money and land have been 
 made, the amount of which is not known. The 
 village named has a pleasant site overlooking Lake 
 Minnetonka, a considerable body of water, but is 
 at some distance from any commercial or manu- 
 facturing center, either now existing or prospective. 
 A college would be the chief thing there, which 
 might be very desirable. An infant college needs 
 some competent person whose special business it 
 shall be to take care of it. Rev. Charles Galpin, 
 of Excelsior, takes the deepest interest in 
 the institution. He may be said to have 
 adopted it as his child, and proposes to make it his 
 heir. Excelsior occupies a somewhat central posi- 
 tion in the state. It will probably be as easy of 
 access as any other inland town. It is eight miles
 
 60 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 from steamboat navigation on the Minnesota river, 
 and five or six from a projected railroad. If there- 
 fore we ought to have a college of our own, and 
 a beginning should be made at once, we can prob- 
 ably do no better than adopt the school at Ex- 
 celsior. It is all-important, however, that we should 
 be harmonious in our action. Our strength is 
 small at best, and we must concentrate all of it 
 on our proposed enterprise, if we would have it 
 succeed. The whole subject of location should be 
 thoroughly investigated, and if possible, the place 
 selected should be the one which all will agree is 
 the most desirable. If more light is needed before 
 further action, it will be much better to wait an- 
 other year than to act now prematurely and un- 
 wisely." 
 
 With this well-considered report before the con- 
 ference, that body took the following action, as we 
 learn from the Minutes of 1859: "After con- 
 siderable discussion, at a later session it was Re- 
 solved, That, as the conference is not prepared 
 to decide respecting the institution at Excelsior, 
 the matter of a college be recommitted to the pres- 
 ent standing committee, and it is instructed to re- 
 port to this body at its next annual meeting upon 
 these two points: What is the best location for a 
 college? and, Is the plan of uniting with other 
 denominations in the state university feasible?" 
 From the Minutes of 1860 it appears that, "The 
 committee on education reported that a literary in-
 
 THE FIFTIES 61 
 
 stitution like Amherst is eminently desirable in 
 our state; as much time will be required for its 
 endowment, it should be commenced soon; that 
 the school at Excelsior is a good one of its kind; 
 that it would not be advisable for the conference 
 to take it under its formal patronage; that with a 
 modest name and an attainable end in view it may 
 accomplish a good work." The representatives of 
 the churches appear to have been satisfied that the 
 conclusions of the committee were sound. All the 
 reasons which united to produce this adverse de- 
 cision cannot now be gathered, but perhaps the two 
 which we possess are sufficient. The earlier com- 
 mittee, from whose report such lengthy extracts 
 have been given, suggested that " in the year and 
 a half (since application was first made to the 
 conference), there had been a most remarkable 
 change in the financial condition of the country, 
 which rendered inexpedient the execution of many 
 plans the carrying out of which had been thought 
 exceedingly desirable." The times were indeed 
 unpropitious in the extreme. The crisis and crash 
 were on, also with secession and rebellion following 
 hard after. College-building must needs be post- 
 poned to happier days. Then in addition, Rev. 
 Richard Hall is authority for the statement that 
 " few had confidence in Brother Galpin's qualifi- 
 cations to be financial manager for a college. He 
 was a good man, and wanted to do good, but
 
 62 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 seemed not to be the man to lead such an import- 
 ant enterprise." 
 
 It therefore came to pass that Mr. Galpin and 
 his Excelsior coadjutors were left to carry alone 
 the project which they had launched with the very 
 best of motives and with abundant zeal. Not 
 strangely he felt that his brethren, who at first had 
 bestowed substantial encouragement, had now cast 
 him off. But this child of his heart and brain had 
 become dearer to him than life. Its origin in a 
 work of grace might well have persuaded a man 
 possessed of such intensity and devotion, that to 
 leave it now to perish, would be an act most 
 wicked. He had put his hand so resolutely to the 
 plow that turning back was not for a moment to 
 be thought of. So he toiled resolutely on through 
 all the hard, hard times in store, and hoped on 
 against hope year after year. In order to pro- 
 vide the funds required he exchanged the ministry 
 for dentistry, traveling back and forth all the state 
 over. Let Rev. C. B. Sheldon, his successor in 
 the Excelsior pastorate, tell something of what fol- 
 lowed. In the " Home Missionary " for January, 
 1866, he writes: "I will confine myself to the 
 educational enterprise here, which you may have 
 supposed was extinct. But it is not so. It felt 
 the effects of the war, and no instruction was main- 
 tained during the past year. But now there is a 
 prospect of its being revived. Its existence and 
 support thus far have been chiefly due to the energy
 
 THE FIFTIES 63 
 
 and liberality of Mr. Galpin. When his pastorate 
 ceased, he conceived himself called to the work 
 of founding an institution of learning which should 
 be a blessing not only to this community but to 
 the world. He has kept this end steadily in view, 
 devoting himself to secular employments to get 
 the means. He paid some $500 towards the build- 
 ing, which has been used since 1858, as a school- 
 room and a place 'of worship. He has also paid 
 from $100 to $200 a year towards the support 
 of a teacher. He follows the dentist's calling, and 
 last year providence seemed to smile upon him, so 
 that he felt confident that he can devote from 
 $1,000 to $2,000 annually to his beloved object. A 
 teacher has been secured from New York, and 
 the school is to open the present month. The 
 school had its birth in a revival, and has always 
 been deemed under the care of this church." 
 
 But no, it was not so to be. Mr. Galpin's hopes 
 were doomed to meet with overwhelming failure. 
 The very year in which Mr. Sheldon's letter was 
 written, Carleton College was located at Northfield 
 by vote of the conference, a decision which of 
 course was a coup de grace to the idea of Excelsior 
 ever becoming the seat of an institution of higher 
 learning cared for by the Congregational churches. 
 As later we shall see, Mr. Galpin was on hand 
 when the question of location was settled, and 
 made a long and most fervid appeal for the adop- 
 tion of his enterprise. For several years it dragged
 
 64 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 along with the fates all seemingly against it, but 
 finally, its early friends growing weary of bearing 
 so heavy a burden, the property was sold and the 
 school ceased to be. Mr. Galpin died in 1872, 
 at the age of sixty. 
 
 Northfield and Its Church. In order to fully 
 appreciate the college, it is necessary to know 
 somewhat of the community in the midst of which 
 it is located, and also of the Congregational church, 
 since these were destined to supply a home and 
 nurture for the institution, to surround the students 
 with a healthful social and religious atmosphere, 
 and in many ways most important, to minister to 
 the well-being of both. As for the city, it is located 
 upon a most attractive site, covering both sides of 
 Cannon river, only an hour's ride from the Twin 
 Cities, and about the same distance from the Mis- 
 sissippi. North, east and south stretches away a 
 boundless expanse of rolling prairie nowhere sur- 
 passed for beauty and fertility, while close by upon 
 the west is the border of the " Big Woods," the 
 largest tract of the kind to be found between 
 Michigan and the Rockies. The river at this point 
 forms the boundary between the forest and the 
 prairie, and hence this locality possesses a rare com- 
 bination of productive soil, and timber both for 
 fuel and building purposes. In addition, just here 
 is found a valuable water power, which also at 
 the first supplied the reason for selecting this spot 
 as a center for population and business. North-
 
 THE FIFTIES 65 
 
 field was among the earlier settlements formed 
 after the region was opened for occupation. The 
 first white visitors in these parts made their ap- 
 pearance as far back as the summer of 1853, and 
 in the spring of the next year settlers began to 
 enter and occupy this section of the upper Cannon 
 valley. The acres upon which the city stands were 
 preempted by three men, but the real founder was 
 John W. North, who had emigrated from Utica, 
 New York, in 1855, to locate first at Faribault 
 but, within a twelvemonth, changing his residence, 
 he bought out the original proprietors and pro- 
 ceeded to lay off lots for residences and places 
 of business. Within three months he had erected 
 a dwelling, the first one to rise, a $4,000 saw-mill, 
 and on the opposite side of the stream had com- 
 menced the construction of a flouring mill to cost 
 $10,000. In June arrived Northfield's first mer- 
 chant, Hiram Scriver, to be followed in September 
 by the Skinner brothers to open another store. As 
 we shall see these two names are closely identified 
 with the rise and progress of Carleton College. A 
 number of others soon purchased building sites, 
 and plain residences began to appear on every 
 hand. By vote of the citizens the hamlet began 
 to be called by the name of its founder. During 
 the summer a schoolhouse was built. In 1857 
 Mr. North commenced work upon the "American 
 House"; capacious and three stories high, a veri- 
 table marvel to the plain people of the time, both
 
 66 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 for proportions and elegance. Of course nobody 
 dreamed then of the destiny in store for this hos- 
 telry, that within a few years it would be gazed at 
 with wonder and reverence as " The College," and 
 go down to posterity as " Ladies' Hall ! " 
 
 These facts gleaned from the happenings of the 
 first years are full of significance as well as his- 
 toric interest, and are pertinent besides. This 
 same pioneer and founder was a man overflowing 
 with public spirit and moral earnestness, and was 
 profoundly interested in various questions of re- 
 form, with temperance prominent among them. 
 Thus, while a citizen of Faribault, he had under- 
 taken to make the liquor traffic impossible by pro- 
 hibitive clauses inserted into every title deed; and 
 it was mainly because of his failure at this point, 
 through lack of sympathy and cooperation from 
 his partners, that he decided to dispose of his prop- 
 erty interests there. A second attempt was made 
 in Northfielcl, and though rewarded with success 
 only partial and temporary, it can scarcely be 
 doubted that ever since his courageous and vigor- 
 ous advocacy of strict temperance sentiments, has 
 been a source of benefit to the entire community. 
 His public spirit was displayed in other ways as 
 well. At an early date a lyceum and reading-room 
 were started, with Mr. North among the chief 
 movers and supporters in a building erected for 
 the purpose. Almost the entire community, how- 
 ever, was united in these laudable undertakings, be-
 
 THE FIFTIES 67 
 
 stowing gifts of money, books, papers, and labor of 
 various kinds. Courses of lectures were provided, 
 and for years frequent sociables were held, with 
 the proceeds devoted to payment of expenses. The 
 literary activity and the intellectual vigor thus dis- 
 played, existing among this population from the 
 very first, is to be taken as a distinct prophecy of 
 vastly better things in store ; is even to be considered 
 in part, at least, the efficient cause, of which the 
 location of an institution of learning here in later 
 years was the legitimate and the logical effect. 
 
 The connection of Mr. North with the com- 
 munity which he founded, though of the utmost im- 
 portance, was quite brief, lasting only about six 
 years. It had unfortunately occurred that he, in 
 common with multitudes at that time both East and 
 West, was carried away with great expectations of 
 lasting prosperity. Hence all his resources were 
 strained to the utmost, in order to invest in un- 
 dertakings promising large returns, and that he 
 might give freely to all public enterprises; borrow- 
 ing also large sums from his friends. But, alas, 
 the cataclysm of 1857 befell, and he found himself 
 overwhelmed with debts which he had not the least 
 ability to pay. In 1860, turning over all his hold- 
 ings to be sold for the benefit of his creditors, 
 he took his departure for the mining regions of 
 Nevada and California, though never losing his 
 deep interest in Northfield. When the college had 
 come into being, and in some measure prosperity
 
 68 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 had returned to him, several substantial tokens of 
 his regard were bestowed. In this connection an- 
 other honored name must be mentioned, that of 
 Charles M. Goodsell, easily second for significance 
 in the history of the community and in the story 
 of the college rising to the first place, whose advent 
 was made in 1859, or only about a year before 
 the removal of Mr. North, his heart swelling with 
 large desires, and cherishing lofty purposes in be- 
 half of the Kingdom, of which further on we shall 
 duly hear. 
 
 Turning now to the religious side of North- 
 field's early history, it is related that as early as 
 1853 a company of explorers, halting for a day 
 or two in this vicinity, had held a devotional serv- 
 ice, and it is known that on a certain Sunday in 
 June of the next year a worshipful soul, no fel- 
 lowship in devotion being possible, sat all day alone 
 on the highest elevation within reach, New Testa- 
 ment in hand, and by turns read and sang, pon- 
 dered and prayed, and gazed about upon the won- 
 derful works of God. Two months later, a mile 
 or two to the south, a religious gathering was 
 held in a cabin as yet unpossessed of a floor, at 
 which the entire population, Northfield included, 
 that is, a half-dozen families or so, was present, 
 having been transported thither in a wagon drawn 
 by oxen. The preacher was a Baptist missionary 
 resident in the region, who in the afternoon preached 
 again, but upon the site of the village-to-be, where
 
 RICHARD HALL.
 
 THE FIFTIES 69 
 
 at that date no settler's stakes had as yet been 
 driven; but a log dwelling hard by was utilized, 
 though not advanced beyond half a roof and half 
 a floor, and destitute of both doors and windows.* 
 Early in June of 1855 Rev. Richard Hall, with 
 oxen for motive power, paid a visit to the same 
 locality, still only a stretch of unbroken rolling 
 prairie, to preach in the same habitation, now sup- 
 plied with an entire roof of boards and sods. The 
 spring of the year following was marked by the 
 arrival of large numbers, and among them several 
 families of great spiritual worth, with a prayer- 
 meeting among the results; and in May Rev. J. R. 
 Barnes arrived, to find a few dwellings under way, 
 and a name bestowed upon the locality. After visit- 
 ing for a few days, and finding quite a large Con- 
 gregational element, he passed on to Cannon Falls 
 to locate, but promising to return soon and preach. 
 It was at this, the very birthday of society here- 
 abouts, when Northfield was scarcely more than a 
 project and a hope, that the idea of a college had 
 dawned and was mentioned; for arriving in com- 
 pany with Mr. North, as we saw, Mr. Barnes was 
 
 *A monument now marks the spot, erected by popular 
 subscription, and unveiled, after an address by Hon. W. S. 
 Pattee, Oct. 27, 1887. Its inscriptions are: (On the west 
 side) The first public religious service in Northfield was 
 held on this' spot, August, 1854, led by Rev. T. R. Cressey, 
 Baptist Missionary. (On the east side) The first sermon 
 in Northfield, by a Congregational clergyman, was preached 
 here, June 10, 1855, by Rev. Richard Hall. The first mar- 
 riage in Northfield occurred here June II, 1855.
 
 70 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 informed that he was ready to donate a consider- 
 able tract for the uses of such an institution. 
 
 From this time forward progress was rapid. For 
 within a month Mr. Hall, recently appointed mis- 
 sionary superintendent, was present a second time, 
 preaching with a work-bench for a pulpit, in a 
 primitive structure designed for a hotel, now but 
 partly inclosed, from the text, John 17:18, "As 
 thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I 
 sent them into the world." In the afternoon a 
 sermon followed from Mr. Barnes, whose text was 
 I Cor. 5 :6 : " Know ye not that a little leaven leav- 
 eneth the whole lump? " and his theme, " The im- 
 portance of communities starting right." At the 
 conclusion of the service at least one of his audi- 
 tors had reached the conviction : " Let us have 
 Gospel institutions here as soon as possible." After 
 this Mr. Barnes came regularly every other Sab- 
 bath, preaching sometimes in the building already 
 named, and sometimes in the mill, whose walls 
 went up this year. A schoolhouse also was under 
 construction, built large and with high ceilings, in 
 order to be more suitable for public assemblies; 
 and in it, almost as soon as supplied with sides 
 and roof, a union Sunday-school and prayer-meet- 
 ing were inaugurated. Those were indeed days 
 primeval and homespun. Northfield could boast 
 of never a fence, and scarcely of a completed resi- 
 dence; lath and plaster were conspicuous by their 
 utter absence, while cotton cloth easily held its
 
 THE FIFTIES 7l 
 
 own without a rival as the fashionable finishing for 
 inside walls and ceilings. But the day was evi- 
 dently drawing near for the organization of a 
 church. Occasionally after preaching, Mr. Barnes 
 would remain for a day or two to visit and to can- 
 vass the project, and finding a readiness and an 
 eager desire on the part of a considerable number, 
 began to make arrangements accordingly. 
 
 Minnesota was still in territorial condition, and 
 was to remain thus for the better part of two years. 
 Eleven churches of the Pilgrim faith and order 
 were already in existence, of which six were formed 
 during the earlier months of this year, 1856; among 
 them Faribault May 5, Saratoga July 28, Cannon 
 Falls July 31, and Lake City August 8. A pre- 
 liminary meeting was called for August 30, with 
 Superintendent Hall and Rev. Charles Seccombe 
 of St. Anthony invited to be present, but both 
 were unable to attend. Only two clergymen put 
 in an appearance, while one of these, Joseph Peck- 
 ham, was simply a sojourner in these parts for 
 health's sake; and no delegates at all from neigh- 
 boring churches to assist and give the right hand 
 of fellowship. So, with how little ecclesiastical 
 flourish and eclat was the organization effected! 
 Indeed, if the deed be judged by the strict stand- 
 ards even of Congregationalism, but slightly so- 
 licitous for forms and ceremonies, it may well be 
 doubted whether the Northfield church was ever 
 legitimately born at all! But, nevertheless, with-
 
 72 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 out doubt also the action taken then and there was 
 eminently wise and Christian and well performed. 
 One was verily present whose unfailing promise is, 
 " Where two or three are gathered in my name, 
 there am I." Rough boards formed the floor of 
 the half-finished schoolhouse, and planks not a 
 whit smoother or softer, placed upon saw-horses 
 and nail kegs, constituted the " pews." After a 
 sermon, and other requisite steps taken, a mere 
 handful (but the seed of what a host), eight per- 
 sons only, five men and three women, were joined 
 together in covenant relations, and sat down to 
 feast at the Lord's table. What slight apprehen- 
 sion had those eight humble disciples of the mighty 
 import of this transaction! 
 
 The number was soon increased to twelve. Not 
 a little consecration and courage were required 
 to take this first decisive step, since only six fami- 
 lies were represented in the organization, and these 
 quite widely scattered, and their combined financial 
 resources were but slight. For seven years the 
 infant church was generously nourished by the 
 Home Missionary Society, that indispensable 
 alnw mater of feeble churches, by annual sums 
 varying from $450 the first year to $125 in 1862, 
 forming a total of $1,550. Within a month the 
 Baptists organized, with the Methodists following 
 after a year or two. Mr. Barnes was acting pas- 
 tor for several months, but late in the autumn, Rev. 
 J. S. Rounce came into the region, locating upon
 
 THE FIFTIES 73 
 
 a farm some four miles to the northwest of North- 
 field, and in March in 1857 was chosen pastor. At 
 first no pledges were made for his support, but 
 a donation was given him, though later his salary 
 was fixed at $500, of which the church became re- 
 sponsible for $200. The journey was made on 
 foot, back and forth between his home and his 
 pulpit, in summer and winter, by day and by night, 
 though sometimes, in emergencies, resort was had 
 to his oxen for transportation, with making the 
 trip on horseback as the final attainment. During 
 the winter of 1857-8 union revival services were 
 held in the schoolhouse, in which the Methodist 
 pastor cooperated heartily, and as the fruit more 
 than forty were led to confess Christ openly, with 
 fourteen uniting with the Congregational church. 
 The next year twenty more were added. But in 
 painful and ominous contrast, during the closing 
 year of the decade only one new name appears 
 upon the roll. The cause of this phenomenal fall- 
 ing off in accessions is to be found mainly in the 
 financial woes which had befallen the state and the 
 entire country, whereby immigration was brought 
 to a sudden halt, and hard times became universal. 
 We leave the church in the midst of these sore 
 trials and tribulations, to take up its further ex- 
 periences and achievements in a later chapter.
 
 U HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 "CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE SIXTIES, I. 
 
 The College Founded. 
 
 For Minnesota this period opened in the midst 
 of discouragements manifold and most appalling. 
 The entire state was in the feeble and chaotic con- 
 dition incident to days primeval. Throughout the 
 decade the northern half was as yet unexplored, the 
 site of Duluth was an untouched forest, and of the 
 residue the western third was without a white in- 
 habitant. On account of the current financial de- 
 pression the population was for the most part in 
 straitened circumstances. As already suggested, 
 just before the attainment of statehood wild specu- 
 lation was universal, and in particular a mania for 
 railroad building had struck this remotest North- 
 west. An amendment to the constitution was voted 
 authorizing the issue of $5,000,000 bonds to be 
 loaned in aid of construction, and to be supplied 
 as the work progressed. Four companies, the Min- 
 nesota Southern, Minnesota and Pacific, Minneap- 
 olis and Cedar Valley, and Winona Transit, broke 
 ground vigorously and each secured $500,000 or 
 more of bonds. But the crash then coming, work 
 ceased, interest on the bonds was not paid, the right 
 to further aid was forfeited, the state foreclosed its
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 75 
 
 mortgage on the lands and franchises of the com- 
 panies, and later the law allowing an issue of bonds 
 was repealed. Meantime the war of the Rebellion 
 had ensued to add greatly to the confusion and dis- 
 tress. Within two months from the first call for 
 troops a full regiment had been mustered in, ten 
 regiments by August of the next year, and before 
 the return of peace not less than 25,000 men had 
 entered the armies of the Union, or about one-sev- 
 enth of the population when the fighting began, all 
 in the prime of life and including a large proportion 
 of the very best. Next, to add immensely to the 
 sorrow and calamity, in the summer of 1862 oc- 
 curred the dreadful Sioux outbreak and massacre, 
 beginning upon the upper Minnesota, but soon 
 spreading far and wide over the frontier ; and before 
 the savage bands had finished their foray more than 
 400 whites had been murdered, some 200 had been 
 captured, 18 counties had been ravaged and depopu- 
 lated, 30,000 had been made homeless, property had 
 been destroyed whose value was estimated at 
 $3,000,000, while for weeks together the entire pop- 
 ulation had been panic-stricken. And finally, as if 
 all this had not been enough of woe, for several 
 of these same years severe droughts befell, and vis- 
 itations of grasshoppers destroyed the harvests over 
 large areas. In order to appreciate at all the cour- 
 age and heroism displayed by the founders of Carle- 
 ton College, it is necessary to recall the fact that 
 they had begun to discuss and plan as early as 1864;
 
 76 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 and in 1866 had committed themselves to the great 
 venture, while within a year later, teachers and 
 students had actually begun to gather. 
 
 Material Development. But in spite of these mul- 
 tiplied hindrances, the population of Minnesota in- 
 creased more rapidly than that of any of its neigh- 
 bors, rising from 172,023 at the opening of the dec- 
 ade to 439,706 at its close. In 1867 no less than 
 50,000 immigrants entered by the river alone. St. 
 Paul doubled the number of its inhabitants, enlarg- 
 ing from 10,600 to 20,300, while Minneapolis, 
 which was not incorporated as a city until 1867, 
 within three years from that date held a population 
 of 18,079, being still wholly upon the west side of 
 the Mississippi. After a number of years of in- 
 action, railroad building began again, the total of 31 
 miles in existence in 1863 passing the i,ooo-mile 
 mark before the close of the period; one line even 
 connecting St. Paul with Duluth. The Union Pacific 
 had been completed in 1869, and as a project the 
 Northern Pacific was becoming famous. Best of 
 all, by this time the discovery had been made that 
 the chief source of wealth for the Northwest lay 
 in the soil and the production of grain. Conse- 
 quently, the acreage of a paltry 15,000 under culti- 
 vation in 1854 had become 434,000 six years later, 
 and 1,725,100 ten years later still. Of wheat alone 
 2,186,073 bushels were produced in 1860, but 
 18,866,073 bushels in 1870, and the state ranked
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 77 
 
 fifth in the Union as a source of supply for this 
 prime cereal. 
 
 The Congregational Churches. During this 
 period the denomination at large was steadily com- 
 ing to self-consciousness, to an adequate apprehen- 
 sion of the import of its high mission, and was 
 gathering forces and fashioning instrumentalities for 
 united and vigorous forward movements. Two im- 
 portant steps of progress had already been taken, at 
 the Michigan City Convention in 1846, and a much 
 greater one six years later at the Albany Conven- 
 tion, with its emphatic repudiation of the Plan of 
 Union, and the organization of a Church Building 
 Society possessed at the outset of $50,000 among the 
 results. But both of those assemblages were to be 
 outdone by the famous "National Council of Con- 
 gregational Churches," held in Boston, June 14-24, 
 1865, which on the 22d visited Plymouth, and 
 adopted, with only one dissenting vote, the "Burial 
 Hill Declaration of Faith." Among the active par- 
 ticipants in this historic council were several mem- 
 bers from Minnesota, the results of whose pioneer 
 labors in missionary and educational efforts, ines- 
 timable in value, are to be partly set forth in these 
 pages. They were Revs. Edward Brown, David 
 Burt, Richard Hall, A. K. Packard, Charles C. 
 Salter, Charles Seccombe, Charles Shedd, James W. 
 Strong and Edwin S. Williams. 
 
 By the Triennial Councils of which the first was 
 held in Oberlin, in 1871, a system of the broadest
 
 78 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 fellowship was secured. It somehow happened that 
 this decade, in which Carleton began to be, also 
 gave birth to a greater number of colleges than any 
 other in the century; eleven in all, and what a 
 goodly list of names : Wheaton, Berea, Washburn, 
 Tabor, Carleton, Fisk, Howard, Talladega, Straight, 
 Atlanta and Tougaloo. Only three date from the 
 decade before, and but five from the one following. 
 Perhaps Ripon should be added to the list, which 
 did no college work until 1863, and Olivet also 
 which had no charter until 1859. 
 
 As to the Minnesota churches, in the autumn of 
 1860 it was reported that they numbered 47 all told, 
 of which 10 had been organized within a twelve- 
 month, with an average membership of only 28. 
 Only about a dozen were possessed of sanctuaries; 
 while two-thirds worshiped in schoolhouses, halls, 
 etc. Of the 30 ministers all but two or three received 
 from the Home Missionary Society a portion of 
 their support. As indicating the darkness of those 
 days of deadly life-struggle in the nation, coupled 
 with conflagration and massacre from savages at 
 their very doors, we note that but one church was 
 organized in 1861 ; the next year witnessed an 
 actual falling off of three, of two more the next 
 year, with a diminution also in the total member- 
 ship. Reading between the lines, in these two addi- 
 tipnal statements we have impressive hints relating 
 to the religious situation. Mr. Hall writes in 1863 
 that "Faribault has the only self-supporting Con-
 
 THE SIXTIES, 1 79 
 
 gregational church in the state. Its pastor has be- 
 come an army chaplain, and with his eldest son is 
 in camp. The deacons and several of the members 
 have gone to the war, so that hardly enough remain 
 to sustain the weekly prayer-meeting." Owatonna 
 was "blessed" with seven church organizations, 
 none of them strong enough to build. In 1868 this 
 church had attained to a house of worship, having 
 hitherto and for nine years occupied a schoolhouse. 
 At the date last given Alexandria was reported, 
 "just occupied by a missionary, and constitutes the 
 extreme frontier." Sauk Center was then the church 
 located furthest towards the north and west. 
 
 Northfield and Its Church. Of course it could 
 not be other than that both the community and its 
 chief religious organization shared to the full the dis- 
 tractions and discouragements which marked the first 
 half of the period under view; like the financial de- 
 pression, the war, and the terrors attending the In- 
 dian outbreak, and the massacres in the valley of the 
 Minnesota river. Though quite remote from the 
 frontier and the center of disturbance, yet not a 
 few families passed through the village in their 
 frantic flight from real or imagined peril of the 
 tomahawk and scalping knife; and more than once 
 the more timid half were on the point of departure 
 in hot haste at the imagined yells of the blood- 
 thirsty Sioux heard in the depths of the Big Woods. 
 However, by the time of Lee's surrender, hope and 
 courage had returned ; with new families also estab-
 
 80 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 lishing homes, both in the village and upon the open 
 prairie lying adjacent. Mention has already been 
 made of the early improvement of the water-power 
 here existing in the Cannon river, by the construc- 
 tion of a mill upon either side of the stream, of a 
 hotel with imposing proportions, and of a school- 
 house as well. This latter structure, though for a 
 season adequate to meet all requirements, whether 
 as a training place for youth or for religious and 
 other public assemblies, at length was found to be 
 altogether outgrown, and therefore in 1861 a much 
 larger and better one costing $6,000 took its place. 
 It was a day of exultation when in the summer of 
 1865 the first locomotive made its advent into the 
 valley of the upper Cannon, and the first train from 
 St. Paul pulled up to the Northfield station, thus 
 affording easy contact and communication with the 
 great world outside. This event also had not a 
 little to do with securing within a twelve-month the 
 location of the college at this point. Three thrilling 
 and momentous years stand together here, both for 
 the community and the entire region, marking re- 
 spectively the completion of the railroad, the vote 
 of the State Association, and the opening of the 
 school, with the middle year as annus mirabilis. By 
 the operation of these and other forms of stimulus, 
 such an impetus was given to settlement that by 
 1867 a population of some 1,500 was found gath- 
 ered at this point. 
 To the church came its full share of depression.
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 81 
 
 The year the decade opened thirteen were received 
 to membership, and at the beginning of March, 
 forty-seven in all had been enrolled ; but four of these 
 soon took letters and removed, so that after nearly 
 four years of toil and trial, only some two-score 
 could be counted. And then, as if still further to 
 test the faith and patience of this little company of 
 saints, thirteen of their number, including moreover 
 some of the most liberal givers and most efficient 
 workers, deemed it right and wise to withdraw and 
 organize a church some two miles to the north. And 
 to cap the climax, the gloomy days of secession 
 and rebellion soon succeeded, several were called 
 away to the battle front, while the minds and hearts 
 of all were sorely oppressed, and turned away from 
 the contemplation of things spiritual. No vision 
 appeared as yet even in faintest foregleam of good 
 things in store, of prosperous and exalted days to 
 come. Nevertheless, unappalled and not despondent, 
 those brave souls resolutely prayed on and struggled 
 on, waiting for the day. They even possessed not 
 only enduring faith, but also faith venturesome and 
 aggressive. As evidence, after worshiping for 
 five years in the schoolhouse, or else in a building 
 owned by another denomination, to some it now 
 seemed to be high time to provide a sanctuary of 
 their own. Therefore in the summer of 1861 (the 
 dark days of Bull Run fight and stampede) Mr. 
 Rounce entered upon a canvass for funds, nor 
 ceased until the pledges amounted to a round $1,100,
 
 82 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 a sum wonderfully large for the Northfield of that 
 time, and representing far more of self-denial and 
 sacrifice than any their successors have endured 
 in the furtherance of any similar object since that 
 day. The pastor set the example by being early on 
 hand with his oxen to haul stone for the foundation. 
 Subscriptions, liberal at first, in more than one case 
 were more than doubled, and then still further in- 
 creased. One brother, Deacon Allen N. Nourse, in 
 pressing need of a barn which he had purposed 
 building that year, postponed the project that the 
 Lord's house might be reared.* 
 
 In September Mr. Rounce wrote thus to the 
 "Home Missionary": "My mind and time have 
 been very much occupied in raising funds to erect 
 
 * Deacon Nourse, wh'ose life covered more than seventy- 
 eight years, illustrated the abiding power for good in any 
 community, of a character modest, cultured, unselfish and 
 thoroughly Christian. He was born in Rockingham, Vt., 
 Feb. 19, 1811, married in Michigan in 1846, came to Anoka, 
 Minn., in 1853 and three years later to Northfield, where 
 he was one of the eight original members of the Congre- 
 gational church, and where, after thirty-three years of quiet 
 industry, he died March 29, 1889. He was a great reader, 
 a careful observer and an accurate thinker. Directness, sim- 
 plicity and integrity marked all his transactions'. Of his 
 inner life he seldom spoke, but the purity and nobility of his 
 life and character were manifest to all. From the first he 
 was one of the strongest friends of the college, to which he 
 deeded his farm, now a part of the campus, receiving there- 
 for a life-annuity for himself and wife. Mrs. Nourse sub- 
 sequently gave a thousand dollars toward a library fund, and 
 a small farm near the city. For a score of years one or 
 more students found with them a home in what is now 
 known as 1 the "Nourse Cottage," and many of these thank- 
 fully remember the sympathy, counsel and aid there re- 
 ceived. Their memory is' blessed and their works do follow 
 them.
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 83 
 
 in this place a Congregational church, which is very 
 much needed. Some months ago a meeting was con- 
 vened to take the matter into consideration, and to 
 adopt some plan for its accomplishment. We then 
 decided that it would be better for us to secure a 
 good building lot, and then to put up such a house 
 as would answer our purpose for three or four years, 
 costing about $500, than to go beyond what we 
 supposed to be our present means in building a 
 more expensive house. A few days after this I 
 started out with a subscription paper for the pur- 
 pose of securing money for said object; and I feel 
 thankful in being able to say that I succeeded above 
 all our expectations : so much so, indeed, that in 
 the course of a few weeks, instead of having only 
 the $500 subscribed, we had $1,000. This induced 
 us to change our plan, and decide to erect such a 
 place of worship as will cost us from $1,100 to 
 $1,200. Blessed be the Lord who has thus pros- 
 pered us. And may the contemplated church not 
 only be dedicated to His service, but also the wor- 
 shipers in it ever be favored with His special pres- 
 ence and gracious communications." And so it was 
 that by February of 1862 the first section, or in- 
 stallment, of the "Old Brown Church" of later days, 
 only 24 feet by 40, as plain as plain could possibly 
 be, with a gallery most fearfully and wonderfully 
 made over the vestibule, was ready for dedication. 
 Within a few months, by various feminine devices, 
 money enough had been gathered for the purchase
 
 84 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 of lamps, curtains, communion-set, and a $90 melo- 
 deon. Here it was that for thirteen long years the 
 congregation, college faculty and students included, 
 assembled for Sabbath worship, though successive 
 enlargements were made to meet increased attend- 
 ance, of which mention will be made further on. 
 About a year afterwards, Mr. Rounce resigned his 
 pastorate, having won the lasting esteem and af- 
 fection of all, leaving his flock without a shepherd 
 for several months, though upon alternate Sundays 
 the pulpit was supplied by the pastor of the Baptist 
 church, he preaching thus to an audience composed 
 of the two congregations. 
 
 The College Discussed. We come now to 1864, 
 a year of destiny indeed, for as it seems, at least to 
 human gaze, if certain events belonging to it had 
 not occurred, Carleton College had never been, or at 
 least Northfield's privilege and responsibility in con- 
 nection with it had been of a character entirely dif- 
 ferent. As stated in the chapter preceding, in 1858 
 Charles M. Goodsell had written from Illinois stat- 
 ing his purpose to migrate to Minnesota the next 
 year, and to locate in some community seemingly 
 most suitable for a Christian college, and after a 
 somewhat extensive investigation, had selected 
 Northfield as a residence and had removed his fam- 
 ily thither. Since then he had been watching, pray- 
 ing and planning with all his might for such an in- 
 stitution, waiting for the hour to strike; his ambi- 
 tion and zeal ardently Christian through and
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 85 
 
 through. Let Rev. Austin Willey, a fellow-towns- 
 man and competent witness, give us an insight into 
 his spirit and method ,of work : "Here he moved his 
 family and property, built a house, purchased land 
 for a college-site, joined the small church, and went 
 to work to build up a church and society such as his 
 great enterprise required. But the times were hard, 
 and the war was soon upon us. He must wait, but 
 never lost sight of his great object. He lived with 
 careful economy, to save, as he said, for the college. 
 He labored to increase the interest of the church and 
 people in his project. His ideal was to make an- 
 other Oberlin, undenominational, but filled with the 
 Spirif. But for this there must be a revival of re- 
 ligion in Northfield. Here his heart centered in 
 labor and prayer. He spent one whole night in 
 supplication, with the spirit of Jacob : 'I will not let 
 thee go, except thou bless me.' And it was not 
 long before an evangelist was sent. A new day had 
 come. The Holy Spirit descended with power from 
 on high, and many were converted. 'Now/ said he, 
 'the time has come to start this college' ; and he went 
 to work to prepare the subject to be laid before the 
 next state conference of Congregational churches." 
 The reference in the closing sentences is to the 
 following capital incident in the history of the 
 Northfield church. After the departure of Mr. 
 Rounce, and largely through the influence of Mr. 
 Goodsell, in January of 1864 the evangelist, Rev. 
 H. H. Morgan, was invited to become quasi-pastor
 
 86 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 for the time, and presently commenced holding re- 
 vival services, continuing them for the better part 
 of two months, with the result that the entire com- 
 munity, and the region around about, was stirred 
 tremendously, even to numerous conversions, these 
 occurring almost wholly among adults. Then, dur- 
 ing the summer ensuing, a fresh impulse was given 
 to this most significant work of grace, through some 
 days of preaching by Rev. E. P. Hammond, whose 
 success was confined with few exceptions to chil- 
 dren and youth. Ere long, as a portion of the 
 ingathering, 40 were received to church member- 
 ship at one time; including the 13 who four years 
 before had left to set up for themselves, and now, 
 having disbanded, returned to their former fellow- 
 ship. By the end of this notable year, 92 in all had 
 united with the church ; 68 of them on confession, 
 thus increasing the number of members from 42 to 
 130, or more than three-fold. A glorious and blessed 
 harvest season! How exceedingly timely, too, it 
 was, since agitation for a college had begun again, 
 which almost immediately was destined to lead to 
 the beginning of definite and decisive action. 
 Though without knowing it, the Northfield church 
 was preparing herself to welcome and cherish the 
 resulting school of Christian learning; to bestow 
 much but to receive manifold more. 
 
 Grateful for generous aid never failing hitherto, 
 no further gifts were sought from the treasury of 
 the Home Missionary Society. It was also just
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 87 
 
 now, while the exhilaration of the great awakening 
 was yet present, that early in April a call to the 
 pastorate was extended to Rev. Edwin S. Williams, 
 the "boy preacher" from Oberlin, who proved so 
 abundant in enthusiasm and all manner of good 
 works; and about two months afterwards he was 
 ordained at the hands of the church. In October 
 the state conference appointed a committee, with 
 Mr. Goodsell as chairman, to investigate and report 
 if the time had come to found a college. By the 
 spring of 1865 it was found that the sanctuary 
 could not contain the throng of worshipers, and so 
 twenty feet were added at the rear, with an east 
 wing following after two years, and a west wing 
 also about twelve months later still. This final en- 
 largement came in 1868, and the second had oc- 
 curred about the time the first students put in an 
 appearance. In all these building operations, from 
 first to last, Mr. Goodsell shared and took a prom- 
 inent part, both by generous contributions and by 
 personal supervision while the work was in prog- 
 ress, being the real superintendent of construction 
 while the second wing was under way; and this 
 though his health was now steadily failing. In 
 May of 1869 he died, after seeing but a feeble be- 
 ginning made for the institution of which for more 
 than ten years he had dreamed, upon which his deep- 
 est and holiest desires had been fastened, but which 
 in his closing days seemed to him, and to many 
 others, to be almost certainly doomed to remediless
 
 88 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 catastrophe. Before the opening year of the next 
 decade was far advanced, after six years of untir- 
 ing and enthusiastic service, Mr. Williams resigned 
 and removed to another field.* At his coming the 
 church had just 100 members; at his departure it 
 had grown to 216. He had received 120 to fellow- 
 ship, of whom 101 had joined upon confession of 
 faith. 
 
 Founding of the College. In the chapter preced- 
 ing, the details were given of the first and unsuc- 
 cessful attempt to organize an institution of learn- 
 ing, which failed through a combination of adverse 
 circumstances. Mr. Hall was manifestly correct in 
 the judgment expressed in a letter written to Mr. 
 Goodsell in 1858 that "the time was not yet come 
 for the founding of a college." And the better part 
 of a decade was destined to pass before a renewal 
 of agitation appeared to be advisable. Of course the 
 idea and the desire remained undiminished ; the 
 earnest-hearted were only waiting for the fulness 
 of times to dawn. No doubt also, the discussion 
 and investigation of the fifties gave an impulse 
 which was permanent, and in no slight degree helped 
 the second endeavor on to success. Here was a 
 population Congregational to a phenomenal extent, 
 including a score or two of choice ministers born 
 and educated in New England ; and associated with 
 
 * Though' for many years resident in another state, the 
 cheering power of his genial personality still abides, and he 
 is even yet referred to as "Everlasting Sunshine Williams."
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 89 
 
 them some hundreds of laymen as eager as they for 
 Christian education. All these could hold on and 
 wait with patience, but knew not how to be turned 
 aside or baffled when the signal appeared to go 
 forward. It is true that even yet distinguished faith 
 and heroism were required. For in 1864 the Min- 
 nesota churches numbered but 59, with a member- 
 ship of only 1,946, an average of 33 members to 
 each ; only three having more than a hundred mem- 
 bers (Minneapolis 151, Northfield 123, Faribault 
 101) ; with less than a score of them worshiping in 
 completed sanctuaries. Almost all were still aided 
 by the Home Missionary Society, receiving $9,000 
 annually, while raising for themselves only $8,200, 
 an average of $175 each. In those remote days this 
 region constituted the extreme Northwest, with not 
 a sign of civilization beyond, except a slight fringe 
 of settlements upon the Pacific coast. The first 
 church in South Dakota was organized in 1868, and 
 the first in North Dakota at Fargo, not until 1881. 
 As we saw, it was in 1860, after several years of 
 earnest questioning, that the matter of entering im- 
 mediately upon the serious task of planting a col- 
 lege was finally laid upon the table, until circum- 
 stances should become more propitious. For four 
 years no effort appears to have been made to renew 
 the discussion. Meantime the Rebellion had been 
 running its momentous course. The Sioux outbreak 
 had wrought its horrors and desolations only two 
 years before. Grant was now south of the James
 
 90 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 hammering away at the defenses of Petersburg; 
 and Sherman was laying siege to Atlanta, with 
 Hood making ready for a movement northward to 
 cut his communications. The re-beginning of agi- 
 tation, destined also to end in vigorous favorable 
 action, was quite remarkable in more ways than 
 one. We are able to trace at least three distinct lines 
 of influence, which curiously converged and co- 
 operated to produce the first definite ecclesiastical 
 action looking to the founding of a school of higher 
 learning. Or, three groups of individuals, without 
 the least previous consultation, no one knowing 
 what the others had on their minds to propose, came 
 to a gathering of ministers and delegates repre- 
 senting the churches, with a full-formed purpose to 
 present what proved to be to all intents the same 
 proposition. What could it have been but the same 
 Spirit working alike upon all ! To begin with, what 
 is most important, because most abundantly fruitful 
 in good results, there was the desire and endeavor 
 of Mr. Goodsell of long standing, but strengthened 
 and directed by the recent great revival in North- 
 field of which Mr. Willey has told us. He had 
 said: "The time has arrived to start the college"; 
 "and he went to work to prepare the subject to lay 
 before the state conference. The churches must take 
 it up. He had the full support of the Northfield 
 church and community, and went as delegate to the 
 conference, laid the whole subject before that body, 
 and asked its adoption." In exact keeping with
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 91 
 
 these statements, so far as the two are parallel, is 
 the testimony of Rev. Richard Hall, who also knows 
 whereof he affirms ; and the incident is so significant 
 as to well merit a two-fold presentation, though at 
 the cost of a little repetition. "Mr. Goodsell joined 
 the Northfield church, and for five years labored 
 assiduously for its welfare, with the evident aim of 
 making the predominant influence of the town so 
 decidedly Christian that it might become a suitable 
 home for a Christian college. In that time the 
 church had grown from a membership of 45 to 128. 
 He was sent as a delegate to the conference at Roch- 
 ester, where he was chosen moderator. Here he 
 made his next move, and the first move that was 
 made in the state looking to the establishment of a 
 college to be founded and managed by the Congre- 
 gational churches of the state. At his suggestion, 
 and by his request, a committee was appointed to 
 investigate and report at the next meeting." 
 
 But Mr. Goodsell, though without doubt by far 
 the most potent of any individual force engaged, 
 was by no means the only one who had reached the 
 conclusion that the set time to make ready to build 
 for Christian education had come. As the second 
 factor in the movement about to be inaugurated, 
 Rev. Edward Brown is to be named ; the author of 
 the following communication, bearing the date Sep- 
 tember 15, 1879, whose opportunities for knowing 
 the facts will appear in his narrative: "I went to 
 Minnesota in August of 1864. Like some others I
 
 92 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 had some symptoms of 'college on the brain,' more 
 in my day-dreams than I ever dared to tell ; dreams 
 that have been more than realized by what Carleton 
 College has achieved in fourteen years. On my 
 arrival and settlement at Zumbrota, I learned that 
 a college was a part of the original plan of the col- 
 ony that first settled there (with the credit probably 
 largely due to Father Shedd). I talked with Messrs. 
 Stearns, Thompson, Kellogg, and Thatcher in re- 
 gard to bringing it before the conference at Roch- 
 ester in October. On the way there we talked and 
 planned in regard to making a move in that direc- 
 tion. On the first morning [note that here comes 
 in the third line of converging influences], Rev. 
 David Burt, then pastor at Winona, came to me and 
 said : 'Mr. Brown, don't you think the time has 
 come for our denomination to make a move towards 
 founding a college in the state?' I replied: 'I do, 
 and our delegate and I have planned to bring it up.' 
 He then said: 'Will you draw up the resolution?' 
 I drew up the one to be found in the Minutes. Mr. 
 Burt presented it and I seconded it, each also making 
 a short speech in favor of action. We were fol- 
 lowed, if I recollect aright, by Messrs. Hall and 
 Seccombe, also in favor of action ; and it appeared 
 that they had been in conference with Mr. Goodsell, 
 and had come with the intention to move for action 
 in that direction. Mr. Goodsell then made some 
 remarks, telling us that the founding of a college 
 had been a part of his plan in coming to Minnesota
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 93 
 
 and locating in Northfield ; and if such an institution 
 was planted there, he should do something liberal 
 towards it. His speech was short and modest, and 
 urged no action. He only gave his views, provided 
 we should act. A committee was appointed to ma- 
 ture a plan and present it at the next conference, 
 with Mr. Goodsell as chairman." According to the 
 Minutes, the action was as follows: "Resolved, 
 That a committee of laymen be raised to inquire 
 what can be done towards founding a college in 
 this state for our denomination, and to report to 
 the conference next year." The committee consisted 
 of C. M. Goodsell, Northfield; R. Whitney, Roches- 
 ter; R. J. Baldwin, Minneapolis; I. C. Stearns, 
 Zumbrota; and S. J. Smith, Winona. 
 
 It may not be amiss to allude to a curious, but un- 
 important, contradiction in the testimony at a single 
 point, and though almost certainly beyond a perad- 
 venture the substance of the historic fact has already 
 been presented. Mr. Willey, who supplies some 
 items of history of prime interest and value, states 
 the solemn conviction that Mr. Goodsell went home 
 from Rochester greatly surprised and bitterly dis- 
 appointed, at the reception received by his darling 
 project ; and that no more was done. His language 
 is : "He confidently expected that the work, so im- 
 portant and so well begun, would be endorsed as 
 with one voice. But to his surprise, it found little 
 support, and was almost unanimously rejected. All 
 thought it wise to establish such an institution when
 
 94 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 the right time came, but that time was not yet. 
 Consent was given, however, to appoint a committee 
 of laymen, no ministers consenting to be members, 
 to make further inquiry concerning location, funds, 
 etc. He was sa'dly disappointed and not a little dis- 
 couraged after all he had done, but kept his faith." 
 But over against these positive statements, Mr. Hall 
 is of the decided opinion that "Mr. Goodsell really 
 got all that he asked, the appointment of a commit- 
 tee, and suffered no disappointment at that confer- 
 ence." Mr. Brown is also certain that Mr. Goodsell 
 urged no action. Not a word was said discouraging 
 immediate action. In like manner as to the com- 
 mittee, Mr. Brown roundly and most specifically de- 
 clares: "Mr. Burt and I agreed upon the plan of 
 having a committee of five well known business- 
 men to take the matter into consideration, and it was 
 selected by ourselves." Such testimony is hard to 
 gainsay. 
 
 Nothing whatever seems to have been done dur- 
 ing the year ensuing to further the college project ; 
 at least, whatever activity existed was wielded by 
 Mr. Goodsell, and was confined to Northfield. The 
 committee chosen at Rochester held no meeting and 
 had no conference through correspondence; a fact 
 for which no reason can be assigned. Mr. Brown 
 says : "Just before the next conference I inquired of 
 the member of the committee who resided at Zum- 
 brota, as to what had been done, and he informed me 
 that he had received no notice from the chairman of
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 95 
 
 any meeting." In making his report Mr. Goodsell 
 closed by saying : "I have not had any report from 
 the other members of the committee." According to 
 Mr. Hall, these were the essential facts in the case: 
 "The other members found nothing during the year 
 to encourage the movement, and so had no com- 
 munication with him. He therefore, as chairman, 
 reported on his own responsibility, without any 
 word from the other four members." But, evi- 
 dently, "the project broached at Rochester was not 
 forgotten nor neglected by the chairman. No doubt 
 both heart and brain were kept busy preparing for 
 the next step in advance. Mr. Willey has told us 
 with what wonderful wisdom and fervor Mr. Good- 
 sell for years had sought to make Northfield fit, on 
 the spiritual side, to supply a home for the school, 
 but he was also sagacious enough to perceive that, 
 in order to secure its location upon the site he had 
 in his mind's eye, some most vigorous financial 
 planning and pushing would be necessary; since 
 the locality which put in the best bid in cash and 
 land was most likely to be chosen. We cannot but 
 note how, all along, from first to last, his generalship 
 was of the finest type. In particular, the strategy 
 just now, in order to give point and pungency to his 
 report soon due, is truly admirable. It is repro- 
 duced for us in a most valuable paper, prepared by 
 Hiram Scriver,* at the special request of President 
 
 * Hiram Scriver, one of the pioneers, was born in Hem- 
 mingford, Can., April 21, 1830. He came to Northfield in
 
 96 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Strong, as far back as 1873, entitled, "Incidents in 
 the Early History of Carleton College," from which 
 here and upon later pages liberal quotations will be 
 found. Going back to the beginning of things, he 
 says : 
 
 "The subject of establishing an institution of 
 learning was first heard of in Northfield through a 
 rumor that C. M. Goodsell, who was then a tem- 
 porary resident, had broached the subject to J. W. 
 North, our town proprietor, always active in such 
 enterprises, who fell in with the project, and seemed 
 anxious to forward Mr. Goodsell's plans. The next 
 move was made in that direction after Mr. Goodsell 
 had been a resident of the village for some time, 
 and by his canvassing a little with some of the citi- 
 zens who he expected would be interested, gauging 
 their probable liberality, telling something of his 
 desires and hopes, and finally calling an informal 
 meeting at the lyceum building. Some twenty-five 
 or thirty assembled, and to them he entered more 
 fully into the details of his cherished project, un- 
 
 the summer of 1856, and on the site of the present post- 
 office, opened a dry-goods and grocery store, in the building 
 subsequently given to the college, and memorable as "Pan- 
 cake Hall." Here for many years he was quite successful in 
 business. Becoming a Christian under the ministry of Rev. 
 Edwin S. Williams, he entered at once upon an earnest life 
 of leadership in every movement pertaining to the moral and 
 religious welfare of the community. Naturally he was very 
 prominent and influential, and was repeatedly called to rep- 
 resentative positions in public office. His last years were 
 years of increasing invalidism, but no word of complaint was 
 ever heard. Brave and cheerful to the last, he passed away 
 June i, 1890, leaving the record of a most honorable and 
 useful life.
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 97 
 
 folding to them the object for which he had been 
 laboring the past few years, stating it was to carry 
 out that design he had moved to this place, and that, 
 if he failed here, he might be constrained to remove 
 elsewhere in order to secure the sympathy and sup- 
 port required. He mentioned also the action the 
 conference had taken and was about to take, telling 
 what he was willing to do, and calling upon us to as- 
 sist to the best of our ability in carrying forward the 
 enterprise. Informal pledges were taken amount- 
 ing, with Mr. Goodsell's subscription, to about 
 $8,000. The subject was now fairly before the 
 public." Though no date is given for this first 
 (destined, however, to be by no means the last) 
 meeting held in Northfield, with the needs of the 
 college as the burning theme, there can be no mis- 
 take in placing it on the eve of the meeting of the 
 conference, held in Minneapolis in October, 1865. 
 
 According to the Minutes, at that assemblage, "A 
 report was received from C. M. Goodsell, chairman 
 of a committee on a proposed college, which was as 
 follows: "To aid in founding a college in North- 
 field for our denomination, we can pledge the pay- 
 ment of $7,000 in cash, and the title to ten acres 
 of land as a site, worth $1,000, as a donation from 
 two individuals. And we have no doubt that nearly 
 or quite $3,000 more can be raised by subscription, 
 or in the form of stock, from other citizens of 
 Northfield and vicinity, for the purpose of erecting 
 the first college building. So much for Northfield.
 
 98 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Now, are there not other towns that will take hold 
 of the matter and do better than this, thus getting 
 up some competition, and then perhaps more than 
 this can be done here." It was voted that the re- 
 port be referred to a committee of three to report 
 at this session. Revs. E. Brown, E. S. Williams 
 and R. Hall were appointed, and later presented this 
 resolution and recommended its adoption: "That, 
 in the opinion of this conference, the time has ar- 
 rived when it may be expedient to establish within 
 our bounds an institution of learning under the con- 
 trol of our denomination; and to this end the fol- 
 lowing persons be appointed a committee to receive 
 proposals for a location, and take such other pre- 
 liminary measures as may be necessary, and report 
 their action for approval at the next meeting of 
 the conference, to-wit: Rev. Richard Hall of St. 
 Paul, Rev. C. B. Sheldon of Excelsior, Rev. David 
 Burt of Winona, I. C. Stearns of Zumbrota, R. G. 
 Lincoln of Medford, C. M. Goodsell of Northfield, 
 and R. J. Baldwin of Minneapolis." And thus had 
 it come to pass that at length, after nearly ten years 
 of consideration, the churches through their pastors 
 and delegates had registered their two-fold conclu- 
 sion, "We desire to see the foundations laid for a 
 college," and "the time has come to begin." At 
 once the committee went vigorously to work upon 
 the weighty task committed to their care, adopting 
 measures which may best be presented in the lan- 
 guage of their report presented a year later.
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 99 
 
 The College Voted. But first, let us turn again 
 to Northfield to observe a movement in progress 
 there, we may be sure with Mr. Goodsell as inspirer, 
 leader and central force, which really settled before- 
 hand the question of location. And let the manu- 
 script of Mr. Scriver tell the thrilling story, with 
 additional statements gleaned from other sources: 
 "It was understood that other places were to com- 
 pete for the prize, and if we secured it we would be 
 obliged to pay a handsome price. As the agi- 
 tation proceeded, persons who at first thought a cer- 
 tain sum would be a generous gift, persuaded them- 
 selves to double or even treble it, and when the final 
 trial came the most sanguine were astonished at 
 the liberality of our citizens. The final contest came 
 at a meeting called the evening previous to the 
 opening session of the conference at Faribault. By 
 this time expectation had risen to fever heat. Ru- 
 mors of what other localities were intending to do 
 had excited our rivalry, and there was a general 
 determination that whoever wrested the prize from 
 us would find it a costly operation. The gathering 
 was held in Wheaton's Hall, which was crowded 
 with eager and expectant citizens. Great enthu- 
 siasm prevailed, and every one seemed cheerful, 
 hopeful and fully resolved to win. Different speak- 
 ers were announced, but Rev. Edward Anderson of 
 Lake City was the principal attraction, and his com- 
 ing from a competing locality gave a deeper inter- 
 est and zest to what he would have to say. We
 
 100 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 expected to be challenged to do our best, and while 
 the flag of defiance would be flaunted in our faces, 
 we meant to show that our blood was up, and that 
 we would sustain the fair fame of our village for 
 enterprise and liberality. Mr. Anderson did his 
 part well, keeping us in good humor by his wit and 
 happy illustrations, at the same time stimulating 
 our pride, and making us eager to show of what 
 stuff we were made, by telling us the determina- 
 tion and expectations of Lake City. Others also 
 spoke, among them Mr. Hall, Mr. Seccombe and 
 Mr. Packard, encouraging us by exalting the value 
 of the prize for which we were contending. When 
 the time came for putting down our pledges, a 
 perfect rush was made for the secretary's desk, and 
 for some time it was almost impossible to accom- 
 modate the impatient multitude of men, women and 
 children in haste to pledge themselves to the noble 
 enterprise, Before we separated some $18,000 had 
 been subscribed. Mr. Goodsell was more than sat- 
 isfied. The next morning volunteers were enlisted 
 to canvass the surrounding country, and so much 
 had the interest spread that by night they returned 
 with enough to increase the amount to $21,029, our 
 final bid for the future college." 
 
 We have a second account of the same famous 
 meeting, from the pen of Rev. J. R. Barnes, sent 
 soon after to the " Home Missionary " for publi- 
 cation. He writes : " I have recently had a pleas- 
 ant experience of some of the natural fruits of home
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 101 
 
 missions in a new country. Ten years ago, com- 
 missioned by your society, I entered upon the field 
 now comprising Northfield, Lewiston, and Cannon 
 Falls, and organized churches at those places. While 
 laboring at Northfield, after becoming well ac- 
 quainted with the people, and the advantages of 
 the location, I repeatedly remarked that this was 
 the spot for a college. This idea, which also oc- 
 curred to other minds from time to time, is now 
 about to assume a tangible form. At a meeting 
 held October 10, the people took hold of the matter 
 in good earnest, and completed an effort that had 
 been in progress for some time, which resulted in 
 raising over $20,000 for the erection of the first 
 building. After the matter had been presented fully 
 by ministers and other friends of the cause, the 
 congregation was invited to push on the raising of 
 funds, that the result might be reported to the con- 
 ference next day. The invitation was accepted 
 without delay, one after another of the men ad- 
 vancing to the table to put down their names; 
 then the women, eld and young, followed their ex- 
 ample. On the front seat was a row of boys ten 
 or twelve years of age, one of whom I noticed 
 was barefoot. Catching the spirit of the occasion, 
 they gave their names for five or ten dollars, mak- 
 ing $100 or more of boys' donations." Presi- 
 dent Strong also adds some details in an address 
 given at Carleton's quarter-centennial : " North- 
 field's offer was a cash subscription of $18,579,
 
 102 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 and twenty acres of land within a short distance 
 of the center of town. One-half of this land was 
 given by Mr. Goodsell, and one-half by Charles 
 A. Wheaton, an earnest friend of the college from 
 the beginning, and a liberal donor. Repeated 
 gifts came from him and his family. Among the 
 generous contributors who have gone to their re- 
 ward were Hiram Scriver, Allen N. Nourse, Dr. 
 Moses Porter, Dr. H. L. Coon and S. P. Stewart. 
 The donors still living are so many that I forbear 
 to mention any, except the enthusiastic young pas- 
 tor, E. S. Williams, always a leader in good 
 things. When a telegram announced the decision 
 of the conference to locate the college here, at once 
 the whole town was astir. Bells were rung, and 
 the citizens indulged in a general jubilation." 
 
 The College Located. A portion of the facts 
 just recited are somewhat out of chronological 
 order, and ahead of time; but it seemed best not 
 to break the narrative; and besides, what happened 
 in Northfield one day was in great part the cause 
 of what occurred in Faribault the day following. 
 Turning now to the decisive action taken by the 
 conference, we learn this from the Minutes : " The 
 committee on a college reported through its chair- 
 man, Mr. Hall, recommending the acceptance of 
 the offers of the people of Northfield, and the adop- 
 tion of that place as the location of the college." 
 Lengthy details were given concerning the several 
 offers made, and various reasons for the conclusion
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 103 
 
 reached. They say for substance: In attempting 
 to carry out the instructions of the conference, 
 the first step was taken by sending a circular to 
 every church which was at all likely to compete, 
 asking these five questions : " Can you offer a suit- 
 able location? What amount of cash can you 
 pledge, and when can you pay it ? What amount of 
 land for a site, its location and value, when can 
 it be conveyed, and what title can be given? How 
 much can you raise by subscription, or in the form 
 of stock? What further inducements can you 
 offer ? " The circular was sent to twenty churches, 
 and five made reply. Zumbrota offered $1,000, a 
 site worth from $300 to $500, and $2,000 in stock. 
 Mantorville offered " the best quarry in the state" ; 
 a building of the finest cut-stone, worth from $6,000 
 to $7,000, which anywhere else would cost from 
 $10,000 to $12,000; a site, and $6,000 in cash. 
 Cottage Grove forwarded 43 names upon a sub- 
 scription amounting to $8,170, and would add a 
 site of land worth $1,200, with the choice of a 
 tract of 1 8 acres, or between two of 20 acres each. 
 Lake City proposed to donate a ten-acre site eighty 
 rods from the center of town, and to bond the city 
 for $20,000; though later the bonding scheme was 
 abandoned. Mantorville finally concluded that it 
 would not be able to provide a building of the size 
 required. Northfield therefore far outdid all com- 
 petitors, and so could properly claim the prize. 
 But, as additional reasons for selecting this
 
 104 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 locality, the committee suggest : " This village is 
 not, like Lake City and Cottage Grove, upon the 
 eastern border of the state, but twenty-five miles 
 from it at the nearest point." As to security of 
 title, extent of grounds, eligibility of position and 
 beauty of scenery, it will compare not unfavorably 
 with the others. " The population is 1,500, while 
 as to intelligence, morals and religion, none can 
 show a better record, or has a better outlook. It is 
 a fine place to which to send children from Chris- 
 tian homes. As to latitude, by the census of 1865 
 the population to the north of it numbers 107,678, 
 and south of it 141,691, but immigration is now 
 to the northern part. It is providential that the 
 greatest inducements are where the center of popu- 
 lation is." The thoughtful reader may find it some- 
 what difficult to repress a gentle smile at the 
 logic hereabouts. But the report continues : "Nine 
 years ago, coming to Minnesota, Mr. Goodsell se- 
 lected Northfield for the purpose he had in view. 
 He had a little property which he would consecrate 
 as a nucleus for a college, and his judgment, ex- 
 ercised prayerfully, indicated Northfield as most 
 likely to be the point. The committee would say 
 that among all the advantages enumerated for this 
 village, they deem it one of the most important, 
 if not the most important, that in choosing North- 
 field we shall doubtless be able to avail ourselves 
 of the sound judgment, the untiring zeal and the 
 eminent financial ability of Mr. Goodsell. This will
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 105 
 
 be invaluable to give us confidence in the enterprise 
 itself, and to secure us credit abroad when we 
 shall appeal to the Eastern givers." Another item 
 of "fact" is added by way of argument in favor 
 of the community upon which the boon was to be 
 bestowed. " We believe it has been proved that 
 the very best of brick for building can be made in 
 Northfield." But alas, not so. As in due time 
 we shall see, this w^s a most unfortunate misap- 
 prehension and one which led to disappointment 
 and calamity. 
 
