A History of Haverford College for the First Sixty Years of its Existence
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The Religious Society of Friends has always concerned itself with the education and development of its younger members. Born out of the Pennsylvania education tradition, which stressed that “good and commendable” learning be taken up by all, the issue of educating Friends quickly grew in the minds of prominent Quakers. By the late 1600’s and early 1700’s Quaker meeting records showed a growing discussion around the importance of Quaker education. Out of this discussion, almost one-hundred years later, arose a number of small schools such as Ackworth (1779), Sidcot (1809), and Wigton (1815), all of which were surprisingly based around the liberal education concept. It was amongst this flurry of school openings and amidst the blossoming interest in Quaker education that the roots of Haverford began to take hold.
In 1827 a schism occurred between Protestant based Orthodox Quakers and the more forward leaning “Hicksite” Quakers. A special committee was formed in 1830 by the Philadelphia Orthodox Quakers for the purpose of promoting a liberal education amongst its members. Despite the committee’s recommendations, most of which were tuition guidelines, concern over Friends attending non Quaker schools such as Brown and Yale continued to grow, prompting a group of Orthodox Quakers to found the “Association of Friends Central School,” the outline that would later become Haverford College.
With the exception of Founders Hall, Haverford College in its early years, at the time being known as Friends Central School, would not have been recognizable to a student today. In many ways Haverford was still a long time away from becoming a college in the traditional sense. Its initial rules stated that the minimum age for students would be twelve and its faculty, consisting of a principle and two teachers, would be paid a net sum of $3,500. Included in its faculty was the now recognizable name John Gummere (mathematics professor), although it is interesting to note that Alumni Association in 1892 considered the lesser known Daniel Smith the most influential of the early faculty members. Like the small schools before it, Haverford emphasized the liberal arts, an emphasis that has endured despite other changes. Life during the early days of Haverford was relatively disciplined for the Quaker students with a strict dress code enforced and travelling outside of the Haverford area expressly prohibited. Later alumni found the discipline overly restrictive and it wasn’t long before the rules began to weaken. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before Haverford’s financial security began to weaken as well.
The late 1830’s up to the mid 1840’s were marked by severe financial troubles for Haverford College. Despite this, student life continued on marked by the quirks and peculiarities of college life. Hand-ball, town-ball, and football (modern day soccer) held the athletic front while seniors wearing togas could be seen chasing bugs for their entomology collections. Amidst the political excitement of William Harrison’s presidential bid and moral battles surrounding slavery, the Quaker school at Haverford began to accumulate debt, in part because of the financial Panic of 1837. Luckily however, a $20,575 donation by Nathan Dunn, a notable merchant in China, alleviated the school's initial debt of $19,500 in 1840. Donations during the early 1840’s, including sixty shares of Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company by Thomas Cope, slowed the accumulation of more debt, yet by 1845 the debt had reaccumulated to $4,000 which, combined with Daniel Smith’s retirement, prompted the closure of Haverford College.
The suspension of Haverford was intended as temporary and a committee immediately set out to secure the $50,000 (~1.5 million 2015 USD) that they believed would be necessary to secure the endowment. Around the same time, in 1846, Thomas Cope and Charles Yarnall proposed allowing non-Friends to attend Haverford. Albeit primarily motivated by financial necessity, the proposal also carried traditional Quaker moral overtones regarding access to education for all. After a ruling by the Pennsylvania legislature and permission from previous investors, the Haverford Association would pass the proposal. It was with the approval of this proposal that new questions arose regarding the nature of a Quaker education, some even thinking that Haverford would re-close its doors to non-Friends after its financial woes were stabilized. Nevertheless, the $50,000 were raised, in large part due to an alumni gathering, and the school reopened in May, 1848.
