The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 60, July 1956 - April, 1957 Page: 112

                                
Southwestern Historical Quarterly

were added in 1898, the woman's building in 1902, the en-
gineering building in 1904, and the new law building within
the past year.
The library which is unquestionably the most essential part
of the University's equipment, has not yet obtained its much
desired separate building; but its growth will soon make that an
absolute necessity. A few figures will serve to illustrate this
growth. The library was begun with an appropriation of $1000
for the year 1883-'84. The next year the appropriation was raised
to $4500; and it has varied since from nothing in 1887-'88, when
So students gave $1 each out of their library deposits to keep up
the periodicals, to about $58oo, which has been the average for
the last three years. During the first year after the opening of
the University, the number of volumes purchased was about
1200oo. After that the increase was slow and irregular till during
the session 1896-'97, when the gift by Sir Swante Palm of his
valuable library of 12,ooo volumes raised the number to 27,8oo.
The annual additions now amount to more than 4000 volumes;
and the aggregate number in the library is over 6o,ooo, besides
probably 25,000 pamphlets and a large collection of unbound
Texas newspapers.
The organization of the University was at first modeled largely
after that of the University of Virginia. There was no president,
but a chairman of the faculty instead; and there were only two
departments, the academic and the law. In 1892 the name of the
academic department was changed to the department of litera-
ture, science and arts; and in the catalogue for 1 9o6-'07 it became
the college of arts. In 1891 the medical department was added
to those already existing. The department of engineering was
given a separate organization in 1895, and that of education in
1906. The department of medicine has had its dean from the
first. A dean of the main University was appointed in 1899, and
a dean of the law faculty in 19go01. In 1904 the dean of the main
University became the dean of the department of literature,
science and arts; and in 1905 the department of engineering
was also given a dean.
The University summer school dates from the year 1898. Be-
ginning with less than 2oo students, it has grown at length to
nearly 750, and has approved itself as one of the most useful

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