Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/266

 232 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO University in this earliest period of its history possesses a museum building. The heart of every member of the University, of every friend of the University, of every friend of scientific research, acquainted with the facts, is filled with feelings of gratitude to the man who has rendered this inestimable service to the University, thus placing at its disposal a building so large, so beautiful, and above all, so well adapted to the purpose for which it has been erected. President Harper spoke at some length of Mr. Walker's work for education in Morgan Park and of his great service to the Chicago Academy of Sciences, which he had tried to bring into connection with the University, and continued : You will pardon me if I add still a third reminiscence. There was an old University of Chicago. Of its great work and of its great misfortunes I need not speak. One of the men closely connected with its work through many years, contributing continually toward its support, was the friend to whom tonight we would, if possible, do honor. When the Old University ceased to be, this same friend came forward with the generous proposition to give land and money for a college which should be built near the city of Chicago. Provi- dence ordered that the institution should be established in the city, and the propositions made by Mr. Walker were not accepted; but from the first day of the history of the new University he has shown himself its friend. In its councils he has at all times taken a leading part, and when the time came for the citizens of Chicago to indicate to the world whether or not they would receive and make their own an institution so generously founded by a citizen of another state, Mr. Walker was one of the first to place his name on the subscription list to an amount exceeding one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. The educational property of Morgan Park has become a part of the University. The college which he proposed to establish at Morgan Park is there, not a college, but what in this great western territory of ours is of far greater value an academy of the highest order, manned by instructors trained in the best academic institutions in the land. The museum which was originally intended for the Academy of Science has been built, but built for the University. The many separate educational efforts undertaken by Mr. Walker have become unified and centralized in the University of which he is an honored Trustee. These facts show the long-continued, deep, and earnest interest which he has exhibited in the cause of education. For one I rejoice that the building for a museum has come to us before a library Tonight we take possession of the building. Tomorrow morning the scientific collections of various kinds belonging to the University will be placed within its walls. Tomorrow morning the work of research and investigation in connection with the lectures and class work of the Department of Geology and Mineralogy will begin. The building is finished, but none too soon. And now with these few and inadequate words of introduction, represent- ing the Trustees of the University and its faculties, I accept the building from