 Therefore, all things considered, the conclusion 
 is : " We recommend that Northfield be adopted 
 as the location, and that our churches solemnly 
 pledge our sympathies, prayers, and united efforts 
 to build it up. It is of the utmost importance, be 
 it distinctly understood, that w r e are to have, for 
 at least for a long time to come, only this one to 
 which we give our endorsement. At the same 
 time, let us do all we can to encourage and build 
 up any subordinate institutions, like academies, that 
 may be needed to became feeders by preparing 
 students. We appreciate the efforts that have been 
 made in this direction by our brother, Rev. Charles 
 Galpin, and his colaborers, and we bid them a 
 hearty God speed, and assure them of our sympa- 
 thies and cooperation in their educational efforts 
 at Excelsior." The pertinence and force of the 
 concluding suggestions appear in connection with 
 the acceptance of the report and the adoption of
 
 106 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 its recommendation. With conspicuous but tan- 
 talizing brevity the Minutes say : " After remarks 
 by Messrs. Seccombe, Galpin, Anderson, Brown, 
 Willard and Furber, it was carried unanimously." 
 However, the " Faribault Republican " says in its 
 report of this meeting : " A large number spoke for 
 Northfield and only one for any other place, Rev. 
 Mr. Galpin, who argued strongly and at great 
 length for Excelsior. His talk was, however, per- 
 fectly useless, for it was evident from the first that 
 Northfield would be adopted." We cannot but 
 deeply grieve with this godly and consecrated man 
 in this deadly blow given to his most cherished long- 
 ings and hopes after an entire decade of prayer and 
 toil and lavish giving. And all the more if we 
 re-read in this connection the letter of Rev. C. B. 
 Sheldon given in the chapter preceding, written not 
 far from this date and telling how bright was the 
 outlook for the Excelsior undertaking. 
 
 Having thus fixed the local habitation of the 
 proposed college, the conference proceeded to vote 
 that the name of the institution to be founded should 
 be Northfield College, and to resolve, " That the 
 conference pledge $10,000, to be collected from the 
 churches during the coming year." A committee 
 was also appointed to " nominate persons suitable 
 to serve as a board of trustees," and the following 
 were afterwards elected (omitting the names of 
 certain ones who failed to qualify, and giving the 
 list as published the next year) : Northfield, Hiram
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 107 
 
 Scriver, J. H. Spencer, M. W. Skinner; St. Paul, 
 Rev. Richard Hall; Zumbrota, Rev. Charles Sec- 
 combe; Minneapolis, A. T. Hale; Cottage Grove, 
 S. W. Furber; Winona, Rev. J. F. Dudley; Fari- 
 bault, Rev. J. W. Strong, J. L. Noyes; Anoka, 
 Rev. A. K. Packard; Rochester, Rev. Americus 
 Fuller (now a missionary of the American Board 
 at Aintab, Turkey) ; West Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 
 Rev. George Spaulding. The trustees were in- 
 structed " to adopt as one of the articles of incor- 
 poration that three-fourths of the members of the 
 board shall always be members of Congregational 
 churches in connection with the general conference 
 of Minnesota, or members of the conference; and 
 that the board shall have power to fill its own 
 vacancies." S. W. Furber offered a resolution 
 which after earnest discussion was adopted, as fol- 
 lows : " Resolved, That this conference pledge the 
 sum of $10,000 towards the college to be estab- 
 lished at Northfield under the auspices of this 
 body, said sum to be collected in the churches of 
 our own state during the coming year; and that 
 thereby we give tangible evidence of the interest 
 we feel in this great work." 
 
 Almost immediately the trustees met for organiz- 
 ation in the parlor of Deacon James Gibson, arid as 
 their first act, all being filled with a deep sense of 
 their need of Divine help, prayer was offered by 
 Rev. George Spaulding, the oldest member. Rev. 
 Richard Hall (who for ten years had been home
 
 108 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 missionary superintendent, and so was the founder 
 of most of the churches), was chosen chairman, 
 and a committee was appointed to draw up articles 
 of incorporation, to be reported at a session to be 
 held a month later. Rev. Charles Seccombe (the 
 hero of St. Anthony, when in 1850 the right of 
 Congregationalism to exist in Minnesota was reso- 
 lutely contended for and thoroughly established) 
 was elected financial agent, to enter at once upon 
 his untried and difficult task of raising funds for 
 the institution not yet in existence. 
 
 Northfield, which had now come suddenly into de- 
 served fame, was but a small village and only a few 
 months before had witnessed the advent of the loco- 
 motive. Considering the limited financial ability of 
 most, the really large amount subscribed to secure 
 the college cannot but be deemed liberal, and lavish 
 to the borders of the extravagant and prodigal. The 
 number of subscribers to the " Founders' Fund " 
 was 20 1, including male and female, young and 
 old. Truly has it been affirmed: ^This exhibit 
 speaks for itself, and carries its own testimony to 
 the intelligence and religious earnestness of a peo- 
 ple who put this valuation on the privilege of 
 having a college located in their midst. They paid 
 too for the honor received with no little self-sacri- 
 fice. But, through the long future in which this 
 institution shall grow in fame and influence, will 
 it stand as the grandest memorial of the wisdom 
 and Christian faith of those citizens through whose
 
 THE SIXTIES, i 109 
 
 efforts and gifts this, their crown-jewel, was se- 
 cured." 
 
 Other Colleges. It must not be supposed that 
 while the Congregationalists were thus engaged, 
 all others were idle. Besides some which began 
 to be but went down in the crash, these which sur- 
 vive had a beginning: Hamline University, 
 Methodist, now in St. Paul, but then in Red Wing, 
 1854; St. John's University, Roman Catholic, Col- 
 legeville, 1857; Gustavus Adolphus, Lutheran, St. 
 Peter, 1862; Augsburg Seminary, Lutheran, Min- 
 neapolis, 1869. One other remains, the University 
 of Minnesota, which was incorporated in 1851, soon 
 received from Congress more than 200,000 acres 
 of land (more than half of which was lost in the 
 crash), a preparatory school was opened which 
 continued for some three years, was suspended, 
 was started again in 1858 only to fail again and re- 
 main dormant for nine years. A great building was 
 begun early, though soon work was stopped with the 
 walls unfinished, nor was it ready for use until 
 1867. About that date a reorganization was 
 effected, including a scheme for a real university, 
 and with President Folwell put in charge in 1869 
 when prosperous days began. At one time the 
 outlook was so desperate that the institution came 
 within a single vote of being turned into an insane 
 asylum !
 
 110 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2. 
 
 The College Opened. 
 
 The die had now been cast, the Rubicon was 
 crossed, and there was no turning back without 
 confession of failure and blunder. The conference 
 had done its work of providing the machinery for 
 further and more specific action. Abundance of 
 interest had been kindled, certain acres were in 
 evidence whereon college structures could be reared, 
 some thousands of dollars had been pledged and 
 other thousands had by resolution been promised; 
 but as yet nothing was visible in the shape of build- 
 ings, or endowment, or faculty, or students. Thus 
 far the process of laying foundations had been easy 
 and pleasant, the tremendous tug was wholly fu- 
 ture; the years of anxious waiting, of discourage- 
 ment and disappointment, of keen financial dis- 
 tress. Nevertheless, the actors in the great trans- 
 action were full of faith in God and in each other, 
 and so went forth unhesitatingly though not know- 
 ing whither ; not much caring whether calm or tem- 
 pest was in store, a smooth or a stormy sea. But 
 not many months elapsed before the inspiring vision, 
 on which at Northfield and at Faribault they had
 
 HORACE GOODHUE.
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 111 
 
 gazed with much enthusiasm, began to fade away; 
 for a number of years the situation seemed actually 
 to wax worse and worse, so that more than once, 
 as the many judged, irretrievable disaster was in- 
 evitable and at the door. 
 
 In particular, three exigent tasks were on hand: 
 The institution which had been created, that is 
 viva voce and on paper, must be properly housed; 
 teachers must be sought out and secured, including 
 one thoroughly competent to organize and lead; 
 and more money must be obtained by canvass 
 among the churches for salaries and other neces- 
 sary expenses. The conference had voted $10,000, 
 and the board had appointed Rev. Charles Sec- 
 combe financial agent to collect this amount. Al- 
 most at once he set forth, and pushed the under- 
 taking vigorously to a successful conclusion ; so that 
 in due time he was able to report subscriptions 
 gained to the amount of $10,740, of which $2,700 
 had been paid. He had visited no less than 72 
 towns, and gained a substantial response from 991 
 donors. There were no large gifts, only five of 
 over $100, and the largest of these only $250. This 
 most encouraging result was secured though the 
 times were hard. So abject was the general poverty 
 that notes were taken for one dollar, and even for 
 twenty-five cents. Some of these promises to pay, 
 bearing a five cent government stamp as the law 
 then required, are still preserved in the archives
 
 112 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 of the college. Incidents like the following well 
 display the spirit which was abroad. One church 
 in a farming community subscribed $100, though 
 at the same time tugging at the task of raising 
 funds for a sanctuary. Another in straitened cir- 
 cumstances and in mid-winter, engaged upon a simi- 
 lar task, made pledges aggregating $250. A third, 
 located upon the frontier where all had been re- 
 cently in real destitution, with not even a school- 
 house for a place of worship, found by the agent 
 holding services in a grove, gave to the extent of 
 $100.50; and that too while cash collections were 
 being gathered for two other objects! A fourth, 
 in Wisconsin, like divers of its neighbors tempo- 
 rarily connected with the Minnesota conference, 
 located more than a hundred miles from North- 
 field, contributed more than $300. Children as well 
 as adults shared in the luxury of sacrifice and self- 
 denial. The first money ever paid into the treasury 
 came from a boy who is said to have earned it 
 from the sale of pop-corn. AncJ the first money 
 paid on the notes taken by Mr. Seccombe was from 
 a girl in Clearwater. He relates that another girl, 
 living in Anoka, Cora A. Bisbee (and let the name 
 be remembered), brought to him two silver half- 
 dollars, which she had received in infancy, and 
 held as keepsakes almost sacred. In spite of his 
 hesitation, she insisted upon leaving them in his 
 hands. Later, being exhibited in Winona and their
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 113 
 
 story told, with several dollars accruing as the 
 result, they were returned to the giver. But still 
 she refused them, saying that she wished herself 
 to contribute at least so much to the founding of 
 the college. One of these coins is still preserved 
 as a token of the interest felt in Carleton by the 
 children in the early days. The other has been re- 
 turned to the original donor. 
 
 'A Building Voted. While the financial canvass 
 was thus moving prosperously forward, the board 
 were busy looking after other weighty matters 
 nearer home. Thus it voted, " That the money 
 raised by the citizens of Northfield, and what may 
 be raised by the financial agent, be regarded as a 
 Founders' Fund, and the names of the donors, with 
 the sums contributed, be deposited in the corner- 
 stone of the first building erected; and entered on 
 the records of the board." Then further, never 
 dreaming that what they now determined to do 
 was destined to remain unperformed for more than 
 the space of a dreary and weary half-decade, Janu- 
 ary 25, 1867, " Voted, That the executive com- 
 mittee be instructed to proceed as soon as they are 
 prepared and can secure the means to erect a college 
 building to be located on the ground selected by 
 the board this day. The foundation walls to be 
 laid with reference to heating with furnaces or 
 other arrangements beneath it, but without a proper 
 basement story; the foundations of stone and the 
 walls of brick [save the mark!], about fifty or
 
 114 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 sixty by seventy or eighty feet on the ground, and 
 three stories high; or two with a French roof, 
 each except the third, not less than fourteen feet 
 high; the whole work to be thoroughly done with 
 the best materials, according to plans and specifica- 
 tions prepared by a competent architect; plans to 
 have reference first to convenience of designed use 
 in the arrangement of rooms, the securing favor- 
 able light and ventilation; next symmetry and cor- 
 rectness of proportions; the style of finish outside 
 and inside to avoid expensive ornamentation." This 
 is the future " Willis Hall " in embryo, or as it 
 appeared in the mind's eye of the trustees, as they 
 gazed into the future unseen and unknown, with- 
 out experience and so with much to learn and much 
 to endure, before the structure thus designed and 
 outlined should be ready for use. We recall that 
 the conference committee, in enumerating the rea- 
 sons for preferring Northfield as the seat of the 
 college, had stated the fact (which proved to be 
 instead a fiction delusive and mischievous) : "It 
 has been proved that the very best brick for build- 
 ing can be made there." It appears that a bed of 
 clay had been discovered a mile or two to the south 
 of the village which for a brief season bore this 
 enviable reputation. Therefore, with all confidence, 
 when the spring opened, some scores of thousands 
 of brick were made and burned and hauled, at no 
 inconsiderable expenditure of money and precious 
 time, but only to find them altogether too soft and
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 115 
 
 ready to crumble for a building so large and lofty.* 
 It had been determined and planned that the school 
 should open in the autumn of this year, but after 
 this failure appeared, it was too late to prepare 
 the quarters proposed before another year. What 
 should be done to meet the emergency? What make- 
 shift was both possible and wise? May 2ist a meet- 
 ing of the trustees was held at which it was " Re- 
 solved, That in lieu of an immediate erection of 
 such a building as has been contemplated, the execu- 
 tive committee be instructed to purchase and put 
 in condition for the present exigencies of the col- 
 lege the property known as the ' American House' 
 [erected by Mr. North some ten years before, he 
 also building better than he knew], with the six 
 lots and all buildings thereon, except the barn ; mak- 
 ing the best terms they may be able." Later it 
 was reported officially that " the new building cost 
 with furnishings $5,900 paid, and $3,200 owed, 
 total $9,100; while the original cost of the build- 
 ing alone was $5,500." Some such step as this 
 was evidently demanded by the exigency, and yet 
 it proved unfortunate in various ways, since it led 
 straight into some serious complications. In setting 
 these forth, and so depicting somewhat of the situa- 
 tion as it existed in the summer and for months 
 afterwards, we can resort again with profit to Mr. 
 
 * Perhaps, however, it ought to be added that within a 
 few years, at another point not far from Northfield, clay of 
 an excellent quality has been discovered and extensive brick 
 works are operated.
 
 116 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Scriver's manuscript though at some cost of repeti- 
 tion. He says: 
 
 "It was esteemed peculiarly favorable to the pros- 
 pects of the young college that Mr. Goodsell con- 
 sidered it his future life's work to attend especially 
 to its material interests. This fact also inspired 
 confidence in the hearts of the people around North- 
 field, among the trustees and throughout the state. 
 Especially did the trustees upon the ground, being 
 young and inexperienced in such matters, lean with 
 confidence upon Mr. Goodsell; perhaps were too 
 much disposed to place burdens upon him which 
 he was willing to bear, and for which his large 
 experience had fitted him. The purchase of a kiln 
 of brick was made, which upon delivery proved to 
 be too soft for such a building as was required. 
 These, however, were retailed out without much 
 loss. Next, a purchase of stone for a foundation 
 was made. But soon, upon mature reflection, it 
 was seen that by the time the proposed building 
 was erected, contingent upon the collection of sub- 
 scriptions, and these perhaps exhausted before it 
 was finished, precious time would be lost, and the 
 organization of the school be seriously delayed. 
 Just now, providentially as it seemed, an oppor- 
 tunity offered for the purchase of the American 
 House at a very low price, and which by the ex- 
 penditure of a comparatively small sum could be 
 changed so as to well meet the present require- 
 ments of the school, a boarding department in-
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 117 
 
 eluded. A meeting of the trustees was called, the 
 case was presented and the vote was unanimous 
 in favor of making the purchase. Under the 
 supervision of a competent architect, Mr. Goodsell, 
 taking the sole charge, proceeded to make the alter- 
 ations deemed necessary. (Let us recall that it was 
 just now that the west wing of the ' Old Brown 
 Church ' was rising, with this same much over- 
 burdened man superintendent of construction). 
 But this action of the trustees did not meet the ap- 
 proval of many in the community. Although no 
 pledge had ever been given as to how the funds 
 subscribed in and about Northfield were to be used, 
 yet it had become the understanding among most 
 of the subscribers that they were to be expended 
 upon a college edifice which would be an ornament 
 to the town. And hence the new scheme operated 
 very materially against the collection of pledges. 
 Some paid cheerfully, some grudgingly, but many 
 more refused to pay anything until the building was 
 in progress. So general and profound was the dis- 
 satisfaction that at the end of three years less than 
 half the pledges had been paid. It was evident that 
 with too many enthusiasm had sadly abated and 
 that any excuse would serve to absolve them, in 
 their own minds, from any obligation to meet their 
 promises. However, the hotel was transformed 
 and the school was started." Thus far Mr. Scriver. 
 In July of 1868 the board voted to begin the prom- 
 ised building and the foundation was put in dur-
 
 118 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 ing the autumn, the corner stone was laid in con- 
 nection with the annual meeting of the board the 
 year after; by the end of another year the stone 
 walls had been carried up as far as the water-table ; 
 but two years more of waiting were in store before 
 ihe joy of completion was tasted. No wonder then 
 that hope so long deferred made the hearts of many 
 sick. 
 
 The School Opened. But meantime the third 
 thing needful had not been either forgotten or neg- 
 lected. For at the same meeting which directed 
 the purchase of the hotel the board authorized a 
 committee composed of Messrs. Hall, Seccombe and 
 Strong to engage a teacher and to offer a salary 
 of $1,500. A correspondence was commenced, 
 among others with letters written to the president 
 of Dartmouth college, Rev. Dr. Asa D. Smith, 
 who also presently named a student about to gradu- 
 ate, and added : " He will fill the bill. He stands 
 over six feet, weighs over two hundred pounds, and 
 has never seen a sick day. He is a good scholar, 
 and is popular with the faculty and students." The 
 responsible position was offered and accepted, and 
 in due season Horace Goodhue, Jr., was on hand 
 in Northfield ready to begin to play his part.* 
 
 *To this untried and unseasoned youth the Board, in the 
 fulness of their faith, offer so large a salary, and later the 
 same for a senior professor (whatever that may signify). 
 But as a part of the explanation, we are to remember that 
 this was soon after the close of the Rebellion, the days when 
 gold was at a premium, and all prices were high. Then, 
 of course, none of them knew, or could know, what was in
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 119 
 
 Tradition apparently reliable has it that not all were 
 altogether pleased with the outward appearance of 
 this earliest head of this college-to-be. They had 
 looked for a very Solomon to appear, and, lo, but 
 a beardless youth not altogether without traces of 
 verdancy (that is, no wiser than the average re- 
 cent graduate). Nevertheless, there is also abun- 
 dant reason to believe that he was thought much 
 better of when acquaintance .with him was once 
 made. By September 25 all things were in readi- 
 ness, and a preparatory department was opened 
 with something over two-score in attendance 
 the first day, and the number doubling before the 
 end of the first term. Professor Goodhue tells us 
 that he met twenty-three young men and women 
 " in all the ardor of their first enthusiasm over the 
 idea of going to college, but the only trace of a 
 college was in the desire of one-third of them to 
 begin the study of Latin." By mid-winter the sec- 
 retary of the board could announce : " So pressing 
 are the duties of Professor Goodhue that Dr. At- 
 kins has been engaged as an assistant. Arrange- 
 ments have been perfected to have our college in 
 embryo step forth in the glory of a full-fledged 
 college at an early day." The dark allusion in the 
 last sentence appears to be to certain steps recently 
 
 store. It is, however, more than likely that their faculties 
 were somewhat jostled and upset by the enthusiasm attend- 
 ing the pledging the $22,000 and the ease with which 
 $11,000 more had been subscribed in the state at large. 
 How easy to suppose that the village and the churches would 
 proceed at the same pace.
 
 120 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 taken by the board looking to the early choice of a 
 president, though the advent of such a functionary 
 was distant three years. Evidently there was need 
 of an additional instructor, for we read of "four- 
 teen classes a day, with recitations succeeding each 
 other so rapidly that the students must needs be 
 constantly near at hand; thus remaining all day 
 in or near the building." 
 
 The dining-room of the ex-hotel had been meta- 
 morphosed into a chapel, while the basement, which 
 formerly had done duty as a bar-room, and when 
 the school opened was much cumbered with lumber 
 and rubbish of all kinds (besides from first to last 
 being a favorite haunt for rats and mice galore), 
 under the new regime was partitioned off into 
 kitchen, dining-room and reading-room. Recita- 
 tions were held upon the first floor, while the two 
 upper stories were reserved as lodgings for teachers 
 and students. For a season the principal and two 
 young men were the only occupants of Ladies' Hall, 
 though the next year the Seccombes found a home 
 under this roof, with Miss Dow also. Ere long 
 Professor Goodhue brought his bride from the East 
 to abide in the same quarters, Professor Payne and 
 wife joining the company later still, while Miss 
 Evans and Miss Armsby and divers others were 
 destined here to receive shelter for years; with 
 inconveniences and aggravations neither few nor 
 slight included. The rooms were all heated by 
 stoves, and in order to reduce the constant danger
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 121 
 
 of fire to a minimum this rule was laid down and 
 printed in the catalogue : " Students must keep 
 their rooms neat and orderly. Upon leaving them, 
 or upon retiring at night, stoves must be closed and 
 lights extinguished. Lamps are to be trimmed only 
 by daylight. Ashes may be carried or kept only 
 in iron vessels, and fire only in those that are 
 closely covered. Gunpowder and firearms shall not 
 be kept in or about the building. Water, dirt, or 
 anything either offensive or dangerous, must not 
 be kept about the building." With great propriety 
 too, the practice of sawing and splitting wood upon 
 the upper floors was placed among things strictly 
 prohibited. It was voted early that " the principal 
 have rooms in the building and a stove without 
 extra charge; and that he take charge of the stu- 
 dents' rooms, taking an inventory of furniture and 
 reporting damage." F. L. Kendall was installed 
 soon as boarding house steward, with board at 
 $3.00 per week. 
 
 The emotions excited in Northfield by the ap- 
 pearance of this educational prodigy upon the scene 
 are well pictured for us in a paper read by Mrs. 
 M. W. Skinner (in those ancient days known as 
 Emily Willey), at the thirtieth anniversary of the 
 opening of the preparatory department. According 
 to the recollection of this intelligent and veracious 
 witness : " For several years a college had existed 
 in our town only as a phantom, a castle in the air. 
 We had heard it talked about and prayed for, and
 
 122 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 had contributed money towards its realization; but 
 how, or when, or where it would make its appear- 
 ance, was a matter of doubtful conjecture. But 
 when the sound of hammers and saws were heard in 
 the American House; when blackboards appeared 
 upon the walls, and real school desks were fastened 
 to the floors ; when the ladies met to make bedding, 
 and furniture was contributed for the reception and 
 guest-rooms; and best of all, when the young man 
 from Dartmouth came to care for the twenty-three 
 students who should eat, sleep, study and recite in 
 that building, it began to dawn upon us that a col- 
 lege was really born in our midst. It was a lusty 
 fellow and grew rapidly. Its music delighted us, 
 its activity surprised us, and its infant yells borne 
 on the midnight air disturbed our slumbers." It 
 was during these days of beginning that Mr. Hall 
 wrote to the " Home Missionary " : " The great 
 event of the year to the churches is the founding 
 of a college. The brethren are greatly cheered by 
 the prospect of soon educating their sons [one 
 wonders, why not daughters also?] in an institu- 
 tion under the auspices of the Puritan faith, an 
 institution inspired and molded by the influences 
 that came from the faith, and the free policy of the 
 Pilgrims. They think that in increased homogene- 
 ousness, Christian sympathy and liberality, these 
 feeble churches, still largely dependent on aid from 
 the society, are already experiencing the good re-
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 123 
 
 suits of an effort calling for so large self-denial and 
 faith in God.' 1 
 
 A pamphlet appeared from the press before the 
 close of the first school year bearing these words 
 upon the title page : " Annual Catalogue of North- 
 field College. July, 1868. Hiram A. Kimball, 
 Printer. Recorder Office, Northfield." The second 
 page contains the names of the executive commit- 
 tee, to-wit: Hiram Scriver, Miron W. Skinner, 
 Joseph H. Spencer, Sam'l W. Furber. The names 
 of the faculty also, as follows: Horace Goodhue, 
 A. B., Principal, Instructor of Latin, Greek and 
 Mathematics. Francis H. Atkins, S. B. M. D., In- 
 structor of Natural Sciences and English Branches. 
 In the junior class of the classical course appear 
 the names of 9 men and 8 women, in the middle 
 class of the English course the names of 4 students, 
 in the junior class of 60; a total of attendance 
 of 8 1 for the three terms. Of this number about 
 half were residents of Northfield, and all but four 
 of Minnesota. Tuition in the common English 
 branches was $18.00; in the higher English and 
 the classics $24.00; and incidentals $1.50. " Read- 
 ing is a daily study for all who wish to pursue 
 it." We gather these items of information : 
 " Northfield is on the Minnesota Central R. R., 35 
 miles from St. Paul and 29 from Owatonna. The 
 building for the present use of the college is 40 
 by 80 feet, and is three stories high besides a base- 
 ment. It is newly fitted up for its present purposes.
 
 124 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 The second and third stories afford 20 choice rooms 
 for students, high-studded, newly grained, and sup- 
 plied with stoves, chairs, washstands and bedsteads. 
 All members of the college are required to attend 
 church regularly on the Sabbath, and are forbidden 
 to visit bowling and billiard halls and drinking 
 saloons." 
 
 Carleton's first " Commencement " was cer- 
 tainly unique, and in its way not often matched, 
 occurring July 14, 1868. The programme in the 
 original manuscript is still in existence and for sub- 
 stance is here reproduced. The serious embarrass- 
 ment under which the performers labored is hinted 
 at in the closing sentence. The exercises appear 
 to have come as an afterthought, and to have been 
 most perilously extemporaneous, for the entire 
 preparation is said to have been made in the after- 
 noon of that day, with the performance following 
 i the evening. Seven declamations were rendered 
 upon such themes as Spartacus to the Gladiators; 
 The Character of Bonapart (such is the spelling 
 in the original) ; Bernardo del Carpo; The Roman 
 Soldier; Bingen on the Rhine; The Maniac; The 
 Height of the Ridiculous. Ten essays were inter- 
 spersed relating to, When are We Happiest ; Knowl- 
 edge; Arctic Day; Building; Wit; Musings; Twi- 
 light Musings; Leaves from My Journal; Arctic 
 Night ; Hope ; Biographical Sketch of W. H. Pres- 
 cott. Singing was interspersed " by the school," 
 and then, as the grand finale, the following toast
 
 WILLIAM CAELETON.
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 125 
 
 was offered, to be responded to by Mr. Seccombe, 
 " The Students of Northfield College." The climax 
 was reached in the words : " Although they have 
 dwindled down to one-half the original number on 
 account of the intense heat, they are not willing to 
 close the term without some kind of commencement 
 exercises; and for the occasion have adopted the 
 Western plan of doing in half a day what requires 
 an Eastern college half a year to accomplish!" 
 
 Beginning of Troublous Times. Before the 
 opening of the second school year Mr. Seccombe 
 was elected " Senior Professor," with teaching of 
 Latin and Greek among his functions. To the 
 executive committee was given power to send him 
 East for funds whenever they deemed best; but 
 for the present his duties took him out again among 
 the churches to collect additional funds, of which 
 the institution was beginning to be in most imper- 
 ative need. A committee of conference had reported 
 that enlarged accommodations were required; 
 more teachers also ; while expenditures were greater 
 than the income, salaries were in arrears, etc. 
 Therefore the conference suggested an appeal for a 
 second $10,000. But before this was undertaken, 
 as if to demonstrate to the most incredulous that 
 a substantial and comely college building was 
 actually in mind, and would presently appear, a 
 suitable spot was selected upon the college grounds, 
 and though without much attention to size or form, 
 the general outline was fixed and each member of
 
 126 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 the board dropped a stone where the southwest 
 corner was to be. During the summer the contract 
 was let for excavating the basement. It was under 
 such depressing circumstances that Mr. Seccombe set 
 forth upon his mission. The year before, his suc- 
 cess had been phenomenal; but now almost com- 
 plete failure was destined to attend his efforts; 
 and almost wholly because the situation had 
 changed, rather than through any defect on his part. 
 It was while in the midst of this well nigh fruit- 
 less campaign, that he wrote from Zumbrota his 
 " valedictory " to the Home Missionary Society 
 using language, especially in the closing portion, 
 which is indeed patnetic in view of the bitter dis- 
 appointment impending. He says : " I could easily 
 shed many a tear, if it were not that the work to 
 which God has called me is so intimately connected 
 with the same service. As I look upon the young 
 men and young women connected with Northfield 
 College, I feel as if no more favored opportunity 
 of doing good could possibly be presented to one 
 than is presented by the call to labor for such a 
 class and under such circumstances. Would that I 
 could know that my success in helping to raise up 
 laborers would be equal to the opportunity." 
 
 During the year ensuing the darkness steadily 
 deepened until it could almost be felt. It was in 
 May, 1869, when the basement walls were nearly 
 completed, and preparations were in progress for 
 laying the corner stone, that Mr. Goodsell, the real
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 127 
 
 founder of Carleton, was called from all earthly 
 toils and achievements to his reward on high ; with- 
 out whom, to say the least, there would have been 
 no institution of learning in Northfield, none either 
 with the same name and history. We have al- 
 ready learned that for more than a decade it had 
 been his heart's desire to render efficient service in 
 starting a Christian school, "a Northwestern Ober- 
 lin," and that in selecting a home and investing 
 his means in Minnesota, this was his controlling 
 idea. With prayer and labor unceasing he had en- 
 deavored to lead the Northfield church and com- 
 munity out into fitness to receive and readiness to 
 foster such an institution; arousing the interest of 
 his fellow citizens, and by his example of generous 
 giving inspiring them also to open their purses. 
 When all the facts in the case are considered, there 
 can be no doubt that through all the early days, 
 he beyond comparison was the chief personal force. 
 Mr. Scriver has informed us how much the board 
 leaned upon his leadership and counsel. Yes, and 
 alas, too much. He was competent and willing, 
 but was overburdened. Both flesh and spirit at 
 length found the task by far too hard. Anxieties 
 of divers kinds weighed down his mind, especially 
 with regard to the finances, the failure to secure 
 the new building through lack of funds. He was 
 filled with apprehension that failure was inevitable 
 and not far off. As early as November of 1867, 
 only a few weeks after the first recitations began,
 
 128 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 we find the board voting " thanks to Mr. Goodsell 
 for his untiring labors and success in the beautiful 
 and appropriate fitting up of the building, and we 
 assure him of our sympathy with him in his ill 
 health, and earnestly pray for his speedy restora- 
 tion." But bodily infirmities steadily increased, 
 and no doubt in large measure from this cause, 
 a deep gloom took possession within. His mental 
 condition is revealed in his letter of resignation as 
 trustee, presented to the board May 19, 1868, in 
 which he says he is "constrained to the act by im- 
 paired health and growing infirmities. Nothing 
 short of an imperative necessity for freedom from 
 the care and responsibility of the place would induce 
 me to make this request. By the necessity of this 
 act the hopes of half my life are blasted. It is the 
 Lord's will, and I try to submit cheerfully." He 
 lingered a year longer, and until May 3, 1869, 
 " failing in health and hope, and believing the great 
 object of his life utterly lost, died almost heart- 
 broken." At the next meeting of the trustees it 
 was: 
 
 " Resolved, That, as a board, we see the hand 
 of God in the early and long-cherished desire of 
 C. M. Goodsell, Esq., to be instrumental in found- 
 ing a Christian college in Minnesota; also in the 
 gradually and prayerfully formed purpose at length 
 on his part to undertake it ; also in the disinterested 
 plan of friendly competition proposed by him, 
 which resulted in the choice of Northfield by our
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 129 
 
 conference as the place for the college; also in the 
 stimulus he was enabled to impart to the benevolence 
 of others by the way in which he applied his own 
 gifts to the founding of the college; also in the 
 efficient and wise supervision he was enabled to 
 render at the outset in the matter of purchasing and 
 fitting up the preparatory building, and securing 
 the first teacher and that we recognize no less the 
 same divine hand in the physical and mental dis- 
 ability which then soon fell upon him and followed 
 him to the end ; disappointing our expectations and 
 disheartening temporarily the friends and patrons 
 of the college, by suddenly cutting us off from that 
 which had been, perhaps too exclusively, our main 
 reliance for success in this enterprise, viz : the wis- 
 dom and strength of our departed brother; and 
 that we bow submissively and cheerfully to the 
 providential necessity thus created for us to assume 
 heavier burdens for the college ourselves, and to 
 strive habitually to obtain the Lord's help and guid- 
 ance in so doing." 
 
 Let the manuscript of Mr. Scriver inform us 
 concerning some of the immediate results of this 
 same sad, and to human vision also most untimely 
 event. "Previous to the laying of the corner-stone, 
 Mr. Goodsell's death occurred, an event which cast 
 a gloom over the friends of the college in the com- 
 munity. It had been generally understood that he 
 had become quite disheartened concerning the en- 
 terprise, not perhaps looking upon it as an entire
 
 130 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 failure, but at least with failure among the strong 
 probabilities. This fact, connected with his well 
 known sagacity, courage and great faith in his un- 
 dertakings, produced a feeling of discouragement 
 among the friends of the school, and when he went 
 to his reward some were not backward in express- 
 ing the belief that the final catastrophe was near; 
 while others counted as friends, though not actually 
 arrayed against it, lost faith and withdrew the 
 moral support so much needed now that the days 
 of trial were nigh. Especially did the resident trus- 
 tees feel the burden weighing heavily upon them, 
 when they found themslves confronted with a work 
 which grew upon their hands, and which only a 
 strong faith in an overruling Providence prevented 
 them from giving up altogether." 
 
 It happened fortunately that just now, in the 
 midst of this which was probably Carleton's dark- 
 est day, a little gleam of cheering light broke in, 
 of which also let Mr. Scriver's pen tell us : " When 
 the day fixed for the laying of the corner-stone, 
 June 29, drew near, notice of the important event 
 was duly given. Speakers from abroad were an- 
 nounced and the people were cordially invited to 
 attend; Mr. Seccombe doing all he could to arouse 
 an interest, deeming it important that the com- 
 munity should fully understand that the college 
 was going forward, so that those who were still 
 behind in their payments might be encouraged to 
 meet their pledges, and thus furnish the funds of
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 131 
 
 which there was such pressing need. A band of 
 children was then passing through the country 
 giving concerts on brass instruments, who happened 
 to be in Northfield just at this time. They were 
 invited to lead the procession, which was to be 
 formed at the Congregational church and march 
 to the grounds. Mr. Seccombe considered this a 
 fortunate circumstance, and a good omen for the 
 infant school. The day was beautiful and the ex- 
 ercises opened with declamations, essays, orations 
 and music by the students. The building could not 
 contain the audience. The procession then moved, 
 the children's band in front, and the ceremonies 
 were performed in an impressive manner in the 
 presence of some five or six hundred. Stirring ad- 
 dresses were made by Prof. Seccombe, Rev. E. S. 
 Williams and Hon. M. H. Dunnell, to which the 
 response was hearty. The effects of the day's do- 
 ings were excellent and manifold." Within the 
 corner-stone was placed a box containing, besides 
 divers documents, the names of all contributors to 
 the Founders' Fund, whether citizens of Northfield 
 or of the state at large, numbering no less than 
 1,192. It appears that the children had received 
 a special invitation to contribute to this Fund, 
 with the promise that whoever was the donor of 
 as much as a half-dollar should have his name 
 handed down the ages within the recesses of the 
 box. A dozen or two responded, and the story is 
 that one of them, having a second half-dollar re-
 
 132 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 maining and waxing enthusiastic, exclaimed: 
 " Why not put that in too, so that the building 
 can go right up ! " 
 
 Concerning the general situation upon the 
 brighter side as this decade was closing, we gather 
 some information from two sources. First, in the 
 autumn of 1869 Rev. A. K. Packard, then presi- 
 dent of the board, wrote in the " Home Mission- 
 ary " : " Christian parents who wish to secure most 
 favorable moral and religious influences for their 
 sons and daughters, together with excellent instruc- 
 tion and the advantages of our climate, may send 
 them with the firmest confidence to Northfield Col- 
 lege. It has a beautiful location in one of our 
 best towns in respect to moral and religious in- 
 fluences and the character of its people. It has 
 been often and justly said that no college in the 
 West has had so auspicious a beginning. Nowhere 
 away from their parents can young men and women 
 find pleasanter homes and happier influences. Mem- 
 bers of the recent conference and strangers present, 
 were much interested in respect to the present con- 
 dition and character, as well as the future plans 
 and prospects of the college." Again, December 6, 
 appeared an " Historical and Financial Report of 
 Northfield College, from the Commencement to the 
 Present Time, Given by the Executive Commit- 
 tee," which says in part : " The plan for the erec- 
 tion of a new building for the Preparatory De- 
 partment was abandoned, as it seemed preferable to
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 133 
 
 purchase and refit one already erected; and we are 
 confident that this measure cannot fail to meet the 
 hearty approval of all true friends of the college 
 who are well-informed respecting the whole mat- 
 ter; for thereby the college has a building well- 
 adapted to its use. The first story has a chapel, two 
 recitation rooms, and a reception room. Ladies 
 occupy the second story and gentlemen the third. 
 The cash value of the building is greater than its 
 cost, and it is one that will be permanently needed 
 for the boarding department, and either for the 
 preparatory department or for the ladies' depart- 
 ment of the college proper; and also the college 
 is now by this means two years in advance of what 
 it could have been otherwise." 
 
 During the first term of the first year, 47 stu- 
 dents were in attendance; 57 the second term and 
 38 the third. During the second year the numbers 
 were respectively 63, 73 and 33. During the third 
 year a falling off appears to 49 the first term and 
 to 65 the second. Of the number last given only 
 12 were women. For the first three years consid- 
 erably more than one-third of the students were 
 residents of Northfield. The second catalogue, 
 appearing in the summer of 1869, contains some 
 facts of interest. Rev. Charles Seccombe appears 
 as "senior professor, instructor of Latin and 
 Greek," and Mrs. Hattie M. Seccombe, as " teacher 
 of music." The public is informed that a " library 
 has been commenced with 375 volumes already
 
 134 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 upon the shelves, a cabinet of minerals and curiosi- 
 ties, and a well appointed reading room, the latter 
 through the liberality of the press." The first book 
 possessed by this institution of learning was a $5.00 
 copy of Shakespeare, secured as a premium from 
 " The Advance " for a club of subscribers ; that 
 paper being then in its first days. The first col- 
 lege Bible came as the product of the sale of some 
 Latin books, and was afterwards stolen (!!) from 
 the platform of Willis Hall. A second building 
 now comes into notice, originally a store, the gift 
 of Hiram Scriver, two stories high, standing at the 
 west of the quondam hotel; supplying a number 
 of comfortable rooms for such young men as de- 
 sired to economize by boarding themselves; and 
 for half a generation popularly known as " Pan- 
 cake Hall." The third annual catalogue bears the 
 date of June, 1870, and at various points indicates 
 advance beyond anything attained by its predeces- 
 sors. This is the faculty in full array : 
 
 * , President. 
 
 Rev. Charles Seccombe, Senior Professor. 
 
 Acting Financial Agent. 
 
 Horace Goodhue, Jr., A.B., Prin. Prep. Department. 
 
 Instructor of Greek and Mathematics. 
 
 Francis H. Atkins, S.B., M.D., 
 
 Instructor of Natural Sciences. 
 
 Miss Sarah A. Dow, A.M., Preceptress, 
 
 Instructress of Latin and English Branches. 
 
 * To be elected at the approaching anniversary.
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 135 
 
 Announcements : College Department. This De- 
 partment opens with the next college year, upon 
 the seventh day of September; the present senior 
 class of the preparatory department uniting with 
 others who may come to form the first freshman 
 class." After the requisites for admission, and the 
 course of study, follow the names of 160 different 
 students who had been in attendance during the 
 year, 14 of them in the classical course, 88 in the 
 English course and the remaining 53 seemingly 
 mere transient seekers after knowledge, dropping 
 in for a few weeks. In the senior class of the 
 classical course these names appear, with their resi- 
 dence and rooms: 
 
 Names. Residence. Rooms. 
 
 Charles H. Colman, Mitchell, Iowa, Mr. Webster's. 
 
 James J. Dow, St. Charles, Scriver's Hall. 
 
 Robert F. Dunton, Northfield, Mrs. Keene's. 
 
 Bayard T. Holmes, Lansing, College. 
 
 Frank J. Wilcox, Northfield, Rev. Mr. Wilcox's. 
 
 Lizzie C. Lee, Northfield, Mr. Lee's. 
 
 Minnie H. Wheaton, Northfield, Mr. Wheaton's. 
 
 The Scriver's Hall named above is identical with 
 "Pancake Hall." " The boarding department is 
 under the excellent management of Rev. N. H. 
 Pierce. Board is payable every two weeks in ad- 
 vance. The principal and preceptress have rooms 
 in the college. Ample provision is made for self- 
 boarding; and by this means some students have 
 reduced the expense nearly one-half. The library 
 now contains 633 volumes. A well equipped read-
 
 136 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 ing room is furnished to the students through the 
 liberality of the press. It is earnestly desired that 
 the friends of the college will continue their gen- 
 erous interest in these departments, and help the 
 officers to materially enrich them the coming year." 
 
 The anniversary exercises of 1870 were held June 
 27-28, the annual address being given by Rev. E. 
 B. Wright of Stillwater, upon "Mr. Greatheart." 
 
 The Darkness Deepens. The last three years of 
 the decade brought little but trial and sorrow to 
 those who had the welfare of the college deeply 
 at heart. The laying of the corner-stone afforded 
 a few hours of cheer, and that was all, for no build- 
 ing operations followed ; while the financial distress 
 not only continued but increased. To quote once 
 more from the paper of Mr. Scriver : "Early in 1870 
 it had become evident that only radical measures 
 appfied at once could avert a fatal catastrophe. 
 Such were the dire straits when a meeting was held 
 in Northfield of the few friends who still had faith 
 in the enterprise, who also showed their faith by 
 their works in again pledging themselves. Still 
 the outlook was disheartening, and it seemed doubt- 
 ful whether Mr. Seccombe, after a whole year's 
 trial, would succeed in raising sufficient funds to 
 pay his own salary. Under the circumstances the 
 conclusion irresistibly forced itself upon the trus- 
 tees that the expenses of the school must be reduced. 
 This led to the retirement of Mr. Seccombe, and 
 his final separation from the work with which he
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 137 
 
 had been so closely identified, and for which at 
 first he had really accomplished so much. It was a 
 painful necessity but also one which involved the 
 very life of the school." Or, to tell the doleful 
 story in other language, a complication of troubles 
 had befallen this enterprise so bravely launched four 
 years before, and which had kindled so much en- 
 thusiasm and expectation. The most alarming lack 
 was found in the realm of finance. As we saw, the 
 autumn before the conference had recommended an 
 effort to raise a second $10,000, but no immediate 
 steps were taken to secure pledges. As far back 
 as July, 1868, Mr. Seccombe had been elected senior 
 professor, that is, quasi-president, with a committee 
 also appointed to visit Zumbrota " to obtain his re- 
 lease from the church so that he may accept the 
 situation proffered him"; with a half-formed pur- 
 pose of sending him East for money. In May of 
 the year following, at the time of laying the 
 corner-stone, the board appointed a committee " to 
 confer with Mr. Seccombe with reference to his 
 connection with the college during the ensuing year. 
 The same day it was voted that he be tendered a 
 salary of $1,000, expenses, and five per cent, on all 
 over $10,000 in a canvass for the institution; and 
 his duties to be to attend to its financial affairs." 
 This change of functions seems to have been made 
 in part because his success as a teacher had been 
 questionable. And finally a year later, after his 
 failure in the canvass, a committee was delegated
 
 138 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 "to communicate to Professor Seccombe that the 
 board regrets the necessity of informing him that 
 they have no further services for him to perform, 
 and no funds to pay any further salary." He re- 
 signed at once, both as senior professor and trus- 
 tee; but by declining to accept his resignation of 
 the trusteeship, the board requested him to continue 
 to serve in the latter position. Though the language 
 of the notification may have been needlessly em- 
 phatic to the borders of bluntness, yet the action 
 was without doubt fully justified by dire necessity, 
 the individual suffering loss for the benefit of the 
 institution. 
 
 To make a lamentably bad matter much worse for 
 the chief sufferer in the case, having been elected 
 senior professor, Mr. Seccombe naturally regarded 
 his connection with the college as no mere tempo- 
 rary one, and therefore (not being over-endowed 
 with prudence and worldly wisdom), proceeded to 
 provide a home for his family ; for the purpose pur- 
 chasing a lot and building a house, over-large and 
 costly for the time and the circumstances. Not 
 far from the date of his dismissal, this notice ap- 
 peared in the local paper : " The students and 
 teachers were invited to the dedication of Mr. Sec- 
 combe's house just finished. It is large, is warmed 
 by a furnace, and has some pleasant rooms." In 
 meting out such large sympathy as is certainly his 
 due, we are not to forget that his failure in his 
 second canvass was the result of causes beyond his
 
 THE SIXTIES, 2 139 
 
 control. It was undertaken much too soon after the 
 first. But even more, the school had not met the 
 anticipations of the many ; so that fault-finding and 
 suspicion were abroad. It had been commonly re- 
 ported that Mr. Goodsell was to leave a snug sum 
 to the college, and when it came out that no men- 
 tion was made of it in his will, the inference was 
 widely drawn that its chief friend and patron 
 had lost all faith in its future. Therefore Rev. Ed- 
 ward Brown only voiced the general sentiment 
 when he said on the floor of the conference : " There 
 is something wrong somewhere. Let us see what it 
 is before we give." In June, 1870, at the same 
 meeting at which his resignation was practically 
 compelled, the board issued this manifesto and 
 sharp cry of distress : " In view of the fact that 
 the subscriptions specifically made for the erection 
 of the college building are to so large an extent 
 unpaid, it will be practically impossible to go on 
 with the erection this season and we would earn- 
 estly request the subscribers to meet their pledges 
 as soon as possible, with the assurance on our part 
 that such funds shall be sacredly devoted to the 
 object intended, and the executive committee are 
 instructed to carry out these views, making prepar- 
 ation for the erection early next spring." 
 
 A few further words are called for concerning 
 Mr. Seccombe, that most devout, consecrated and 
 self-sacrificing man. Through no transgression or 
 avoidable shortcoming he was called seriously to
 
 140 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 suffer. And not only in sensibilities but also upon 
 the material side. Without financial resources of 
 his own, when he came to build it became neces- 
 sary to borrow the amount required. And scarcely 
 was his family gathered in the new home when the 
 stroke fell. Nor was it long before the property 
 had passed into other hands. For years the building 
 was known as the Seccombe House, and then pass- 
 ing into the hands of the college was transformed 
 at length into Music Hall. This passage in the early 
 history of Carleton takes rank with two others to 
 constitute the pathetic, well nigh the tragic, element, 
 with which, somehow, the very noblest undertakings 
 are almost certain to be attended. Why is it that 
 only through the suffering of the few the many are 
 most richly blessed ? Mr. Goodsell prayed and toiled 
 and hoped and feared, for ten long years ; but " died 
 without the sight." Next Mr. Seccombe played his 
 part unselfishly and to the utmost of his ability, to 
 be almost rudely thrust aside. But the measure of 
 vicarious suffering was not yet full, as from a later 
 chapter we shall see, when we take note how mar- 
 velously, by means of accident well nigh mortal, 
 succeeded by protracted bodily suffering and disa- 
 bility, the college was lifted into prosperity.
 
 JOSEPH LEE HEYWOOD.
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 141 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE SEVENTIES, I. 
 
 Election of a President. 
 
 Minnesota. This commonwealth had now 
 reached the close of ancient primitive conditions, 
 of the experimental stage of growth. Hitherto all 
 efforts in every sphere had been relatively but feeble 
 and puny ; but during the next period to pass under 
 view, society was to emerge from the infantile and 
 inchoate, if not at once into what was truly virile, 
 at least into the lusty vigor of youth and adoles- 
 cence. The transformation was of the same phe- 
 nomenal kind whether upon the material or spiritual 
 side of things. An unprecedented rush set in for 
 homes in the frontier counties, which two or three 
 years of grasshopper visitations were scarcely able 
 to check. From the older southeastern portion of 
 the state hosts of immigrants were pushing rapidly 
 towards the western border, from which the Sioux 
 had recently been expelled, and as well towards the 
 north and northwest. When the decade opened the 
 population stood at 439,706; but by its close had 
 advanced to 780,773. The growth of the two chief 
 cities well sets forth the general development. St. 
 Paul more than doubled the number of its inhabit- 
 ants, rising from 20,300 to 41,473; while Minne-
 
 142 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 apolis fairly leaped up from 18,9/9 to 46,887; 
 thanks largely to the utilization of its magnificent 
 water-power through the construction of saw-mills 
 and flouring-mills. Besides, scores of villages were 
 blossoming out into ambitious cities. Duluth's day 
 was not yet come, its site being as yet an unbroken 
 forest in 1860; and all St. Louis county holding but 
 406 inhabitants. In 1870 this "Zenith City of the 
 Unsalted Seas" was a municipality of numberless 
 stumps, with a population of 4,500 scattered here 
 and there among them. Agricultural development 
 kept full pace with immigration, the cultivated area 
 swelling from 1,725,111 acres to 4,090,034; the 
 wheat crop from 18,866,073 bushels to 34,601,030; 
 oats from 23,382,158 to 36,978,079. In 1860 the 
 value of the flour exported was a round $1,300, 
 but in the opening year of the seventies had gone 
 forward to $5,718,887, and in the closing year to 
 $41,519,004! This almost incredible advance had 
 been greatly facilitated, indeed had been made pos- 
 sible, by the development of the railway system of 
 the state, in keeping also with that of the entire 
 country. A half dozen lines were pushing across 
 from the Mississippi westward, or northward to- 
 wards Lake Superior, or northwestward towards 
 Manitoba or the Pacific. In particular the St. Paul 
 & Pacific opened to settlement the most fertile valley 
 of the Red River of the North, while the Northern 
 Pacific, chartered by Congress in 1864, with ground 
 broken in 1870 before its temporary collapse, was
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 
 
 completed to the Missouri at Bismarck. The num- 
 ber of miles of completed track increased from 
 1,092 to 3,099. 
 
 Congregationalism. This period, in which five 
 colleges were founded Doane, Drury, Colorado, 
 Smith and Wellesley opened well for the denom- 
 ination at large, through the famous gathering from 
 the Atlantic to the Pacific of the representatives of 
 the churches for fraternal conference in the Oberlin 
 Council of 1871, the first of a triennial series of 
 such assemblages, and where the moderator, Dr. 
 Budington, at the laying of the corner stone of 
 "Council Hall," proclaimed with truth : "We stand 
 upon the grave of buried prejudices." From hence- 
 forth, as never before, the Congregational churches 
 of the United States were to be joined together as 
 one body in Christian fellowship and cooperation 
 in all manner of good works. This council was 
 especially marked by the impulse given to home 
 missions, and so far reaching was the effect of the 
 action taken it deserves a brief review. Some criti- 
 cisms had been made upon the methods of the 
 American Home Missionary Society. Papers were 
 read by Revs. Drs. J. E. Roy and W. E. Merriman 
 and referred to a special committee whose report 
 was based upon this expressed conviction: "We 
 have but found our work ; we have but touched the 
 skirts of our enterprise in its breadth and vital 
 relations." They recommended the organization of 
 state societies and the appointment of a special com-
 
 144 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 mittee to confer with the national society, and ar- 
 range with their executive committee a plan for ef- 
 ficient and harmonious cooperation. An evening 
 was devoted to the discussion of this report and 
 the occasion was one of extraordinary interest and 
 enthusiasm. The recommendations were adopted 
 by a rising vote and the vast assembly broke forth 
 in singing: "I love thy Kingdom, Lord." It was 
 an hour memorable for its uplifting power. 
 
 The proposed conference of the council commit- 
 tee, of which President Kitchel was chairman and 
 President Strong was secretary, was held with the 
 executive committee of the national society at New 
 York in January, 1872, and resulted in the adoption 
 of a plan, with the simplest organization possible, 
 for state home missionary societies which have been 
 and still are so effective. The Minnesota society 
 was organized the next October, and also the "Cent 
 Society" which became the parent of the "Woman's 
 Home Missionary Society." Thus upon the 
 churches of the state was laid the chief responsi- 
 bility for missionary work within its bounds. 
 
 In Minnesota the churches multiplied from 68 to 
 135, an increase of 67. Ten were organized within 
 the limits of a single year. The membership grew 
 from 3,028 to 6,617, an advance of 3,589; thus, like 
 the number of churches, more than doubling. The 
 average of members rose from 44 to 49, and the 
 organizations having 100 communicants or over 
 went forward from 7 to 17. The beneficences went
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 145 
 
 forward from $3,058 to $10,543, or making a more 
 than three-fold increase. To the three local con- 
 ferences already existing, Winona, Owatonna and 
 Anoka, these two were added : Western, composed 
 of churches located upon the upper Minnesota 
 river; and Northern Pacific, whose name discloses 
 the chief material cause of new communities for 
 which new churches were demanded. In 1871 the 
 northwest frontier was reported to be at Fergus 
 Falls, from which a missionary wrote in August: 
 "A year ago there was but one house here, where 
 now there are forty, and many more will go up this 
 season." But no schoolhouse had yet been built. 
 The next year two missionaries are reported as at 
 work upon the line of the Winona & St. Peter R. R. 
 In 1873 R CV - Richard Hall, after serving as home 
 missionary superintendent for seventeen years, re- 
 signed, leaving 81 churches where he had found 
 but 5 in 1856, and 3,855 communicants in place of 
 150. It had not seldom been his lot to come into 
 sharp conflict with some New School Presbyterian 
 brethren who were over-eager to proselyte in com- 
 munities where, almost to a man, the population 
 was composed of New England stock, and was thus 
 to the Congregational manner born. Rev. L. H. 
 Cobb, who came from a Vermont pastorate, soon 
 took up the task of pushing with tireless energy, 
 of bringing new churches into being and of nourish- 
 ing others into self-support, especially in the terri- 
 tory recently occupied by settlers along the lines of
 
 146 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 railroad. He remained seven years, leaving in 1881. 
 The seven strongest churches at the beginning of 
 the decade were these : Minneapolis Plymouth 245, 
 Northfield 199, Winona 167, Faribault First 117, 
 Faribault Plymouth 114, Owatonna 112 and Roch- 
 ester in. The seventeen of ten years later were 
 these: Minneapolis Plymouth 548, St. Paul Ply- 
 mouth 416, Northfield 333, Winona 256, Faribault 
 225, Austin 200, Minneapolis Second 179, Owa- 
 tonna 170, Zumbrota 164, Rochester 160, Plainview 
 148, Minneapolis First (that is, St. Anthony) 137, 
 Mankato 136, Spring Valley 136, Waseca 119, Lake 
 City 113 and Excelsior 105. The same year the 
 conference adopted and recommended to the 
 churches a plan of systematic benevolence, embrac- 
 ing the idea of making giving an integral part 
 of worship, the envelope system, presenting in the 
 sanctuary each Sunday a fraction of the amount 
 subscribed, and a division of gifts according to a 
 specified percentage among the various general ob- 
 jects of benevolence. 
 
 Northfield and Its Church. Throughout all these 
 ten years this favored community was receiving its 
 full share of prosperity and enlargement. To an 
 unusual degree, from the first the character of the 
 population had been excellent; and hence steadily 
 and increasingly, the intelligent and earnest-hearted 
 were attracted hither. A village charter was se- 
 cured in 1871, and four years later a city charter, 
 with Hiram Scriver as the first mayor as he had
 
 THE SEVENTIES, I 147 
 
 also been the first merchant. Five years later still, 
 a city hall was built at a cost of $3,000, containing 
 various public offices and a jail. Two schoolhouses 
 had been built and in turn been also outgrown ; and 
 in 1874 further substantial enlargement was de- 
 manded. Therefore, having at length outlived the 
 day of wooden structures for educational purposes, 
 a two-story brick building was constructed upon a 
 roomy lot, at a cost of $30,000, containing nine 
 rooms for the various grades, a large high school 
 room, and two recitation rooms. That same year 
 was distinguished by another event relating to edu- 
 cation, and one of such importance as to be second 
 only to the founding of Carleton seven years before. 
 Of course, the reference is to the selection of North- 
 field as the seat of St. Olaf school by the Norwegian 
 Lutheran Church, with Rev. T. N. Mohn as princi- 
 pal, opened in January, 1875, in the building re- 
 cently vacated by the public school ; though soon re- 
 moved across the Cannon to the top of Manitou 
 Heights, upon the edge of the Big Woods, and 
 in the midst of a splendid campus, grown since to 
 an area of seventy-seven acres. In 1878 a large 
 brick building, two stories high, was ready for dedi- 
 cation, costing about $20,000, of which sum the citi- 
 zens of Northfield contributed nearly one-third. As 
 we might expect, at an early day a newspaper was 
 both desired and obtained. After some agitation 
 the Hoag Brothers removed their "Cannon Falls 
 Bulletin" in 1858, transforming it into the "North-
 
 148 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 field Journal," a bonus of $500 having been offered, 
 payable mostly in real estate, Mr. North donating 
 two lots. The career of this venture, as also of its 
 successors for more than a decade, was troubled 
 and tragic. But in 1872 the "Rice County Journal" 
 entered upon a more prosperous career, with 
 Wheaton & Sanborn, later Wheaton & Pierce, as 
 proprietors. The "Northfield News" was started in 
 1879. 
 
 Mention should be made at this point of an oc- 
 currence in the state which, for excitement attend- 
 ing, stands easily next after the Sioux outbreak of 
 1862, and which for a time lifted this community 
 to a national fame. September 7, 1876, this quiet 
 village was invaded in open daylight by the James- 
 Younger desperadoes bent upon robbery. That is, 
 soon after the dinner hour eight mounted men rode 
 in from the recesses of the Big Woods, and while 
 five remained upon the street and opened a lively 
 fusillade to frighten the citizens, three entered the 
 First National Bank, one covering the teller and 
 bookkeeper, the other set upon J. L. Heywood the 
 cashier, with threats and curses ordering him to 
 open the vault ; and when he refused knocking him 
 down, firing a pistol near his head and drawing a 
 bowie knife across his throat. While these doings 
 were in progress inside, indeed almost as soon as 
 the shooting had commenced, a return fire had 
 begun on the part of two cool-headed and quick- 
 witted citizens, A. R. Manning- and H. M. Wheeler,
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 149 
 
 and witH aim so deadly that within a few minutes 
 two of the would-be robbers lay lifeless on the 
 street, a third was badly wounded, and the survivors 
 were thinking only of escape. The alarm being 
 given at the door, utterly foiled and so maddened, 
 before leaping over tEe counter the bandit having 
 Heywood in charge fired a shot into the temple, 
 which proved instantly fatal. Their flight was for 
 the Big Woods and southwestward for some ten 
 days, with hundreds of determined men in hot pur- 
 suit. Two made their escape, but the four remain- 
 ing were finally surrounded and brought to bay, of 
 whom one was slain and the rest surrendered, to 
 be arraigned in due season, and pleading guilty, to 
 be sentenced to imprisonment for life,* though after 
 a quarter of a century the two still surviving were 
 released. One of these soon committed suicide. 
 
 Mr. Heywood's business ability and sterling in- 
 tegrity brought him into many positions of respon- 
 sibility, among which was that of treasurer of 
 Carleton College. A memorial window in the Con- 
 gregational church bears his name and the inscrip- 
 tion: FIDELITAS. No word could better char- 
 acterize the man or epitomize his life. A brass tablet 
 in the library bears this legend: 
 
 * Under the state law at that time, if they plead guilty, 
 they could be sentenced without the formality of a trial, to 
 life-imprisonment ; if they plead not guilty and were con- 
 victed, it was left to the jury to decide whether the death 
 penalty should be inflicted. Knowing perfectly well that 
 hanging could be escaped only by the former course, they 
 waived trial and were soon taken to Stillwater.
 
 150 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 In 
 GRATEFUL MEMORY 
 
 of 
 JOSEPH LEE HEYWOOD, 
 
 Formerly 
 Treasurer of this' College. 
 
 Born August 12, 1837. 
 
 A man modest, true and gentle; diligent in business; con- 
 scientious in duty; a citizen benevolent and honorable; 
 towards God reverent and loyal; who, while defending his 
 trust as a bank officer, fearlessly met death at the hands 
 of armed robbers, in Northfield, Sept. 7, 1876. 
 
 This tablet is inscribed by his 1 friends as a tribute to heroic 
 
 fidelity. 
 ESTO FIDELIS USQUE AD MORTEM. 
 
 Concerning a character so true and noble, these 
 words spoken at the funeral, by the pastor, deserve 
 to be quoted : " Mr. Heywood was, beyond most 
 men, modest and timid. He shrank from the pub- 
 lic gaze; and, considering his high gifts and his 
 standing in the community, he was retiring almost 
 to a fault. He set a low estimate upon himself. He 
 would not own to himself, did not even seem to 
 know that he was lovable and well-beloved. He 
 courted no praise and sought no reward. Honors 
 must come to him unsought if they came at all. He 
 would be easily content to toil on, out of sight and 
 with services unrecognized, but in every transaction* 
 he must be conscientious through and through, and 
 do each hour to the full the duties of the hour. 
 * * * When so many are corrupt and venal, 
 are base and criminal, in the discharge of public
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 151 
 
 duties, the spectacle of such a life as we have looked 
 upon is worth far more to society than we can well 
 reckon up. And if, as a result of last Thursday's 
 events, those just entering life, and we all, shall be 
 warned of the evil and curse of transgression, and 
 be reminded of the surpassing beauty of honor and 
 faithfulness, and in addition shall catch an enthusi- 
 asm of integrity, it will go no small way to com- 
 pensate for the terrible shock that came to this city, 
 and for the agony that has fallen upon so many 
 hearts. We know to-day that public and private 
 worth are still extant, and that the old cardinal vir- 
 tues are still held in honor. We need no lantern to 
 find a man."* 
 
 With regard to the Northfield Congregational 
 church not much need now be said. The day of 
 small things was long since past. A position had 
 been won among the very foremost churches in the 
 state, both for membership and spiritual excellence. 
 Congregations were becoming inconveniently and 
 embarrassingly large. For nearly two years after 
 
 *Mr. Heywood had been trained from childhood, espe- 
 cially by his devout and conscientious mother, a woman 
 unwavering in her moral convictions, to the love of truth, 
 liberty and country. His enlistment in the Union Army 
 came almost as a matter of course. He participated in the 
 siege of Vicksburg and the capture of Arkansas Post; but 
 army life proved too severe and after long detention in a 
 hospital he was detailed as a druggist in the dispensary at 
 Nashville, where he remained until the close of the war. 
 Coming to Minnesota, he first resided in Faribault, but 
 removed to Northfield in '67. His only daughter, May 
 Heywood, now Mrs. E. C. Dean, of Scranton, Pa., was 
 graduated at Carleton in 1893.
 
