Tag Archives: James C. Colgate

p. 232 – Colgate in the 1890’s

Posted on June 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on p. 232 – Colgate in the 1890’s

Society, reported that the churches were alarmed and the situation became so grave that Schmidt was urged to seek a non-theological chair at some other institution.

In response to questions from Samuel Colgate, President of the Education Society, Professor Schmidt made a detailed statement to Mr. Colgate of his views which he defended as in accord with those usually held by Baptists. The heart of the matter as Schmidt saw it was

 

 

whether there is room in the Baptist denomination for a consistent application of scientific principles in the interpretation of the Bible and for progressive theology to which it invariably leads and what is the true conception of the duty of a theological professor in a Baptist seminary.*

 
Dean Burnham, who seems to have kept to the sidelines at first, threatened to resign if Schmidt remained on the faculty. He considered his associate’s views more Unitarian than Baptist and asserted that the real issue was whether the Seminary was to have a faculty who taught “the generally accepted Baptist truth.” He did concede, however, that in a college the professors might teach “truth as by their studies, they come to believe it to be.”**

Matters came to a climax at the June 1896 meetings of the University and Education Society Trustees. Both Boards, in accordance with their Compact of 1893, appointed a joint committee to recommend action on the Education Society Board’s request that Schmidt be dismissed for teachings which tended “to weaken the confidence of young men in the Scriptures and to alienate the sympathy of our churches from the institution.” The committee promptly recommended that his services be terminated as soon as possible, James C. Colgate, alone of the committee, protesting on the ground that no proper cause of action had been presented. The Education Society’s Board at once unanimously approved the Committee’s recommendation. Since the University Board had already adjourned, Mr. Colgate, as Secretary, informed Schmidt that the University Board was certain to dismiss him at its next meeting in December and advised him to find a new position. At Cornell, meanwhile, President Jacob G. Schurman, himself a Baptist and aware of the Colgate situation, had persuaded one of his

*Letter, Nathaniel Schmidt to Samuel Colgate, May 25, 1895.

**Letter, Dean Sylvester Burnham to Samuel Colgate, February 5, 1896.

Comments Off on p. 232 – Colgate in the 1890’s

Posted in Chapter 11, Colgate in the 1890's, p. 232

Tagged , , ,

Office of the registrar established (p. 218)

Posted on June 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on Office of the registrar established (p. 218)

his friendly and conciliatory nature, his thorough knowledge of the institution and its history, his wide acquaintance with the alumni, all contributed to make him a sagacious and acceptable leader.”

Other changes included: printing the Minutes of Trustees’ Meetings so that each member might have copy; holding two Trustees’ Meetings each year, instead of one, the second to be in New York in December; and electing members of the Board for five-year terms. This modern and efficient approach it was hoped would stimulate genuine Trustee interest in University affairs.

For five years the Trustees searched without success for a president. Various prominent Baptists turned them down because they disliked the poorly defined joint operations of the University and the Baptist Education Society and sensed trouble because the president’s authority over the Seminary was not spelled out. Their objections were especially pertinent in a period in which there was considerable unrest and turmoil in theological circles.

At the outset of the search for a president, the faculty urged the twenty-seven-year old James C. Colgate to accept the office. No doubt flattered, he modestly declined to follow in the footsteps of his demi-god, Ebenezer Dodge. He felt he could be of greater service as a Trustee and time proved him correct. In many ways he was President pro tem and, as such, kept in close touch with Dean Andrews and the faculty committee and with the students. As a means, rather unusual in the 1890’s, of enlisting undergraduate support he furnished the Madisonensis with lengthy accounts of Trustee meetings. Furthermore, he came to the campus as often as he could and talked to the students about his responsibilities and his hopes for the University while, at the same time, frankly admitting he was not much older than they and would like to join in their fun. Under his prodding the Executive Committee made a thorough investigation of the University’s daily operations and called for detailed reports from its officers. In 1892 the office of Registrar was established to consolidate and maintain efficient and complete records of student grades and absences; the duties of the Registrar were combined with those of the Librarian until 1898. James C. Colgate’s influence can be detected also in the reorganization of procedures in the Treasurer’s Office and in forming in 1892 a Trustees’ Finance Committee to have custody of the University’s securities and to direct the investment of its funds. Mr.

