REIGHTON UNIVERSITY. The history of this college may be briefly outlined as follows: Mr. Edward Creighton, after whom the college is named, had proposed in life to form a free institution of learning, but died intestate on November 5, 1874, before making provisions for the fulfillment of his project. His wife, Mrs. Mary Lucretia Creighton, inheriting both his fortune and his noble purpose, determined to carry out her husband's wish, but did not live to behold its realization. Her death occurred on January 23, 1876. In her last will and testament, dated September 23, 1875, she made, among others, the following bequest:

    Item: I will and bequeath unto my said executors the further sum of one hundred thousand dollars to be by them received, held, kept, invested and reinvested in like manner, but upon the trusts nevertheless and to and for the uses, intents and purposes hereinafter expressed and declared of and concerning the same, that is to say, to purchase the site for a school in the city of Omaha, . . . and erect proper buildings thereon for a school of the class and grade of a College, expending in the purchase of said site and the building of said buildings, and in and about the same, not to exceeed (sic) one-half of said sum, and to invest the remainder in securities, the interest of which shall be applied to the support and maintenance; and the principal shall be kept forever inviolate. . .

   Acting on this bequest, the executors, Messrs. John A. Creighton, James Creighton, and Herman Kountze, purchased the present site and proceeded to erect what is now called the main building. The entire property and securities were duly conveyed by the executors to the Rt. Rev. James O'Connor, D.D., bishop of Omaha, July 1, 1878.
   Under and in pursuance of "An act of the legislature of the State of Nebraska (February 27, 1879) to provide for the incorporation of universities under certain circumstances," Rt. Rev. James O'Connor, D.D., vested the entire property and securities of Creighton College in a corporation, designating the legal title of said corporation to be Creighton University, and appointing five members of the Society of Jesus to constitute the board of trustees. Creighton University was thus incorporated on August 14, 1879.
   By deed of trust executed on December 4, 1879, the Rt. Rev. James O'Connor, D.D., conveyed all the property and securities of Creighton College to the above-mentioned corporation, Creighton University. By this conveyance the entire trust passed from the Rt. Rev. Bishop and his successors to Creighton University and its successors, the trust to be held and administered upon the same terms and conditions and for the same purposes, for and under which it was originally bequeathed by Mrs. Mary Lucretia Creighton. The position, therefore, of Creighton University relative to Creighton College, its property, and securities, as derived from the bequest of Mrs. Creighton, is that of trustee for Creighton College.
   The funds invested for the support of the college had been increased from the division of the residue of the estate of Mrs. Mary Lucretia Creighton, so that when Creighton University accepted the trust, the endowment fund amounted to about $147,500.
   The main building was begun in 1877 and completed in 1878. It is built of brick trimmed with limestone. There are three stories and a basement, with a frontage of 56 and depth of 126 feet. The facade is surmounted by a tower 110 feet high. This

building is at present devoted entirely to college purposes.
   The library, which had only 1,000 volumes in 1899, now contains about 17,000 volumes, among which are many works of considerable antiquity and value. It is a free library.
   In 1883, the scientific department of Creighton College was established and richly furnished by John A. Creighton with a complete chemical, physical, and astronomical outfit.
   The astronomical observatory received its full development in 1886, when the present observatory was erected on the brow of the hill north of the college. The cost of its erection was largely borne by John A. Creighton and John A. McShane.
   In 1892 John A. Creighton signified his willingness to found the medical department of Creighton University. To carry out his idea, the board of trustees held a meetinng (sic) May 3, 1892, and unanimously resolved to establish the "John A. Creighton Medical College" as a department of the university. This action was taken in virtue of an act of the legislature, passed February 27, 1879, giving the university authorities power to "erect within and as departments of said institution, schools and colleges of the arts, sciences, and professions, as to them may seem proper."
   The Edward Creighton Institute, 66 by 126 feet, four stories and basement, located on Eighteenth street, opposite the city hall, is the latest addition to the university buildings. It is intended to form a permanent home for the departments of law and dentistry, which were opened in 1905. It also gives temporary accommodation to a school of pharmacy, now in operation. The Omaha law library is located in this building.
   During the last few years of his life John A. Creighton added considerably to the en-

MRS. MARY LUCRETIA CREIGHTON

MRS. SARAH EMILY CREIGHTON

dowment fund of the university, and in his will made substantial provision for its permanent endowment.

