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QNION (:!OLLE()E
ISS.^?S!^<Si5M!S!SSMKMSSSS^ :
NTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
1795-1895
1>
UNION COLLEGE
CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
1795-1895
"^'o s'lj- tItoHsiuid men Uuioii Collcf/e has been .wnu'thinu
more than a name. To three thousand,, not yet wrapped In
eternal site?iee, it is still a si/no)i//nt for four years of in-
tellectual sfrnyyie and i)d<'lh'(tu((l joy, of yrou-in// discern-
ment of vague outlines of the irorld of thouyht, <f dauiiiny
enthusiasm for nolle ideals, of deliyhtful human companion-
ships;, of communion with as rare surroundinys of natural
beauty as ever yladdened the heart of jirosaic man, and
helped shake off some grains at least <f its earthiness."
(Prof, ./(tmcs li. Triiuj.)
1795
UNION COLLEGE
$
1895
A IIECOIID OF THE ( OMME.MOiiATlON
JUNE TWENTY-FIRST TO TWENTY-SEVENTH, 1895
ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE
FOUNDING OF UNION COLLEGE
INCLUDING
A SKETCH OF ITS HISTOllY
NEW-YORK
1897
U7^J
/8JS
PREFATORY NOTE.
THE Centennial Committee, in appointing a Sub-com-
mittee on Publication, directed them to prepare and
issue a full report of the proceedings connected with the
observance of the anniversary, together with a history of
the College. The fulfilment of this duty has been de-
layed, partly by the amount of labor involved, and partly
by the fact that the Committee on Publication included
no men of leisure, who could devote to the task continu-
ous attention.
It was thought best to make the report as accurate as
possible by gi\dng each speaker an opportunity to re-
vise his contribution both in manuscript and in proof.
This required voluminous correspondence and frequent
interruptions in the work of preparation.
In order to keep the volume within reasonable limits,
it was found necessary to omit any minute account of
the events which belonged to the annual commencement
rather than to the Centennial celebration. The im-
promptu speeches delivered at the Alumni dinner have
also been omitted.
For the historical sketch the committee are indebted to
Mr. Robert C. Alexander, of the class of 1880, who kindly
placed at their disposal the results of researches which
he had made for a different purpose.
ivi?09166
VI PREFATORY NOTK.
To facilitate rot'ui'ciiicu to tho contciils oi' the volume, a
full index has been appended.
The Committee on I'lildicitiou induli;*' the hopi^ that
this volume may not only keej) alive the memory of
a notable anniversary, but also strengthen the loyal
attachment of the Alumni to their alina mater.
Charles Emoky Smith,
Charles D. Nott,
Frederick W. Seward,
Homer Greene,
James K. Truax,
Edward P. White,
George Alexander, Clia'niudn.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION .... 1-35
The Preparation 1-7
Centennial Co>[^riTTEK 4-5
Sub-Committees 5-6
The Program 8-18
The Proceedings 19-35
Alumni Dinner 23-25
Commencement Exercises 20-35
Conferring op Degrees 27-31
History op the College 37-76
Baccalaureate Day
MORNING SERVICE
Discourse by George Alexander, D. D 70-90
AFTERNOON SERVICE
Conference on the Relations of Religion and Educa-
tion 91-120
addresses by
A. C. Sewall, D. D 91-94
B. B. Loomis, D. D 95-100
Rev. Walter Scott, A. M 101-109
Thomas E. Bliss, D. D 110-114
William Maxon, D. D 115-120
Frederick Z. Rooker, D. D 121-12()
EVENING SERVICE
Baccalaureate Sermon by Rt. Rev. Wm. C. Doane, D. D. 127-139
Educatoes' Day
MORNING SESSION. SUBJECT, THE SECONDARY
SCHOOL 143-182
addresses by
Melvil Dewey 143-149
William H. Maxwell 150-171
C. F. P. Bancroft, LL. D 172-182
vii
VI 11
CONTENTS.
AFTERNOON SESSION. SUB.JE(T, THE COLLEOE . is;]-212
ADDRKSSES BY
President Austin Scott 1S3-185
President Benjamin Andrews 180-197
President James H. Tayt.or li).S-i.M2
EVENING SESSION. SUBJECT, THE UNIVERSITY . 213-2-14
addresses by
President Danied Coit Oilman 21:5-210
Professor William Gardner Hale .... 217-229
President G. Stanley Hall 230-244
Alumni Day
CENTENNIAL BANQUET
speeches by
President Andrew V. V. Raymond .
Chancellor Anson Judd Upson .
Professor George Herbert Palmer
Dean Henry Parks Wright ....
Professor John Haskell Hewitt .
Professor Charles F. Richardson
De.aj^ J. H. Van Amringe
Professor William ]Macdonald .
Professor John Randolph Tucker
Professor Oren Root
Professor Anson D. Morse
President Austin Scott ....
President James H. Taylor
EVENING SESSION
Commemorative Addresses and Centennial Poem
addresses by
Charles D. Nott, D. D
George F. Danforth, LL. 1)
Stealy B. Rossiter, D. D.
centennial poem by
William H. McElroy, LL. D
Memorial Day
THE COLLEGE IN PATRIOTIC SERVICE
addresses by
Gen. Daniel Butterfield, LL. I). .
Major Austin A. Yates
Poem by ^Ik. Weston Flint
247-248
249-2.")7
258-259
201-203
203-208
208-270
271-274
274-270
270-280
280-283
283-284
285-288
288-291
293-331
293-295
290-310
311-327
328-331
335-347
33i>-336
337-a*6
347
CONTENTS. IX
THE COLLE(iK IN PROFESSIONAL LIFK 348-420
ADDRESSKS BY
W. H. Hklmk ^[oore 348-:}r)l
J. Newton Fikro '.i')2-'M')7
Teunis S. Hamlin, D. I) :}()8-4()r)
John Van Rensselaer Hoff, A. M., M. I). . . . 40(^-420
SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF THE ENGINEERING SCHOOL 421-435
ADDRESSES BY
President Cady Staley 421-42G
Warner Miller, LL. D 427-435
THE COLLEGE IN STATESMANSHIP AND POLITICS 437-407
addresses by
Silas B. Brownell, LL. D 437-438
Governor John Gary Evans 439-443
Hon. David C. Robinson 444-455
Chables Emory Smith, LL. D 456-4(57
Commencement Day
UNIVERSITY CELEBRATION 471-497
address by
Eliphalet Nott Potter, D. D., LL. D. . . . 471-476
CENTENNIAL ORATION BY
Henry C. Potter, D. D., LL. D 477-497
REGISTRATION 501-517
INDEX 519-524
ILLUSTRATIONS.
UNION COLLEGE Frontispiece
PAGE
Union College in 1795 39
John Blair Smith 44
Jonathan Edwards 46
Union College in 1804 47
Eliphalet Nott 49
Laurens P. Hickok 57
Charles Augustus Aiken 58
Eliphalet Nott Potter 59
Harrison E. Webster 60
Andrew V. V. Raymond 61
Tayler Lewis 63
Isaac W. Jackson 64
Entrance to College Grounds 68
The Terrace 69
Powers Memorial Building 71
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMOKATIOX.
THE PREPARATION.
AT the aimual meeting; of the Board of Trustees of
-^ Union College on June 27, 1893, Trustee R. C. Alex-
ander moved the following preamble and resolution, pre-
facing it by the remark that with the substitution of the
word "century" for "half-century," the resolution was
an exact copy of one passed by the Board of Trustees
fifty years before :
Wheeeas, The space of a century will have nearly
elapsed before the next annual commencement since the
incorporation of Union College ; and whereas, the expira-
tion of such a period affords a fit occasion for reviewing
the i^ast history of the institution, and commemorating
the services of those among its patrons and alumni who
have been called away by death therefrom.
Resolved, That a committee be appointed to cooperate
with a committee of the alumni in a joint committee to
consider and report upon the time most proper for such a
celebration, and to suggest such arrangements as may, in
their estimation, be deemed best adapted to give interest
and useful effect to the occasion.
1
UNION COLLEGE.
ACTION OF THE ALUMNI.
On tlie same day tbo Association of tlie Alumni, at its
regular annual meeting, u[)()n motion of Edwai'd P. White,
'79, adopted the following preamble and resolutions :
Whereas, The year 1895 will mark the completion of a
full hundred years of the life of Union College, and
Whereas, This fact will call for general rejoicing among
the alumni and friends of the College, and will offer a
most fitting occasion for celebrating the beneficent work
and far-reaching influence of our Alma Mater, and for
honoring the memory of those who, as officers, instruc-
tors, graduates, or benefactors, have made the name of
Union illustrious; and
Whereas, The worthy commemoration of an event of
such historic interest will require extended and careful
preparations, therefore be it resolved,
1. That a committee of twelve, together with the Pres-
ident of the Association, ex officio, be appointed from our
most interested and loyal alumni to devise and perfect a
plan for appropriately celebrating the centennial anniver-
sary of the founding of Union College. The committee
shall have power to add to their number by selecting at
least one from each class.
2. That the Faculty and Board of Trustees be requested
to appoint each a committee to cooperate with this com-
mittee of the alumni.
3. That the joint committee be requested to report
one year hence a definite plan for the celebration.
ACTION OF THE FACULTY.
On December 7, 1893, at a meeting of the Faculty of
the College, a resolution was unanimously adopted author-
izing the President to a]ipoint a committee of three to co-
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMOKATION. 3
operate with tlie other committees in tiie celebration of
the centennial anniversary of the College.
ACTION OF THE UNIVERSITY.
