COLBY COLLEGE �N �CCO UN'T OF ITS BEGINNINGS, PROGRESS AND SERVICE By EDWIN CAREr WHITTEMORE WAC£ERVILLE, MAINE THE TRUSTEES OF COLBY COLLEGE MCMXXVII Copyright, 1927, by Edwin Corey Whittemore Printed by The Southworth Press, Portland, Moine FO REWORD T was in a high and difficult faith that, over a century ago, the foundations of Colby College were laid. The purpose of its founders was to establish a Christian school that should furnish an adequate ministry to the church, and men of high character to the state (in itself the latest, and none too hopeful, experiment in democracy! ) . None of these founders were rich, few were learned, but they had the self-sacrifice and daring of intellectual and spiritual pioneers. This writer has tried clearly to see, and honestly to appreciate, the men who have made Colby-their motives, sacrifices, suc­ cesses, and failures. They were men of their day who were will­ ing to spend their lives that the next day might be wiser and more worthy. It is in gratitude that we bring this tribute to our intel­ lectual and spiritual fathers. Had these men not lived, and taught, and wrought righteousness, our heritage in all fields had been poorer, and the future of the world less full of promise. The college had no wealthy patron at the start. For many years no name appeared on its subscription book with a pledge of over $1,000. Yet with sturdy independence the col'lege has used what it had and kept on its way. Its resources have come from its own field, or from those who have profited by its beneficence. Colby's work has been one of real education. To it came sons of the honest, religious-minded, common people of J\daine. Only a few of them were sons of college men. They had little money to spend, for most of them were "working their way." The training at Colby fitted them for a very real service of the world, which they have performed with distinguished honor. It is not ashamed v · VI FORE WORD that it has never been a rich man's college. It is proud of its con­ tributions to the higher life of the world. Of any school, the question may be asked, "Has it taken the human material about it and made of it something so fine and potent as to justify its existence and meet the needs of its genera­ tion?" Colby has held, voiced, and stoutly contended for not a few of the structural ideas of the century. The idea of Lovejoy spread through the nation and bore fruit in the soul and deed of Abraham Lincoln. The idea of Boardman gave civilization to hundreds of thousands of the Karens of the mountains who, in the acceptance of the Christian faith, found abundant life. The idea of Brooks fruited in the efficiency and comprehensiveness of the modern periodical press. The idea of Merrill, seeking appointment as the firstmi ssionary of the Home Mission Society, has scattered the west with churches, schools, and universities. The idea of Anderson gave form and ideal to the great University of Rochester, while the ideas of certain great superintendents of public instruction in a n1 ultitude of cities, small and large, have had a national significance. The idea of Shannon and Hesseltine and Heath and Butler, after long struggle, triumphed forever at Appomattox in a nation hence­ forth one and indivisible. The idea of American duty, toward which the nation has groped for years, was seized by Morgan, Bourque, Perry and 675 of the men of Colby, who at Verdun, and on many battlefields, made November I I forever memorable as World Armistice Day. The quality of its service gives hope and promise that the col­ lege has a future of increasing honor to itself and value to the world. EDWIN CAREY WHITTEMORE. W ateftlJille, May 1st, 1927. CONTENTS FOREWORD . v I. THE BEGINNINGS OF COLBY COLLEGE . I II. THE MAINE LITERARY AND THEOLOGICAL INSTI­ TUTION . 19 III. WATERVILLE COLLEGE 29 IV. THE ADMINISTRATIONS OF PRESIDENT BABCOCK, PRESIDENT PATTISON AND PRESIDENT FAY . 56 V. THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT SHELDON . 69 VI. THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT CHAMPLIN - THE CIVIL WAR . 79 VII. THE ACADEMIES · 103 VIII. THE ADMINISTRATIONS OF PRESIDENT ROBINS AND PRESIDENT PEPPER . · I I I IX. THE ADMINISTRATIONS OF PRESIDENT SMALL AND PRESIDENT WHITMAN . · 118 X. THE ADMINISTRATIONS .OF PRESIDENT BUTLER AND PRESIDENT WHITE . · 126 XI. THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT ROBERTS, 1908 - . · 135 COLBY IN THE GREAT WAR . XII. · 143 THE CENTENNIAL . XIII. · 162 . VII V!!! CONTENTS XIV. THE DAWN OF A SECOND CENTURY . XV. THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN COLLEGE . 194 XVI. THE ART COLLECTIONS AT COLBY. · 197 XVII. JOURNALISM . · 200 XVIII. THE WOMEN AT COLBY . · 205 XIX. ATHLETICS . · 213 XX. THE CONTINUING SERVICE . · 228 ApPENDIX I. RULES, ORDERS AND By-LAWS MAINE LITERARYAND THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION 237 ApPENDIX II. FIRST PRINTED DOCUMENT MAINE LIT­ ERARY AND THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION . 241 ApPENDIX III. RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENT CHAPLIN. • 247 ApPENDIX IV. SCHEDULE OF INSTITUTION-PRESIDENT'S REPORT 1835 . 