75 6 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



President James and the conferring of 

 degrees. 



Some part of the ceremony, such as 



1 , Men's gymnasium ; 2, Armory ; 3, Wood- 

 shop and foundry ; 1, Metal si. op ; 5, Electrical 

 and mechanical laboratory ; 6, Reservoir ; 

 7, Heating plant; 8, Pumping plant; 9, Ap- 

 plied mechanics; 10, Engineering hall; 11, 

 Greenhouse ; 12, President's house ; 13, Library 

 building ; 14, University hall ; 15, Natural 

 history hall ; 16, Law building; 17, Chemistry 

 building; L8, Agricultural buildings; 19, Green- 

 house ; 20, Observatory ; 21, Warehouse ; 22, 

 Veterinary building ; 23, Insectary ; 24, 

 Woman's hall; 25, Mechanical engineering 

 laboratory. 



processions in cap and gown, the formal 

 reception of delegates with the presen- 

 tation of Latin addresses and the con- 

 ferring of degrees, may be more in place 

 in an English university, where the 

 medieval tradition has been continuous, 

 than at the center of the population of 

 a democratic nation. The conven- 

 tional academic ceremonial has, how- 

 ever, certain advantages in a some- 

 what crude civilization, and it is easier 

 to assume than the democratic dignity 

 of Lincoln, who amid the distractions 

 of the civil war signed the bill which 

 laid the foundation for the university 

 of his native state. 



No one at that time could have fore- 

 seen the future of the university. Tts 

 growth did not begin so soon as that 

 of Michigan and Wisconsin, but the 

 three universities will soon stand in 

 friendly rivalry to perform the great- 

 est service, and will equal and may 

 surpass Harvard, Yale and Columbia 

 in number of students and probably in 

 all the functions of a great university. 

 It was only in 1885 that the Illinois 

 Industrial University assumed its pres- 

 ent name. The campus is shown in 

 the accompanying illustration. There 

 are now on it some twenty-five build- 

 ings, nearly all of pleasing architec- 

 tural design, well-placed among grass 

 and trees. Ten years ago there were 

 in the university 550 students; there 

 are now 3,594 students with 487 pro- 

 fessors and other teachers. This re- 

 markable growth, chiefly under the ad- 

 ministration of President Draper, will 

 doubtless be continued under the ad- 

 ministration of President James. 



Dr. James was born in Illinois in 

 1855. He was educated at the Illinois 

 State Normal School, and later at 

 Northwestern University, Harvard Uni- 

 versity and the University of Halle. 

 He was principal of schools for four 

 years, and in 1883 became professor of 

 political science in the University of 

 Pennsylvania, going in 1S96 to the 

 University of Chicago. Since 1902 he 

 has been president of Northwestern 

 Tniversity. He is the author of a num- 