 152 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 the departure of Mr. Williams in 1870 no successor 
 was found, though for several months Rev. Myron 
 A. Munson of Massachusetts played the part of 
 acting pastor with great acceptance. In June of 
 1872 Rev. J. A. Towle accepted a call to the pas- 
 torate, whose nearly three years' stay was of es- 
 pecial and enduring value, and because of his prom- 
 inent part in introducing and thoroughly launching 
 the admirable plan of Christian giving just then 
 adopted and commended by the state conference. 
 Next, in June, 1875, Rev. D. L. Leonard com- 
 menced a pastorate of six years' continuance. More 
 than once during his stay the gracious Spirit was 
 present in both church and college with converting 
 and sanctifying power, in particular in connection 
 with the services of the evangelists Welton and 
 Updegraff. During this pastorate the church in- 
 creased from a membership of 250 to one of 335, 
 Mr. Leonard receiving 142 in all, of whom 102 
 joined upon confession of faith. 
 
 A President Chosen. It is much more than likely 
 that the chief cause of the bulk of all the troubles ex- 
 perienced hitherto is to be traced to the fact that the 
 infant institution thus far had been destitute of an 
 administrative head. The enterprise was indeed new, 
 the region was advanced but a decade or two be- 
 yond wilderness conditions, while all to whom the 
 general management of affairs was committed were 
 entirely without experience in the performance of 
 the onerous duties laid upon their shoulders. But
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 153 
 
 even worse than all these serious drawbacks com- 
 bined, no leader had been provided, one selected 
 especially with reference to the possession of gifts 
 for administration. Some single brain was sorely 
 needed to plan, and some single will to execute. The 
 board was willing and active, while the executive 
 committee stood ready to attend to various minor 
 matters, and until laid aside by ill health, Mr. Good- 
 sell was lavish in the expenditure of business sagac- 
 ity and energy. Instructors also were on hand to 
 look after classroom work and discipline. But no 
 chief executive was yet installed, nor was even 
 within the range of vision. After a year or two, to 
 mend the situation somewhat, Mr. Seccombe was 
 chosen "Senior Professor," or temporary head, to 
 make himself generally useful in divers directions 
 both at home and abroad. But all this was only a 
 poor makeshift, a slight stepping-stone to something 
 vastly better. As early as the summer of 1867 
 a committee was appointed, with Messrs. Hall and 
 Strong among the members, commissioned to in- 
 stitute a search for a president, with longing eyes 
 turned in all directions to catch a glimpse of the 
 indispensable " coming man." Was he to be found 
 in the East or the West ? A possible incumbent for 
 the vacant place (aching void) was heard of, a resi- 
 dent of Grinnell, Iowa ; and one of the trustees was 
 dispatched thither to interview him, and " if it seems 
 best, to offer " what was deemed a fair salary. Fail- 
 ure attended this attempt, and the election of Mr.
 
 154 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Seccombe as senior professor appears to have fol- 
 lowed as a result. Then, apparently, the weighty 
 matter was suffered to rest for some two years, and 
 until the situation had become well nigh desperate. 
 It was at the same meeting at which Mr. Seccombe 
 was informed that his services were no longer re- 
 quired, that another committee of three was chosen 
 " to confer with " a certain well-known clergyman 
 " of Jacksonville, Illinois, tendering him " a certain 
 salary " this year" ; on his refusal " to make in- 
 quiries in this state, and agreeing upon any one, to 
 call a special meeting of the board," in the latter 
 case with two additional members provided. It 
 must have been about this time that Ohio was re- 
 sorted to with the same purpose in mind. Rev. 
 E. M. Williams said at the quarter-centennial anni- 
 versary : " I can easily go back to the time when 
 we were wrestling with the problem of a president 
 for Carleton. Well do I recall an errand to Oberlin 
 in search of one to fill that office, but Oberlin had 
 no relief for us." The Illinois candidate promptly 
 refused to consider the subject, and at once gave a 
 negative reply; and so, losing all hope of securing 
 a Moses anywhere from among outsiders and 
 strangers, as a last resort, Minnesota was scanned 
 through and through, from center to circumference, 
 in quest of a gifted man, of heroic mold, possessed 
 of courage and consecration sufficient to undertake 
 to avert the seemingly inevitable, and to achieve 
 that which to many was the impossible. And what
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 155 
 
 was there to attract anybody fit for the herculean 
 task of rescuing the moribund institution from the 
 jaws of impending destruction? 
 
 No doubt the nadir of Carleton's career was 
 reached in the summer of 1870. But nevertheless, 
 as the event proved, this, the darkest hour, was just 
 before the dawn. Who would not have scouted and 
 scoffed at the prediction, had it been made, that 
 within a few weeks the friends of the college, both 
 in Northfield and throughout the state, would be 
 found even fuller of enthusiasm and expectation 
 than they were four years before when the location 
 was fixed ; and that their giving would be even more 
 hilarious and lavish? If this Christian school was 
 born at Rochester when the conference resolved that 
 at the soonest a beginning should be made, or two 
 years afterward, when Northfield was selected as 
 the, seat, a second birth was now verily nigh at 
 hand, a birth into a new and larger life. 
 
 Rev. E. M. Williams, in the address referred to 
 above, supplies in addition this interesting bit of 
 information relating to the work of the committee 
 just named : " After long consultations, some one, 
 President Fuller of Aintab, Turkey, I think (at that 
 date Rev. Americus Fuller, pastor of the Rochester 
 Congregational church), suggested that we should 
 elect one of our own board, Rev. James W. Strong, 
 and place him at the head of this enterprise." A 
 word to the wise was sufficient. Messrs. Hall and 
 Williams had broached the idea to Mr. Strong, the
 
 156 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 latter repeatedly, with the urgent request that due 
 consideration be given the subject, and with the 
 promise to " stand by him " ; but Mr. Strong would 
 then make no other response than that he had no 
 desire to undertake such a task, that his heart was 
 in the pastorate and that he must remain in it until 
 convinced that Providence had some other plan 
 for him. After some three months' investigation, 
 unable to discover any other man so suitable, the 
 committee called a special meeting of the trustees 
 for September 18 to report their conclusion in the 
 shape of a nomination. At a certain stage of the 
 proceedings the Faribault pastor was requested to 
 leave the room for a season (the meeting was held 
 in a small music-room in the old " Ladies' Hall "), 
 and his name was presented. An hour or two fol- 
 lowed of pondering and discussion, with a unani- 
 mous election as the momentous conclusion. The 
 president-elect was then called in and informed of 
 the action which had just been taken. When asked 
 for a response, his reply was that if a decision were 
 required at once it must be in the negative; but, if 
 given time, he would consider the question most 
 carefully, and give a definite answer at the annual 
 meeting of the state conference which would con- 
 vene a month later at Northfield. 
 
 In this most critical hour for the college a re- 
 markable coincidence occurred (and did it only 
 happen? was it not rather a true providence?). Not 
 many days before a strange preparation for an af-
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 157 
 
 firmative reply had been received. For three years, 
 on account of seriously impaired vision, an afflic- 
 tion inherited from college days, his eyes often 
 bandaged to exclude the light, Mrs. Strong had done 
 all his reading and writing, and until her health was 
 at the point of collapse, from excessive application, 
 after caring most faithfully besides for small chil- 
 dren and the home. Therefore he had felt con- 
 strained to declare that she should do his work no 
 longer; that he would do it himself, or else would 
 exchange the pastorate for some other calling. But 
 after making most strenuous endeavor for six 
 weeks, it became evident that if this were continued 
 total blindness would ensue. Hence, in accordance 
 with His resolution, he announced to his wife his 
 purpose to resign, and to present his resignation 
 from the pupit the Sunday following. This de- 
 cision was reached near the beginning of the week 
 in which the presidency was tendered him, and be- 
 fore any intimation of such intention on the part of 
 the trustees had come to his knowledge. Nor, on the 
 other hand, were the trustees in the least aware of 
 his determination to retire from the pulpit. Dur- 
 ing the thirty days ensuing, counsel was taken with 
 divers friends at home and abroad, a number of 
 them possessed of experience in connection with 
 the headship of impecunious and struggling colleges 
 in the West; some advising acceptance, and some 
 declination. In Faribault in particular there were 
 those who deemecl the position one altogether too
 
 158 HISTORY OP CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 puny and insignificant, and they urged him not to 
 " throw himself away " on any such enterprise. 
 Little by little, however, the individual chiefly con- 
 cerned reached the conclusion that for him, all 
 things considered, the path of duty lay in the direc- 
 tion of an affirmative reply; provided the trustees 
 were found in substantial agreement with him with 
 reference to certain weighty matters of general 
 policy. As to the patent difficulties and discourage- 
 ments in store, his conviction, was clear and con- 
 clusive that " a Christian man had no right to de- 
 cline work for the Kingdom merely because it was 
 hard and disagreeable." 
 
 Inauguration Day. When the adjourned meet- 
 ing of the board was held, October 13, 1870, with 
 the sessions of the state conference to commence 
 that evening in the " Old Brown Church " near by, 
 such questions as these were put by the president- 
 to-be, with answers sought from the legal represent- 
 atives of the college: " i. Are denominational 
 schools a necessity? 2. Is Northfield College a 
 necessity, or might it be made simply tributary to 
 the State University? [We recall that the year be- 
 fore President Folwell was put in charge and for 
 the first time it began to look as though that institu- 
 tion might live and thrive.] 3. Can the University 
 do the needed work, or be so molded as to be re- 
 ligious without being sectarian? Is there danger 
 that it will be controlled by politicians? 4. Can 
 Northfield College be made a success under the
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 159 
 
 shadow of a university so munificently endowed, and 
 whose privileges are free? 5. Ought we to seek 
 a union with the Presbyterians in a college enter- 
 prise? Has experience shown such union to be de- 
 sirable? Would it be practicable here? 6. Is a 
 change of location possible now, or expedient? 
 
 7. How is it desirable that a canvass be made for 
 funds ? Shall we go through the state again ? Shall 
 we go East? Is there reasonable hope of success? 
 
 8. What is to be the authority of the president as 
 to the nomination of co-laborers? What shall de- 
 termine his tenure of office? 9. Under what cir- 
 cumstances may a change of name be made? " 
 
 During quite a protracted discussion and inter- 
 change of opinions upon these fundamental themes, 
 by special invitation, these distinguished visitors 
 from the East being in attendance upon the confer- 
 ence, were present and imparted freely of their 
 wisdom : Rev. Drs. Ray Palmer, William Barrows 
 and Alexander H. Clapp. At the close it came out 
 that the candidate and the trustees were in all es- 
 sential particulars surprisingly at one; so that all 
 cogent reasons against accepting the position offered 
 were removed, and only an affirmative reply could 
 with reason be given, which also was soon forth- 
 coming, when, at this point, Rev. A. K. Packard, 
 the presiding officer, had ventured the highly ap- 
 propriate interrogatory remark, " We would like to 
 know if Northfield College now has a president ?" 
 
 Arrangements were accordingly made to hold
 
 160 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 inauguration services the next day in connection 
 with the session of the state conference, with many 
 a heavy heart made light, and many a face beaming 
 with joy, when it was noised abroad that at length 
 a fit man had actually been found, ready to commit 
 himself to the tremendous undertaking. Of course, 
 as much as possible must be made of the occasion, 
 the providential opportunity to restore lost con- 
 fidence, to arouse courage and enthusiasm anew, as 
 well as to bring the utmost of relief to the more 
 than straitened finances. Characteristically, combin- 
 ing promptness with energy and enterprise, before 
 giving sleep to his eyes, President Strong, who 
 passed the night with Rev. E. M. Williams, began 
 his long and most fruitful campaign for funds, by 
 ascertaining that this brother minister was ready to 
 pledge $6,000 towards an endowment; and before 
 noon of the day following, that the Goodsell family 
 could be counted on to add $4,000 to that goodly 
 sum. At the afternoon session of the conference 
 Carleton's first chief executive was presented to the 
 assembly by the president of the board, and re- 
 sponded with a half-hour's extempore inaugural ad- 
 dress. Next the two munificent pledges were an- 
 nounced, followed by an appeal for further subscrip- 
 tions. As to what followed, let Dr. Barrows, both 
 an interested spectator and active participant, in- 
 form us. This is his thrilling account in part: 
 " Clever was a college president more cordially or 
 devoutly inducted into office than he on that mem-
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 161 
 
 orable day. It was a wonderful meeting. As soon 
 as the decision of the trustees was announced in 
 conference, the Holy Spirit seemed to take posses- 
 sion of the assembly. Men prayed that that border 
 land, not far as yet from the wigwams, might be ded- 
 icated to Christian learning ; and that the farms, and 
 ballots, and juries, might come up under the sun- 
 light of the decalogue. Then remarks grew out of 
 the prayers, that they must raise up on the ground 
 the ministry, the intelligent merchants, farmers and 
 mechanics that the new country needed. Some one 
 mentioned the little beginnings, right among the 
 Indians, of old Harvard and Dartmouth, and it 
 gave such courage that poor men became rich in 
 faith, and women broke forth in singing. Between 
 the songs and the prayers, short speeches were fil- 
 tered in, closing with subscriptions the very 
 figures of speech for such an occasion. Men of 
 Amherst, Yale, Dartmouth, and Williams, said they 
 must plant as good a college there ; and planted their 
 subscriptions. * * * Thirty-seven donations 
 were made, and their hearty consecration to learning 
 made each a little fortune. The miscellany of donors 
 was typical of a wide interest. Four of them were 
 women, two were families, seventeen were ministers, 
 and mostly missionaries, and about as rich as Peter 
 and John when they went to a prayer meeting once 
 and met a lame man. How we all wept when one 
 man, with a choked utterance, pledged $20 for his 
 boy in heaven who died in the army. One stalwart
 
 162 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 missionary (Rev. Edward Brown), who told me 
 his family burials had kept pace with his field all 
 the way from Ohio to Minnesota, said he had no 
 money, never expected to have, and the brethren 
 knew it; but he could not lose his chance in so 
 splendid a work. He offered a fine colt that was en- 
 tered at forty dollars more than the sheep given to 
 Cambridge College its second year. The new presi- 
 dent quickly remarked that no boys would be al- 
 lowed to ride a ' pony ' on college grounds. 
 
 "Another brother (Rev. Lucian Farnham of Illi- 
 nois) offered $20 in three annual payments. He 
 knew of the logs and spades around Illinois Col- 
 lege. One church was pledged for $106, while a 
 modest lady through her husband put down $500. 
 A young missionary (Rev. W. S. Hampton) offered 
 twenty-five dollars out of the closing quarter of his 
 scanty salary. Just over the river from his hired 
 log parsonage was the Indian. He said the logs, 
 shy of each other, left the cabin well ventilated, and 
 the puncheon floor yawned with cracks, but neither 
 he nor his young wife had any jewelry to lose 
 through ; and his four chairs were stout and good if 
 they were borrowed; and as he would never have 
 another cfiance so favorable to found a college, he 
 must take part. So we went through the meeting 
 and took the thirty-seven subscriptions, and when 
 the close came the people were too happy to take the 
 benediction and separate. Probably there have 
 been few meetings beyond the Alleghanies more
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 163 
 
 joyful or devout, or more fruitful for Christ's king- 
 dom. When the meeting opened, the total property 
 of the institution was estimated at $15,000, and 
 the subscriptions of that afternoon were $16,446. 
 I doubt whether any other $16,000 donated to 
 learning east of the Alleghanies, since 1870, can 
 show one-fifth of the fruit. We of the East, who 
 travel more among the old cities of Europe than 
 the new and growing ones of the United States, are 
 not aware where educational investments are yield- 
 ing the greatest harvests. We, under the welcome 
 shade of old and classic trees, where every branch 
 bends with the fruits of memory, are slow to con- 
 sider that an hour's budding in a nursery will af- 
 fect the fruit market for the next forty years more 
 than a week's grafting in an old orchard." 
 
 A few more cases in illustration of the spirit of 
 that hour may well be put on record. A foreign 
 missionary, Rev. Dr. Joseph K. Greene, seeking 
 health in the home-land, made a gift of $25, a re- 
 ceipt for which bore the first official signature of the 
 new president. Thus early in the new enterprise 
 were interwoven the interests of foreign missions 
 and home missions. One who signed himself " a late 
 student of the college," pledged $100, payable in 
 two years. Still another offered 160 acres of land 
 in Pope county valued at $200. Upon one card 
 handed in was written : " There is standing on the 
 books at the store, to the credit of Charles A. Lee, 
 the last money he earned. This is donated to the col-
 
 164 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 lege as coming from one of the first students, now in 
 heaven." Signed, A. Lee. Dr. Palmer was the 
 giver of $100; Rev. H. A. Stimson turned over a 
 government bond for $500, but then worth $575 ; 
 and Hiram Scriver, to all he had subscribed before, 
 added $2,000, including a lot and building valued at 
 $500. As Dunning puts it in his " Congregational- 
 ism in America," " Congregationalism in Minnesota 
 has been a growth out of a congenial soil. Carleton 
 College, like all the other colleges, a child of home 
 missions, looks back to the day of its poverty as the 
 day of its glory, when calling to itself a president, 
 the giving for it in general association rolled up in 
 one day over $16,000, until every home missionary 
 was down for a sum that went beyond the point of 
 feeling it. Up there the thrilling scene abides in 
 thought as a sacred memento. That first strain 
 probably cost more of sacrifice than the later raising 
 of $200,000." 
 
 Thus successfully was shunned the last of mortal 
 perils for the college, and from henceforth its ex- 
 istence was assured. It might have in store days 
 of darkness and times of severe trial, but no crisis 
 comparable with this one for gravity. This mem- 
 orable session of the conference was brought to a 
 close by the prayer of inauguration offered by Rev. 
 Richard Hall, president of the board of trustees. 
 Before final adjournment the board voted its readi- 
 ness to change the name of the institution in 
 view of a gift as large as $50,000; and that any
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 1G5 
 
 giver of not less than $15,000 might name a pro- 
 fessorship. It was voted also " desirable to fill a 
 Scandinavian professorship at the earliest practica- 
 ble day " ; and donations were invited for such a 
 chair. The president was authorized to attend the 
 meeting of the College Aid Society to be held at 
 Bloomfield, New Jersey, November 8. A poster is 
 still in existence, about 12 by 18 inches, with the 
 heading, " College Rally," and announcing for sub- 
 stance : " President Strong will address the citizens 
 of Northfield and vicinity upon the college, its pros- 
 pects and future policy, next Friday evening, Octo- 
 ber 28, at 7 o'clock, at Wheaton's Hall. Young 
 and old, turn out and encourage the president of 
 your institution. Let him feel your interest in its 
 future growth, that he may labor with a courageous 
 heart. Ex. Com." 
 
 Speaking of the general impression concerning 
 the future of the institution, President Strong says : 
 " At that time faith in the success of ' Northfield 
 College ' was not discoverable. Pledges that had 
 been secured by Mr. Seccombe were being repudi- 
 ated on the ground that it was useless to sink any 
 more money in a fruitless undertaking. There was 
 a welcome for me as a citizen, but with it came the 
 assurance that it was too late to save the college. 
 That was gone hopelessly. One prominent resident 
 said, ' We are glad to have respectable people come 
 here to live, but the college has gone into the 
 ground, and it can never be resurrected.'
 
 166 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Carleton's First President. It is necessary here 
 to break the thread of the narrative, in order that 
 the reader may be introduced to the leader and guide 
 just inducted into his high office, and who, far more 
 than any other man for a third of a century, was 
 destined to shape the character of the college, by 
 gathering funds for buildings and endowment, by 
 selecting a faculty of scholarly and consecrated in- 
 structors, by holding teachers and students to high 
 ideals, and thus in so many directions achieving 
 such distinguished success. No attempt will be 
 made to present a complete biographical sketch, that 
 task belonging more properly to the future his- 
 torian, but only such incidents will be recorded as 
 will serve to illustrate and emphasize the facts re- 
 maining to be set forth in the chapters to follow. 
 
 James Woodward Strong* was born in Brown- 
 ington, Orleans county, Vermont, September 29, 
 1833. His father was a merchant, of large experi- 
 ence as a surveyor, for twelve years sheriff, and 
 later keeper of a temperance hotel in Montpelier. 
 Like the multitude of New England families at the 
 time, this one lived in circumstances not only mod- 
 erate, but approaching the straitened. As a child 
 James was so puny and frail as to be a source of 
 
 *The emphatic statement made in the Introduction must 
 be recalled here and all along hereafter as later pages are 
 read, that President Strong protested with all his might 
 against the giving of such prominence to himself and to the 
 incidents of his life; but all in vain, since the author insisted 
 even more strenuously that this was a matter in which his 
 judgment must be permitted to decide.
 
 JAMES W. STRONG.
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 167 
 
 continual solicitude to his mother, lest he should not 
 survive to adult years. Before the age of fourteen 
 he is found in a printing office, with work often 
 imposed which was much beyond his strength; and 
 for " wages " receiving his board, and an overcoat 
 which cost seven dollars, at the end of his year's 
 service. A large wholesale and retail bookstore in 
 Burlington supplied the next place of toil, where he 
 remained two years, with the return of board and 
 $50 the first twelvemonth, and favored the second 
 one with an increase to $75. This business was so 
 thoroughly mastered that on occasion his employer 
 felt at liberty to absent himself for days together, 
 leaving this youthful clerk in entire charge. It was 
 now that the study of Latin was taken up and 
 pushed in the store, whenever a few leisure minutes 
 could be found, and entirely by himself. A little 
 later he enjoyed the instruction and friendship of 
 a most noble personality, whose influence was abid- 
 ing, Nathaniel G. Clark, then principal of an acad- 
 emy, but afterward widely known and honored as 
 secretary of the American Board. Such a reputa- 
 tion for integrity, industry and business had by this 
 time been established, that James was wanted for 
 service as teller in a bank, but his employer pro- 
 tested that he could not be spared, and he did not 
 learn of the possibility until after the position had 
 been filled. 
 
 Next, as an episode, when he was only seventeen 
 years of age, teaching followed in a school in a
 
 168 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 mountainous district, peculiarly difficult because of 
 the custom, the unwritten law, enacted by the 
 larger boys that at least two school-masters should 
 be carried out bodily, or in some other way deposed 
 each winter. Our slender youth was the second 
 employed that year and in due time the inevitable 
 contest came, but so master of the situation did the 
 teacher prove himself that his engagement was 
 lengthened by an additional month, with an increase 
 of wages dating from the beginning of his service. 
 Character had triumphed over muscle. 
 
 In the spring of 1851 the family removed to 
 Wisconsin, settling at Beloit where only four years 
 before a college had been planted (with Mr. Goodsell 
 among the founders), from which the first class 
 was soon to graduate. For two or three years 
 studies were taken in the preparatory department, 
 that is, when health at all permitted, at intervals 
 with long gaps between, with teaching and other 
 occupations resorted to in order not to rust in utter 
 idleness. In January of 1852 he took charge of 
 the Beloit public school and held the position until 
 Ihe close of the school year, when he resumed study 
 at the college. Soon an episode occurred of which 
 a fellow-student, now Rev. Dr. A. W. Curtis of 
 Raleigh, N. C, gives an interesting account. With 
 two or three others Mr. Strong went to bathe just 
 below the dam in Rock river, where there was a 
 dangerous eddy, which he meant to avoid, but going 
 a little too near was drawn in, and soon found it
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 169 
 
 impossible to escape alone. Natural independence 
 prevented any call for help until almost too late. 
 Mr. Curtis, who was some distance below, recog- 
 nized the voice, and as soon as possible, with the 
 aid of another, drew him out by his hair, too weak 
 to stand. It was some time before he fully recov- 
 ered from this, but, determined not to give up to 
 anything, and not to slight any duty, the very next 
 morning found him at chapel prayers, which, in ad- 
 dition to one recitation, were held in that benighted 
 age before the breakfast hour. During the spring 
 of the next year he was sick for several weeks, and 
 during the summer following, for health's sake, a 
 trip was taken by wagon to Galena, and thence up 
 the river to St. Paul and beyond, obtaining his 
 first view of a region to become subsequently very 
 familiar. Returning, hard study not yet being pos- 
 sible, nearly a year of teaching ensued, followed by 
 the acquisition of the art of telegraphy, which gave 
 him abundant occupation. However, in spite of all 
 these interruptions, this strenuous youth was able 
 to enter the freshman class in the fall of 1854, 
 boarding at home and doing chores, also adding to 
 his income by taking charge of the Beloit telegraph 
 office, his duties including the delivery as well as 
 the receiving of messages, and the repairing of lines 
 whenever broken. During the sophomore year so 
 much of absence was necessitated by sickness and the 
 performance of numerous outside duties, that only 
 about one-third of the time could be devoted to
 
 170 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 study, but nevertheless all the examinations were 
 successfully passed. While in the junior year, not 
 only was he laid aside for weeks by fever, but his 
 eyes gave out, with such radical weakness setting 
 in that ever since, defective vision has been an un- 
 ceasing trial not only, but also a source of most 
 serious limitation. During his college days these 
 several lines of activity were pursued : chore boy at 
 home, student, teacher in the preparatory depart- 
 ment, college monitor, telegraph operator, town- 
 clerk (and as such taking the census in 1855, both 
 of town and city), church chorister, member of two 
 quartets, secretary of a choral union, secretary of 
 a library association, secretary of the state teachers' 
 association, and city superintendent of schools ! Not 
 strange to say, rest and recuperation were found 
 necessary at the end of the junior year, and a part 
 of that summer was spent in Minnesota. In Sep- 
 tember his eyes were in such a condition that sitting 
 with back to the light was compelled, and often 
 with bandages altogether shutting out the light. Of 
 course reading and writing were impossible, and 
 all he learned came through the lips of a devoted 
 classmate and roommate, now the Rev. Dr. John H. 
 Edwards of Brooklyn, New York. In spite of all, 
 graduation found Strong among the foremost, and 
 to him the valedictory oration was awarded. 
 
 Next, soon after commencement we find him a 
 telegraph operator in Madison, reporting also for 
 the Milwaukee papers the doings of the legislature.
 
 SUSAN WILLIS.
 
 THE SEVENTIES, i 171 
 
 Later in the season a second visit was made to the 
 Northwest, this time with a party of college friends, 
 going by sailboat or steamboat through Lake Su- 
 perior from Sault Ste. Marie to Bayfield and thence 
 on foot to the Namekagon river. It was a brown- 
 faced company of young men, in garments much 
 the worse for wear, that tramped into St. Paul 
 that August morning, bearing their cooking uten- 
 sils and revealing to the curious passers-by but 
 little of their real college culture. One of these 
 was Mr. Edwards, named on a preceding page ; an- 
 other was Henry S. DeForest, a tutor both at Yale 
 and at Beloit, and hence familiarly called " The 
 Tutor," who, after his pastorates in Iowa, devoted 
 his noble manhood, as president of Talladega Col- 
 lege, to educational work at the South, until his 
 death in January, 1896. 
 
 Consecrated to the ministry from his very birth 
 by his mother, baptized and prayed over by her 
 foster-father, Rev. James Woodward, with the same 
 end in view, it is not strange that Mr. Strong never 
 had, from his earliest recollection, any other pur- 
 pose or desire than to become a pastor. But how, 
 with eyes practically worthless for study, could this 
 plan be carried out ? The same college friends with 
 whom he had so long been intimate, very strongly 
 urged him to accompany them to Union Theological 
 Seminary in New York, promising to aid him in 
 every way possible. He could not refuse and so, 
 borrowing money to reach the city, he entered with
 
 172 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 them in the autumn of 1859. For two years Eugene 
 H. Avery now Rev. Dr. Avery of Oakland, Cal. 
 a man of rare scholarship and warm heart, who 
 had been a very intimate friend throughout the col- 
 lege course, was his room-mate and reader, always 
 taking the notes of the lectures, which they then 
 studied together. 
 
 The duties of the last year, however, were such 
 as to require absolutely the aid of one who could 
 devote to them freely all the time needed. Miss 
 Mary Davenport, for several years a teacher in 
 Beloit, was ready to undertake this labor ; and after 
 their marriage in September, 1861, such service 
 became, for many years, a prominent part of her 
 most devoted and efficient wifely ministrations. 
 
 In addition to pursuing the theological studies 
 required, the cost of living was met by singing in 
 various church choirs, for which a superior bass 
 voice made him acceptable, and also by teaching in 
 families and private schools. Graduating in 1862, 
 ordination soon followed and a settlement for two 
 years in Brodhead, Wisconsin; and then a transfer 
 to Faribault, Minnesota, in January of '65; to be-, 
 come acting pastor of the Congregational church. 
 As if to meet impending " fate," his advent into 
 Minnesota was in ample season to be in attendance 
 upon the conference which selected Northfield as 
 the seat of the college, and also to be chosen a 
 member of the board of trustees, among the first 
 and weightiest of whose duties was the launching
 
 THE SEVENTIES, I 173 
 
 of the proposed institution, and then steering its 
 perilous way through storms, rocks and quicksands. 
 As a matter of course the future president was pos- 
 sessed of thorough personal knowledge of every 
 step taken hitherto, the financial canvass of the 
 state by Mr. Seccombe, the purchase of the Ameri- 
 can House, the engagement of Mr. Goodhue, the 
 gradual decline of enthusiasm and confidence, and 
 the dire extremities into which the enterprise had 
 now fallen.
 
 174 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 CHAPTER V I. 
 
 THE SEVENTIES. 2. 
 
 The Marvel of Carleton's Enlargement. 
 
 We approach now the narrative of the sudden 
 and surprising blossoming out of the college into 
 fame, also into comparative prosperity and strength ; 
 moreover, an amazing transformation wrought by a 
 providence most painful, one which for months ap- 
 peared as good as certain to make inevitable, as 
 well as greatly to hasten, irretrievable ruin. It 
 would not be easy to recall a more striking example 
 of crushing calamity leading straight forward to 
 phenomenal success, that is, with the success related 
 to the calamity as effect is to cause. Recall how the 
 chief instrument was a stranger to rugged health in 
 childhood; through serious bodily infirmities strug- 
 gling to an education; and, impelled by the same 
 " thorn in the flesh," constrained to retire from the 
 calling to which his life had been consecrated. And 
 then, almost at once a stroke fell which brought him 
 near to the gates of death, and left him for life to 
 carry evident scars and endure severe and annoy- 
 ing bodily ill. 
 
 But first a paragraph not doleful in the least, 
 but entertaining instead, almost to the amusing. As 
 we saw, during the month intervening between his
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 175 
 
 election to the presidency and his acceptance thereof 
 Mr. Strong had resorted to his friends for counsel. 
 And among others, communication was had with 
 President Merriman of Ripon College, an able exec- 
 utive, and experienced in efforts to open the purses 
 of the wealthy, and whose letter in response to cer- 
 tain queries is still extant. In it he says : " You 
 ask if, in view of my experience, I would encourage 
 any man to go East to beg endowment. No, no! 
 Every bone, and muscle, and nerve, replies, no, no ! 
 It may be a necessity in some cases, but there is 
 everything to discourage it, and good policy should 
 avoid it. Unless your case is very strong, or you 
 can use strong personal influence, or have some 
 strong hold on some very wealthy man, you will 
 long toil in vain. I do not think the College Society 
 would endorse an application from Northfield at 
 present. That institution has hardly come to the 
 stage which their rules require. Several institutions 
 already endorsed are in urgent need of the quotas 
 which they have been warranted to expect, and 
 the officers of the society are desirous of completing 
 their quotas. It is harder to awaken an interest in 
 this than in almost any other benevolent cause. 
 There is a very general feeling at the East that 
 western colleges ought not to be so dependent as 
 they are on eastern benevolence. In view of the 
 situation in Minnesota I suggest : Have an academy 
 for both sexes, high-toned in religon, morals and 
 scholarship economical and vigorous. Enlist the
 
 176 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 churches in it; get all the money for it that you 
 can without begging for it as a pauper. Aim this 
 academy towards the college of the future, and 
 grow it up into the college of the future. Don't 
 attempt to develop the plan faster than your con- 
 stituency, your resources, your students and your 
 own educational work. Let what you have in your 
 state grow thriftily and naturally and substantially 
 into what you are to have. Don't scheme, don't 
 beg, but simply make your work grow." All this 
 is good, sensible advice, on general principles. But 
 scarcely so the further suggestions like these : " Lay 
 the pecuniary foundations now in the natural re- 
 sources of the state. Secure land, as much as you 
 can by gift and some, if necessary, by purchase. 
 A few thousand dollars wisely laid out now will 
 lay the foundation for a great fund in twenty 
 years. The best way is to make a town for the 
 college. Let a few enterprising Christian families 
 associate for the purpose. Let them secure land 
 enough and set apart sufficient to found a college, 
 and keep it inviolably for that purpose. Make a 
 Christian place for the college, begin a school and 
 develop its property as you develop the school. If 
 your academy was at first located elsewhere, move 
 it to the new town in due time, if thought best. 
 Northfield may be the best place for your college, 
 but it seems to me you have not preempted suffi- 
 cient foundations there and cannot now. If I 
 wanted to make a college in Minnesota, I think I
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 177 
 
 should get twenty good families and start for woods 
 or prairie, even though you would give me North- 
 field to begin with. The task of building up a 
 college on so small an original foundation as you 
 have, and so depending on the benevolence of your 
 churches, and such aid as when you have grown 
 to it you may beg at the East, is immense, and the 
 main part of it will come on the president. He 
 must be able to do all things, and do without all 
 things, if he has to beg into being a good college." 
 For some reason, not much heed appears to have 
 been given to this advice, and very soon we find the 
 newly elected president resorting to " begging," 
 and away down East at that; with an outcome 
 also which abundantly justified the policy, proving 
 that here was a leader, who knew no such word as 
 fail, whose business it was not to follow precedents, 
 but to make them; and illustrating anew the fact 
 that the chief constituent is always to be found in 
 " the man behind the gun." As soon as possible 
 after the inaugural services with their most hearty 
 and effectual endorsement made by liberal subscrip- 
 tions; that is, as soon as he could leave his pastor- 
 ate, this eager seeker for friends and funds (not 
 knowing in the least what experiences awaited him 
 there), was ready to take his departure for New 
 England; though primarily to secure the counte- 
 nance of the College Aid Society, whose annual 
 meeting was at hand. But, through the recent de- 
 mise of its secretary, nothing came of this attempt.
 
 178 
 
 Fortified with but a single letter of introduction, 
 eastern Massachusetts was soon visited, with various 
 calls made in Boston and towns surrounding. 
 Somehow, the spring before, it had " happened " 
 that in Mr. Strong's presence mention had been 
 made of a Mr. Carleton, a resident of Charlestown, 
 as one both possessed of ample means and the dis- 
 position to use them for the advancement of worthy 
 objects. It also " happened " that a son-in-law of 
 this same individual, Rev. A. K. Packard, was pas- 
 tor of the Anoka Congregational church and trustee 
 of Northfield College. What then more natural 
 than that at the time of the inauguration, Mr. 
 Strong should put the question to Mr. Packard 
 (what was it but by the spirit of prophecy?) : 
 " What would you say to having a Carleton Col- 
 lege in Minnesota?" The prompt and cheerful 
 response came : " I don't know but it would be 
 a good thing." By request, a letter of introduc- 
 tion to this father-in-law was given. When the 
 fitting time arrived a call was made at the office 
 of Mr. Carleton. The establishment was a large 
 one, the growth of years from the very humblest 
 beginnings, employed some hundreds of hands, and 
 was devoted to the manufacture of lamps, chande- 
 liers, gas fixtures, and brass utensils in general. 
 The letter was presented and read, evoking the re- 
 mark, " I see you would like some money." The 
 rejoinder was most politic, " I am not asking for 
 any now, but I have hoped you would become inter-
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 179 
 
 ested in our college, upon learning more about it." 
 After a few minutes' conversation concerning his 
 daughter and grandchildren in Minnesota, the inter- 
 view ended with no plan or thought of when or 
 how, if ever, a second meeting would occur. 
 
 Later in the week inquiry was made at a minis- 
 terial agency in the city for an opportunity to preach 
 the next Sunday, with an assignment made, behold! 
 to Winthrop church, Charlestown; and who should 
 be found in the audience and a member, but Mr. 
 Carleton, who at the close of the morning service, 
 greeted the preacher cordially, introduced him to 
 a Miss Willis*, and they invited him home after 
 
 *Mrs. Sarah E. Northrop, of Oak Park, 111., kindly fur- 
 nishes a biographical sketch of Miss Willis, her cousin, from 
 which this note is prepared. 
 
 "Susan Willis was born in Shutesbury, Mass., in April, 
 1818. Her father, who was a cousin of the poet, N. P. 
 Willis 1 , died of yellow fever, while on a business trip to New 
 Orleans. Her mother was a practical, sensible Christian 
 woman of the veritable New England type of character. The 
 younger cousins looked to Susan as their ideal and pattern 
 in gentleness, goodness and unselfish devotion to others. 
 We all loved her for her own sake, she was so gentle, so 
 unobtrusive, so charitable, so Christ-like. Once in going from 
 Boston to Springfield, I overheard the conversation of two 
 gentleman sitting behind me. One asked : 'Do you know 
 Miss Willis, of Boston, who does so much good with her 
 means, in such quiet ways ; who provides libraries for 
 Sunday-schools, and does so much for destitute churches?' 
 Upon the Shutesbury church she bestowed some six thou- 
 sand dollars. Besides the ten thousand dollars to pay the 
 debt on 'Willis Hall,' her gifts to and for the college ag- 
 gregated at least five thousand dollars. The first of her an- 
 cestors in this country, John Hunting, came to Dedham, 
 Mass., in 1638, and was one of the founders of the church 
 there, and its first ruling elder. He was active in religious 
 and town affairs until his death, at the age of 92, April 12, 
 1689. To the historian, Dedham is a place of much more
 
 180 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 the afternoon service, to dine with them. A pleas- 
 ant visit followed, with many questions asked and 
 answered concerning the West, Minnesota and the 
 new college. Mrs. Carleton was an invalid, and a 
 quasi-pastoral visit was had with her. As the 
 guest departed he was invited to drop in at the 
 office next day. Miss Willis was then found pres- 
 ent, who proved to be Mr. Carleton's long-tried, 
 most faithful and efficient chief-assistant, in various 
 ways wielding a profound influence over him, and 
 always certain to give stimulus to his better im- 
 pulses. Before the call closed the startling interro- 
 gation was put, " What would you do with a little 
 money, if it should be given to you now ? " To 
 which quoth the president, " Money is most needed 
 now for current expenses." Whereupon Mr. Carle- 
 ton continued, " I guess I'll have to tell you what 
 she says," glancing towards Miss Willis ; " she 
 
 than ordinary interest, for here was established, by vote 
 of a town meeting held January I, 1642, the first public 
 school in America. The founders fully believed 'that the 
 good education of children is of singular behoofe and bene- 
 fit to any commonwealth.' The first name in the docu- 
 ment is that of John Hunting. Hon. J. W. Dickinson, for 
 many years secretary of the State Board of Education, said 
 of it : ''As this was the first law of the kind ever passed 
 by any community of persons, or by any state, Massachu- 
 setts may claim the honor of having originated the free pub- 
 lic school.' It is certainly interesting to learn to what 
 noble and far-seeing ancestors Miss Willis could trace her 
 lineage. The doctrine that moral qualities are transmitted 
 finds here pleasing confirmation. Miss Willis was a niece 
 of Mrs. Carleton, and for more than forty years in the 
 family ; and also closely associated in his daily business with 
 Mr. Carleton, to whom she was married, March li, 1875. 
 She died of consumption, March 23, 1876."
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 181 
 
 says that if I'll give you $1,000, she'll give you 
 $500 ; and I think I'll have to do it." A check was 
 drawn by Miss Willis for the whole amount at 
 once. Nor was this the end, for Mr. Carleton made 
 the earnest request that this same " beggar " from 
 the West, who had made no public allusion to his 
 college, remain and preach at the Charlestown 
 church the next Sunday also. Though the presi- 
 dent's plan had been to take sooner his departure 
 from the city, with a strong suspicion that some- 
 thing would " happen " if he remained, he concluded 
 to accept the invitation. As before, dinner and an 
 hour or two of friendly intercourse were had at 
 the Carleton home. Early the week following, a 
 call was made at the warerooms of the Hallett & 
 Davis Company, where an offer was made of any 
 piano that might be selected for the college, at half- 
 price; which piece of good fortune being reported 
 to his two friends at the office, he was asked, " Has 
 anybody lifted the other end of that piano ? " " No, 
 sir, I have not asked any one." At once Miss 
 Willis said : " I don't think he better go home with- 
 out it, do you ? " and then she added : " If you will 
 give $100.00 I will give $200.00." A smile lit up 
 his whole face as Mr. Carleton quickly responded, 
 " I will do it." Thus was secured, without cost to 
 the institution, the first piano it ever owned. So 
 also ended the first, though by no means the last 
 transaction with these noble and generous co-part- 
 ners in good works.
 
 182 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Surely, this could not but be regarded as a most 
 auspicious beginning for a financial campaign, and 
 who could help concluding that providence was on 
 the side of this latest competitor for funds so sorely 
 needed for the intellectual and spiritual betterment 
 of the West? But! how sudden and abrupt was 
 the descent from these few cheering hours of sun- 
 light to the blackness of darkness. Leaving Boston 
 on Friday of that week, December 23, so near the 
 glad Christmas season, the president stopped at 
 Hartford, Conn., for a call upon friends. After 
 dining with his seminary classmate, Rev. Joseph 
 H. Twichell, pastor of the Asylum Hill church, and 
 calling upon Rev. H. Clay Trumbull, he presented 
 a letter of introduction to Rev. Collins Stone, su- 
 perintendent of the American Asylum for the Deaf 
 and Dumb, who was found just entering his car- 
 riage for a drive. It appears that after driving 
 some distance, and visiting the residence of Harriet 
 Beecher Stowe, Mr. Stone turned homeward, ex- 
 pecting to cross the railway track at Sigourney 
 street. He came to the track, stopped, looked to- 
 wards the express train approaching from New 
 Haven, and evidently thought he had time to cross. 
 His horse had been taught, whenever about to start, 
 to prance a little and then go. The consequence 
 this time was that the carriage was exactly on the 
 track when it was swept away from the horse, 
 thrown upon the engine with its contents, and 
 carried more than seven hundred feet before the
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 183 
 
 train could be stopped. Mr. Stone was found life- 
 less from a blow upon the head, while his com- 
 panion was unconscious and apparently at death's 
 door, having received several cuts upon his head 
 and face, his back being seriously injured, the bones 
 of the left leg and ankle badly fractured, three 
 fingers broken and the flesh of the hand torn. The 
 victims of the accident were carried to the station in 
 the baggage car and from thence, Mr. Stone being 
 recognized, to the institution. Four surgeons were 
 in attendance during the night, but, while the facial 
 wounds were cared for, until the next day nothing 
 was done for the fractured leg, since it was deemed 
 ^impossible that the sufferer could survive until 
 morning. The Boston morning papers reported the 
 accident, and the evening papers announced Mr. 
 Strong's death as having occurred at half past 
 eight Friday night. It was mentioned in the pulpit 
 of Winthrop church where he had preached the 
 two preceding Sabbaths, and fervent prayer was 
 offered for " the widow in the distant West." 
 When Mr. Twichell, who had been in attendance 
 much of Saturday, called on Sabbath morning, his 
 classmate recognized him and in perplexity inquired, 
 " Twichell, where am I ? What has happened ?" 
 The reply was : " Well, James, there has been a 
 railroad accident and you are hurt, but you must 
 now keep quiet, and not ask another question. We 
 are doing what we can for you and you shall know 
 all about it by and by." Several days passed of
 
 184 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 intense suffering and only partial consciousness. 
 His brother Henry, a distinguished army-surgeon, 
 arrived from Wisconsin on Wednesday, but it was 
 not until Thursday that Mrs. Strong could reach 
 his bedside to be installed as nurse, having left in 
 Minnesota a babe but two months old. 
 
 Mr. Twichell furnishes these interesting rem- 
 iniscences of that eventful day: 
 
 Inviting his caller to ride with him and return 
 to tea, Mr. Stone stepped back to the door and 
 called out : " Set a plate for a visitor at supper, 
 a friend from the West," and off they started. 
 Therefore it was that when an hour later they were 
 carried in, one dead and the other apparently 
 dying, the latter was a person of whom nothing 
 was known, excepting that he was from the West. 
 It is a fact worthy of mention here, that down to 
 the present time, President Strong has no recollec- 
 tion of anything whatsoever, between his setting 
 out on the drive, and his recovery of consciousness 
 some thirty-six hours afterward. That evening, for 
 some forgotten reason, in anticipation of the usual 
 time, the Sunday School Christmas festival of the 
 church of which I was pastor was held. In the 
 midst of the proceedings, while the gifts from the 
 tree were being distributed and all was merry, some 
 one came up quickly to me and in an agitated whis- 
 per, communicated the dreadful news that Principal 
 Stone and an unknown gentleman in his company 
 had been run over by a railroad train, and both 
 killed. At once I thought of President Strong, and 
 without an instant's delay, started for Mr. Stone's 
 house near by ; in my excitement going as I recall,
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 185 
 
 hatless. Arriving there I found all confusion and 
 dismay. Mr. Stone was dead. The other I then 
 learned was not, but was only just alive. He had 
 been brought to the house because he was with Mr. 
 Stone, but who he was nobody knew. I thought I 
 did, and was conducted to the room into which be 
 had been taken. Yes, it was James Strong! He 
 lay in his clothes, on the outside of the bed, scarcely 
 breathing, and wholly unconscious. For several 
 hours it was by the doctors deemed probable, was 
 indeed scarcely doubted, that his internal injuries 
 would prove fatal. After awhile, however, there 
 was a rally of his vital forces, and there began to 
 be more hope for him."* 
 
 It could not but be that by so tragic an experi- 
 ence befalling a stranger amongst us, our good 
 Hartford people were deeply affected, and much 
 drawn out in their kindly feeling toward him. He 
 was, too, in a peculiar manner associated in their 
 thoughts with Principal Stone, a man greatly hon- 
 ored and beloved, whose death was a public sor- 
 row. When, the Sunday before he left us to return 
 to his Minnesota home, Mr. Strong preached in 
 our Asylum Hill church, though obliged by his 
 broken ankle to speak resting one knee on a chair, 
 a great many besides those of our own congrega- 
 tion were present, eager to hear one in whom, for 
 such a cause, so deep an interest had been taken 
 by the whole community. President Strong had 
 said to me, just before the accident : " If there 
 ,were any way in the world to get money for that 
 
 *His physician, Dr. P. W. Ellsworth, afterward said to 
 him: " Mr. Strong, you owe your life to this single fact that 
 you had not poisoned your blood with tobacco or whiskey. 
 Had you used either it would have turned the scale against 
 you."
 
 186 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 college but this dreadful way of begging, how glad 
 and thankful I would be to take it ! " Recalling 
 this to him, two or three years later, I asked him 
 if he would be willing to earn another fifty thousand 
 dollars for it, by being run over by a railroad train ; 
 at which he shook his head a good deal doubtfully, 
 and said : " I should wish the assurance that this 
 is the Lord's will concerning me." 
 
 There happened a thing to me at a subsequent 
 period, that as incidentally and in a striking man- 
 ner arising from the events I have been rehearsing, 
 it may not be amiss for me, by way of appendix, 
 to relate. One summer, not many years ago, I was 
 on a pedestrian tour with my friend, Mark Twain, 
 in Switzerland. It was our wont in our long days' 
 walks to entertain one another with various dis- 
 course, various narrative, often with tales of 
 personal reminiscence. I chanced one day to call 
 up out of the past this foregoing story of President 
 Strong, which I told at length, in all its particulars 
 in minute detail, making as much of a story of it as 
 I could, there being a plenty of time. I was just 
 finishing it, had just reached its dramatic climax, 
 Mr. Carleton's fifty thousand dollars, when a 
 sharp turn in the road brought us abruptly face to 
 face with President Strong himself ! so that I was 
 able, after a momentary pause of speechless aston- 
 ishment, to say : " And here is the very man ! 
 President Strong, let me introduce you." He was 
 also there on a pedestrian tour, yet neither of us 
 knew that the other was in the country. My friend 
 was something of a believer in telepathy; and as 
 presently we resumed our journey, he said : " You 
 felt him coming. That's the reason why that story 
 rose to the surface just now."
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 187 
 
 March had arrived before this sorely stricken 
 couple could set out upon their return homeward. 
 After three months the president was able, only 
 with the greatest difficulty, to move about with the 
 aid of crutches; while for a year it was necessary 
 to depend upon the assistance of either crutches or 
 cane. Nor from that calamitous day to this, though 
 some thirty-three years have come and gone, have 
 the severe internal injuries then received ceased 
 to make themselves well-nigh constantly felt in 
 various trying limitations and bodily ills; with all 
 this added to the already chronic diseased condition 
 of the organs of sight. Let it not be forgotten that 
 whatever achievements President Strong has ever 
 made in Carleton's behalf have been wrought out 
 in despite of these vexatious impediments and these 
 heavy burdens of physical infirmity. For the most 
 part they have been borne in silence. 
 
 And now for the almost incredible sequel. It 
 was to give the greater point and emphasis to this, 
 and not to glorify or excite sympathy for the in- 
 dividual, that the facts just cited have been re- 
 called. Let it be suggested again that though a 
 host of earnest-hearted ones have endured trial, sor- 
 row and pain in the service of country or the 
 Kingdom, surely seldom has the vicarious element 
 been more noticeable than here; the individual suf- 
 fering loss in order that to the many greater good 
 might accrue. At least, scarcely ever has the con- 
 nection been so close, so marked, so altogether un-
 
 188 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 mistakable, between the pain of the one and the 
 profit of the other. For the fact can scarcely be 
 gainsaid that if that Hartford casualty had not 
 occurred, and so the president had returned safe 
 and sound, hale and hearty, the munificent Carleton 
 donation to the college (not to name other gifts 
 which, directly or indirectly, are tracable to the 
 same source of inspiration), had never been made. 
 As Miss Willis judged : " It must have been the 
 work of the Holy Spirit upon his heart." The 
 theology may not have been of the highest order, 
 the logic may not have been sound, the inference 
 may not have been demanded or even rational ; yet, 
 in the mind of this devout and successful man of 
 affairs the matter stood in this fashion : Of course 
 he was greatly shocked and deeply impressed by the 
 intelligence of the death of the clergyman, the col- 
 lege president, with whom he had held much pleas- 
 ant intercourse, and from whom he had parted only 
 a few hours before. And then, when the tidings 
 came that he was still alive, might even recover, 
 and thus carry forward the great task to which 
 he so recently had been set apart, it seemed pass- 
 ing strange, the next thing to the miraculous. And 
 what did it mean? What was the divine purpose 
 in sparing his life? The inference was drawn that 
 evidently the Lord had some important work for 
 Mr. Strong to do; and also that he himself, as a 
 Christian man blessed with a goodly bank account, 
 in this weighty matter must by no means fail to be
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 189 
 
 a co-worker with the Lord. His conclusion was to 
 undertake to do something handsome in the way 
 of endowment. The first definite statement of what 
 might be expected appears in a letter from Miss 
 Willis, who wrote March 25, 1871 (but woman- 
 like, in a postscript) : " Should Mr. Carleton be 
 blessed with health a few weeks or months longer, 
 I think we have reason to hope he may endow 
 Northfield College with $50,000." April 4, from 
 the same hand came the information that the gift 
 was certain, nor was it long before a remittance 
 of $15,000 actually arrived, to be followed a few 
 days later by a second draft for $10,000, and then 
 another for the final $25,000. Within the space 
 of six weeks the entire amount was on deposit in 
 a Faribault bank! It constituted the marvel of 
 trie day for all that region, and was the largest 
 sum which up to that time had ever been bestowed 
 upon a western institution of learning. And this 
 though President Merriman had said, " No, no ! 
 To make an effort is preposterous!" 
 
 It may safely be left to the reader's imagination 
 to picture the thoughts and feelings which had 
 filled the minds and hearts of the friends of the 
 college during the almost six months intervening 
 between that thrilling inauguration day and the re- 
 ception of these almost incredible -glad tidings. At 
 the beginning a well known and trusted leader se- 
 cured, ready at once to enter upon his work, with 
 a large sum subscribed for the relief of the strait-
 
 190 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 ened finances; thus speedily restoring shattered 
 hopes, like bringing life from the dead. Next his 
 departure eastward, with little known of what was 
 occurring, whether success or failure was attending 
 the great venture; then the startling, sickening 
 intelligence of the accident; the president dead or 
 dying, or if his life was spared, likely to be for 
 life a physical wreck; and when he appeared again 
 in Faribault, with little in his condition to re- 
 store hope and courage. And what did it all mean ? 
 Was it a cruel mockery of providence ? Why these 
 so many alternations between hope and fear ? And 
 so when a veritable windfall was announced, a 
 gift that then seemed larger than a half-million 
 would to-day, it is no wonder that the multitude 
 were incredulous, even unwilling to believe any 
 good news. Too many times already had they 
 been deceived by false hopes. And such natural 
 skepticism manifested itself in Northfield, when one 
 day in May a handbill scattered broadcast called 
 the citzens together, saying : " Fifty thousand dol- 
 lars for Northfield College ! Come out to-night and 
 hear the story." From not a few the response took 
 the form of a shake of the head coupled with a 
 knowing look, supposing the school was really de- 
 funct ; suspicious that some trick was to be sprung ; 
 an attempt to be made to raise the preposterous 
 sum named. " H'm ! Another scheme to get sub- 
 scriptions ! " It was found necessary to make the 
 plain declaration that the figures given stood for
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 191 
 
 a donation actually in hand. So a great gathering 
 was held in Wheaton's hall, at which Hon. S. W. 
 Furber presided, and addresses were made of 
 course to a jubilant audience by the president, sup- 
 ported upon crutches; by Revs. A. K. Packard, E. 
 M. Williams, Richard Hall, M. A. Munson, J. F. 
 Wilcox and Hon. Chas. A. Wheaton. So astound- 
 ingly felicitous did the situation seem, that even 
 some of the trustees present were inclined to con- 
 clude that their days of stress and anxiety were over. 
 But Mr. Williams warned them, and all others who 
 might share their over-sanguine anticipation, that 
 this was not the end of giving; was only the be- 
 ginning, since " a college always needs more. It is 
 like a hungry dog; you throw him a piece of meat, 
 he swallows it down with a gulp and then looks 
 at you just as wistfully for more." The years since 
 have abundantly established the wisdom of those 
 words. 
 
 Nevertheless, the long and dreary and most try- 
 ing days of probation were at length really at an 
 end. Abundance of hardest work was still in store, 
 accompanied with pinching times; but no more 
 occasion for timidity and hesitation because of 
 possible collapse. With wise and resolute grappling 
 with each difficulty as it arose, from henceforth 
 only good cheer was in order. Night and winter 
 were past, it was now daybreak and springtime. 
 With such a reputation both West and East, with a 
 leader and organizer so well equipped for his task,
 
 192 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 possessed of such a substantial beginning of finan- 
 cial resources ; ultimate success might wisely almost 
 be taken for granted. But during the same days of 
 rejoicing other unmistakable tokens of prosperity 
 were visible. In May the president took up his 
 residence in Northfield, while during the summer 
 the walls of the long-expected stone building were 
 actually rising at length. The catalogue of 1870-1 
 named a faculty of 5, followed by a register of 
 1 10 students, of whom 75 were " gentlemen " and 
 35 were " ladies." The college department had at- 
 tained to a membership of 6, the freshman class 
 numbering 5. The closing pages of this document 
 bear an announcement entitled, " Mr. Carleton's 
 Donation," and " Change of Name ;" and give the 
 action taken by the board in relation thereto. The 
 trustees say in part : " At the time this college 
 started there seemed no reason to suppose that it 
 would be exempt from the trials and embarrass- 
 ments to which similar enterprises are usually sub- 
 jected. It was felt to be a great undertaking, one 
 that would involve years of sacrifice and patience 
 and toil. Still it was the conviction of Christian men 
 that the necessities of the time demanded an institu- 
 tion which should attempt to set up a high standard 
 of education for the youth of our state;. and espe- 
 cially aid in raising up recruits for the Gospel 
 ministry. It would be in vain to deny that there 
 have been dark days in the brief period since our 
 college began. Yet, in the most trying circum-
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 193 
 
 stances we have been sustained by the belief that 
 God's hand was in this work. If this be so, the 
 college cannot fail. If this enterprise be not for 
 God's glory, we do not wish it to succeed. The 
 gift of Mr. Carleton fills us with joyful surprise 
 and deep gratitude. We accept it as an indication 
 that God calls us to prosecute this work with fresh 
 zeal. While we acknowledge our indebtedness to 
 the donor, we would heartily thank our Heavenly 
 Father, the giver of this and every good gift. The 
 form of this donation, in funds at once available, 
 renders it of peculiar value to us at the present point 
 in our history. As a board of trust we shall en- 
 deavor to use it wisely ; and we are especially grati- 
 fied at the manner of the gift, full liberty being 
 allowed us to apply it as the interests of the col- 
 lege may, in our judgment, demand. So far from 
 feeling that there is little more to be done, we feel 
 an increased responsibility and a new readiness to 
 toil and give for the college. It will be our pleasure, 
 with the donor's consent, to give his name hence- 
 forth to the institution, that as he has so greatly 
 added to its early resources, so it may in future 
 years perpetuate his memory." 
 
 We are constrained to quote here the glowing 
 words prophetic as well as historic of Rev. Dr. 
 Lyman Whiting,* in a notable address at Carle- 
 ton's anniversary, June, 1871. 
 
 * For sixty years Dr. Whiting has been a gospel preacher, 
 and although an octogenarian since 1900, is still in the pas-
 
 194 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 "We are assembled not far from the geographi- 
 cal center of the continent. The schools and all the 
 treasures for learning are upon one side of us. 
 A realm of unmeasured possibilities on the other. 
 We come here to look into a cradle in which, we 
 think, lies an infant of priceless promise. It is an 
 American college, just come to a specific name and 
 place in the great college family. We look to see 
 it make this Minnesota town a Christian Athens, 
 drawing the young men and maidens, by the in- 
 spiration of letters and science, from all the wide 
 region around us. How wide this state is, one of 
 your ministers has told us.* 'Her territory is capa- 
 ble of division into as many as sixty-four several 
 parts, each of which should be as large as the 
 state of Rhode Island. She out-measures Massa- 
 chusetts eleven times, and she might twice absorb 
 Louisiana or Cuba. Her area exceeds that of Eng- 
 land and Scotland together; and it is more than 
 twice that of Holland, Greece and Belgium com- 
 bined.' Her natural resources are beyond esti- 
 mate; the climate, beauty of scenery, fertility, for- 
 ests, quarries, mines, 'water-power, vast, immense 
 and perhaps unparalleled in the universality of its 
 distribution, unless by New England/ In the midst 
 of such a state, of such vastness in all its measure- 
 
 torate at East Charlemont, Mass. Both 1 at the East and in 
 the West in city and in country he has rendered faithful 
 service, never being out of the pulpit more than four con- 
 secutive Sundays'. Having a strong and vigorous style, he 
 has written much for the press, and has been in frequent 
 demand for installation sermons, historical addresses and 
 commencement orations. President Strong says respecting him : 
 "For more than forty years an intimate personal fellowship 
 with Dr. Whiting has been to me a constant source of in- 
 tellectual and spiritual inspiration." 
 * Rev. M. A. Munson.
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 195 
 
 ments (except its means for culture), you plant 
 this college. It is almost on the border of a new 
 world; truly on the frontier of the half of a conti- 
 nent yet to be filled with men. Your story of ex- 
 perience is not a common one. It had a remarkable 
 prototype, long time ago. In some essential par- 
 ticulars your beginnings are repetitions of elder 
 members in the national family of colleges. Let 
 me relate: Close by the water's edge on the slope 
 of land from Bunker's Hill, and on the western 
 side, stands a granite obelisk; a single shaft, fifteen 
 feet high, four feet at the base and half as large 
 at the summit. It was hewn by special permission 
 from the quarry of 'The Bunker Hill Monument 
 Association/ and so is kindred stone to that 
 majestic Word of Liberty which rises a few fur- 
 longs distant from the one we describe. On it a 
 name is carved in 'high relief,' said to be the 
 first experiment of that kind of work on granite 
 in this country. It is upon the face of the shaft 
 looking over the ocean to the old England from 
 whence he came. Harvard is the name. * * * 
 On the opposite side, toward Cambridge, and ex- 
 changing glimpses with the spires of the university 
 which his timely gifts created, is a Latin inscrip- 
 tion, * * * in touching, grateful remembrance 
 of his great deed the planting, one hundred and 
 ninety years before, of the little germ, in the un- 
 known wilderness the first New World college; 
 a Congregational college. 
 
 "From the parcel of ground holding that stone 
 could have been seen when erected, the roof of a 
 plain old mansion, in which sometime dwelt the 
 famed orator, proposing, 'tis said, this grateful
 
 196 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 memorial, and whose eloquent tribute to the re- 
 vered benefactor, at its placing, enshrine it and its 
 subject in American literature Edward Everett; 
 and in which, after his removal to high civil sta- 
 tions, and then to the presidency of the university, 
 lived for a series of years a prosperous, benevolent, 
 Christian merchant, whose name most of you have 
 learned William Carleton. * * * 
 
 "Congregational care for true learning began two 
 hundred and forty years ago, 'on the wild New 
 England shore;' and so a few months ago, in the 
 middle of the vast continent, fiften hundred miles 
 from John Harvard's grave, a fellow-townsman of 
 the founder and god-sire of the first American col- 
 lege, surprises the world by planting (and grati- 
 tude already enshrines his name upon it) another 
 sapling of the grand old stock a New England 
 college. 
 
