SUMMER MEETING. 93 



original Federal land grant. The founders of the University, the men 

 who laid the corner stone, were not favored with the gift of prophecy, 

 for they sold the land that Kansas City is now on for $00,000. Kansas 

 City owes the University a handsome endowment in some way. 



Starting with this endowment of 60,000 acres of land, the Uni- 

 versity has grown 57 years to nearly a million and a quarter of dollars, 

 the largest interest-bearing endowment possessed by any State Uni- 

 versity on the continent of America, excepting California alone. Michi- 

 gan and Indiana are " not in it " as the boys say. 



The University has received since that time a variety of gifts from 

 the Federal government. One in 1870, that is to say, one that was 

 made effectual in 1870, for the foundation of the Agricultural college, 

 another in the form of an annuity under the Hatch act, and still another 

 in the form of an annuity also under the Sigel act, so it is hard to say, 

 as we review the history of the institution, whether it owes more to 

 the State than to the Federal government, or more to the Federal gov- 

 ernment than to the State. It owes much to both. The growth of the 

 University since that time has been very great ; it has added on in 

 these 57 years professional departments of law, medicine, engineering, 

 military science, agriculture, entomology and last but not least, under- 

 graduate studies ; it has now, starting fifty-seven years ago with one 

 department, it has now eight of which two are chiefly academical, and 

 the other six strictly professional. 



Since 1891 the growth in the University has been almost marvelous ; 

 if I should tell you of its growth in that time, you will think I am afraid, 

 that I am boasting, but there is no reason why I should boast ; the Uni- 

 versity as an institution has grown, I am the same size I was in 1890. 

 In six and one-half years, not quite six and a half, the High schools 

 with the University has been increased 150 per cent, while the quality 

 has been immensely increased. The enrollment of students has in- 

 creased 42 per cent if you compare absolute numbers of today with 

 the numbers of six and one half years ago, and in comparing 1897 with 

 1891, you deduct the preparatory classes, which do not exist now, and 

 the growth in students has been 120 per cent. In six and one-half years 

 the annual income of the University, even in spite of the desperately 

 small appropriation of our General Assembly, has increased eighty per 

 cent, the interest-bearing endowm^t has grown one hundred and 

 twenty per cent, and buildings more than double the number whether 

 you count them or measure the floor space, have been greatly improved 

 in every convenience and adaptation to their purpose. Some branches 

 have been wholly created, while in law, in agriculture, in horticulture, 

 mechanical arts and in the sciences t^e institution has "been so greatly 



