MILLER CHAPTER IN THE LAW DEPARTMENT OF LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHED, 1897. THE FOUNDATION. founding at Palo Alto of "a university for both sexes, with colleges, schools, seminaries of learning, mechanical institutes, museums, galleries of art, and all other things necessary and appropriate to a university of high degree," was determined upon by the Honorable Leland Stanford and Jane Lathrop Stanford in 1884. In March of the year following the legislature of California passed an Act providing for the administration of trust funds in connection with institutions of learning. November 14, 1885, the Grant of Endowment was publicly made, in accordance with this Act, and on the same day the Board of Trustees held its first meeting, in San Francisco. NAME AND PURPOSE. The idea of the University, in the words of its founders, "came directly and largely from our son and only child, Leland; and in the belief that had he been spared to advise as to the disposition of our estate, he would have desired the devotion of a large portion thereof to this purpose, we will that for all time to come the institution hereby founded shall bear his name, and shall be known as the Leland Stanford Junior University." The object of the University, as stated in its Charter, is "to qualify students for personal success and direct usefulness in life," and its purposes, "to promote the public welfare by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilization, teaching the blessings of liberty regulated by law, and inculcating love and reverence for the great principles of government as derived from the inalienable rights of men to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." LOCATION. The University is located on the Palo Alto estate in the Santa Clara Valley, thirty-three miles southeast of San Francisco, on the Coast Division of the Southern Pacific Railway. The estate consists of eight thousand four hundred acres, partly lowland and partly rising into the foothills of the Sierra Morena. On the grounds are the residence of the founders and an extensive arboretum, containing a great variety of shrubs and trees. The bay of San Francisco lies about three miles east of the University buildings, and across the bay the Monte Diablo range rises to the height of over four thousand feet. The Lick Observatory, crowning Mount Hamilton, the highest of the range, is plainly visible. the southwest, between the valley and the ocean, is the heavily wooded Santa Cruz range, two thousand to four thousand feet in height. Το The Santa Clara Valley is one of the most attractive portions of the State in climate, in natural beauty, and in fertility and adaptiveness of its soil to all the varied fruits of California. The characteristics of the climate are its evenness of temperature, its pure and bracing air, and its freedom alike from the fogs and harsh winds of the coast and from the oppressive summer heat of the interior valleys. The rainfall of about twenty inches is chiefly confined to the months from December to April. ENDOWMENT. The property conveyed to the University, in addition to the Palo Alto estate, consists of the Vina estate in Tehama county, of fifty-nine thousand acres, of which about four thousand acres are planted in vines, and the Gridley Ranch, in Butte county, of twenty-two thousand acres, devoted mainly to the raising of wheat. By the will of Mr. Stanford the University received two and a half million dollars, and this bequest became available in 1896. BUILDINGS. Early in 1886 work was commenced on the University buildings, and the corner-stone laid May 14, the nineteenth anniversary of the birth of Leland Stanford, Jr. During the next six years, there were erected the central quadrangle and dormitories, workshops, power-houses, laboratories, and museums, sufficient for the equipment of a great University. In arranging the buildings the plan has been to conform them to the peculiar climatic conditions of California, and to provide for indefinite expansion without crowding or distortion. A series of quadrangles, to be erected as the needs of the University demand, will furnish facilities for all general University work. The buildings are of buff sandstone, somewhat varied in color. The stonework is of broken ashlar with rough rock face, and the roofs are covered with red tile. The architectural motif is to be found in the old Spanish Missions of California. Inside the quadrangle, the long arcade (586 feet long) supported on low columns, the perspective of arches, the great beds of palms and flowers, the dark blue mountains appearing above the roofs not unlike them in contour, and the Italian sky over all, make a picture unique and not to be forgotten. On October 1, 1891, the University was formally opened, with an enrollment that reached, before the year closed, 500 students. LIBRARIES. One building of the quadrangle is devoted exclusively to the library. It has a shelving capacity of forty thousand volumes, and the reading-room will accommodate one hundred and twenty-five persons. The library now numbers thirty-five thousand volumes and fifteen thousand pamphlets. The most notable gifts to the library have been the Hopkins Railway Library of 7,000 volumes, the Hildebrand Philological Library of 15,000 volumes, purchased at Leipzig, and $600,000, donated by Thomas W. Stanford, of Melbourne, Australia, as a permanent endowment of the library. In addition to the University library, various large collections within reach can be made available to a greater or less extent. The Free Public, Mechanics' Institute, Mercantile, and other libraries in San Francisco, can be used for reference. The first letter with reference to the founding of a Chapter of our Order at this University was written May 13, 1895, by ex-President Harrison. The second letter was written by Mr. O. V. Eaton, one of the Charter members, shortly thereafter. Acting upon the advice given by the Secretary of the Council, the prospective petitioners formed themselves into a literary organization, known as the Miller Law Club. Under date of February 20, 1896, Mr. B. F. Bledsoe, also one of the Charter members, informed the Council of the intention of the members of said Law Club to petition for a Charter. A printed notice, bearing date of May 1st, and signed by fifteen prospective applicants, informed the Fraternity that at the beginning of the College year of 1896-7 the formal petition would be presented for action. In September, 1896, a sufficient number of copies of the eighteen page petition was received by the Council and distributed among the Chapters. The petition included letters of endorsement from David S. Jordan, President of the University, Professor Nathan Abbott, of KENT and BOOTH Chapters, ex-President Harrison, Professor Woodruff, Professor John Norton Pomeroy, of STORY Chapter, '91, Charles W. Slack, Dean of the Hastings College of the Law, and Honorary member of The Fifth National Convention of our Order, on Tuesday, December 29, 1896, endorsed the petition in the following words, "Resolved, That this Convention endorses the petition of the Miller Law Club of the Leland Stanford, Junior, University, and recommends the same to the favorable consideration of the Chapters. The Charter was granted under date of March 25, 1897, and the active members of POMEROY Chapter were requested to conduct the installation ceremonies. On Saturday, April 10, Brothers Chamberlain, Deahl, Gaylord, Jones, Larue, Laughlin, Lewis, Macbeth, Page, Turner, Treadwell, and Walthall, active members of POMEROY Chapter, and Brother Bell, of POMEROY, '91, visited Palo Alto, for the purpose of instituting the MILLER Chapter. They were assisted by Brothers Beasly, KENT, '92, Bump, HARLAN, '96, and KENT, '96, and Henderson, KENT, '95. The installation ceremonies took place in the evening, after the visiting Brothers had been shown the buildings and the surrounding country. After partaking of an elaborate banquet, the following toasts were responded to. Toastmaster -W. A. Beasly, KENT, '92. |