252 ApPENDIX V. DISTINCTIONS IN RANK . · 254 ApPENDIX VI. DISTINGUISHED COLBYGRADUATES . 255 ApPENDIX VII. PRIZES . • · 262 INDEX • ILLUSTRATIONS SOUTH CAMPUS · Frontispiece SOUTH COLLEGE · Facing p. 3 I GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN . Facing p. 35 LOVEJOY STONE AND CAMPUS • · Facing p. 38 PROFESSOR GEORGE W. KEELY, LL.D. · Facing p. 63 MARTIN B. ANDERSON · Facing p. 68 DELTA KAPPA EpSILON HOUSE • Facing p. 69 PHI DELTA THETA HOUSE • • • • · Facing p. 71 JAMES T. CHAMPLIN, LL.D., PRESIDENT, 1857-1873 · Facing p. 79 GARDNER COLBY · Facing p. 92 MEMORIAL HALL AND CHEMICAL HALL • • . · Facing p. 95 LION OF LUCERNE - READING ROOM . • • . GOVERNOR ABNER COBURN • • • • · . Facing p. 100 STURTEVANT HALL - HEBRON ACADEMY · Facing p. 103 C C I OBURN LASSICAL NSTITUTE • • · . Facing p. 105 R C I • ICKER LASSICAL NSTITUTE · . Facing p. 106 H C I • IGGINS LASSICAL NSTITUTE · Facing p. 108 H E R D D P ENRY . OBINS, . ., RESIDENT, 1873-1882 . · Facing p. III GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN PEPPER, LL.D., PRESIDENT, 1882- 1889 . · . · . Facing p. 114 . IX x ILLUS'rRA 'I'IONS ALBION W. SMALL, LL.D., PRESIDENT, 1889-1892 . Facing p. 118 PROFESSOR SAIVIUEL 1(. SMITH, D.D. Facing p. 122 JAMESHOBBS HANSON, LL.D. Facing p. 124 NATHANIEL BUTLER, JR., LL.D., PRESIDENT, 1896-1901 . Facing p. 126 SAMUEL OSBORNE, JANITOR OF COLBY UNIVERSITY, 1867-1903 Facing p. 134 ARTHUR J. ROBERTS, LL.D., PRESIDENT, 1908- . Facing p. 135 PRESIDENT sHousE . Facing p. 136 COLONEL RICHARD CUTTS SHANNON . Facing p. 140 CENTENNIAL PAGEANT SCENES . Facing p. 162 CHIEF JUSTICE CORNISH . Facing p. 174 PROFESSOR JULIAN D. TAYLOR, LL.D. Facing p. 182 DEDICATION OF STADIUM . Facing p. 185 THE BOARDMAN WILLOWS . Facing p. 187 THE CHAPEL . Facing p. 191 THE OLD LIBRARY - MILTON STATUE . Facing p. 197 ROGER WILLIAMS STATUE - JAPANESE PAINTING . Facing p. 199 MARY Low CARVER, '75 . Facing p. 205 MRs. ELIZA Foss DEXTER . Facing p. 209 FossHALL . Facing p. 212 PROFESSOR ANTON MARQUARDT, PH.D. Facing p. 233 C HAP T E RI 'Ihe Beginnings ofColby College KE the elm trees under whose shade they stand, the New England colleges were planted long ago. Growing slowly, Cthrough storm and drought, as well as sunshine, they have come to their strength and beauty. Their soil has been the deep conviction of the importance of knowledge and culture ; their purpose was graven on Harvard's seal- "For God and the Church." The motive of the founders was the same in all; namel'y, to provide the church with an educated, competent and significant ministry and the state with leaders of reliable char­ acter. For more than a century Colby College has held honor­ able place among these institutions and has done its full part toward the realization of these ideals. In 1674 the first Baptist church in Maine, with its pastor, William Screven, was driven from IZittery and went to South Carolina, where they helped found the denomination that now numbers its membership in millions. In 1767 chaplain Hezekiah Smith of Haverhill, Mass., took a missionary journey through York County and in 1768 organ­ ized Baptist churches at Gorham and North Berwick. The Bap­ tists were no longer driven out of the state, but they were heavily taxed to support the standing order. In 1810 the Baptists had become the largest religious body in Maine. Their self-taught ministers, however, were great enough and honest enough to see that without an educated ministry the churches of their faith could neither justify nor maintain their existence. Baptist schools in Maine had their beginning in the founding 2 THE BEGINNINGS OF COLBr COLLEGE of Hebron Academy in 1804 by Rev . John Tripp, Deacon William Barrows, and others of like spirit., As Baptist churches increased in number through the labors of missionary pioneer preachers from Massachusetts, they joined themselves together in groups called Associations. The annual n1eetings of these bodies were occupied with sermons of very formidable character ; devotional exercises and discussions of the things regarded necessary to denominational development. In 1807 Rev. Sylvanus Boardman of Livermore, in his circular letter to the Bowdoinham Association, urged that something should be done for the ministers since the churches had called to preach "those whose want of education, not understanding their mother tongue, compelled to devote their time to study even to obtain a competent knowledge of the English language sufficient to qualify them to acquire knowledge in logic, mathe­ matics or philosophy." That Boardman and his associates continued their effort appears in the record of the Bowdoinham Association in 181e, which reads : It being in contemplation to establish an institution in the district of Maine for the purpose of promoting literary and theological 'knowledge, brethren Blood, Boardman, Merrill, Titcomb and Tripp were appointed a committee to take into consideration the propriety of petitioning the general court [of Massachusetts] for incorporation.