DIVISION THREE — BRAINS. , 189 



Painter & Ball offered the Monks hill site, comprising fifty acres of land 

 with water, and $2,425 in cash. [I at the time advised the acceptance of 

 this offer as the best.] South Pasadena offered her Columbia Hill school 

 grounds, comprising six acres with water, and the public school building 

 already there, and which had cost nearly $4,000, upon the college paying 

 to the school district $1,000. This offer was accepted, and the College was 

 started there.^ Its formal opening took place September 17, 1884, with an 

 elaborate program of thirty-two numbers, and speeches in nineteen different 

 responses to "toasts " or sentiments proposed. The faculty then consisted 

 of Rev. J. W. Healy, D.D., president, mental and moral philosophy; M. 

 M. Parker, A. M., classics ; Prof F. D, Bullard, mathematics; Rev. Williel 

 Thomson, engineering ; Mrs. Vernam, art department ; Mrs. E. A. Nims, 

 music. A local item in the Union of October 1 1 said the College had 25 

 pupils enrolled and was making good progress. 



"The new faculty will be as follows: Rev. W. Thomson, A. M., 

 president and professor of mathematics and civil engineering; Rev. M. M. 

 Parker, A. M., professor of ancient languages and instructor in natural 

 sciences ; Mrs. C. T. Thompson, A. M., instruccor in English and German 

 languages ; W. G. Cochran, M. D., medical supervisor ; Mrs. E. A. Nims, 

 teacher of vocal and instrumental music ; Mrs. E. G. McKee, teacher of 

 oil painting." 



Again, on April 24, 1885, the same paper reports : 



" The Presbytery of Eos Angeles met in Pasadena on Thursday eve- 

 ning, 1 6th inst., and was opened with a sermon by Prof. Ward of Sierra 

 Madre College. On Saturday the subject of the Sierra Madre College was 

 taken up. A financial report was made by the president. Rev. Williel 

 Thomson, stating that the College held property valued at about $18,000, 

 and that the income of the College during the past year had been about 

 $400 ; that three teachers had been employed, who had faithfully done their 

 work, and that the examination showed the instruction to have been of a 

 high order. 



"The number of students in attendance during the past year has been 

 twenty-five, which number was diminished toward the close of the last 

 term from sickness and other causes. 



"A new board of eleven trustees was elected, consisting of the following 

 gentlemen: Rev. M. N. Cornelius, Hon. P. M. Green, Geo. A. Swartwout, 

 Abbot Kinney, of Pasadena ; Rev. Mr. Wells, Dr. Cochran, Howard Mills, 

 of Eos Angeles ; Rev. Alexander Parker, of Orange ; O. C. Johnson, Esq., 

 of Riverside ; D. H. Newton, of Boston, Mass. ; Mr. Hughes, of Tustin." 



The local newspaper did everything it could to aid the enterprise. But 

 the fact was, this college was mislocated, was premature, was not on a plan 

 in touch with the spirit of the times, and had no money behind it — hence it 

 was born with failure in its bones. After two years of hard struggle, con- 

 tinually running in debt, its property was all heavil)^ encumbered, was sold 

 under mortgage, and eventually bought by C. D. Daggett ; and the building 

 which had served successively as public school-house, college hall, Congre- 