Comments Off on Office of the registrar established (p. 218)

Posted in Chapter 11, Colgate in the 1890's, p. 218, timeline

Tagged , ,

p. 217 – Colgate in the 1890’s

Posted on June 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on p. 217 – Colgate in the 1890’s

Chapter XI – COLGATE IN THE 1890’s

The death of Dr. Dodge in 1890 marked the end of an era. He and his friend, James B. Colgate, had retarded but not prevented change. With Dodge, or the “magister,” as he was sometimes called, no longer on the scene and the aging Patron gradually relinquishing responsibilities to his son, James C. Colgate, the University moved forward with unprecedented speed. The change of name from Madison to Colgate University seemed to foreshadow innovation. Starting with the Board of Trustees, the administrative structure was reorganized, the endowment greatly augmented, the physical plant expanded and improved, several young scholars added to the faculty, new academic departments set up, the curriculum liberalized, student life, especially fraternities and athletics, given new vigor, and the alumni encouraged to participate in the University’s life. Even though there was no president for most of the period, to the distress of students and others of the academic community, morale was high and a quiet, well-founded pride was abroad on the campus. Colgate was getting in step with her sister institutions.

The Trustees quickly discovered after Dr. Dodge’s death that he had been the center of administration and with his removal they had no effective communication with the faculty and students. On faculty recommendation, they reconstituted their Provisional Committee with James C. Colgate as chairman and directed it to take over the President’s duties until that office should’ be filled. In 1891 they replaced this body with an Executive Committee with James C. Colgate as the most important member. Dean Newton Lloyd Andrews carried out the routine campus duties of the President’s office until June 1891 when four of his’ colleagues were associated with him to share the burden. “His rich experience,” Dr. Crawshaw remembered,

Comments Off on p. 217 – Colgate in the 1890’s

Posted in Chapter 11, Colgate in the 1890's, p. 217

Tagged , , ,

p. 204 – Student Life, 1869-1890

Posted on June 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on p. 204 – Student Life, 1869-1890

women’s dormitory. His death in 1890 terminated consideration of such radical departures. The Madisonensis editor in 1870 had heartily disapproved of coeducation though his successor six years later enthusiastically endorsed the idea.

Among the freshmen on the campus in the fall of 1876 there was a fourteen-year old who was to become Governor of New York, Secretary of State, and Chief Justice of the United States; he was Charles Evans Hughes. His classmate, Edward F. Waite, remembered him as no infant prodigy but as a hardworking, good all-around student. Shy at first, he proved to be companionable and “ready for whatever fun was going.” One of the young freshman’s closest friends was a sophomore, Albert P. Brigham, destined to become an eminent geographer and geologist, who was his neighbor in West Hall and a fellow member of Delta Upsilon. Hughes described him as a “real sort of father to me.” The boy’s studious habits did not keep him from ball playing, tramping over the hills, coasting, skating, and even snowballing. He himself told of joining his classmates in painting a cow red, white and blue and putting it in the chapel and in hoisting a stove to the roof of West Hall as a protest against the shortage of coal in the classrooms. Though at the end of his second year he transferred to Brown University to take courses not available at Madison, he cherished fond memories of his friendships and instruction on the Hill.

In the next decade there was another undergraduate whose subsequent career makes his campus years of particular interest-James C. Colgate, Class of 1884. Contrary to his inclinations but in accord with the wishes of his father, James B. Colgate, he entered Madison rather than Yale where his cousins, the sons of Samuel Colgate, enrolled. Furthermore, at his father’s insistence, he lived in Dr. Dodge’s home, an arrangement which neither he nor the President liked. They, nevertheless, worked out a satisfactory modus vivendi– the boy was to have his freedom to come and go as he pleased and in turn, agreed not to leak confidential information. Despite his initial reservations, he maintained in later years that he had acquired a good education, not only in the classroom and study but also in rubbing shoulders with boys less privileged than he. His fellow students found him very friendly and ready to take part in sports and other activities. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, first editor of the yearbook, the Salmagundi, and a leader in the YMCA. He enjoyed hiking over the

