school was opened in June, 1905. As the building was not ready for use at the time of the opening and during this summer session, use was made of the building belonging to the Kearney high school. The first regular school year began in September, 1905. The school occupied the completed parts of the building for the first part of the year. It has been said that the enrollment for the first summer session (863 different students) was the largest for the opening session of any normal school in the United States.
   The school has had a large field from which to draw students, and it has done everything that could be done by the president and members of the faculty to make it a worthy place in which to be in training for the profession of teaching. The library and other equipment are not only adequate for the present needs, but also they are increased as rapidly as they can be used to advantage. In common with the State Normal School at Peru, Wayne, and Chadron, there is given at the close of a full four years' course above the high school the bachelor of arts degree.
   When Dr. Thomas left the school in the autumn of 1914, George S. Dick of the State College for Teachers in Iowa was elected president as his successor. The efficient work of the first years has been maintained by President Dick and those associated with him. They are building worthy structure upon the foundation which had its beginning in June, 1905.

   SATTE (sic) NORMAL SCHOOL AT WAYNE. The State Normal School at Wayne was organized as a private normal school in 1891 by President J. M. Pile. It was continued under his management until the close of the school year, 1909-1910. It is not too much to say that the school prospered during the nineteen years of its history. Many young men and women look to their school days in the institution of that period and are glad they were taught and their characters formed by President and Mrs. Pile and the teachers they gathered about them.
   During the session of the legislature of 1900 a bill was passed appropriating $90,000, or so much thereof as might be necessary. with which to purchase the Wayne Normal College property for a State Normal School. The power to buy was vested in the state board of education. The board of education made an inspection of the buildings, grounds, and equipment and fixed the value and the price to be paid at $70,000. The sum of $20,000 which remained after the purchase price was paid was set aside to conduct the school from September 1, 1910, to April 1, 1911. The board of education elected as president U. S. Conn, who at the time was superintendent of the city schools of Columbus, Nebraska. President Conn organized a faculty of capable and devoted men and women and the school was opened as a State Normal School in September, 1910. From the beginning day the institution has made constant and commendable progress. The property has been improved from year to year. A complete sewer and water system has been installed. The campus has been enlarged from ten to forty acres. Three modern fireproof buildings have been erected. One of these buildings is used by the library and the department of science; another contains the office of administration; and the third is used by the physical and industrial training departments. The building which contains the office of administration contains also a large assembly hall and many of the class rooms. The total amount expended by the state, not including the purchase money, is about $350,000. The country naturally tributary to the State Normal School at Wayne is one of the best portions of Nebraska, The school has shown appreciation of its situation and the people have taken advantage of the opportunity it has furnished. If the life and accomplishment of the years since September 1, 1910, are to be taken as a measure of that which shall be, the future is full of hope and promise.

   STATE NORMAL SCHOOL AT CHADRON. The first work in education in addition to that furnished by the good school system of the city of Chadron was done by the academy which was agreed upon by an association of Congregational churches in 1888. Other towns and cities in that part of the state wanted the school, as was the case when the board of education came to select a location for the State Normal School which the legislature had

authorized. But the natural advantages and the enterprise of the people were such that it went to Chadron. The academy was opened for students in a building which the city provided, in September, 1890. The first building belonging to the academy was dedicated December 3, 1890, and occupied by the school the same day. This building was destroyed by fire in November, 1892, but the school went on. A dormitory for women, in which there was a dining hall for all students, was built in 1894. The principal of the academy was L. M. Oberkotter.
   The legislature of 1909 authorized another State Normal School, appropriating $35,000, and fixed the location within certain limits -- that is, "west of the east line of the Sixth Congressional District and north of the 42d parallel of latitude in the State of Nebraska." Among the provisions enumerated by the legislature was that the people in the community where it is located must furnish eighty acres of land for a campus, and for such other uses as the school in its work and progress might need. The board of education began at once a building and other matters relating to the school. The building erected was planned and situated so that parts could be added as they might be needed and independent buildings so placed as to give a good appearance. Mr. Joseph Sparks was elected president. At the time of his appointment he was connected with the state department of public instruction and had been the superintendent of the city schools of Aurora. He gathered about him a faculty of able men and women. The first session of the new school -- under the direction of the state -- was in the summer of 1911. President Sparks continued in office until the summer of 1916. He and those associated with him laid the foundations. They were successful in the numbers of students, in the quality of the work, and in making the school worthy of an honorable place among the institutions of like grade in the state and in that part of the country where it is situated. When he resigned, the board of education elected Robert I. Elliott of Kearney. At the time of his election Mr. Elliott was a member of the faculty of the State Normal School at Kearney. President Elliott's ability had been tested while doing the work of a superintendent of city schools at Wayne and Broken Bow and while holding the office of deputy state school superintendent. During the years which lie in between June, 1911, and the time of this writing -- near the beginning of the second semester of the school year 1917-1918 -- the school has made gratifying progress. Each year has seen the sphere of its influence enlarged. Each year has seen its equipment, its library, and its laboratories increased. The period of less than seven years from the opening day has seen three fine buildings take their place on the campus. The people in the northwest part of the state cannot fail to appreciate the fact that the board of education has been generous in appropriations and the members of the faculty have been earnest and devoted, intelligent and faithful in doing the work committed to their hands

    THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA. It is often said and it is generally accepted as true that the one controlling passion of the American people is money, money getting and money spending.
   The same thing is put in another form when we are told that the one outstanding fact which at once and everywhere marks the American at home and abroad is the "almighty dollar." However true these statements may be, or however distant they may be from the real life and true heart of the genuine American there is one thing even stronger in the thought and in the purpose of every intelligent, far seeing American, and that is the desire to see the members of his household and the children of his neighbors and friends have an open door to the advantages of the primary and secondary schools. When these two are completed he desires an unobstructed path to the best and most varied courses of study in the university. That this was the case in Nebraska to as great an extent as in any other state and to a marked degree as anywhere else is indicated by the action of the second state legislature in establishing the University. This passion for schools and education is seen to be more remarkable when we remember how young the state was in 1869, the compara-

tively small number of people within her borders, the very meager physical development of the country, the financial condition of her citizens, and the privations of pioneer life and conditions.
   The act of the legislature which established the University was approved by the governor on the 15th of February, 1869, and went into effect the same day. From that date for all these years this day, the 15th of February, has been known and observed in University circles as "Charter Day." The bill contained many specifications and nearly all of them testify to the intelligent purpose and far-sightedness of the members of the legislature.
   Among other things the act prescribed the legal name and style by which the institution is to be known," The University of Nebraska"; the purpose for which the University is created; the authority by which it is to be governed -- "The Regents of the University of Nebraska"; the name and number of departments of which the University shall consist; the chairs of instruction to be established as the needs of the state increase; the campus and buildings to be located within a radius of four miles of the state house; the governor is authorized to set apart two sections of land belonging to the state as a part of the college of agriculture; the authority of the board of regents; the steps to be taken by those who desire to receive a diploma from the University; the general course to be followed in organizing the institution; that no discrimination should lie against any person on account of "age, sex, color, or nationality"; the way in which the funds are to be divided and used; and the general provision for the work of the institution the legislature was calling into life and being, For corporate purposes the name of the University in law is "The Regents of the University of Nebraska."
   The six departments of the University in the enabling act are designated thus: A college of ancient and modern literature; mathematics and the natural sciences; a college of agriculture; a college of law; a college of medicine; and a college of fine arts.
   The act which created the university made the governor, the state school superintendent, and the chancellor ex officio members of the board of regents, and the governor the president of the board. Besides these three the board was to consist of nine members. The law of 1869 was amended from time to time, making the board to consist of six elected members. The members are chosen at the time of the general election. They are elected two at a time for a term of six years. As is often the case in undertakings of this kind many things are criticised and much fault is found. The passing years, however, have in a large measure justified the work of the legislature and the board of regents.
   It is to the lasting credit of the city of Lincoln that the citizens did everything in their power to aid in the erection of the first building and in making repairs in the foundation. The greater part of the funds which erected the first building came from the sale of lots. This sale began on June 5, 1869. It is said that 105 lots were sold the first day for about $30,000. The corner-stone of the first building was laid on September, 23, 1869. After much trouble the final repairs and changes in the foundation of the building were made upon the recommendation of four architects who were called in by the board of regents. The people of Lincoln were vitally interested in all that was done. The architects made their report on June 23, 1871. To quiet the whole matter and to make the building safe beyond any question a new foundation was put under the building at a cost of $6,012. This bill was paid by the citizens of Lincoln. This was in the summer of 1877.
   The difficulty with the foundation was not because any one was trying to get the advantage of the regents, or any thing of that kind. The foundation was built out of untried material. It was in a new country where not many things had been tested. It was supposed that the sandstone when taken out and exposed to the action of the atmosphere would harden. This in fact was true of a part of it but not of all. Some of it crumbled instead of hardening. The result was a wall which could not be depended upon to carry the building. The fault in the foundation was not in the men who put it up, nor in the contractor,