 * * * * Friends and benefactors : Looking 
 from this joyful day into the coming two hundred 
 years mating you in length of days to those now 
 attained by your prototypes dare you doubt that 
 these notable analogies as to origin and infantile 
 struggle, shall perpetuate themselves in better and 
 higher parallels? Who can predict otherwise of 
 what the coming two-and-a-half centuries will bring 
 to pass upon this spot, where such beginnings were 
 made, and upon which a second Charlestown bene- 
 factor with the largeness of heart and faith in 
 the care of the church for true learning, so en- 
 nobling to our fathers has received and established 
 a struggling college consecrated 'to Christ and his 
 church/ and in doing it has endowed one more 
 human name with immortal gratitude?"
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 197 
 
 In this connection it is interesting to recall the 
 fact that in the list of queries presented to the board 
 by Mr. Strong, before accepting the presidency to 
 which they had elected him, was one as to the condi- 
 tions under which he might be at liberty to promise 
 to change the name of the college ; and that he went 
 east upon that most eventful (almost fatal also) 
 first quest for funds, empowered to connect it with 
 the bestowal of $50,000 ! 
 
 After thus setting forth somewhat in detail the 
 capital event of achievement of this decade, with 
 which it also opened, it remains to narrate with 
 much greater brevity the further steps of progress 
 witnessed before its close. No one of these, or 
 perhaps all combined, equaled in importance the 
 first, but certainly taken in the aggregate they are 
 in full keeping with it. Thus, as was fitting and 
 necessary, the great donation was followed in due 
 season by divers considerable, though less conspicu- 
 ous, gifts; so that just two years from the date of 
 his inauguration, the president was able to report 
 to the conference the financial standing of the insti- 
 tution as follows: Endowment, $61,080; building 
 and real estate, $43,464; bills receivable, $12,504; 
 total, $127,236. Deducting debts, $16,314 (money 
 borrowed for the completion of the new building), 
 $110,206. In 1873 Miss Willis bestowed $10,000 
 to pay the indebtedness upon the hall, then finished 
 and occupied, which fittingly from henceforth was 
 to bear her name; the next year $13,000 more were
 
 198 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 secured in thrifty, great-hearted New England; 
 and the year following that, $15,000 additional in 
 the same bountiful region. Prior to 1876 the 
 benefactions had amounted to $141,000, of which 
 $70,000, almost one-half, represented the lavish 
 affection of the two immortals among the early 
 friends of the college : William Carleton and Susan 
 Willis. During that year Charles Boswell, of West 
 Hartford, Connecticut, donated $5,000 as a student- 
 aid fund and at an earlier date Dr. H. N. Brins- 
 made of Newark, New Jersey, had been the giver 
 of a like sum. By June of the closing year of this 
 period the endowment had climbed to $97,502, in- 
 cluding an annuity of $8,000, and two prize funds 
 amounting to $644. In addition to this were real 
 estate now worth $55,240; apparatus, etc., to the 
 value of $19,333; and sundry items, $3,803; mak- 
 ing a grand total of $175,576; or with an indebt- 
 edness of $4,752 deducted, of $170,327. This 
 really handsome sum was mainly the fruit of the 
 industry, energy and skill of the president. And 
 how marvelous the change since the date of his 
 election, when all there was to show for the $36,- 
 572 subscribed in Northfield and collected by Mr. 
 Seccombe in the state at large, was the campus, 
 the ex-hotel and furniture costing $16,163.66, un- 
 paid pledges (too many of them never to be paid), 
 $8,722, and a. debt to the teachers amounting to 
 nearly a half-year's salary. Especial mention should 
 be made of a canvass in 1875 in Minnesota for
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 199 
 
 $20,000 wherewith to endow the chair of physical 
 science. It will be interesting to note the names 
 of the various cities and villages which shared in 
 the giving, and the amounts pledged by each : 
 
 Northfield $7,785 Albert Lea $600 
 
 Minneapolis .... 4,000 Owatonna 440 
 
 Excelsior 2,000 Red Wing 275 
 
 Austin 1,125 Lake City 200 
 
 Winona 1,080 Faribault 200 
 
 St. Paul J ,O75 St. Charles 150 
 
 Mankato 670 Other Towns 395 
 
 During these same ten years the number of build- 
 ings devoted to college uses advanced from two to 
 five. For more than five years the transformed 
 American House constituted " the college," though 
 at an early day a structure, originally utilized as a 
 store, was removed to the same neighborhood and 
 was reconstructed into fitness for self-boarding. 
 As we saw, early in 1867 the board voted the erec- 
 tion of a roomy arid comely edifice of brick, which 
 for good and sufficient reasons never materalized. 
 Two tedious years passed before, with a change of 
 material decided upon, the corner-stone was laid 
 with eclat; though with only a dead halt following 
 in building operations for two years more. But 
 finally, under the impulse of the election of a presi- 
 dent, the walls were completed and the roof was put 
 in place, with the dedication following in due sea- 
 son. An indebtedness incurred was presently met 
 by a gift of $10,000 from Miss Willis. Provision
 
 200 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 was thus made for a chapel, recitation rooms, a 
 number of dormitories for men upon the third 
 floor, a library, cabinet, and also, for a season, a 
 chemical laboratory in the basement. What had 
 been " the college " straightway shriveled into 
 " Ladies' Hall." The Seccombe house was pur- 
 chased in 1874, destined to come to fame as " Music 
 Hall " ; and the same year the campus was enlarged 
 from twenty acres to twenty-five. Before the close 
 of this period the library had increased to 2,000 
 volumes, with the beginning also made for a library 
 fund as well as for a collection of geological speci- 
 mens. 
 
 The Astronomical Observatory. A third addi- 
 tion to the list of college buildings remains to be 
 mentioned, which, though relatively small and in- 
 expensive, probably far beyond any other played 
 a part in spreading the name and fame of Carleton. 
 The reference is to the " old " observatory, the 
 monument also almost exclusively of the genius 
 and enthusiasm of Professor Payne, who appears 
 to have been born for the performance of such a 
 task as this. When a boy a copy of Smith's As- 
 tronomy held him bewitched for weeks. Arrived 
 at man's estate, a telescope was purchased, which 
 also was brought with him to Minnesota; where 
 he soon became superintendent of schools in Dodge 
 county and editor of the "Minnesota Teacher." He 
 had entered the faculty as head of the department 
 of mathematics and astronomy, but while then and
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 201 
 
 ever since a master in the former realm, in turning 
 to the latter his heart was always certain to kindle 
 to a flame. Soon a summer's vacation was passed 
 in the Cincinnati observatory, with visits also made 
 to other points where excellent astronomical in- 
 struments were in use; with longings resulting for 
 similar appliances for his own use, which later de- 
 veloped into a belief that in some way he could 
 procure the same; and finally into a determination 
 to make a resolute attempt in that direction. In 
 those primitive days of extreme poverty, in the 
 midst of so many imperative needs, a scheme like 
 this could easily be made to seem preposterous. 
 However, conferring with President Strong upon 
 the matter, the two were soon in perfect accord, 
 even to this decision: "What we have shall, first, 
 as to quality be of the very best, and after that, 
 size shall be considered." A telescope, a sidereal 
 clock, and a transit instrument, were the three 
 desiderata, with a building fashioned to their uses. 
 In September, 1876, was taken the first step to- 
 wards building an observatory. President Strong 
 and Professor Payne, passing over a field of stub- 
 ble, climbed a high-board fence into a pasture not 
 then owned by the college, and selected a site for 
 the new observatory where the gymnasium now 
 stands. Both liked the location, though it seemed 
 to the former rather distant from Willis Hall, the 
 only school building then on the campus. Two 
 years later, the first observatory was completed and
 
 202 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 supplied with instruments of the very best make 
 the country could furnish. They were small, but of 
 ample size for illustration in teaching college 
 astronomy, and for such original work as could be 
 undertaken in addition to regular college duties. 
 
 The way the college came into possession of 
 this first astronomical outfit is indeed marvelous. 
 When thought of now, more than a quarter of a 
 century later, it seems more like a fairy tale than 
 real history in the life of the young college. The 
 first astronomical clock, costing $500, was the gift 
 of a generous friend; the three-inch transit instru- 
 ment, meantime clock, chronometer and a full set 
 of meteorological instruments came in a similar 
 way; but the 8)4 inch equatorial telescope was 
 purchased from Alvan Clark & Sons of Cambridge, 
 at a cost of nearly $3,000. When the order was 
 given the college had no money for such use, and 
 the trustees would order the purchase only on 
 the condition that the president could see the way 
 for making the payment. Mr. Clark was much in- 
 terested in the venture of a college then not ten 
 years old, and he promised to wait one year and a 
 half for his pay. Before the note matured gifts 
 had been received for this purpose, so that the 
 obligation was discharged even before the appointed 
 day. The telescope was put into its place in Decem- 
 ber, 1878, and Mr. Clark said of it : " The glass 
 is one of the best, if not the very best, I have 
 ever made." The same glass, now in the new
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 203 
 
 observatory, is still doing perfect service after 
 steady use for more than twenty-five years. 
 
 The next important step related to the mathe- 
 matical library, and to meteorological instruments. 
 One generous Northfield friend gave his attention 
 to both of these needs, and accurate meteorological 
 records were begun at once. As a result the observ- 
 atory was made a government station for regular 
 reports, and later it was recognized as the center 
 of a state voluntary service, and the government 
 furnished a regular observer, which was the first 
 of such state services thus adopted in the United 
 States. About the same time an excellent mathe- 
 matical library was loaned to the observatory, and 
 this was the beginning of the large collection of 
 books now possessed, covering fairly well the sub- 
 jects of mathematics and general astronomy. 
 
 Time-Signals. The first electric time-signals in 
 the Northwest were sent out from Northfield, Octo- 
 ber 23, 1877; ar] d soon nearly all the railway com- 
 panies having general offices in the Twin Cities 
 adopted the Carleton College time, finding it 
 reliable and accurate. The form of these signals 
 has not been changed, but is now in general use 
 everywhere. Their adoption was brought about in 
 this way : While work on the first observatory 
 building was in progress, it occurred one day that 
 an official of the railroad running through North- 
 field put to Professor Payne the question : " How 
 can we get accurate time for the running of our
 
 204 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 trains ? " and was informed that presently it could 
 be had at this observatory; with the further assur- 
 ance given in response to an inquiry, that the 
 time furnished would not vary a half-second from 
 absolute accuracy; which close approximation to 
 perfection was pronounced eminently satisfactory. 
 As soon as the instruments were in place the time 
 was sent daily to the headquarters of this railroad 
 at noon exact, nor was it long before various other 
 roads centering in St. Paul and Minneapolis sought 
 the same highly valued opportunity to set their 
 clocks by the stars, and besides were ready to pay 
 a handsome sum for the boon. From that time 
 to the present from 7,000 to 15,000 miles of rail- 
 way have been satisfactorily served. After a few 
 years the Western Union Telegraph Company, 
 jealous of this rival and plotting its destruction, 
 refused the use of its wires and offered to do the 
 same work gratis. The attempt, however, met 
 with failure, for fortunately the wires of a rival 
 company had been strung within a few miles of 
 the observatory, and only a short branch line was 
 needed to maintain communication with the two 
 cities, which line also our enterprising astronomer 
 constructed at his own expense. Moreover, for 
 several years the observatory was headquarters for 
 the government weather signal-service, with Pro- 
 fessor Payne as director. 
 
 We come next to a notice of the marked enlarge- 
 ment of the teaching force of the college ; even more
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 205 
 
 vital to its prosperity than buildings and endow- 
 ment; since without a lofty standard of excellence 
 here, all else is but hollow and deceitful show. 
 For three years Professor Goodhue had patiently 
 and efficiently borne the heavy burdens and per- 
 formed the varied tasks which had fallen to his 
 lot as pioneer, with two or three assistants. Next 
 came Mr. Strong to be not only president, but 
 also professor of mental and moral philosophy; 
 and the next year, 1871, William W. Payne was 
 chosen professor of mathematics and astronomy. 
 It was in 1874 that Miss Margaret J. Evans entered 
 the faculty as preceptress and teacher of modern 
 languages, thus completing the illustrious quartet, 
 easily chief and unrivaled among Carleton's build- 
 ers. After two years the advent occurred of Alice 
 L. Armsby, teacher of Latin, who soon gained the 
 esteem and warm regard of all; and of Lyman 
 B. Sperry, M. D., who exchanged the excitements 
 and manifold responsibilities of an Indian agent 
 at Ft. Berthold, Dakota, for the chair of physical 
 science. Soon after appear the names of John 
 B. Clark, professor of political economy and his- 
 tory (now of Columbia university), and as the dec- 
 ade was closing, of Rev. George Huntington, from 
 a pastorate in Oak Park, Illinois, to be professor 
 of logic and rhetoric, and instructor in elocution. 
 Omitting some names of those whose stay was brief, 
 mention must be made of Dwight C. Rice, now of 
 Los Angeles, Cal., the head and practically the
 
 206 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 founder of the music department; Mrs. Mary J. 
 Boies (afterwards Mrs. Rice), matron and teacher 
 of calisthenics; and Anna T. Lincoln, matron for 
 some years, though more recently known as super- 
 intendent of the domestic department. As set- 
 ting forth the quite phenomenal development of 
 this phase of college activity, the catalogue of 
 1879-80 contains no less than 13 names of " faculty 
 and instructors," in place of the paltry 3 of ten 
 years before. 
 
 A review of the increase in student attendance 
 is almost equally satisfactory. During the sixties 
 the intellectual grade was simply that of the aver- 
 age academy. Not many had in view any extended 
 course of study, and quite a large proportion de- 
 voted themselves to books only during the winter 
 months. Until 1870 no college class had been 
 formed, and this because no material for one was 
 at hand. The catalogue of five years later con- 
 tains the names of 256 different students, of whom 
 17 are in the college proper, 84 in the prepara- 
 tory department, 136 in the English department, 
 and 70 in the musical department. Five years later 
 still, these were the numbers in the various depart- 
 ments: college, 61; preparatory, 100; English, 112; 
 musical, 77; a total of 304 different students dur- 
 ing the year. The first class graduated from the 
 college in 1874, consisting of two members, James 
 J. Dow, and Myra A. Brown. At the end of ten 
 years from the opening of the school, no less than
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 207 
 
 793 had been under tuition for a longer or shorter 
 time. 
 
 A few miscellaneous, though by no means in- 
 significant items remain to be mentioned. These 
 five colleges under Congregational auspices were 
 incorporated during the seventies, as against the 
 eleven of the decade preceding : Doane, Drury, Colo- 
 rado, Smith and Wellesley. The state university in 
 point of growth was fairly outdone by Carleton, 
 since its 9 teachers and 245 students in the open- 
 ing year of the period, had only advanced to 17 and 
 308 respectively. In Latin and preparatory studies, 
 there had been a falling off from 245 to 108. As 
 yet no signs appeared that this institution had much 
 of prosperity in store. Three deaths occurred of 
 which special mention must be made. Rev. 
 Charles Galpin, a forerunner and pioneer for edu- 
 cation in Minnesota, ascended to his reward in 1872. 
 A " reformer before the reformation " he may well 
 be deemed, and as such should be numbered with 
 the worthies. He labored and others entered into his 
 labors. William Carleton and Susan Willis (she 
 having not long before become Mrs. Carleton) 
 finished their course on earth only a few months 
 apart, she dying in March and he in December 
 of 1876. It is difficult indeed, if not impossible, 
 to say to which of these two the college owes most. 
 The sums connected with his name are larger, yet 
 her gifts also reach goodly proportions; and be- 
 sides, only the Great Searcher of hearts can say
 
 208 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 how much of what he bestowed was imparted under 
 the inspiration of this, his good angel; almost his 
 other and better self. Considering the time, the 
 manner and the outcome of their united benefac- 
 tions, the debt of gratitude owed can scarcely be 
 too highly estimated. This biographical statement 
 appeared in print at the time: 
 
 "On the fifth of December, 1876, in the eightieth 
 year of his age, the munificent benefactor of the 
 college, William Carleton, departed this life. He 
 was a man quiet and simple in his manners, retiring 
 in disposition, yet decided in character, unswerving 
 in integrity, and of earnest Christian faith. His 
 life began in Haverhill, Mass., where he 
 served seven years as apprentice to a tinman. When 
 twenty-one he went to Charlestown to follow his 
 trade; and after a few years opened a small shop 
 and store on Washington street,. Boston, where 
 he began the manufacture of hand-lamps. Pros- 
 perity attended him, and removing to Beach street, 
 he gradually enlarged his business, until his manu- 
 factory of lamps, chandeliers and gas fixtures gave 
 employment to about three hundred workmen. His 
 benevolence began in early life and increased with 
 his income, embracing in its objects not only the 
 poor at home, but the needy far away. No worthy 
 applicant was turned from his door unaided. To his 
 own church, to foreign missions, to home missions, 
 to the cause of education in the West and the South, 
 his gifts were in the aggregate very large. Many
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 209 
 
 feeble churches struggling to complete a new sanc- 
 tuary received from him needed assistance; and to 
 several institutions of learning his aid was liber- 
 ally given. But the one generous deed which will 
 secure the record of his name in history, was the 
 donation to this college in 1871 of $50,000. The 
 influences tending to this result were quite varied, 
 but in them all the providence of God was spe- 
 cially manifest. The amount came without the 
 least ostentation, without any conditions, and in 
 the most available form. The board of trustees 
 unanimously requested permission to bestow his 
 name upon the institution. Other gifts were added, 
 and from him and other members of his family 
 the college has received in all nearly $70,000. We 
 can never cease to be grateful that so early in its 
 history the college, through his benevolence, re- 
 ceived such assurance of life and permanent use- 
 fulness; or cease to honor the memory of one in 
 whose character so many of the Christian virtues 
 were most nobly exemplified."* 
 
 *A daughter-in-law, Mrs. Bertha J. Carleton, adds some 
 facts which attest his native force of character. "Two years 
 after the erection of his first factory, he determined to in- 
 troduce power, and had an engine built for his purpose by 
 M. W. Baldwin, the founder of the 'Baldwin Locomotive 
 Works/ in Philadelphia. When it had been put into opera- 
 tion it was visited by many mechanics and greatly excited 
 their admiration. Among these visitors was Otis Tufts, a 
 machinist of Boston, who immediately commenced the con- 
 struction of one on the same model, which was the begin- 
 ning of the building of stationary steam engines in Boston. 
 When experiments for the introduction of illuminating gas 
 into Boston were undertaken, Mr. Carleton became much
 
 210 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Taken all in all, these ten years must be counted 
 most memorable ones in the history of Carleton. 
 What a sharp contrast, in every particular, between 
 their beginning and their close. Then in the depths, 
 the thick darkness, almost in extremis; but now 
 daybreak, deliverance, the wilderness of wandering 
 largely left behind, the Land of Promise almost 
 in view. A capital location, a choice campus, build- 
 ings at least tolerable for present uses, a fair be- 
 ginning of endowment, an excellent and harmonious 
 faculty gathered, with students already numbered 
 by the hundreds. And how considerable a frac- 
 tion of all this had followed directly from that 
 unanimous vote of the board for a president, in 
 that music-room in Ladies' Hall, September 13, 
 1870! But, certainly, not exactly so prosperous 
 
 interested, and entered into the manufacture of gas fixtures. 
 Among the supplies of this' new branch of manufacture, 
 were brass castings. Having difficulty in obtaining suitable 
 castings for this and other purposes of his business', Mr. 
 Carleton started a brass foundry of his own. From this 
 time until his death he was engaged in the manufacture of 
 a great variety of small brass works, including lamps for 
 oil and various burning fluids. At the time of the intro- 
 duction of kerosene oil he also was the first to enter this 
 field. He was a large exporter, sending his goods to nearly 
 all foreign countries. Mr. Carleton continued in the super- 
 vision of his' large enterprise until his eightieth year, retain- 
 ing both mental and physical faculties. In times of ordinary 
 activity he employed four hundred men and many women. 
 Few business men of Boston have maintained without em- 
 barrassment, during more than half a century, with its finan- 
 cial crises, such a profitable industry." As f characteristic 
 of the man it may be added that late in life for several years 
 he carried on his business at an annual loss of not less than 
 $10,000 rather than economize for his own advantage by 
 the discharge of his employees.
 
 THE SEVENTIES, 2 ,211 
 
 and hope-inspiring was the outlook when, about 
 nine o'clock in the morning of December 23, 1879, 
 (how strange that the Hartford tragedy also oc- 
 curred December 23, exactly nine years before!), 
 in the midst of a furious blizzard, Willis Hall took 
 fire and soon everything combustible was con- 
 sumed; excepting that the cabinet was saved in 
 part, and the library also in part. Vacation had but 
 just commenced, the students were absent in their 
 homes, so that the most prompt and vigorous 
 measures were demanded to prevent an almost irrep- 
 arable stampede and collapse. The account of 
 what followed belongs to the next chapter, which 
 also will supply another illustration of the fact 
 that often what, at the time, wears the look only of 
 bane and calamity, really turns out to be a dis- 
 tinguished blessing instead.
 
 212 HISTORY uF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE EIGHTIES. 
 
 Carleton's Adolescence. 
 
 Minnesota. During this decade the population 
 of the state increased from 780,773 to 1,301,826. 
 and thus at a rate nothing less than phenomenal. 
 But in the three chief cities even this astonishing 
 development was altogether outdone. St. Paul 
 advanced from 41,473 to 133,156, and Minneapolis 
 from 46,887 to 164,738. It was now also that 
 Duluth, the "Zenith City of the Unsalted Seas," 
 fairly leaped into notoriety, if not yet into fame, 
 thanks to its strategic location at the head of the 
 Great Lakes, to its choice railroad connections, and 
 the almost startling expansion of traffic upon Lake 
 Superior (helped also by the bombastic and amus- 
 ing, but also truly prophetic oration of Proctor 
 Knott on the floor of Congress) ; for its paltry 
 4,500 inhabitants increased nearly eight-fold, or 
 to 33,115. The combined cause and consequence 
 of this expansion, which extended to the rural dis- 
 tricts as well and to every realm of activity, is to 
 be found largely in the vigor with which various 
 railway enterprises were pushed. Several lines al- 
 ready in operation were carried foward into un- 
 occupied territory, thus attracting hosts of new
 
 THE EIGHTIES 213 
 
 settlers. The valley of the Red river and Mani- 
 toba were thus made easily accessible, and the vast 
 Dakotas. But probably more than any other single 
 factor, the Northern Pacific Railway kindled en- 
 thusiasm and expectation, which after a term of 
 suspended animation now began to manifest signs 
 of renewed and vigorous life, and before the middle 
 of the decade had been completed to the Pacific. The 
 production of wheat and flour and lumber con- 
 tinued marvelously to increase. Moreover, by this 
 time the fact had become evident, not only that it 
 was unwise to the perilous to depend so exclusively 
 upon a single cereal, but also that other grains 
 could be profitably produced, and hence large areas 
 began to be given to oats, corn, barley and flax. It 
 was during the same years that Minnesota dairies 
 began to be held in high honor. 
 
 A paragraph will be pertinent here with regard 
 to the State University. As we have already seen, 
 this institution was incorporated early in 1851, by 
 statute located " at or near the Falls of St. An- 
 thony"; and before the close of the year opened 
 with one teacher, to continue some three years with 
 an average of sixty students; was then closed for 
 more than four years, to be opened for a brief six 
 months, only to be closed again for nine long years. 
 Almost at the beginning Congress had voted more 
 than 300,000 acres of public lands as an endowment, 
 but the bulk of this was lost in the crash of 1857. 
 Meantime a site had been purchased and the walls
 
 214 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 of a costly and capacious structure had begun to 
 rise, though only to be left to crumble when far 
 from completion; nor was work resumed for more 
 than a decade. The dawn of better days began to 
 draw near when in 1864 the regents appointed a 
 committee, with John S. Pillsbury as chairman, to 
 sell the lands remaining and pay the debts which had 
 been steadily accumulating. Thus far the legisla- 
 ture had bestowed no financial assistance, but soon 
 made two appropriations wherewith to complete the 
 building so long left to the moles and bats. And 
 finally in 1867, about a month after Northfield Col- 
 lege first opened its doors, recitations commenced 
 once more with three instructors and a goodly num- 
 ber of students, mainly resident in the vicinity. 
 From this time on the growth was steady, five teach- 
 ers and two hundred and thirty students appearing 
 in the catalogue of 1869 (twelve months before the 
 election of President Strong), a year distinguished 
 also in the history of the University by the advent 
 of President Folwell. The proportions to which 
 the institution was destined to attain were little sus- 
 pected until Cyrus Northrop had been president for 
 several years, whose most successful administration 
 began in September of 1884. 
 
 Congregationalism. Though this period was 
 marked by no important changes in the denomina- 
 tion at large, nevertheless a notable growth in 
 various directions is easily discernible. Thus in the 
 South a great work was accomplished, both for the
 
 THE EIGHTIES 215 
 
 freedmen and the mountain whites. But more, in 
 the territories and the newer states missionaries 
 were both numerous and active. In -particular, 
 Montana, Idaho and Utah were explored and occu- 
 pied ; the latter largely through the New West Edu- 
 cation Commission. Only one other decade ever 
 saw so many colleges come into existence, and to 
 the eleven organized in the sixties, eight were now 
 added: Yankton, Gates, Whitman, Rollins, Fargo, 
 Redfield, Pomona, and Mt. Holyoke which hitherto 
 had been of a lower grade. In 1879 our churches 
 numbered 2,791 with 382,920 members, which ten 
 years later had become 4,689 and 491,985 respective- 
 ly. The ministers increased from 3,585 to 4,640; 
 the beneficences from $1,098,961 to $2,398,037; and 
 the home expenses from $2,594,229 to $6,046,932. 
 Within the bounds of Minnesota the growth of 
 the denomination was still more satisfactory. Rev. 
 L. H. Cobb, who in 1881 resigned his home mis- 
 sionary superintendency and took his departure for 
 the East, soon after expressed in print' the convic- 
 tion that "the work of organization (that is, of 
 founding new churches) is largely finished." But 
 somehow, fortunately this did not at all prove to be 
 the fact, for in the four years immediately succeed- 
 ing this prognostication no less than forty-seven 
 Congregational churches were added to the sister- 
 hood. The figures for the beginning and the end 
 of the decade are as follows: Ministers, in and 
 153; churches, 135 and 174 (including two which
 
 216 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 had passed the loo-mark, and one which had gone 
 beyond 1,000) ; members, 6,617 an< 3 12,470; benefi- 
 cences, $10,543 and $289,339; home expenses, 
 $79,049 and $229,674. Here, certainly, is increase 
 of a marked and fundamental kind though it must 
 needs be explained that a large fraction of the sum 
 named as representing the beneficent giving of the 
 last year came as the fruit of a financial campaign 
 made in behalf of the college. Rev. M. W. Mont- 
 gomery, who entered into the labors of Mr. Cobb, 
 rendered most effective service, especially among the 
 Scandinavians of the state, but, much lamented, he 
 soon died in the harness, and was succeeded by 
 Rev. J. H. Morley. 
 
 North field and the Church. As for the former, 
 its growth was steady and extended to various 
 phases of public activity. St. Olaf school, under 
 the guidance and inspiration of its founder, Rev. 
 T. N. Mohn, pushed bravely forward, for years 
 only an academy, but in 1886 a freshman class was 
 formed. During the decade many difficulties and 
 discouragements were wrestled with, resulting, 
 some from lack of means, but more from certain 
 ecclesiastical differences and strifes. For a season 
 a Lutheran divinity school found shelter within its 
 walls. Population increased to such an extent upon 
 the west side of the Cannon that to accommodate 
 the pupils in that section a brick schoolhouse with 
 four rooms was built at a cost of $9,000. In 1883 
 a flourishing Young Men's Christian Association
 
 THE EIGHTIES 217 
 
 began its beneficent work in the community. Sep- 
 arating from one already existing in the college, 
 the business men organized by themselves and were 
 able to secure $6,000 for the erection of an excel- 
 lent building suited to their uses, and the first in 
 the whole Northwest to be dedicated free of debt. 
 Connected *with this enterprise the name of the 
 lamented Frank Cutler (Carleton '79) will always 
 stand. 
 
 Mention must be made of the destruction by fire 
 of the "Old Brown Church" in May of 1880; 
 only about four months after Willis Hall had met 
 the same fate. This community seemed to be 
 scourged inconveniently, and altogether overmuch. 
 But the structure was primitive, uncomely, too 
 small and unworthy longer to represent the spiritual 
 side of things, so that on the whole its destruction 
 was timely and productive of only the best results. 
 Some months were spent in pondering and plan- 
 ning, with Lockwood's Hall utilized as a place of 
 worship, though later when Willis Hall was rebuilt, 
 a migration was made to its chapel. The wise de- 
 cision was made to exchange the old church-site for 
 a larger and better one, and contracts were let for 
 the construction of a sanctuary, with brick veneer 
 taking the place of wood. When the frame was up 
 and in part covered, a serious drawback was met 
 with from the rude pranks of a tornado, which 
 leveled the spire with the earth and wrenched the 
 entire structure out of shape. And finally, to add
 
 218 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 yet more to the embarrassment of those who had in 
 charge the weighty task of church-building, the 
 pastor, Rev. D. L. Leonard, under an urgent call to 
 undertake important missionary work in the Rocky 
 mountain region, felt constrained to resign the pas- 
 torate, and in June of 1881 took his departure, thus 
 leaving the church without a head. But in spite of 
 all, so faithful and efficient were the building com- 
 mittee and trustees, and so loyal were the members 
 and friends, that no serious harm or even hindrance 
 resulted, and by December all things were ready 
 for dedication, including cash in hand or pledges 
 sufficient to pay every dollar of cost amounting to 
 $20,650. In particular, the Ladies' Society, with 
 wise forethought, beginning several years before 
 the fire, had gathered and saved with such persist- 
 ence and skill that when the purchase of carpets, 
 pulpit furniture, chandeliers, etc., was required, be- 
 hold not less than $1,400 were on deposit designed 
 for such uses. One window was bestowed " In 
 memory of C. M. Goodsell, the Founder of Carleton 
 College," while another bears the name of J. L. 
 Heywood, with the single word Fidelitas. Nearly 
 a twelvemonth passed after the dedication before 
 the next pastor, Rev. Edward M. Williams, was in- 
 stalled. He had already held three pastorates in the 
 state, in Austin, Faribault and East Minneapolis; 
 had also been a trustee of the college since the 
 spring of 1870, and more than once had contributed 
 large sums to further its interests. In 1886 the
 
 EDWARD M. WILLIAMS.
 
 THE EIGHTIES 219 
 
 church fittingly celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, 
 and soon after, as already stated, a monument was 
 erected on the spot where the first public service was 
 held in Northfield. The ministrations of Mr. Will- 
 iams continued until the end of July, 1889. 
 
 The College. Again may it confidently be af- 
 firmed, as with reference to the decade preceding, 
 that in no particular did the institution fail to keep 
 full pace in progress with the state at large, or 
 with its more immediate constituency and allies, the 
 churches. At every point all along the line, whether 
 as to material advancement like endowment and 
 real estate, increase of buildings, of equipment like 
 library, apparatus, cabinet, etc.; the curriculum; 
 faculty, as to both size and intellectual quality; or 
 the number of students in attendance ; the forward 
 movement is marked and well balanced. A glance 
 at each one of these particulars will abundantly 
 justify this emphatic assertion. Indeed, this period 
 of ten years easily outdid the very best of its prede- 
 cessors. Let us see. 
 
 These comfortable sums were realized either in 
 cash or pledges: By June of the opening year, as 
 an inspiring prophecy of other good things to fol- 
 low, President Strong could report $14,972 raised 
 in Minnesota since the burning of Willis Hall ; and 
 $36,727 in the East, a total of $51,699. This was 
 more than enough to make good the loss; and be- 
 sides, the last state of that building was far better 
 than the first. Of the sum last named it is interest-
 
 220 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 ing to note that $20,235 were derived from Boston 
 givers, with Hartford adding $4,575, Worcester 
 $4,500, Chicago $5,100, Northfield $5,883, and the 
 state elsewhere $8,814. Here was a splendid ex- 
 ample of plucking victory from the jaws of defeat, 
 or of transmuting loss into gain. But besides, 
 meantime Mrs. Valeria Stone of Maiden, Massa- 
 chusetts, had increased the endowment by $10,000; 
 " a Western lady " had given $1,000 towards " the 
 new Ladies' Hall " ; a like sum had been donated 
 by Hon. Robbins Battell of Norfolk, Connecticut, 
 toward the purchase of a tower-clock and a chime of 
 bells which began their harmonious service in 
 Willis Hall, September 13, 1886. But all this was 
 simply a beginning. As the outcome of another 
 comparatively brief visit by the president to the 
 North Atlantic seaboard, $36,195 were added to 
 the assets of Carleton. 
 
 In 1882 Dr. E. H. Williams* of Philadelphia 
 became the donor of $12,000 for the construction of 
 Science Hall, in memory of his youngest son who 
 died when a freshman in Williams College, and 
 whose name it bears. 
 
 * This liberal benefactor deserves a more extended bio- 
 graphical notice than our limits permit. From an authentic 
 source we gather data for this condensed statement : Dr. 
 Edward H. Williams was born at Woodstock, Vt., June I, 
 1824. As soon as he began his studies he revealed a marked 
 aptitude for mathematics, and his tastes were fostered by ex- 
 cellent instruction under Hosea Dotan, of Woodstock, and 
 his uncle, Rev. Dr. George P. Williams, residing in Pontiac, 
 Mich., where the University of Michigan was then estab- 
 lished. He also studied the classics with his father. For
 
 THE EIGHTIES 221 
 
 several generations his ancestors had displayed remark- 
 able engineering talents, and in Dr. Williams these talents 
 appeared in such degree that from the outset he determined to 
 follow the pursuits of an engineer. Just as he was about 
 to complete his course, his physicians declared that chronic 
 asthma would prevent his following so active a life as that 
 demanded of an engineer. Thereupon he began the study of 
 medicine at the Medical College in Woodstock, from which he 
 graduated in 1846. Within a few years, however, his health 
 having improved, he was following his natural bent, first in 
 Michigan and later in Wisconsin and Illinois, and 
 acquiring a wide reputation as an exceptionally gifted en- 
 gineer. From 1865 to 1870 he was general superintendent of 
 the Pennsylvania Railroad, and then he accepted an invita- 
 tion to become a member of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, 
 with which he remained connected until his' death. He had 
 charge of the sales department, and in the interests of the 
 firm made many visits to Australia, India, China, Japan and 
 journeyed throughout Europe and the American continent 
 from Mexico to Brazil and Chili. The family from which 
 Dr. Williams sprang has been, throughout its whole history 
 in this country, connected with education. Col. Ephraim 
 Williams left by will his entire property to the founding 
 of what is now Williams College. Among the first presidents 
 of Yale College was Elisha Williams, a cousin of Col. Eph- 
 raim. In the next generation we find Dr. Samuel Williams 
 one of the incorporators of the Vermont Medical College 
 and dean of its faculty. In keeping with family traditions, 
 Dr. Williams' began his benefactions to the cause of educa- 
 tion, by gifts to Carleton College. His most extensive gift 
 was the Science Building of the University of Vermont, as 
 a memorial to his wife, the building and its equipments 
 costing over a quarter of a million of dollars. In memory 
 of his parents he erected in 1885, upon the site of the family 
 homestead, a stone library, and after furnishing it with 
 books and fully endowing it, he put it into the hands of 
 trustees to be held perpetually as a free library of the town. 
 As a child and young man, Dr. Williams inherited, to an 
 excessive degree, the diffidence of his father, and it was a 
 physical impossibility for him, until late in life, to rise 
 before an audience and make any statement. June 15, 1848, 
 he married Cornelia Bailey Pratt, of Woodstock, who died 
 at Rosemont, July 27. 1889. Dr. Williams died at Santa 
 Barbara, Cal., December 21, 1899, and was buried at West 
 Laurel Hill, just above Philadelphia, beside his wife and 
 son. 
 
 By request a near relative furnishes this appreciative 
 sketch of the son : "William Williams was born at Lachine,
 
 222 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 When, near the close of this period, the new ob- 
 servatory was ready for use, this same large-hearted 
 giver supplied the $15,000 required for the purchase 
 of a telescope as a memorial of his deceased wife. 
 The pedestal of the telescope bears a plate with this 
 inscription : 
 
 IN MEMORIAM 
 Cornelia Bailey Williams 
 
 beloved wife of 
 Edward H. Williams 
 Woodstock Vt 1827 
 Rosemount Pa. 1889 
 
 Meantime a donation of an equal amount had 
 been made by J. B. Eldridge of Hartford. And, to 
 crown all, it was during the ever-memorable months 
 
 Canada, March 9, 1854, and died at Barnard, Vt., July 10, 
 1872. During his short life he exhibited a character sin- 
 gularly free from weakness and so full was it of lovable 
 traits that it remains a precious legacy to those who knew 
 him intimately. If the spirit in which he performed the du- 
 ties, even the most trivial, which devolved upon him, may 
 rest upon those who study in the memorial erected by loving 
 hands, it will cause renewed thankfulness that there was the 
 ability to erect this tribute to his memory. From childhood 
 he showed none of that precocity of intellect that distin- 
 guishes certain ones, but he more than made up for this 
 deficiency, if it can be so styled, by a spirit of patience and 
 close application that made him in the end a master of 
 whatever he attempted, and by a memory so retentive and 
 accurate that whatever he once mastered was at any mo- 
 ment available for reference. He never cared to read a 
 story twice, not because it was tiresome, but because he 
 could think it over in his mind. * * * His mind was 
 more scientific than literary, and his accurate and pains- 
 taking habits of observation, his thoughtful arrangements of 
 tasks and his quiet tastes seemed to fit him for scientific 
 work. Such was the modest, unassuming life that, to our 
 short-sighted eyes, was cut off while it bore so many bios- 
 sons of a pure and worthy manhood."
 
 THE EIGHTIES 223 
 
 of 1886 that $200,000 were raised in pledges for 
 endowment. This achievement must be dwelt upon 
 somewhat more in detail. 
 
 Now, indeed, the tug of war was on. Absolute 
 necessity compelled the undertaking, with natural, 
 healthy growth as the efficient cause. The unavoid- 
 able expenses steadily increased, the income was 
 therefore increasingly inadequate and hence an in- 
 debtedness was accumulating which at length be- 
 came alarming. As early as 1881 the conference 
 was informed of the " need of $50,000 for endow- 
 ment." Two years later the institution was running 
 behind at the rate of $5,500 annually and the in- 
 debtedness had reached $20,000, for which some of 
 the trustees were personally responsible. This is 
 " because the rate of interest is diminishing, and 
 because the greater the number of students the 
 greater the cost of instruction." Therefore the 
 " raising of $100,000 must be carried to immediate 
 success." Next, at a meeting of the board, under 
 the incitement of " a conditional offer of $40,000 
 if $160,000 is raised in the state," a resolution was 
 passed to undertake to meet the conditions. Where- 
 upon President Strong said that he understood this 
 action to mean that he was to gird himself for 
 leadership in performing the herculean task, and 
 would accept the responsibility p/ovided the can- 
 vass could begin then and there; and the trustees 
 would pledge one-fourth of the amount. Accord- 
 ingly blank pledges were passed and such was the
 
 224 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 earnestness and the spirit of self-sacrifice that 
 $43,000 were subscribed by the members of the 
 board present, Judge E. S. Jones leading off with 
 $20,000, Rev. E. M. Williams following with 
 $8,000, W. H. Laird with $5,000, etc. This 
 splendid beginning gave promise of a joyful con- 
 clusion both certain and speedy, but by no means 
 was such the outcome. First, within a few months 
 the aforesaid conditional offer was withdrawn and 
 the churches were informed that on account of the 
 current hard times, a postponement of the pro- 
 posed financial campaign had been found necessary, 
 but with the hope also expressed that the delay 
 would not be long. Nevertheless, a twelvemonth 
 later still the chilling statement went out by author- 
 ity that the confidently expected $40,000 not being 
 forthcoming, " therefore we are thrown back upon 
 ourselves " to raise the entire amount. 
 
 In the autumn of 1885. President Strong reported 
 to the state association : " As you well know, in 
 April, 1884, we entered upon a canvass for $200,- 
 ooo which our board felt must be secured, and to- 
 ward which they pledged nearly $50,000. We were 
 stimulated to this great undertaking by a large con- 
 ditional offer at the East, which I regret to report 
 has since been withdrawn not, however, because 
 of any failure op our part. We are thrown back 
 upon ourselves and the question is : Shall we aban- 
 don the effort, losing all the conditional pledges 
 given, or shall we go resolutely forward, stimulated
 
 THE EIGHTIES 225 
 
 rather than discouraged by the difficulties in the 
 way, determined to win success, a success all the 
 nobler because of the unexpected sacrifices re- 
 quired? To me the answer seems perfectly plain. 
 We must not take one step backward. The work 
 is not ours alone, it is the Lord's. He has set 
 upon our college the seal of His approval. Success 
 will cost hard labor and many sacrifices, but the re- 
 sults are not doubtful, and they will abundantly 
 repay all our efforts. Whatsoever is worth the 
 having, costs. Self-denial is a law of Christian life 
 and labor. Let us count it a privilege to make 
 sacrifices for such a grand object. Let us appreciate 
 the honor which God bestows in permitting us, here 
 in our great state, to lay broad and deep founda- 
 tions upon which those who come after us may 
 build a structure more perfect than any we may 
 realize. In the end they and we shall all rejoice to- 
 gether, and to God shall be all the praise." 
 
 Twelve months later (October, 1886) President 
 Strong could thus report to the association : " The 
 academic year which closed in June last, was with 
 us a remarkable year. Whether we consider the 
 financial advance made, the educational work done, 
 the spirit of harmony which prevailed in every de- 
 partment and between students and teachers, or the 
 spiritual result reached, its record has not been 
 equalled in our history. * * * The whole num- 
 ber of students was 291 and these represented seven 
 religious denominations, eleven nationalities and
 
 226 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 twelve states and territories. * * * In our 
 financial condition and prospects there is much 
 ground for congratulation and encouragement, 
 and also for anxiety. During the last academic 
 year, new gifts or conditional pledges were ob- 
 tained, amounting to $60,000. We have now 
 pledged on the canvass for $200,000 about $130,- 
 ooo, much of it conditioned on our securing the 
 whole amount on or before the I7th day of next 
 April. * * * When I consider how wonderfully 
 God has helped our college, not only during the 
 past year, but during every year of its history; 
 when I think of the nearly two thousand students 
 who have been brought under its quickening influ- 
 ence, * * * it seems to me that the Christians 
 of Minnesota cannot ask for a broader or more 
 blessed work, a grander object for their benevolence 
 or one that will bring quicker or richer results than 
 Carleton College presents. It is preparing and 
 sending forth laborers into every field of noble serv- 
 ice. There is no Christian work at home or abroad 
 to which it does not have a relation." 
 
 In spite of every obstacle, in due season, thanks 
 both to the intrepid leader and the loyal and de- 
 voted following, the deed was done, the campaign 
 extending from the opening skirmish to the finish- 
 ing stroke through five mortal years, ended in vic- 
 tory and jubilation. 
 
 The number of subscribers was about 300, and 
 the sums pledged varied from $5 to $20,000. From
 
 THE EIGHTIES 227 
 
 89 persons less than $100 each was received, and 
 from 85 came $1,000 or more. City and country, 
 East and West, bore each a worthy part. Minne- 
 sota contributed $176,517, of which aggregate 
 $117,625 was derived from Minneapolis, $29,230 
 from Northfield, $15,320 from St. Paul, and 
 $14,341 from other communities in the state, while 
 neighboring states added $830, and the East 
 $19,278. It must be confessed, however, that the 
 success achieved was by no means so complete as 
 it at first appeared. The general financial situation 
 changed radically and almost at once for the worse. 
 For, a huge bubble of speculation, centering in the 
 two chief cities (and where unfortunately resided 
 most of the subscribers), suddenly burst, with hun- 
 dreds who had deemed themselves wealthy finding 
 themselves in poverty and bankruptcy instead; or 
 at best with property upon their hands from which 
 nothing could be realized. Therefore no inconsid- 
 erable portion of what had been pledged could not 
 be paid, with perhaps as much more existing in the 
 form of college assets which could not be turned 
 into cash and produced no income. Mortgages not 
 a few were of necessity foreclosed, at not a little 
 cost. The shrinkage in the large amount aimed at 
 and at the time supposed to have been secured, was 
 of such proportions that soon with joy and thanks- 
 giving were mingled disappointment and apprehen- 
 sion. Still, in October, 1887, the president could 
 say : " The success of the canvass for $200,000
 
 228 
 
 certainly brought a very substantial addition to our 
 resources, and our constituents have a right to ex- 
 pect an advance in our educational work as we have 
 planned. That success aroused much enthusiasm 
 among our students, called wide attention to the 
 prosperous condition and increasing facilities of 
 the institution, and multiplied its friends both at 
 home and abroad. It marks the beginning of a 
 new epoch in our history and calls for a grateful 
 recognition of that divine favor which from the 
 beginning has attended this educational enterprise." 
 In October of 1888 the president said to the 
 association : " Our difficulties are still on the 
 financial side. Growth necessitates expenditure. 
 It would bring much relief if those who have made 
 pledges would make them interest-bearing, or would 
 pay them at the soonest." It is evident that the 
 closing year of the decade was a time of sore trial 
 for the college. The question was seriously consid- 
 ered of reducing the meagre salaries of the faculty 
 by 10 per cent., while the president was expected to 
 be diligent in seeking to supply the sorely needed 
 sinews of war, and if possible to persuade the 
 churches to provide from $3,000 to $5,000 annually 
 for current expenses. Also as stimulus to good 
 works, " a friend proposes to give $2,500 towards 
 the first $50,000 subscribed for increased endow- 
 ment, and $2,500 also towards the second $50,000," 
 but this secured no immediate response and an ad- 
 ditional canvass was not attempted.
 
 THE EIGHTIES 229 
 
 New Buildings. The eighties constituted what 
 is emphatically Carleton's building era. Beginning 
 with only Ladies' Hall (American House), a struc- 
 ture both uncomely and unsuitable, and Willis Hall 
 in ruins, with the first and primitive observatory in 
 addition, they closed with Willis Hall rebuilt and 
 greatly improved, the Seccombe house (Music 
 Hall) put to college uses, Williams Hall, Gridley 
 Hall most attractive without and within, and the 
 elegant new Goodsell Observatory, while Ladies' 
 Hall had vanished forever, its mission ended, hav- 
 ing never been more than an accident and makeshift 
 as related to educational uses, from first to last a 
 discomfort and annoyance to all who resorted to it 
 for shelter or instruction, while all along a fire-trap 
 and favorite haunt for rats and other pests of lesser 
 size. Of some of these buildings it is fitting to 
 speak somewhat in detail. When that December 
 morning in 1879, in the midst of a furious gale, the 
 destroying flames did their work upon Willis Hall, 
 a catastrophe befell and the friends of the college 
 found themselves facing a grave emergency. The 
 Christmas vacation had but just begun and the 
 bulk of the students had departed to their homes; 
 and what should be done to make their return cer- 
 tain or even possible ? What rooms could be found 
 suited for the varied uses required? Within a few 
 hours arrangements were made for the occupancy 
 of the Methodist church, of a room in the High 
 School building and another over a store. That
 
 230 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 very day a circular was sent out to all interested 
 stating that the next term would open at the time 
 appointed and all academic work would go forward 
 with no interruption. Even so it came to pass with 
 no falling off in the attendance. The walls were 
 still standing and fortunately with such slight 
 damage received that with $12,000 insurance money 
 and $2,000 added, it was possible to restore all that 
 had been destroyed, and not a little in addition in 
 the way of improved arrangements. Strange but 
 true, it was largely the fire that enabled President 
 Strong to gather from various sources more than 
 $50,000 ; and to the same kind chastening was owed 
 the clock and the bells for the tower. Since that 
 day of severe testing so heroically improved, this 
 reconstructed building for more than two-score 
 years has been one of the chief centers of college 
 life. 
 
 In 1 88 1 a two-story brick building was erected 
 for the use of the department of natural science, 
 containing the cabinets, the chemical and biological 
 laboratories, recitation rooms for the scientific 
 classes, and for some years also afforded shelter for 
 the library. Already agitation had begun and was 
 steadily becoming more earnest, as touching a new 
 home for the women of the institution and worthier 
 accommodations for the boarding department. In 
 1880 a committee was appointed to take preliminary 
 steps relating to location, size, form, architect, etc., 
 the year following saw the foundations put in place,
 
 THE EIGHTIES 231 
 
 another twelvemonth sufficed for rearing the walls 
 and putting on the roof, and March 14, 1883, the 
 dedication exercises were held with great rejoicing 
 over this, the largest of the buildings on the college 
 grounds, which was soon officially pronounced " the 
 finest educational building for women in the North- 
 west." From Eber Gridley of Hartford, Connecti- 
 cut, who contributed $37,000 towards the cost, it 
 was named Gridley Hall. The material is white 
 brick, three stories rise above the basement, the 
 length is two hundred feet, while north and south 
 projections extend back one hundred feet. The din- 
 ing-room is forty feet by fifty. Beside teachers, 
 matron and domestics, one hundred students find 
 here all needed comforts and conveniences of life. 
 The reception room and parlors are tastefully fur- 
 nished and adorned with many works of art, the 
 gifts of friends of the college. Among them is a 
 painting of the Madonna in the identical frame in 
 which it hung for more than fifty years, in one of 
 the galleries of Florence; and from the same city 
 a bust of Columbus in Castelline marble, on a pedes- 
 tal of serpentine ; and busts in high relief of Dante, 
 Michael Angelo and Savonarola. The walls of the 
 corridors are hung with photographs of some of 
 the masterpieces of classic art. The House Motto, 
 in appropriate frame, hangs in the entrance hall : 
 
 "The ornament of a house is cleanliness ; 
 The honor of a house is hospitality; 
 The blessing of a house is piety; 
 The happiness of a house is contentedness."
 
 232 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 By a happy thought, upon solicitation, certain 
 churches in the state and a few individuals sup- 
 plied the bulk of the furniture required for the 
 rooms, at a general cost of $50 for each room, with 
 larger sums bestowed to supply suitable surround- 
 ings for the teachers. From a church in Oak Park, 
 Illinois, came the requisites for the guestroom, 
 while the Northfield church, at an expense of $400, 
 put the kitchen in complete condition for use. Over 
 each door is seen the name of the person or church 
 rendering this generous and grateful service. 
 Under this capacious roof, students and teachers 
 together constitute really a household, possessing 
 all the privileges and refining influences of a truly 
 Christian home. In addition to the occupants of 
 the rooms, a large majority of the men of the col- 
 lege board in the dining-hall. 
 
 The chapter preceding told the stofy of how it 
 came to pass that an astronomical observatory well 
 equipped for various important public uses was 
 added to Carleton's buildings, but a continuation of 
 that narrative is here in order, or rather the record 
 of a still more daring and venturesome undertak- 
 ing of a similar kind. This was the curious begin- 
 ning of radical expansion. As we saw, a number 
 of Western railways were receiving from Northfield 
 daily time-signals at exactly noon. When this serv- 
 ice had been performed for years, it happened that 
 Professor Payne being in St. Paul one day, a young 
 jeweler, F. W. Frohne, ventured the remark :
 
 WILLIAM W. PAYNE.
 
 THE EIGHTIES 233 
 
 " They are afraid of your time, and say it cannot 
 be as good as that taken at Madison and Chicago 
 where larger instruments are employed. Why do 
 you not procure a new instrument? If you will, 
 I'll give you $5,000"; and a liberal advance pay- 
 ment was made to meet the expense of a visit to the 
 best instruments then in existence in the country. 
 Thus encouraged, it seemed wise to go forward, 
 and an order was duly placed in Germany, with 
 one-fifth of the cost demanded in advance, the task 
 of construction requiring two years, Just then, 
 however, Mr. Frohne sickened and died, with the 
 bulk of his pledge unpaid. In this grave emergency, 
 upon solicitation, James J. Hill, already of wide 
 fame as a railroad magnate, came to the rescue 
 with a gift of $5,000. Next, another problem thrust 
 itself forward, relative to the mounting of the in- 
 strument when it was ready. The observatory was 
 too small, and, besides, being of wood, was not fire- 
 proof. In order to remedy the latter defect in some 
 measure, the scheme was considered of covering the 
 building with an outside shell of brick. In a sore 
 quandary, the happy thought occurred to Professor 
 Payne of a visit for counsel to W. H. Laird, a 
 prominent business man of Winona, a warm friend 
 of the college and a trustee whose judgment was 
 finally expressed as follows : " You don't propose 
 to put it in that building! Go ahead with a new 
 one and draw on me for $1,000," a sum which 
 later swelled to $5,000. The entire cost reached
 
 234 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 nearly $65,000, including the building ($29,000) 
 and all it contained. This was indeed remarkable 
 progress for an observatory to make in the space of 
 ten years. 
 
 One astonishing feature relates to all the large 
 instruments in each line of work. The photographic 
 telescope, the meridian circle and the 1 6-inch equa- 
 torial telescope, each have a unique history, which 
 it will be difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate any- 
 where. The story of the largest telescope will in- 
 dicate what is meant, though it will not relate what 
 might be told of each of the others. 
 
 For years before any observatory was built for 
 Carleton, Professor Payne had his mind set on pos- 
 sessing a 1 6-inch telescope. When he saw the skill- 
 ful work of Prof. Charles S. Hastings as shown at 
 Cincinnati, he determined that when the time 
 should come, Professor Hastings should make the 
 object glass. After the new observatory was 
 finished and the great dome, weighing ten tons, 
 was in place, a list of things specially desired was 
 made out by President Strong, who, naming them 
 in the order of their importance, in his judgment, 
 placed far down in the list : " A large equatorial 
 telescope, to cost $15,000." When that most gen- 
 erous friend, Dr. E. H. Williams, saw the list, he 
 somehow chose the telescope as his part, and 
 promptly furnished the money for its purchase. 
 When the instrument was ready, the only way to 
 place it within the dome was to take its parts,
 
 THE EIGHTIES 235 
 
 massive pier and all, through a three-foot slide in 
 the dome, thirty feet above the ground. This dif- 
 ficult task was accomplished without a single 
 mishap. Surely those who planned and built the 
 observatory had every reason to believe that they 
 were guided by the divine hand in the important 
 work committed to them. 
 
 In the large reception room of the observatory 
 has been placed a mural tablet bearing this in- 
 scription : 
 
 This building is named 
 Goodsell Observatory of Carleton College, 
 
 in grateful memory of 
 
 Charles Moorehouse Goodsell, 
 
 whose eminent services in the early days of this 
 
 College, have earned for him the title of 
 
 FOUNDER. 
 
 Astronomical Publications. -When work first 
 began the library was small and funds for books 
 and current publications deemed a necessity, were 
 very limited. To supply this need, it was decided 
 after consultation with some leading astronomers, 
 to publish an astronomical magazine. This was 
 begun in 1882 and called "The Sidereal Messenger." 
 It was a fortunate time for such an enterprise, for 1 
 there was then nothing similar to it in the United 
 States. This magazine was received with such 
 favor as to make it entirely self-sustaining. As 
 was expected, it promptly brought to the library a 
 great number of publications from observatories in 
 all parts of the world, and many new scientific
 
 236 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 books. The opening of all these important channels 
 of knowledge so early was very encouraging in this 
 new field of practical astronomy. 
 
 In 1883, when " standard time " came into use, 
 this observatory had a prominent part in securing 
 a general change from the old to the new order. 
 Some influential railway officials were skeptical as 
 to its advantages, and Professor Payne spent sev- 
 eral weeks in explaining to them the new system 
 before it was adopted. Hence it was that when 
 the change came, it was adopted by cities and rail- 
 ways simultaneously, and one system has since pre- 
 vailed throughout the Northwest. It was quite dif- 
 ferent in some of the middle and eastern states, 
 where two or three kinds of time are still kept, to 
 the great confusion of almost all kinds of business. 
 This service helped give the college a wide reputa- 
 tion. During these same years the observatory was 
 headquarters for a weather and signal-service, with 
 some sixty flag and instrument stations in and about 
 Minnesota, to which daily weather predictions were 
 sent. 
 
 After the "Sidereal Messenger" had completed ten 
 volumes, Professor George E. Hale, then director 
 of the Kenwood Observatory, Chicago (now di- 
 rector of Yerkes Observatory, Williams Bay, 
 Wis.), was associated with Professor Payne for 
 three years in the publication of the large magazine, 
 " Astronomy and Astro-Physics," which was really 
 a continuation of the former, under a new name.
 
 ANNA T. LINCOLN. 
 
 RIDLEY HALL. West Front. 
 
 EMMA L. LINCOLN. CAROLINE E. LINNELL.
 
 THE EIGHTIES 23? 
 
 In this form the magazine became international, in 
 fact and in scope. When the Yerkes observatory 
 was completed, Professor Hale, wishing to control 
 the publication alone, purchased it and changed its 
 name to " Astro-Physical Journal," under which 
 name it still continues. 
 
 In 1893 " Popular Astronomy " was projected to 
 meet the wants of a large class of students of as- 
 tronomy, amateur and professional, and such other 
 readers as might be interested. This magazine has 
 a larger paid circulation than any of its predeces- 
 sors, and it has been very useful in the broader field 
 of science it aims to cover. During a part or all of 
 the last eleven years there have been associated with 
 Professor Payne in the publication of Popular As- 
 tronomy Miss Charlotte R. Willard (now of Mar- 
 sovan, Turkey) and Dr. H. C. Wilson, each one 
 sharing largely in the responsibility of its manage- 
 ment. In addition, Dr. Wilson has prepared three 
 quarto volumes of original astronomical work, 
 which have been published by the observatory, 
 through funds given especially for this purpose. 
 
 But not only was increase and enlargement the 
 order of the day in respect to endowment and build- 
 ings, but marked development came to the curri- 
 culum as well, the courses of study and the require- 
 ments for admission. At the first and all along the 
 ideals, the intellectual standards had been high. 
 There had been no catering to sentiments which 
 prized the showy and shallow above the solid;
 
 238 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 neither had there been any hyper-intellectualism, 
 any extreme ideas as to how exalted academic tastes 
 and demands should be kept. On the contrary, the 
 practical needs of the times, the general conditions 
 in society at large, were held in mind with reason- 
 able adaptation made thereto, while always leading, 
 inspiring and crowding towards what was better. 
 As teachers multiplied, departments were divided 
 and new ones were established. In 1884 the re- 
 quirements for admission to the preparatory courses 
 were so raised that, whereas arithmetic and English 
 grammar had hitherto been taught, examinations in 
 these branches were required from henceforth. The 
 results of evolution appear at first en masse in the 
 catalogue of 1884-5 J where this imposing list of 
 departments meets the eye: i, Philosophy; 2, His- 
 tory and Political Economy; 3, Greek; 4, Latin; 
 5, English; 6, Modern Languages; 7, Chemistry, 
 Physics and Mineralogy; 8, Biology and Geology; 
 9, Mathematics and Astronomy; 10, Music. An 
 amazing unfolding this since the feeble days of 
 beginnings ! 
 
 To the teaching force at least five important ad- 
 ditions were made, reckoning only those whose con- 
 nection with the institution continued through quite 
 a protracted period. Rev. Arthur H. Pearson came 
 in 1880 to be professor of chemistry, physics and 
 mineralogy; Lucian W. Chancy two years later to 
 be at first assistant teacher of science, and later pro- 
 fessor of biology and geology ; Louisa H. Richard-
 
 THE EIGHTIES 239 
 
 son, professor of the Latin language and literature 
 in 1885; Herbert C. Wilson, to become associate 
 professor of astronomy and mathematics in 1887; 
 Isabella Watson, the same year, to become pro- 
 fessor of French and German; and the year fol- 
 lowing Rev. Daniel Magnus to become professor of 
 Swedish and teacher of German and English. This 
 last appointment was made to meet the wants of the 
 very large Scandinavian element in the state. But 
 these additions were offset by several resignations, 
 like that of J. B. Clark, L. B. Sperry, Alice L. 
 Armsby, and from the headship of the department 
 of music Dwight C. Rice. Others also came and 
 went whose work while they remained was worthily 
 performed. The catalogue of 1889-90 gave the 
 names of twenty members of the faculty as against 
 twelve which appeared ten years before. 
 
 Additional instructors must needs be employed 
 because the student body was increasing year by 
 year. The institution had won a large place in the 
 confidence and esteem of its constituency; and be- 
 sides, the population tributary had quadrupled since 
 the opening day, while the average of financial abil- 
 ity was much higher, so that higher education was 
 not only much more desired but also was within 
 far easier reach. The rule which prevented the 
 entrance of all under fifteen years of age, the higher 
 requirements for admission as well as the hard 
 times prevailing through much of the decade, 
 cooperated to keep the numbers down. ' In 1880 the
 
 240 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 total attendance reached 260, of whom 52 were in 
 the college classes, 78 were in the preparatory de- 
 partment and 1 02 in the English course. The next 
 year an advance of 44 is noted, an attendance of 
 305, coming from 13 states and representing 10 
 nationalities, and 15 had graduated in the last class, 
 nearly doubling the number of the alumni. The 
 maximum for college and academy combined was 
 reached in 1884 when 306 were catalogued, with a 
 falling off to 220 two years later for reasons just 
 suggested. It is more than likely that another cause 
 for the decline is to be found in the phenomenal 
 development of the University which had now 
 begun. 
 
 A few miscellaneous items remain to be added. 
 The old Ladies' Hall, now that Gridley Hall was 
 finished, having played its part during two decades 
 of occupancy was no longer needed, and was soon 
 sold and torn down. It was during these days that 
 Rev. Dr. M. McG. Dana's " History of the Origin 
 and Growth of Carleton College," a pamphlet of 
 about forty pages, appeared, and this, revised and 
 reprinted and distributed in large numbers, has been 
 of great value to the institution. The "Carletonia," 
 in later times appearing monthly, first saw the light 
 in June, 1877, as the "Carletonian," and but one 
 number was issued each year until June, 1881. The 
 second number of Volume I was dated October, 
 1 88 1. The number of issues climbed from five the 
 first year, through seven the next, to nine the third.
 