Comments Off on p. 204 – Student Life, 1869-1890

Posted in Chapter 10, p. 204, Student Life, 1869-1890

Tagged ,

p. 180 – Administration, Faculty, and Instruction in the Dodge Era

Posted on June 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on p. 180 – Administration, Faculty, and Instruction in the Dodge Era

in having the State Board of Health send representatives to the campus. The immediate effects of their critical report are difficult to determine beyond the resignation of the janitor and the Board’s choice of a Buildings and Grounds Committee consisting of Dr. Dodge and Professors Spear, Osborn, and Taylor. The latter accepted appointment only on condition that Professor Spear not be allowed to stand in the way of change, an arrangement which was to permit Taylor to begin a notable career as Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds. In fairness to Spear, however, it should be noted that in his years as Treasurer when funds were scarce he had learned to keep expenses to a minimum and any outlay for landscaping he could well regard as of dubious value. It was reluctantly that Dr. Dodge acknowledged the need for improvements and James B. and Samuel Colgate were slow to be won over. The former had been prodded by his son, James C., a sophomore, who called his attention to situations needing correction, many of which were probably not evident when Mr. Colgate made his annual commencement trips to a campus polished and garnished for visitors. One of Taylor’s first moves-arranging for the use of lawn mowers on the area north of East and West Halls-meant that trash had to be removed and some grading done. Competent janitorial service for the dormitories was also instituted. The new dispensation met with enthusiastic student approval, needless to say.

In the fall of 1883 James B. Colgate brought the designer of Central Park in New York and Prospect Park in Brooklyn, the eminent landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead, to the campus and they, with President Dodge, and presumably Professor Taylor, spent a day walking over the grounds to locate projected buildings and layout improvements. The celebrated visitor was reported as “quite enthusiastic” about the picturesque site of the University. No plans drawn up by Olmstead have been found but Taylor acted on some of his recommendations in laying out paths and roads, grading, and planting trees. Students organized by classes contributed a good deal of the labor and for this purpose were given holidays in the spring and fall. Since many had grown up on farms they were not unused to planting or felling trees, digging stumps, or drawing stone. Additional labor came from the Irish immigrants who were being hired as janitors and groundsmen, the best known of whom, Lant Gilmartin, became head janitor in 1888. For many years he was Dr. Taylor’s “right hand man,” a distinc-

Comments Off on p. 180 – Administration, Faculty, and Instruction in the Dodge Era

Posted in Administration, Faculty, and Instruction in the Dodge Era, Chapter 9, p. 180

Tagged

p. 177 – Administration, Faculty, and Instruction in the Dodge Era

Posted on June 14, 2012 by | Comments Off on p. 177 – Administration, Faculty, and Instruction in the Dodge Era

Samuel Colgate, p177

he served as President from 1861 until his death in 1897. Four years younger than his brother, he and James were very fond of one another and shared many interests, denominational and philanthropic and also artistic and horticultural. Samuel lived in Orange, New Jersey, where he had an estate called Seven Oaks after the village in Kent, England, associated with the Colgate family. He had flower and vegetable gardens, a conservatory, and greenhouses and he and Mrs. Colgate often had their big red brick house filled with guests.

Both James B. and Samuel Colgate, following the precedent set by their father, sought to interest their sons in the University. The first saw his son, James C., become a University Trustee in 1888, while Richard, the eldest of Samuel’s sons, was made an Education Society Trustee in 1889. Subsequently, Richard’s brothers, Sidney and Russell, joined him on the Society’s Board and Sidney, Russell and a fourth brother, Austen, became members of the University Board.

Along with Dr. Dodge, important figures on the campus in adminis-

Comments Off on p. 177 – Administration, Faculty, and Instruction in the Dodge Era

Posted in Administration, Faculty, and Instruction in the Dodge Era, Chapter 9, p. 177

Tagged , , , , , ,