At the annual meeting of the Board of Governoi-s
of the University, held in Albany, on January 23, 1894,
Dr. Willis J. Tucker presiding, a resolution was adopted
authorizing the chairman to appoint one representative
upon the Centennial Committee from each of the Albany
departments of the University, and directing that he
shoukl designate himself as the representative of the
Medical College.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COMMITTEE.
On December 14, 1893, the committees met in joint ses-
sion at 203 Broadway, in the city of New York, made a
temj)orary organization, and appointed a snb-committee
on plan and scojje to report at a later meeting, wdiich
they should call.
Such meeting was duly held at the same place on
March 8, 1894, and a permanent organization was then
effected. The committee at the same time added to their
number additional alumni members, as authorized by the
resolution of the Ceneral Alumni Association, thus form-
ing the Grand Committee of One Hundred; and desig-
nated the members of the various sub-committees.
The committee then heard the report of the sub-com-
mittee on plan and scope, appointed at the December
meeting, and after due discussion adopted a set of by-
laws for the future direction of the Centennial Committee
and its various sub-committees.
It was decided that the celebration of the Centennial
should be held during the Commencement week of 1895,
and that the various Centennial exercises should be ar-
ticulated with the regular exercises of the graduating
4 UNION COLLEGE.
class ill such uiaiincr as iiii<;lit tlieroafter be agreed upon
by the committees on Commemorative Exercises and on
Banquet and Receptions, eoiipci-atiiig witli tlie Faculty
of the College.
The committee, as finally constituted, and its sub-com-
mittees are indicated in the following list :
THE CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE.
OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
Hon. JUDSON S. LANDON, LL. D.
\yy\. H. H. :\rOORE. Rev. GEORGE ALEXANDER, D. D.
Hon. JOHN A. DE REMER. CHARLES C. LESTER.
OF THE FACULTY.
Prof. WILLIAM WELLS, LL. D.
Prof. .JAMES R. TRUAX, Ph. D. Prof. B. H. RIPTON, Ph. D.
OF THE UNIVERSITY.
MEDICAL COLLEGE, . . Dr. WILLIS G. TUCKER.
LAW SCHOOL, . . . Dean LEWIS B. HALL.
DUDLEY OBSERVATORY, . Dr. SAMUEL B. WARD.
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY, Dr. ALFRED B. HUESTED.
OF THE ALUMNI.
Rev. ANDREW V. V. RAYMOND, D. D.
Hon. ALEX. H. RICE, LL. D.
Gen. DANIEL BUTTERFIELD, LL. D.
Hon. ROBERT EARL, LL. D.
Rev. CHARLES D. NOTT, D. D.
Hon. CHARLES EMORY SMITH, LL. D.
Col. CHARLES E. SPRAGUE, Ph. D.
ROBERT C. ALEXANDER.
Hon. CHESTER HOLCOMBE.
HOMER GREENE.
JOSEPH D. CRAIG, :\I. D.
SEYMOUR VAN SANTVOORD.
WILLIAM P. RUDD.
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION.
OF THE ALUMNI.
(ContiiHieil.)
'26
'27
'28
'29
'30
'31
'32
'33
'34
'35
'36
'37
'38
'39
'40
'41
'42
'43
'44
'45
'46
'47
'48
'49
'50
'51
'52
'53
'54
'55
'56
'57
'58,
'59
'60
'61
Thomas Hun, M. D., '62
Charles T. Cromwell, '63
Zaccheus T. Newcomb, '64
Alexander Proudfit, D. D., '05
Jolin C. Halsey, M. D., '66
Geu. John Cochrane, '67
Charles E. West, LL. D., '68
Ezra A. Huntington, D. D., '69
John C. Cruikshank, D. D., '70
John Foster, LL. D., '71
Rol)ert M. Brown, D. D., '72
Hon. S. K. WiUiams, '73
Hon. Isaac Dayton, '74
Joel T. Headly, LL. D., '75
Hon. Geo. F. Danforth, LL. D., '76
Hamilton Harris, LL. D., '77
Hon. Samuel W, Jackson, '78
Prof. Daniel B. Hagar, '79
Prof. Wendell Lamorovix, '80
Rt. Rev. A. N. Littlejohn, D. D., '81
Hon. John M. Carroll, '82
Warren G. Brown, '83
Hon. Charles C. Nott, '84,
Hon. Frederick W. Seward, '85
CUfford A. Hand, '86
James H. McClure, '87
Silas B. Brownell, LL. D. '88
Nelson Millard, D. D., '89
Hon. John H. Burtis, '90
Sheldon Jackson , D. D. , '91
Edward P. North, '92
L. Clark Seelye, D. D., '93
John T. Mygatt, '94
Charles Beattie, D. D., '95
Hon. Warner Miller, '96
E. Nott Potter, D. D., LL. D., '97
Prof. Oliver P. Steves,
Hon. Amasa J. Pai'ker,
Daniel M. Stimson, M. D.,
Stealy B. Rossiter, D. D.,
Monroe ]\I. Cady.
Hon. J. Newton Fiero,
Harrison E. Webster, LL. D.,
Kenneth Clark,
Robert P. Orr,
George R. Donnan,
Hon. Howard Thornton,
Wm. T. Clute, M. D.,
Hon. Tracy C. Becker,
N. V. V. Franchot,
Frederick B. Streeter, M. D.,
William B. Rankine,
Charies M. Cidver, M. D.,
Edward P. White,
John V. L. Pruyn,
Frederick W. Cameron,
James R. Fairgrieve,
Frank Burton,
Dow Beekman,
Frank Bailey,
William P. Landon,
Charles F. Bridge,
Prof. Philip H. Cole,
Archie R. Conover,
Fred. L. Comstock,
Tracy H. Robertson,
Edward J. Prest,
George T. Hughes,
Howard Pemberton, 2d,
Russell S. Greenman,
R. E. Wilder.
'48, Hon. Julm H. Starin,
'93, Hon. Pliny T. Sexton, LL. D.
UNION COLLEGE.
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES.
Cliairman, Andrew V. V. Raymond,
Vice-Chairmau, Charles D. Nott,
Treasurer, Charles E. Spraque,
Secretary, Chester Holcombe,
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
A. V. V. Raymond, Chairman.
Charles D. Nott, Charles E. Sprague,
Chester Holcombe, J. S. Landon,
William Wells, J. A. De Remer,
Georgre Alexander, Seymour Van Santvoord,
John H. Starin, Robert C. Alexander.
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE.
Charles E, Sprague, Chairman.
Hamilton Han-is, Chester Holcombe,
Alex. H. Rice, C. M. Culver,
Daniel Butterfield, James H. McClure.
COMMITTEE ON INVITATION.
Charles C. Lester, Chairman.
Robert Earl, Joseph D. Craig,
Howard Thornton, B. H. Ripton.
COMMITTEE ON COMMEMORATIVE EXERCISES.
J. S. Landon, Chairman.
A. V. V. Raymond, Warner Miller,
Daniel Butterfield, Silas B. Brownell,
Georg-e Alexander, James R. Truax.
COMMITTEE ON BANQUET AND RECEPTIONS.
W1LLLA.M Wells, Chairman,
J. A. De Remer, William P. Rudd,
J, Newton Fiero, Willis G. Tucker.
\
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION. 7
COMMITTEE ON MUSIC.
Seymour Van Santvoord, Chairman.
Daniel M. Stimson, William B. Rankine,
Charles W. Culver, Tracy H. Robertson.
COMMITTEE ON ENTERTAINMENT.
John A. De Remer, Chairman.
Samuel W. Jackson, William T. ("lute.
COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION.
John H. Starin, Chairman.
Daniel Butterfleld, Frank Loomis.
COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION OF HISTORY, ETC.
George Alexander, Chairman.
Charles Emory Smith, Homer Greene,
Charles D. Nott, James R. Truax,
Frederick W. Seward, Edward P. White.
COMMITTEE ON ALUMNI RECORD.
Wendell Lamoroux, Chairman.
A. H. Rice, Philip H. Cole,
Charles F. Bridge, Dow Beekman.
COMMITTEE ON PRINTING, PUBLICITY, AND
PROMOTION.
R. C, Alexander, Chairman.
Frederick W. Cameron, William B. Rankine,
Frank A. de Puy, Edgar S. Barney.
COMMITTEE ON CENTENNIAL ENDOWMENT.
Stephen K. Williams, John V. L. Pruyn,
Wm. H. H. Moore, William P. Landon,
John A. De Remer, Monroe M. Cady,
Pliny T. Sexton.
When the time for the celebration drew near, the Committee issued
the following Program :
8 UNION COLLEGE.
THE PROGRAM.
¥
jf ln^a\^ 3unc 2 1.
ALLISON-FOOTE PRIZE DEBATE
BETWEEN THE
ADELPHIC AND PHILOMATHEAN LITERARY SOCIETIES.
First Presbyterian Chureli, 8.00 p, M.
QUESTION FOR DEBATE : ^Rcsoh-rd, " That Coin'^ Fhmncinl School
is Antagouistic to tlie True Interests of America.""
MUSIC.
SPEAKERS.
In the Affirmntive.
Members of the Adelphic Society.
Rockwell Harmon Potter, Glenville,
Orman West, Middlebm*gb,
Zedekiah L, Myers, St. Johnsville.
In the Negative.
^Members of tlie Philoniatheau Society.
Theodore Floyd Bayles, West Kortright,
James Michael Cass, Wataugua, Tenn.,
Orlando B. Pershing.
MUSIC.
AWARD OF PRIZES.
Satur&as, %\\\\c 22.
CLASS-DAY EXERCISES OF THE CLASS OF 189.3.
First Presl)yterian Church, 3.30 p. >r.
INTRODUCTORY MUSIC.
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS, George Linius Streeter, Johnstown.
OliATION, James Alexander Collins, Amsterdam.
