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A critical situation arose soon after Dr. Mendenhall took office. To
Mr. Higgins and his supporters it seemed presumptuous that the
President, with only a three-months' acquaintanceship with the
problem, should submit to the trustees a paper concerning the proper
relation of the Shop to other departments, inquiring what attitude the
Shop and its superintendent should sustain toward the Institute and
its President. It was undoubtedly a blunt inquiry, suggesting either
that the President had rapidly appraised the situation or that he had
been capably tutored. The Trustees promptly answered that: "the
authority of the President extends alike to all departments. " just a
year later, January, 1896, the Trustees decided that it was "expedient
to discontinue the elevator business," and the shop committee was
empowered to dispose of it, including tools, supplies, stock and
materials. Mr. Higgins' resignation was accepted in April.
The departure of Professor Alden and Mr. Higgins was a distinct break
with the past. Perhaps they had served their usefulness as members of
the staff, but it is certain that, despite the adverse criticisms
levelled at them, their service to the Institute had been
constructive. Both bettered themselves by abandoning the classroom and
shop for business careers. Both reentered the picture later as members
of the Board of Trustees.
George E. Gladwin resigned in June, 1896, another break with
the past. He had taught drawing to nearly every student who had
entered the Institute since its doors were opened. His lovable and
eccentric nature made him a tradition, even though his teaching failed
to keep step with the times. Art was his vocation, mechanical design
merely a chore. His own pencil and water-color work was beautifully
execut ed, and many a graduate cherishes "Stray Leaves" from his
sketchbook, published in 1891, while his paintings of class trees
still adorn Institute walls. Professor Gladwin was sixty seven when he
resigned. His slight resources were amplified by a purse of $500 from
his former students, and in subsequent
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