Haverford reopened into the “modern” world of the mid 1800’s in which oil lights lit the parchment that students used steel pens to write upon. The natural sciences gained more importance in the curriculum, especially mathematics; the work of Gummere making Haverford known for its mathematical instruction. Haverford, benefiting from its new endowment, reopened with twenty enrolled students. Hard work and strict discipline characterized the new students at Haverford. It was even remarked that a greater hardship ought be felt by Haverford students than West Point cadets because Haverford students were ”training to be leaders in the nobler vocation of maintaining order through...persuasion and peace.” Thus was the new face of Haverford, the veil of two years and eight months having been lifted.
Haverford entered the 1850’s altered from its suspension and yet poised for more changes. Its numbers grew through the late 1840’s and 1850’s, its curriculum continued to place more emphasis on the natural sciences, and gas lighting was introduced in 1852. In a history of the school’s early years, the Haverford Alumni Association, with admitted bias, considered its own formation in 1856 one of the great influences upon the history of the school. It is interesting note that baseball would usurp cricket in popularity just in time for the foundation of American society to be rocked with the start of the Civil War. Haverford’s numbers would dwindle during the war years, the graduating class of 1864 containing just eleven members. Although known for their pacifism a few of Haverford's Friends ended up fighting during the war, one rising to the rank of Brigadier-General.
The war would draw to a close in 1864 and steadily, as the rest of the country repaired itself, Haverford’s numbers returned. To get to this point, however, Haverford had gone through a metaphorical roller coaster of change and evolution. Born out of a growing discussion on the importance of a Quaker education, Haverford’s early years were soon marred by financial troubles. Though the school would close it was not long before it was reopened, this time to non-Friends as well. The discipline at Haverford fluctuated, as did the number of students, yet despite changes in its curricular priority, lifestyle, and enrollment, Haverford maintained its belief in the importance of a liberal education, an emphasis still found today.
--Nathaniel Rolfe
9/18/15
Haverford: Quaker or Not?
“Why should Haverford exist? Only for the few who, being in membership with Friends, are technically Quakers, and for the few who have been reared by Quakers, or for the many who are in sympathy with them?...Is not this the correct rule of action that Haverford shall teach Christianity as believed and practiced by Friends, and that all who will may listen? Who can tell how large this audience may become? (Garrett and Bullock 1892, 165). Phillip C. Garrett and John G. Bullock, authors of A History of Haverford College for the First Sixty Years of its Existence, proclaim the true intention of Haverford, which is to teach all who are eager to learn and follow in the Quaker manner. The number of people who could be positively impacted by this style of education is unknown, but the impact of these students could be great. Although Haverford eventually became more open minded and welcoming to others outside the Quaker community, the college originally was exclusive to a select few. Haverford’s identity from 1832-1865 changed from educating a limited group of people to preaching Quaker values and ideals to all, which continues to this day.
To start, the Quakers who founded the Haverford School created the school with very specific guidelines in mind. The managers of Friends’ Central School Association required that “the students at this institution shall be Friends, or the children of Friends.” Additionally, “the students will be carefully instructed in the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, as held by our religious Society, and in the nature and ground of our Christian testimonies,” (Friends Central School, 1832). The founders wanted to establish a school that was truly a one of a kind education for Quakers, provided by Quakers. Haverford was created in order to educate its students while sticking to its Quaker roots and ethics. Furthermore, in “An account of Haverford School” written by Haverford College, the goal of the college is explained to “…combine sound and liberal instruction in literature and science, with a religious care over the morals and manners, thus affording to the youth of our society an opportunity of acquiring an education equal in all respects to which can be obtained at colleges, without exposure to those associations which are apt to lead them away from the simplicity of religious profession (An account of Haverford school, 1835). Haverford was designed to provide the best education possible, but also to enrich the lives of its students with Quaker values. Haverford’s founders wanted to foster a community that will build and shape its students into the leaders of tomorrow, all while keeping them grounded in Quaker tradition. Although there were very few students at Haverford, they received a well-rounded education in disciplines such as the Latin and Greek, ancient and modern literature, mental and moral science, mathematics and natural philosophy (Friends Central School, 1832). Haverford wasn’t intended to specialize in any one discipline. The school was a liberal arts college since it first opened its doors. Forming well rounded students that had knowledge across all academic subjects was a very important goal of the founders. While the Haverford education was built on Quaker morals, a series of events led the college to drastically change one of its main characteristics.