POEM Henry Ravenel Dwtght, Charleston, S. C
HISTORY Albert Sewall Cox, Schenectady.
ADDRESS William (tRant Bkown. Utica.
PROPHECY, .... Thkodore Floyd Bayles, West Kortright.
SKETCH OF THE C0MMEM(3RATI0N. 9
PRIZE ORATORY OF JUNIORS AND SOPHOMORES,
AND THE ALEXANDER PRIZE CONTEST
IN EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING.
First Presb^-terian Church, 7.30 p. m.
ORATORY.
INTRODUCTORY MUSIC.
Sophomores.
Howard Rutsen Furbeck, St. Johnsville, ** Safeguards of a Natiou."
Ira Hotaling, Albany, " Unconscious Influence."
John Crapo Merchant, Nassau, " Ballot Reform."
MUSIC.
Juniors.
D. Howard Craver, Albany, . . . " Christianity Not Philosophy."
George J. Dann, Walton, ''The End of the Century."
RoscoE Guernsey, East Cobleskill, . . " The Progress of Liberty."
MUSIC.
PRIZE CONTEST.
established by ROBERT C. ALEXANDER, '80.
For the Encouragement of Extemporaneous Sjjeaking.
General Subject, *' Wealth."
MUSIC.
CONTESTANTS.
Horatio M. Pollock, '95 Schenectady.
D. Howard Craver, '96, Albany.
Albert S. Cox, '95, . . . . : Schenectady.
Theodore Floyd Bayles, '95, West Kortright.
William Dike Reed, '98, Albany.
Rockwell Harmon Potter, '95, Glenville.
George Young, '9G, Cobleskill.
Loren C. Guernsey, '95, East Cobleskill.
MUSIC.
10
UNION COLLEGE.
DOXOLOGY.
ANTHEM.
HYMN.
HYMN.
Sun^av?, June 23.
MORNINU SERVICE.
First Reformed Church, 10.30 a. m.
INVOCATION.
SALUTATION.
Responsive Beading of the 103^7 Psalm.
Beading of the Commandments.
PRAYER.
Offerings and Offertory.
DISCOURSE
By the Rev. GEORGE ALEXANDER, D. D., '66, Pastor of the
Uaiversity Place Presbyterian Church of New York City.
HYMN.
PRAYER.
BENEDICTION.
ANTHEM.
HYMN.
AFTERNOON SERVICE.
First Reformed Church, 4.00 P. M.
Beading of Scriptxre.
CONFERENCE, "RELIGION AND EDUCATION,"
Led by the Rev. A. C. SEWALL, D. D., Pastor of the
First Reformed Church, Schenectady, N. Y.
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION. 11
ADDRESSES BY
The Rkv. B. B, Loomis, '63, of Canajoliarie, N. Y., representing the
Methodist Church.
The Rev. Walter Scott, '(58, Principal of the Connecticut Literary
Institution, representing- the Baptist Cliurcli.
The Rev. William D. Maxon, D. D., 78, Rector of the Calvary Epis-
copal Chui'ch, of Pittsburg, Pa.
The Rev. Thomas E. Bliss, D. D., '48, of Denver, Colorado, repre-
senting the Presbyterian Church.
The Rev. Frederick Z. Rooker, D. D., '84, Secretary to the Apostolic
Delegate, Monsignor Satolli, Washington, D, C.
HYMN.
BENEDICTION.
EVENING SERVICE AND BACCALAUREATE SERMON.
First Reformed Church, 7.30 P. M.
INVOCATION.
SALUTATION.
ANTHEM.
Beading of the Third Chapter of the Boole of Proverbs.
PRAYER.
Offerings and Offer tor ij.
HYMN.
BACCALAUREATE SERMON BY
The Right Reverend WILLIAM CROSWELL DOANE,
Bishop of Albany, N. Y.
PRAYER.
HYMN.
BENEDICTION.
12 UNION COLLEGE.
flDoii^av, .^unc 24.
EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE.
MORNING SESSION.
College Cli.ipcl. 10 oVloc'k.
Subject: "The School."
Mklvil Dkwey, Secretary of the Board of Regents of tlie University
of the State of New York. i)resi(ling.
ADDRESSES BY
Prof. William H. Maxwell, Superintendent of Schools, Brooklyn, N. Y.
C. F. P. Bancroft, Principal of PhiUips Academy, Andover, Mass.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
College Chapel, 2.30 o'clock.
Subject: '' The COLLEGE."
President Scott, of Rutgers College, presiding.
ADDRESSES BY
President Andrews, of Brown University.
President Taylor, of Vassar CoUege.
ATHLETIC CONTEST.
College Oval, 4.30 p. M.
EVENING SESSION.
First Presbyterian Church, 8.00 o'clock.
Subject: "The University."
President Oilman, of Johns Hopkins University, presiding.
ADDHKSSES BY
President G. Stanley Hall, of Clark l^niversity.
President Harper, of Chicago University.
Chancellor MacCrackex, of the Universitv of the Citv of New York.
SKETCH OF THE COMIMEMORATION. 13
ALUMNI DAY.
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY.
English Room, 9.00 a. m.
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SIGMA XI SOCIETY.
Engineering Room, 9.00 a. m.
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE TRUSTEES.
Philosophical Room, 10.00 a. m.
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE GENERAL ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION.
Hon. Amasa J. Parker, President, presiding.
College Chapel, 10.00 a. m.
ELECTION OF ALUMNI TRUSTEE 12.00 m.
FOOT-BALL KICKING CONTEST.
Under the direction of the Foot-Ball Association.
College Campus, 12.15 p. M.
CENTENNIAL BANQUET.
Memorial Hall, 1.15 p. m.
President Raymond, presiding.
MUSIC — Bv THE Glee, Mandolin, and Banjo Clubs.
Greetings from
Chancellor Anson J. Upson, of the Board of Regents of the
University of the State of New York.
Professor George Herbert Palmer, of Harvard Univei-sity.
President Patton, of Princeton College.
President Andrews, of Brown University.
Professor Henry Parks Wright, Dean of Yale College.
14 UNION COLLEGE.
Professor John Haskkll 1 1 kwitt, of Williams College.
Propkssor Charles F. Richardson, of Dartmouth College.
Professor J. H. Van Amringe, Dean of ('olumbia College.
Professor William MacDonald, of Bowdoin College.
Professor John Randolph Tucker, of Washington and
Lee University.
President Scott, of Rutgers College.
Professor Oren Root, of Hamilton College.
Professor Anson D. Morse, of Amherst College.
Chancellor MacCracken, of the University of the City of New York.
President Taylor, of Vassar College.
REUNION OF ALL CLASSES ABOUT THE "OLD ELM,"
AND IVY EXERCISES OF THE CLASS OF 1895.
College Garden, 3.30 p. M.
INTRODUCTORY MUSIC.
PIPE ORATION, Isaac Harby, Sumter, S. C.
MUSIC.
IVY POEM, Rockwell Harmon Potter, Glenville.
PLANTING OF THE IVY.
IVY ORATION, . . George Albert Johnston, Palatine Bridge.
RECEPTION BY PRESIDENT AND MRS. RAYMOND.
President's Residence, 5.00 P. M.
COMMEMORATIVE ADDRESSES AND CENTENNIAL POEM.
First Presbyterian Church, 8.00 P. M.
Rev. Chas. D. Nott, D. D,, '54, presiding.
ADDRESSES BY
Hon. George F. Danporth, LL, D., '40.
Rev. Stealy B. Rossiter, D. D., '65.
POEM BY
William H. McElroy, LL. D., 'GO.
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION. 15
Mc^nes^a\?. 3\\nc 26.
MEMORIAL DAY.
THE COLLEGE IN PATRIOTIC SERVICE.
College Campus, 8.30 A. M.
Presiding Officer,— Gen. Daniel Butterfield, LL. I)., '49.
FLAG-RAISING, WITH ARTILLERY SALUTE.
ADDRESS BY
Major Austin A. Yates, '54.
THE COLLEGE IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE.
Memorial Hall, 9.30 a. m.
Presiding Officer,— W. H. H. Moore, '44.
ADDRESSES BY
Hon. J. Newton Fiero, '67, late President of the New York
State Bar Association.
Rev. Teunis S. Ha]\ilin, D. D., '67.
Major John Van R. Hoff, M. D., U. S. A., 71.
BASE-BALL GAME.
The CoUege Nine against an Alumni Nine.
College Campus, 11.00 a. m.
ALUMNI BANQUET.
Memorial Hall, 1.00 p. m.
Hon. Amasa J. Parker, '63, President of the General Alumni As-
sociation, presiding.
ADDRESSES BY ALUMNI AND OTHERS.
jVIUSIC — The Glee, Banjo, and Mandolin Clubs.
16 UNION COLLEGE.
CELEBRATToX OF THE REMT-CENTKXXIAL
OF THE ENCilNEEKlNO SCHOOL
OF UNION COLLEGE.
College Chapel, 4.00 p. m.
IV(>si(linfr Officer, President Cady Stalky, '65, of the Case School
of Applied Science.
ADDRESSES BY
Hon. Warner Miller, LL. I)., 'GO.
Gen. Roy Stone, 'oG.
THE COLLEGE IN STATESMANSHIP AND POLITICS
First Presbyterian Church, 8.00 P. M.
Presiding Officer,— Hon. John Gary Evans, '83, Governor of South
CaroUna.
MUSIC — Introductory — The College Banjo and Mandolin
Clubs.
ADDRESS BY
Hon. David C. Robinson, 'Go.
SONG — The College Glee Club.
ADDRESS BY
Hon. Charles Emory Smith, LL. D., '01.
SONG — The College Ulee ('luh.
SKETCH OF THE COINIMEMORATION. 17
Uburs^av, June 27.