    COTNER UNIVERSITY. At the annual state convention of the Nebraska Christian Missionary society in 1887 a resolution was passed authorizing a committee composed of J. Z. Briscoe, E. T. Gadd, Porter Hedge, W. P. Aylsworth, G. E. Bigelow, J. B. Johnson, and W. W. West to "receive and accept propositions" looking toward the incorporation of a Christian university. This committee accepted donations of land aggregating 321 acres, lying northeast of Lincoln, and on February 14, 1888, articles of incorporation of

the Nebraska Christian Educational Board were filed. The construction of a suitable building was begun which was finally completed in April, 1890, and fully paid for. This structure is a handsome and entirely modern building of Milwaukee pressed brick, and overlooks the city of Lincoln from a beautiful campus of twenty acres well set to trees, about four miles northeast of the postoffice. School was opened in the fall of 1889, in a private house with William P. Aylsworth as its acting president. In 1890 D. R. Dungan was called to the presidency and served for six years During this time the financial distress that

WILLIAM PRINCE AYLSWORTH

came upon the country, crushing banks and business interests of all kinds, met the young institution in its first years and well-nigh ended its career. Its assets, in common with those of the business world, shrank in value, and notes accepted for the deferred payment on lots sold, the proceeds of which were used to construct and fit out the building, were defaulted in large amounts and came back for payment. The lots had so shrunk in value that in many instances not one-tenth of the purchase price could be realized on them. A mortgage on the building, campus, and dormitory was given for funds to meet these demands. Times grew worse. Men were failing in business everywhere. Courage and confidence were at the lowest ebb. It came to be practically every man for himself. The mortgage was foreclosed and the property passed into the hands of a trustee for the creditors. But in spite of these adverse conditions the school never failed to hold full year's sessions. In 1896 Mr. Dungan resigned and W. P. Aylsworth was chosen as chancellor. John W. Hilton, a graduate of the school, was called to be its financial agent in 1898 and sent into the field to raise a fund to redeem the property. After two years of labor and through the great generosity of the creditors in scaling down the original debt very largely, the university building, campus, and dormitory were deeded to the "Nebraska Christian University," an incorporation formed February 11, 1901, and representing the Disciples of Christ in Nebraska, thus securing to the brotherhood of the state this handsome property, valued at over $137,000.
   The university has two colleges, liberal arts and medicine. It has also an academy, normal school, business school, school of eloquence, school of music, and school of art. The college of liberal arts offers four courses: Classical, sacred literature, philosophical, and normal philosophical.
   The medical college is situated in the City of Lincoln and is known as Lincoln Medical College. This school was opened September 15, 1890, in the university building, with Dr. W. S. Latta as dean. It has a four-years course and confers the degree of M.D., its diplomas being recognized by state boards of health. Dr. Frank L. Wilmeth is the president.
   William P. Aylsworth, LL.D., was the chancellor of the university for about fifteen years and has been at the head of the sacred literature department from the opening day, November 1, 1889. Dr. James A. Beattie was for many years connected with the institution. The work of the school is growing steadily and its influence is widespread. Its alumni may be found in prominent fields of labor in business,

education, and religion. Some of its graduates are in foreign fields as missionaries.
   At the annual meeting of the trustees in June, 1910, Dr. W. P. Aylsworth resigned the chancellorship but retained his place and work at the head of the department of sacred literature. In July of the same year the trustees elected William Oschger, A.M., pastor of the Christian church of Vincennes, Indiana, to fill the office of chancellor. Mr. Oschger continued in office until June, 1916. The trustees elected Charles Watt Erickson, M.S., of Detroit, Michigan, a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, to fill the place made vacant by the retirement of Mr. Oschger. At the close of the college year in June, 1917, Mr. Erickson resigned and returned to Detroit. The trustees appointed Andrew D. Harmon, A.M., acting chancellor. At the time of his appointment he was a member of the teaching staff of the university and dean of the faculty. Cotner University is one of the institutions of higher education for which the members of the Christian church are raising an endowment fund of $3,500,000 in connection with $2,800,000 for missionary purposes in America and foreign lands. The "Men and Millions Movement" as it is called, is to complete its work by June 1, 1918. Cotner University's share of the $3,500,000 is $225,000. This sum, with the endowment already possessed, will make a good beginning of the large sum which a growing institution of learning needs. A fund of $10,000 for each year for three years ($30,000), in addition to the regular fees and interest on the endowment and the sums which are contributed by the churches on educational Sunday, has been raised. The addition to the funds will help to carry on the work of the university while the $225,00O becomes interest bearing.

