The History of Dartmouth College

by Baxter Perry Smith

"I give and devise the sum of fifty thousand dollars ... for the establishment and support of a permanent department or school of instruction in the college, in the practical and useful arts of life, comprised chiefly in the branches of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, the Invention and Manufacture of Machinery, Carpentry, Masonry, Architecture and Drawing, the Investigation of the properties and uses of the Materials employed in the Arts, the Modern Languages and English Literature, together with Book-keeping, and such other branches of knowledge as may best qualify young persons for the duties and employments of active life; but, first of all and above all, I would enjoin in connection with the above branches, the careful inculcation of the principles of pure morality, piety, and religion, without introducing topics of controversial theology, that the benefits of said department or school may be equally enjoyed by all religious denominations without distinction....

"To the end that my wishes in respect to the foregoing legacy may be observed, I do hereby constitute a perpetual Board of Visitors, consisting of two persons, who shall, during the term of their respective lives, visit the said department or school as often as they shall deem it necessary and advisable to do so, and at least once in each year one or both of said Visitors shall examine the condition of its funds, and the management and disposition of the same, as well as the management of the said department or school generally....

"The said Board of Visitors shall have full power to determine, interpret, and explain my wishes in respect to this foundation; to redress grievances, both with respect to professors and students; to hear appeals from the decisions of the Board of Trustees, and to provide remedy upon complaint duly exhibited in behalf of the professors or students; to review and reverse any censure passed by said Trustees upon any professor or student on this foundation; to declare void all rules and regulations made by said Trustees relative to this foundation, which in their opinion may be inconsistent with my wishes as herein expressed, or improper or injudicious; to take care that the duties of every professor or other officer on this foundation be intelligently and faithfully discharged, and to admonish or remove such professor or officer either for misbehavior, incapacity, or neglect of the duties of his office; to examine into the proficiency of the students, and to admonish, dismiss, or suspend any student for negligence, contumacy or crime, or disobedience to the rules hereafter to be established for the government of said school or department; and to see that my true intentions in regard to this foundation be faithfully executed.

"And in order that said Board of Visitors may not be limited in their powers by the foregoing recital, I further confer upon the said Board of Visitors all the visitatorial powers and privileges, which, by the law of the land, belong and are intrusted to any Visitor of any eleemosynary corporation....

"As I have perfect confidence in the integrity and ability of my two esteemed friends, John J. Dixwell and Francis B. Hayes, both of Boston, aforesaid, and as I know their capacity to perform what I desire they should do under this proviso of my will, I constitute and appoint them to be the first Board of Visitors."

The committee appointed to draw up the plan for the organization of the school consisted of Rev. Dr. Nathan Lord, Hon. Joel Parker, and Edmund Parker, Esq.

No special meeting of the Trustees was called, as had been contemplated, and the committee made their report at the regular meeting, July 26, 1852, and on the next day the following statutes were adopted:

"Article I. In accordance with the will of the late Abiel Chandler, Esq., "the Trustees of Dartmouth College by this and the following statutes, constitute and organize a school of instruction in connection with the college and as a department thereof, and the said school is denominated 'The Chandler School of Science and the Arts.'

"Article II. The school shall consist of two departments, Junior and Senior. These departments shall be conducted respectively by such officers and according to such rules and regulations as the Trustees shall from time to time appoint and ordain, with the advice and approval of the Board of Visitors, and in subjection always to the will of the Founder.

"Article III. In the Junior department of the school, instruction shall be given in the English language, in Arithmetic and Algebra, in Book-keeping, Physical Geography, Linear Drawing, Geometry, Physiology, Botany, Graphics and use of Instruments, and in such other elementary studies as may be necessary to qualify students for the Senior department.