COMMENCEMENT DAY.
GRADUATING EXERCISES OP THE CLASS OF 1895.
First Presbyterian Church, 10.00 A. M.
INTRODUCTORY MUSIC —
'' Centeunial IMareh," by John T. Mygatt, '58.
Singing of the 117th T'.sahn to the tune " Ohl Hundred."
PRAYER.
MUSIC.
ORATIONS.
1. '* America for Humanity."
William Allen, Clyde.
2. '' The Evohition of Great Men."
Theodore Floyd Bayles, West Kortright.
3. " An Educational Basis for Suffrage."
Frederick Marshall Eajies, Albany.
MUSIC.
4. " The Study of Literature, as Related to a Liberal Education."
LoREN C. Guernsey, East Cobleskill.
5. " The Beneficent Results of the French Revolution."
Frederick Klein, Gloversville.
6. " The Advance of Man."
Horatio M. Pollock, Schenectady.
MUSIC.
7. " Influence of Feudahsm on the Formation of the State."
George Linius Streeter, Johnstown.
8. " The Individual and Society."
John N. V. Vedder, Schenectady.
9. VALEDICTORY — '' Ethics in Literatui-e."
Rockwell Harmon Potter, Glenville.
THESIS IN ENGINEERING.
* " Asphalts and Tests of Asphalts."
Miles Ayrault, Jr., Tonawanda.
MUSIC.
* Excused.
2
18 UNION COLLEGE.
UNIVEKSITV CKLKBRATION.
RKV. ELIPflALKT NOTT I'OTTEH, I). I)., LL. D.,
Pivsidt'iit of Iloljurt Collcfjo, President of Union College 1871-84,
Class '61, Founder of Union University, introducing,
The Honorary Chancellor and Centennial Orator,
KIGIIT REV. HENRY C. POTTER, D. 1).. LL. D.,
Bishop of New York.
MUSIC.
CONFERRING OF DEGREES.
SONG TO OLD UNION.
AWARD OF PRIZES.
BENEDICTION.
Chief Marshal, Mekton R. Skinner, '95.
Assistant Marshals.
'96. '97. '98.
R. B. Beattie, P. Canfield, G. W. Spiegel,
W. A. Campbell, H. A. Frey, F. E. Sturdevant,
A. L. Peckbam, C, G. McMullen, C. J. Vrooinan.
M. A. Twiford. H. C. Todd,
A. C. Wvekoff.
PRESIDENT'S RECEPTION.
President's Residence, 8.00 to 10.00 p. m.
RECEPTION OF THE GRADUATING CLASS.
Memorial Hall, 10.00 p. m.
*
SILAS B. BROWNELL, LL. D.,
Chairman of tbe Board of Trustees,
General Chairman for Centennial Exercises.
HON. JOHN KEYES PAIGE. '65.
Grand ^larshal.
THE PROCEEDINGS.
THE program issued by the Centennial Committee was
successfully carried out in all its details except as
changes were required by the enforced absence of Presi-
dent Patton, of Princeton College; President Harper, of
Chicago University; Chancellor MacCracken, of the Uni-
versity of New York, and General Roy Stone.
The beautiful college grounds were never more beauti-
ful, and the rare June days were seldom overcast with
threatening clouds.
College Hill was the center of interest, but when the
general public were invited the place of assembly was
changed to the city churches — the First Presbyterian
Church, suggestive to Union men of old and hallowed as-
sociation, and the First Reformed Church with its beau-
tiful impressiveness, both being chosen for some of the
most important events. In the college inclosure the
point of meeting shifted from the library to the familiar
chapel, and the marble hall of the Alumni Building with
its lofty dome ; again to the large tent erected upon the
campus, and, most beautiful of all. Nature's amphitheater
and " Captain Jack's Garden." Crowds gathered also at
the running track in the grove to witness the athletic
contest, and the President's house was the scene of a
brilliant reception.
The attendance throughout the week's festivities was
very large, and interest was sustained and deepened to
the very close by the able discussions and eloquent ad-
dresses, each successive event making a fresh impression
of appropriateness and importance, and the more serious
features of the celebration being happily relieved by
lighter entertainments.
20 UNION COLLEGE,
The fii-st of the coiiiincncement exercises was a deliate
between the Adelphio and Pliiloinatliean Literary Socie-
ties for the Allison-Foote prize, wliicli took place at the
First Presbyterian Church, Friday eveninji;, June 21.
The question for debate was, " Resolved, that ' Coin's Fi-
nancial School 'antagonizes the true interests of America."
Three undero-raduates s]»oko on each side. The Adelpliic
Society, wliidi liud the allHnnativc, received the award,
and the first Adelpliic speaker, Rockwell H. Potter, of
the Class of '95, won the individual prize.
On Saturday afternoon occurred the Class day exercises
of the graduating class, and in the evening the Junior
and Sophomore prize contest in oratory, and the contest
in extemporaneous speaking for the R. C. Alexander
prize. Large audiences attended and greeted the several
competitors with the accustomed generosity of applause.
On Sunday the centennial commemoration proper was
inaugurated with a morning service at the First Reformed
Church. The pastor, Rev. A. C. Sewall, D. D., and Presi-
dent Raymond conducted the devotional exercises, and
the memorial discourse was delivered by the Rev. George
Alexander, D. D., of the Class of '66, pastor of the Uni-
versity Place Presbyterian Church, New York.
In the afternoon, at the same place, occurred an inter-
denominational conference on religion and education.
The Rev. Dr. Sewall presided, and with brief and appro-
priate remarks introduced representatives of five great
religious bodies, (Mich of whom discussed the question
from the view point of his own denomination. The tone
of the whole conference was admirable and inspiring, and
the spirit of union which prevailed illustrated the devel-
opment of the lil)eral principles upon which Union Col-
lege was founded.
A great audience gathered in the evening to hear the
baccalaureate sermon which was delivered by the Right
Rev. William Croswell Doanc, Bishop of Al)>any. Presi-
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMOEATION. l21
(lent Raymond eoudueted tlie devotional exercises. In
introducing the preacher he commented upon the fact
that the Right Rev. George W. Doane, Bishop of New
Jersey, was present at the semi-centennial of Union Col-
lege fifty years ago, and expressed great pleasure that
the son of the distinguished prelate who participated in
the former celebration was to have part in the exercises
of this occasion. The sermon was addressed especially to
the graduating class and forcibly urged the responsibili-
ties of young men.
Monday was devoted exclusively to the discussion of
educational problems by men of reputation and achieve-
ment in school, college, and university work. The sev-
eral papers and addresses were listened to with absorbing
interest by audiences largely composed of educators,
and elicited lively and earnest discussion. A pleasant
diversion in the exercises of the day came in the after-
noon, when a spirited athletic contest was held under the
direction of the Athletic Track Association on the college
oval.
Tuesday, Alumni Day, was the day of all days to the
older graduates. The jirogram followed the usual cus-
tom, the annual meetings of the Phi Beta Kappa and
Sigma Xi being the first order of business.
The meeting of the Phi Beta Kappa, which was largely
attended, assembled in the Washburne Building. Otfi-
cers were elected, and matters of interest to the Chapter
were considered.
At the Sigma Xi meeting in the adjoining room,
amendments to the constitution were acted upon, and
other business was transacted.
At ten o'clock the annual meeting of the Alumni Asso-
ciation was called to order by the President, Hon. Amasa
J. Parker. A committee was appointed to nominate offi-
cers for the ensuing year. Hon. D. C. Robinson, Rev.
Stealy B. Rossiter, D. D., and Mr. C R. Bailey were ap-
9*
22 UNION COLLEGE.
pointed a coiumitteo to solicit subscriptions for tli«' [>ur-
pose of purchasing tlu? lil>rary of the late Tayler Lewis,
and at once ])(\<2:an their work witli ^ratifyin^ success.
The Nominating Committee r<^port(Ml the following list
of otfteers for the ensuing year: President, Hon. Amasa
J. Parker; Vice-President, Rev. Charles D. Nott, D. D. ;
Secretary, William T. Clute, M. D.; Treasurer, Herman V.
Mynderse, M. D. ; Executive (''ommittee, William H. ^NIc-
Eh-oy, Edward P. White, Nelson Millard, James Heatley,
and Alonzo P. Strong. The persons named were duly
elected.
A committee of five of the Alumni were appointed to
confer with the Trustees for the pui-pose of advancing the
financial interests of the college. President Parker ap-
pointed Rev. Daniel Addison, Rev. Teunis S. Hamlin,
D. D., Rev. William D. Maxon, D. D., Hon. George E.
Hazelton, and Courtland V. Anable, Esq., as such Com-
niittee.
Shortly after one o'clock the Alumni adjourned to Me-
morial Hall for the centennial banquet, at which more
than five hundred guests assembled. This occasion w^as
one of great enthusiasm and enjoyment. Repeated bursts
of cheering and song punctuated the proceedings. Presi-
dent Raymond presided with marked grace and dignity
and introduced the distinguished representatives of sister
colleges.
After the banquet the ivy exercises of the Class of '95
were held in the college garden under the historic elm so
familiar to all sons of Union.
The reception given by President and Mrs. Raymond
at five o'clock was largely attended by the Alumni.
The exercises of Tuesday evening consisted of com-
memorative addresses and the delivery of the centennial
poem. The ineeting was presided over by Rev. Charles
D. Nott, D. D., '54. Hon. George P. Danforth, LL. D., '40,
and Rev. Stealy B. Rossiter, D. D., 'G5, were the speakers.
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION. 23
The centennial poem, entitled "The Roll Call," was read
by Hon. William H. McElroy, LL. D., '61. One of the
greatest throngs of the commencement week was in at-
tendance, and the attention of the vast audience was sus-
tained to the very close.