 THE EIGHTIES 241 
 
 In 1885 Harlan W. Page, until then and for several 
 years a banker in Austin, became a citizen of North- 
 field and financial secretary of the college. Monte- 
 video Academy, originally Western Minnesota 
 Seminary, now known as Windom Institute, was 
 founded in 1885. During this decade Carleton lost 
 two of its earliest and firmest friends. Rev. David 
 Burt died in 1881, having been for several years a 
 resident of Northfield. Coming to the state in the 
 '503 from New England, he was acting pastor at 
 Winona when the time to found a college had ar- 
 rived ; later filled the office of school superintendent 
 for Winona county for five years, and then became 
 state superintendent of instruction, a position which 
 he held until his decease. Rev. Charles Shedd was 
 also of New England birth and education and came 
 early to Minnesota to hold pastorates at Zumbrota, 
 Wasioja and Claremont. Living to an advanced 
 age, with only a most meagre income, he sought to 
 eke out a living by weaving rag carpets, even when 
 so feeble as to make it necessary to fasten him to 
 the loom to prevent his falling to the floor. What- 
 ever he earned in this way was esteemed the Lord's 
 money and was devoted to benevolence. His wife 
 was of the same consecrated spirit and accustomed 
 to self-denial. Soon after entering upon his work 
 at Northfield, President Strong received one day a 
 letter with only initials for a signature, inclosing 
 twenty-five dollars and containing only these words : 
 "This is hard-earned money, but gladly given for
 
 242 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 the Master's sake for the building of a Christian 
 college in Minnesota." In a singular way, years 
 afterward, it was accidentally discovered that this 
 gift was from Mrs. Shedd.* 
 
 *Mrs. Shedd, nee Eliza Rowell, the eldest of eleven chil- 
 dren, was born in Cornish, N. H., February 27, 1804. She 
 was married August 15, 1828, and for many years was asso- 
 ciated with her husband in educational work at Meriden 
 and New Ipswich, N. H. While preceptress of the academy 
 at New Ipswich she taught French, Latin and Mathematics 
 and, unaided, did all of her own housework. With her hus- 
 band she was' also interested in natural science studies, and 
 she once sent to Carleton college a collection of geological 
 specimens and Indian arrow-heads gathered by herself in 
 Mississippi. These pioneers came to Minnesota by boat 
 via Galena, 111., and St. Paul long before there was any 
 railway connection with the east, and at Zumbrota began 
 their long and faithful missionary service. Reared among 
 the granite mountains 1 of New Hampshire and trained in 
 the rigid theology of Jonathan Edwards, strong in body and 
 mind, indomitable in will and invincible in her faith, Mrs. 
 Shedd seemed to possess something of the strength, the clear 
 vision and far horizons of the everlasting hills. The blind- 
 ness of her last years never caused a word of murmuring 
 nor clouded her optimistic spirit. Most lovingly cared for 
 in the home of her grandchildren, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. 
 Morse, of Minneapolis, where the memory of her clear mind, 
 her unselfish spirit, her beautiful Christian character is a 
 precious heritage, she lived to enter upon her Q7th year and 
 fell asleep September 29, 1900.
 
 THE NINETIES 243 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE NINETIES. 
 
 Becoming of Age. 
 
 Material Development. When the last decade of 
 the nineteenth century opened Minnesota was no 
 longer the remote frontier, but instead had become 
 a portion of the populous interior. Far, far beyond 
 stretched now the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, 
 Idaho, Oregon and Washington; yes, and to the 
 northwest the vast spaces of Manitoba. During the 
 ten years now under view the population of the 
 state increased from 1,301,826 to 1,751,094, a gain 
 of well night a half million, while in 1880 it had 
 stood at 780,773. Besides the extension of several 
 of the railroads already in existence, the Great 
 Northern was constructed, which kept much to the 
 north of all the other lines and joined Chicago with 
 Puget Sound, two points 1,830 miles apart. A 
 new region was thus opened up for settlement. It 
 was now that the phenomenal traffic of the Upper 
 Lakes had its beginning, notably upon Lake Su- 
 perior (largely through the increased export of 
 Minnesota lumber, wheat, flour and iron ore), 
 which soon reached such colossal proportions that 
 the tonnage through the " Soo " altogether dis- 
 tanced that of any other strait upon the globe;
 
 244 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 even the famous Suez canal by comparison falling 
 into total eclipse. It was mainly because of this 
 immense and amazing water transportation that 
 Duluth began to leap forward to something more 
 than bigness of anticipation, into solid and marked 
 development, into fame well deserved. Beginning 
 the decade with 33,115 inhabitants, it was closed 
 with 52,969. Or if Superior City be added, as 
 with much propriety it may be, since though just 
 over the line in Wisconsin, it is but a few miles 
 off and the cities are practically one (therefore a 
 second case of Twin Cities), we find here gath- 
 ered a population of 84,060. St. Paul had ad- 
 vanced from 133,156 to 163,065, and Minneapolis 
 from 164,738 to 202,718, a growth for the two 
 combined from 297,894 to 365,783. By 1890 Min- 
 nesota had risen to the first place among the states 
 for lumber production, had become first also as 
 a wheat producer, while Minneapolis was the ban- 
 ner city of the world both for the quantity and 
 quality of the flour manufactured in her mills. 
 These figures from the census of 1900 approach 
 the fabulous and incredible; a wheat harvest of 
 more than 95,000,000 bushels, of oats 74,000,000, 
 and of corn (think of it! in this hyperborean 
 region, as only a generation ago it was universally 
 deemed to be) 47,000,000 bushels. Besides, for 
 dairy products the state had attained to eminence, 
 since from its creameries 82,007,933 pounds of 
 prime butter went forth in a single year, and 3,076,-
 
 00 
 O 
 O 
 O
 
 THE NINETIES 245 
 
 8 12 pounds of cheese. Furthermore, as early as 
 the beginning of this decade 9,000,000 tons of 
 choice iron ore were shipped from the mines of 
 the Duluth region ; three years later Minnesota had 
 become third among the states of the union in 
 this important particular, and six years later still, 
 had distanced every other. 
 
 Northfield and the Church. A second railroad 
 made its advent, thus opening new communications 
 north and south with convenient multiplication of 
 trains. Two additional bridges were constructed 
 across the Cannon, whereby the two halves of the 
 community were bound more closely together. 
 Waterworks were established, by which was secured 
 an excellent and abundant supply, pumped from 
 an artesian well sunk deep in the river valley to. 
 " Manitou Hights ;" and flowing thence in pipes 
 wherever desired. Electricity for lighting was in- 
 troduced. A third schoolhouse was added to ac- 
 commodate the southern portion of the city. Front 
 and division fences (relics of an evil age when 
 every man must needs protect himself against tres- 
 pass from his neighbors), disappeared well nigh 
 to the last one. But by far the best of all changes, 
 a steadily increasing inflow went on of choice fami- 
 lies, both from the farms in the vicinity and from 
 other localities near and remote, attracted by the 
 manifold privileges afforded by a college town. 
 
 To St. Olaf college this was a period of sore 
 trial. At first largely independent and self-sup-
 
 246 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 porting, later it appeared to be better in many 
 ways to establish some close connection with the 
 Norwegian Lutheran churches. Unfortunately, 
 however, these were widely and seriously divided 
 among themselves over questions theological and 
 ecclesiastical, and this school was more closely iden- 
 tified with the " Anti-Missourian " section. In the 
 strife, for a number of years its very existence was 
 in jeopardy, with more than a possibility that all 
 the toil and devotion and sacrifice of its founder 
 and first president, Rev. T. N. Mohn, would come 
 utterly to nought. But finally some of the seg- 
 ments concluded to cease from their unfraternal 
 contention and to join hearts and hands in a new 
 organization known as the " United Norwegian 
 Lutheran Church of America;" and this body was 
 persuaded to adopt the struggling institution. It 
 was not until June of 1899 that the complete con- 
 summation was effected. Early in November fol- 
 lowing, the quarter-centennial anniversary of the 
 founding of the school was fittingly celebrated, and 
 then by a strange providence, before the close of the 
 month the lamented death of President Mohn oc- 
 curred, whose health had long been failing. 
 Though he was not permitted to enjoy the full 
 realization of all his high hopes and noble ambi- 
 tions, he did live long enough to behold the abun- 
 dant evidence that the future of his darling project 
 was assured and that abundant prosperity was in 
 store.
 
 THE NINETIES 247 
 
 The Northfield church secured a pastor in place 
 of Rev. E. M. Williams, in March of the opening 
 year of the decade, in the person of Rev. James 
 E. McConnell, who is still in this important posi- 
 tion, holding thus the pulpit more than twice as 
 long as any of his predecessors. Growth in num- 
 bers was steady, the membership increasing from 
 397 to 5 OI > while the beneficences swelled from 
 $2,384 to $4,505, though the home expenses 
 changed only from $3,546 to $4,726. When the 
 decade closed this was the fourth church for size 
 in the state, all three of the larger organizations 
 being in Minneapolis; Plymouth with 861 mem- 
 bers, Park Avenue with 580 and First (St. 
 Anthony of ancient days), with 544. A large 
 fraction of this growth is no doubt to be attributed 
 to Northfield's good fortune in being the seat of 
 a flourishing Christian college, which acts con- 
 tinually and mightily to draw Christian and Con- 
 gregational families into its near neighborhood. 
 
 Congregational Growth. Of the denomina- 
 tional life and progress in the land at large not 
 much need here be said. The various activities 
 connected witfi corporate or associated religious 
 life by this time had all been fashioned, and were 
 carried forward without many novel or noticeable 
 incidents. The churches multiplied from 4,689 to 
 5,604, the ministers from 4,640 to 5,614, the mem- 
 bership advanced from 597,251 to 629,874, the 
 beneficences went backward from $2,398,037 to
 
 248 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 $2,110,413 while home expenses went forward from 
 $6,046,962 to $7,023,824. 
 
 Coming now to a glance at Congregational de- 
 velopment in the state, the 174 churches of 1890 
 had become 231 ten years later; the 12,479 mem- 
 bers had become 18,280, the average of members 
 to each had risen from 71 to 77; instead of 153 
 ministers there were 182. If we compare the total 
 beneficences of this decade with that of the dec- 
 ade preceding, we have but $533,267 as against 
 $785,066 (it must be remembered that the larger 
 sum includes generous special gifts for Carleton), 
 and instead of $1,890,834 for home expenses, we 
 have $1,433,960. An important incident is found 
 in the preparation and publication of a pamphlet, 
 by authority of the state association, entitled 
 "Congregationalism in Minnesota, 1851-1891;" 
 and so celebrating the fortieth aniversary of the 
 founding of the first church in St. Anthony. Rev. 
 Archibald Hadden, then a Minneapolis pastor, was 
 the author who dedicated these stirring and sug- 
 gestive pages to " Richard Hall, Charles Seccombe, 
 Edward Brown, Charles Shedd, David Burt, and 
 the other pioneers into whose labors we have en- 
 tered and on whose foundation we are building." 
 Among other things he reminds his readers that 
 " from the first church in St. Anthony have grown 
 seventeen churches in Minneapolis and eight in St. 
 Paul, a total of twenty-five." 
 
 Carleton' s Progress. As already intimated,
 
 THE NINETIES 249 
 
 throughout the entire decade, in spite of the seem- 
 ingly splendid achievement of adding $200,000 to 
 the endowment, the college was seriously embar- 
 rassed was really in sore financial distress. For 
 not only were funds entirely lacking for such im- 
 provements and enlargements as were imperatively 
 demanded by the marked increase of students, but 
 even more alarming, it was imposible even to meet 
 necessary current expenses. A timely bequest of 
 $10,000 from J. H. Stickney of Baltimore, only 
 sufficed to shed a ray of cheering light. In 1896, 
 before the state association, Professor Goodhue 
 portrayed and explained the trying situation by set- 
 ting forth these facts among others : " The educa- 
 tional work of the institution is in all respects at 
 high-water mark, but financially it has not been in 
 as great straits since the early days. The trustees 
 recently held a special meeting to hear the report 
 of its finance committee, and after careful consid- 
 eration charged off $55,000 of assets as not repre- 
 senting actual present value. This reduction repre- 
 sents some unpaid pledges which are outlawed, but 
 more which are unpaid owing to the financial mis- 
 fortune of their makers. It is also due to a reval- 
 uation of some real estate which was donated in 
 better times. For its income the college is wholly 
 'dependent upon its endowment, its tuition and the 
 donations of its friends. Owing to the long-con- 
 tinued hard times, much interest has been unpaid 
 and many mortgages have been foreclosed at con-
 
 250 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 siderable expense. These not only yield no in- 
 come, but require large outlays for taxes and care. 
 In this way the interest received last year ex- 
 ceeded the amount paid for annuities, scholarships, 
 prizes, borrowed money and taxes, by only $4,209. 
 Under these circumstances, the trustees and faculty 
 each propose to contribute $3,000 towards the ex- 
 penses of the current year; and the college appeals 
 to the churches and its alumni for the remaining 
 $15,000 which will be required to meet its press- 
 ing needs." From time to time various attempts 
 were made to cut down the expenses to a minimum. 
 Thus there was talk of reducing the salaries of the 
 instructors; President Strong offered to diminish 
 his stipend by $500, and it was in order to prevent 
 this ruinous method of economizing that Judge 
 Jones made a special donation of $5,000, which 
 also happened to be the last of his liberal benefac- 
 tions. For several years in succession, however, 
 the officers, teachers and other employees made 
 large contributions to the treasury, for which self- 
 denying acts the board thanked them on one occa- 
 sion, and then asked them to please do it again! 
 To assist in the same direction, in 1899 tne charge 
 for tuition was raised from $26.00 to $34.00. 
 
 Nevertheless, in a broader view of the general 
 situation, a brighter side was visible, to which also 
 occasionally the attention of the friends of Carleton 
 was called. Thus at the quarter centennial anni- 
 versary of the opening of the school, H. W.
 
 HAKLAN W. PAGE.
 
 THE NINETIES 251 
 
 Page, the recording and financial secretary, made 
 this statement : " The total running expenses dur- 
 ing the first twenty-five years of the legal existence 
 of the institution, 1867-1892, have been about 
 $450,000. Of this the students have paid about 
 $145,000, or a small fraction less than one-third. 
 Of the other $300,000, about $220,000 was 
 derived from interest and other small productive 
 sources; about $50,000 from donations made from 
 time to time, and about $30,000 remains as a debt. 
 We may say that here is a corporation of stock- 
 holders who have a paid-in capital of $675,000, 
 and whose aim is the manufacture of Christian 
 character. They have put about $240,000 into a 
 working plant, have expended $80,000 more in 
 keeping this plant in order, and are now looking 
 for dividends and for more capital to enlarge the 
 plant. For dividends they desire to see symmetri- 
 cal characters, lives beautiful, useful and influen- 
 tial. To increase its capital the assistance of many 
 is yet needed, and will be needed for long years to 
 come/' Certainly, with such noble objects in mind, 
 it was well worth while to endure hardness in 
 times of peculiar trial. And with such noble 
 achievements already made, there was good ground 
 for hope that to the financial stringency relief would 
 presently come and the dawn of more prosperous 
 days. 
 
 It is pleasant to be able to record that, through- 
 out all this protracted period of such severe test-
 
 252 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 ing, those most intimately connected with Carle- 
 ton did not abate a jot of heart or hope; but still 
 bore up and steered right onward. Not only did 
 they not turn back or even sit still, but on the 
 contrary really aggressive work was both planned 
 and pushed to completion. It occurred now, as 
 more than once it already had, that no inconsider- 
 able chances were taken and risks were run " by 
 faith," with the rational assurance that some- 
 how success would be achieved, if the best possible 
 were done with the utmost of wisdom and energy. 
 And the event in due season abundantly justified 
 the venture. First, a forward movement is visible 
 in the exigent matter of providing additional build- 
 ings, in order that more and better teaching work 
 might be performed. The new observatory was 
 already finished and concerning it the public was 
 informed : " It is of red brick with stone trim- 
 mings, and in respect to arrangement, quality of 
 instruments and facilities for work, is unequalled 
 by any other observatory in the Northwest, and by 
 few in the country." But its chief instrument was 
 not at hand and ready to sweep the heavens until 
 the summer of 1891. And then it was announced: 
 " The new equatorial telescope, the generous gift 
 of Dr. Williams of Philadelphia, is completed and 
 during the present month, May, will be placed in 
 the large dome. Its clear aperture is sixteen and 
 two-tenths inches, with a focal length of twenty- 
 two feet. The large universal spectroscope is
 
 THE NINETIES 253 
 
 equally well adapted to solar, stellar and labora- 
 tory uses. In connection with the large equatorial 
 and the photographic apparatus accompanying it, 
 the photography of the spectrum of various celes- 
 tial objects will open a large field of useful and 
 original study." Mention is also made of these in- 
 struments in addition : " An equatorial telescope 
 with focal length ten and one-half feet, aperture 
 four and three-tenths inches; a portable equatorial 
 telescope, a siderial clock, a mean-time clock, a 
 siderial chronometer, a transit instrument, a chrono- 
 graph, two spectroscopes, meteorological apparatus 
 and a complete set of large astronomical maps." 
 Besides, " various other instruments needed will 
 soon be added to the equipment." It was far within 
 the limits of the truth to claim that " with these 
 and other recent changes in the equipment of in- 
 struments for the observatory, the facilities for work 
 and study in practical astronomy are excellent." 
 Concerning time-signals it is stated : " The time of 
 the observatory is the standard for this state and 
 parts of those adjoining, and is given to the rail- 
 road companies at 10 o'clock a. m. and 9 o'clock 
 p. m. daily by telegraph. These signals extend over 
 a wide area, traversed by over 10,000 miles of 
 wire, simultaneously operating hundreds of sound- 
 ers in telegraph offices and the stores of jewelers." 
 Through all the years thus far, the library had 
 been steadily growing, both from gifts and pur- 
 chases, until 10,500 volumes were to be found
 
 254 
 
 upon the shelves; but with no room hitherto pro- 
 vided in the least suitable, either for safety, or for 
 convenience of reference. For a time the science 
 building was the place of deposit, and then, when 
 the old 'observatory was exchanged for the new, 
 the books were transported thither and thus made 
 accessible, after a fashion, until something more 
 seemly and commodious should be forthcoming. It 
 was not until 1895 that hope deferred began so 
 to change to glad fruition, that the announcement 
 could be made that " plans have been adopted and 
 a site has been selected for a new library building, 
 which it is hoped will be erected in the not dis- 
 tant future." Progress was tediously slow, but a 
 year later notice was given that " a new library 
 building is to be erected during the coming year 
 as a memorial of the late James W. Scoville of 
 Chicago, by Mrs. Scoville and their son, C. B. 
 Scoville." Two years later still it was in full 
 use, " built of Kasota stone, a buff limestone, a 
 structure of great architectural beauty and admir- 
 ably suited to its purpose." With this, together 
 with Gridley hall and Goodsell observatory, Carle- 
 ton was now possessed of three buildings, each in 
 its way so nearly perfect as to leave nothing better 
 to be desired. 
 
 But to this signal and most cheering success, 
 disappointment and hope long deferred were closely 
 joined in connection with another building project. 
 For in the spring of 1893, at a meeting of the
 
 JAMES W. SCOVJLLE.
 
 THE NINETIES 255 
 
 board it had been voted to enlarge Williams 
 (science) hall as soon as $15,000 were raised for 
 the purpose. Well might this task be undertaken 
 at the soonest and be urged to a speedy con- 
 clusion, for the structure named had been of neces- 
 sity put to multitudinous uses besides those for 
 which it was designed, and was packed from bot- 
 tom to top with a very wilderness of objects valu- 
 able indeed, but here out of place. At one time 
 a conditional offer of a considerable sum was made 
 by a Minnesota friend, but because the conditions 
 could not be met, nothing came of it except dis- 
 appointment. And even yet, after a full decade has 
 passed, the enlargement has not been made. It 
 was a slight solace that early in this period it could 
 be made known through the catalogue that " a 
 cottage, given to the college by M. W. Skinner, 
 is used as an additional dormitory for women." 
 Or later, that " provision is made for rooms and 
 board at the college cottage for a limited number 
 of young women who cannot meet the expenses at 
 Gridley Hall. They do the work of the household 
 under the direction of a matron, reducing their ex- 
 penses to the lowest practical limit." Later the 
 one cottage had increased to three. 
 
 In 1891 it was announced: "The college has 
 long recognized the desirability of systematic 
 physical training. Provision was made in the build- 
 ing of Gridley Hall for a gymnasium for the young 
 ladies. During the past year similar provision has
 
 256 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 been made for young men. There will be offered 
 hereafter excellent opportunities for development of 
 the physique and for exercise. Students are re- 
 quired, during two years of their course, to select 
 some form of exercise, and are encouraged to con- 
 tinue it throughout their stay in the institution." 
 Choice could be made between light gymnastics, 
 heavy gymnastics, and military drill. " Each of the 
 several forms of training will be under the direc- 
 tion of a competent instructor." For several years 
 military drill appears to have been held in honor. 
 " Those who engage in it are organized into com- 
 panies. A sufficient number of muskets and equip- 
 ments have been procured. A uniform has been 
 adopted, consisting of dress-coat, fatigue- jacket, 
 trousers, vest and cap." In 1892, without reason 
 given, this statement appeared : " The military 
 drill, formerly pursued in the institution, has been 
 discontinued." And this one also : " The college 
 controls for the use of the young men the gym- 
 nasium in the Y. M. C. A. building. This has 
 been supplied with apparatus of the most approved 
 patterns. The assembly hall is used for class exer- 
 cises." In 1896, the library having made its escape 
 and been installed in a domicile of its own, under 
 the head of "Physical Culture " the catalogue 
 states that " for the use of the young men the 
 building formerly used as an observatory has been 
 fitted up and supplied with bathrooms and gym- 
 nastic apparatus."
 
 THE NINETIES 257 
 
 The advent of this decade was signalized by the 
 inauguration of certain radical changes in the char- 
 acter of the institution in relation to instruction 
 and courses of study. At the beginning and for 
 three years, for lack of students sufficiently ad- 
 vanced to form suitable classes, there had really 
 been no college in existence except in name; and 
 afterwards for twenty years, for lack of funds, 
 buildings, teachers, etc., college and academy had 
 been closely allied and at some points well nigh 
 blended. But now the two were thoroughly sep- 
 arated and made so distinct as to merely co-exist 
 in juxtaposition upon the same campus and to unite 
 in certain general exercises. Through lapse of 
 time, bringing marked increase of stature and 
 strength, it was allowable now, and needful, to step 
 forth from youth and nonage into adolescence, put- 
 ting childish things away. The revolution arranged 
 for was announced in this paragraph : " Important 
 changes in the methods and the courses of study 
 pursued in the institution have recently been de- 
 cided upon, and will, it is believed, give greater 
 efficiency and completeness to its work. The pre- 
 paratory and the collegiate departments, hitherto 
 under the instruction of the same corps of teach- 
 ers, are to be so separated that each shall have 
 its own faculty. The preparatory department is 
 to be raised to the rank of a well-equipped academy, 
 with an enlarged course of study and with teachers 
 selected for their ability and experience in this
 
 258 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 kind of work. The college faculty will devote 
 itself exclusively to the collegiate department, 
 whose curriculum has been revised and expanded in 
 accordance with the best modern standards. A 
 wide range of optional and elective studies is now 
 offered, allowing each student to select such a 
 course as his natural tastes, his aptitudes and the 
 demands of his future calling may dictate. The 
 new plan will go into effect at the opening of the 
 next college year, September, 1891." As hitherto, 
 three courses were to be offered, the classical, the 
 literary and the scientific, with these subdivisions : 
 i, philosophy; 2, the Bible and the Christian faith 
 (soon changed to biblical literature); 3, history; 
 4, Greek; 5 Latin; 6, French; 7, German; 8, 
 rhetoric and oratory; 9, English language; 10, 
 English literature; n, general literature; 12, 
 mathematics; 13, astronomy; 14, chemistry; 15, 
 physics; 16, biology; 17, geology; 18, music. This, 
 certainly, is an astounding evolution, the product, as 
 it is, of the growth of only two decades. And con- 
 vincing evidence here appears that Carleton is fully 
 awake to the educational movements of the times 
 and proposes, so far as possible, to supply her 
 students with the very best of intellectual oppor- 
 tunities. 
 
 Not many changes of especial significance oc- 
 curred in the personnel of the institution. In 1891 
 Professor Goodhuc retired from the headship of the 
 academy and was chosen dean of the faculty; and
 
 THE NINETIES 259 
 
 the same year Miss Lucia E. Danforth became 
 preceptress of the academy. In 1892 Miss Evans 
 was granted leave of absence for rest and study 
 in Europe; and Frederick E. Stratton became prin- 
 cipal of the academy and teacher of Greek. In 
 1899 George H. Alden became professor of his- 
 tory and political science; and Ansel A. Knowlton 
 teacher of chemistry, physics and physical training. 
 By the end of this period the instructors of every 
 grade in all departments unmbered no less than 
 twenty-five, a growth of twenty-two since the ad- 
 vent of President Strong. 
 
 As to the student attendance, with quite marked 
 variations the general tendency was clearly upward. 
 Thus at the beginning of the period there were 94 
 in the four college classes and in the institution 
 321; while at the end the number was 377, in- 
 cluding a senior class of 32 and a freshman class 
 of 91. This growth is all the more remarkable 
 when we recall the fact that both Yankton and 
 Fargo colleges were now pushing themselves into 
 notice; but far more the fact that the high schools 
 of the state were doing academical work, while 
 the university, with free tuition, its location in a 
 large city and the presence of crowds, was an al- 
 luring competitor. 
 
 Two anniversary celebrations were held during 
 this period, about three years apart; the one recall- 
 ing the opening of the school in September of 1867, 
 and the other the forming of the first college class,
 
 260 
 
 as well as the beginning of the administration of 
 President Strong in 1870. It was not far from 
 the date of this second gathering for joyful rem- 
 iniscence that, having filled a quarter-century to 
 the full with most faithful, self-denying, laborious 
 and efficient service, the president felt constrained 
 to take steps to retire from a position involving 
 such heavy responsibilities and such crushing bur- 
 dens; and so at the annual meeting of the board 
 in 1895 presented his resignation, with this as a 
 portion of the statement added, giving his rea- 
 sons for the act : 
 
 " For thirty-eight years optical difficulties, far 
 greater than most of my friends have understood, 
 have burdened me. My work, except the little 
 necessary for public evening services, has been con- 
 fined to the day-time, and only a limited use of day- 
 light could be allowed. To be cut off from the 
 earnest student-life which gave my youth such in- 
 tense delight, to lay aside those scholarly ambitions 
 once so strong, have involved much more than a 
 personal disappointment; they have rendered im- 
 possible literary work naturally expected, and such 
 as, if well done, would bring credit to the institu- 
 tion. What little labor of that kind was attempted 
 during the years of my pastorate and the early 
 years here, was done through the self-sacrificing 
 assistance of one in the closest earthly relation, 
 whose special endowments peculiarly fitted her for
 
 THE NINETIES 261 
 
 such work, and who, while health remained, gave 
 herself to it with a devotion which knows no with- 
 holding of time or strength or zeal. Words can- 
 not express my appreciation of what she has been 
 and what she has done. Her regret has been no 
 less than my own, that physical hindrances should 
 so prevent the full realization of our ideals. But 
 God's methods of using his children are wiser than 
 their own. Except for these limitations I should 
 never have come into my present position; and so 
 far as I can judge, my life must have been even 
 less useful than I hope it has been. Other limita- 
 tions constraining me to this present action are 
 those caused by the injuries received in a rail- 
 road accident soon after commencing this work 
 in 1870. From the effects of those injuries I can 
 never be free. Their discomforts' need no consid- 
 eration, but only the fact that they have practically 
 increased my age and decreased my effectiveness. 
 More vigorous health cannot be expected with ad- 
 vancing years, and surely college interests ought 
 not to suffer through any misfortune or weakness 
 of mine. The work is of far more consequence than 
 the worker. . . . Though conscious of weak- 
 ness and not blind to my mistakes, I have done 
 what I could. My only claim is, that as God has 
 given me grace to discern my duty, I have tried' 
 to do it." 
 
 There is no need to say that the resignation was
 
 262 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 not accepted. Instead, after every member of the 
 board had spoken freely, expressing his conviction, 
 (the president not being present), the vote not 
 to accept was unanimous. The honored head of 
 the institution had not degenerated into an incum- 
 brance; he was not even so infirm as to be of no 
 more valuable service; in fact, as yet he could not 
 at all be spared. His work was not completed. In 
 particular, another important financial campaign 
 was at the doors and for this he, vastly better than 
 any other, was fitted to be the leader and inspira- 
 tion. From such a terrible ordeal he richly de- 
 served to be released, but that could not be. 
 
 An unusually large number of Carleton's friends 
 and supporters passed out of life during this period. 
 Among the most prominent were Judge E. S. 
 Jones and Hiram Scriver. The former was almost 
 lavish in his gifts, and of the latter the board 
 say in a minute soon after put on record : " A 
 trustee from the organization of the college and 
 recording secretary until 1882, whose sacrifices, 
 labors and benefactions have been numerous and 
 generously bestowed from the first days of its ex- 
 istence, and whose faith in its future, whose coun- 
 sels in its behalf, whose care and prudence in 
 the management of its affairs, made him one of 
 the most valuable and trustworthy counsellors." 
 These two died in the opening year of the decade 
 and only a few weeks apart. In addition, these
 
 THE NINETIES 263 
 
 four clergymen ceased from their labors in behalf 
 of the Kingdom: Joseph S. Rounce, Northfield's 
 first pastor, in 1893; Edward Brown and Charles 
 B. Sheldon, in 1896, and Malcolm McG. Dana, 
 in 1898. The last named was especially enthusias- 
 tic and indefatigable in his service of the college 
 until his departure for the East some ten years be- 
 fore his death. 
 
 From time to time, the college campus had re- 
 ceived additions by purchase or donation, until 
 from twenty acres it had grown to fifty. One of 
 the later enlargements came as a gift from Deacon 
 Allen N. Nourse, whose property adjoined the 
 campus upon the east. About the middle of the 
 decade the beginning of an arboretum was made. 
 To enlist public interest in the project, a request 
 was sent throughout the state that every church 
 and Sunday school should be represented by the 
 gift of a tree.* 
 
 The college corporation had always been chary 
 of gifts in the shape of honorary degrees, wisely 
 preferring to wait until lapse of years and worthy 
 achievement had secured for the institution good 
 standing and a solid reputation. But in 1895, after 
 a quarter-century of college work had been done, 
 three clergymen were constituted doctors of divin- 
 
 * In pushing this project Mrs. C. W. Hackett, of St. Paul, 
 was especially active through an extensive correspondence, 
 to excite interest and secure co-operation.
 
 264 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 ity: Stephen A. Norton, a former student, with 
 Delavan L. Leonard and Edward M. Williams, 
 former pastors of the Northfield church and mem- 
 bers of the board. One alumnus, Rev. A. Z. Con- 
 rad, '82, had previously been honored in the same 
 way.
 
 WILLIAM H. LAIRD.
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 265 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 THE NEW CENTURY. 
 
 Summary and Review. 
 
 In outline reasonably full the story of the col- 
 lege has now been presented as far as to the close 
 of the century which gave it birth. Probably no 
 thoughtful and candid reader of these pages thus 
 far has failed to reach the conclusion that the nar- 
 rative is full of interest, and contains passages 
 not a few which are really striking and unusual. 
 And yet, possibly it may seem to some that this 
 institution is altogether too youthful to have much 
 history worth the telling; is far too lacking in 
 the elements of the venerable and the hoary to in- 
 spire interest and reverence. Its genesis is altogether 
 too recent, the events involved are too well known. 
 Harvard and Yale are of ancient origin, the one 
 dating from 1636 and the other from 1701, and 
 hence their records cover nearly as many centuries 
 as those of Carleton do decades. Indeed, it can- 
 not but be that something of glamour and kindling 
 of imagination are lacking in the theme of the 
 present volume. But then, at the worst, more than 
 a generation has passed since the students first be- 
 gan to gather; while if, as we may and should, we 
 go back to the date when the college actually began
 
 266 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 to exist in thought, and longing, and purpose, and 
 planning and struggle, we have well nigh a half- 
 century to include. Almost all the founders and 
 early builders have passed away, and all who sur- 
 vive are advanced in years; while the task of 
 sustaining and enlarging has passed into other 
 hands. But what is more to the present purpose, 
 the world moves forward far faster now than for- 
 merly, borrowing speed from steam and electricity, 
 so that events, changes, progress, which once re- 
 quired a century, in our time transpire within the 
 limits of a decade. Nor is importance to be at- 
 tached to the mere coming and going of many years, 
 but rather to achievements made, betterment 
 wrought out to human-kind, be the period covered 
 long or short. Tried by this test Carleton is not 
 juvenile and under age, but of ripe years and time- 
 honored. On many accounts it is well worth while 
 to review briefly the happenings of the last fifty 
 years, and note the marvelous and multitudinous 
 changes which have occurred in the world at large. 
 As the rehearsal is made how remote and dream- 
 like do the days appear which witnessed the lay- 
 ing of Carleton's foundation stones! 
 1 First, recall the innumerable discoveries in every 
 realm ; the inventions most amazing, both for num- 
 ber and importance ; more probably than in the en- 
 tire stretch extending to the Christian era. The 
 triumphs of the locomotive, and the steamship, and 
 the printing press. The globe girdled by ocean
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 267 
 
 cables, the earth's surface gridironed by railways, 
 and the ends of the earth brought into instantaneous 
 communication. What rapid strides has the Eng- 
 lish language made towards universal use, and the 
 Anglo-Saxon towards universal leadership and 
 commanding influence in the world's affairs; with 
 these priceless benefits always and everywhere in- 
 cluded, civil and religious liberty and the spirit 
 of democracy; Christian civilization, and a free 
 field for protestant Christianity. In full keeping 
 and largely as a result, greater advance has been 
 made towards world-wide evangelization than in 
 the fifteen centuries preceding. Or, descending 
 more into detail, in 1850 Africa had been touched 
 only at the extreme southern tip and at a few 
 points upon the coast; but since has been explored 
 and even partitioned among the European powers. 
 Livingstone died in 1873, and four years later 
 Stanley reached the mouth of the Kongo. Aus- 
 tralia had not yet emerged from the woeful estate 
 of a penal settlement, with Botany Bay and Van 
 Diemen's Land as synonym and summing up; but 
 now behold the prosperous and enterprising Aus- 
 tralasian commonwealth, at some points fairly 
 rivaling the American Republic. China, Korea and 
 Japan, then fast-closed for centuries, but wide open 
 now, and the last-named pushing forward at such 
 well-nigh headlong pace as already to have been 
 admitted to equality with western nations. It was 
 in 1854 that Commodore Perry with his warships
 
 268 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 cast anchor in Yedo Bay, and refused to take his 
 departure until the gates began to open. In the 
 same decade occurred the Indian Mutiny and the 
 Crimean War, and in the next the opening of the 
 Suez canal and the emancipation of more than 20,- 
 000,000 serfs in Russia. In 1870 the Franco-Prus- 
 sian war broke out, with these among the moment- 
 ous results; the inauguration of the German em- 
 pire; the utter overthrow of Napoleon III. and his 
 imperial system, coupled with the setting up of the 
 French Republic on solid foundations; the libera- 
 tion and unification of Italy, including the destruc- 
 tion of the Pope's temporal power, which had been 
 maintained for more than eleven hundred years. 
 Disraeli and Gladstone were in the midst of their 
 careers ; Dickens and Thackeray had done their best 
 work ; Carlyle's " Frederick the Great " appeared 
 in 1865 ; " Aurora Leigh " preceded it by ten years, 
 while " In Memoriam " was published as far back 
 as 1851. 
 
 So much for the Old World. Crossing the ocean, 
 Brazil was a monarchy as yet. About three months 
 before the " American House " became the col- 
 lege, Maximilian, the puppet of Napoleon III., the 
 would-be emperor of Mexico, was executed. The 
 same year, by purchase, Alaska became American 
 soil. Since the last half-century opened, the fron- 
 tier has been pushed from the Missouri to the 
 Pacific ; that is, across two-thirds of the continent ; 
 while in the vast spaces thus redeemed from empti-
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 269 
 
 ness and desolation, the Rocky mountain region, 
 the " Great American Desert," no less than fifteen 
 imperial commonwealths have been reared, with 
 more soon to follow. Vast stores of gold and sil- 
 ver have been added to the world's wealth. In 
 1858 Pike's Peak became a name to conjure with; 
 the next year the Comstock lode in Nevada was un- 
 covered, while in 1863 silver mines were discovered 
 in Utah and gold dust was washed from the gravel 
 of Alder Gulch, Montana. In 1869 the overland 
 wagon and the pony express were exchanged for 
 the locomotive, with five other trans-continental 
 railway lines since brought into being. The sus- 
 pension bridge across Niagara dates from 1855, and 
 in 1858 the first cable was stretched across the 
 Atlantic, that is, the year before Mr. Goodsell re- 
 moved to Minnesota with a college in his mind's 
 eye. At that date the population of Chicago had 
 just passed the 100,000 mark. In 1850 the Union 
 held, not as now 76,303,000 inhabitants, but only 
 23,191,000. Not a few leaders among the second 
 generation of American statesmen, like Calhoun, 
 Clay and Webster, were still in the land of the 
 living, while their successors, Chase, Seward, Sum- 
 ner, etc., were just attaining to a national fame; 
 but since, these also have disappeared and a fourth 
 generation now conducts the affairs of the nation. 
 When the Rochester conference resolved that the 
 time had come to move in earnest for a college, 
 Mr. Lincoln was in the midst of his first presiden-
 
 270 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 tial term. The times seem antediluvian to which 
 belong the victories of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, 
 the capture of Atlanta in September of 1864, and 
 Sherman's start upon his immortal picnic excursion 
 to the sea a few weeks later. The glorious galaxy 
 of our literary lights were still shining at their 
 brightest; the " Scarlet Letter " appearing in 1850, 
 " Hiawatha " in 1855, tne " Autocrat of the Break- 
 fast Table " in 1857, " Snow Bound," in 1866 and 
 the second series of the " Biglow Papers " also 
 in the sixties. Who has the hardihood to term such 
 a catalogue of events recent? Since then time 
 enough has elapsed to see the union restored, the 
 ghastly wounds of a five-years' war all healed and 
 even the scars all removed; since then the furious 
 passions of rebellion days have burned to ashes, and 
 fraternal feeling between North and South has ad- 
 vanced almost to perfection. 
 
 Fifty Years in Minnesota. At the beginning of 
 the period only a territorial government was in ex- 
 istence, which lasted but eight years. The boun- 
 daries were ample, embracing 160,000 square miles, 
 extending to the Missouri and so embracing both 
 Dakotas; though the soil was mainly in the hands 
 of the Indians, and the population was only 6,077, 
 climbing, however, to 172,023 during the decade 
 ensuing. How phenomenal the increase since then, 
 for the 2,000,000 mark has been nearly attained. 
 Taking into account its combined location upon the 
 continent, its ample proportions, climate, soil, ma-
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 271 
 
 terial resources in general, as well as the charac- 
 ter of its inhabitants, Minnesota dearly ranks 
 among the very foremost of our commonwealths; 
 nor have many, if indeed any, a brighter future 
 assured. How incredible that as recently as 1860 
 its capital city could be reported officially as hav- 
 ing a population of 10,277 and " two schools with 
 1,324 pupils," while a certain cyclopedia published 
 as late as 1862 does not contain the name even 
 of Minneapolis ! A few miles of railway track had 
 been laid, but there was no approach to the state 
 from the east except by wagon or by the river. So 
 it was far out of the world and in feeble infancy. 
 It appears also that the career of Carleton covers 
 practically all the progress witnessed in this, the 
 mightiest commonwealth in the entire Northwest. 
 These figures are impressive as representing to 
 the eye the astounding and unparalleled changes 
 which a half-century has wrought, in a region too, 
 so frigid and frost-bitten as to be gravely pro- 
 nounced by government explorers " uninhabitable 
 save for Indians and herds, and unproductive ex- 
 cept for a few of the hardiest cereal crops ! " Some- 
 how, notwithstanding such drawbacks, according 
 to the last census at least 1,751,400 members of 
 the human family manage to survive and to be rea- 
 sonably happy and prosperous therein. Of these 
 the native-born number 1,246,076 and the foreign- 
 born 505,318. Of the latter portion 220,371 are 
 Scandinavian, that is, among the very best of the
 
 272 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 foreign population considered as material out of 
 which excellent American citizens are certain and 
 soon to be made. If we take the two chief cities 
 as one (and certainly they ought at the soonest 
 to be at least federated like the constituent elements 
 of which Greater New York is fashioned), that is, 
 Minneapolis with 202,718 inhabitants, and St. 
 Paul with 163,065, we have a municipality larger 
 than Buffalo and approximating closely to Cleve- 
 land, which is seventh for size among American 
 cities. Next comes Duluth with its 52,969, whose 
 site less than twenty-five years ago was covered 
 by a forest (and close by, almost touching, is 
 Superior City), with proportions no doubt destined 
 rapidly and extraordinarily to increase. Then fol- 
 low these cities: Winona, 19,714; Still water, 
 12,318; and Mankato, 10,599, with ten others with 
 less than 10,000 but more than 5,000 inhabitants, 
 standing in this order: Faribault, Red Wing, 
 Brainerd, Rochester, Fergus Falls, Little Falls, 
 Owatonna, Austin, New Ulm and Crookston. Of 
 cities and villages containing more than 1,000 in- 
 habitants, Minnesota is possessed of no less than 
 122. As standing for another most characteristic 
 and important phase of progress, the state univer- 
 sity, the crown of the public school system of the 
 state, has forged forward within little more than a 
 generation from almost nothing to a rank among 
 the foremost of such institutions, having in the 
 opening year of the century 28 buildings, 245 in-
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 273 
 
 structors and 3,236 students; the latter numbering 
 two years later 3,550. 
 
 Turning now to the material side of things, how 
 great is the marvel both of abundance and the 
 variety with which the state has been endowed. Its 
 lumber product is unsurpassed and its Mesaba and 
 Vermillion ranges, which ten years ago were 
 scarcely known, are unequaled for their output of 
 iron ore. For its wheat crop also Minnesota stands 
 without a peer with her 95,278,660 bushels har- 
 vested in 1900, North Dakota following far behind 
 with 59,889,000, and Ohio coming next with 50,- 
 377,000. As a flax-producer only North Dakota 
 is ahead. Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin can boast 
 of a larger oat crop, though 74,054,150 bushels are 
 not to be despised. In the corn market thirteen 
 states claim superiority, since only 47,256,920 
 bushels ripen annually on Minnesota soil. Turn- 
 ing finally to dairy products, the front rank is 
 again reached, with 82,363,315 pounds of butter 
 (with quality fully matching quantity), and 
 3.575,642 pounds of cheese. Behold, what marvels 
 fifty years have brought forth! 
 
 Congregationalism. In the land at large the 
 denomination was just beginning to emerge from 
 gloomy days of darkness and chaos into order and 
 comeliness when Carleton was beginning to be. The 
 fateful " Plan of Union " was fast falling into a 
 well-earned disuse and destined soon to be re- 
 pudiated by all parties concerned. The Michigan
 
 274 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 City Convention, the first movement looking to- 
 wards unification and co-operation upon a national 
 scale, had been held in 1846; that leading to the 
 Albany Convention in 1852, with the Boston Coun- 
 cil taking a great step forward in 1865; and the 
 culmination reached in the first of the triennial 
 councils, held at Oberlin in 1871. Now for the 
 first time the gathering of statistics began. In 1860 
 the ministers were found to number 2,678, the 
 churches 2,555 an d the members 255,030. By the 
 end of the century the figures had increased to 
 5,568 ministers, 5,650 churches and 633,349 mem- 
 bers. Relating to church finances no figures were 
 gathered until 1870, and that year benevolent con- 
 tributions were given as $1,150,814; by 1885 these 
 had increased to $1,677,219, and home expenses 
 were $3,909,225; and by the end of the century 
 they were, respectively, $2,333,357 an <* $7*574,672. 
 When Carleton was founded only twelve Congre- 
 gational colleges existed outside of New England; 
 but now the number has gone upward beyond forty, 
 the increase being almost wholly found in the 
 South and the newer West. 
 
 A review of Congregational growth in Minne- 
 sota is next in order; a phenomenon confined of 
 course entirely within the limits of the last half- 
 century. In 1851 a single church was found 
 one just organized at St. Anthony, and two minis- 
 ters, both home missionaries, one of whom is yet 
 in the land of the living. That mother church
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 275 
 
 stood alone for two years (omitting Point Doug- 
 las, soon removed to Prescott, Wisconsin), until 
 a second was formed at Excelsior, and a third at 
 Winona a year later still. But soon such a process 
 of growth set in that by 1860 the churches num- 
 bered 54 with 1,406 members and 31 ministers; by 
 1880 the figures had changed to 140 churches with 
 6,940 members and 115 ministers; and in 1900 to 
 237 churches 18,178 members and 199 ministers. 
 During the last two decades the beneficences ad- 
 vanced from $15,973 to $46,366, and the home 
 expenses from $90,402 to $233,633. If compared 
 with other states in this particular, the fact appears 
 that Minnesota ranks ninth for the number of 
 Congregational churches, and eighth for the num- 
 ber of members. If compared with neighboring 
 commonwealths, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin are 
 stronger (as they might well be since they are also 
 older by several decades), though in the last named, 
 the difference is not great. Kansas, however, 
 though considerable older, falls below at every 
 point. If we turn to the chief city of the state and 
 compare it with other municipalities, we find it ad- 
 vancing well towards the front, ranking fifth for 
 the number of churches, being surpassed only by 
 Chicago, Boston, Brooklyn and Cleveland; though 
 in point of members it falls to the eighth place, 
 with Worcester, Hartford and New Haven also 
 ahead. Brooklyn has only four more churches 
 than Minneapolis, and Cleveland only one. If the
 
 276 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Twin Cities be counted as a unit, then the number 
 of churches rises to 33 ; exactly the same as Boston 
 contains. At any rate, it is within the facts to 
 affirm that within the limits of the square miles 
 which conain the two, are found more Congrega- 
 tional churches, with one exception, than upon any 
 equal space in the Union! Still further, in propor- 
 tion to its population, Minneapolis is a full match 
 for Chicago itself! Therefore, what wonders of 
 outcome have followed from that heroic and reso- 
 lute deed of Father Seccombe at St. Anthony in 
 1851. The day and the deed were suitably remem- 
 bered just fifty years afterwards when the state 
 association met with that church (now Minne- 
 apolis First), in semi-centennial exercises of rem- 
 iniscence and thanksgiving. 
 
 Such development of the denomination in the 
 state is quite satisfactory; but how does it compare 
 with that seen in other ecclesiastical bodies, espe- 
 cially those possessing most points in common? 
 In 1891, in his " Congregationalism in Minnesota," 
 Rev. Archibald Hadden says : " Comparing the 
 year books of the five leading protestant bodies, 
 we reach the following result, showing their rela- 
 tive strength at the end of last year: 
 
 1. Congregationalists, 182 churches; 13,250 
 members. 
 
 2. Presbyterians, 184 churches; 13,028 mem- 
 bers. 
 
 3. Methodists, 287 churches; 20,270 members.
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 277 
 
 4. Baptists, 197 churches; 14,073 members. 
 
 5. Episcopalians, 132 churches; 9,047 members. 
 An examination of similar sources of authority 
 
 discloses the fact that the relative strength of these 
 several bodies is substantially the same in the open- 
 ing years of the century, or at least that the Con- 
 gregational churches have well held their own. 
 Another test, especially pertinent here, is found by 
 comparing certain institutions of learning in the 
 state, taking the figures contained in the last annual 
 report of the bureau of education, including only 
 the college and preparatory departments and these 
 four items : number of students, number of volumes 
 in the library, value of productive funds, value of 
 buildings, grounds and apparatus: 
 
 Carleton, 355 students; 15,000, library; $325,- 
 ooo endowment; $26,328, income. 
 
 Macalester, 136 students; 7,000, library; $272,- 
 ooo endowment; $8,000 income. 
 
 Hamline, 315 students; 6,500, library; $211,- 
 500, endowment; $18,105, income. 
 
 Northfield and the Church. Though this city is 
 credited by the last census with a population of only 
 3,210, it yet must be accorded a prominent place 
 among the municipalities of the state. Its general 
 appearance is sufficiently comely and its surround- 
 ings are unusually attractive. Improvements of all 
 kinds are in steady progress. The later buildings, 
 whether designed for public business or residence 
 purposes, are of ample proportions as well as archi-
 
 278 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 tecturally up to date. Graded streets have recently 
 taken the place of the natural surface, with a gen- 
 eral substitution of cement for lumber as material 
 for sidewalks. The occupied spaces are increasing 
 year by year through the continual erection of new 
 houses, especially towards the east and south, and 
 upon the western side of the river, as if attracted 
 by Manitou Hights capped by St. Olaf college. 
 Within a score of years a large number of roomy 
 and tasteful residences have been reared, and so 
 many more have been enlarged, improved and 
 adorned that the resident of former days, return- 
 ing, finds almost nothing which wears a familiar 
 look. Though the inhabitants are not so very 
 many, yet among them is found an unusual pro- 
 portion of such as stand high for intelligence and 
 for the possession of all public and private virtues. 
 The phenomenal presence of this class was promi- 
 nent among the causes which brought the college 
 hither, and ever since has proved a powerful mag- 
 net to attract others of the same lofty type. For- 
 tunately, in Northfield is found in conjunction a 
 good average amount of financial ability and a 
 readiness to employ the same in reasonable propor- 
 tion for the advancement of all worthy objects. 
 As proof and illustration of this fact some figures 
 have already been given, but two or three other 
 statements of the same kind are in order here. Tak- 
 ing the financial secretary of the college as com- 
 petent authority : " The aggregate giving by North-
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 279 
 
 field residents, the faculty and students included, 
 in thirty-five years from ( the beginning, is not far 
 from $120,000." When in the 1885-7 campaign 
 for $200,000, the trustees subscribed nearly $50,- 
 ooo, no less than $13,000 of that amount, nearly 
 one-third, represented the contribution of men of 
 this community. And when St. Olaf school was 
 started, pledges were made here which aggregated 
 some $6,000. 
 
 In this review of fifty years a few additional 
 statements will not be out of place relating to the 
 local church, with which, from the first, the college 
 has been so intimately associated, with which also 
 the bulk of the instructors have been connected as 
 members, and in whose sanctuary the mass of the 
 students have always worshiped. Since the erec- 
 tion of the present building some two decades ago, 
 every third row of seats has regularly been set 
 apart for student use. This large and influential 
 organization (which is but one out of eight located 
 in Northfield, the others being Baptist, Methodist, 
 Episcopal, Moravian, Norwegian Lutheran, Danish 
 Lutheran, and Roman Catholic), dating from 
 1856, is two years older than the state and is fast 
 approaching its semi-centennial anniversary. Not 
 reckoning the schoolhouse and other buildings in 
 which it found shelter during the early days of 
 poverty and struggle for existence, two houses of 
 worship have been reared and occupied. To those 
 who are able in memory to reproduce the " Old
 
 280 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Brown Church," both in appearance and appoint- 
 ments, it was fearfully and wonderfully made. 'The 
 first installment measured but 24 by 40, was ready 
 for use in 1862, and with three several additions, 
 one at the rear, and a wing attached to either side, 
 did humble service for nearly two decades and then 
 happily fell a prey to the devouring flames. Seven 
 pastors have been called to teach, lead and inspire, 
 or more properly six, since the ministry of the first 
 one, J. R. Barnes, lasted but a few months. These 
 are their names: J. S. Rounce, 1857-63; E. S. 
 Williams, 1864-70; J. A. Towle, 1872-5; D. L. 
 Leonard, 1875-81; E. M. Williams, 1882-9; and 
 J. E. McConnell, 1890 . Two quasi-pastors must 
 also be named in this connection, who occupied the 
 pulpit for a limited period between pastorates: 
 Myron A. Munson in 1871 and Henry L. Kendall 
 in 1882; both greatly to the pleasure and profit 
 of the church. The growth of this organization 
 appears by these figures which give the number of 
 members at intervals of ten years, the original num- 
 ber being eight only. At the end of the first decade, 
 or in 1866, 148 were in fellowship; at the end of 
 the second, 258; of the third, 474; of the fourth, 
 501 ; increased to 553 in the latest report. Only 
 three churches in the state have a larger member- 
 ship. Its beneficences are especially commendable 
 and noteworthy, being regular, as if from principle 
 and settled habit, including almost every denomi- 
 national interest and steadily increasing in amount.
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 281 
 
 The aggregate for the first decade was $3,087 ; for 
 the second, $11,167; the third, $28,187; and early 
 in the last half of the fourth they have climbed to 
 $31,913. For some reason no parsonage was pro- 
 vided until the nineties were well advanced. 
 
 Carleton in Review. Marvels of progress were 
 witnessed during the last half-century in the world 
 at large and the land in which we live; the growth 
 of the denomination was satisfactory, especially 
 in Minnesota ; but by comparison, how has it fared 
 with the college under view ? Has it kept pace with 
 its environment, material, intellectual, religious? 
 After referring to some notable occurrences be- 
 longing to the two or three years of the opening 
 century, certain facts will be furnished in a review 
 which contain the substance of an adequate reply 
 to the query. 
 
 A brief account must be given of another strenu- 
 ous and most successful financial campaign belong- 
 ing to 1900. Sufficient mention has been made 
 of the disappointment mingled with the satisfac- 
 tion ensuing during the nineties after $200,000 had 
 been pledged in the state for additional endow- 
 ment, and the almost desperate methods resorted 
 to in order to diminish expenses and increase re- 
 ceipts. Year after year passed without relief ap- 
 pearing, but instead a constantly growing deficit. 
 The business depression was so general and so 
 severe, and the last campaign was still so recent, 
 that it seemed next to impossible to make another
 
 282 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 appeal for money with any reaonable prospect of 
 success; while also eastern donors of large sums 
 were somehow not visible just then. At length, 
 in dire extremity, longing eyes began to turn more 
 and more towards Dr. D. K. Pearsons, of Chi- 
 cago, who for several years had been so generously 
 relieving the pecuniary necessities of so many col- 
 leges in the West. Therefore interviews were 
 sought, with efforts made to interest him in Carle- 
 ton's case, but for a long time apparently without 
 result. For months encouragement not the least 
 came from that quarter. Finally, however, during 
 a brief interview, Dr. Pearsons put abruptly this 
 significant question to President Strong : " Do you 
 think you could raise $100,000?" "I can try, 
 sir," was the response. Then followed a definite 
 promise of $50,000, on condition that twice that 
 amount should be secured elsewhere in valid 
 pledges, on or before January I, 1901. With this 
 challenge made, of course action in keeping was 
 taken at the soonest. Nothing could be done be- 
 fore commencement; but within a few weeks one- 
 half the amount required had been pledged; and 
 also half of the $50,000, promised had been paid. 
 In September a conference of the friends of the 
 college was held in Northfield to canvass the criti- 
 cal situation, closing with this as the watchword 
 from the lips of the leader, " We must get the $50,- 
 ooo by January I," though the ruling conviction 
 was that the effort was well nigh certain to fail;
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 283 
 
 and how success could be achieved was past imagin- 
 ing. Only three months now remained. The four 
 chief centers of hope and, therefore, of activity, 
 were Minneapolis and St. Paul, Northfield and Aus- 
 tin. The general programme was that President 
 Strong would spend two days canvassing in the 
 Twin Cities, and then return home for one day of 
 rest. The anxiety and toil were so severe that at 
 length his limited store of physical strength was 
 well-nigh exhausted. His attending physician de- 
 clared that such strain was perilous ; but the patient 
 replied : " I cannot stop now ; I would rather die 
 than fail. You must help me keep going." When 
 ten days of December were gone no less than $27,- 
 ooo were still lacking, and two days after Christ- 
 mas the deficit stood at $12,000, though at that 
 date some further pledges were secured at a gather- 
 ing of former Carleton students. A meeting of 
 the executive committee was now called, and the 
 proposition was made that they undertake to raise 
 $5,000 more in Northfield, with the president's as- 
 surance added that if this were done, he would see 
 that the $7,000 balance was from some source 
 forthcoming. Both parties were active and suc- 
 cessful. When the last day arrived a visit was 
 made to C. W. Hackett of St. Paul, a trustee who 
 had already pledged $2,000, with this result, that 
 before night, his wife joining in the transaction, 
 the final $5,000 was secured. So that New Year's 
 morning saw the full $150,000 added to the endow-
 
 284 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 ment ; though it also found the leader in the strenu- 
 ous endeavor more dead than alive. Some 400 
 names are found upon the long list, scattered all the 
 land over, but for the most part resident in Minne- 
 sota. The students caught the contagion of giv- 
 ing, the classes joining in generous rivalry, some 
 giving out of their poverty, and the aggregate of 
 their pledges approximated $2,000. The sums be- 
 stowed during this canvass varied from $10,000, to 
 less than one dollar. 
 
 So much for the last financial campaign. The 
 last up to date, that is, for others not a few are 
 certain to follow in years to come. Rev. E. M. 
 Williams' homely but apt comparison of the col- 
 lege to the hungry dog will need to be kept in 
 mind, at least until the dawn of the happy millen- 
 nial day. Repeating a few sentences from the 
 financial secretary which appeared upon a former 
 page : " The total running expenses during the 
 twenty-five years of legal existence, 1867-92, are 
 about $450,000. Of this the students have paid 
 in tuition about $150,000; about $220,000 was de- 
 rived from interest and other small producing 
 sources, and about $50,000 from donations made 
 from time to time. We may say that here is a 
 corporation of stockholders who have a paid-in 
 capital of $675,000. They have put about $240,000 
 into a working plant ; have expended $80,000 more 
 in keeping this plant in order, and are looking for 
 more capital in order to enlarge the plant." Three
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 285 
 
 years later, at the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 
 beginning of President Strong's administration, 
 Professor Goodhue spoke of " an educational plant 
 that has cost between $200,000 and $300,000, and 
 an endowment fund of $300,000 more." And he 
 further affirms with good reason, that "$700,000, 
 or an average of $90.00 for each working day of 
 that period, is a large sum for one man to secure 
 as benevolent gifts to a new enterprise; but it is 
 a still greater achievement to make all these many 
 donors at once friends to himself, to the college 
 and to the cause of Christian education which it 
 represents." This was said in 1895, and during the 
 years which have elapsed since then, money has 
 been gathered at a rate at least no less per diem, 
 and hence to the sum named 'enough is to be added 
 by this time to raise the total very near to a round 
 $1,000,000. The following statement is conserva- 
 tive with reference to the results of the several 
 campaigns in search of the " sinews of war," to- 
 gether with search always diligently maintained 
 between times. More than $25,000 have been gath- 
 ered annually on the average for Carleton, in both 
 East and West, in Northfield, Minnesota, and the 
 land at large. Of this sum not far from $250,000 
 exists to-day in the substantial form of a college 
 plant (campus, buildings, apparatus, etc.), as a 
 productive endowment of about the same amount, 
 together with $60,000 of annuity funds and $30,- 
 ooo of beneficiary, prize and other trust funds.
 
 286 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 The receipts for the college year 1901-2 were, 
 from tuition and other fees, $14,850; from perma- 
 nent productive funds, $12,295; and from other 
 sources, not including gifts, $3,500; a total of 
 $30,645. Though a much larger sum is greatly 
 needed, it is yet a legitimate cause for wonder and 
 gratitude that in so brief a time so much has been 
 accumulated. 
 
