r PAGE TWO THE MICHIGAN DAILY SUN DAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1940 Class Of 1944 To Be University's Centennial Graduates Ten Graduated At First Rites 96 Years Ago Institution Opened Doors In September Of 1841 To QuakingNeophytes By EDMUND J. GROSSBERG The class of 1944 will be the 100th class to graduate from the Univer- sity of Michigan. The University has come a long way since the morning of Sept. 5, 1841 when six students registered in the stuccoed building that was to serve as classroom and dormitory. That inauspicious beginning was in itself a noteworthy achievement, after 24 attempts to found a univer- sity in Michigan. "Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind; schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged," read the Northwest Ordinance, and the early inhabitiants of the state of Michigan were seriously impressed by this idea. So important was this need for a university that taxes were raised 15 percent and four lotteries were auth- orized by the' state legislature in 1817 for the benefit of the Univer- sity of Michigan. Primary Schools Established That year classical and primary schools were established in Detroit, and during the next few years some primary schools sprang up in differ- ent towns, providing preliminary training for some of the students who were later to enroll in the University. However, funds were scarce and various attempts to establish the Un- iversity itself ended in failure. Final- ly on March 18, 1837 the "Board of Regents of the University of Michi- gan" was created by the state legis- lature and preliminary plans for the organization of the University were approved. The original Board of Regents in- cluded six members of the Michigan State Constitutional Convention, two physicians, four lawyers, one write and one merchant. Seven among the total of 20 regents had college de, grees. Ann Arbor was selected as the site for the proposed school and the land on which the University was to be situated was donated by the Ann Ar- bor Land Company. Physical Plant Described Finally in 1841 the University was ready to open its doors. The follow- ing description of the physical plant is quoted from the Michigan State Journal, published in Ann Arbor, Aug- gust 10, 1841: "The main building is four stories high, built of brick, handsomely and durably stuccoed so as to give it very nearly the appearance of Quin- cy granite. Besides this, four profes- sors' buildings of the' same materials are finished. More classical models or a more beautiful finish canot b imagined. They honor the architect, while they beautify the village." Shortly afterward, the main edifice was named "Mason Hall" in honor of Governor Stevens T. tAason. The building still stands as the north wing of University Hall. Although present day entrance re- quirements are considered to be stiff, judge what the poor neophyte who desired entrance to the University in 1841 had to go through. Admission Exams Candidates for admission had to pass an examination on "English grammar; geography, arithmetic, al- gebra through simple equations; Vir- gil; Cicero's Select Orations; Sallust Jacob's or Felton's Greek Reader; Andrews and Stoddard's Latin Gram- mar and Sophocles' Greek Grammar,' according to the catalog of the De- partment of the Arts and Sciences The catalog continues, "Testimon- ials of good moral character are re- quired in all cases." Six students measured up to th requirements, and five entered as freshmen and one as a sophomor that September morn. They were Judson D. Collins, Monroe; Merchan H. Goodrich, Ann Arbor; L. Decatu: Norris, Ypsilanti; George E. Parma lee, Ann Arbor; George W. Pray, Su perior; and William B. Weason, De troit. Haven Hall Dwarfed Campus Way Back In 1864 Dental Legislation Will Protect State's Citizenry, Bunting Says United Sutte Supremef Court and Sitate 11pr imecourts have, upheld then constitjitionalty of decntal lawvs similar to the new Michigan Act. He r(eferred Lo a diecision handedl downt rby the United States Supreme Court State proposal No. 4 on the Nov. 5 ballot protects the public against misrepresentation and fraudulent forms of dental service by setting up machinery for the regulation of the practice to the best interests of the people, Dr. Russell W. Banting, Dean' 3f the School of Dentistry. declared in an interview yetserdav. Any health service, Dr. Bunting said, requires statutory regulation ;oX insure that the practitioneers will; work for the better welfare of the public. State proposal No. 4 was placed cn the ballot as the result of a reer- endum petition which challenged the Dental Practice Act of the StateI passed by the 1939 legisiatur2. The more important ov>s:ons of the act ;which encouraged legislation "pro- require that each dentist must be a riding safeguards not only against citizen of the Unit d States with at deception, but against practices which least four years of study in a dental would tend to demroralize the profes- school, that it shall be unlawful for sion by forcing its members into an any dentist to make any advertising unseemly rivalry which would enlarge statements tending to mislead or de- the opportunities of the least scrup- ceive the pablic, and that the dentist's ulous." license must be displayed in his