Second, despite the fact that Haverford was built as a Quaker school, changes had to be made when the college faced financial difficulties. In A History of Haverford College for the First Sixty Years of its Existence, written by Phillip C. Garrett and John G. Bullock, the board of managers faced some difficulties regarding the enrollment in the college during the 1840’s. The board of managers “had reported the average number during the year to have been about thirty-nine. During the previous year it had been thirty-six. As far back as 1837 the average had been about seventy-four, the number at one time reaching seventy-nine, and serious thoughts had been entertained of enlarging the school buildings to accommodate 100” (Garrett and Bullock 1892, 161). However, the school wouldn’t be expanding any time soon, unless other choices were made. In fact, the school faced thousands of dollars of debt after receiving notice that the number of students for the upcoming year was 25 (Garrett and Bullock 1892, 161). A controversial decision had to be made: whether to close the college or admit non-Quakers. Would the college change so drastically as to go against a rule the college was founded on, that all students must either be Quakers or sons of Quakers? The board of managers questioned “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 ?” (Garrett and Bullock 1892, 163). The college realized that the idea of a Quaker education did not have to be limited to Quakers. If students wanted to receive a high caliber education while learning the Quaker morals and ethics, why deny them? Also, it would be such a disservice to the community if the college closed that they had to do something to keep the doors open. The board of managers transitioned from a stubborn group of Quakers when they founded the school to a group of open minded and welcoming group wanting to grow the Quaker culture through education.
Ultimately, from 1832-1865, Haverford became a more welcoming and open community due to its transition from accepting only Quakers to accepting all students. Albeit the college made the decision to accept non-Quakers partially because of their debt crisis, modern day Haverford wouldn’t be as special. Haverford’s liberal arts education coupled with the teachings of Quaker values are testaments to the changes Haverford made throughout its first 20 years. While some of the transitions the college took in the early 1800s were made out of necessity, they have made the college better and created the culture that exists today.
Bibliography:
An Account Of Haverford School. 1835. Haverford.
Haverford College. Board of Managers, “Friends' Central School- Haverford,” WRPR 153: History of Conflict at Haverford (HC), accessed September 18, 2015, https://ds-omeka.haverford.edu/annotations/admin/items/show/240.
Garrett, Philip C, and John G Bullock. "Chapter VI: Overwhelmed by Disaster--1846-48." In A History of Haverford College for the First Sixty Years of Its Existence. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1892.
Professor James Krippner
WRPR 153A
17 September, 2015
The exact identity of Haverford College, ever since its foundation in 1833, has been ever-changing. Though the college’s founders originally intended a Haverford education to be firmly and completely based on Quaker values, events over nearly two centuries have altered the results of their goal. The college has changed significantly in recent decades, but the first two decades of Haverford’s existence saw massive changes to the school’s status quo.
A Philadelphia group of Quakers in the Religious Society of Friends founded the Haverford School Association in 1833. Their hope was “to combine sound and liberal instruction in literature and science with a religious care over the morals and manners, thus affording to the youth of our society an opportunity of acquiring an education equal in all respects to that which can be obtained at colleges, without exposure to those associations which are apt to lead them away from the simplicity of our religious profession” (“Haverford College Rules” vi). The managers of the project hoped to create a school in which young men could receive an education that would strengthen their minds like the country’s other top notch schools without weakening the students’ adherence to Christianity, especially Quakerism. Indeed, the Society of Friends played a major part in the early life of Haverford students, even in the architecture: an appendix on the creation of the school states that “the school-house stands upon elevated ground, commanding a fine prospect… But whilst great attention has been paid to neatness and comfort, useless ornament and extravagant expenditure have been studiously avoided. For as it is the anxious desire of the Managers that the students should be brought up in that plainness and simplicity, which are alone consistent with the religious profession of Friends, so they have been careful to guard the establishment from the appearance of ostentation or luxury” (“Haverford College Rules” vii). The school both in purpose and in physical image followed the modest way of life of its founders.
