Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/102

76 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO money to this people for this cause. They are united, harmonious, and zealous in their devotion to the enterprise. Not only have the well-to-do given liber- ally, but those of lesser means and even the poor have responded out of their hard-won savings. Besides this work the Baptists of Chicago are this year making provision for ten new houses of worship. The brethren of this city have nobly redeemed themselves from the charge of apathy in matters edu- cational. Where in all our history have the Baptist of any city in so short a time done so large a thing for education ? In pledging two hundred and fifty thousands dollars the Baptists of Chicago are giving all they are able to give and all they ought to give to our great cause. More they cannot do. But in saying this we have not said enough. Even if the Baptists of Chicago were able to do the whole of this great work, they ought not to do it! You ought not to let them do it. The new college will be a great convenience of course to many Baptist families in this city But greater a hundred fold, immeas- urably greater will be the value of the college to the vast Baptist brotherhood of the West This great enterprise was projected and undertaken, not for the benefit of Chicago, but for the service it promises to render to the entire West Brethren of the West, we now turn to you with entire confidence that having seen Chicago do all that can be asked, you will now with equal zeal take up the work Send us your best offerings on the blanks that will be sent you. Subscription blanks were sent out to very many pastors and laymen. The results were almost nothing. A month later, No- vember 7, the secretaries felt compelled to say in The Standard: Our brethren seem disposed to sit quietly by and let Chicago do the whole work They are deeply interested in our progress. The feeling is universal that the undertaking must succeed. Pastors and laymen wish us God-speed and are eager for information as to the progress of the work. But they do not help us The time has come to say that Chicago Baptists cannot do the work alone. They are united and enthusiastic. They are doing far more than their part We ask only fifty thousand dollars from our people in the West outside of Chicago. This we have every right to ask and to expect. This amount we must have This is written to remind our brethren that time is passing. Five months of our year are gone and nearly half our work remains to be done We have been asked to name a Sunday on which the matter shall be taken up in all the churches We suggest every Sunday between this time and January i. On one of these eight Sab- baths, will not every pastor bring this cause before his people, receive such subscriptions as they are willing to make and send them in ? Statements continued to appear almost weekly in the papers, and the interest throughout the West visibly increased, but sub-