    DOANE COLLEGE. One of the distinctive characteristics of Congregationalists is to build colleges and academies. Our Pilgrim fathers landed at Plymouth in 1620, and in 1636 founded Harvard college and in 1701 Yale college. Since then, with the development of the denomination, colleges and academies have been established east and west, north and south, until today the Congregational institutions of learning bear noble testimony to the educational genius of the Congregational churches and stand in the very forefront in the splendid educational system of the republic. It is not surprising, then, that our pioneer fathers in Nebraska at the first annual meeting of the Congregational churches in the territory, held in Omaha, October 30, 1857,

   Resolved, That we deem it expedient to take measures to lay the foundation of a literary institution of a high order in Nebraska.
   Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to take into consideration the location of the literary institution.
   Voted, That this committee view locations, receive propositions, and, if thought expedient, call a special meeting of the association.

   In accordance with these instructions the Nebraska University, located at Fontenelle, February, 1855, and commonly referred to as the "Fontenelle school," was transferred to the Congregationalists, January, 1858. A tract of 112 acres was set apart for the school, almost ideal in the lay of the land, and the early prospects of the school were bright, but subsequent disappointments many. Fontenelle had an ambition to secure the county seat and also the capital of the new state.
   The building of railroads and the push of settlements west and south of Fontenelle sealed its fate as a school center and as a town. Fremont secured the county seat and Fontenelle was set in another county, Lincoln was awarded its hoped-for capitol, Crete its college, and the open fields its once ambitious town. The Fontenelle school never reached a secure footing. When the state capital was located at Lincoln and the trend of immigration went that way, it became evident that the Congregational college must have a more central location. The result was that the school at Fontenelle was abandoned, and a new college was organized at Crete by vote of the general association, June, 1872, and was duly incorporated July 11, 1872. An academy had been located at Crete the preceding year incorporated as Crete Academy, May 22, 1871, -- and this doubtless had no little to do with the location of the new college.
   No name was attached to the college when it was located, but in virtue of the generous

aid, active coöperations, and splendid qualities of manhood of Thomas Doane, chief engineer and superintendent of the Burlington & Missouri River railroad in Nebraska, the college corporation wrote his name in the articles of incorporation, and the institution was called Doane College.
   In classical and literary work it has for years stood among the best colleges in the land, and in scientific research and instruction Doane College has achieved splendid results considering its meager equipment.
   There are now in the college ten professors and twelve instructors. The chairs

PRESIDENT DAVID B. PERRY

are mental philosophy and history, economics and ethics, ancient languages and principal of the academy, Greek and Latin, English literature and history of art, German, French, and elocution, chemistry, physics and astronomy, biology, mathematics, and biblical literature.
   In addition to these there is a fine music school and a successful commercial department. Much attention also is given to pedagogy, and excellent work is being done along this line, the course in pedagogy leading to a state teacher's certificate. The college has had a healthy growth from its beginning it, 1872. The first year there were fifteen students and one teacher, Mr. Perry himself; the second year forty students and two teachers; the third year sixty students and three teachers. It now has an annnual (sic) attendance of about 250 students.
   The college is governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees, twenty-seven in number, who serve for three years but are eligible for reëlection. College graduates are invited each year to nominate one or more of their number to fill vacancies on the board, and in like manner the Congregational churches of the state have the privilege to nominate one or more trustees, the object being to keep the college in close touch with its alumni and with the churches of the state. The board shall have not less than twelve nor more than twenty-seven members, its present number, and of these not less than three-fourths shall be members in good standing in Evangelical Congregational churches.
   The college is broad in its sympathies, nonsectarian in its methods, charitable in its dealings with others, and welcomes students of other denominations, and of no church leanings, and seeks to bring all under the influence of higher learning, based on eternal truth.
   The college presents three carefully prepared courses of study leading to the baccalaureate degrees in art, literature, and science.
   An account of the life, work, and progress of Doane College would lose much of its spirit and meaning if it did not contain more than a passing mention of David B. Perry, A.M., D.D., who opened the school and was its president for almost forty years. From the day of his appointment, July 20, 1872, to the time of his death, May 12, 1912, he was the guiding spirit and acknowledged leader. This statement does not take away anything from the foresight of the members of the board of trustees nor from the devotion of the men and women who have graced the class rooms and dignified the platform of the institution.
   At first President Perry was appointed to conduct the school as a tutor, then in 1873 he was made professor of Greek and Latin and next as president in fact but not in name

