Haverford College: A History and an Interpretation

Haverford College: A History and an Interpretation

Sharpless Years

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Rufus Matthew Jones- 1863-1948

Primary Source

The Macmillian Company

1933

Multiple Pages

Monograph

HC09-11523

Julia Blake Writing Seminar: History of Haverford
September 18, 2015

The First Sixty Years

In October of 1833, a small Quaker Friends institution opened on Lancaster Turnpike with just twenty-one young men (Sharpless 29). Over the next sixty years Haverford College would expand in size, spirituality, and academia, transforming the institution from a small school to an esteemed college.

During the first half-century at Haverford, the student body increased which directly affected the identity of the school. While it only opened with about twenty students, the population improved to about seventy students by the 1860’s. Additionally, when the college opened, students were thirteen to eighteen years old (Sharpless 34). However, overtime “greater age and training maintained the college idea” (46). Bringing in matured students, allowed Haverford to posses a college identity rather than one of an elite boarding, preparatory school. In Gregory Kannerstein’s The Spirit and the Intellect: Haverford College, 1833-1983, he states, “While one could not describe Haverford’s first few decades as a surrender to worldliness, the following principle of “guarded education” had been in jeopardy almost from the beginning” (Kannerstein 12). As Haverford admitted larger groups of students from various backgrounds and classes, it gained a sense of diversity that created an environment similar to the reality of the outside world, which prepared students for life after college.

Being that Haverford was founded as a Quaker school, religious transition also had an enormous impact on the school’s character. On January 18, 1846, a new charter was attained allowing the admission of non-Friends (12). The bill requesting passage by the Governor included, “We have faithfully adhered to our trust. We have admitted none but Friends, and the school has gone down. Is it not wiser, is it not our duty, to admit those who, if not Friends, wish to be like Friends, rather than to disappoint all the expectations of those who founded Haverford?” (Jones 163) This quotation justifies the acceptance of non-Quakers to the college using the core values of Quakerism. Evidently, it was well worth it for the institution to make this change as it increased the size and the variety of the student body. This was additionally an intelligent transition for the school because it did not hinder the student experience. In Sharpless’s The Story of a Small College, he states, “Twice a week the program was varied by a religious meeting in the neighboring Meeting House. This was mostly silent, except when some local or traveling minister felt impelled to preach or pray. Doubtless this was an irksome occasion to many boys…” (Sharpless 36) If religious gatherings were actually a burden to some of the students, then the choice to admit those with a non-Quaker background was a seemingly positive change. One could effectively argue that many adolescent students enjoyed the active and educational aspects of college more than the area of religious development.

The most significant change to Haverford was its academic structure. Overtime, Haverford strengthened its teaching force and expanded its course collection. An example of this is the addition of Thomas Chase to the teaching staff: In 1855, Thomas Chase joined the faculty. He was a most distinguished scholar who led the college to seek the ability to confer bachelor’s degrees. “A new era dawned upon Haverford,” says a contemporary account. Chase prepared editions of the classics and aided in the reason revision of the New Testament. “He gave the students an esprit de corps that was before unknown” and “planted a laudable ambition for scholarly attainments”. (Kannerstein 12) This was an enormous change for Haverford. The transition from students receiving diplomas to receiving degrees is a direct reflection of Haverford’s transition from a preparatory school to a college. Sharpless comments on the school in the 1850’s and states, “while the scholarly standard was advancing, it had almost unconsciously become a college” (Sharpless 41). This advancement also affected the alumni network. “The excellence of an educational institution can be measured by the feelings of its alumni for the faculty under whose influence they have come. Such is the proper measure of Haverford. Her strength still rests on the talent and scholarship of those who teach” (Kannerstein 9). In fact, during the times of Haverford’s economic struggle in the 1840’s, alumni were motivated to donate money to the college as they reminisced about memories from their boyhoods in and out of the classroom. Kannerstein’s opinion still stays true in present day, as Haverford values its brilliant teaching staff and the strong connection professors form with students.

Clearly, Haverford’s identity changed immensely from 1832-1865. The increase in student body population, transition of religious devotion, and strengthening of academics allowed Haverford to transform into a highly respected college. In these years, Haverford formed its unique identity that it would keep for over a century. Rufus Jones summarizes it beautifully in his book, “Its (Haverford College) position was unique…It was religious but non-theological. Its education was liberal but guarded; its moral teaching strict but charitable. It taught what no other such institution taught, that under all circumstances and everywhere a man's yea should be yea, and his nay, nay; that the message of "peace and good will to men " is real, and covers every contingency of individual and national life, and that any one (male or female) may be called to be at the same time a layman and a minister of the Gospel (Rufus 197).”

Works Cited
Jones, Rufus M. Haverford College; a History and an Interpretation. New York: Macmillan, 1933. Print.

