— 8 THE KENTUCKY ALUMNUS.  
.; i Fayette County in providing the money for the purchase of Ashland and \Vood—  i the ur
land, emphasized his attitude towards the church, the university and the public.   Board
? The secular element introduced by the incorporation of the Agricultural and   man 5
E Mechanical Colleges appealed to him with peculiar force and determined him to   Agric
`V use all his influence to liberating, through a liberal policy, public education in   the pr
the university. These views were vigorously and ably contested. They argued  e. lnasm
that the original Kentucky University was created and endowed by private bene-   obliga
j_ factors, that Mr. -Bowman in obtaining their subscriptions to this endowment ;` argurr
l` . never intimated even a modified secular administration of tl1e funds subscribed,  __ referr
’ that their intention was to build up a university for the benefit of the Christian  T} plausi
` church and that to hand over its administration to aliens, would be a wanton   in cor
» breach of trust. Mr. Bowman replied that while the interests of the church I  measu
  should not and would not be compromised or ignored, that they should not be  {_ vote.
it either obtrusive or exclusive, that the logic of events made necessary a control in  ` Ultima
, which the interests of Transylvania and the Agricultural and Mechanical College . institi:
» should be regarded, a.1d that this could be done quietly and without friction, by   1877-S
` mutual concession and good will.  lf The re
  _ Vl/hile his influence was still paramount, he endeavored to fill vacancies in  Q Wm?}
l T the Board by men of influence outside of his church and who sl1ared his views,  _2 locatlf
i   Such men as the late Frank Hunt, james B. Beck and Benjamin Gratz, men who   th°_ gl
  would give the institution distinction at home and reputation abroad. The height   kglsla
  ’ of church influence however, was against him. The non-sectarian members soon   T
E _ ` discovered that they were ill at ease with their associates, that while they were  [
l treated with all courtesy, their absence would be more acceptable to the majority  Yi
§ V than their presence. As time went on the lines became more drawn. Mr. Bow-   ];
l man in loving, true confidence and the supportof the majority, found that his   J;
    ability to raise money among the membership of his church has gone and that an  Z j;
i 4 ‘ appeal to the general public under existing conditions, was futile. His intention   ];
l · 1 , had been to raise a million dollars with which to erect on his Ashland estate, the  `{ jp
, ,` { buildings necessary for the colleges of Arts and Science, Agriculture, Mechanic   F.
in   - Arts, with the museums, libraries, laboratories and other equipment whereby » Ft
  instruction was effective. His intention was to use tl1e buildings on the Tran-  l Ft
T ~_     sylvania grounds for law and medicine. These hopes were blighted.   Ft
` ,_ The matriculation had grown rapidly between 1865 and 1871. From this i_  M
  time on the cleavage between the Bowman and the anti-Bowman factions became  
more pronounced, the attendance gradually declined. The instruction of the  
g i; . class soon, however, steadily improved. Of the Agricultural and Meclianieul  
- College, john Augustus \Nilliams, the first president, a man of supreme ability,  
" good education and a good organizer, resigned. joseph Desha Pickett was HD   S,
  pointed [W0 tcm[>0rc and served one year. In 1869 I was appointed presidenh _.  was tj
  and served until january, 1910, when I resigned after a continuous service cl   M
. , forty-one years.  i heme,
Il An effort was made by the anti-Bowman members of the Board of Curatefi   interet
,· A during the session of 1873-4 of the General Assembly, to amend the charter of   Kentu
.;;;»