The Quaker nature of early Haverford did not, however, afford the students many freedoms. Students were mainly confined to their chambers and school facilities (“Haverford College Rules” x). They were kept under close control by the faculty of the school. Smoking and chewing tobacco were outlawed, students were not to read books other than school books, and the superintendent needed to give permission for a student to take a trip off-campus. This close control of the lives of students can partially be explained by their age: in the graduating class of 1842, just one student was older than seventeen (Garrett and Bullock 134).
The early days of Haverford were thoroughly, if idealistically, planned. The school represented a sort of utopia for the education of Quaker children. However, as is so often true of utopias, the school could not sustain itself. During summer of 1845, a slowly mounting disaster reached a crucial breaking point. The school’s enrollment had struggled: in spring of 1845, they reported an average number of students attending as 39, a slight increase from 36 the previous year. However, the school had once reached highs of 79 students, almost twice the average student count in 1845. With the news that just 25 students wished to attend the school during the next year, the school’s Managers faced a difficult decision. Having been entrusted with the school’s finances, the Managers did not wish to plunge the school further into debt. Therefore, during that summer, they resolved to shut down the school until further notice. The simple fact of the matter was that Haverford could not operate with such small numbers of students without a massive donation (Garrett and Bullock 161).
These difficult circumstances caused one of the most effective changes in the school’s identity. The school had been founded on the Constitution of the Haverford School Association, which claimed that the all students would be either Friends or sons of Friends (“Haverford College Rules” iv). A committee of prominent Friends involved with the school, including Townsend Sharpless and Charles Yarnall, proposed a drastic change to the school’s original foundation. Their proposal used this dilemma: “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?” (Garrett and Bullock 163). Rather than fail the experiment of the Quaker school of Haverford, the Friends chose to change the nature of Haverford, expanding enrollment to non-Friends as well, noting that depending on the results, the school may one day soon be closed again to non-Friends, and education in the Quaker style would continue.
Haverford’s financial troubles were far from over, but the decision would affect the school forever once it reopened in 1848. Its principles changed fundamentally. At its heart, Haverford was no longer what it once had been: a school for Quakers to keep their faith while receiving high quality education. Still, though Haverford had been irreversibly altered in ideals, what changed in practice? The school still taught with a focus on the values of the Society of Friends. It still focused mainly on academics, educating young men in important matters in the world like algebra, Greek, and philosophy. Lindley Murray Moore, the school’s superintendent, attempted to keep the students in line as the faculty always had, making sure that none slipped out of their rooms late at night or got into any trouble. Garrett and Bullock write that though the school reopened with record low students, the school’s purpose was reinvigorated. Haverford represented the Quaker ideals, teaching peace and goodwill to men (197).
Haverford’s financial troubles did indeed force a change on a fundamental level. The school would never return to its Quakers-only status. In fact, the school became more and more accepting to people of other religions, genders, and races. From 1832 to 1865, however, Haverford hardly changed in operation. The school merely began to impart its Quaker viewpoints on a wider variety of students, creating an institution which, in a way, fit the original vision for Haverford even better than the school did at opening.
Works Cited
Garrett, Philip, and John Bullock. A History of Haverford College for the First Sixty Years of Its Existence. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1892. Print.“Haverford College Rules,” WRPR 153: History of Conflict at Haverford (HC), accessed September 18, 2015, https://ds-omeka.haverford.edu/annotations/admin/items/show/245.
Question: How did Haverford’s identity change from 1832 to 1865?
A Changing Identity of Haverford College – From Quaker Haven to Center of Education
Found in 1833, Haverford College was created to serve as a form of higher education for young adults in the local Pennsylvania area. This definition of Haverford’s purpose remains true for the most part throughout the period 1832-1865; however, the degree to which this assessment describes Haverford is altered over time. Haverford, Pennsylvania was an area consisting of mostly Quakers, resulting in a communal desire to have a school that would provide teenagers with an advanced education that was still rich with Quaker values. Haverford was formed in response to the need for a higher level of “Quaker education.” The Haverford’s main role in providing a “Quaker education” changed along with its identity over time as the emphasis shifted from having a school for Quakers to providing a Quaker-style education. It is this subtle shift in overall goal and purpose of the institution over the period 1832-1865 that caused a change in Haverford identity.