but because untried, untested stone was used. This is not at all strange when we remember the delay which would have been caused by an attempt to bring stone from a long distance without the railway.
   The University was opened for the enrolment (sic) of students September 6, 1871. The number enrolled at the close of the first week was about ninety. The law at that time vested in the governor the power to appoint the members of the board of regents, except the three ex officio members for which the act provided. The law provided that three should be appointed from each judicial district. The first board of regents consisted of twelve members -- nine appointed by Governor Butler and three ex officio members. They areas follows: From the first judicial district, Robert W. Furnas, David R. Dungan, and John E. Elliott; from the second judicial district, Abel B. Fuller, the Rev. John B. Maxwell, and Champion S. Chase; from the third judicial district, William B. Dale, F. H. Longley, and William G. Olinger. The three ex officio members were Governor David Butler, State Superintendent Samuel D. Beals, and Chancellor Allen R. Burton.
   At the time of the opening of the University and the inauguration of the first chancellor, the Hon. William H. James was acting governor and president of the board of regents. In presenting the keys to the chancellor Governor James closed a short address with these words: "You have been chosen to a high and responsible office, one that will be surrounded with difficulties which may require time to overcome; and yet I take pleasure in assuring you that the confidence which prompted your selection has been strengthened by our acquaintance and association. To you belongs the duty of inaugurating our system of education; to you we entrust the enlightment of our youth -- the beautifying and adorning of those most enduring monuments."
   In accepting the keys from the governor Chancellor Benton responded in these words: "With a profound sense of the duties and responsibilities to be assumed I receive from your hands those symbols of that authority which the regents have seen fit to bestow upon me. The cordial greetings of your honorable body and that of the people of the state, I return with hearty thankfulness on my own behalf, and of the University faculty. If shall be our earnest endeavor to justify the confidence you have reposed in us while we shall continue to rely on you for your sympathy and unfailing support. Assisted then, by these skillful and experienced educators, armed with your authority and sustained by your confidence, and relying on the aid of Divine providence, without which all our labors will be in vain, we enter hopefully on the work to which you have called us."
   This part of the inaugural program was followed by the more formal address in which Chancellor Benton outlined the work and policy of the institution. He concluded with these three sentences: "On this Autumn day, long to be held in memory, as the Autumn sun declines to the west, the crescent glory of a new fountain of intellectual light takes its place in the firmament of literature and science. As a ship, it begins to glide over the water, well manned, rejoicing in its bounding life, its canvas full spread, and every heart beating with joy and hope of a prosperous voyage. Speaking for the Regents, the University, Students, and all represented in this work, I say, God bless the ship; God bless the builders; God bless the picked crew; and not to be forgotten, God bless all the passengers."
   The first faculty consisted of Allen R. Benton, A.M., LL.D., chancellor and professor of intellectual and moral philosophy; S. H. Manley, A.M., professor of ancient languages and literature; Henry E. Hitchcock, A.M., professor of mathematics; 0. C. Dake, professor of rhetoric and English literature; Samuel Augney, A.M., professor of chemistry and natural sciences; George E. Church, A.M., principal of the Latin school; and S. R. Thompson, professor of agriculture.
   In the beginning years only one of the six departments was opened, the college of ancient and modern literature, mathematics, and natural sciences. It provided, the first year, for four courses of study -- Latin, Greek, classical, and science. J. Stuart Dales from East Rochester, Ohio, who has been so long