 Next after the accumulations of money, the 
 marked increase of real estate, of land and build- 
 ings, is to be considered. Mr. Goodsell's original 
 gift in 1867 was ten acres. At the same time 
 Charles A. Wheaton,* an earnest and influential 
 friend of the institution from the beginning, also 
 gave ten acres. Since then the campus, including 
 the athletic field, has grown to eighty acres, or the 
 size of an ordinary farm, possessing a mingling 
 of valley and upland, a meandering brook included, 
 while upon one side the Cannon river forms the 
 boundary. Of college structures there are ten all 
 told, reckoning both great and small, not including 
 the original one, the College and the Ladies' Hall 
 of the first generation, which, superseded in the 
 eighties, was sold and demolished. Because of 
 necessity the old observatory does duty as a men's 
 
 *Mr. Wheaton came to Northfield from Syracuse, N. Y., 
 in 1859, erected a flouring mill, which he managed until 
 it was purchased by the Ames Co. Following this and until 
 his death, March 14, 1882, when nearly 73, he edited the 
 Rice County Journal, the immediate predecessor of the North- 
 field News.
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 287 
 
 gymnasium. An athletic field has recently been 
 fitted up with all needed appliances for baseball, 
 football and other kinds of outdoor athletics, with 
 funds donated by the chairman of the board, Wm. 
 H. Laird, whose name it also bears. Provision is 
 made for rooms and board in three cottages, for 
 young women who need to economize. Music Hall 
 (the Seccombe house of the first days) is tolerable 
 only because nothing better is at present to be had. 
 Willis Hall and Williams Hall are fairly well 
 adapted to their uses, though the latter is sadly 
 overcrowded. The present chief desideratum for 
 Carleton, the most crying need, relates to a com- 
 modious science hall containing the best of modern 
 appointments, which for nearly two decades has 
 been eagerly longed for and diligently sought for, 
 but hitherto all in vain. As for Scoville Library 
 and Goodsell Observatory, they are all that can be 
 desired. Gridley Hall also is the joy and pride of 
 all connected with it. In more ways than one this 
 structure is easily the center of college life, es- 
 pecially upon the social side. Not only are rooms 
 supplied for more than a hundred young women, 
 but nearly as many young men also gather at table 
 thrice a day under the same roof. It is here that 
 the influence of Miss Evans and Miss Lincoln, with 
 other teachers and helpers, makes itself perhaps 
 most deeply and widely felt for enjoyment, and 
 also for up-building in the best things. Scarcely 
 a holiday or anniversary is suffered to pass by with-
 
 288 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 out some kind of celebration. Thus there are mu- 
 sical evenings, art evenings, Italian evenings and 
 Madonna evenings. Sometimes a foreign postal 
 card is found at every plate, or a card bearing a 
 sprig of edelweiss, or of ivy from some spot of 
 historic interest. Easter morning, in place of the 
 rising bell, a carol is sung, and singing. carols, all 
 descend to breakfast with a butterfly or daffodil 
 awaiting each one. Annual receptions are given 
 to the two lower and to the two higher classes. 
 Other receptions are held to which as many as five 
 hundred cards of invitation are sent out. Still 
 further, monthly receptions occur year after year, 
 with the design of bringing the community at large 
 into acquaintance and fellowship with the faculty 
 and students. Every autumn invitations are sent 
 out to all those friends who are at all likely to de- 
 sire to attend. A rural improvement club finds its 
 center and inspiration here ; and here a " Town and 
 Country Club " was formed, designed to bring into 
 closer fellowship the women of city and country: 
 
 Thus far in the decade not many changes have 
 occurred in the personnel of the teaching force. 
 In 1900, after twenty years of service, Prof. Arthur 
 H. Pearson presented his resignation, having first 
 filled the chair of Chemistry, Physics and Mineral- 
 ogy, and later that of Philosophy and Biblical Liter- 
 ature. The next year Rev. Eugene W. Lyman was 
 elected Professor of Philosophy. In 1902 Miss 
 Louisa H. Richardson resigned her professorship
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 289 
 
 of the Latin Language and Literature, after seven- 
 teen years' connection with the Faculty. At the 
 opening of the century the catalogue contained the 
 names of twenty-six men and women of whom 
 fourteen were full professors. The same year no 
 less than 413 students were found in attendance in 
 all departments; 234 in the college classes and 101 
 in the Freshman class. It is interesting and most 
 encouraging to note the steady growth in student 
 attendance, as is indicated by these figures covering 
 the last three decades. If college and academy are 
 included, the average number catalogued for the 
 seventies is 188, for the eighties is 261 and for the 
 nineties 278. The diminution in the rate of in- 
 crease in the last period belongs wholly to the acad- 
 emy, and is explained by the higher standard of 
 admission in vogue and the inducements offered by 
 the high schools of the state. The corresponding 
 figures for the college proper are respectively 20, 
 65 and 142; and the average number of graduates 
 had advanced from 20 through 127 to 192. At one 
 time or another since the doors of the " American 
 House " were first opened for would-be learners, 
 just about 4,000 have received instruction. When 
 the number of alumni had reached 454 it was found 
 that of these 143 were educators, 13 were graduate 
 students, 72 were engaged in business, 31 were 
 clergymen or theological students, 33 were lawyers 
 or law students, 24 were physicians or medical stu- 
 dents, and 4 were missionaries. As showing that
 
 290 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Carleton is no pent-up Utica, narrow in its con- 
 stituency and influence, is not provincial but cos- 
 mopolitan, it has occurred that at one table in Grid- 
 ley Hall, the familiar verse, John 3:11, beginning 
 " For God so loved the world," was recited in no 
 less than fourteen languages, to-wit: English, 
 French, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Arabic, 
 Persian, Syriac, Turkish, Armenian, Ancient Greek, 
 Modern Greek, Latin and Hebrew; and at another 
 table it could have been rendered in Bohemian, 
 Chinese and Japanese in addition ! ! What marvels 
 of achievement have been wrought, what phenom- 
 enal advance has been made since the day when 
 " the only trace of a college was found in the desire 
 of the forty-seven enrolled that term to commence 
 the study of Latin ! " 
 
 Change of Administration. In reviewing the 
 happenings of this century thus far there can be no 
 question that the most significant and far-reaching 
 event is found in the retirement of Carleton's only 
 president hitherto, and the installation of a suc- 
 cessor. The term of service is phenomenally long, 
 almost three and thirty years, a full third of a cen- 
 tury. The efficiency displayed at many points has 
 been marked. Though other gifted toilers not a 
 few have loyally and lovingly cooperated, yet what- 
 ever has been gathered of buildings, endowment 
 and equipment, is owed in largest measure to the 
 faith and skill, the enterprise and tireless energy 
 and unconquerable determination of one man. No
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 291 
 
 wonder then that for years, to the board and to 
 many more, the thought of this leader laying down 
 his task was next to unthinkable. Nor did the 
 event finally occur unexpectedly or on a sudden. As 
 we have already seen, as far back as 1895 or when 
 a quarter-century had been rounded out, the resigna- 
 tion of President Strong had been presented; but 
 after ample interchange of opinion and a unanimous 
 negative vote, the paper had been returned to the 
 sender. Five years passed and the act was repeated, 
 with a request that action be taken by appointing a 
 committee to search out another executive head for 
 the institution ; but again nothing was done. Final- 
 ly, in April, 1901, after the canvass for $150,000 had 
 been brought to a successful conclusion, the matter, 
 was presented a third time and with such urgency 
 of appeal that June n the board appointed five of 
 their number, Irwin Shepard, L. H. Hallock, D. P.i 
 Jones, A. W. Norton and G. R. Lyman, a commit- 
 tee " to look up and recommend a suitable man for 
 president of the college "; and they met at once to 
 decide upon a plan of action, formulating also a list 
 of qualifications which the coming man must pos-; 
 sess. Six months followed of diligent inquiry and; 
 correspondence, both in Minnesota and wherever 
 trustworthy counsel was likely to be gained, by 
 which time more than a score of possible presidents 
 had been heard of with several commended as 
 " ideal." At length it became apparent that in 
 order to act intelligently in this great matter, aj
 
 292 
 
 visit to the East was indispensable. Not all the 
 members of the committee were able to go, but 
 W. H. Laird, the president of the board, was per- 
 suaded to lend his assistance, and January, 1902, 
 the start was made. Various college towns were 
 visited in New England, and interviews were had 
 with presidents and professors, also with some con- 
 cerning whom testimonials had been received. But 
 no intelligence really satisfactory was secured until 
 New Haven was reached and counsel was taken 
 with President Hadley, who after speaking of the 
 great scarcity of men fit to fill such a position as 
 Carleton offered and the constant demand for them, 
 proceeded to say that there was a certain minister 
 who had recently accepted a call to a Bridgeport 
 pastorate (of whom the committee had not hitherto 
 heard), and who he thought would prove to be 
 the very man sought for, if he could be persuaded 
 to accept. He was an admirable man, was pos- 
 sessed of unusual gifts for organization and ad- 
 ministration, and for these reasons he had been 
 urging him to take up executive college work. In- 
 deed, the presidency of two colleges had been of- 
 ferd him and had been declined. Others connected 
 with the university who knew him intimately, gave 
 similar emphatic testimony. Therefore the commit- 
 tee set forth for Bridgeport, and in due season 
 called upon Rev. William H. Sallmon, and held an 
 interview which appears to have been eminently sat- 
 isfactory to all parties concerned. Additional con-
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 293 
 
 firmatory evidence was gathered in New York City, 
 and then one member of the committee returned to 
 Bridgeport to spend a Sabbath, listening to Mr. 
 Sallmon's preaching and engaging in intimate con- 
 versation with him. All that was seen and heard 
 only served to deepen the conviction that at last the 
 man the committee had been bidden to " look for " 
 had been found. 
 
 As if in preparation for the weighty responsibili- 
 ties he was soon to be asked to assume, before 
 entering college Mr. Sallmon had been engaged in 
 mercantile pursuits, and had become deeply inter- 
 ested in the work of the -Young Men's Christian 
 Association. While in college and later, for three 
 years he was general secretary of the Yale Y. M. 
 C. A., and then for two years had charge of or- 
 ganizing international work in the various educa- 
 tional institutions of Australasia. For three years 
 he also had charge of Bible study at the students' 
 conference in Northfield, Massachusetts. It was 
 not long after the matter of considering an election 
 to this college presidency was broached that a deep 
 impression was made upon his mind, so that he 
 promised to give to it the most careful considera- 
 tion and to pay a visit for investigation, should the 
 board request. Returning to Minnesota, the com- 
 mittee reported their doings and recommended that 
 an invitation be extended to Mr. Sallmon to visit 
 the college with a view of becoming its president. 
 February 3, 1902, such action was taken and
 
 294 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 April 18 the candidate arrived in Minneapolis, re- 
 maining several days there and in Northfield, ask- 
 ing multitudinous questions and making personal 
 investigations. As the guest of President and Mrs. 
 Strong " he came within the central influence of 
 that faith and self-sacrificing devotion which have 
 made Carleton what it is, and received some of his 
 deepest and most delightful impressions." The 
 inner history of the college, its founding, early 
 struggles, vicissitudes and triumphs as well as sub- 
 sequent eventful chapters, he found, to use his own 
 words, " a story of absorbing interest." In a letter 
 following his return to the East he wrote : " I as- 
 sure you very deep impressions were made upon me 
 by my trip." And two weeks later : " The way for 
 a decision is surely becoming clearer and the provi- 
 dential leadings are as marked as at the beginning." 
 The board met April 21 and extended a unanimous 
 call which was held under advisement until May 22 
 and then was accepted. However, engagements in 
 Bridgeport held him until the end of the year, so 
 that the burdens of administration remained yet 
 longer upon the shoulders which already had borne 
 them so long. December 4 the trustees not only 
 voted a well-deserved annuity to the president now 
 soon to be relieved, but also took concerning him 
 the following action which was spread upon the 
 records : 
 
 " The recent meeting of the trustees of Carleton 
 College, which fitly recognized your unselfish de-
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 295 
 
 votion of a life to its interests by conferring upon 
 you, on and after your retirement from the active 
 duties of the presidency, the designation of Emer- 
 itus President of Carleton College, also appointed 
 the undersigned as committee to convey to you 
 and cause to be entered upon the records of the 
 corporation some expression of the honor and af- 
 fection in which you are held, and of the apprecia- 
 tion with which the work of your life is regarded 
 by those officially connected with you in it. 
 
 " You came to the institution when it had small 
 means, few students, and its assets were chiefly 
 hopes. To those assets you joined your life, with 
 its manly vigor, its culture, and its unfaltering faith 
 in God; and of that life you have given without 
 measure or stint. 
 
 " In shaping the ideals of the college, in selecting 
 its instructors, and in securing for it funds, you 
 have been unwearied, enthusiastic, energetic and 
 wise. Your administration, extending over a gen- 
 eration, has made for the college a worthy place 
 among higher institutions of learning; the friends 
 you have rallied to its support have been true and 
 loyal; your courage and faith have sustained the 
 hearts of your associates in days of weakness and 
 fear. The group of buildings that now form the 
 college-home, the endowments of the college which 
 are the nucleus and promise of the material future, 
 the graduates of the college scattered in many lands, 
 the place Carleton holds in the hearts of the people
 
 296 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 of the state and of generous Christian people 
 throughout the land ; these present-day assets of the 
 college giving all generous praise to your asso- 
 ciates and helpers are, in a special sense, the work 
 of your life, the fruit of your toil. 
 
 " We realize, in part, at what cost they have 
 been attained; the physical weariness and weak- 
 ness, the anxiety of mind, the burden of heart only 
 to be endured by one who knew he was doing the 
 errand God had set for him; the sacrifice of 
 scholarly ambitions, and of the comforts of home 
 life for prolonged periods of time when the interests 
 and life of the institution seemed at stake. But 
 we are sure, that as from this place you look back 
 over the work God has given you to do, and out 
 on the results even now so clearly visible, and on 
 to the future of the college which your faith can 
 claim, you count it worth while. 
 
 " We congratulate you on this worthy and noble 
 use of your life. We are proud ourselves to have 
 been associated with you in it, and that, in the long 
 years of this association, there has been nothing to 
 cast doubt either upon the sincerity of your pur- 
 pose or the wisdom of the methods by which you 
 proposed its realization; that with successive 
 boards of trustees there has ever been complete con- 
 fidence and unbroken harmony. We beg of God 
 for you, honored friend, many years yet with us, 
 in which your interest and prayer shall be joined 
 with your influence for the college and in which, by
 
 THE NEW CENTURY 297 
 
 voice and pen, as strength may be given you, you 
 may serve the interests of education. 
 
 " Then, * late may you return into heaven.' 
 " In behalf and by vote of the trustees of Carle- 
 ton College. 
 
 (Signed) " DAVID C. BELL, 
 
 " HARLAN W. PAGE, 
 " GEORGE R. MERRILL, 
 
 " Committee." 
 
 This chapter must not close without mentioning 
 the decease of two of Carleton's most loyal friends 
 in the early days. Rev. Charles Seccombe, born in 
 1817, died in 1900; and Rev. J. R. Barnes, who 
 though born in 1809 survived until 1901, thus 
 reaching the age of ninety-two. And how many 
 have passed away who performed a worthy part 
 in laying the foundations of the college ; like Brown 
 and Burt, Carleton and Miss Willis, Dana, Galpin 
 and Goodsell, Jones and Scriver, Shedd and Shel- 
 don, and a score of others well worthy of mention. 
 Only a handful remain, like Hall, Skinner, Strong, 
 E. S. Williams and E. M. Williams.
 
 298 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED. 
 
 Though the original design had been to end this 
 history with the close of the administration of Pres- 
 ident Strong, in view of the notable event which 
 has since occurred in connection with his successor 
 in office, it would be obviously out of place not to 
 add a chapter telling briefly the story of President 
 Sallmon's inauguration. 
 
 The new chief executive was on hand to enter 
 upon the performance of his duties at the opening 
 of the winter term in January, 1903, appearing in 
 chapel to be introduced by the president emeritus to 
 the assembled faculty and students, and to make an 
 informal address. 
 
 A round of receptions followed, given by Mrs. 
 Strong, the students, faculty and trustees, and thus 
 almost at once, the new-comer was made acquainted 
 with his neighbors and constituents. Several weeks 
 later Bridgeport was revisited with a wedding 
 ceremony in view, in order to make complete the 
 preparation for the new and onerous duties, by 
 taking to himself a gifted and gracious helpmeet 
 in the person of Miss Alice Bussey Trubee. Mean- 
 time preparations were in progress for the in-
 
 WILLIAM 
 
 SALLMON.
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED 299 
 
 auguration exercises, for which May 6 was the day 
 selected. 
 
 But before proceeding to present in outline the 
 doings of that notable day in the history of the 
 college, it will add both interest and emphasis if it 
 is set in contrast with the " inauguration " of the 
 first president almost three-and-thirty years before. 
 And it cannot but be profitable to re-read just here 
 the narrative of that event as given upon a former 
 page. In October of 1870 the institution was as 
 yet scarcely more than a name, a desire, a hope, a 
 purpose, was at the best a puny, insignificant and 
 unpromising affair. The state itself was but a 
 dozen years old and was as yet for the most part 
 an unbroken wilderness. Minneapolis was incor- 
 porated only three years before, while St. Anthony 
 had still two more years of separate existence. The 
 Congregational churches of Minnesota numbered 
 but 75, more than half were receiving home mis- 
 sionary aid, only a few had more than 100 mem- 
 bers, and the total membership scarcely exceeded 
 3,000. To-day the Twin Cities alone have almost 
 half as many organizations, more than twice as 
 many members, and no doubt more than ten times 
 the financial ability. 
 
 Coming now to Northfield, a campus had been 
 secured but was entirely unoccupied, except that 
 one crumbling foundation was in place. One build- 
 ing only was in use, a transmogrified hotel. Pay- 
 ment of salaries was seriously behind, and other
 
 300 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 debts were pressing. Pledges had been made, but 
 the probability of payment was slight because so 
 many deemed utter failure to the enterprise cer- 
 tainly in store. A recent canvass among the 
 churches for funds had resulted in next to nothing. 
 Only about three-score students in attendance, only 
 about a dozen in the classical course, and most re- 
 maining but a term or two. And this was the 
 " College " at the end of five years from the pas- 
 sage of the resolution which brought it into exist- 
 ence. Mr. Goodsell had died a year before. 
 Through weary months diligent search had been 
 made for a president. Several had been approached 
 in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and New England, but none 
 was found who would give the question of accept- 
 ance a serious thought. And the one who was 
 finally fixed upon as a last resort, or forlorn hope, 
 happened to be resident in the near neighborhood, 
 but was so seriously handicapped by an optical in- 
 firmity of long standing, as just now to feel com- 
 pelled to retire from the pastorate. And when the 
 place was offered him, not a few of his best friends 
 counseled him to decline the proffered " honor." 
 
 Coming next to President Strong's induction into 
 office. One day the board had met to hear his 
 decision, and the next the state association was to 
 meet in annual session. The pastors and delegates 
 heard that a president had been secured, and in the 
 afternoon the chosen one was introduced to the 
 assembly, and was called upon for an address, with
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED 301 
 
 no time afforded for preparation. Responding, he 
 spoke for about half an hour from a heart heavily 
 burdened, but trustful and hopeful. Upon closing 
 he announced a pledge of $4,000 from Mr. Good- 
 sell's family, to which Rev. E. M. Williams added 
 $6,000, whereupon the brethren present proceeded 
 with greatest enthusiasm to add more than $6,000 
 to that sum; after which Father Hall offered 
 prayer, and the " inauguration " was complete. For 
 some reason, the band was absent and no procession 
 was formed. Not a cap and gown appeared in all 
 that assembly in the Old Brown Church. Not a 
 college president or professor, from East or West, 
 honored the occasion with his presence. The only 
 dignitaries on hand were two or three missionary 
 secretaries from the East who came to attend the 
 state conference. If any excited and enthusiastic 
 spirit had arisen in that audience and uttered the 
 prediction that within a generation such marvels of 
 progress would be achieved, for his folly he would 
 unanimously have been pronounced a fit object for 
 ridicule, or at least for compassion. 
 
 Returning to May 6, 1903 : Even before the day 
 selected had arrived, by the score and hundred, 
 friends began to pour in from near and from far. 
 The season of the year was well chosen and the 
 weather was perfection itself. The educational in- 
 stitutions of the state were generally represented, 
 including the university, colleges, normal schools 
 and academies, with quite a number coming from
 
 302 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 other states. St. Paul and Minneapolis were on 
 hand through their worthiest citizens by the train- 
 load; while as for Northfield, it was gorgeous in 
 gala attire, upon the business streets almost every 
 show-window being lavishly decorated with the 
 Carleton colors surrounding the portrait of the new 
 president. The entire day was filled to overflowing 
 with a great variety of gatherings and exercises. 
 
 First, at nine o'clock came a students' meeting 
 in the chapel, with addresses from representatives 
 of the various classes, alumni and others, with col- 
 lege songs and college cheers abundantly inter- 
 mingled. A reunion of. the alumni followed in the 
 Library. At eleven a reception was held in Grid- 
 ley Hall, by the president of the board, the president 
 emeritus and President Sallmon; with an excellent 
 luncheon accompanying. All these, however, were 
 but as preliminaries to the climax of interest, the 
 imposing inaugural ceremonies. 
 
 At i p. m. a procession was formed upon three 
 sides of the campus, with Professor Goodhue as 
 efficient marshal. The St. Olaf band of 50 pieces 
 led the way, filling the air with inspiring music, 
 followed by several hundreds in this order: Stu- 
 dents of the academy by classes, freshmen, sopho- 
 mores, juniors, and seniors, each one wearing class- 
 colors and waving a flag; alumni, superintendents 
 of schools, clergymen, city officials, presidents and 
 other representatives of colleges ; Governor of Min- 
 nesota, president and president emeritus. A large
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED 303 
 
 number marched clad in the academic cap and 
 gown. The line of march was southward along 
 College avenue to a point directly in front of the 
 Congregational church, and thence westward across 
 the school grounds, with a halt when the head of 
 the procession reached the church steps. Every 
 house along the route traversed was decorated pro- 
 fusely with college colors. By the happy thought 
 of Supt. Edgar George, the pupils of the public 
 schools were dismissed in season to form two lines, 
 one on either side of the procession as it crossed 
 the ground. Two had marched abreast, but now 
 the lines separated, facing each other, and with the 
 dignitaries in the lead, in reverse order the church 
 was entered and occupied, to the notes of a fine 
 processional rendered upon the organ by Prof. 
 W. L. Gray. Upon the capacious platform were 
 seated the faculty, trustees, speakers and attendants 
 especially invited from abroad. 
 
 After the invocation and a hymn, these addresses 
 of welcome were given: G. R. Lyman, chairman 
 of the inauguration committee, presiding: Irwin 
 Shepard, representing the board of trustees; Prof. 
 E. W. Lyman, speaking for the faculty; A. J. 
 Nason, for the alumni; and President Cyrus 
 Northrup bringing the greetings of the State Uni- 
 versity. Rev. Anson Phelps Stokes, Jr., secretary 
 of Yale University, followed with an address set- 
 ting forth the essential distinction between a col- 
 lege and a university; and naming three elements
 
 304 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 which make up the life of a Christian college. Next 
 came the presentation of the college charter and 
 keys by Wm. H. Laird, president of the board, 
 and their reception by President Sallmon, followed 
 by his inaugural address, and the prayer of in- 
 stallation offered by President Strong. Two hymns 
 were sung, written expressly for the occasion by 
 Prof. George Huntington, which also will be found 
 upon a later page. 
 
 Especial mention must be made of the next item 
 in the day's program, which followed almost im- 
 mediately after the close of the exercises in the 
 church. For years the plan has been diligently 
 pushed of securing for the campus specimens of 
 every tree which will survive in the Minnesota 
 climate and soil; and already no less than seventy- 
 seven, out of a possible one hundred, are to be 
 found upon these sixty-five acres. Therefore it was 
 but natural that a wholesale tree-planting should 
 be planned, to provide a living and lasting monu- 
 ment of this capital event in Carleton's career. On 
 either side of the walk leading from Willis Hall to 
 Gridley Hall two dozen white elms had been put 
 in place, each in a hole partly filled, and a shovel 
 lying hard by. Also twenty-four persons of some 
 note had been selected, each one assigned to a par- 
 ticular tree and asked to cast in a few shovelfuls 
 of earth, attaching also a card bearing his name, 
 which card with the number of the tree correspond- 
 ing will be carefully preserved for the instruction
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED 305 
 
 of generations to come. Thus a Cyrus Northrop 
 tree will long abide, an A. P. Stokes, Jr., tree, an 
 arboreal Irwin Shepard, J. J. Dow, first graduate, 
 etc. But more, while this performance was in prog- 
 ress in the presence of a throng of spectators, in 
 the neighborhood of Goodsell Observatory two 
 white oaks were also planted, the one by President 
 Strong and the other by President Sallmon. 
 
 An inter-class track and field-meet soon followed 
 upon the Laird Field. In the evening a reception 
 was held in Gridley Hall by President and Mrs. 
 Sallmon, with a general invitation extended to the 
 public, for hours the spacious halls and parlors were 
 thronged, the College Glee Club supplying excellent 
 music, and Prof. Huntington reading an Inaugural 
 Ode, which traced the progress of learning from 
 the Old World to the New, and from the Atlantic 
 seaboard to the Mississippi valley, with the inspir- 
 ing rise and progress of Carleton as the objective 
 point. Last of all came a torchlight procession of. 
 the students and an illumination of the campus,.' 
 with Gridley Hall all glorious with lights gleaming 
 from every window. 
 
 Thus ended a most impressive and auspicious' 
 day, with nothing from first to last occurring to 
 mar the keen enjoyment of those fortunate enough 
 to be found in attendance to listen and behold. 
 
 Some extracts follow from the address of Presi- 
 dent Northrop, a considerable portion of President 
 Sallmon's Inaugural, with omissions indicated by
 
 306 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 asterisks, the two hymns of Professor Huntington, 
 and the closing lines of his Inaugural Ode. 
 
 Said President Northrop: 
 
 " I am here to-day to express to the president the 
 voice of the State University. The State Uni- 
 versity welcomes him heartily. But I wish to speak 
 especially for myself and from my own heart to 
 give this Yale man a Yale man's hearty welcome 
 and blessing, and as I met him when he first came 
 to the state and talked with him, and assured him of 
 my hearty cooperation and extended to him my 
 heart and hand to do everything that is possible to 
 help him in the work of making Carleton College 
 more powerful and beneficial, I am here to-day to 
 add a final word of welcome. * * * I hope the 
 old friends of Carleton who have been so faithful 
 in the past, who have done so much for it, who 
 have donated so liberally, will none of them cease 
 to be friends of Carleton and I hope that the new 
 friends as well as the old of Carleton will so con- 
 tinue their help and assistance that even larger and 
 better results may be had in the future, and that 
 you will aid in the work to be done so that all the 
 boys and girls of Minnesota who come here to be 
 brought under the influence of this college can fully 
 reap the benefit of the personal close relation with 
 the president and the faculty. I hope that your 
 buildings will become more numerous and your 
 facilities for good work may become greater than 
 they have been in the past. I have no jealousy of
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED 307 
 
 any greatness that this college may attain and I am 
 sure I come to this institution with the best wishes 
 for it, and if my brother here shall be the agent 
 through whom the Lord's blessing is to come to you 
 and to this college, no one will feel more grateful 
 for it than myself. * * * " 
 
 Said President Sallmon: 
 
 " We have assembled here to-day in keeping with 
 a time-honored custom. The personnel of the as- 
 sembly, and the robes which are in evidence indicate 
 that the function is of an academic character. The 
 place where we are gathered, dedicated to the wor- 
 ship of Almighty God, bears witness that it is con- 
 nected with the Christian religion. 
 
 " The installation of a new head, and the inaugu- 
 ration of a new era, is such an important event in 
 the life of a college that among the varied exercises 
 arranged for the occasion is the inaugural address, 
 in which the new leader is expected to declare the 
 faith that is in him, and possibly to unfold his policy 
 for the future conduct of the institution, if he be 
 fortunate enough to have a policy to unfold. 
 * * * The outline of the program suggests that 
 there are certain relationships into which the presi- 
 dent of a college enters. These relationships are 
 varied in character, they are mutual, they include 
 many interests, and they are subject to such differ- 
 ences of opinion and interpretation that a considera- 
 tion of some of them should prove valuable to us
 
 308 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 all, and will afford sufficient opportunity for a dec- 
 laration of faith and purpose. * * * 
 
 " The president is the executive head, and in a 
 large measure the framer of the institution's policy. 
 His first relationship is with his board of trustees. 
 In their hands is the power of election, and to them 
 he is responsible, and must by his career justify 
 their choice. The trustees are the pledged guard- 
 ians of the institution's highest interests. They are 
 more than managers, they are stewards of a sacred 
 trust. It devolves upon them to study the needs of 
 the college intelligently; to plan, by personal sub- 
 scription, by bequests, by canvass, and by other 
 means to procure adequate funds and equipment. 
 In all of these matters the president should cooper- 
 ate to the extent of his ability, but he can render 
 his best service to the college by being relieved as 
 far as possible from the direct initiative and burden 
 of the financial question. The president is the con- 
 necting link between the college-in-action and the 
 trustees. He should keep them fully informed of 
 its progress and needs ; he should spend much of his 
 time at the college studying its intellectual inter- 
 ests, strengthening the weak places, stimulating the 
 instructors by his presence in their classrooms, and 
 inspiring them by personal contact. He should be 
 free for some teaching in his own department both 
 for his own sake and for that of the students. He 
 should have such control of his time as to be able 
 to appear in public in such gatherings and in such
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED 309 
 
 capacities as will be for the best interests of the col- 
 lege. The trustees should guard their president 
 from becoming merely a financial agent, and should 
 do their utmost to make it possible for him to carry 
 out his plans for the expansion of the institution. 
 
 " The second relationship which the president 
 sustains is that to his faculty. The trustees are 
 the guardians of the college in its extensive inter- 
 ests, and the faculty under the leadership of the 
 president, are the trustees of its intensive interests. 
 * * * jke teacher must not only know his sub- 
 ject but he must know how to teach it. Again, the 
 teacher must be able to impart inspiration. If he 
 can impart information, and is in love with his sub- 
 ject, if he has high ideals, and a genuine, unas- 
 sumed sympathy with young people, and delights to 
 pour out his knowledge to enrich and to form, and 
 not simply to inform his students, he represents 
 the inspiring type. With such a corps the president 
 must seek to surround himself, and having found 
 them, he is to be their guide and counsellor, and 
 to see to it that the conditions precedent to effective 
 work are established, that efficiency within the de- 
 partment is maintained, and that that harmony of 
 relationship exists which is indispensable to cooper- 
 ation. * * * 
 
 " The next relationship of the president is his 
 relation to his students. The college exists for the 
 students, for their individual development, and for 
 their preparation for lifework. The courses of
 
 310 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 study are planned with these objects in view and 
 the whole life of the place should tend towards this 
 same end. Self-government, not paternal govern- 
 ment, should be the key-note, and each student 
 placed upon his own honor and personal responsi- 
 bility should be expected to deport himself accord- 
 ing to the best standards of conduct that are main- 
 tained among men and women of refinement and 
 culture in Christian communities. * * * The 
 environment should be such that the student will 
 learn that work is his birthright, and that hard work 
 is honorable. He should be put in the way of gain- 
 ing that mental equipment which comes from con- 
 centration and perseverence, and the mastery of 
 some subject. Culture, it is true, comes from know- 
 ing something of the best that others have thought 
 and said, but culture blossoms into manhood and 
 womanhood when one begins to think his own 
 thoughts through clearly and to put them into his 
 own words. * * * 
 
 " The next relationship of the president is that 
 to the alumni, and former students who are not 
 graduates. They compose a body who may be of 
 great service to the college. They know the needs 
 of their alma mater, and should, as her debtors, 
 use all their influence to send to her students, money 
 for endowment, books for the library, equipment 
 for the laboratories and other departments, and 
 such aid in erecting necessary buildings as it may be 
 in their power to secure. The alumni in their dif-
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED 311 
 
 ferent pursuits are exemplifying the spirit of the 
 college which fostered them. Of the more than 
 400 who have graudated and of the 3,000 others 
 who have studied here, many hold positions of 
 great influence, and some have reached places of 
 eminence. To all of these as well as to those in 
 humbler spheres the college looks for loyalty and 
 support. 
 
 " Another important relationship is that between 
 the college and the community in which it exists. 
 Carleton can never forget the generosity of the 
 people of Northfield when in 1866, the inhabitants 
 numbering about 1,500, there was given $20,000 
 for the founding of the institution, and the record 
 shows that at other times, especially during the 
 crucial period in 1870, there have been similar ex- 
 hibitions of devotion and self-sacrifice. The col- 
 lege owes the community a great debt, and it can 
 best discharge that debt by manifesting interest in 
 the welfare of the city, providing lectures, musical 
 entertainments, and certain library facilities, by 
 patronizing home industries, and by cooperating 
 with every organization and movement which 
 makes for the betterment of the people intellectu- 
 ally, materially and spiritually. * * * 
 
 " But the obligations are mutual and the college 
 has also a right to expect something from the com- 
 munity. This beautiful town is largely what it is 
 because of the existence of the educational institu- 
 tions, St. Olaf and Carleton, in its midst. Take
 
 312 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 from Northfield its academic atmosphere, its public- 
 spirited faculties, its families who have moved here 
 to educate their children, and others who have set- 
 tled here attracted by what the colleges mean ; take 
 away the body of students, pull down the buildings, 
 and now close your eyes and imagine what the 
 place would be without them. The citizens, as a 
 matter of pride, of profit, and of policy, if not as a 
 matter of duty, should see to it that the interests of 
 the institution are promoted in every possible way. 
 There is need of continued liberality in gifts of 
 money and of property. * * * And the college 
 has a right to expect that all citizens will cooperate 
 do make the city a safe and wholesome place for 
 these young men and women who gather to be edu- 
 cated here. In a very real and vital sense the com- 
 munity is a trustee of the college. 
 
 " There is, or there ought to be, also, a close con- 
 nection between the college and the church, espe- 
 cially the Congregational churches of the state. The 
 college is the child of the General Conference of 
 Minnesota, and in the early days, the members not 
 only gave $10,000 towards a 'Founders' Fund,' but 
 they also gave freely of time, energy and self-sacri- 
 ficing devotion. * * * 
 
 " We have now passed the first mile-stone in the 
 history of Carleton College. The story of its origin 
 and progress reads like a romance, and many of 
 the incidents recorded of zeal, self-sacrifice and suf- 
 fering are like leaves taken from ' The Acts of the
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED 313 
 
 Apostles.' The story of that memorable installa- 
 tion nearly thirty-three years ago is a thrilling one, 
 and there are those still among us who can narrate 
 from memory the accompanying scenes. The young 
 president called upon for an impromptu inaugural 
 was cordially and devoutly inducted into office, and 
 from that time to this has devoted the best of his 
 life to achieving the wonderful results which our 
 eyes behold. By the favor of a kind Providence 
 he is here to-day to share in these exercises which 
 mark the beginning of a new era, and we are 
 cheered by the prospect of that encouragement and 
 service which, as he lives among us, he shall con- 
 tinue to give to the college so dear to his heart. 
 
 " The past with its forming traditions and rela- 
 tionships is behind us and we are living in the pres- 
 ent with its pressing needs, its calls for service, its 
 glorious privileges and opportunities. Our eyes are 
 toward the future with its untried experiences. May 
 the Carleton of the future fulfill the hopes and 
 answer the prayers of the fathers who planted it. 
 The seal of the college shows an open Bible casting 
 its rays upon other books labelled ' The Good, the 
 True, and the Beautiful/ Above is the motto, 
 ' Declaratio Sermonum Tuorum Illuminat,' * The 
 opening of Thy word giveth light.'* So as we 
 
 * This seal has an interesting history. It was designed by 
 Rev. A. K. Packard, a son-in-law of Mr. Carleton, and one 
 of the first trustees of the college, who was chairman of 
 a committee to recommend a seal. Its idea in general he 
 reported the day that Mr. Strong accepted the presidency.
 
 314 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 move forward adapting ourselves to the new condi- 
 tions of our time, and to the new expressions in and 
 by which truth is stated and embodied, may new 
 light from the source of all truth illumine our path- 
 way, and may the benediction of God Almighty, 
 Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon all the new 
 relationships into which we enter." 
 
 FROM THE INAUGURAL ODE. 
 
 And our fair Carleton who for us will trace 
 
 Her lineage and race? 
 
 She wears', in truth, 
 
 The loveliness of a perennial youth. 
 
 Vigor is hers, and hope; and joyous, buoyant life 
 
 In her is rife. 
 
 Yet more than these doth she possess 
 
 As earnest of success. 
 
 She hath the gift mature, 
 
 To seek the things that shall endure. 
 
 The discussion of the trustees that morning upon the Chris- 
 tian religion as an essential element of education had sug- 
 gested the thought which when presented was immediately 
 approved by the board, who authorized him to procure the 
 seal as soon as possible. He had selected for the motto the 
 first clause of Psalm 119:130, but preferred the Latin form, 
 if the word "opening" proved the correct rendering of the 
 Latin Vulgate. At Amherst. when he consulted Dr. Tyler, 
 no copy of the Vulgate could be found ; so he went to Har- 
 vard, where were thirteen copies, and to Dr. Ezra Abbot, 
 to ascertain whether his 1 own translation were allowable. Dr. 
 Abbot referred to several commentators and replied that 
 while authorities varied, Mr. Packard would be safe in 
 using his own word ; so the seal was cut, and both in idea 
 and execution was so admirable that the seal-cutter gave it 
 a very conspicuous place in the center of his 1 collection shown 
 at the Centennial Exposition. A certain Baptist Theo- 
 logical Seminary was so pleased with it ^ that the trustees 
 adopted it as their own, without ever asking any "leave to 
 print."
 
 PRESIDENT SALLMON INAUGURATED 315 
 
 Her nascent powers do seem, though incomplete, 
 
 For great achievement meet 
 
 Not walls of stone, 
 
 Nor fair green acres, freshly grown, 
 
 Nor gold, nor aught 
 
 That may with gold be bought, 
 
 Her substance doth comprise, 
 
 But great ideas, high aim and purpose wise. 
 
 Her masters are the ancients of renown, 
 
 Men of the laurel crown 
 
 And glorious name. 
 
 Poet and orator of deathless fame, 
 
 And scribe and sage 
 
 Of many a realm and age, 
 
 About her throng, 
 
 To pay her court, and bring 
 
 Their splendid offering 
 
 Of wisdom, eloquence and song. 
 
 So, royally, though late, 
 
 Comes Carleton to her birthright and estate. 
 
 Not a pert parvenu, 
 
 In fashions new 
 
 Fantastically dressed, 
 
 But the creation and bequest 
 
 Of the world's largest thought 
 
 To fresh expression brought. 
 
 'HITHERTO HATH THE LORD HELPED US." 
 
 Father, with reverent souls we stand, 
 
 And grateful praise, to own 
 The goodness all our good hath planned, 
 The safe, sure leading of Thy hand 
 
 In paths to us unknown. 
 
 We bless Thee for the toilsome years, 
 
 And all our toil hath brought, 
 For brightening hopes and fading fears, 
 As Faith her glad memorial rears 
 
 To Him who with us wrought.
 
 316 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 What e'er of wisdom or of skill 
 
 Our human tasks have shown, 
 The nobler thought, the generous thrill, 
 The dauntless and all-conquering will, 
 
 These are from Thee alone. 
 
 Take that is thine, and show this day 
 
 The glory of Thy face. 
 Whom Thou dost call teach Thou Thy way; 
 On him in benediction lay 
 
 The unction of Thy grace. 
 
 "SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT 
 
 THEY GO FORWARD." 
 The voice that sounded from above, 
 
 Upon the Red Sea shore, 
 To bid the halting legions move, 
 
 And cleft a highway o'er, 
 For us the waters doth divide, 
 
 Our destined path to show, 
 High walls it with the rifted tide, 
 
 And bids us forward go. 
 
 Forward ! The past behind us lies, 
 
 With all its good and ill; 
 Its blessings 1 but God's promises 
 
 The future shall fulfill. 
 What lies before we see 'not yet ; 
 
 Enough that He doth know, 
 As toward our hopes our face we set, 
 
 And forward, onward go. 
 
 Forward, new victories to gain, 
 
 New regions to possess, 
 More toil, more sheaves of precious grain, 
 
 More power the world to bless. 
 Where'er the whitening harvests stand, 
 
 And hot suns blaze and glow, 
 There we behold our Promised Land 
 
 And forward, forward go.
 
 CAM-ETON'S BUILDERS 317 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS. 
 
 No history of this or any similar institution 
 would be at all adequate, would be defective at a 
 fatal point, which failed to make some fitting and 
 appreciative mention of that goodly company of 
 men and women to whom is really owed all it is 
 and all it has achieved. The grounds, the buildings, 
 the vested funds are next to nothing without the 
 personalities behind them, which wield and apply 
 them to their appointed uses ; without the faith and 
 love, the enthusiasm and energy which impart vital 
 and vivifying force. Only a small fraction of 
 these worthy ones can be named here, a few scores 
 from hundreds. By no means all are in the least 
 known to the public. The many occupied but 
 humble stations, their parts were played away from 
 the common gaze and their contributions were rela- 
 tively so insignificant as not to have been men- 
 tioned, either in print or public address. In the 
 aggregate, however, these same multitudinous, well- 
 nigh innumerable " little things " are great and 
 mighty among the causative forces which have been 
 working together for nearly a half-century to pro- 
 duce the visible, tangible, very admirable result 
 known as Carleton College. Not in the least for-
 
 318 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 getting, on the contrary duly appreciating this prime 
 fact in the case, it is yet necessary to content our- 
 selves with naming a few from the many toilers, as 
 specimens taken from a legion every whit as praise- 
 worthy, lacking not at all in disposition, but only 
 in ability and opportunity. And these more notable 
 ones (not more noble) may be separated into these 
 several classes: The trustees, the instructors, the 
 donors of considerable sums, and certain others 
 who from first to last in a great variety of ways 
 have served the college to good purpose. 
 
 The Trustees. This body of men constitutes the 
 legal corporation, holds and administers the prop- 
 erty, whether vested funds or real estate, and there- 
 fore has mainly to do with outside matters, business 
 affairs, but next to nothing with internal regula- 
 tions like courses of study, instruction and disci- 
 pline. Nor is a position upon the board one merely 
 or mainly honorary, a sinecure bestowed as a com- 
 pliment or held as a badge of superior worth. Far, 
 far, indeed, from it. Rather, deep thinking and 
 careful planning are imperative, business capacity 
 and vigor of the highest order must often be at 
 hand, if an institution of learning is to grow and 
 prosper, with no inconsiderable expenditure of time 
 included. Yes, and themselves commonly called to 
 set the example of frequent and liberal giving. As 
 H. W. Page, one of these burden-bearers who there- 
 fore knows whereof he affirms, expresses it : " You 
 must not think that the position of a trustee costs
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 319 
 
 nothing. Besides time and thought, the amount of 
 money reaches a goodly sum. Of the first $21,000 
 (raised in Northfield to secure the location of the 
 college) more than forty per cent., nearly $9,000, 
 was contributed by trustees. In the great campaign 
 of 1886-7 for $200,000 the trustees pledged more 
 than one-third, while in the last canvass for $100,- 
 ooo more than two-fifths was derived from the 
 same source. In raising the endowment for the 
 chair of physical science, in rebuilding Willis Hall, 
 in constructing and furnishing Gridley Hall and 
 the Observatory, in all these undertakings and in 
 others also, the trustees have led off. I do not know 
 exactly, but I believe that the trustees have been 
 the donors of not less than one-fifth of all the col- 
 lege has received in the state." And for all this 
 laborious and costly service the sole remuneration 
 is found in the satisfaction of knowing that it is 
 performed " for the good of the cause," that thou- 
 sands of gifted men and women will thereby be the 
 better furnished for usefulness in many callings. 
 
 The original number of incorporators, chosen in 
 1866 by the state conference, was twenty-four, but 
 only about half of these took the necessary legal 
 steps to qualify, and hence they constituted the 
 board, endowed by statute with power to elect their 
 own successors. Since the names were given upon 
 an earlier page, they need not be repeated here. 
 From that day to this something more than sixty 
 different persons have sat in annual meetings and
 
 320 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 other sessions of the trustees, serving some for 
 longer or shorter periods, with death, resignation 
 and removal from the state as the fruitful causes of 
 quite frequent changes in the membership. Few 
 will be named whose terms lasted less than ten 
 years. By 1870 the number had increased to six- 
 teen, with twenty- four appearing in 1877, which 
 had been determined by vote as the maximum num- 
 ber. In 1883 the sensible innovation was introduced 
 of electing members not for an indefinite period, but 
 only for a term of four years, which has now be- 
 come the settled practice. At the same time a 
 division was made into four classes of six mem- 
 bers each, the term of one class expiring every 
 twelvemonth. Not less than twenty-seven trustees 
 have held the office for ten years or more, twelve 
 have filled more than twenty years of service, while 
 eight have been faithful in their high calling more 
 than thirty years. A remarkable record truly. 
 These are some of the honored veterans. Richard 
 Hall was among the most active in founding the 
 college, was the first president of the board and 
 was always unwearied in the performance of the 
 duties allotted to him until his resignation in 1881. 
 J. W. Strong was also one of the original mem- 
 bers elected in 1866 and from the first carried upon 
 his mfnd and heart his full share of the heavy bur- 
 den. M. W". Skinner was chosen at the same date, 
 has been re-elected regularly ever since and to this 
 day has not ceased to be abundant in labors be-
 
 MIEON W. SKINNEB.
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS . 321 
 
 stowed in various spheres. Hiram Scriver, too, was 
 chosen in 1866, to be excelled by none in whole- 
 souled interest, efficient cooperation and generous 
 giving, until his decease in 1890. Likewise J. L. 
 Noyes, superintendent of the Institution for the 
 Deaf and Dumb in Faribault, continuing in loyal 
 cooperation until the closing year of the century, 
 and then excused on account of failing health. 
 D. C. Bell follows hard after for length of days and 
 unstinted toil as a trustee, still in the harness, ready 
 to do his part. All these rank among the ancients, 
 the originators. 
 
 In 1871 three honorables were added to the elect, 
 H. W. Page, C. S. Hulbert and E. M. Williams, the 
 first two even yet bearing the heat and burden of 
 the day, and the third holding his place for some 
 years after leaving Minnesota, resigning only in 
 1897. About the same time the names appear of 
 H. A. Stimson, the stalwart pastor of Plymouth 
 church, Minneapolis, now of the Manhattan Con- 
 gregational church, New York City; and of Will- 
 iam Windom, later United States senator and secre- 
 tary of the treasury, though continuing his member- 
 ship for nearly two decades. This company of 
 burden-bearers received a valuable addition in 1872 
 in the person of Daniel R. Noyes of St. Paul, a 
 prominent and loyal Presbyterian, whose name con- 
 tinues to appear among them and whose influence 
 all along has been profoundly felt. The profitable 
 election of George M. Phillips followed two years
 
 322 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 later, with the responsibilities of financial secretary 
 soon imposed. Before the end of this decade Rev. 
 Drs. L. H. Cobb and M. McG. Dana* were drafted 
 into service, to be discharged only after their return 
 to the East; with Revs. L. W. Chancy and David 
 Burt, both wise counsellors and willing workers 
 while life lasted ; and W. S. Pattee, who performed 
 well his part until appointed dean of the law de- 
 partment of the State University. With the eighties 
 came J. C. Nutting and Rev. J. H. Morley, next 
 E. S. Jones and A. W. Norton, and these others 
 following during the same decade: Rev. M. W. 
 Montgomery, W. H. Laird, C. W. Hackett, G. H. 
 Rust, J. A. Sawyer, Rev. Dr. A. H. Heath and 
 David P. Jones. These four were elected early in 
 
 * Dr. M. McG. Dana was born in Brooklyn, N. Y. ; gradu- 
 ated at Amherst College, '59, and from Union Theo. Sem'y 
 (a classmate of Pres. Strong) in the spring of '62. Begin- 
 ning his ministry at Winsted, Conn., in '64 he was called to 
 the Second Congregational church of Norwich, Conn. In '74 
 he became pastor of the Park church in that city, but after 
 four years of successful work there, for the benefit of Mrs. 
 Dana's health, he removed to St. Paul, where the next ten 
 years were spent as pastor of the Plymouth Congregational 
 church. After six years' with the Kirk Street church, Lowell, 
 Mass'., he removed to Brooklyn, N. Y., and engaged in socio- 
 logical work. He died July 25, 1897, leaving three children 
 by his first wife, two of whom, a son and a daughter, gradu- 
 ated at Carleton. The former, Rev. Malcolm Dana, is now 
 a pastor in Kingston, R. I. Dr. Dana was one of the foun- 
 ders of the Minnesota Congregational Club, and for seven 
 years chairman of the State Home Missionary Board. He 
 was the first historian of the college, having, in 1879, prepared 
 for the state conference "The Story of Carleton College," 
 which, in a much enlarged form, passed through two editions 
 and was very effective, especially at the east, in extending in- 
 terest in the institution.
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 323 
 
 the nineties: A. E. Engstrom, Rev. Dr. G. H. 
 Wells, G. R. Lyman and Irwin Shepard. For length 
 of service these two-score trustees have held a prom-* 
 inent place among Carleton's builders. And whatl 
 a galaxy of talent of various kinds is included, 
 combining so admirably business and professional 
 men, clergymen and lawyers, bankers and mer- 
 chants and those well versed in public affairs. With 
 such stability in the constituent elements of the 
 board of trustees, and such wide experience result- 
 ing in the management of college affairs; with two 
 dozen leaders like these to plan, and push, and 
 safeguard, giving so freely of their counsel, their 
 time, their toil and their substance, what wonder 
 the institution has been well cared for, has been 
 rescued whenever imperilled, has gained and held 
 the confidence and affection of a multitude, and has 
 been carried forward from strength to strength ! 
 
 But though it is something, is much, to meet 
 once, twice, thrice a year for a quarter or a third 
 of a century, sitting through several lengthy ses- 
 sions discussing matters of general policy, deficits 
 and endowments, perplexities and problems mani- 
 fold, with calls interspersed to open the purse and 
 set the pace for giving; far more than this is in- 
 volved, at least for some, in consenting to perform 
 to the full the tasks involved in the trusteeship. 
 The board assembles, listens, discusses, resolve, upon 
 some change, say in the way of improvement or en- 
 largement, and then adjourns. Who represents
 
 324 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 that body between sessioris, to execute its decisions, 
 to carry out its plans? The executive committee, 
 composed of members resident in Northfield, is the 
 instrument of the trustees to make loans in their 
 behalf, to collect tuition, interest and rent, pay sal- 
 aries and meet all financial obligations. There may 
 be something to be done almost any day or hour, 
 with not a little expenditure of time and labor re- 
 quired. There are new buildings to be constructed 
 and old ones to be repaired. Out of the American 
 House a Ladies' Hall is to be fashioned; Willis 
 Hall is to be built and then rebuilt; Williams Hall 
 follows next, and Gridley Hall, the Observatory 
 Old and New and Scoville Library. Therefore 
 the work of this committee is never done, and 
 among the builders its six members must be held 
 in double honor. Upon Messrs. Scriver and Skin- 
 ner these onerous burdens were imposed in 1866, 
 and their discharge never came; at least, the labors 
 of the one ceased only with his departure out of 
 life, and the other after seven-and-thirty years is 
 still engaged the only one of the original mem- 
 bers in this form of ministry. From the time of 
 his inauguration in 1870 until his resignation in 
 1903, President Strong was chairman of this com- 
 mittee. Charles S. Hulbert was assigned to duty 
 in this sphere in 1871, and George M. Phillips in 
 1874. Early in the eighties Messrs. J. C. Nutting 
 and A. W. Norton were drafted for duty, both to 
 hold their places to the present hour; next Rev.
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 
 
 325 
 
 E. M. Williams was admitted into this inner circle 
 of toilers for the public good, with Harlan W. Page 
 following in 1885. These men are the makers of 
 most of the Carleton that meets the eye, and in the 
 following list the names of all appear : 
 
 Trustees. 
 
 Rev. Richard Hall 
 Samuel W. Furber 
 Hiram Scriver 
 Charles M. Goodsell 
 Rev. James W. Strong 
 Rev. Edmund Gale 
 Rev. Charles Seccombe 
 Rev. Abel K. Packard 
 Rev. Joseph F. Dudley 
 Miron W. Skinner 
 Joseph H. Spencer 
 Andrew T. Hale 
 Rev. George Spaulding 
 Jonathan L. Noyes, 
 Rev. Americus Fuller 
 David C. Bell 
 Rev. David Andrews 
 Rev. Edward M. Williams 
 Charles S. Hulbert 
 Rev. N. H. Pierce 
 Harlan W. Page 
 William Windom 
 Rev. Henry A. Stimson 
 John A. Scriver 
 William R. Marshall 
 Daniel R. Noyes 1 
 Rev. Henry M. Tenney 
 Rev. Cassius M. Terry 
 C. E. Vanderburgh 
 George M. Phillips 
 Rev. L. H. Cobb 
 Rev. Edward Brown 
 Rev. David Burt 
 
 Residence 
 when elected. 
 St. Paul 
 Cottage Grove 
 Northfield 
 Northfield 
 Faribault 
 Faribault 
 Zumbrota 
 Anoka 
 Winona 
 Northfield 
 Northfield 
 Minneapolis 
 Eau Claire, Wis. 
 Faribault 
 Rochester 
 Minneapolis 
 Winona 
 Faribault 
 Northfield 
 Northfield 
 Northfield 
 Winona 
 Minneapolis 
 Northfield 
 St. Paul 
 St. Paul 
 Winona 
 St. Paul 
 Minneapolis 
 Northfield 
 Minneapolis 
 Medford 
 Northfield 
 
 In Service. 
 1866-1882 
 1866-1873 
 1866-1890 
 1866-1868 
 1866-1903 
 1866-1868 
 1866-1871 
 1866-1876 
 1866-1869 
 1866- 
 1866-1873 
 1866-1869 
 1867-1870 
 1868-1900 
 
 1868-1874 
 1869-1904 
 1869-1871 
 1870-1897 
 1871- 
 
 1871-1873 
 
 1871- 
 
 1871-1887 
 
 1871-1883 
 
 1872-1874 
 
 1872-1880 
 
 1872- 
 
 1873-1875 
 1873-1880 
 1873-1882 
 
 1874- 
 1874-1886 
 
 1874-1875 
 1875-1881
 
 326 
 
 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Trustees. 
 R. J. Baldwin 
 Rev. D. L. Leonard 
 Willis H. Norton 
 Rev. L. W. Chancy 
 Rev. M. McG. Dana 
 W. S. Pattee 
 John C. Nutting 
 Rev. John II. Morley 
 A. B. Nettleton 
 Alfred W. Norton 
 Edwin S. Jones 
 Rev. R. G. Hutchins 
 William H. Laird 
 Rev. M. W. Montgomery 
 Charles W. Hackett 
 George H. Rust 
 Rev. Charles F. Thwing 
 Joseph A. Sawyer 
 Rev. Albert H. Heath 
 David Percy Jones 
 John E. Bradley 
 Augustus E. Engstrom 
 Rev. George H. Wells 
 Irwin Shepard 
 - George R. Lyman 
 Francis W. Anderson 
 Charles E. Dyer 
 Rev. Cornelius H. Patten 
 Rev. George E. Soper 
 Lowell E. Jepson 
 James F. Jackson 
 Lewis L. Wheelock 
 Hiram A. Scriver 
 Rev. George R. Merrill 
 Lyndon A. Smith 
 Thomas S. Buckh'am 
 Rev. L. H. Hallock 
 Jesse F. Millspaugh 
 
 Residence 
 
 
 when elected. 
 
 In Service. 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1875-1876 
 
 Northfield 
 
 1876-1882 
 
 Northfield 
 
 1876-1880 
 
 Mankato 
 
 1876-1898 
 
 St. Paul 
 
 1878-1889 
 
 Northfield 
 
 1879-1894 
 
 Northfield 
 
 1880- 
 
 Winona 
 
 1880-1900 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1881-1885 
 
 Northfield 
 
 1881- 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1882-1890 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1883-1887 
 
 Winona 
 
 1883- 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1883-1894 
 
 St. Paul 
 
 1886-1903 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1887-1900 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1887-1890 
 
 Owatonna 
 
 1889-1899 
 
 St. Paul 
 
 1889-1894 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1890- 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1890-1893 
 
 Cannon Falls 
 
 1890-1899 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1892-1896 
 
 Winona 
 
 1893- 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1894- 
 
 St. Paul 
 
 1895-1900 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1895-1897 
 
 Duluth 
 
 1897-1899 
 
 Alexandria 
 
 1897-1900 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1898- 
 
 St. Paul 
 
 1898- 
 
 Owatonna 
 
 1899- 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1900- 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1900- 
 
 Montevideo 
 
 1900- 
 
 Faribault 
 
 1900- 
 
 Minneapolis 
 
 1900- 
 
 Winona 
 
 1900- 
 
 ome next to 
 
 consider a corn- 
 
 lite another 
 
 sort, more than
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 327 
 
 twice as numerous, who have devoted themselves 
 not to the material, visible, tangible side of things, 
 but rather to the intellectual and spiritual, that 
 which bears much more closely upon manhood, 
 womanhood, character, destiny. The teachers ap- 
 propriate and apply what the trustees furnish, put it 
 to most profitable uses, employ it for the beautify- 
 ing and enrichment of hearts and lives. Their busi- 
 ness, their sacred calling is, by consummate wisdom 
 and patience infinite, by ten thousand gentle strokes, 
 to manufacture (make by hand), out of crude 
 human nature, men and women who are both intel- 
 ligent and saintly; well equipped within for the 
 strenuous and momentous work of life. In greater 
 or less degree, already some four thousand young 
 men and maidens have thus been instructed and 
 trained. The whole number of instructors who 
 have wrought together to rear the real historic 
 Carleton is one hundred and twenty-five, some of 
 them remaining but two or three terms, some for 
 two or three years and some still at their posts after 
 a generation has come and gone. The activity of 
 these toilers has not been in the least spectacular, 
 stunning to the senses, attracting the public gaze, 
 but has mainly been confined to the semi-private 
 class-room. They have made history which cannot 
 be put at all fittingly upon the printed page. The 
 tireless endeavor has been to prod the indolent, to 
 stimulate the dull, to incite the student to see, and 
 hear, and think, and know, and be, and do. The
 
 328 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 fruit of a lifetime of such building as this is most 
 precious and most enduring. 
 
 Here and all along, not a little embarrassment to 
 the historian has resulted from the fact that so 
 many of the prominent actors in the stirring Car- 
 leton drama are living and still upon the stage of 
 action. For the most part, history is supposed to 
 relate to the sayings and doings of the departed, 
 whom therefore we are able to survey in their en- 
 tirety and from a distance. Nor, by common con- 
 sent, is it deemed becoming to speak freely of the 
 living either to commend or discredit. Under such 
 limitations it is necessary to speak with circum- 
 spection, and more, with brevity. Of the entire 
 six-score and more of those whose names appear 
 among the faculty, only a portion can with pro- 
 priety be mentioned here, and properly those will 
 be selected whose terms of service have been long- 
 est. Three classes may be distinguished. To the 
 first belong the Honored Four, who upon Carleton 
 have lavished their energies, some more and none 
 much less than thirty years, and the aggregate of 
 whose labors covers more than a century and a 
 quarter. Professor Horace Goodhue is the " patri- 
 arch " of the institution (though yet far from aged 
 in appearance and mien), whose life, from his grad- 
 uation day at Dartmouth, belongs to Northfield; 
 who laid the foundations, opened the doors to learn- 
 ing; who was so long at the head of the prepara- 
 tory department; who, in the absence of the presi-
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 329 
 
 dent, was the presiding officer of the faculty, and 
 now for a goodly number of years dean of the 
 faculty. Next, chronologically, comes President 
 Strong, for more than a decade teaching to a lim- 
 ited extent, but of necessity expending himself 
 mainly upon outside affairs, burdened with the dif- 
 ficult and exhausting work of administration, or 
 absent in absorbing quest of large-hearted, open- 
 handed friends of Christian education; or of eligi- 
 ble additions to the teaching force. Prof. Wm. W. 
 Payne was the third to appear upon the scene, who 
 graduated from Hillsdale College in 1863, was 
 trained for the legal profession, taking his second 
 year in Chicago University, an editor of long 
 standing, gifted with a clear head and a heart full 
 of fervor, able to see things invisible, and as well 
 to plan and strike out new paths. Miss Margaret 
 J. Evans, easily foremost of all Carleton's women, 
 graduated at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis., 
 in 1869. Although never a Methodist, she went 
 thither because at that time Lawrence was the only 
 institution in the whole West where a young woman 
 could study Greek. Such were her gifts and at- 
 tainments that only one year after graduation she 
 became preceptress of her alma mater. In 1874 she 
 came to Carleton where ever since her ambitions 
 and longings have 1 been so centered and satisfied 
 that she has been able to resist successfully repeated 
 allurements to transfer her allegiance to other 
 schools far more famous and wealthy. For many
 
 330 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 years she has been in frequent demand for public 
 addresses both East and West, and to her fell the 
 distinguished honor of being the first representative 
 of her sex to be elected a corporate member of the 
 American Board of Commissioners for Foreign 
 Missions. These four may not inaptly be termed 
 the corner stones upon which the superstructure of 
 Carleton College has been reared. No future 
 comers can ever by any possibility remove them 
 from their unique position, their well-deserved niche 
 in Carleton's temple of fame. 
 
 A second class includes those who have been 
 builders less than thirty, but more than twenty 
 years. Of such there are also four, with Dr. L. B. 
 Sperry first upon the ground, the original incum- 
 bent of the chair of Physical Science, who, though 
 resigning this position after nine years, has to this 
 day continued to give courses of lectures upon sani- 
 tary science, to say nothing of his numerous lec- 
 tures upon popular themes. Rev. George Hunting- 
 ton made his arrival in the autumn of 1879, com- 
 ing from a long pastorate in Oak Park, Illinois, to 
 be a true pastor to the students and to many more, 
 who, in addition to giving instruction in Rhetoric 
 and Biblical Literature, has been also in a sense the 
 literary representative of the college through his 
 frequent articles, in both poetry and prose, appear- 
 ing in the religious press and in divers popular vol- 
 umes. Rev. Arthur H. Pearson, also clergyman as 
 well as professor, came a year later and after a
 
 MARGARET J. EVANS.
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 331 
 
 decade devoted to instruction in the realm of Chem- 
 istry and Physics, was transferred to the sphere of 
 Psychology and Ethics, with frequent preaching 
 meantime and public addresses upon various themes 
 throughout the state. Lucian W. Chancy enjoys 
 the fame of being the first alumnus to rise to the 
 rank of full professor, with Biology and Geology 
 as his department, whose connection with the 
 faculty began as far back as 1882. 
 
 The third class numbers nine and includes those 
 whose terms of service have lasted less than two 
 decades but more than one. Soon after the much- .1 
 
 , 
 
 regretted resignation of John B. Clark his successor / '- 
 in the chair of History and Political Science was 
 chosen in the person of Charles H. Cooper, now 
 president of the Mankato Normal School; and two 
 years after Miss Louisa H. Richardson was elected 
 to the chair of the Latin Language and Literature, 
 succeeding thus Miss Alice L. Armsby, who in 
 July, 1885, had become Mrs. A. H. Pearson. Four 
 valuable additions to the faculty were made in 1887, 
 the first two of them being graduates of the col- 
 lege: Herbert C. Wilson, presently to become as- 
 sociate professor of Astronomy and Mathematics; 
 Miss Isabella Watson, professor of French and 
 German; Rev. Daniel Magnus, professor of Swed- 
 ish and teacher of German and English; and Miss 
 Caroline E. Linnell, teacher of Expression and Elo- 
 cution. Early in the closing decade of the century 
 Wilmot V. Metcalf came to be professor of Chem-
 
 332 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 istry and Physics, Miss Lucia E. Danforth to be 
 preceptress of the academy, and Frederick E. Strat- 
 ton principal of the academy. Some others should 
 be named, though their stay was comparatively 
 brief, because of the excellent work they did and 
 the impression they left behind; such, for example, 
 as John B: Clark now of Columbia University, 
 Miss Armsby who for nine years filled her station 
 to the full; with Dwight C. Rice and Jesse W. 
 Parker, each in his time director of the Music 
 Department. And one other name must stand in 
 this place among the builders, though not reckoned 
 among the teachers. In 1879 Miss Anna T. Lin- 
 coln was appointed matron, installed at first in old 
 " Ladies' Hall," though soon transferred to Gridley 
 Hall, and becoming superintendent of the domestic 
 department, where ever since she has presided with 
 great acceptance and profit, having charge of the 
 purchase and preparation of food fpr the bulk of 
 the student-body, but being also a potent social and 
 refining force, doing with several like-minded and 
 like-hearted associates, far more than can be told 
 to make the hall a healthful, sunny, and uplifting 
 home. 
 