until June 21, 1881. The record of the meeting of the trustees on that day says that "Professor D. B. Perry was duly elected as the unanimous choice of the trustees for President." Thus for almost forty years he served the college as its administrative officer under the titles of tutor, professor, and president.
   In some respects Doane College has reflected the Puritan and New England spirit more than any other institution of higher education in Nebraska. This has been due in a large measure to the educational conceptions and character of President Perry, to the friends with means to aid the work of the college who lived in the east, and to the men and women who have made up the faculty. Not that Doane College has not possessed the western spirit for that would be a statement not true to fact, but western modified and directed by the classical and cultural conception of life, education, and religion of the eastern friends and helpers. President Perry when a lad attended the high school of Worcester, Massachusetts, was a student in Yale and later a graduate in Princeton and in Union Theological Seminary. During these years and in these surroundings the seeds of intellectual, moral, and spiritual life were planted and the plants that came from these seeds were made to bear much fruit. The foundations of learning, the ideals of manhood, and the devotion to religious conviction did not suffer loss by being transplanted to the valley of the Blue. His ability, training, and faithfulness were seconded by his energy, industry, and devotion during forty years and as a result we see the hopes realized and the dreams come true. As is certain to be the case, where time is given for growth and development, the outstanding qualities of the presiding personality become the characteristics of the institution. This general principle is nowhere more acurately (sic) illustrated by a concrete example than by the college at Crete. Generous and far-seeing friends in the Fast made possible the growth, the buildings, the equipment, and the endowment, and these things in turn determined what President Perry purposed and planned the college should be in tone and principle, and what it should stand for and accomplish as an institution of higher education. He believed in the future of Nebraska. He had an abiding faith in the ability of the college to help the state make substantial progress. He had the fullest confidence in the people among whom he lived and to whom be never failed to present the need of truth, justice, and honesty, in all relations of life, and that, in the end, right and righteousness are certain to prevail.
   While Dr. Perry's time, thought, and energies were devoted to the college he was in no sense restricted in his interests and sympathies. He was at all times in accord with the public school system of the state, with the high schools in their development, with the other colleges in their progress, with the normal schools both public and private, and with the state university. To very few men are given the opportunity to be what Dr. Perry was in the state and to do in Nebraska what he did for so long a period as that indicated by July 21, 1872, to May 12, 1912.

   WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. The Methodists of Nebraska have been in hearty sympathy with all moral reforms. They were opposed to slavery in the '50s, and loyal to the government in the '60s. They have occupied an advanced position on the temperance question, and whenever the issue has been distinctly drawn, as in the contest in 1890 for a constitutional amendment, have been unanimously arrayed against the saloon.
   It was not till this last period that the church found it possible to enter upon its long cherished work of Christian education. It is, however, characteristic of the church that the first enterprise of any kind projected was Simpson University, as far back as 1855, for which the Methodists of the ambitious city of Omaha secured from the legislature an act of incorporation. To furnish a financial basis for the institution the Rev. Moses F. Shinn gave fifty acres of land and T. B. Cuming, acting governor, gave twenty-five. This tract of land, lying as it does just north of Cuming street, has since become very valuable, being in the heart of a fine residence portion of the city. But a disputed title, in