The Intellectual Life of Old Seattle
Before the University of Washington became a sprawling research giant, its faculty and students spent their terms reading Virgil, hosting public lectures on modern civilization, and balancing academic rigor with rowing, military drills, and long walks on the beach.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
To the Board of Regents: Allow me to lay before you the following facts, which show the work of the University for the two terms of twenty weeks, ending March 20th, 1885. The number of pupils enrolled was 120. Add to this 40 missed from the school, and we have 160 different pupils that have attended during the two winter terms. To give you a correct idea of the character of the work being done, I would state that classes have been taught in arithmetic, English grammar, bookkeeping, elocution, algebra, penmanship, zoology, political economy, general history, Virgil, Cicero, Homer, French, German, and moral and mental philosophy. During the months of November and December, several free public lectures were provided for the benefit of the students and the public. From the proceeds of these lectures, about $70 has been realized and invested in books for the University library. It is with great pleasure that I report a very substantial donation of books by Mr. J.H. McGraw of this city, who has made the library the partial owner of 40 volumes of Herbert Howe Bancroft’s works. As a means for testing good and profitable work among the students, a great deal of stress has been laid upon the necessity for plenty of physical outdoor exercise. To this end, all manner of innocent outdoor sports have been organized; a trapeze, parallel bars, and swings have been provided. Frequent excursions of teachers and pupils are made with a view to health, pleasure, and the study of nature. Sometimes they are tramping over the hills, at others rowing on the lakes or sailing on the Sound, or possibly strolling on the beach, gathering shells and pebbles and studying the marine fauna. I am pleased to report that these varied expeditions have not been without fruit. Both teachers and pupils have enjoyed remarkable health.
“Frequent excursions of teachers and pupils are made with a view to health, pleasure, and the study of nature. Sometimes they are tramping over the hills, at others rowing on the lakes or sailing on the Sound.”
In 1885, the University of Washington was a small, experimental institution focused on civic engagement and classical learning. Today, as the school grapples with its massive footprint in Seattle’s housing and tech-driven economy, this report serves as a reminder of the university's original, humbler role as a center for community lecture series and modest physical education.
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