Wednesday was Memorial Day. The exercises were
opened by (Tcneral Daniel Buttcrheld from the steps of
the Library. In concluding his introductory speech he
said, " Let the flag be raised over old Union," and with
his closing words the stars and stripes were hoisted above
the Memorial Building.
Major Austin A, Yates, the orator of the occasion,
awakened great enthusiasm by his address on " The Col-
lege in Patriotic Service." Weston Flint, '47, then read
an original patriotic poem entitled, " The Old Flag."
The second session of the day was held in the tent
erected at the east of the chapel. The topic was " The
College in Professional Life." W. H. H. Moore, '44,
presided, but during the closing part of the exercises
yielded the chair to his classmate, Rev. Philip Phelps,
D. D. The three great professions, — law, divinity, and
medicine, — were ably represented by Hon. J. Xewton
Fiero, '67, Rev. Tennis S. Hamlin, '67, and Major John
Van R. Hoff, M. D., U. S. A., '71.
After these exercises the annual base-ball game between
the Alumni and University nines afforded much amuse-
ment.
At one o'clock the Alumni again assembled in the Me-
morial Building for the annual banquet. Hon. Amasa
J. Parker, president of the Alumni Association, acted
as toast-master. President Raymond made several an-
nouncements of gifts to the college and introduced
Professor Charles F. Richardson, of Dartmouth College,
who had been prevented from attending the banquet of
the day previous. The regular order of toasts was then
followed.
24 UNION COLLEGE.
Hon. Silas B. Brownell, Chairman of the Board of Trus-
tees, in responding for that body, said, in the course of
his speech:
At this time last year, but not in this phicc, I had the pleasure
to assist, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, in the inauguration
of our President. I then foreshadowed, from wliat we knew of
him, what we might expeet of him. To-day, fellow alumni, you
see what has already been accomplished. [Applause.] Not
alone does the occasion bring you all u}) here. Not alone have
the hundred years that are gone and our hopes for the unknown
years ahead brought you here. But a great element in bringing
you here has been the feeling that during the past year we have
thrown to the winds our fears and that we are now enjoying the
prospects for the future which have been eloquently pictured
more than once on this occasion. We, gentlemen of the alumni,
feel that we have the right man in the riglit place. [Applause.]
I want to call the attention of the alumni to one other thing, a
thing which I am sure has impressed the Board of Trustees both
officially and individually. We know, gentlemen, that in this
country there are millions upon millions now seeking investment
in the direction, as has been said by the last speaker, of speciali-
zation in education ; and as long as any institution shows that it
is worthy of confidence and support, and worthy to be the object
of individual beneficence, so long it may rely upon the American
people to furnish the means which are necessary to carry out
well-designed and well-executed systems of education. What we
want and what we are likely to get are clearly sliown by the two
notices which President Raymond has just read of offers to es-
tablish fellowships. These two funds are for university work,
for post-graduate study — I call your attention to that fact :
they were each given for education in the law.
Now I say, as the distinguished Dartmouth orator has said, we
have Union College. Look at what she has done. Look at what
she is doing, and what we may expect her to do in the future, in
the century which is just before her. So long as time endures,
will endure institutions of learning which repose in the confi-
dence of the people. Under all dynasties, through all changes,
through all revolutions, they continue so long as they deserve to
continue. We of the Board of Trustees charge you that, as we
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION. 25
deserve 3'our support, as Union (V)llegc deserves your support,
vou should eontribute to it.
Melville D. Laiidoii, of the class of '61, better known as
"Eli Perkins," followed with one of his inimitable speeches
full of wit and humor, which provoked ^reat merriment.
Hon. James L. Meredith responded for the Class of '65 ;
Henry C. Hodgkins, for the Class of '75 ; Hon. Wallace P.
Foote, for the Class of '85 ; and Rockwell H. Potter, for
the Class of '95. Professor George W. Clarke spoke briefly
for the Class of '40 ; Rev. S. Mills Day for the Class of '50.
Hon. John M. Bailey, of the Class of '61, responded to
repeated calls from the audience. Professor John F.
Grenung, of Amherst College, represented the Class of '70,
and made the closing speech, in which he referred to the
fact that the Amherst Classes of 1823 and 1824 had re-
ceived their degrees from Union College.
Immediately after the banquet the Alumni and their
guests repaired to the tent on the campus to celebrate
the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Engineer-
ing School. President Cady Staley, of the Case School
of Applied Science, who was for many years in charge of
this department, presided. At the close of his address
President Staley introduced his successor in that office,
Professor Brown, who made a brief address. Hon. War-
ner Miller, of the Class of '60, then claimed the interest of
the great audience while he spoke upon " The College in
Industrial and Commercial Life." In closing the exer-
cises President Raymond called attention to the broad-
ness of the engineering course, and presented Prof. Olin
H. Landreth, of the Class of '76, the recently elected head
of the Engineering Department.
In the evening, at the First Presbyterian Church, oc-
curred the last of the college commemorative exercises.
Hon. Silas B. Brownell, Chairman of the Boai-d of Trus-
tees, introduced the presiding officer of the evening, John
26 UNION COLLEGE.
Gary Evans, «>f llic Class of '83, (lovcriior of South Caro-
lina, who after a brief address iutrodueed the other speak-
ers of the evening, Hon. David C. Rol)inson, of the Class
of '65, and Hon. Charles Emory Smith, LL. D., of the
Class of 'GO, late Minister to Russia. Th«.' college glee
club furnisluMl delightful music for the occasion, and the
great throng present indicated that popular interest in
the celebration was unabated.
Thursday, Commencement Day, dawned bright and
beautiful. At nine o'clock in the morning the procession
formed along the terrace on College Hill in the following
order: First, the undergraduates in the order of their
classes, f reslimen in front ; nt^xt, the Alumni in the order
of their classes, the more recent graduates in front ; third,
the Faculty ; fourth, distinguished visitors ; fifth, the
Board of Trustees and the President. The procession,
in impressive numbers, marched down Union Street to
the First Presbyterian Church, wliere they were joined by
the Honorary Chancellor. Ranks were opened, and in
inverse order the procession passed up the long approach
and entered the old church in which so many college
functions have been performed.
The graduating exercises of the Class of '95 were
opened with the singing of the hymn :
From all that dwell below the skies
Let the Creator's praise arise ;
Let the Redeemer's name be sung
Through every land, ])y every tougiie.
Eternal are Thy mercies, Lord !
Eternal truth attends Thy word :
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore
Till suns shall rise and set no more.
Rev. Robert Russell Booth, D. D., Modei'ator of the
Presbyterian General Ass'embly, offered the invocation.
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMOEATION. 27
The orators of the Centennial Class then pci-t'oriiKMl lli(ir
parts as indicated in the program. The University cele-
bration followed. The enthusiasm of the crowded audi-
ence reached its cHmax when Kev. Eliphalet Nott Potter,
D. D., President of Hobart College, inti'oduced his bro-
ther, the Right Rev. Henr}^ C. Potter, D. D., Bishop of
New York, who as Honorary Chancellor of the University
delivered the centennial oration.
President Raymond then advanced and said :
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I wish to announce
the election yesterday of a life trustee, Nicholas Van
Vranken Franchot, of Olean, of the Class of '75.
The members of the Graduating Class will now present
themselves for their degrees.
The class marching up the central aisle filled the plat-
form, and were addressed by the President as follows :
Young gentlemen of the Graduating Class, — It now be-
comes my pleasant duty to confer upon you the de-
grees to which you are entitled. I had thought at one
time of addressing to you a few personal words; but
surely after the words to which you have just listened,
no further speech is needed. You must have caught the
spirit of that centennial oration and of all the exercises of
this centennial week, and realize that if your lives are to
attain the ends which, in your hopes and your prayers,
you set before you, it will be not only by devotion to
your work, but by the cultivation of a spirit that brings
you into sympathy with all that is best in man, in sym-
pathy with God Himself. And so, in the name of Him
who has given unto us and to all men the truth, I bid you
go forth on your mission of blessing this world.
The Board of Trustees, upon recommendation of the
Faculty of Union College, have granted the degree of
28 UNION COLLEGE.
Bac'lu'loi- of Ai'ts to the t'oUovviiig int'iiilu'i-s of tlic S«.'iiior
Class :
THEoDom: Floyd Havm:s West Kortri^'ht.
James Michael Cass Wjitauga, Tcnn.
Harvey Clements Schenectady.
James Alexander Collins Amsterdam.
Albert S. Cox Sclienectady.
Clarke Winslow Crannell .... Albany.
Bartholomew Howard North Brookfield, Mass.
WALTEii Stuakt McEwan Ijoudouville.
Howard Pemherton, 2d Albany.
Rockwell Harmon Potter Glcnvillc
William John Sanderson Walton.
Armon SpI'^ncer Newark.
GrEORGE LiNius Streeter Johnstowu.
Frank Vander Bogert Schenectady.
John N. V. Vedder Schenectady.
And the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy to the fol-
lowing :
Arthur Elijah Barnes Clyde.
Edgar Brown Manchester.
William Grant Brown Manchester.
Clarke Day Cambridge.
Loren C. Guernsey East Cobleskill.
George A. Johnston Palatine Bi-idge.
Willoughby Lord Sawyer Sandy Hill.
Merton R. Skinner Le Roy.
Scott Winfikld Skinner Le Roy.
William Edward Walker Schenectady.
William L. Wilson Scotia.
And the degree of Bachelor of Science to the following :
William Allen Clyde.
Alphonso Dix Bissell Le Roy.
Henry Ravenkl Dwight Charleston, S. C.
DuRYEA Beekman Eldredge ...... Sluiron.