office. - -__ The act also stipulates under what 'ai mer Joins ROTC Staff circumstances a dentis~is license may be suspended. Lieut. Dan J. Bulmer, surgeon on Dr. Bunting poin c out that 44 the University hospital staff, joined states have similar regulatory legis- the ROTC staff as medical officer lation concexning the dental profes- this week, replacing Maj. Ernest D. sion. Michigan, he commented, is Liston, who has been transferred among the few states that lag behind by government orders to the staff the procession. of the surgeon-gener-al in Washing- fn the past, Dr. Bunting stated, :.he ton, D.C., it was announced. "i. i ' M <; , , ' 3 f F lee; Pray; and P. W. H. Rawls, Kal- igan and is considered a member amazoo. Norris completed three years Seniors listened to lectures in Lat- at Michigan but matriculated at Yale j in and Greek and studied intellec- College. He was subsequently given tual philosophy; psychology; moral a degree from the University of Mich- science; political grammar; political igan and is considered as a member economy and Butler's analogy. vacation beginning in mid-August, 1 two weeks at Christmas and foura weeks of spring vacation. . The 10 seniors, 18 juniors, 14 soph- omore and 11 freshmen who attend-a ed the University in 1845 lived in Mason Hall, which also boasted a li- brary of four or five thousand vol- umes, a chapel, classrooms, a col- lection of minerals, and geological zoological and botanical specimens. One study with two bed-rooms op- ening on it, was assigned to two students. They furnished the rooms themselves and cleaned their own quarters, sweeping the refuse into the hall where the janitor picked it up. Expenses Estimated Quoting the catalog again, "Ex- penses range from $7 to $100 a year. There is a $10 admission fee and $7.50 for incidental expenses and services of Janitor. There is no charge for tu- ition." Among the services the janitor rendered was to ring a giant bell, obtained from the Michigan Central Railroad, at 5:30 a.m. Quite frequent- ly the students either stole the bell or stuffed it up. The full professors were paid $500 annually and were allowed to live in the houses built for them by the University free of charge. In January 1842 the Regents could not pay their salaries, but Pro- fessors Joseph Whiting and George P. Williams chose to remain on the job until the emergency was past. In 1844 University finances were better and the salary of a full professor was raised to $700.. Interestingly enough, an attempt was made even before 1845, to start a college paper, but it failed. Elizabeth M. Farrand in her "His- tory of the University of Michigan" published in 1884 gives the following account of that historic first grad- uation day: First Graduation Day > "It was a great day for the town as well as for the University; mer- chants closed their stores, and old and young crowded to the church. Each student of the graduating class delivered an oration, and, in the judgment of the press of the day, each acquitted himself well. The Detroit r Advertiser said of them: 'The pieces spoken by the graduating class were, for the most part, of superior merit, evincing a depth and originality of thought and a clearness and beauty of composition that is seldom sur- passed in the other older colleges.' Professor Ten Brook made the clos- ing address to the class, and in the afternoon Dr. Duffield addressed the literary societies. In the evening an entertainment was given in honor of the graduating class by Mrs. Den- ton,,Mrs. Hawkins and Mrs. Page." The Michigan State Journal closes its account of the day with an appeal from a member of the class in re- gard to the ladies who entertained them: 'Alumni from this first exam- ple, shall not their names go down with yours to future ages on the e records of the University?' " s Members Listed e Members of that first graduating class were: Charles A. Clark, Monroe; t Collins; Thomas B. Cumming, Grand r Rapids; Edmund Fish, Bloomefield; - Goodrich; Edwin Lawrence, Monroe; - Fletcher Marsh, Kalamazoo; Parma- r Su MO Adults ')()c 5 JNDAY and 1. Ta NDAY Only! Children 10 A Show That Will Pack This Theatre To The Very Rafters! VV un. )c SHOWS TODAY at x1 3-5-7-9 P.M. TODAY and MONDAY! till 4 3-~ BIG STANDARD AT I EO HUFF ,;39 atI"HarnolIt'a Stylists" W Feature Film TeCh ,o ,er 9 5 Direct fromChicago Difereni>> 24 EcatreCicago (4~ U. r1 i .14 ON SCREEN SONGSt :.. , iacky Corm and TODEAMS tAIEr" "DOWN ARGENTINE WAY" "NENITA". "SING TO YOUR SENORITA SNGS I sungkU Carme n M r da "SUHAMERICNWY; ""BAM8LI'r MAMAEUELIQUERN., "TOUgDASEM MADRID.. Extra "LOVE IN A COTTAGE" "Motor Maniacs" 1 World News Tuesday! "PUBLIC DEB No. 1" tlliF-= ............ Student Life Described Some idea of student life of the time may be gained from the cata- log. "The classes attend each three recitations or lectures daily, except Saturdays, when they have one reci- tation and an exercise in elocution. They have also weekly exercises in translation, composition or writ, ten disputations." "Public examinations are held at the close of each term, attended by the Board of Visitors, appointed an- nually by the Superintendent of Pub- lb R EME MBE R ~jJANE OSE for nan r-n2ua JAMES ROSALIN D ST RUSSELL (That guy from Washingtoaj (That woman from "The Women") 11 1410 lmAf I