Kannerstein, Gregory. The Spirit and the Intellect: Haverford College, 1833-1983. Haverford, PA: Haverford College, 1983. Print.

Sharpless, Isaac. The Story of a Small College. Philadelphia: John C. Winston, 1918. Print.

How did Haverford College change in the Isaac Sharpless Era?

Prior to the Sharpless era, the Haverford student body was drastically different from the student body we recognize today. Because of a regimented schedule and strict rules, Haverford students found thrill in going against authority. Though Haverford was one of the leading institutions for intellectual education, the community morale was low. To boost community morale, Sharpless implemented new policies that gave students more freedom and responsibility. His inauguration at Haverford’s bicentennial was truly a mark of change at Haverford.

Haverford College’s incidents of trouble on campus decreased when Sharpless devised a more rigorous selection of students. Before Sharpless’s era, there were a few students who “had no other claims than their wealth”[1] as a reason to be part of Haverford. Sharpless first quietly got rid of those students, then established more rigorous entrance exams to prevent such students from even attending Haverford College. He believed that such students could not only band together but also “carry in their train a few natural men who would under other cirumstances have responded to better influences”[2]. His train of thought was similar to previous Superintendent Mitchell’s, who, at his time, implemented a group rule to prevent mischief makers from banding together and influencing others. While Mitchell’s policy failed[3], Sharpless’s succeeded simply because there were no longer any students on campus to start the mischief.

In addition to the more rigorous selection of Haverford community members, Sharpless also gave the students more independence, encouraging them to take more responsibility for their actions. His faith in students was evident in the Honor Code exams. In 1886, Sharpless accepted the Freshmen Class’s proposal for self-proctored exams. Except for the class of 1901, all the succeeding classes voted to have self-proctored exams “until it became such an established custom that a vote seemed superfluous”[4]. Though there was no proctor to monitor student behavior during examinations, incidents of cheating happened rarely and irregularly. “With all weaknesses, the elimination of fraud has been better attended to than by official policing, and the development of the idea of student honor has been worth all the trouble”[5]. In the early years, Haverford students had a weak sense of honor. The regimented schedule created “petty frictions and irritations”[6] between students and authorities. One such incident was when students went to bars and told faculty members that they went out for oyster soup. Because Sharpless had faith in the students’ good nature, “the students rose at once to meet his confidence in them”[7]. The honor system is still evident today in students’ self-proctored exams, showing just how much he paved the way for Haverford’s current honor system.

Sharpless also gave the Haverford students more freedom outside the classroom. Prior to his era, there lived a disciplinary officer known as the “governor” in Barclay who either gave or refused permission for students to be excused from class. Though he was only a few years older than the students, lived with them and wanted to help the students, the governor was “not thought of as a friend and fellow human being”[8]. Rather, students viewed him as an “enemy to be conquered, or an obstacle to be overcome”[9]. Not only was the governor demoralized, but the students also had low morale and defied all authority. When Sharpless stepped in, he not only let go of the governor but also allowed students to have their exploits. One such exploit was the students’ secret use of the old college horse to drive to Dove’s Mills Pond and swim. The students “worked the plan with success and were never caught. But at the class banquet just before commencement Dean Sharpless in his ‘toast’ to the class, remarked that if anyone wanted to know what a remarkable class this one had been he ought to consult the horse in the college barn! ‘The old horse knows more than you would guess’. It was perfectly easy in a moment to pick out around the table every fellow who had been implicated in the ‘lark.’"[10]. Sharpless had an inkling of the incident and could have taken action sooner, but he viewed sanctioning the students for boyish fun as unnecessary. His strong judgment, not only in the students, but also on what rules to prioritize, enabled students to have fun while still realizing that their actions do not go unnoticed. Thus, the students had less inclination to rebel because it seemed like less of a game. Because of Sharpless’s methods of dealing with the students, the students no longer felt the thrill of going against authority.

Sharpless significantly molded the Haverford community to what it is today: honorable, self-governing, respectful, while still quirky. His rigorous selection process filtered out those who may negatively contribute to the community. He gave freedom to students both inside and outside the classroom, disincentivizing them from rebelling. His foresight on the effect of his policies extended beyond his term. In fact, his ideas on student self-governance still ring true today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited:

Garrett, Phillip C., and John G. Bullock. A History of Haverford College for the First Sixty Years of Its Existence. N.p.: n.p., 1893. Print.

Jones, Rufus M. Haverford College; a History and an Interpretation. New York: Macmillan, 1933. Print.

Kannerstein, Gregory. "Chapter Two: The Sharpless Years." The Spirit and the Intellect: Haverford College, 1833-1983. Haverford, PA: Haverford College, 1983. N. pag. Print.

Sharpless, Isaac. "VI. First Decade as President, 1887-1897." The Story of a Small College. Philadelphia: John C. Winston, 1918. N. pag. Print.