When Haverford was founded in 1833, it was apparent that one of the primary reasons it was formed was to serve as an institution of higher learning that only served the Society of Friends community. As seen in the charter for the school, the first rule or policy of the school was that students must be members of the Society of Friends or have parents that are members (“Friends’ Central School; Haverford,” 1832). As the Haverford Board of Managers tailored this document, they chose to include this rule first because it was a very important part of the school’s founding. The rule was put fairly straightforwardly as well: “The students at this institution shall be Friends, or the children of Friends.” The brief and concise nature of this statement suggests that to the Board of Managers, this requirement for students to be Quakers was a core and central part of the school’s identity and was also a steadfast rule with no room for loopholes. However as time moved on and financial trouble hit many Americans, it became increasingly difficult to operate a school that was enrolling fewer and fewer students each year (Phillip C. Garrett and John G. Bullock, 1893). The school’s debt was increasing and they were running out of ways to manage the growing number of expenses. In 1846, the Board of Mangers suggested that school opens enrollment to students who were not involved with the Society of Friends (Suggestion to Accept Non-Friends, 1846). Although this suggestion moves away from maintaining the exclusively Quaker nature of the school, it was made as a last ditch effort after multiple attempts were made to make ends meet, including selling silverware (Phillip C. Garrett and John G. Bullock, 1893). It is important to note that, the issue of keeping Haverford as a Quaker only school was still a present matter for the Board of Managers because there was documented planning involving restricted enrollment back to Quakers exclusively after the school can collect enough money to maintain their expenses. However, this still represents progress in terms of transitioning Haverford’s overall purpose mission from providing a learning environment for Quakers to providing students with a Quaker-style education. The fact that the Board of Managers even considered non-Quakers as a fix for financial trouble, demonstrates that they will do whatever it takes to continue providing students with an education.
The consideration of the Board of Managers to include non-Quaker students either temporarily or permanently to fix Haverford’s financial pitfalls suggests that maintaining Haverford as a center of education is possibly more important to them than preserving its isolation as a Friends-only university. Given that the Board of Managers could have decided to simply shut down the school when it reached financial problems, they clearly found it was more important to keep it open and providing students with knowledge than to just close it down because they could no longer maintain a haven for Quakers to learn in a safe and secure environment. In 1846, the Board of Managers officially came to consensus to allow non-Quaker students to be admitted at Haverford College (Board Consents to Accept Non-Friends, 1846). This decision illustrates how they determined that education was more important that preserving a solely Quaker environment. As a part of this decision, the Board of Managers had to contact and okay the decision with all of the original donors. Given that the original donors set up the school with such a strict policy on allowing only Quakers to be admitted, it is interesting that they agreed to allow the school to reopen to non-Quakers. One possible explanation of this behavior is that when given the options of having no school at all (meaning no Quakers would be helped) or allowing a school for more students to attend, the managers realized that the goal and mission of Haverford is to in fact provide students with not only a Quaker-style education but also a strong, advanced, and liberal arts education.
Haverford’s transition to accepting students who were not members of the Society of Friends demonstrates the values of the school’s directors at that time (1846). This can be easily contrasted with the way Haverford was created and directed until it reached financial crisis and was forced to change. The transition in the composition of the school’s student body allowed the identity of Haverford to change as it became more apparent that Haverford was a center of education and not a source of refuge for Quakers.
Works Cited
Board Consents to Accept Non-Friends, 1846
Friends’ Central School; Haverford, 1832
Garrett, Philip Cresson. A History of Haverford College for the First Sixty Years of Its Existence. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates, 1892. Print.
Suggestion to Accept Non-Friends, 1846
MLA formatting by BibMe.org. (A History of Haverford…)
Sam Epstein
Haverford Reinvented
How did Haverford’s identity change from 1832-65?
