August 12, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



195 



dent. His administration continued for 

 thirteen years, from 1874 to 1887. Pre- 

 paratory work was now cut oii, and 

 transferred to the high schools. The 

 -College of Letters and Science, in these 

 earlier years called the College of Arts 

 and Letters, became consolidated and 

 unified. Strong courses in the liberal 

 arts were built up. While instruction 

 in law and the applied sciences of agri- 

 culture and engineering increased some- 

 what, these subjects were still of very 

 subordinate importance. During the ad- 

 ministration of Dr. Baseom the instruc- 

 tional force increased from 29 to 49, the 

 college students from 310 to 505. At the 

 beginning of this administration there was 

 one so-called resident graduate and at the 

 end there were three. These advanced 

 students mark the dawn of graduate work. 

 During President Baseom 's administration 

 Assembly Hall and the first Science. Hall 

 were built. A few years later the latter 

 was destroyed by fire; but so rapid had 

 been the development of science in the uni- 

 versity, that it was necessary to replace 

 this building by a larger and better Science 

 Hall and to provide separate buildings for 

 chemistry and shop work. 



Of deep significance with reference to 

 the future was the fact that during these 

 years ex-Governor C. C. Washburn, a 

 man who had gained his fortune in the 

 Northwest, gave a portion of this wealth to 

 the university in the form of Washburn 

 Astronomical Observatory. For more than 

 twenty-five years this institution has been 

 of inestimable advantage to students of sci- 

 ence, and one of the important centers of 

 productive scholarship at the university. 

 It has thus helped to make the ixniver- 

 sity known, not only in the state, but 

 throughout the nation and the world. 

 But, perhaps, most promising of all 

 with reference to the future, was the 

 action, in 1876, of the state legislature, 



which levied a continuing one tenth of a 

 mill tax for the support of the university. 

 In 1883 this tax was increased to one eighth 

 of a mill and in later years the state grants 

 have been further increased from time to 

 time. Thus the state became committed to 

 permanent and liberal financial support of 

 the university. 



While the alumni of the time of John 

 Baseom remember with delight their stu- 

 dent days, while they retain much that 

 they then acquired, while they place above 

 price the intellectual attainments which 

 have enabled them successfully to deal with 

 the world, probably for many of them the 

 most treasured remembrance, the most po- 

 tent influence which they carried away 

 from the iiniversity, was the pervasive, 

 mastering, moral power of John Baseom, 

 whose personality wrought itself during 

 his presidency into every graduate. The 

 men of the days of Dr. Baseom may, or 

 may not, now believe the tenets of his for- 

 mal philosophy and ethics as given in his 

 books, and as pounded into them in the 

 class-room with sledge-hammer blows, but 

 they believe and share in his high ideals, 

 are inspired by his burning enthusiasm, 

 and have thus been led to stand^teadily for 

 the right. 



Following the administration of Baseom 

 came that of President Chamberlin, from 

 1887 to 1892. During these years the new 

 Science Hall was completed, the Law 

 Building was constructed, and an appro- 

 priation . was secured for a gymnasium. 

 The instructional force increased from 50 

 to 68 ; the students from 505 to 1,092. The 

 graduate students increased from 3 to 22. 

 The work in law, agriculture, and engi- 

 neering, which had been mere adjuncts to 

 the study of liberal arts, received organiza- 

 tion as colleges. This perfected the present 

 organization of the university into Col- 

 leges of Letters and Science, of Engineer- 

 ing, of Agriculture and of Law. 



