Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/114

88 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO Education Society was held, May 27, 1890, the secretaries were able to report their work successfully accomplished. The subscrip- tion among the business men had reached seventy-five thousand dollars. Arrangements had been made during the year by the officers of the American Baptist Education Society, in consultation with the officers of the other Baptist national organizations, to hold their next anniversaries, which would take place in May, in the city of Chicago. It was expected that the efforts to found the new insti- tution would be successful, and it was thought fitting that the "Anniversaries" should be held in Chicago, as the center of effort and interest. The annual meeting of the Education Society was held on May 27 and 28. The interest of the entire series of meetings, not only of that organization, but indeed of all the societies, covering a week or more, centered in the meetings of the Education Society, and the center of interest in these meetings was the report of the Executive Board to the Society, detailing the activities and achieve- ments of the year. It was the duty of the Corresponding Secretary, Mr. F. T. Gates, to make this report. Mr. Gates presented in detail a synopsis of the activities of the Society in assisting many Baptist institutions of learning throughout the country, reserving the report of the work in founding the new institution in Chicago to the last. When the Secretary came to this point in his report he spoke as follows: The general work of the Society during the year has been far more impor- tant and far reaching in significance than can be indicated in this brief synoptical report. Fruitful and promising as our endeavors have been in every section of the country, the general work of the Society has been obscured by the great special task of establishing in this city the foundations of a mighty institution of learning for the West. This undertaking was first resolved upon by our Board in Washington in December, 1888, at its first semiannual meet- ing after the organization of the Society. And while other valuable interests possible to be encouraged or assisted by us have not been neglected, the founding of this institution has been the main concern of your Board from that day until this hour. At all times, with undeviating purpose and with perfect unanimity of sentiment, the North, the South, the East, and the West, represented in your Board, have sought unitedly the accomplishment of this object.