and honorably connected as secretary of the board of regents and with the admistration (sic) of the financial affairs of the University, was graduated in 1873. He was the first person to receive a diploma and the bachelor's degree, Along with him was William H. Snell of Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Snell is now in Tacoma, Washington, and is judge of the circuit court. Mr. Dales came first only because the diploma and degrees were presented in the alphabetical order of the names of the students.
   Independent of the money which comes to the University from appropriations by the legislature every two years, there are several sources from which large sums are received. By what is known as the land grant act of the United States Congress in 1862, the college of agriculture when organized in 1872 secured 90,000 acres of land. This land has been sold or leased. The college of agriculture receives the rent and the interest on certain specified work. The University came under the provisions of the act of Congress of 1864, and received seventy-two sections (46,080 acres) of land. The University receives the rent of the unsold part of these lands and the interest on the part sold. The rent and interest can be used for any purpose for which there may be need. The Hatch-Adams fund, as it is called, of about $30,000; the Morrell-Nelson fund of about $50,000; and the Smith-Lever fund of about $43,000 are sums received from the national government.
   The enlargement of the University began at the close of the first year, when the regents on June 25, 1872, authorized the college of agriculture and appropriated $1,000 for equipment and improvements. From that time, as the needs of the state have appeared, there has been enlargement in all the departments of the University.
   The appropriations of the legislature, both for maintenance and for additional buildings, have seemed small, and yet when we remember that Nebraska in the first quarter of 1918 is only fifty-one years old, that we have comparatively a small number of people, and that until within a few years we have not had many citizens of wealth, we can realize that on the whole the University has received fair treatment at the hands of the representatives of the people.
   In 1885 the legislature appropriated $25,000 for a chemical building. In 1889 provision was made for Grant Memorial Hall, and in 1891 $37,000 was appropriated for a library building. Thus year by year buildings have been added until now there are nineteen on the city campus and at the state farm twenty-three buildings. The greater part of these are new and substantial buildings, well fitted for the purposes for which they were erected. Ten or more of these buildings have been erected by funds which arise from a special levy made by the legislature in 1913 for buildings and expansion.
   The University has been most fortunate in the men who have held the office of chancellor. They have been men of ability and scholarship, of faith and courage, of honor and judgment, of hope and earnestness, of vision and insight, of devotion to the University and to the state, and of sympathy with the people and with the democratic spirit of Nebraska.
   The list is as follows: Allen R. Benton, A. M., LL.D., January 6, 1870, to June 22, 1876; Edmond B. Fairfield, A.M., LL.D., June 23, 1876, to 1883; Dean E. B. Hitchcock, A.M., Ph.D., acting chancellor 1883 to January 1, 1884; Irving J. Manett, A.M., LL.D., January 1, 1884, to June 1, 1889; Charles R. Bessey, A.M., Ph.D., acting chancellor January 1, 1889, to August 1, 1891; James H. Canfield, A.M., LL.D., August 1, 1891, to September 1, 1895; George E. MacLean, A.M., LL.D., September 1, 1895, to September 1, 1899; Charles E. Bessey, A.M., Ph.D., September 1, 1899, to August 1, 1900; E. Benjamin Andrews, A.M., LL.D., August 1, 1900, to January 1, 1909; Samuel Avery, Ph.D., LL.D., acting chancellor January 1, 1909, to May 20, 1909, when he was made chancellor.
   The great scope and diversity of work which the University carries on are indicated by the colleges and schools which are maintained in this forty-eighth year of its activity. They are as follows: The graduate college, the college of fine arts and sciences; the teachers college; the college of engineering; the college of

agriculture; the college of law; the college of medicine; and the college of pharmacy.
   The graduate college includes the graduate school of education; the college of arts and sciences includes the school of fine arts and the school of commerce; the teachers college includes a training school for those who are preparing to teach in the high schools; the college of agriculture includes a high school of agriculture at the state farm and another at Curtis. The regents of the University have in their charge the Nebraska agricultural experiment station, and experimental substations at North Platte, Valentine, and Scotts Bluff. The regents are vested also with the disbursement of the funds which the state provides for the legislative reference bureau, the geological survey, the conservation survey, and the bureau of agricultural botany and entomology.
   Every year of the life and history of the University has brought to the regents and all connected with it problems peculiar to, the time and the conditions. How well these problems have been understood and what progress has been made in solving them are indicated in part by that which was in the first year, and that which is in the forty-eighth year of the University's life. The first year there was but one building; now, including those at the experiment stations, seventy-eight. During the first year there were only nine members and helpers in the faculty; now, including those at the stations, nearly seven hundred. Appropriations for the first year were only a few thousand dollars; now, they are for all purposes nearly $2,000,000. The number of students at the close of the first year was 130; now, including those at the stations and at the agricultural school, more than 5,000.