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION. 29
Frederick Klein (Tloversville.
Lauhiston Job Lane S:Io Paulo, lira/il.
Horatio M. Pollock Scliouectady.
Orman M. West Middleburgh.
W. Howard Wukjht ScliciiccitiKly.
And the (logree of Bciehelor of Eiigiiiooi-iii<;- to the fol-
lowing:
Miles Ayrault, Jr Tonawanda.
Henry Mayberry Bailey Franklin, Tenn.
Carl L. Bannister Le Roy.
Warren R. Borst Albany.
Bryan Ogden Burgin Walton.
John A. Clark, Jr Sidney.
Frederick Marshall Fames Albany.
Isaac Harby Sumter, S. C.
Francis Edward Holleran Waterloo.
Howard M. Jones Murfreesboro, Tenn.
John Young Lav^ery Brookljni.
Edward Van Rensselaer Payne . . . Ban gall.
Edward Shalders Rio Janeiro, Brazil.
Sanford L. Vossler St. Johnsville.
And now by virtue of the authority committed to me
by the Board of Trustees of Union College, I confer upon
you the degrees mentioned in connection with your
names, and salute you in the name of the Board of Trus-
tees of Union College as Bachelors of Art, Bachelors
of Philosophy, Bachelors of Science, and Bachelors of
Engineering.
[diplomas presented.]
By virtue of the authority committed to me by the
Board of Trustees of Union College, on this centennial of
the founding of the College, in the presence of the alumni
and friends of Union College, I am now to confer the
30 UNION COLLEGE.
honorary degrees williiii the gift of tlie College upon gen-
tlemen distinguished in learning and in service.
Charles F. Richardson, Professor of English in Dart-
moutli College.
William MacDonald, Professor of History and vSociol-
ogy in Bowdoin College.
Benjamin H. Ripton, Professor of History and Sociol-
ogy in Union College.
I create you Doctors in Philoso])hy and bid you enjoy
all the rights, privileges, and lionors pertaining to this
degree, and direct that your names be enrolled as honor-
ary graduates of Union College.
Oren Root, Professor of Mathematics in Hamilton
College, I create you a Doctor of Letters, and bid you
enjoy all the rights, privileges, and honors of this degree,
and direct that your name be enrolled as an honorary
graduate of Union College.
Rev. Augustus W. Cowles, of the Class of '41, founder
and president of the Elmira Female College. The name
which I next announce is one which brings response
from the heart of every graduate of Union College — we
only regret that he cannot be present with us at this
time : the Rev. John W. Nott, of the Class of '46. These
I now create Doctors of Divinity and bid them enjoy all
the rights, privileges, and honors pertaining to this de-
gree, and direct that their names be enrolled as honorary
graduates of Union College.
George Herbert Palmer, Professor of Ethics in Harvard Col-
lege.
Henry Parks "VVrkiht, Dean of Yale College.
John Haskell Hewitt, Professor of Ancient Languages in
Williams College.
John H. Van Amrlnoe, Dean of the School of Arts in Coluni-
hia College.
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMOKATION. 31
Anson 1). Moksk, I'l-itfcssor of Ilistoi-y in Aiiilicrst ('olU'j,^^'.
William (i. Hale, ProtVssor of Latin in C'liieau:o UniviM-sity.
John Randolph Tucker, of Washington and Lee LTuiver.sity.
J. RuPLTS Tryon, Class of '58, Surgeon-Geueral in the United
States Navy.
I create you Doctors of Law, and bid you enjoy all the
riglits, pi'ivileges, and honors pertaining to this degree,
and direct that your names be en rolled as honorary grad-
uates of Union College.
The honorary degree of Doctor of Laws was also con-
ferred upon Mrs. Alice Freeman Palmer, formerly Presi-
dent of Wellesley College.
The audience then arose and sang with great enthu-
siasm the
SONG TO OLD UNION.
BY FITZHUGH LUDLOW, '56.
Let the Grecian dream of his sacred stream,
And sing of the brave adorning
That Phoebus weaves from his laurel leaves
At the golden gates of morning;
But the brook that bounds through Union's grounds
Gleams bright as the Delphic water,
And a prize as fair as a god may wear
Is a dip. from our Alma Mater.
Chorus. — Then here 's to thee, the brave and free;
Old Union smiling o'er us;
And for many a day, as thy walls grow gray.
May they ring with thy children's chorus.
Could our praises throng on the waves of song.
Like an Orient fleet gem-bringing,
We would bear to thee the argosy.
And crown thee with pearls of singing.
32 UNION COLLEGE.
\iu\ thy smile bcaiiis down IxMicath a crown,
VV^liose f^lory asks no other ;
We gather it not from the green sea-grot —
'T is the love we bear our mother.
Chorus. — Then liere 's to thee, etc.
Let the joy that falls from thy dear old walls,
Unchanged, brave time's on-darting,
And onr only tear fall once a year
On hands that clasp ere parting;
And when other throngs shall sing our songs.
And their spell once more hath bound us,
Our faded hours shall revive their flowers,
And the past shall live around us.
Choeus. — Then here 's to thee, etc.
Prizes were then awarded as follows :
The Warner Prize, to Rockwell H. Potter.
The Ingham Prize, to Harvey Clements.
The Allen Prizes, to John N. V. Vedder, Harmon Spencer, and
Albert. 8. Cox.
The Clark Prizes, to GtEORGE J. Dann and D. Howard Craver.
Junior Oratorical Prizes, to George J. Dann and D. Howard
Craver. *,
Sophomore Oratorical Prizes, to Howard R. Furbeck and Ira
HOTALING.
Engineering Prize, to F. M. Fames, E. Van R. Payne, and Ed-
ward Shalders.
The Gilbert K. Harroun Prize, to John N. V. Vedder.
The Blatchford Oratorical Medals, to John N. V. Vedder and
Rockwell H. Potter.
Special Honors, awarded by vote of the Faculty, were
announced as follows:
In Biology, Edgar Brown, Albert S. Cox, Henry R. D wight,
L. J. Lane, Horatio M. Pollock, George L. Streeter,
Orman West.
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION. 33
111 Chemistry, William E. Walker, W. Howard Wright.
Ill P]nc^lisli, Theodore F. Bayles.
Ill French, Loren C. Guernsey, Horatio M. Pollock, Edward
Shalders.
lu German, Edgar Bro-wtst, Loren C. Guernsey, George A.
Johnston, Frederick Klein, Howard Pemberton 2d,
George, L. Streeter.
In Mathematics, John N. V. Vedder.
In Physics, John N. V. Vedder.
In Philosophy, Rockwell H. Potter.
In Latin, Theodore F. Bayles.
In Greek, Rockwell H. Potter.
In awarding the Bntterfield prizes, President Raymond
introduced the founder of this lecture course, General
Bntterfield, who said :
Mk. President, Gentlemen of the Board of Trustees
and of the Faculty, Graduates and Undergraduates: Most
of you have been aware of the purposes and uses of this
course of lectures. The report, necessarily voluminous,
was printed and distributed to avoid taking up the time
set apart for the award of the prizes and diplomas by
reading it.
This course of lectures had its origin at a dinner of the
New York Alumni Association in the City of New York,
at which were recalled Dr. Nott and his talks to students
in the days when I was here, where you young gentlemen
are now, and the value of the discourses which he secured
to the students by bringing here eminent men to speak
before them. This course of lectures I offered to the
college at that dinner, with a series of prizes to be con-
nected with it. If you find any value of an educational
and practical character in these lectures, please remem-
ber, young gentlemen, in the future, that they came
through the intercourse of alumni in the pleasures of an
3
34 UNION COLLEGE.
alumni association reunion. You sliould all join one in
your various localities. I hope that in the future these
may be the means of prompting other good woi-ks for our
Alma Mater.
The full award of prizes cannot be made at this time.
As you will find stated in the Report, the three schools,
— the Union Classical Institute of Schenectady, the Coop-
erstown Union School, and the Cobleskill High School,
— all stand very high for the $150 prizes awarded to the
preparatory school or teachers whose pupils gain the
highest number of special prizes and the highest number
of marks. The remaining lectures to be given may
change the status of the school which now stands highest.
Of course it becomes the teachers of the preparatory
schools to enter the largest number of freshmen possible
in the next year's classes.
The awards and marks were made by separate judges
upon each lecture. Double Firsts in those awards were
Douglass Campbell, Class of '94 ; Major Allen Twiford, of
the Class of '96 ; Horatio M. Pollock, of the Class of '95 ;
and Roscoe Guernsey, of the Class of '96. Awards of
special prizes were to Roger Griswold Perkins, '94 ; Fred-
erick M. Fames, '95; Norman E. Webster, '96; Clark
Winslow Crannell, '95; Edwin G. Conde, '93; John Y.
Lavery, '95; Raymond A. Lansing, '94; Theodore F.
Bayles, '95 ; William D. Reed, '98 ; D. Howard Craver, '96 ;
and Paul Canfield, '97. Those entitled to " Very High
Class Competition Diplomas" are Charles A. Burliank,
'93 ; John Van Schaick, Jr., '94 ; Edward K. Nicholson,
'96; Lauranco C. Baker, '95; George H. Hoxie, '93; Allen
Wright, Jr., '93; Frederick Todd, '97; James M. Cass, '95;
and Harris Lee Cooke, '94.
These prizes were presented, and the exercises were
closed with the benedi<;tion pronounced by Bishop Potter.
SKETCH OF THE COMMEMORATION. 35
Thus ended the official exercises of the most memor-
able commencement in Union's history.
A great throng of alumni and citizens attended the
President's reception in the evening. This was followed
by the commencement ball given by the members of the
graduating class. Memorial Hall was gorgeously illu-
minated and decorated for the most brilliant social func-
tion that College Hill had ever known.