 The Givers. But first, a word explanatory is 
 called for. It must always be borne in mind that 
 a college, like any other institution which makes 
 for the public welfare, the betterment of human- 
 kind, is not to be thought of as merely or mainly 
 a ravenous beggar, but as a bountiful benefactor
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 333 
 
 instead. Or, if it does solicit, plead, urge, even al- 
 most demand, this is because only so can bestow - 
 ment and distribution be made. And, therefore, this 
 school, whether considered as composed of grounds, 
 buildings, apparatus, endowments, instructors, what 
 not, is above all else an inestimable donation to the 
 wealth (material and spiritual) of the community, 
 the state, the land, the Kingdom, to the present and 
 the future. Take Northfield as the best illustration. 
 An investigation will easily and quickly make it 
 appear that, when all things are considered, the col- 
 lege is a donor far more than a recipient, brings 
 even more money into Northfield pockets than it 
 extracts from them. Think, for example, of the 
 amount paid annually in board bills, of the greatly 
 increased sales of food and fuel, books and beef, 
 clothing and confectionery. Recall the number of 
 thrifty, well-to-do families attracted and held to the 
 vicinity of the campus. Count the students in the 
 several deparments whose homes have been hard by 
 or within a few miles, and the consequent greatly 
 reduced cost of their education. Then rising above 
 the plane of dollars and cents, take into account the 
 multitude of good things brought near and made 
 accessible to all, like larger congregations and better 
 preaching, concerts and lectures, commencements 
 and all that; trie continual contact with scores of 
 cultured teachers, the daily sight of hundreds of 
 earnest, buoyant youth, so inspiring to every be- 
 holder. Upon this phase of the facts in the case
 
 334 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 the testimony of Mr. Page is most emphatic, is to 
 the point and cannot be gainsaid : " The college 
 turns into the channels of business in Northfield not 
 less than $50,000 a year. During the years I have 
 been financial secretary I have paid to residents of 
 Northfield three-quarters of a million dollars 
 ($750,000) ! " Professor Goodhue has corrobo- 
 rative statements which descend into detail. As far 
 back as 1888, in a paper read before the Cosmos 
 Club, entitled " The Local Benefits of an Educa- 
 tional Institution," he was able to give the names 
 of 55 graduates of the various departments whose 
 homes were either in Northfield or its environs, and 
 was able to count from the catalogues some 400 
 other names of those similarly situated who had 
 been students for a longer or shorter time. Though 
 his figures are out of date by more than sixteen 
 years, they are most instructive and must be repro- 
 duced, at least for substance. He says : 
 
 " Most of the 55 students took both preparatory 
 and collegate studies here, spending therefore five, 
 six and seven years. If five years were the average, 
 and $200 were the annual saving by living at home, 
 the total saving would be $55,000. If the 400 have 
 averaged but one year of study, the saving would 
 be $80,000 more. The average attendance for the 
 last five years has been above 200. Upon inquiry 
 I find that our students expend for board in town, 
 for clothing purchased here, for room rent, fuel, 
 lights, books, stationery, washing, photography,
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 335 
 
 livery-hire, etc., a little more than $100 a year each 
 on an average, thereby increasing the trade of the 
 town $20,000 annually. If each of the 150 persons 
 residing here because of the college (that is, those 
 who come to educate their children, and because of 
 other like advantages), expends only $300 a year in 
 the improvement of their homes and sustenance of 
 their families, their trade amounts to $45,000. 
 Then, too, the college pays out large sums here. 
 The books of the financial secretary show that out 
 of its treasury were paid during the last three school 
 years for ordinary expenses a total of $154,075, or 
 an annual average of $51,358. It appears then that 
 the college pays out over $51,000 each year, and 
 of this sum at least eighty-four per cent, is expended 
 in Northfield and only sixteen per cent, elsewhere, 
 and this of necessity, for taxes, advertising, scien- 
 tific instruments and supplies. Also that the finan- 
 cial benefit of the college to the trade of the com- 
 munity, direct and indirect, exceeds $100,000 an- 
 nually and is steadily increasing." If these figures 
 were brought down to the present, the result ob- 
 tained would be much more impressive, since the 
 amounts paid annually, directly and indirectly, by 
 the college to the community are now greater by at 
 least one-third. 
 
 In this chapter the friends of Carleton are sep- 
 arated into three divisions, the Trustees, the 
 Faculty, and the Givers. And yet, any attempt 
 thus to differentiate those who have wrought to-
 
 336 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 gether for the upbuilding of this school is liable 
 to the charge of making a distinction where there 
 is in reality no difference, since all are equally 
 builders and all are equally givers, and all built by 
 giving and by that alone. Every helper, no matter 
 in what sphere or by what form of activity, first 
 gave himself, and after that imparted of what he 
 had most to bestow, be it time, toil, brain, heart, 
 money. Parents who possessed not much besides, 
 donated sons and daughters, a contribution how 
 noble and praiseworthy. The givers, therefore, are 
 a great and illustrious company, while the variety 
 of the benefactions has been well-nigh endless. 
 Multitudinous are the " two mites " which have 
 been cast into this sacred treasury, the utmost that 
 could be spared from straightened means, costing 
 what careful planning, what rigid economy and self- 
 denial. Not a few of the smallest sums bestowed 
 have also been the most inspiring, most significant 
 and most precious. Therefore, no adulation of 
 wealth is at all in order ; no fulsome words of praise 
 for gifts merely because of their size, their value 
 in the marts of trade. And yet it evidently remains 
 true that large sums of money bestowed en bloc 
 possess a peculiar value and perform a service alto- 
 gether unique, among the rest by kindling courage 
 and stirring enthusiasm, and hence in a sense are in- 
 dispensable. For example, the astounding and in- 
 credible sum, as it then appeared, which Mr. Carle- 
 ton bestowed at a time when fcope was almost
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 337 
 
 gone, and the struggling institution to all appear- 
 ance was in its last throes. Certainly Northfield 
 had never been a college town except for the con- 
 siderable sum with which Mr. Goodsell headed the 
 subscription paper and so provoked scores of others 
 to do their best. In like manner a distinguished 
 service was performed on the famous day of Presi- 
 dent Strong's inauguration, when Rev. E. M. Will- 
 iams and the Goodsell family led the way with 
 pledges aggregating $10,000. Or, in the recent 
 campaign, it is much more than doubtful if the 
 $100,000 would have been forthcoming if the 
 $50,600 conditioned upon it had not been certain at 
 the beginning. 
 
 Fortunately for Carleton, the givers of consider- 
 able sums for the supply of its needs are already 
 numbered by scores. Few if any other Western 
 institutions of learning can name as many. It is 
 not at all strange that a large proportion of these 
 have been dwellers in the East, where settled society 
 and the chance to accumulate have existed for cen- 
 turies ; and also to a great extent in New England, 
 than which it would be difficult indeed to find a 
 region where to such a phenomenal extent, econ- 
 omy, thrift and keenest business enterprise, are 
 found combined with intelligence and whole- 
 hearted readiness to impart for the furtherance of 
 any worthy object. It is needless to suggest, all 
 along it is to be taken for granted, that except in 
 the first two or three attempts at money-raising,
 
 338 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 the leader and chief personal force have uniformly 
 been found in the person of President Strong. And 
 whatever else of value he may have achieved in 
 life, it is doubtless in this most weighty matter that 
 his supreme lifework has been performed. On a 
 former page mention was made of a letter penned 
 by an experienced college president, in which it was 
 affirmed with emphasis and iteration that hard cash 
 for infant colleges in the West could not be ex- 
 tracted from Yankee purses. In the cases of most 
 men, no doubt that lugubrious vaticination would 
 have proved to be an accurate prognostication. But 
 here, as so often elsewhere, the fact has been made 
 apparent that "it is personality which tells." A 
 foregleam and prophecy of many good things to 
 come appear at the very outset, when we find the 
 president-elect putting this pregnant query to the 
 board: " The gift of how large a sum will entitle 
 the donor to name the college; and how large to 
 name a professorship?" And again, when within 
 a few hours a pledge of $6,000 and another of 
 $4,000 had been secured. Moreover, almost at once 
 after inauguration day a journey was made to the 
 East, a call was made upon a certain Boston mer- 
 chant, a railroad accident occurred, and only three 
 months later a great gift was announced which 
 lifted the college to fame. 
 
 Probably enough has already been said about the 
 munificence of William Carleton and Susan Willis, 
 which for substance, spirit and manner was won-
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 339 
 
 derful, was really ideal. How great was their faith 
 and how lavish was their giving! They were pio- 
 neers; they marked out the path. For others to 
 follow in their footsteps has been relatively an 
 easy task. But since that magnificent beginning, 
 Larger Boston and vicinity have added numerous 
 benefactions both large and small, bestowed in the 
 same royal fashion, and which have supplied a be- 
 coming supplement to that beginning. Thus there 
 was Daniel T. Coit, a physician of peculiar man- 
 ners, informal, quick, decided, brusque and very 
 hard to reach. Perhaps he would meet the caller 
 at the door, hat in hand, and talk with him there, 
 or keep him in the cold hall, never inviting him to 
 be seated. He had been giving to Williams Col- 
 lege through admiration for President Hopkins, but 
 after repeated interviews he was persuaded to make 
 a legacy to Carleton of $5,000 and also to make 
 it the residuary legatee to his estate, whereby about 
 $13,000 more was in due time received. Mrs. 
 Martha W. Wilkinson* of Cambridge is another 
 
 * Martha Walker Turner, the daughter of Rev. John and 
 Lucy Turner, was born in Biddeford, Me., February 13, 1809. 
 She was one of a large family of children and being naturally 
 energetic and self-reliant, she early went to the south as a 
 teacher. November 6, 1834, she married Edward Dunning, 
 a merchant of Mobile, Alabama, who lived less than two 
 years. In December, 1840, she married Arthur Wilkinson, 
 a prosperous 1 Boston merchant, who subsequently bought an 
 elegant estate on Dana Hill, Cambridge. He did not long 
 survive his removal thither, and their four children died in 
 early life ; but until her death, June 22, 1895, that home was 
 ideal in its open-hearted hospitality, and to many relatives and 
 friends it was a haven of rest a comfort and inspiration.
 
 340 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 name to be held in highest esteem for most generous 
 and worthy deeds. Being in Boston once while 
 yet a Faribault pastor, and seeking a pulpit for a 
 Sunday's occupation, the President-to-be was as- 
 signed first to a church near by, but later a change 
 was made and he was sent out on Cape Ann, and 
 to what appeared to be a rather forlorn appoint- 
 ment. However, within a day or two, the pastor of 
 that church, Rev. Wm. H. Dunning, who was in 
 failing health, called upon him to inquire about the 
 qualities of the Minnesota climate, and later took his 
 journey thither, sojourning in Faribault and under 
 the pastor's roof, where also he died in the Feb- 
 ruary following.* This was the eldest son of Mrs. 
 Wilkinson, and thus was brought about an ac- 
 quaintance destined to mean much to Carleton. 
 
 Mrs. Wilkinson was a queen among women. In her, grace 
 and strength combined to form a character most symmetrical 
 and effective. Her benevolence was large and flowed in 
 many channels, but was always unostentatious. She gave 
 cheerfully, gladly and conscientiously, with a sense of Chris- 
 tian stewardship, and especially to what she esteemed the 
 great causes missions, home and foreign, and Christian edu- 
 cation. To Carleton College her gifts aggregated more than 
 those of any other donor, except Mr. Carleton. Appreciative 
 minutes have been adopted by the trustees, and her name 
 has been given to the endowment of the president's chair. 
 
 * One who knew him well, thus writes of Mr. Dunning: 
 "Possessing a well-endowed and highly cultivated mind, a 
 deep and unostentatious piety, a singularly pure and gener- 
 ous spirit, and a rare sweetness of temper and courtesy of 
 manner, he was' in every way a true disciple, an able min- 
 ister and a Christian gentleman ; strong without vehemence, 
 quiet without inertness, mirthful without lightness. His was 
 'the wisdom that is from above, first pure then peaceable, 
 gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, 
 without partiality and without hypocrisy.'"
 
 MARTHA WHITE WILKINSON.
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 341 
 
 She invited Mr. Strong to call upon her when at 
 the East, and accepting the invitation, he was urged 
 to make her house his home. She seemed in a 
 sense to adopt him, in place of the one just lost, 
 and for nearly twenty-five years she gave him as 
 hearty a welcome at any and all times as though he 
 were really her own son. But more, she soon be- 
 gan to give to the college, and continued to bestow 
 sums varying from $100 to $15,000, the aggre- 
 gate reaching more than $37,000 at the time of 
 her death. Closely associated with her, both in 
 personal friendship and benevolent doing was her 
 daughter-in-law, who as a memorial of her hus- 
 band, donated to the college the " William H. 
 Dunning Cabinet," a very valuable collection of 
 geological specimens, especially rich in fossil ferns. 
 Although a large part of this was lost in the fire 
 which in '79 destroyed Willis Hall, it has been 
 replaced by a much larger collection, and the name 
 is gladly retained. Moreover it was through Mrs. 
 Wilkinson that acquaintance was made with divers 
 men and women possessed of large hearts and large 
 means, combined with wise methods of work. 
 Among these was Miss Louisa J. Brown from 
 whom came numerous small sums for current ex- 
 penses and benevolent uses, and at one time $1,100 
 for endowment. 
 
 Deacon John Field once gave the start to an 
 effort to raise $10,000 by pledging the last tenth 
 of that amount; and he had a penchant for assist-
 
 342 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 ing other colleges in a similar way. Deacon Ezra 
 Farnsworth of Park St. church, made three dona- 
 tions inside of three years, amounting in all to 
 $2,000. And Deacon W. O. Grover of Central 
 church, after a three minutes' interview, made 
 Carleton the richer by $500, and enjoyed the in- 
 vestment so much as to add eventually $2,100. So 
 much for Boston; but Boston is by no means the 
 whole of Massachusetts, for among others, Wor- 
 cester once had an L. J. Knowles, an inventor of 
 note who also had married a Strong, a woman 
 of large benevolence, and hence was interested in 
 the name. The president had preached several 
 times in that city and received entertainment at 
 the Knowles residence. Ere long the gifts began 
 to flow Northfield-ward, Mrs. Knowles starting 
 the stream with $175 to assist in the payment of the 
 expenses of one of the Carleton girls, $500 follow- 
 ing ere long. It happened that once while the presi- 
 dent was there, the news arrived of the successful 
 issue of a perplexing lawsuit ; and so happy was he 
 at gaining his case that on the spot, as a thank- 
 offering, a check was made out for $3,000, pay- 
 able to the college treasurer. Several other sums 
 were bestowed at various times, and by will was left 
 $10,000. If all the gifts of husband and wife are 
 included the sum is $17,875. 
 
 For presidents of western colleges sorely in 
 need of funds whereupon to live, thrive and grow, 
 it is not a far cry from Massachusetts to Connecti-
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 343 
 
 cut; with Hartford easily its capital city for com- 
 bined wealth and readiness to bestow, when worthy 
 objects are presented in rational ways. The reader 
 will recall that not many days after making the 
 acquaintance of Mr. Carleton and Miss Willis, and 
 from their hands receiving some substantial tokens 
 of their regard, President Strong, setting forth 
 upon his return to Minnesota, made a momentous 
 halt in Hartford, more especially because it was 
 the home of Rev. J. H. Twichell, a classmate of 
 his in the theological seminary. That very after- 
 noon occurred the railroad accident which for sev- 
 eral days appeared to have ended not only his 
 earthly career, but that of the college also; but 
 which instead, lifted both to distinction through- 
 out the land, and turned out to be perhaps the 
 greatest benefit that ever fell to Carleton's lot to 
 receive. Nor was the first $50,000 for endowment 
 the only outcome. After his partial recovery, in 
 honor of the unfortunate sufferer, a reception was 
 given at which Rev. Drs. Horace Bushnell, N. J. 
 Burton, E. P. Parker, J. H. Twitchell and others 
 were present, and the next Sabbath, standing on 
 one foot with his left knee resting upon a chair for 
 support, he preached for Mr. Twitchell. Visiting 
 that city the year following, he preached again in 
 that pulpit. At the close of the service, a pleasant- 
 faced man in a plain business suit, came forward 
 to greet the speaker, giving his name as Eber Grid- 
 ley. " Gridley ? Why, that was my father's mid-
 
 344 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 die name," was the pleased response. " Yes," said 
 he, " I suppose I know something of your ances- 
 tors. Do you ever call on poor folks ? " "I should 
 be very glad to call upon you if you will give me 
 your address." A day or two later, as he ap- 
 proached the house, it seemed quite evident that 
 the owner could not belong to the class of very 
 " poor folks." This call led to a cordial invita- 
 tion to come whenever he could, to stay as long 
 as he pleased and to make himself " perfectly at 
 home." It appears that on reading an account 
 of the accident, Mr. Gridley had noticed that Strong- 
 was the name of one of the victims, and upon in- 
 quiry learned that he himself was cousin to Presi- 
 dent Strong's father. As the years passed on sev- 
 eral pleasant visits were made at this hospitable 
 mansion. On one of these occasions, Mr. Gridley 
 escorted his guest to a safety-deposit vault and 
 showed him certain legal papers which secured to 
 the college one-half of the Gridley estate, to be 
 used in the construction of a building for the uses 
 of the institution, and to-day Gridley Hall stands 
 as a monument to keep alive the memory of his 
 munificent deed.* 
 
 * Eber Gridley, the s'on of Mark and Abigail Flagg Grid- 
 ley, was born at West Hartford, Conn., June 23, 1813. His 
 early manhood was given to farming, then a few years were 
 spent in mercantile pursuits, after which he engaged very 
 successfully in manufacturing. He died of heart disease, 
 while riding in his carriage, June 28, 1878, aged 65. He was 
 characterized by industry, integrity and benevolence. His
 
 EBER GRIDLEY.
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 345 
 
 But Hartford was also the home of others of 
 the same princely make. Thus Roland Mather's 
 interest was so enlisted in western education, that 
 starting with a gift of $100, the process continued 
 through a decade, and until the amount had swollen 
 to $6,000. J. B. Eldridge made a donation of 
 $1,500, and three years later through his will trans- 
 f erred $15,000 more. Charles Boswell was the 
 donor of $5,000, the same to be kept at interest 
 until increased to $10,000, when the whole amount 
 should be held as a permanent fund to aid deserving 
 young men in the collegiate classes. In 1880 he 
 also paid the cost of a bell to be placed in the tower 
 of the re-built Willis Hall. 
 
 Let it by no means, however, be imagined that 
 the benevolence of Connecticut is confined to its 
 capitol. Among other cities, New London deserves 
 to stand in the same category, with Henry P. 
 Haven as a speciment of its Christian manhood. 
 His readiness to assist students who were prepar- 
 ing for the ministry was known, but no personal 
 solicitation for funds had been made. It occurred 
 in 1876 that while in Boston, in some inexplicable 
 way, an impression came to the president too strong 
 to be resisted, that a trip should be taken to New 
 London and a call on him should be made. Mr. 
 Haven was a shipping merchant and a " model 
 Sunday-school superintendent," as his memoir by 
 
 estate was bequeathed to Carleton College and Mt. Holyoke 
 Seminary, in which Mrs. Gridley had become especially in- 
 terested.
 
 346 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 H. Clay Trumbull has fully set forth; a very busy 
 man withal, almost every hour of whose time was 
 usually pre-engaged. An interview was sought in 
 the evening, and lo, he was found at home and 
 also at liberty! The endowment to the chair of 
 physical science had just been secured, but the in- 
 come was not yet available, so that it was neces- 
 sary to provide from other sources for the salary 
 of the incumbent. This amount, $1,200, was the 
 immediate object of pursuit. Kindly listening until 
 the situation was understood, Mr. Haven's re- 
 sponse was, " 1 have a venture out upon the sea, 
 and if it proves favorable, I will give you a quar- 
 ter of the sum needed." After further thought the 
 proposition was amended as follows : " I have an- 
 other venture out and if that one is crowned with 
 success, I will take a second quarter." So the 
 matter rested over night. Next morning under an 
 impelling conviction whose meaning was unknown, 
 a call was made at his office simply to give him a 
 morning greeting, but Mr. Haven had not come 
 in. A little later he was found engaged and so 
 was not interrupted. A third attempt, however, 
 proved successful in more senses than one, for al- 
 most at once he said : " Mr. Strong, I was think- 
 ing that if I should see you this morning, I would 
 take a third quarter." Upon this they parted; but 
 a few hours afterwards, recalling that he had not 
 asked if the donor's name might be mentioned in 
 connection with this transaction, the president sent
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 347 
 
 a note to ascertain his wish. With the reply came 
 this final revision of his pledge : " Since your de- 
 parture I have received such tidings from under the 
 sea, that I have concluded to take the last quar- 
 ter," and the dates of payment were definitely 
 named. Only one-fourth had been forwarded when 
 suddenly Mr. Haven died. When the estate was 
 settled, no mention of this matter appearing upon 
 the books, the administrator declined at first to make 
 further payments, but a copy of the letter just 
 mentioned being forwarded, all hesitation was re- 
 moved. 
 
 One more experience while gold-hunting in the 
 East touches another Connecticut community, and 
 joins it with one in Rhode Island. A visit was 
 once paid to Norwich, with an arrangement made 
 for an address upon home missions and Christian 
 education in the West. A man of wealth, J. F. 
 Slater (founder of the famous Slater fund admin- 
 istered by the American Missionary Association for 
 the benefit of the South), was a member of the con- 
 gregation, though absent that day. He was vis- 
 ited the next day, and though asking for himself 
 to be excused from doing aught for Carleton's up- 
 building, softened somewhat his refusal with the 
 information that a sister of his was present and 
 was so moved by the appeal that, upon returning 
 to his house she had said : " I am going to give 
 that man a thousand dollars." This amount he paid 
 at once on her behalf. Besides, a son, W. A.
 
 348 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Slater, for several years in succession, paid the 
 salary of one of Carleton's professors. The sister 
 referred to was Mrs. E. S. Bartlett, who happened 
 to be in Norwich just then on a visit, whom for 
 some reason President Strong did not then meet, 
 and whose home was in an adjoining state. Some 
 months afterwards, being in the East, it was deemed 
 becoming to make her acquaintance and express ap- 
 preciation for her worthy deed. The locality 
 proved to be three miles from the railway station, 
 with no conveyance thither better than the mail 
 wagon, and hotel accommodations only conspicu- 
 ous by their absence. In the course of their con- 
 versation Mrs. Bartlett was told of the needs of 
 the college, and the amount he was most anxious 
 to have pledged before returning to Northfield. It 
 was found that she was planning certain consid- 
 erable expenditures at home. But, could she not do 
 that and assist him besides? She hesitated, then 
 thought that possibly what she had in mind could 
 wait awhile, and finally said : " Well, I will think 
 it over, and if I conclude to do anything for you 
 I will let you know." Experience had taught him 
 that almost invariably this answer proved to be 
 simply a polite negative; and so, before leaving the 
 little village he inclosed to her an envelope ad- 
 dressed and stamped, with a courteous note re- 
 questing that whatever her decision might be, since 
 so much depended upon it, he might hear from her 
 within one week. Before the time expired he had
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 349 
 
 the great pleasure of receiving from Mrs. Bartlett 
 a draft on New York for five thousand dollars 
 exactly the sum required to make sure all condi- 
 tional pledges and to close successfully that finari- 
 cial campaign. 
 
 So much for New England, only a few cases out 
 of scores. But in New York and Brooklyn, also, 
 warm hearts and open purses were found, which 
 nevertheless must now be passed by. In Newark, 
 New Jersey, dwelt Dr. H. N. Brinsmade, who earlier 
 had in Beloit been the future president's pastor, as 
 also of Mary Davenport, now Mrs. Strong. Of 
 course he was a warm friend of the college, and 
 being withal well-to-do, bestowed $5,000 at one 
 time and $3,000 at another, to which sums his wife 
 later added $7,000, the entire $15,000 being in the 
 form of an annuity, the interest being paid to Mrs. 
 Brinsmade, though she often refused to receive a 
 part or even the whole of what was her due. Dying 
 in 1900, she left a legacy of $5,000, and the Latin 
 professorship was put upon the " Brinsmade 
 Foundation." 
 
 Passing on to Philadelphia, we find Dr. E. H. 
 Williams the donor in the eighties of $12,000 for 
 the construction of Science Hall as a memorial of 
 a deceased son, and a few years later of $15,000 
 more for the purchase of the splendid telescope 
 now in use in Goodsell Observatory. J. H. Stick- 
 ney was a resident of Baltimore, and abundant in 
 jgood works. A meeting with him, which occurred
 
 350 
 
 during the strenuous canvass for $200,000, resulted 
 in securing the promise of a $10,000 legacy, which 
 also was promptly paid by his executors in 1893. 
 
 Proceeding westward, chief among Chicago's 
 givers to Carleton must be put Dr. D. K. Pearsons, 
 the recent donor of $50,000, which also without im- 
 propriety may be esteemed an amount threefold 
 greater, since without it as a leverage the other 
 $100,000 would not have been secured. With his 
 let the name of J. W. Scoville stand, to whom Oak 
 Park, Illinois, is indebted for its Scoville Institute 
 and Beloit for its Scoville Academy. His interest 
 in Carleton began soon after meeting President 
 S.trong, when each was a director of Chicago Theo- 
 logical Seminary. The similarity of their initials 
 helped bring them into immediate fellowship. His 
 first donation was for $5,000 which was to be held 
 until its particular use should be determined upon. 
 After an evening spent with him in his home at 
 Pasadena, California, President Strong received the 
 promise of $20,000 to go with the first gift, for the 
 erection of a library building. Dying soon after 
 and quite suddenly, he left no written evidence of 
 this pledge; but knowing his wishes and plans, his 
 widow and son generously made provision for car- 
 rying them out, as soon as the estate could be set- 
 tled. June 10, 1896, the corner-stone of Scoville 
 Memorial Hall was laid with appropriate cere- 
 monies, including an admirable address by Dr. J. 
 K. Hosmer of Minneapolis. In architectural beauty
 
 D. K. PEAESONS.
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 351 
 
 this building far surpasses all others now on the 
 campus.* 
 
 As we might well expect, Minnesota givers are 
 altogether too numerous to mention, nor, all things 
 considered, are they a whit behind the best for readi- 
 ness to bestow upon this institution which long 
 since they learned so ardently to love. Beginning 
 in 1866, with now and then a brief breathing spell 
 afforded, they have opened their hearts and their 
 purses again, and again, and again. But these 
 scores and hundreds are so near by, are for the most 
 part still living, and their good deeds are so well 
 known, that only of a very few will any mention 
 be made. Let the future historian bestow the 
 praise which is so richly their due. Rev. E. M. 
 Williams (who, held four pastorates in the state), 
 not only gave $6,000 of the $16,000 pledged upon 
 
 * A memorial volume gives abundant proofs that Mr. Sco- 
 ville was a man of the choicest type, many-sided, well-bal- 
 anced and always true to his high ideals. Born of Puritan stock 
 in Pompey, N. Y., October 14, 1825, bereft of his mother 
 when only five, which event led to the separation of the 
 children, his early years brought many hardships ; but he 
 came up out of them all, into a manhood characterized always 
 by elevated thought and noble aims. He looked forward to 
 the Christian ministry, but ill-health compelled him to 
 change his plans, and to enter upon a business life. Gifted 
 with rare foresight and business sagacity, it was easy for 
 him and a pleasure to make money, but it was always his aim 
 to use it according to the law of Christian stewardship. He 
 was continually on the outlook for the best means of mak- 
 ing his money useful. November 28, 1853, he married Mis's 
 Mary A. Huggins, of Albion, N. Y., who still resides in the 
 beautiful home at Pasadena, Cal. His death occurred there 
 November 2, 1893. His public benefactions had amounted to 
 more than $300,000. "He being dead, yet speaketh."
 
 352 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 that famous inauguration day in 1870, but also 
 later added similar sums until the aggregate reaches 
 $30,000. Judge E. S. Jones started the movement 
 in the eighties to raise $200,000 with a subscription 
 of one-tenth of that amount, and at the time of 
 his death his benefactions to the college aggregated 
 ( $35>- I n tne recent canvass for $100,000, G. R. 
 j Lyman stood sponsor for a like fraction of the 
 i sum sought. W. H. Laird is another trustee who 
 subscribed the same amount, and at all times has 
 stood ready to open his purse to good. J. J. Hill, 
 famous especially in railway circles, has made two 
 gifts of $5,000 each, the first one being devoted to 
 paying the cost of the fine transit instrument in- 
 stalled in the observatory. And in this connection 
 Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Hackett, of St. Paul, should 
 be mentioned, he serving as a trustee for many 
 years, and she especially interesting the women of 
 the churches, with the arboretum among the ob- 
 jects which she sought to further. Beginning in 
 1882 she gave $100 annually for ten years. His 
 giving began at the same date, and before the dec- 
 ade closed $2,000 had been donated. In February of 
 1900 he pledged $2,000, and December 31 husband 
 and wife together pledged $5,000 additional, and 
 thus at the last moment met Dr. Pearsons' condi- 
 tions and so achieved success for the canvass. 
 
 Of Northfield's citizens only two or three will 
 here be named, and of these all have gone to their 
 reward. As for Mr. Goodsell, to found and to
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 353 
 
 foster a Christian college was to him a life purpose 
 and passion. Without stint his energies and finan- 
 cial resources were expended during the last dec- 
 ade of his earthly career. For more than two 
 decades Carleton had no friend more devoted, or 
 more ready to give freely, than Hiram Scriver, 
 serving also as a trustee and upon the executive 
 committee. Deacon Allen N. Nourse, and his wife, 
 Mrs. Mary E. Nourse, must by no means be passed 
 by when mention is made of the worthies. This 
 most estimable couple were " mere " fanners, 
 among the very plainest of the plain in their tastes 
 and manner of life, and were possessed of nothing 
 at all approaching to wealth or competence even. 
 Nevertheless, he deeded to the college twenty acres 
 of land worth $5,000, and after his death she fol- 
 lowed with a donation of fifty acres worth $3,000, 
 and of $ 1,000 besides the last amount, to be in- 
 vested as a library fund. 
 
 The roll of the givers must end here. A cata- 
 logue which contained all the names would swell to 
 a volume, while if all the facts were set down, the 
 story would be thrilling indeed. As a summary, 
 recall what has already been told upon former pages 
 in connection with Father Seccombe's first can- 
 vass for $10,000; and what Dr. William Barrows 
 has to say about the " hilarious " outpouring of 
 pledges at the meeting of the conference in North- 
 field four years later. Nor among the donors must 
 we fail to include such families as^the Hunts, and
 
 354 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 the Nortons, and the Watsons (and others in Cot- 
 tage Grove), and the Veblens, etc., which, not 
 being blessed with this world's goods in great store, 
 sent in lieu thereof, as ample substitute, a splendid 
 succession of boys and girls until the supply was 
 exhausted. These rank among Carleton's priceless 
 jewels. And finally, scattered all the state over, 
 there is the great company of those who, since 
 they had nothing beyond to bestow, gave lavishly 
 their loyalty, their warm friendship, and their 
 prayers. 
 
 What other institution of learning, founded 
 within two generations, can tell a story of giving 
 to match this one whose meagre outlines have 
 just passed in hasty review ? An explanation of the 
 phenomenon is found in part in the fact that Minne- 
 sota is especially fortunate in its location, its cli- 
 mate, its soil and its population ; that Northfield was 
 selected as the seat of the college; that a board of 
 trustees so able and efficient was chosen and had 
 been maintained; and that such a choice corps of 
 instructors (well endowed, well trained and fully 
 consecrated to their work) have filled the several 
 chairs. Or, if an explanation still more simple 
 and brief is desired, let it be recalled that some 
 three-and-thirty years ago, when the school ap- 
 peared to be really in articulo mortis, it occurred 
 that Rev. Americus Fuller, then a Rochester pas- 
 tor, suggested to Rev. E. M. Williams, an Austin 
 pastor, that one James W. Strong might be one
 
 CARLETON'S BUILDERS 355 
 
 able to stave off the impending catastrophe and 
 bring redemption, and Mr. Williams passed the 
 suggestion on to the board in session; whereupon 
 the great matter was discussed, with an election 
 ensuing, and an acceptance and an inauguration. 
 Nothing better can be said concerning what has 
 followed directly from that event than Dean Good- 
 hue put in words in 1895, on tne twenty-fifth anni- 
 versary of the presidency of Dr. Strong, though a 
 portion of the closing sentence has already done 
 duty in an earlier chapter : 
 
 " Speaking on an occasion like this as a repre- 
 sentative of the faculty, I am sure they would wish 
 me publicly to recognize, as they ever do, the great 
 value of the services which he has rendered to the 
 institution. His is a unique position, the only presi- 
 dent of the college! Nothing has been done in all 
 these years which he has not rendered possible; 
 first by securing the funds necessary for its ac- 
 complishment, and again by chosing such co-work- 
 ers as could contribute to the upbuilding of the in- 
 institution. Having chosen to .his satisfaction, he has 
 also been able to retain them, until now the four 
 longest in service (of course these figures now 
 need suitable revision) have a combined term of 
 ninety-eight years, the second four of fifty-six years, 
 and the third four of thirty-two years, thus secur- 
 ing unity and continuity in plans and growth. 
 Seven hundred thousand dollars, or ninety dollars a 
 day for each working day of that period, is a large
 
 356 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 sum for one man to secure as benevolent gifts to a 
 new enterprise, but, it is a still greater achievement 
 to make dl these many donors at once friends to 
 himself, to the college, and to the cause of Chris- 
 tian education which it represents."
 
 Isabella Watson. Arthur H. Pearson. 
 
 Danforth. Horace Goodhue. James W. Strong. Louisa H. Eichardson. 
 George Huntington. Frederick E. Stratton.
 
 CARLETON AND MISSIONS 357 
 
 CHAPTER X 1 1. 
 
 CARLETON AND MISSIONS. 
 
 Religious and Missionary Life. The sacrifice of 
 Carleton's founders were made not for education 
 alone, nor chiefly ; not for culture alone, nor chiefly ; 
 but for the development of Christian character, 
 thoroughly educated and truly cultured. A visit to 
 Carleton to-day, and to many a village in remote 
 parts of our own country and in Turkey, India and 
 Japan, would prove that their hopes and sacrifices 
 were not in vain. The religious life of the col- 
 lege has from the first, been practical and whole- 
 some. Of the religious associations, the Y. M. C. 
 A., organized in 1873, and the Y. W. C. A., organ- 
 ized in 1885, take the leading part, and nearly all 
 of the students are either active or associate mem- 
 bers. Of the religious gatherings under their 
 charge, the Sunday afternoon meeting stands pre- 
 eminent, as it has done for years, ante-dating by 
 seven years the association itself. In October, 
 1867, the state conference met at St. Cloud, Rev. 
 J. W. Strong, then a Faribault pastor, being mod- 
 erator, and so much interest in the new college was 
 evinced by the Christian people of the state, that 
 the pastor of the Northfield church, Rev. E. S.
 
 358 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Williams, on his return, consulted with Professor 
 Goodhue as to what the college could do 
 to further meet the hopes of its constituency. 
 As a result, the following Sunday, October 
 13, 1867, the Sunday afternoon meeting was 
 begun. It was a stormy day and only seven were 
 present, but from that time it grew in interest and 
 helpfulness. For years it was held in the chapel 
 of the old Ladies' Hall always crowded and 
 enthusiastic. It is now held in the assembly room 
 of the library, unless that becomes too crowded, 
 when it goes to the chapel of Willis Hall. It is 
 attended by the students of all classes, both col- 
 lege and academy, and also by members of the 
 faculty. The influence for good which it has had 
 cannot be described. There is perfect freedom and 
 simplicity, so that even new students do not hesi- 
 tate to take part, while there are also inspiring and 
 helpful words from members of the faculty, all 
 meeting on common ground, working for the same 
 end and in the same way. During all the years of 
 President Strong's connection with the college, he 
 has missed attendance scarcely a single Sunday, 
 unless prevented by illness or absence from the city. 
 The feeling of many an old student is voiced in 
 what was recently said by a graduate who had re- 
 turned for a visit : " When I want inspiration for 
 the trying and perplexing duties of my profession, 
 I look back, not to the university where I took my 
 professional course, but to Carleton; and the one
 
 CARLETON AND MISSIONS 359 
 
 thing at Carleton which stands out pre-eminent, 
 is the Sunday afternoon meeting." 
 
 In addition to this, since the spring of 1874, the 
 associations have conducted each day, for fifteen 
 minutes after the close of morning recitations, the 
 noon meeting. Of course few students can go 
 every day, but it is attended more fully than would 
 be thought possible, and there never fails to be held 
 a very helpful meeting. 
 
 On Wednesday evening the Y. M. C. A., and Y. 
 W. C. A., have separate meetings, lasting about half 
 an hour. 
 
 The social work of the associations does not 
 need extended description. The letters written to 
 new students before coming, the train committees 
 to meet them, the help to new men in finding rooms 
 and means of self-support, the receptions on the 
 first Saturday evening of each term, the informal 
 receptions for getting acquainted, are not unlike the 
 work of the associations in other colleges. 
 
 A special feature of the Y. M. C. A. activities 
 is the student vacation work, in which men from 
 the different institutions in the state unite. This 
 was really of Carleton origin. In 1890, C. E. Bur- 
 ton, a Carleton student, and State Secretary Hil- 
 dreth conferred as to the feasibility of giving prac- 
 tical form to the Christian discipline and activity 
 of the young men. by going into the smaller towns 
 and country districts of the state, for evangelistic 
 labor. Three bands went the first year and after-
 
 3GO HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 ward the number increased. While large results 
 have followed this work in greater interest in Bible 
 study, in uniting churches and in the development 
 of Christian character, perhaps one of the most 
 valuable results is that expressed by a banker of 
 the state : " These young men put before the coun- 
 try boys an example of Christian manhood, which 
 shows what young men can make of themselves, 
 even under adverse circumstances. I would favor 
 the continuance of the work for this reason, if for 
 no other." 
 
 The missionary interest of the association has 
 been shown by their raising the salary of our col- 
 lege representative, H. K. Wingate, '87, who is 
 in charge of the American school at Cesarea, Tur- 
 key, which has 236 pupils. He has been doing 
 heroic work with little money, few buildings and 
 heavy responsibility. His support has now been 
 assumed by another organization, and the asso- 
 ciations are giving their contributions to the 
 " Carleton Mission " in China a new enterprise, 
 but one promising large results. This movement, 
 in its inception and development thus far, is largely 
 due to Watts O. Pye and Percy T. Watson, both 
 of the class of 1903. Its objects are to stimulate 
 larger and more intelligent interest and more gen- 
 erous giving at home, and to secure increased power 
 in the field. It is to be under the control of the 
 American Board. Its home-board of trustees is to 
 consist of one member from each contributing
 
 CARLETON AND MISSIONS 361 
 
 church, one from the Carleton faculty, one from 
 the Carleton trustees, three from the Alumni As- 
 sociation, one from the old students' union and 
 four from the undergraduates of the college, each 
 college class being represented; also Dr. J. W. 
 Strong and Professor M. J. Evans, as corporate 
 members of the board, Dr. Judson Smith and, ex 
 officio, the president of the college. Preferably the 
 missionaries are to be those who have been stu- 
 dents at Carleton, though others may be appointed 
 with the consent of the executive committee, but all 
 are to receive their appointment from the American 
 Board. The mission is to be in North China, but 
 the exact locality is not yet determined. 
 
 The foreign missionary roll of the college is 
 neither short nor unimportant. In 1882 Miss Emily 
 M. Brown, '82, went to Japan to take charge of 
 the girls' school at Kobe. During her administra- 
 tion it became a college and she was its first presi- 
 dent. After service for eleven years she spent 
 twelve months in special studies at Yale, and then 
 returned to Japan; but soon she was obliged by 
 ill health to give up all missionary work. She has 
 recently married James Harkness and is living at 
 Newport, N. D. 
 
 Miss Susan Searle, who was a teacher at Carle- 
 ton, went to Kobe in 1883, and when Miss Brown 
 left, became president, which position she still holds. 
 In 1891 Miss Nina C. Stewart, '88, went to 
 Okayama, Japan later becoming a helper in Kobe
 
 362 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 College. Her unusual facility in acquiring the lan- 
 guage made her loss deeply felt when, in 1897, ill- 
 health obliged her to return to this country. 
 
 Two of the Kobe graduates, Tsune Watanabe 
 and Hisa Amaya, came to Carleton for further 
 study, and completed the college course the former 
 in '91 and the latter in '95. They returned to 
 Japan as missionaries but Miss Amaya soon entered 
 into her final rest. Miss Watanabe still remains 
 a teacher in the M. E. school of Kofu. Kobe 
 college has an attendance of 207, and is the highest 
 institution in the empire for the education of 
 women. It is wielding a great influence in the 
 christianizing of that wonderful country. 
 
 In Africa, Carleton has only one worker, Miss 
 Grace E. Herrick, '95. For nearly six years she 
 taught Latin and Greek in a Huguenot seminary at 
 Greytown, Natal; but now has charge of a Zulu 
 boys' school of about sixty pupils at Mt. Silinda. 
 
 The first Carleton missionary in India was Mrs. 
 Abbie Snell Burnell, now of Oberlin, Ohio, well 
 known for her impersonations of Hindu women. 
 In 1887 Miss Anna L. Millard went to Bombay, 
 where she has charge of a school for blind children 
 to whom her gracious ministrations have been 
 greatly blessed. In 1894 Miss Etta F. Moulton, 
 '94, went to Bombay, later to Ahmednager and 
 still later to Wai, where her work as treasurer of 
 the Marathi Mission, conducting schools, assisting 
 in famine relief and mission work of various kinds,
 
 CARLETON AND MISSIONS 363 
 
 has been remarkably successful. Dr. Margaret 
 Lewis is in charge of the M. E. Zenana Mission 
 hospital at Bareilly, India. The extent of her 
 work may be seen from the fact that in her first 
 six months she had ten thousand patients, two 
 hundred operations and wrote eighteen thousand 
 prescriptions. 
 
 Carleton's largest number of missionaries has 
 been in Turkey. H. K. Wingate, now of Cesarea, 
 went to Marsovan in 1890 to teach for two years in 
 Anatolia College, whose professor of mathematics, 
 Arakel Sivaslian, then came to Carleton for special 
 study, but returned four years later, after securing, 
 by his rare attainments, the degree of Ph.D. In 
 1893 Frances C. Gage, '90, and Martha A. King, 
 '91, went to Marsovan to take charge of the girls' 
 school. While Carleton has no " martyr mission- 
 aries," no martyr ever more truly gave his life for 
 missions than did Martha King. After her gradu- 
 ation, she was for a time her pastor's assistant in 
 Minneapolis, but in 1893 she went with her dear 
 friend and college companion, Miss Gage, to work 
 in Marsovan. In 1895 they were joined by Miss 
 Charlotte Willard, a Carleton teacher, and together 
 they went through the terrible experiences incident 
 to the Turkish massacres of that year. Constant 
 watchfulness, because of an attempt to fire their 
 buildings, the physical weariness and the nervous 
 strain necessitated in caring for the orphans in 
 their charge, doubtless prepared the way for the
 
 364 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 fatal disease to which Miss King fell a victim, 
 February i, 1896. Her influence, both at Carle- 
 ton and Marsovan, will never cease to be felt. Miss 
 Gage continued in her work, experiencing hardships 
 which cannot be told, until, broken in health, in 
 1898 she returned to this country; but she still 
 cherishes some hope of yet resuming that service. 
 Miss Willard is now at the head of the school. Dr. 
 Sivaslian is a professor in Anatolia College, and 
 Dana K. Getchell, '99, is principal of the academy 
 connected with the same institution. Rev. Henry 
 H. Riggs, '96, has become president of Euphrates 
 College, at Harpoot, which has about twelve hun- 
 dred students. In Smyrna, Samuel L. Caldwell, 
 '97, is professor of mathematics and physics in the 
 International College. His wife, nee Carrie Brug- 
 gencate, was also a Carleton student. Miss Cora 
 A. Nason, '91, also worked several years in Turkey, 
 but is now in this land. 
 
 Miss Henrietta Ruth Chadbourn is at San Jose, 
 Costa Rica, in the undenominational Central 
 American Mission. The Carleton missionaries in 
 China are these : Alfred Alf is at Canton, in con- 
 nection with the Free Mission Friends' School. 
 Carl J. Anderson is with the China Inland Mis- 
 sion at Hankow, where, in addition to other 
 labors, he is publishing a paper in Chinese. John 
 Sjoquist is at Siang Yang with the American 
 Swedish Mission. After spending some time in 
 China he took a medical course at Rush Medical
 
 CARLETON AND MISSIONS 365 
 
 College, Chicago, and then turned to China as a 
 medical missionary. 
 
 In home missions the interest has been no less 
 vital. On each table in Gridley Hall dining room 
 is a missionary barrel in which voluntary offerings 
 are placed for home missions. Whenever a call 
 comes from one of Carleton's own home mission- 
 aries, it takes precedence over all other special needs. 
 Otherwise the money is sent to the general treasury. 
 The offerings have averaged about one hundred and 
 fifty dollars a year, but sometimes they have been 
 as much as two hundred dollars. 
 
 Especially noteworthy are Mrs. Nellie Kittredge 
 Lopp's years of heroic and self-denying labor at 
 Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, where her husband 
 is engaged as superintendent of the government 
 herd of reindeer. Rev. C. E. Ryberg, '98, and 
 D. J. Elliott are also missionaries in Alaska. 
 Among the colored people of the south have 
 labored Misses Mary A. Bye, '85, and Dora M. 
 Jones, '94, at Fisk University; Miss Ada S. Whit- 
 ing, '88 (now Mrs. L. E. Jepson), at Tougaloo. 
 At Tillotson College, Texas, Miss Olive M. 
 Vaughan, '04, who is under appointment to go to 
 Turkey to take charge of the girls' school located 
 at Had j in. Among the Highlanders of the south 
 have taught H. E. Sargent, '87, H. E. Carleton, '91, 
 and Miss Nellie Ruddock. Among the American In- 
 dians have been Miss Lucy M. Shafer at Tahlequah, 
 I .T., Robert D. Hall, '01, and Richard S. Rose, '04,
 
 366 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 at Elbowoods, N. D. Among the Mormons have 
 been Miss Annabel Norton, '83, W. Sherman Hunt, 
 '86, Etta F. Hunt, Jessie A. Hunt, '87 (now Mrs. 
 W. P. Milliken), Miss Lucia E. Danforth, '88, 
 Mabelle L. Morgan, '96, Serena Neilson, 'oo. The 
 list of those in home missionary parishes is too 
 long to be given, but is worthy of high honor. 
 
 One of the unique features of Carleton mission- 
 ary interest is the Huntington Sunday School 
 Class. For twenty years Mrs. Professor Hunting- 
 ton had a large and enthusiastic class of college 
 girls. In 1897 they were organized with a mem- 
 bership of over two hundred and fifty, under the 
 above name. They raise each year something over 
 one hundred dollars, and divide the money among 
 members of the class who are engaged in mission 
 labor, to use in any department of their work 
 which seems best. The society always meets at 
 commencement time, holding on Sunday a mission- 
 ary meeting at which returned missionaries speak 
 and letters from workers are read. On Monday a 
 reception is given at which the business of the year 
 is transacted, acquaintances renewed and letters 
 from missionaries are read. While the object is 
 not so much to raise large sums of money as to 
 arouse and sustain interest in the members of the 
 class working in mission fields, the response has 
 been gratifying in a financial way, and real needs 
 which have burdened .the hearts of many have thus 
 been met.
 
 CARLETON AND MISSIONS 367 
 
 The Student Volunteer Association was organ- 
 ized by Robert P. Wilder in 1887. It has kept 
 up regular meetings, and now has a membership 
 of ten. The young ladies' missionary society con- 
 nected directly with the W. B. M. I. has, as a 
 unique feature, its work committee. The member- 
 ship fee is not money, but two hours of work each 
 term, of various kinds, which could be made finan- 
 cially remunerative. Recently this work has been 
 partially transferred to the Y. W. C. Association. 
 
 As to the general religious atmosphere pervading 
 the college life, statistics would be unsatisfactory, 
 but the development of Christian character has 
 been most manifest in hundreds of lives. More 
 than ninety per cent of the graduates have gone 
 out active Christian workers, to the value of whose 
 services many a pastor can testify. In general it 
 may truly be said that the Carleton graduate, where- 
 ever he goes, becomes a center from which right 
 moral influences radiate. Carleton has never lost 
 sight of its primal object and highest aim.
 
 368 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 CHAPTER XI 1 1. 
 
 CARLETON IN ORATORY AND SONG. 
 
 In the contests of the Minnesota State Oratorical 
 Association, previous to the beginning of the 2Oth 
 century, Carleton won a rank higher than any other 
 institution. The first inter-collegiate contest in the 
 state was held in 1881. The university had been 
 preparing for several months, and at the last 
 moment, Carleton College decided to enter. So 
 short was the time that the home contest was held 
 on Thursday night, April 28th, the state contest 
 between Carleton and the university on the next 
 night, and Owen Morris, '81, who won first place 
 on both these occasions, started for Jacksonville, 
 Illinois, on the next day, April 3Oth, to take part in 
 the inter-state contest there on the 4th of May. 
 
 Not long ago he was asked to relate some of his 
 experiences at that time. He responded that the 
 time for preparation had been so very short, in the 
 first contest he left out about a page of his oration, 
 and in the state contest, one paragraph ; but by the 
 time he reached Jacksonville, he had managed to 
 learn the whole of it. As he entered that city 
 he saw posters announcing the names of the dif- 
 ferent states and opposite, the names of the orators.
 
 CARLETON IN ORATORY AND SONG 369 
 
 Opposite Minnesota, at the very bottom, was found 
 " unknown." At Jacksonville he met Wm. J. 
 Bryan, of presidential fame, who took him to the 
 opera house to show him the size of the room, and 
 made to him some quite encouraging remarks. The 
 night before the contest a banquet was held at 
 which the one who stood second in the state con- 
 test and was therefore a delegate, was to respond 
 to a toast; but inasmuch as he did not appear, Mr. 
 Morris was called upon. " Undergraduates, real 
 and ideal," was the toast assigned, and the time 
 to prepare was even shorter than that allowed for 
 his first effort. But a few months previous, in 
 college rhetoricals, he had given an oration en- 
 titled, " He who is born a ten-cent piece will never 
 be a shilling;" and he hastily adapted that to this 
 occasion. His line of thought was that the real 
 student differs greatly from the ideal student; 
 that ttte fathers and mothers in their country homes, 
 deny themselves almost the necessities of life to 
 send their darling John to college with the expec- 
 tation that he will graduate a Webster or a Shake- 
 speare, while the fact is that if you plant potatoes 
 in the spring, you will dig nothing but potatoes in 
 the fall; and so if you send a potato of a man to 
 college you will have only a potato of a man to 
 graduate; his skin may be smoother, and his eyes 
 may not be as sunken, but he will be a human 
 potato just the same.
 
 370 
 
 The judges of the following night were among 
 the speakers of that evening and Mr. Morris was 
 the last one called upon. The daily papers the 
 next morning reported that at the banquet the best 
 wine had been kept until the last of the feast; 
 and Mr. Morris rather suspected that his potato 
 story had something to do with securing for him 
 the high place which he obtained in the contest of 
 the following night. 
 
 The State Oratorical Association was discon- 
 tinued for several years, but was reorganized in 
 1892. Since that date Carleton's share in first and 
 second honors has been as follows: 
 
 1893. Fred M. Hubbell, second place. 
 
 1894. Charles E. Burton, '95, first place. 
 
 1897. John W. Johnson, '98, second place. 
 
 1898. Ray A. Wallace, '99, second place. 
 
 1899. Ernest G. Toan, '99, first. 
 
 1900. E. C. A. Lundeen, '01, first. 
 
 1901. J. A. A. Burnquist, '02, first. 
 
 1901. F. O. Leonard, '01, second. 
 
 1902. Chas. A. Culver, '02, first. 
 
 Ware Oratorical Contests, 
 
 In 1900 Mr. A. K. Ware originated the annual contest be- 
 tween members of the senior classes of Carleton and St. 
 Olaff. Carleton has won honors as follows: 
 
 1900. Chas. H. Maxwell, first; Marion L. Burton, second. 
 
 1901. E. C. A. Lundeen, second; Charles Hernett, third. 
 
 1902. J. A. A. Burnquist, first; Charles A. Culver, second. 
 
 1903. Paul J. Wedge, second.
 
 CARLETON IN ORATORY AND SONG 371 
 
 Plymouth Prises Stimson Prize Debates Since 1901. 
 (If in any year a second prize has been awarded, the re- 
 cipient is named last.) 
 
 Freshman Class. Senior Class. 
 
 1875. Eugene S. Rolfe. 
 Augustus E. Engstrom. 
 
 1876. Frank Cutler. 
 Edwin C. Norton. 
 
 1877. Granville G. Ames. 
 
 1878. Owen Morris. 
 
 Clara E. Wakefield. 
 
 1879. Arcturus Z. Conrad. 
 Charles E. Stallcop. 
 
 1880. Benjamin F. Buck. 
 James W. McHose. 
 
 1881. Frank V. Stevens. 
 Lillie J. Barteau. 
 
 1882. Fred N. Dickson. 
 Melvina Cheadle. 
 
 1883. Calvin E. Decker. 
 
 1884. Lowell E. Jepson. 
 
 1885. John W. Wilson. 
 
 1886. George H. Alden. 
 Fred R. Clow. 
 
 1887. Bertha Lincoln. 
 
 1888. Marion E. Fairbank. 
 Guy M. Wilcox. 
 
 1889. Willard B. Clow. 
 
 1890. Frances L. Fitch. 
 Bertha E. Brewer. 
 
 1891. Freeman E. Lurton. 
 May H. Cravath. 
 
 1892. James E. Jenks. 
 
 Mons. S. Baker. 
 Walter K. Mulliken. 
 Joseph A. Sawyer. 
 August E. Engstrom. 
 Lucian W. Chancy, Jr. 
 
 Junior Class. 
 Abram J. Bunker. 
 Thomas Hughes. 
 Robert Von Tobel, Jr. 
 Seamore A. Crandall. 
 Arcturus Z. Conrad. 
 Lynn C. Skinner. 
 Edwin K. Cheadle. 
 
 Lafayette Bliss. 
 Fred N. Dickson. 
 George M. Williamson. 
 Joseph W. Gunn. 
 Everett E. Simpson. 
 Laura Willard. 
 Henry K. Wingate. 
 No junior debate. 
 No junior debate. 
 Bertha Lincoln. 
 
 William S. Wingate. 
 Herbert E. Carleton. 
 
 May E. Donovan. 
 
 Wilmer E. Griffith. 
 Elizabeth M. Bissell.
 
 372 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 1893. Edward L. Kimball. Clarabel Goodhue. 
 James R. VanSlyke. 
 
 1894. Edward L. Kannary. Alice B. Caldwell. 
 Harriet E. Dunton. Franz F. J. Exner. 
 
 1895. John W. Johnson. Edward L. Kimball. 
 Malcolm Dana. 
 
 1896. Raymond A. Wallace. James C. Morrison. 
 
 Fred R. Barnes. 
 
 1897. Albert J. Nason. Max J. Exner. 
 Fred C. Smith. 
 
 1898. Elizabeth Wells. Oliver M. Tiffany. 
 
 Ernest G. Toan. 
 
 1899. Ezra R. Edwards. Marion L. Burton. 
 
 1900. Watts O. Pye. Frank O. Leonard. 
 W. Watson Gould. Charles Hernett. 
 
 1901. Ray Frazer. Charles A. Culver. 
 
 1902. (Name changed to Stimson Prize Debates.) 
 
 1902. Harry S. Maclntyre. Joseph V. Turner. 
 
 1903. Ben F. Woodward. Charles W. Greening. 
 
 An Oratorical Reminiscence. 
 
 One cannot begin lecturing on a favorite subject 
 but once in a lifetime; and one can never have ex- 
 actly the same sentiment about later lectures that 
 he does about his first ones. I never took an in- 
 tenser interest in talking about economic principles 
 to any class than I took in telling my first enthusi- 
 astic story of scientific development to a class of 
 five students who met in the old library of Carle- 
 ton College. It was a library by courtesy in those 
 days, four thousand volumes, more or less, mostly 
 useful for fuel. Some were afterwards consigned 
 to this use, in an unintentional way; and they per- 
 ished while grving out the only light they Were
 
 CARLETON IN ORATORY AND SONG 373 
 
 capable of giving. When Willis Hall burned, this 
 collection of literature was on the second floor. 
 Under the direction of Professor Goodhue, the 
 students made an effort to rescue the books, and 
 did rescue the small but valuable library known as 
 the Bryant collection; but, unfortunately, of other 
 books, those that were nearest to the door were 
 of the fuel class, fag ends of old private libraries, 
 largely theological, presented to the college by 
 owners who had more good will than knowledge 
 of students' needs. Many of these were saved. 
 Probably some of them are in the library now ; but 
 except the Bryant collection, most of the books 
 that did have value for the use of students, perished. 
 One of the rescued books was Simeon's Skele- 
 tons, in five large volumes. Skeletons are, as a 
 rule, fairly combustible, and these would have gone 
 the way of the other books if they had not chanced 
 to stand near the door. As it was, the large num- 
 ber of skeletons which Simeon possessed remain to 
 serve the present generation of Carletonians. Pos- 
 sibly others may be puzzled as I was to know what 
 manner of skeletons these were and are. If so, an 
 incident will make their character clear. Holding, 
 as I did, the position of professor of odds and ends, 
 I had charge of the rhetorical exercises of the col- 
 lege and also of the library. One day on the plat- 
 form of the chapel, a student delivered an " ora- 
 tion " on " The Difficulty of Selecting Subjects
 
 374 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 for Orations," in which he said that it would be 
 well if the college would provide a work contain- 
 ing several hundred subjects with outlines of the 
 speeches which might be made on them. I informed 
 the audience that the college had recently acquired 
 such a work, that it was called Simeon's Skeletons, 
 and that it was to be found on a certain shelf. At 
 the close of the rhetorical exercises there was a 
 general rush to obtain that work, and those who 
 first got it perceived that it was full of skeletons 
 of sermons which the indolent or mentally needy 
 minister might fill out and preach, if only he did 
 not care to emulate the father of his country in 
 the matter of truthfulness. As one set of students 
 discovered the nature of the volumes they quietly 
 put them in their places on the shelves, and went 
 away far enough to enjoy the sight of other stu- 
 dents meeting a similar disappointment in their 
 quest of the royal route to success in oratory. 
 
 With no such aid Carleton won an enviable place 
 in the early inter-collegiate oratorical contests; 
 and clearly she needs now to stand only for what 
 she is and what able and devoted labor have made 
 her. Her future will be more brilliant than her 
 past; but she will do well if she develops a finer 
 type of character in the student-body, or secures 
 greater devotion in the corps of teachers. 
 
 JOHN BATES CLARK.
 
 CARLETON IN ORATORY AND SONG 375 
 
 Carleton Songs. 
 
 SPELLING SONG. 
 
 Tune, "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp." 
 
 Rally, Carleton's old and young, 
 
 Loyal hearts and learned tongue, 
 And be sure to bring your alphabet along. 
 
 To our Alma Mater's name, 
 
 Sweet of sound and high of fame, 
 Raise a roaring, soaring, orthographic song. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 C-A-R-le for a Carle, 
 T-O-tony for a pun. 
 
 Tis a pretty word to spell, 
 
 'Tis a rousing word to yell, 
 And the little end upon it weighs a T-O-N. 
 
 There's a big in-i-tial C, 
 
 And A-R-L-E-T. 
 There's 1 a little round O and an N, 
 
 And the first it stands for centum, 
 
 And the last three for mo-men-tum, 
 As we shout our jolly chorus once again. 
 
 Chorus C-A-R-le, etc. 
 
 C for cramming Chemistree, 
 
 A for Analytic G, 
 R, Rhetoricals; L, Logic, Latin Lore; 
 
 E for English Lit. shall be, 
 
 T for Trigonometree, 
 O for Oh ! and N for noddle crammed and sore. 
 
 Chorus C-A-R-le, etc. 
 
 C for dear Co-education, 
 A for Ardent Adoration, 
 R, Refusal; L, Love's Labor thrown away;
 
 376 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 E, Extatic Expectation, 
 T, Tormenting Tribulation, 
 O, Oh, Oscula! N, Now we've named the day. 
 
 Chorus C-A-R-le, etc. 
 
 Let out orthographic song 
 
 With the ages roll along, 
 For old Carleton's years have only just begun; 
 
 Let our Alma Mater's name 
 
 Ever higher rise in fame, 
 Till each precious little letter weighs a ton. 
 
 Chorus C-A-R-le, etc. 
 
 CARLETON BELLS. 
 
 O Carleton bells, dear Carleton bells 1 , 
 What wondrous spirit with you dwells, 
 
 Within your vaulted tower? 
 Not your's the death-knell's' shuddering note, 
 Nor hoarse alarm from brazen throat, 
 But glad, sweet chimes, that blend and float, 
 
 To hail the passing hour. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Ring, Carleton bells! Ring, dear Carleton bells! 
 Ring, Carleton bells! Ring, sweet Carleton bells! 
 
 Ring, bells, to mete the flying day, 
 And count the mile-stones of our way; 
 
 Ring, ring when tasks are done. 
 Stern duty's call in yours we greet; 
 But music speeds the loit'ring feet, 
 And youth is brave and toil is sweet, 
 
 'Neath storm or welt'ring sun. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Peal, blessed bells, for toil, for rest, 
 For lover's tryst, for parting guest; 
 For feast, or song, or prayer.
 
 CARLETON IN ORATORY AND SONG 377 
 
 Heart's pulsing fondly to your chime, 
 Life moving to your rhythmic time, 
 And joyous shout and festal rhyme, 
 Your mystic sway declare. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 
 Dear bells 1 of Carleton, when we part, 
 How tender to my lingering heart 
 
 Your plaintive-sweet farewells! 
 Ah, there's no land so far remote, 
 But still the well-remembered note 
 O'er sea, o'er land to me shall float, 
 
 The chimes of Carleton bells. 
 
 GEORGE HUNTINGTON.
 
 378 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A FORECAST. 
 
 The date at which this history ends marks the 
 close of one epoch in Carleton's career, and the 
 opening of another. For, certainly, a change of 
 administration and leadership constitutes an event 
 of nothing less than prime importance. The work- 
 ers come and go, but the work continues. It is 
 difficult to lay down the pen at this point, and be- 
 cause it is not easy, with much more than mere 
 curiosity, to peer into the future, the unseen years 
 to follow. And this, though it behooves the his- 
 torian to touch upon that realm but modestly and 
 with brevity, since the role of the seer does not be- 
 long to him. It may, however, be permitted, taking 
 the past as a premise, to draw certain pertinent and 
 weighty conclusions. Besides, the author having 
 been for years by profession a preacher, has be- 
 come quite accustomed after proclaiming the truth 
 to make a practical application, and sometimes an 
 exhortation. Such as these being the facts in the 
 case, what shall be done about it? The most im- 
 portant use to make of knowledge is to use it as 
 a basis for action. Thus far the look has been 
 turned backward, we have been taking note of how
 
 A FORECAST 379 
 
 certain things came to pass; and now, what of the 
 perhaps far greater things which are in store ? 
 