By Alex Bernas
From the time it was founded, Haverford College has always been an intellectually rigorous, modestly avant-garde, four-year liberal arts college in rural Pennsylvania. Its professors have always been brilliant at multiple fields of academic discipline such as Mathematics, Natural Science, and the Classics. Despite the changes in size, all members of the community could live in one residential building. Thus, there has always been a strong sense of community and consensus in Haverford College. In many ways, Haverford College kept its identity despite the economic and social challenges between 1832-1865. There is sometimes a question about whether Haverford changed its identity at all during this time period, given that it maintained its Quaker education. However, the people of the Haverford community shaped Haverford to become more open and diverse than it originally was in 1832.
When Haverford College was founded in 1833, it was a college exclusively for Friends. In fact, a document written in 1832 detailing the guidelines the school must follow shows that Haverford’s name was “Friends’ Central School Association” (Friends’ Central School; Haverford), emphasizing even more of its exclusivity. Article I of the document explicitly states that “The students at this institution shall be Friends, or the children of Friends” . Friends’ Central School Association had a small student population of 79, since the Society of Friends only consisted of two percent of the population at that time (Garrett, Bullock 183). Though Friends’ Central School Association was initially a successful leading institution despite its small size, USA’s 1845 economic downturn make Friends’ Central School Association’s exclusivity problematic.
Central School Association, known as Haverford School Association in 1845, only had 36 students enrolled for the summer term (Garrett, Bullock 160). Only 25 planned to return for the next term. In addition to the low enrollment, Haverford School Association had a debt of $4,000. At that time, the average citizen in the United States earned $350 per year. Though the Society of Friends was well-off during this time, the members were frugal, making it difficult for Haverford School Association to collect donations to pay its debt. Rather than shut down permanently, Haverford School Association considered allowing “the sons of persons who are not members of the Religious Society of Friends but are desirous that their children may be educated in the better manners and principles of the Religious Society of Friends shall be educated by the said Haverford School Association together with such Friends and sons of Friends as aforementioned” (Suggestion to Accept Non-Friends 3). The document this is taken from seems to be a compromise to unify the divided School Managers. In A History of Haverford College for the First Sixty Years of Its Existence, Garrett and Bullock mentions a Manager’s hope that the increase in enrollment will “create an assurance that admissions may soon again be restricted to members of our religious Society, and to those who shall have been carefully educated in our religious profession” Does not this sentiment give rise to reflection? Why should Haverford exist? Only for the few who, being in membership with Friends, are technically Quakers, and for the few who have been reared by Quakers, or for the many who are in sympathy with them? Is the former motive too narrow, and the latter too broad?” (Garrett, Bullock 165). Regardless of motives, the Managers “unanimously accepted” (Board Consents to Accept Non-Friends 1) the proposal to open Haverford School Association’s door to non-Friends. The Managers add, “That nothing in the Said Act shall be deemed to prohibit the members of the Said Association at any meeting, either Annual or Special, from – attesting, amending, or refreshing any of the rules, orders, regulations and constitution of the said Association as they existed at and immediately before the date of said act…” (3). From this statement, one can infer that Haverford School Association gained not only the permission for diversity but also a new independence to exercise.
Haverford’s decision to open its doors to Non-Friends proved to be successful. The $4,000 debt was paid, and the student population increased to 75. In addition, Joseph Cartland, the campus steward during the Winter term 1849-1850, became Superintendent of Haverford during the next Fall (Garrett, Bullock 208). His rise to power and his 3-year term show Haverford’s social class mobility, something not present when Haverford was initially an exclusive rich Quaker college.
Though Haverford only changed one aspect of its identity during 1832-1865, that one aspect is important to Haverford’s identity today. The beginning of Haverford’s openness to non-Friends paved the way for Haverford’s diversity today.
Works Cited:
Board Consents to Accept Non-Friends. 1846.
Friends Central School, Haverford School. 1832.
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.
Suggestion to Accept Non-Friends. 1846.