From beginning to close the Centennial Celebration
jiroved a most gratifying success. " Old Union " was fit-
tingly honored, and fresh inspiration was gathered from
the past for the new century upon which she entered.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE
BY ROBERT C. ALEXANDER,
Of the ('loss of 1880.
THE history of Union College, in its origin and during
its early years, is a narrative of toil, sacrifice, faith,
constancy, indomitable energy, and ultimate success. Long
before its incorporation the struggle began. As early as
1779 petitions were circulated, addressed to the Governor
and Legislature, in response to which a charter was
drawn, but for some reason never signed or sealed. It
recited that
"Whereas a great number of respectable inhabitants
of the counties of Albany, Tryon (Montgomery), and
Charlotte (Washington), taking into consideration the
great benefit of a good education, the disadvantages
they labor under for want of means of acquiring it, and
the loud call there now is, and no doubt will be in a
future day, for men of learning to fill the several offices
of Church and State, and looking upon the town of Schen-
ectady as in every respect the most suitable and commo-
dious seat for a seminary of learning in this State, or per-
haps in America, have presented theii* humble petition
to the Governor and Legislature of this State, earnestly
requesting that a number of gentlemen may be incorpor-
ated in a body politic, who shall be empowered to erect a
38 UNION COLLEGE.
college in the place aforesaid, to hold sufficient funds for
its support, to make ])i(>i«'i' laws for its government, and
to confer de<;-rees." Tliis institution was to have been
called Clinton College, in honor of New York's great
Governor. It contemplated the creation of a corporate
body by an executive act, therein following the colonial
precedents. Seven years later the Board of Regents of
the University was created, and upon that Board there-
after devolved the chartering of New York colleges.
The petition of the "respectable inhabitants" seems to
have been favorably received, Init the exigencies of the
war probably diverted attention from the project for the
time, and the unsealed charter in the State Library at
Albany contains all that is known to-day of " Clinton
College."
But the widespread belief that there should be a col-
lege in Schenectady was too deep-rooted to be readily
abandoned. Dominie Dirck Romeyn, pastor of the Re-
formed Dutch Church in Schenectady, who more than
any other man is entitled to be styled the founder of
Union College, was unremitting in his efforts to secure
the charter, as is evident from his letters during the
period 1779-1795.
Again, in 1779, as appears from the Assembly Journal
of that year, " a petition was received from John Cuylei',
and 542 inhabitants of Albany and Tryon counties, and
from Thomas Clarke and 131 others of Charlotte County,
for a college in Schenectady." No action seems to have
been taken on the petition.
An interesting recital is that which follows, contained
in the memorial of 1795 to the Board of Regents :
"In the year 1782 the citizens of the northern and
western parts of this State, together with the inhabitants
of the Town of Schenectady, amounting to near 1200
subscribers, applied to the Legislature, in session in the
town of Kingston, for the institution of a college in the
HISTOKY OF THE COLLEGE.
39
Town of Schenectady, for founding which tlic citizens of
Schenectady alone proposed an estate valued at nearly
eight thousand jtounds })rin('ipal."
That is all history tells us of the application of 1782,
but in the light of those thrilling times, how eloquent it
is of the spirit which animated the Revolutionary patri-
ots ! The war had not yet closed. The smoke was still
rising from the smoldering ruins of burned habitations
on the northern and western borders, and the echo of the
Indian warwhoop had not yet died away in the Valley of
the Mohawk. The long struggle for lil)erty had left the
people decimated,
weary, and im- ^
poverished. Yet ^^ ^^
twelve hundred of
the citizens on the
northern and west-
ern frontier sub-
scribed from their
meager fortunes to
the cause of higher
learning, and the
citizens of Sche-
nectady alone pro-
posed to contribute
to the new college
a sum of eight thousand pounds. The extent of this
sacrifice is apparent when it is remembered that by the
State census fourteen years later the whole population
of the town was but 3472, " of whom 683 are electors and
381 slaves." Yet this second application, even with so
much of heroic self-sacrifice behind it, fared no better
than that for Clinton College.
In February, 1785, measures were taken for the estab-
lishment of a private academy in Schenectady, by mutual
agreement among leading citizens, and it was placed in
UNION COLLEGi: IN" 1795.
40 UNION COLLEGE.
the charge of twelve trustees. An academy building was
erected a few years later on the noi-tliwest corner of what
are now Union and Ferry .streets. It was of brick, two
stories high, about fifty by thirty feet on the ground
plan, and cost about $3000. It afterwards became Union
College, and was its only edifice until 1804. The school
was opened under the care of Colonel John Taylor, of
New Jersey, and aj^pears to have been conducted with
much ability, being well sustained by the community in
which it was planted. This academy was the germ of
Union College.
In December, 1791, the managers of the academy in
Schenectady memorialized the Legislature for a grant of
land in the Oneida Reservation to their institution, "in
order to be in possession of an estate that would enable
them at an early day to apply to the Regents for incor-
poration as a college and to have an amount of property
that would justify the establishment of a college." The
Assembly records show that the Committee rejwrted it to
be " derogatory to the interest of the State to grant the
request."
In February, 1792, the trustees of the academy sent
another petition to the Regents, in which they stated
that they had at that time about eighty students in the
English language, and that they had nearly twenty pur-
suing the study of the learned languages and higher
branches, in prej)aration for the first or more advanced
classes in college. They were fully convinced of their
ability to establish and maintain a college, and had made
efforts that led them to depend confidently upon rais-
ing the fund needed for endowment, and asked for a col-
lege charter. As a foundation for their fund, the Town
of Schenectady was willing to convey to the trustees of
a college as soon as they were appointed, and by good
and ample title, a tract of land containing 5000 acres. A
pledge of 700 acres more was offered from individuals,
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 41
and a further subscription of nearly a tliousand pounds
in money, to be paid in four instalments, was promised
from citizens. The consistory of the Dutch Church of-
fered to giv(3 the building called the "Academy" for col-
lege use, and not to be alienated, estimated as worth
£1500, and a sum of money collected for a library,
amounting to £250 was likewise to be given.
But as these funds could not be realized or applied un-
less there was created a Board of Trustees capable of
holding them, they prayed for an act of incorporation
from the Regents, with all the powers and privileges con-
ferred by law upon Columbia College, and that the name
of the institution should be " The College of Schenectady."
The Regents on the 27th of March denied this applica-
tion u})ou the ground that sufficient funds had not been
provided.
Failing in this effort, an application was made in No-
vember of the same year for the incorporation of the
private institution as the "Academy of the Town of
Schenectady." This application was successful, and an
academic charter was granted in January, 1793.
Early in 1794, the Regents were again petitioned for a
college charter for the academy, but this was denied upon
the ground that the state of literature in the academy did
not appear to be far enough advanced, or its funds suf-
ficient to warrant its erection into a college.
On December 18, 1791, was presented the final and suc-
cessful petition to the Board of Regents. It thus begins :
" We, the subscribers, inhaljitants of the northern and
western counties of the State of New York, taking into
view the growing population of these counties, and sen-
sible of the necessity and importance of facilitating the
means of acquiring useful knowledge, make known that
we are minded to establish a College upon the following
principles :
" 1. A college shall be founded in the town of Schenec-
42 UNION COLLEGE.
tady, County of Albany, an<l State of New York, to be
called and known by the name of Union College.
"2. The said collogo shall V)e under the direction and
government of twenty-four trustees, the majority of which
trustees shall not at any time be composed of persons of
the same religious sect or denomination."
These two provisions mark a new era in the history
of American colleges. Of th<' colleges which antedated
Union, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and Williams were
distinctly Congregational ; William and Mary, St, John's,
and Columbia, Episcojiai ; Brown, Baptist ; Princeton
and Hampden-Sidney, Presbyterian ; Rutgers, Reformed
Dutch; and Dickinson, Methodist. Union was the
first strictly non-sectarian college in the country. The
name itself was given as expressing the intention of
uniting all religious sects in a common interest and for
the common good, by offering equal advantages to all,
with preference to none. It was designed to found an
institution upon the broad basis of Christian unity, and
this idea has ever since been faithfully followed in the
spirit of the original intention, no particular religious de-
nomination having at any time claimed or attempted to
control its management, or to influence the choice of trus-
tees or faculty. Its motto, " lu necessanis lofitas, in (h(hiis
Uhertas, in omnibus caritas,^'' has been characteristic of the
perfect harmony and genuine catholicity which have
marked its entire history.
At last success crowned the efforts of the "citizens,"
and on February 25, 1795, a charter was granted to Union
College, naming twenty-four trustees, giving full power
for granting degrees, and the most ample guarantees
against denominational control. The chronicles of the
day record that the granting of the charter, when the
news reached Schenectady, was celebrated by great re-
joicing, with the ringing of bells, firing of cannon, dis-
play of flags, bonfires, and a general illumination.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 43
Next to Dominie Romeyii, to General Philip Schuyler
belongs the honor of establishing the college at Schenec-
tady. The (^ity of Albany had offci'cd strong i)ecnniary
inducements for making the cajiital the site of the col-
lege, but the vigorous efforts of General Schuyler so rein-
forced the Schenectady petition that it secured the young
institution for that town. The following letter from
General Schuyler to Dr. Romeyn, announcing the signa-
ture of the charter, evinces the hearty interest he felt in
the new college :
Albany, March 2, 1795.
