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European singers. There were parks and ice-skating. Jackson Park, former
site of the World Fair, was next to the University and an excellent place for
athletic activities like baseball, football, and tennis. There were also
scenic gardens good for romantic dates. From Spring through Fall you
could rent rowboats and sailboats, or take cruises on the lake. Will
enjoyed sailing on the lake.

Best of all - there was baseball! Will became an enthusiastic baseball
player and spectator after moving to America. Chicago was the first city
he lived in with a "big league" team. The Chicago Colts were a founding
member of the National League in 1876 under the name Chicago White
Stockings. The Colts were the subject of controversy in 1898 when Cap
Anson, star player and manager for 22 years, left the team. The team
suffered so much they became known as the Chicago Orphans. It was not
until 1902 that the team took on its current name of Chicago Cubs. They
played in a large but aging wooden ballpark named West Side Stadium. It
was 2 or 3 miles west of the Loop and Will undoubtedly arranged his
schedule to include some afternoons watching baseball.

William updated his appearance. No longer the "little Dutch boy" of
Kalamazoo, he changed his hairstyle and grew a mustache. He was now
an American wearing the current fashions. He also wore small gold-
rimmed eyeglasses for farsightedness. The left lens had no correction
because he was blind in that eye.

Will saw a lot of a girl named Annie Alberda. He first met her in
Hudsonville, Michigan and continued to date her while he attended
college. Annie may have moved to Chicago, perhaps to go to school. In
its early years, the University of Chicago was one of the very few American
universities to admit women. (The school actually enrolled slightly more
women than men.) However, after getting to know Annie, Will decided
that he was not inclined to marry her. He decided she was spoiled or self-
centered.

Dr. James M. Gray was a close associate of Mr. Moody. Dr. Gray
precipitated Will Poot's first marriage. He was a forceful evangelist and
writer, and he led some of Mr. Moody's religious conferences. He worked
as a summer lecturer at the Bible School and was principle pastor at the
Moody Church. He later became head of the school from 1905 through
1935. It was probably late summer in 1898 when Reverend Gray gave the
students a stern and powerful lecture about their "shameful behavior."
The school had received letters from parents protesting how Bible
students had been taking advantage of the affections of young ladies,
even kissing them, only to drop the girls when the young men graduated
and left town. Reverend Gray warned that the next time he received such
a letter, he would see to it that the student would be expelled, disgraced,
and never be allowed to preach. Will was very intimidated by this speech
and feared the consequences of an emotional break-up with Anna. He

- Chicago, College, and Marriage - page 10 -