 But first, to form a point of departure, let us 
 recall for a moment how really notable and memor- 
 able is the achievement already made. Nearly a 
 million dollars gathered and put to use, invested, ex- 
 pended upon lands, buildings and equipment. Also 
 a multitude of teachers and students brought to- 
 gether, more than a hundred of the one and some 
 four thousand of the other. By far the larger 
 proportion of the more than four hundred gradu- 
 ates found to-day in the (so-called) higher occupa- 
 tions, filling various stations of influence; or if 
 simply home-makers instead, private citizens in 
 humble station, yet one and all vastly better, and 
 better off, more abundantly furnished with posses- 
 sions which make for character and so for true 
 blessedness. And besides, who can estimate the 
 value of those invisible, but most solid and enduring 
 assets which year by year have been steadily ac- 
 cumulating in the shape of respect, confidence, ad- 
 miration, affection, bestowed upon this institution; 
 the host of devoted friends scattered all the land 
 over, across the sea, and at the ends of the earth! 
 Taken in the aggregate, what a magnificent endow- 
 ment! And who at Rochester, or Minneapolis, or 
 Faribault, when discussions were held and resolu- 
 tions were passed which at length brought it into 
 being, who then was wise enough, or was wild
 
 380 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 enough, to anticipate an outcome so illustrious as 
 that which we to-day behold? 
 
 As touching the future, first of all it may be 
 affirmed confidently and with emphasis: There 
 is not the least reason to fear that the toilers of 
 the next generation, or of any future generation, 
 will ever accomplish aught which will belittle the 
 excellence and eclipse the fame of Carleton's 
 founders and early builders. Giving, whether on 
 the part of trustees, instructors, or donors of 
 money, will be no more lavish, or whole-souled, 
 or be attended with greater self-denial. No service 
 rendered will ever be fuller of consecration and 
 devotion. The Galpins and the Goodsells, the Sec- 
 combes and the Shedds, the Barnes and the Browns, 
 the Burts and the Halls, can have no rivals. The 
 task of laying foundations broad and deep, solid 
 and lasting, is always of necessity most arduous, 
 and demands the highest qualities of both mind 
 and heart; and fittingly those to whom it is ap- 
 pointed to perform such service are always held 
 in highest esteem, while their names are long held 
 in memory. The first generation of teachers also 
 belongs to the same glorious company of the ex- 
 plorers and pioneers, who struck out the paths and 
 blazed the way. In performing the part assigned 
 to such, distinguished faith wals called for, and 
 'patient endurance, courage and heroism, readiness 
 to risk all, in short such qualities as common mor- 
 tals do not possess. These were the creators, they
 
 A FORECAST 381 
 
 brought the institution into being, gave to it a 
 name and place, and launched it upon a stately and 
 honored career. An order of endowments less 
 lofty will quite well suffice to occupy their place, 
 take up their work, and carry it on to completion. 
 While it is every way well to be thoroughly in- 
 formed concerning the past, well to be familiar with 
 the beginnings and the various stages of growth, it 
 is if possible more important to keep constantly in 
 mind the fact that nothing has in the fullest sense 
 been finished as yet, but at the most only an excel- 
 lent and encouraging beginning has been made. A 
 beginning, however, no matter how perfect, has 
 but slight significance merely in itself considered, 
 and its value depends largely upon that to which 
 it leads. For the friends of the college, therefore, 
 the principal theme for contemplation relates far 
 less to the past or the present than to the years 
 to come. This is no time to stand still, merely to 
 look about, to rub the hands with sweet satisfac- 
 tion (is not this great Babylon which I have built). 
 Rather the thought, and l9ok, and step are to be 
 forward and upward. Strenuous endeavor is in 
 order, for the structure is far from complete. Im- 
 provement and enlargement at many points are 
 imperatively demanded. From the seven buildings 
 the steady movement must be towards a score dot- 
 ting the campus in due time. Twice three hundred 
 students is a goal not unreasonable to stand in the 
 mind's eye, with energy, skill, and determination to
 
 382 
 
 match. Likewise a teaching force double the size 
 of the present one may well be expected and dili- 
 gently sought for at a date not remote. And the 
 approaching semi-centennial (be it fifty years reck- 
 oned from '67, or '66, or even '64) should cer- 
 tainly see the endowment fund standing at a round 
 half-million that is, $500,000 in 50 years; and 
 how handsomely the figures match and that only 
 as a stepping stone to a round million at the very 
 soonest. Nor should giving of any other kind be 
 in the least diminished. Generous bestowal in 
 various realms will be an absolute necessity so long 
 as the college exists. Should the spirit of sacrifice 
 ever die out, the doom of Carleton would be sealed 
 and the final catastrophe would be near. 
 
 But other changes are also in order. The be- 
 ginning was made in the nineteenth century, but 
 the twentieth century is now fairly on its way. In 
 a sense it is true that there is no occasion for trans- 
 formation in any quarter. For substance the fath- 
 ers were wise in their generation, and therefore 
 did their work well. In their planning they were 
 truly rational and truly Christian. Their ideals 
 were noble and lofty. They did nothing to be 
 ashamed of or to be apologized for, nothing which 
 their successors have occasion to live down or for- 
 get. Those ideals are by all means to be carefully 
 cherished. To ignore the past, to break with it, 
 run counter to it, or endeavor to undo it, would 
 be a sad and ruinous mistake ; a folly nigh to crim-
 
 A FORECAST 383 
 
 inal. Building is indeed in order, but upon founda- 
 tions already laid. Novelties or fads, from what- 
 ever source derived, are to have no place. It is 
 also true, however, that with new men, not improp- 
 erly new measures come. An institution in order 
 to prosper must needs be kept abreast with the 
 times. The college of to-day is by no means to be 
 a fac-simile of the college of a hundred years ago, 
 or of fifty. Of necessity there is a " moving on 
 from state to state." Ruts are no more sacred or 
 more profitable in education than elsewhere. It is 
 not enough to do evermore merely as trie fathers 
 did, walking thus always and only according to 
 precedent. Rather we are to learn from them how 
 to outdo them. The situation is to be canvassed 
 often and most carefully, with adjustment made 
 to the ever changing environment, be it financial, 
 social, intellectual or religious. It is at this point 
 that profoundest wisdom is required, and men are 
 needed who " have understanding of the times, 
 to know what Israel ought to do." The early days 
 were plain and plebeian because primitive, and 
 whether as to people, manners, schools, churches, 
 everything. But now society is much farther ad- 
 vanced. Ladies' Hall, the original Willis Hall, 
 even the Old Brown Church, were well enough in 
 their time, but would be intolerable now, a source 
 of demoralization, when comeliness, good architec- 
 ture, all manner of creature comforts abound. 
 Williams Hall, overcrowded as it is, works mischief
 
 384 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 increasingly. Hitherto, for a college building to 
 cost, even with equipment and endowment, $200,- 
 ooo, or any such figure, would have approached 
 perilously near to the extravagant, the illegitimate, 
 the irrational; but now would be eminently wise 
 and is necessary. So of a new and well appointed 
 gymnasium. Then, further, the very idea of educa- 
 tion, what its aim should be, of what is is consti- 
 tion, and by what instrumentalities it is to be 
 attained, has developed astonishingly within the 
 space of twenty years. What divisions and subdi- 
 visions in the several departments, with electives 
 well-nigh endless! All which changes combine to 
 increase the number of instructors required, also 
 with larger salaries included. But, more than keep- 
 ing pace with these greatly enlarged demands, the 
 population of Minnesota and the northwest is 
 rapidly increasing, while wealth is rapidly piling 
 up, millions upon millions, on every hand. 
 
 The task yet remaining in connection with Carle- 
 ton College is one therefore which for long years 
 to come will call for great faith, and courage, and 
 venturesomeness on the part o'f its executive head, 
 its trustees, faculty, and all its friends. But, cer- 
 tainly, with such a past, such staggering difficulties 
 met and overcome, such wondrous deliverances 
 from seemingly deadly perils, the future can wisely 
 be faced without fear, even with unfaltering ex- 
 pectation of long-continued and shining success. 
 For the same Providence which has so clearly pre-
 
 A FORECAST 385 
 
 sided over its career can confidently be counted 
 upon in all days to come. Verily, the same heavenly 
 Leader, who in the first decades bade the found- 
 ers go forward, not seldom into the thick darkness 
 and through the desert, will continue to defend and 
 guide even unto the end.
 
 386 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS. 
 
 AFTER TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. 
 
 [No apology is needed for devoting the conclud- 
 ing pages of this volume to a production from the 
 pen of President Strong. Much space has properly 
 been given to what he has done, but little to what 
 he has been saying during the years of his admin- 
 istration. And nothing more appropriate could be 
 desired than a Baccalaureate Discourse delivered by 
 him at the Quarter-Centennial Anniversary of the 
 founding of the College, June 9, 1895.] 
 
 John 4:6 "Now Jacob's Well Was There." 
 
 A simple historic record, the statement of a com- 
 monplace fact, aparently unimportant, yet rich in 
 suggestions a mine of meaning. 
 
 For nearly two thousand years Jacob had been 
 dead, but his work remained. His well had not 
 only blessed himself and his children, their flocks 
 and their herds, but also all the generations fol- 
 lowing, before Jesus " being wearied with his jour- 
 ney sat thus on the well." And for fifty genera- 
 tions since, countless myriads of Jews and Gentiles, 
 of Canaanites and strangers, of pilgrims and trav- 
 elers, have drunk at this fountain of refreshment. 
 Every day of all these thousands of years, this one 
 man's thought and toil have brought rest and
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 387 
 
 strength to his fellow men; and still the well re- 
 mains, not impoverished but made better by its 
 giving, a source of perennial and ever-widening 
 blessing. 
 
 Here is the symbol of an institution of learning. 
 Such an abiding source of blessing, ever extend- 
 ing its power for good, is the Christian college. 
 But such a college is vastly more than a well, 
 hedged about, cribbed or cabined. It is a fountain 
 of life-giving waters. As Solomon says, " The 
 well-spring of wisdom is as a flowing brook." The 
 streams of such a fountain are ever flowing, not 
 merely for man's physical need, or the world's 
 material want, but for intellectual quickening and 
 spiritual enrichment. They develop .and strengthen 
 the individual; they purify and elevate human 
 society, and in the realization of the divine ideal 
 of character, they bless the whole world. Less 
 than a generation ago such a fountain was 
 opened here. How brief the period! Yet streams 
 from this fountain have already flowed around the 
 globe. Not in America alone, but in Japan, in 
 China, in India, in Turkey and in the islands of the 
 sea they have quickened spiritual verdure and en- 
 riched spiritual life. 
 
 This quarter-centennial of our collegiate work 
 dictates our theme. I must turn aside from the 
 usual type of Baccalaureate discourse, and present 
 this morning such historic review as the time may 
 allow, as may seem to befit the occasion and as
 
 388 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 may serve in its lessons to stimulate enthusiasm 
 for the future. Obviou.sly very much, both of fact 
 and of illustrative incident, belonging to a full his- 
 tory, such as waits to be written, must be omitted. 
 To include in one brief hour even a tithe of it all, 
 would require the skill of one of the Arabian 
 genii, who, you remember, could fold his huge tent 
 into the compass of a lady's cambric handkerchief 
 and, as quickly as the shadow of a morning cloud, 
 be gone. 
 
 Four points certainly ought to be considered, 
 even though only in outline, ist. The religious 
 genesis of our college. 2d. The moral and educa- 
 tional standard of its work. 3rd. Its Christian 
 fruitage. 4th. . Its outlook toward the future. Its 
 origin, its standards, its fruitage, its outlook. 
 
 I. ITS ORIGIN. Knickerbocker was certainly 
 philosophical in beginning his history of New York 
 with the creation. Where shall we begin? In fact 
 the seeds of this college were planted long before 
 the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. Its history 
 runs back to those principles which are older than 
 the Reformation, older than the Augustinean age. 
 They root themselves in the very soil out of which 
 Christianity springs; for, like every college in our 
 land, from Harvard to Whitman, Carleton was 
 planted in the garden of the church, and is the 
 product of a distinctly Christian civilization. Our 
 colleges are all daughters of a religious parentage. 
 The motto of any one of them might have been
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 389 
 
 that of Harvard the oldest, " Christo et Ecclesiae," 
 " For Christ and the Church," or that of one of the 
 youngest, " Christo duce." Everywhere and al- 
 ways religious zeal united with an ardent love of 
 learning has been the spring of their activity. 
 Even if this should be denied of some of them, 
 certainly Carleton has been no exception. Its be- 
 ginning is too recent to be obscure, and all testi- 
 mony affirms that it was born of prayer and nur- 
 tured in the spirit of devotion. This has been the 
 hidden secret of its power. It was not founded 
 for material gains or to promote sectarian interests, 
 but to extend in the world the Kingdom of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. To deny this would be to deny 
 the primal fact of our history. From the first, 
 God's blessing has been earnestly sought, and at 
 every step His leading has been manifest. 
 
 Moved by religious motives, as early as August, 
 1858, Mr. Charles M. Goodsell, rightly named, as 
 yonder memorial windows declare, " The Founder 
 of Carleton College," wrote from Lawrence, 111., 
 to our superintendent of home missions, asking if 
 the time had not come to found in Minnesota a 
 Christian college, and saying that the Lord had 
 given him a few thousand dollars which he had 
 consecrated to be used as a pecuniary nucleus of 
 such a college whenever and wherever the Lord in 
 His providence should open the way for it. Mr. 
 Hall replied that most of our thirty-five churches 
 were aided by the Home Missionary Society and
 
 390 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 were then too few and too feeble to undertake 
 so important a work. Not discouraged, Mr. Good- 
 sell came the next year to look over the ground, 
 and decided to locate in Northfield, and await 
 Providential guidance. Our civil war soon came 
 on and postponed action for years. 
 
 In other minds, also, the idea of a college had 
 long been cherished both as a hope and as a pur- 
 pose. How could it be otherwise in a state set- 
 tled by men descended from the Pilgrims and im- 
 bued with the spirit of their fathers and educated 
 in the religious atmosphere which pervaded New 
 England fifty years ago? They recognized that 
 broad truth which Prussia has made her state 
 maxim, " Whatever you would have appear in 
 the life of the nation you must put into your 
 schools." 
 
 The oldest child of the Pilgrims born on Ameri- 
 can soil was only just entering his teens when 
 Harvard College was founded. First the church, 
 then the school, then the college. That was the 
 order, and they came in rapid succession. Worthy 
 sons of noble sires, those pioneer ministers of our 
 state, Richard Hall, Charles Seccombe, Charles 
 Shedd, Charles Galpin, Edward Brown, David 
 Burt and J. R. Barnes, enthusiastic members of 
 " the denomination that educates," were eagerly 
 waiting for the day when the first steps could be 
 wisely taken. The colony which settled Zumbrota, 
 inspired doubtless by Father Shedd, that true type
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 391 
 
 of the scholarly Puritan, many years at the head 
 of one of New England's famous academies, pro- 
 posed a college as a part of their original plan. 
 Father Brown, who says that he came to the state 
 with "college on the brain," relates how, with his 
 delegate from Zumbrota, he planned to bring the 
 subject before the state association in 1864. Upon 
 meeting in Rochester that year it was learned that 
 Mr. Goodsell and Mr. Burt had also the same pur- 
 pose in mind. Mr. Willey affirms that Mr. Good- 
 sell had spent a whole night in prayer for this ob- 
 ject. Thus God seemed to be moving upon all 
 hearts. His appointed hour had come. The time 
 was ripe. Mr. Goodsell was made moderator, and 
 in accordance with a resolution drawn by Mr. 
 Brown, presented by Mr. Burt, advocated by several 
 and unanimously adopted, a committee of five busi- 
 ness men was appointed to inquire " What can be 
 done towards founding a college in our state?" 
 Mr. Goodsell was chairman of this committee. 
 
 It would be interesting to report in detail the 
 movements of the next two years the prayerful 
 meetings of the committee, the conference action, 
 the public discussions in various places, and the 
 bids made by Zumbrota, Mantorville, Cottage 
 Grove, Lake City and Northfield in their competi- 
 tion for the proposed college; but time will not 
 permit. We must hasten at once to the decisive 
 conference-action at Faribault, October, 1866. At 
 that time the committee made a detailed report;
 
 392 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 and after full and prayerful deliberation it was 
 voted to accept Northfield's offer and name the 
 institution " Northfield College." That offer was a 
 cash subscription of $18,579 and twenty acres of 
 land within a short distance of the center of the 
 town. One half of this land was given by Mr. 
 Goodsell and one-half by Mr. Charles A. Wheaton, 
 an earnest friend of the college from the beginning, 
 and a liberal donor. Repeated gifts came from 
 him and his family. Among the generous con- 
 tributors who have gone to their reward were 
 Hiram Scriver, Allen Nourse, Dr. Moses Porter, 
 Dr. H. L. Coon and S. P. Stewart. The donors 
 still living are so many that I forbear to mention 
 any, except the enthusiastic young pastor, Edwin 
 Sidney Williams, always such a leader in good 
 things. A telegram announced the conference de- 
 cision to locate the college here, and at once the 
 whole town was astir. Bells were rung, and the 
 citizens indulged in a general jubilation. The con- 
 ference also elected a board of twenty trustees, of 
 whom only M. W. Skinner and one other are now 
 in office, and they were instructed to provide in 
 their articles of incorporation that three-fourths of 
 their number should always be members of Congre- 
 gational churches. But this, as was distinctly un- 
 derstood and affirmed, was not in the interest of 
 sectarianism, but only to insure an official control 
 favorable to evangelical religion. That was the 
 essential point. A resolution offered by Mr. S. W.
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 393 
 
 Furber, was adopted, pledging our churches in the 
 state in the sum of $10,000, to be raised that year, 
 as tangible evidence of the interest felt in the great 
 work. That very day, October I3th, in the parlor 
 of Deacon James Gibson, the board organized and 
 the first act was an act of prayer led by the senior 
 member, Rev. Geo. Spaulding. Mr. Seccombe 
 soon began a financial canvass of the state. How 
 difficult it then was to raise money among the 
 poor churches may be inferred from the fact that 
 notes were taken for one dollar, and even for 
 twenty-five cents, payable in three annual install- 
 ments. Some of these notes, bearing a five-cent 
 government stamp, as was then required, are still 
 in our archives, valuable, as curiosities. Those 
 were days of feeble beginnings, but of large faith 
 and of self-sacrificing effort. Children as well as 
 adults were eager to help. The first money ever 
 received into the treasury was, Mr. Goodsell said, 
 from a little boy who earned it, I believe, by selling 
 popped corn. The first money paid on those notes 
 taken by Mr. Seccombe was from a little girl in 
 Clearwater. He relates that in Anoka a little girl 
 brought to him what were then exceedingly scarce, 
 two silver half-dollars, which she had received in 
 her infancy and held as almost sacred keepsakes. 
 He was reluctant to receive them but she insisted. 
 Afterward when he told their story in Winona, 
 several dollars were given for them and they were 
 returned to the child. But she still refused them,
 
 394 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 saying that she wished herself to contribute so 
 much to the founding of the college. One of these 
 coins is still preserved as a memento of the early 
 interest taken in our college by the children of the 
 state. 
 
 The legal organization was effected by signing 
 articles of incorporation at Mr. Goodsell's house 
 November 14, 1866. The money raised by Mr. 
 Seccombe was devoted to the purchase and equip- 
 ment of our first building, once the American 
 Hotel, afterward the old Ladies' Hall, now a 
 fragrant memory. It stood directly north of our 
 new parsonage, on the site now occupied by Mr. 
 Lord's house. In that building September 25, 1867, 
 a preparatory school was opened by Horace Good- 
 hue, Jr., then a recent graduate of Dartmouth Col- 
 lege. His pupils increased during the first term 
 from twenty-three to forty-seven. 
 
 Those three years of preparatory work, though 
 so important, can now have only a word. God's 
 blessing constantly attended the faithful work done. 
 Twenty-five hopeful conversions are recorded dur- 
 ing the first two years. The educational standard 
 was high but resources were low. Needs were im- 
 perative but money was scarce and the outlook was 
 very dark. Mr. Goodsell failed in health and in 
 hope, and believing the great object of his life ut- 
 terly lost, died almost heart-broken May 3, 1869. 
 When later prosperity came, his widow said with 
 quivering lips, " O that he might have lived to see
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 395 
 
 this ! " Many friends who had been hopeful be- 
 came discouraged at that time, and payments on 
 subscriptions nearly ceased. But not all was lost. 
 Some still hoped and prayed and worked, believing 
 that a college so born of prayer, so consecrated by 
 the sacrifices of godly men and women, so signally 
 blessed of God in its spiritual work, would yet 
 become an effective power for the Master's King- 
 dom, and so the doors were not closed. In Sep- 
 tember, 1870, besides forty-two other students, 
 four freshmen were enrolled. This marks the be- 
 ginning of collegiate life, but those were the days 
 of the deepest gloom in our history. The clouds 
 were black and threatening. A night of thick dark- 
 ness seemed settling about us. There was need of 
 sunshine, of new hope, of renewed faith, of still 
 richer spiritual blessing. All these came with that 
 memorable day in October, 1870, when again the 
 representatives of the churches were assembled in 
 the Old Brown Church, and once more prayer- 
 fully consecrated their gifts and pledged their ef- 
 forts to carry forward this needed work. They 
 seemed inspired by the spirit of the Pilgrim Fathers 
 themselves, whose sublime motive is recorded as 
 " the great hope and inward zeal of laying some 
 foundation for the advancing of the gospel of the 
 Kingdom of Christ in these remote parts of the 
 world, though they themselves should be but as 
 stepping stones to others." Immortal words! 
 Several here present to-day remember, and will
 
 396 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 never forget, the incidents of that crucial day in 
 bur history, when the gifts from Eastern secre- 
 taries, Drs. Ray Palmer, A. H. Clapp, and Wm. 
 Barrows, and from men of Yale, Amherst, Will- 
 iams and Dartmouth flowed into the treasury with 
 those from the missionaries on the frontier and the 
 pioneer laborers on our Western prairies. Seven- 
 teen of the donors were ministers, some of them 
 home missionaries living in log houses; some were 
 students struggling to pay their own way; some 
 were parents who would thus help provide facili- 
 ties for their children still in infancy. One, still 
 with us, gave the little savings of a son whom he 
 had hoped to educate here, but God had called him 
 to the education of heaven. One donor, Rev. Dr. 
 J. K. Greene, of Constantinople, was a foreign 
 missionary, seeking in our climate, restoration of 
 lost health. It is a fact pleasing to me to remem- 
 ber that a receipt for his gift bore my first official 
 signature. Thus at the very beginning was illus- 
 trated the oneness of the work of home missions 
 and foreign missions. It is his son, let me add, 
 Rev. Frederick D. Greene, the youngest child ever 
 received by me as a pastor into the church, whose 
 recent book on the Armenian massacres is stirring 
 the civilized world. The gifts of that day, ranging 
 from two dollars to one of six thousand dollars, 
 from a member of our board, afterwards a beloved 
 pastor of this church, aggregated $16,446. Those 
 pledges, written on scraps of paper of various sizes
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 397 
 
 and shapes and hues, are still preserved as sacred 
 mementoes of a meeting rarely paralleled in any 
 land ; a meeting which those wise men from the East 
 declared the most wonderful they had ever attended. 
 They were amazed at the self-sacrificing benevo- 
 lence, the breadth of view, the wise forecasting of 
 these pioneer men and women. The divine power 
 was there the power of a newly regenerated life. 
 That was. the day of our second birth. Henceforth 
 our young college was to move with firmer step and 
 still broader vision and under a deeper spiritual 
 impulse towards the true ideal. 
 
 The details of our subsequent history cannot 
 now be traced, but this central fact must not be 
 omitted. The thought of our noble benefactor, Mr. 
 Carleton, was soon providentially turned to us ; and 
 then came, in the spring of 1871, without one syl- 
 lable of condition in any form, $50,000, the largest 
 gift which had at that time ever been received by 
 any Western college. Who can describe the joy 
 which then filled all our hearts ? Prayer was turned 
 into praise. Our tears were tears of gladness. The 
 darkness had suddenly disappeared. A glorious day 
 had dawned. A congratulatory meeting was held 
 in Wheaton's Hall (May 9, 1871) at which enthusi- 
 astic speeches were made, some of them " cash 
 figures of speech," by Rev. A. K. Packard (a son- 
 in-law of Mr. Carleton), Revs. Edward M. Will- 
 iams, Richard Hall, M. A. Munson and others. The 
 full story of the fifty thousand dollars has never
 
 398 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 been written it never can be written but in this, 
 no less than in all that had preceded, God's hand 
 was most manifest. It is a singular fact that to this 
 day, no officer of our college has ever seen a mark 
 of Mr. Carleton's pen. The business was all done 
 by his bookkeeper, Miss Willis, afterward Mrs. 
 Carleton, who knew him most intimately, and to 
 whose gentle power and wise suggestions we owe 
 more than will ever be publicly known. Both passed 
 to their reward in 1876. However we may honor 
 William Carleton, on canvas or in granite, let it 
 ever be remembered that Susan Willis deserves to 
 stand beside him in the whitest marble this earth 
 produces. All too few are such consecrated souls. 
 In my memory her name stands for gentleness, 
 purity, devotion. She declared her belief that Mr. 
 Carleton was constrained to this gift by the direct 
 influence of the Holy Spirit. Years afterward he 
 himself said, as if in a state of continual spiritual 
 exaltation in view of its effective use, " I ca<nnot 
 tell you what I have enjoyed. It is like being born 
 into the kingdom a second time." 
 
 Such was the beginning. Born of prayer, nur- 
 tured in the atmosphere of devotion, strengthened 
 by sacrifices, purified by discipline and baptized 
 with the divine approval, Carleton College began 
 a work whose breadth and power no man can now 
 discern and whose fruitage will be revealed only in 
 the last great day. 
 
 II. But consider next THE STANDARD AND
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 399 
 
 SCOPE OF CARLETON'S EDUCATIONAL WORK. From 
 the beginning our aim, like that of every college de- 
 serving the name of Christian, has been twofold, 
 true scholarship and high moral character. Not 
 one to the exclusion of the other, but the two com- 
 bined, in the spirit of Beloit's motto: " Scientia 
 vera cum fide pura," "Exact learning with pure 
 faith." 
 
 We have not been unmindful of a certain popular 
 impression that piety is enervating, that to be re- 
 ligious is to be narrow and illiberal, while to ques- 
 tion old truths and to be skeptical in belief, even 
 if not immoral in life, is to be broad and free and 
 manly. Not a day in our history has failed to 
 declare false such puerile notions. Carleton College 
 has never stood for the superficial nor for what is 
 so often connected with the religious, the sec- 
 tarian. We have sought breadth, not narrowness. 
 Our constant aim has been, by a discipline most 
 thorough, by a scholarship most exact, by methods 
 most widely approved, to secure a symmetrical cul- 
 ture of intellect, sensibility and will, and thus to 
 develop, under the best possible environment, a 
 broad and a thoroughly Christian manhood and 
 womanhood. This is the true aim of education. 
 Between religion and learning there is, there can be, 
 no antagonism. Christianity has always been 
 wedded to learning. There is nothing whatsoever 
 in religion to make a man satisfied with super- 
 ficiality in thought or inaccuracy in scholarship.
 
 400 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 Was Paul the Christian a weaker man than Saul 
 the persecutor? Was Augustine the skeptic more 
 brilliant than Augustine the Apostolic Father ? No 
 greater mental stimulus exists than the Christian 
 faith. It broadens the vision, it presents new and 
 loftier ideals of life and labor, and it quickens to 
 new activity every power of the mind. Without 
 this, education cannot possibly meet the Christian 
 ideal, because it is partial and ignores the most es- 
 sential point in breadth of culture. It fails to touch 
 the hidden springs of the most effective life the 
 world can ever know. Character is more than men- 
 tal discipline. The education which society which 
 all the interests of Christian civilization demand 
 is and must be Christian education. This is the 
 simple philosophy of our origin, our aims and our 
 methods. We believe that the mental and the moral 
 are so adjusted that if both are not well trained, 
 neither can be well trained, that the ideal manhood 
 demands culture both of head and of heart, that 
 we need not only to perceive the truth, but what 
 is infinitely better, to live the truth ; that true educa- 
 tional success lies alone in this combination of the 
 intellectual with the moral. As President Turner 
 says : " The three r's of the curriculum are reason, 
 righteousness and revelation. The high places of 
 the curriculum are not only the Aventine and the 
 Areopagus, but also Sinai and the Mount of Beati- 
 tudes." It is learning and religion wrought into a
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 401 
 
 living organism. That is the ideal. Both combined 
 in one earnest soul. 
 
 Have we at Carleton been realizing this ideal? 
 Not perfectly, surely, but no one charges us with 
 seriously lacking on the moral side. Do we lack on 
 the intellectual side? It has been easy to insinuate 
 it. Upon this point we are and we ought to be sensi- 
 tive. No man can truly affirm that at Carleton mor- 
 ality is accepted for scholarship, or that piety is es- 
 teemed a substitute for brains. Not a spirit of 
 boasting but a proper self-respect and a just regard 
 for the truth of our educational history require that 
 this review should not fail to present certain facts 
 which reveal the standard here maintained. 
 
 Fifteen years ago a careful comparison was made 
 between our requirements and those of five repre- 
 sentative institutions East and West, including 
 Dartmouth, Amherst and Oberlin. It was found 
 that in some respects we were in advance of them 
 all, that we taught some branches not required for 
 admission to any of them, and we fell short of 
 any one only to a very slight extent in the amount 
 of Greek and Latin required; while strange as it 
 may seem our own college curriculum was then the 
 only one embracing the study of American liter- 
 ature. 
 
 When, in 1887, President Harper requested us 
 to introduce, as other colleges were doing, sys- 
 tematic and scientific Bible study, the response could 
 be made that we had begun to do precisely that
 
 402 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 work seven years before, earlier so far as we know 
 than any other college East or West. 
 
 As early as 1878 we began giving by daily signals 
 the standard time to the cities and towns of an 
 immense area, and in 1881 General Hazen said that 
 it was the largest and probably the most useful 
 time service in the United States. Only a little 
 later (1882) our college was made a government 
 signal station, and a state weather service was or- 
 ganized which soon secured such a reputation and 
 became of such manifest value that another educa- 
 tional institution offered a handsome price for it. 
 
 Fourteen years ago our representative won first 
 place in the state oratorical contest and second place 
 in the interstate contest. Twice since that time the 
 highest state honor has, I believe, been won by those 
 trained at Carleton. At the New Orleans Exposi- 
 tion in 1885 Minnesota took, in the educational ex- 
 hibit, the " Grand Diploma of Honor " and the 
 " Special Diploma " was awarded to Carleton. To 
 stand first in the commonwealth whose educational 
 exhibit was pronounced the best in the country 
 proves, at least, that our standards embrace some- 
 thing in addition to moral excellence. At the recent 
 Word's Fair also, as is not generally known, its 
 astronomical exhibit secured for those preparing it 
 the high honor of special diplomas. 
 
 For thirteen years one or more astronomical 
 magazines have been published here, of such recog- 
 nized merit that they have gone by paid subscrip-
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 403 
 
 tions to five continents, and into eighteen different 
 foreign countries. Nearly one-third of their sup- 
 port has come from abroad. Our work in celestial 
 photography and in the preparation of lantern 
 slides has been of such marked superiority that 
 orders have come from such institutions as Johns 
 Hopkins University and Columbia College, not to 
 mention others. 
 
 It is a source of justifiable pride that our college 
 has been requested by the -leading astronomers of 
 the country to undertake scientific work, than which 
 none can more severely test the accuracy of instru- 
 ments, or the skill of observers. The results fur- 
 nished have gone for standard use to the various 
 observatories throughout the world. Astronomical 
 work of the very highest order, as is acknowledged 
 in both Europe and America, is now being done 
 here; and to one of our teachers, our own graduate, 
 belongs the high honor of discovering a new 
 asteroid. Upon our post-graduate courses and our 
 Summer School of Practical Astronomy, attracting 
 hither professors in other institutions, I need not 
 dwell. Special gifts have brought unusual facilities 
 to this department, whose achievements are tangible 
 and easily set forth; but that scholarship and thor- 
 oughness have been found in other departments as 
 well, is proved by the fact that from the early years 
 our students have been received to the same rank 
 in New England colleges that they have held here. 
 Our curriculum has been substantially the same as
 
 404 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 theirs. Moreover, Carleton teachers, not simply 
 once nor twice, nor thrice, have been earnestly 
 sought by the older and more famous institutions. 
 We rejoice, however, that so uniformly loyalty to 
 the interests represented here has led them to de- 
 cline offers and honors exceedingly tempting. Such 
 facts and many others like them, which I may not 
 now give, clearly indicate the standard of our work. t 
 III. But let us now glance at THE FRUITAGE 
 of this work. The least value of a college to any 
 community is its financial value, but it would be 
 easy to show that St. Olaf and Carleton are worth 
 to Northfield thousands of dollars every week; and 
 that not a single citizen can fail to be thus bene- 
 fited by them. Remove these colleges and all those 
 whom, with property and social power, they have 
 brought hither, and would Northfield suffer no 
 pecuniary loss ? But what is money compared with 
 other local benefits? Would you sell for cash the 
 mental quickening, the social elevation, the spiritual 
 enlargement made possible to you and your children 
 by these institutions ? To some of you these would 
 never have come had no college foundations been 
 laid here. To have discovered and brought into 
 his life-work even one of those of whom Northfield 
 could name many, is worth vastly more than all the 
 money these institutions have cost. Do any of you 
 to-day regret the sacrifices made? Do these not 
 rather bring joy in remembrance ? But what figures 
 can possibly express moral values? What scales
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 405 
 
 weigh spiritual results ? Statistics may give certain 
 facts concerning our organized life and the labors 
 of our students, but at best they are only as the husk 
 to the kernel. 
 
 It is no small fact that more than three thousand 
 young men and women have for a longer or shorter 
 time had their lives enriched by the educational ad- 
 vantages here afforded. Our graduates, including 
 those who complete courses this year, have num- 
 bered, from the former English Academy course, 
 26 ; from the Academy as now organized, 62 ; from 
 the School of Music, 26 ; from the regular collegiate 
 courses, 227; from post-graduate courses, 2. Ex- 
 amining our list of college graduates and counting 
 no one twice we find that, of those who have already 
 left us, 23 are merchants or business men, 13 are 
 physicians or medical students, 22 are lawyers or 
 law students, 22 are clergymen or theological stu- 
 dents, 8 are missionaries and missionary teachers, 
 9 are professors or instructors in colleges, 19 are 
 superintendents or principals of schools, and 50 
 others are teachers ; 35 have taken non-professional 
 post-graduate courses; only 3 have died. Of the 
 young women, some of whom were for a time in 
 active educational or missionary labor, 25 are find- 
 ing their lifework in the care of their own homes. 
 These figures do not include any who, though re- 
 ceiving special training here, have not completed 
 our courses. Among such are many earnest Scan- 
 dinavians, some of whom are missionaries in China,
 
 406 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 others are in the ministry or in missionary service, 
 and others still are laboring successfully in different 
 fieI3s of Christian activity. Carleton is willing to 
 accept the scriptural test, " By their fruits ye shall 
 know them." Lowell has said, " The mission of the 
 college is to maintain higher ideals of life and its 
 purpose." Are we realizing our mission? Let the 
 answer appear in the consecrated lives and the noble 
 work of those who have gone forth from our halls. 
 Their achievements have revealed as well as tested 
 both their ideals and our own. Shall I give you 
 illustrations? But that would necessitate personal 
 mention, and among so many deserving this, how 
 can I name any without seeming invidious? Shall 
 I begin with the very first class, and tell you of 
 those who for a score of years, with unwearied de- 
 votion, have been giving mental and spiritual vision 
 to those physically blind? But every succeeding 
 class includes those who in the same spirit are mak- 
 ing the impress of their own characters upon those 
 looking up to them for guidance and teaching. 
 Shall I tell of our beloved alumnae in a far-off land, 
 meeting the peculiar difficulties of this transition 
 period from the old to the new Japan? But those 
 in Marsovan, and Bombay, and Talas, and many in 
 home missionary work in our own land are no less 
 deserving or successful. Of our graduates now in 
 the ministry we naturally call first to mind those 
 preaching with such marked favor in large cities, 
 but let us not forget those who, with equal devo-
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 407 
 
 tion, and perhaps in the Master's sight with equal 
 success, are toiling in obscure fields without public 
 applause or large pecuniary gains, yet under the 
 approving eye of Him who says, " Inasmuch as ye 
 did it unto one of the least of these ye did it 
 unto me." 
 
 I may not specify by name, any of those who are 
 doing faithful and effective work in our public 
 schools, academies and colleges, all the way from 
 the Atlantic to the Pacific from Harvard to Po- 
 mona, or in our great business centers, east or 
 west, or in the physician's office, or in the sphere of 
 legal lore, but I may quote respecting them the 
 words of one of the noble women of our state who 
 says, "For many years I have watched with in- 
 creasing interest the work of your graduates and 
 I find that everywhere they become centers of moral 
 power, leaders in all good things, and I feel that 
 in no way can I do more for Christ's Kingdom than 
 by helping Carleton carry on her good work." 
 
 Gratefully may we call to mind these things 
 to-day, and rejoice that thus Carleton has already 
 become in the world a vital and vitalizing force. 
 To watch the processes of mental unfolding, to 
 see the spiritual horizon of the mind broadening 
 until it embraces the whole world, as has been our 
 privilege during these twenty-five years, has been 
 a constant delight. Why does Millais' great picture 
 " The Angelus " have such wonderful power over 
 us? Because it depicts so simply and so beautifully
 
 408 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 the three great elements in human life, love, work 
 and worship. These are precisely the elements 
 which a Christian college ever stimulates and guides 
 and deepens. How interesting the process! The 
 average youth comes to college without any very 
 clear apprehension of himself, his needs, his adapta- 
 tions or his purposes. He is apt to be self-centered 
 in his ambitions and in his plans. But gradually his 
 vision becomes clearer and broader. The world is 
 larger than he thought he sees that the noblest 
 souls do not live unto themselves life takes on a 
 richer meaning it has a nobler object and he seeks 
 higher ideals. New loves are developed love of 
 knowledge, love of truth, love of humanity, love of 
 God. When brought into harmony with the per- 
 sonal will of his divine Lord he is at once impelled 
 toward the highest and best service of his fellow- 
 men. Henceforth, wherever his lot may be cast, he 
 chooses a life consecrated to the best things. In 
 realizing this result the Christian college is ful- 
 filling its grand mission. Can even this electric age 
 invent any dynamo which will unfold the mental, 
 quicken the spiritual and realize the true ideal of 
 character more perfectly or more speedily than 
 God's own method through Christian education? 
 
 IV. But finally, what is OUR OUTLOOK TOWARD 
 THE FUTURE? We need no prophetic vision. The 
 past foretells the future and gives assurance of 
 richer blessings yet to come. Most manifestly, from 
 the beginning, marked tokens of divine favor have
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 409 
 
 attended us. More than ninety per cent, of our 
 graduates have gone out Christian men and women. 
 Where can you find a similar record? Each day 
 of our college life for more than a score of years 
 has witnessed the gathering of students and teach- 
 ers at the midday hour to invoke spiritual blessings 
 upon our work. Will not God hear? Will not his 
 favor continue? And then, does good seed ever 
 produce tares? If you sow wheat, may you not 
 expect a harvest of wheat? It is related that when 
 Walter Mildmay founded Emmanuel College, 
 which was to be the nursery and school of the Puri- 
 tans, the queen said to him, " So, Sir Walter, I 
 hear you have erected a Puritcm foundation." He 
 replied, " I have set an acorn which, when it be- 
 comes an oak, God alone knows what will be the 
 fruit thereof." Ah, but he did himself know. Oaks 
 bear acorns, not thistles, and acorns produce new 
 oaks of the same tough fibre. Those Puritans knew 
 they were guided by an unseen hand, they " felt 
 themselves set in the divine intent," and their eyes 
 of faith even then beheld " splendid visions of re- 
 sults," results which these past centuries have been 
 unfolding in the sight of all the world. That was 
 the college out of which came Cotton and Hooker 
 and Stowe and Shepherd and Harvard, and many 
 more kindred spirits, whose words and deeds and 
 lives, in that land and in our own, have been and 
 will ever continue to be shaping the centuries. We 
 have planted here a seed. We have watched its early
 
 410 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 growth and its spreading branches. The first fruits 
 of our labor are already gathered. Its flavor has 
 been tested. Can we doubt the nature of the fruit- 
 age which is as certain to follow as that the laws 
 of God do not change, and that spiritual seedtime 
 and harvest will continue? This is no new experi- 
 ment. History will surely repeat itself. Joseph 
 Cook once said : " I am studying the Northwest, 
 and surely Carleton College is the star of hope in 
 that quarter of the horizon." What matters it if we 
 are still young? So once were Oxford and Cam- 
 bridge and Harvard and Yale. If at our age we can 
 justly claim what so evidently has already been 
 realized, what may not the future secure ? " The 
 child is father to the man." These may be days of 
 weakness but days of increasing strength are surely 
 coming. Our numbers are not large, but can you 
 count to-day all the host whose glad feet will yet 
 hasten hither to this seat of learning ? " Eis 
 Athenas" " Away to Athens " sang the Thracian 
 maidens. " The schools are there, the scholars, the 
 histories, orations and poems are there, thither let 
 us go." " The echo of that refrain," as a dear 
 friend, Dr. Lyman Whiting, once said in the pres- 
 ence of some of you,* " The echo of that refrain 
 is on the lips of all the generations where letters are 
 known. Young men and maidens perpetuate 
 through all time the grand old choral. To the 
 
 *An address printed by the college in 1871.
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 411 
 
 schools away. The seats of learning, of art, of let- 
 ters and wisdom win us. Shall not thousands, yea 
 will not tens of thousands of our children's chil- 
 dren enrich this family record with names shining 
 among the consecrated ones in Christ's work for 
 man? And for the millions coming to dwell upon 
 these fruitful plains shall not nobler choirs of young 
 men and maidens than made vocal the classic 
 vales of ancient Thracia be heard shouting " Eis 
 Athenas," " Let us away to our Athens the place of 
 our scholars, of learning, of culture of the mind and 
 of consecrated eloquence, our Carleton College?" 
 
 Thus, dear friends, though in brief and imperfect 
 outline, I have set before you Carleton's origin, 
 standard, past fruitage and future hopes. Our past 
 is brief, the future is long. We have made only a 
 beginning, but is it not a good beginning? Do not 
 the results already secured far outweigh their cost? 
 If Carleton were to-day to cease her organic life, 
 would she have lived in vain? Has she not done 
 something to enrich the world's life and swell the 
 anthems of heaven? 
 
 Wise observers tell us that no other similar col- 
 lege in either the older or the newer West has made 
 equally rapid progress. May we not to-day, with 
 profound gratitude, give thanks to God for what 
 has been secured, and with new zeal and still 
 stronger faith go forward, assured in our hearts 
 that God Himself is calling us to this work, and 
 that His designs of good concerning this " vine of
 
 412 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 His own right hand's planting " surely will not fail ? 
 Here is the ground of our faith in the future of 
 Carleton. It rests upon the unchanging relations 
 of mind and character, and upon the granite of 
 God's own purpose concerning the extension of His 
 kingdom. The seal of the divine approval has been 
 set. Will it not abide? 
 
 But now at this closing hour, it is to you, mem- 
 bers of the graduating class, that our thoughts turn 
 with special and tender interest. Our children are 
 our glory. In them we rejoice. In them we trust. 
 Upon them we lay the large privilege of proving 
 that not in vain were the gifts and toils of those 
 godly men who founded Carleton College and made 
 possible their education here; that Christian educa- 
 tion meets, as no other can, the world's need of 
 mental and spiritual uplifting; that such colleges as 
 ours mould the characters of those who are to touch 
 the very springs of national life, and give shape to 
 American civilization ; yea, that such colleges are the 
 needed tonic, the iron in the blood of the nation and 
 of the nations. 
 
 My dear friends, we expect very much of you. 
 Carleton depends upon you, and upon the noble 
 company of alumni you are about to join. And to 
 do what? To acquire wealth and bestow upon her 
 large and needed endowments? More than that. 
 To become famous and bring wide reputation to 
 your alma mater ? Ah, more than that. It is to be 
 yourselves in life and character what her teachings
 
 HISTORICAL ADDRESS 413 
 
 and the atmosphere of her daily life have sought 
 to secure. It is, in one word, to incarnate in your- 
 selves Carleton's highest ideals of life and character. 
 Into this one earnest admonition would I condense 
 Carleton's closing word of counsel. You know 
 what her ideals are. These years past have revealed 
 to you her inner life and spirit, and you have felt 
 her quickening impulse toward the highest and best. 
 Henceforth you are to represent her. " Ye are our 
 epistles." Remember that men will judge her not 
 so much by what we say as by what you are. You 
 may not acquire wealth or political distinction, but 
 moral supremacy is possible to every one of you. 
 You may not command silver-tongued speech and 
 sway great assemblies, but yours may be that most 
 effective eloquence, the eloquence of character. 
 
 Dr. Parkhurst, in a recent tribute to his revered 
 teacher, President Seelye, makes this surprising 
 statement : " I do not recall a single expression 
 ever used by him in public address, in the recitation 
 room or in private conversation. He could not in 
 any way be called original. * * * It was not 
 what he said, but it was the man himself, that was 
 the real inspiration. He was himself the truth of 
 all he spake." There could be no higher praise. 
 It is character that tells. Character wins. Char- 
 acter is king. I pray you then, fail not in loyalty 
 to the ideals of character and Christian service for 
 which Carleton stands; then surely you will be loyal 
 not only to your alma mater, but loyal to your
 
 414 HISTORY OF CARLETON COLLEGE 
 
 noblest self and loyal to Him who calls you to His 
 own blessed service. That is the supreme loyalty. 
 May the divine favor rest upon you and all the 
 alumni; and for all generations may it abide 
 upon your Alma Mater our own CARLETON 
 COLLEGE.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Address, Quarter-Centennial, by Pres. Strong, 386-414. 
 
 Alden, George H., chosen to chair of history, etc., 259. 
 
 Alexandria, the "Extreme Frontier" of Minnesota, 79. 
 
 American House, Erection of, 65 ; purchased by the college, 
 115; becomes Ladies' Hall, 120; early occupants of, 120; sold 
 and torn down, 229. 
 
 Anderson, Rev. Edward, Speech of, in North'field, 99-100. 
 
 Armsby, Miss Alice L. (Mrs. Pearson), chosen to chair of 
 Latin, 205 ; resigns, 239. 
 
 Atkins, Dr. F. H., chosen instructor, 119. 
 
 Barnes, Rev. J. R., Arrival of in Minnesota, 50, 69; account 
 of a meeting in Northfield by, 100-1 ; death of, 297. 
 
 Barrows, Dr. Wm., Pictures scene following "inauguration" 
 of Pres. Strong, 160-4. 
 
 Bell, D. C, Long service of as trustee, 321. 
 
 Bible, Carleton's first, Fate of, 134. 
 
 Bisbee, Miss Cora A., Gift of to college of two silver half- 
 dollars, 112-3. 
 
 Boise, Mrs. Mary J. (Mrs. Rice), chosen matron and teacher 
 of calisthenics, 206. 
 
 Boswell, Charles, Gifts of to Carleton, 345. 
 
 Brinsmade, Dr. H. N., and wife, Gifts of to Carleton, 349. 
 
 Brown, Rev. Edward, On founding of the college, 91-3; gift 
 of a colt by, 162. 
 
 Brown, Miss Myra A., One of Carleton's first graduates, 
 206. 
 
 Burt, Rev. David, Part played by in founding the college, 
 92-3; death of, 241. 
 
 Campus, The College, Growth of, 286. 
 
 Cannon City, the original of "Metropolisville," 40. 
 
 Carleton, Wm., Pres. Strong's first meeting with, 179-81 ; 
 great gift, 189; death of, 208 ; life-sketch of, 208-10, note. 
 
 Carleton and missions, Chapter on, 357-67. 
 
 Carleton in oratory, 368-72. 
 
 Carleton in song, 375-7. 
 
 Carleton's builders, 317-56. 
 
 Carleton's givers, 332-53. 
 
 Carletonia, The, First appearance of, 240. 
 
 Carver, Jonathan, Visit of to Minnesota soil, 28. 
 
 Catalogue, First annual, 123 ; third, 134. 
 
 Chancy, Lucian W., Chosen to chair of biology and geology, 
 238. 
 
 Children's gifts to Carleton, 101, 119, 131-2.
 
 416 INDEX 
 
 Clark, John B chosen to chair of political economy and 
 history, 205; resigns, 239; Oratorical Reminiscence by, 372-4. 
 
 Cobb, Rev. L. H., chosen home missionary superintendent, 
 145; resigns, 215. 
 . Coit, Daniel T., Gifts of to Carleton, 339. 
 
 College, First agitation for a, 50; in Zumbrota, 51; by C. 
 M. Goodsell, 52; by Rev. Charles Galpin, 54; in state confer- 
 ence, 54-64; committee on site chosen, 92-3; Northfield select- 
 ed, 106; first building voted, 113; American House bought, 
 115; school opened, 119. 
 
 College, The value of the, to Northfield, 333-5. 
 
 College seal, 313, and note. 
 
 "Commencement," Carleton's first, 124. 
 
 Congregationalism, Growth of in Minnesota, in the sixties, 
 78-9; seventies, 144-6; eighties, 215-16; nineties, 247-8; in first 
 half-century, 274-7. 
 
 Cosmopolitanism of Carleton, 290. 
 
 Courses of Study, Enlargement of, 257-8. 
 Cressey, Rev. T. R., preaches first sermon in Northfield, 69; 
 monument to commemorate, 69, note. 
 
 Dana, Rev. M. McG., Pamphlet history of Carleton by, 240 ; 
 death of, 263 ; service of as trustee, 322 ; life-sketch of, note. 
 
 Danforth, Miss Lucia E., chosen preceptress of academy, 
 
 259- 
 
 Dow, James J., one of the first graduates, 206. 
 
 Duluth, Rapid growth of, 212, 241-2. 
 
 Executive committee, Arduous duties of, 324; some who 
 served thereon, 324-5. 
 
 Eggleston, Rev. Edward, Boom times in Minnesota de- 
 scribed by, 40. 
 
 Eldridge, T. B., Gifts of to college, 345. 
 
 Evans, Miss Margaret J., becomes preceptress, etc., 205; 
 granted year's leave of absence, 259; long service of, 329. 
 
 Excelsior, Settlement of, 47; revival in, 54; college planned 
 for, 54. 
 
 Faculty, The, as builders, 327. 
 
 "Founders' Fund," 108. 
 
 Fuller, Rev. Americus, the first to suggest Rev. J. W. Strong 
 for president, 155. 
 
 Galpin, Rev. Charles, pastor at Excelsior, 47; founds an 
 academy, 54 ; agitates for a college, 55-63 ; failure of plans and 
 death, 61-4. 
 
 Goodhue, Horace, Jr., chosen to open Northfield college, 
 118; becomes dean of the faculty, 258; long and varied ser- 
 vice of, 328-9. 
 
 Goodsell, Charles M., writes inquiring about college, 52; 
 removes to Northfield, 52, 84; activity for a college, 84-7;
 
 INDEX 417 
 
 applies to state conference, 90-3; inspires Northfield to give, 
 99-102; last years and death, 127-9. 
 
 Goodsell Observatory, how it was built, 233-5; description 
 of, 252-3. 
 
 Gridley, Eber, Gift of to build Gridley Hall, 231, 344; life- 
 sketch of, 344, note. 
 
 Gridley Hall, Erection of, 231 ; uses and ornaments of, 231 ; 
 how furnished, 232; its varied ministry, 287-8. 
 
 Hackett, C. W., and Mrs., Gifts of to Carleton, 283, 352. 
 
 Hall, Rev. Richard, reaches Minnesota, 44; life-sketch of, 
 44, note; chosen home missionary superintendent, 48; visits 
 Northfield, 69; chosen trustee, 107. 
 
 Haven, Henry P., Gifts of to Carleton, 345-7. 
 
 Heywood, J. L., treasurer of college, and killed, 149;' trib- 
 ute to his worth, 150-1, and note. 
 
 Hiawatha, Song of, helping to make Minnesota known, 41. 
 
 Hill, James J.. Gifts of to Carleton, 233, 352. 
 
 Historical Address, by Pres. Strong, 386-414. 
 
 Hulbert, Charles S., Service of as trustee, 321, 324. 
 
 Huntington, Rev. George, chosen to chair of rhetoric, logic, 
 etc.. 205; inaugural ode and hymns by, 314-6; college songs, 
 375-7- 
 
 Inauguration of Carleton's first and second presidents con- 
 trasted, 300-2. 
 
 James-Younger Raid, 148-9. 
 
 Jones, Judge E. S., Service of as trustee, 322; total of 
 gifts to Carleton, 352. 
 
 Knowles. L. K., and wife, Gifts of to Carleton, 342. 
 
 Ladies' Hall, Description of, 123-4; sold and taken down, 
 240; early inmates of, 120; rules imposed in, 121. 
 
 Laird, W. H., Gifts of, to Carleton, 224, 233 ; athletic field, 
 287. 
 
 Leonard, Rev. D. L., chosen pastor of Northfield church, 
 152; resigns. 218. 
 
 Library, The beginning of, 134; building secured, 350, 
 
 353-4- 
 
 Lincoln, Miss Anna T., chosen matron, 206; becomes su- 
 perintendent of domestic department, 332. 
 
 Longfellow, H. W., by Song of Hiawatha adds to Minne- 
 sota's fame. 41. 
 
 Lyman, Eugene W., chosen to chair of philosophy, 388. 
 
 McConnell, Rev. J. E., becomes pastor of Northfield church, 
 247. 
 
 Magnus. Rev. Daniel, chosen to chair of Swedish, etc., 239. 
 
 "Metropolisville, The Mystery of," relates to early boom 
 times in Minnesota, 40. 
 
 Merriman, Pres., Advice of 'to Pres. Strong as to "begging" 
 in the East, 175-7.
 
 418 INDEX 
 
 Military drill, Provision made for, 256. 
 Minneapolis, Growth of, 212, 244; as a Congregational 
 force, 275. 
 
 Minnesota, Physical features of, 22-4 ; French in, 27-8 ; 
 Indian names, 32 ; early missionaries, 32-3 ; early population, 
 character of, 37-8; development of, 141-2, 212-3, 243-5, 270-3. 
 
 Mohn, Rev. T. N., founder of St. Olaf ; death of, 246. 
 
 Music Hall (formerly the Seccombe House) purchased by 
 the college, 140. 
 
 North, John W., Arrival of in Minnesota and founding of 
 Northfield, 50, 65; moral earnestness of, 66; financial failure 
 and departure, 67-8. 
 
 Northfield, The location of, 64 ; founding of, 65 ; first re- 
 ligious services held in, 68-9 ; first locomotive arrives, 80 ; 
 money pledged in to secure college, 99-100; becomes a city, 
 146-7 ; bank robbery, 148-9 ; gifts of to the college, 279 ; bene- 
 fits of college to, 333-5- 
 
 Northfield Congregational church, formed, 71 ; early strug- 
 gles of, 80-1 ; first sanctuary built, 82-4 ; revival in, 85-6 ; J. S. 
 Rounce chosen pastor, 73 ; E. S. Williams, 87 ; J. A. Towle, 
 152; D. L. Leonard, 152; E. M. Williams, 218; J. E. McCon- 
 nell, 247 ; new sanctuary built, 218. 
 
 Northrup, Cyrus, becomes president of State University, 
 214 ; address of at inauguration of Pres. Sallmon, 306-7. 
 
 Nourse, Dea. A. N., and Mrs., Life-sketch of, 82, note; 
 gifts of to Carleton, 353. 
 
 Noyes, Daniel R., Long service of as trustee, 321. 
 
 Noyes, J. L., Long service of as trustee, 321. 
 
 Oberlin, visited in search of a president, 154. 
 
 Observatory, The "Old," First steps towards, 201 ; pur- 
 chase of instruments for, 202-3; time signals from, 203. (For 
 the "New," see Goodsell Observatory.) 
 
 Ode, Inaugural, by Prof. Huntington, closing portion of, 
 3I4-I5- 
 
 "Old Brown Church," erected, 82-3; enlarged, 87; burned, 
 217. 
 
 Outbreak and Massacre, Sioux, 75. 
 
 Packard, Rev. A. K., introduces Pres. Strong to Mr. Carle- 
 ton, 178; designs college seal, 313-4, and note. 
 
 Page, Harlan W., chosen trustee, 321 ; financial secretary, 
 and to serve on executive committee, 325. 
 
 "Pancake Hall," Gift of for self-boarding, by Hiram Scriver, 
 134- 
 
 Payne, Wm. W., chosen to chair of mathematics and astron- 
 omy, 205; plans for "Old" observatory, 201-3; for "New," 
 233-5- 
 
 Pearson, Rev. Arthur H., chosen to chair of chemistry and 
 physics, 238; resigns, 288; varied service of, 331-2.
 
 INDEX 419 
 
 Pearsons, Dr. D. K., Gift of to Carleton, 282, 350. 
 
 Phillips, Geo. M., Long service of as trustee, and on execu- 
 tive committee, 324. 
 
 Piano, Carleton's first, how secured, 181. 
 
 Physical training, Provision made for, 255-6. 
 
 Popular Astronomy, First publication of, 237. 
 
 Quarter-Centennial Address, by Pres. Strong, 386-414. 
 
 Ramsay, Alex., Minnesota's first governor, 33; signs act 
 locating state university, 52. 
 
 Revival, Great, in Northfield through Mr. Goodsell's agency, 
 85-6. 
 
 Rice, Dwight C, founder of the musical department, 206; 
 resigns, 239. 
 
 Richardson. Miss Louisa H., chosen to chair of Latin, 238- 
 9; resigns, 288. 
 
 Rochester, State conference at, takes decisive steps towards 
 founding a college, 92-3. 
 
 Rounce, Rev. J. S., chosen pastor of Northfield church, 73; 
 resigns, 83. 
 
 St. Anthony, First Congregational church in Minnesota 
 formed in, 46. 
 
 St. Croix Valley ceded by Indians, 33. 
 
 St. Olaf School, The founding of, 147; growth of, 216, 
 245-6. 
 
 St. Paul, becomes state capital, 33; first Congregational 
 church formed in, 48; rapid growth of, 212, 244. 
 
 Sallmon, Rev. Wm. H., chosen president, 294; inaugura- 
 tion of, 301-5; inaugural address of, 307-14. 
 
 Scoville, J. W., Gift of library building, 350; life-sketch of, 
 350, note. 
 
 Scriver, Hiram, Northfield's first merchant, 65 ; life-sketch 
 of 95-6; note; paper on early Carleton history, 96-7, 99-100, 
 116-7, 136; chosen trustee, 106-7; Northfield's first mayor, 
 146; death of, 262. 
 
 Science Hall, Gift of Dr. Edward H. Williams, built, 220. 
 
 Seccombe, Rev. Charles, Advent of to Minnesota, 45 ; life- 
 sketch of, 45-6, note; makes financial canvass for college, 
 in; chosen senior professor, 125; connection with college 
 ceases, 138; death of, 297. 
 
 Shedd, Rev. Charles, Life-sketch of, 51-2, and note; death 
 of, 241. 
 
 Shedd, Mrs. Eliza, Life-sketch of, 242, note. 
 
 Sheldon, Rev. C. B., Letters of concerning Excelsior school, 
 54, 62-3. 
 
 Sidereal Messenger, First appearance of, 235. 
 
 Sioux "Outbreak" and Massacre, 75. 
 
 Skinner, Miron W., chosen trustee, 107; long service as
 
 420 INDEX 
 
 such, and on the executive committee, 320, 324; gives cottage 
 to college, 255. 
 
 Skinner, Mrs. Emily (nee Wiley), A paper of, on first days 
 of the college, 121-2. 
 
 Smith, Dr. Asa D., Testimonial of, to Prof. Goodhue, 118. 
 
 Snelling, Fort, established, 29. 
 
 Sperry, Dr. Lyman B., chosen to chair of physical science, 
 205, 239; resigns, 330; long and varied service of, 330. 
 
 Stickney, J. H., Gifts of to Carleton, 249, 349-50. 
 
 Stone, Rev. Collins, Death of in Hartford railroad accident, 
 183. 
 
 Stratton, Frederick E., chosen to chair of history, etc., 259. 
 
 Strong, Rev. James W., Life-sketch of, 166-73 ', steps lead- 
 ing to election as president, 155-8; scene ensuing "inaugura- 
 tion," 160-4: starts East for money, 177; meeting with Mr. 
 Carleton, 178-81; Hartford accident, 182-6; removes to North- 
 field, 192 ; leads financial campaigns, 219-27 ; resignation pre- 
 sented and not accepted, 260; another campaign, 281-4; sum- 
 mary of financial results secured by him, 285-6 ; another resig- 
 nation, which is accepted, 291 ; with action taken by the trus- 
 tees, 294-7; Historical Address of, 386-414. 
 
 Telescope, Equatorial, Gift of by Dr. Edward H. Williams, 
 222, 234. 
 
 Todd, Dr. John, as to founding a college in Minnesota, 57-8. 
 
 Towle, Rev. James A., chosen pastor of Northfield church, 
 152. 
 
 Trustees. The, Arduous task imposed on, 318-25 ; names of 
 all who have served, 325-6. 
 
 Twichell, Rev. J. H., Account of Hartford railroad accident 
 by, 184-6. 
 
 p University of Minnesota, a charter granted, 52; Pres. Fol- 
 well takes charge, 109 ; and Pres. Northrup, 214. 
 
 Watson, Miss Isabella, chosen to chair of French and Ger- 
 man, 239. 
 
 Wheaton, Charles A., a warm friend of Carleton, 2,86, and 
 note. 
 
 Wilkinson, Mrs. Martha W., Life-sketch of, 339, note ; gifts 
 of to Carleton, 341. 
 
 Willey, Rev. Austin, Account of Northfield revival by, 85. 
 
 Williams, Dr. Edward H., provides cost of Science Hall, 
 220 ; life-sketch of, 220, note ; meets cost of the equatorial 
 telescope, 222, 234. 
 
 Williams, Rev. Edward M., chosen trustee, 107; chosen 
 pastor of Northfield church, 218; summary of gifts to Carle- 
 ton, 351-2. 
 
 Williams, Rev. Edwin, chosen pastor of Northfield church, 
 87; resigns, 152.
 
 INDEX 421 
 
 Willis, Miss Susan, Life-sketch of, 179-80, note. 
 
 Willis Hall, voted, 103-4; corner-stone laid, 130; completion 
 of, 170; burned, 211; rebuilt, 229-30. 
 
 Wilson, Herbert C, chosen associate professor of mathe- 
 matics and astronomy, 239. 
 
 Zumbrota, The founding of, with a college in view, 51, 92.
 
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