Reverend and Dear Sir : On Wednesday last the engrossed
charter was submitted to the Regents and approved of. and on
Frida}- the seal of the University was affixed thereto, with the
Chancellor's signature, — an event the more satisfactory to me
as I have long since wished to see the vicinity of my native place
honored with such an institution, and I sincerely congratulate
my fellow-citizens of Schenectady in particular, and the whole of
the Northern and Western parts of the State in general, on the
facility with which they will be able to obtain a collegiate edu-
cation for their children. May indulgent Heaven protect and
cherish an Institution calculated to promote virtue and the weal
of the people. Please to request the gentlemen to whom has
been confided the subscription paper to the funds of the college
to add my name to the list for one hundred pounds. I shall
strive to procure a donation on the part of this State, and as I
have already conversed with some leading members on the sub-
ject, I trust my efforts will be successful. The charter, with all
the evidences of the funds, are, by order of the Regents, to be
delivered to one of the trustees of the college. If Chief Justice
Yates does not come down, they will be delivered to one of the
gentlemen here, to be delivered to him as the first trustee named
in the act of incorporation. I am with great regard, Reverend
Sir, Your most obedient servant,
Ph. Schuyler.
The Rev. Dr. Romeyn.
44
UNION COLLEGE.
A siil»s«'(iu('iit act of tlio Legislatiii-e, April G, 179."), au-
thorized the trustees of the academy to convey, and those
of tlic college to accept, the academy building on Union
and Ferry sti'eets. The transfer was accordingly made.
The college was organized on the 19th of Octoljcr, 1795,
by the election of the Rev. John Blair Smith, D. 1)., of
Philadelphia, as ])i'osidciit ; John Taylor, A. M., as pro-
fessor of mathematics
and natural philos-
ophy; and the Rev.
Andrew Yates, as
professor of the Latin
and Greek languages.
The first commence-
ment was held in
May, 1797, in the old
Reformed Dutch
( Uiurch, and the first
dc^grees conferred
upon three young
men who had fin-
ished the course of
study then required.
This was an occasion
of signal and novel
interest to all the
country around, and drew together a large and enthusi-
astic audience. These three graduates were, Cornelius
D. Schermerliorn, of Greenbush; Joseph Sweetman, of
Charlton, and John L. Zabriskie, of Schenectady.
The two latter were both living at the semi-centennial
of the college in 1845, and the Rev. Dr. Sweetman delivered
the anniversary address on that interesting occasion.
A manuscript report of the Board of Regents to the
Legislature, March 6, 1797, signed by Chancellor John
Jay, and now in the Union College library, shows the
REV. JOITX r.LAin SMITH, 1). 1).
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 45
progress made by tlio new college during its first two
years. An extract is appended :
UNION COLLEGE.
From the report of a Conniiittee of the Trustees it appears
tliat the Property of the College consists in various articles to
the following amount, namely :
Drs. Cts.
Bonds and Mortgages producing an annual Interest
of 7 per cent 21,301
Subscriptions and other Debts due on the Books of
the Treasurer 4,983 10
Cash appropriated for the purchase of Books .... 1,356 45
House & Lot for the President 3,500
Lot for the Scite of the College . . 3,250
House & Lot heretofore occupied for the Academy —
a donation from the Consistory of the Dutch
Church 5,000
Books &c. in the possession of the Trustees and on
the way from Europe 2,381 99
Cash appropriated by the Regents for the purchase of
Books iu the hands of the Committee 400
Legacy by Abraham Yates, Junr., Esq., of Albany . 250
42,422 60
and 160 acres of land.
The Faculty of the College at present consists of the President
and one Tutor, and the salary of the former, with an House for
his Family is 1100 dollars ; and of the latter 665 dollars per An-
num, with an additional allowance at present of 250 dollars on
account of the extraordinary price of the necessaries of life.
There are thirty-seven Students, eight in the Class of Languages,
twenty in the Class of History and Belles Lettres, six in the
Class of Mathematics, and three in the Class of Philosophy. The
Course of Studies is, the first year, Virgil, Cicero's Oration,
Greek Testament, Lucian, Roman Antiquities, Arithmetic, and
English Grammar; the second year, Geography and the use of
46
UNION COLLEGE.
the (iIoIk's, IvoiiiMii history. History of Amcricii and tin- Amer-
ican Hevolution, Xenophon, Horace, Criticism, and Eloquence;
the third year, the various lii-anclios of Mathematies and Vnl-
<;ar and Dceiiiial Frac-
tions, and the Extrac-
tion of the Roots,
Geonietry, Algebra,
Trigonometry, Navi-
gation, Mensuration,
Xenophon, continued,
and Homer ; and the
fourth and last year,
Natural Philosophy,
the Constitution of the
United States and of
the different States,
Metaphysics, or at least
that part whieli treats
of the Philosophy of the
Human mind, Horace
continued, and Longi-
nus, and during the
course of these studies
the attention of the classes is i)articidarly required to Elocution,
and to Composition in the English language. A Provision is also
made for substituting the knowledge of the French Language
instead of Greek, in certain cases, if the funds should hereafter
admit of instituting a French professorship, the first optional
course ; all which, together with the System of Discipline, is con-
tained in a printed Copy of the Laws and Regulations for the
Government of tbe College, and which accompanies this report.
The Trustees farther report that the Of&cers of the College dis-
charge their duty with ability, diligence and fidelity, and that
the Students generally have exhibited specimens of their pro-
gress in Science at the Examinations, which are public aiul
stated three times a year; and finally that it would essentially
promote the interest of that part of the Country if the Legisla-
ture would patronize with further donations this infant Semi-
nary ; the want of means to endow professorships obliges the
present officers to atteiul to too many branches of Science; in so
HEV. JON.iTIIAN EUWAKBS, J). D.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE.
47
much so that the President has during the present year instructed
the Chxsses of History, Chronolo»'y, Antiquities, (leography, Na-
tural and Moral Philosophy, Criticism, Logic, Constitution of the
United States and of the different States and Languages.
President Hiiiitb resigned in 1799, and was sueceeded
by Rev. Dr. Jonathan Edwards, the younger, who died
in office in August, 1801. His successor was Rev. Dr.
Jonatlian Maxcy, who resigned in 1804.
Although the college was still feeble, it was not with-
|»Mjj[*2*j*WS5Wpr''^^ i'^
51 i'l I f '1'1'sl'lTf "!
liiiiii § nil lis
I lis if 1 1
Siiilili
UNION COLLKGE IN 1804.
out enterprise. Under the presidency of Dr. Edwards, in
1798, a new edifice was begun on a scale magnificent for
that day. This building was afterward known as the
" West College," located on the corner of Union and Col-
lege streets, and was finished in 1804. It was in the
48 UNION COLLEGE.
Italian style of architoctiu'o, and from the designs of
Philip Hooker, then an eminent architect of Albany. It
was of stone, three stories high, besides a high basement,
and was snrm()nnte<l by a central cupola. The ground
plan measured 150 by GO feet, and the original cost was
about $56,000, besides $4000 for the site. It contained a
residence for the president, the chapel, library, and reci-
tation-rooms, and a considerable number of dormitories.
In 1815 it was sold to the city and county for a court-
house, jail, and city offices, and while thus owned it was
commonly known as the " City Hall." The college re-
ceived in payment 3000 acres of land in detached parcels
in various parts of Schenectady County. In 1831 it was
repurchased by the college for $10,000, and used for the
library, cabinets, and residence of freshmen and sopho-
more classes until 1854. It was then resold to the city
for the sum of $6000, and was used by the city as a union
school until the year 1890, when it was demolished to
make room for a modern school building. Between 1805
and 1810 a row of two-story brick buildings was erected
on College Street for use as dormitories. It was known
as the " Long College," and was sold about 1830.
An event occurred in 1804 which proved to be of pecu-
liar and lasting advantage to the institution, and from
which its success may be justly dated. This event was
the choice of the Rev. Eliphalet Nott as president. Mr.
Nott was then a young clergyman of Albany, known at
the time as the eulogist of Hamilton, as an eloquent and
effective public speaker, of dignified and courteous man-
ners, and distinguished leai'uing, luit not as yet known for
that talent in the education of young men which this
election gave him the opportunity to exercise, and which
has never been surpassed in the history of any American
college. Endowed by nature with a keen perception of
character, a discriminating judgment in developing la-
tent talent, a dignity of manner commanding both love
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 49
and respect, a facility in g-ov^n-niiii;- younj^ men, tlie secret
of which lay in teaching them to govern tliemselves, and
a zeal and earnestness in the discharge of every duty, he
acquired and hehl thi-ongh a long and active life a com-
manding position as an educator.
The financial history of Union College from this period
REV. ELIPHALET NOTT, D. D., LL. D.
until 1853 forms a chapter by itself. The lottery was the
most beneficent institution of that day. Not only was
it permitted, but it was specially authorized by law as a
proper and legitimate method of raising money. It was
regarded as perfectly innocent and unobjectionable, and
was not only tolerated, but sustained and encouraged by
the whole Christian communitv- Lotteries were em-
8
50 UNION COLLEGE.
ployt'd to scciu'c ruuds for cluii'ities, for schools, for
liospitals, for collogos, and for churches. It must not
bo tliouglit Strang*^, therefore, that a Christian minister
like Dr. Nott, follo\vin<)^ the fasliioii of the day, invoked
the aid of this popular device.
When tin; new president assumed his office, the finances
of the college were in a nearly desperate condition. Dur-
ing the administi'ations of his three predecessors there
had been a constant lack of funds to meet the regular
current expenses of the college. The failure of Dr.
Smith's expectations in this respe(;t was one cause of
his curly retirement. Dr. Edwards died, after a short
incumbency, weighed down with concern as to the fate
of the institution placed under his charge. Dr. Maxcy
was not more fortunate than his predecessors, and his
short administration was a continuous struggle with
financial embarrassment, from which extrication appeared
hopeless. Less than $35,000 had been obtained from in-
<lividual subscriptions, and some of these were still un-
paid. The State had at various times granted, in money
or in lands afterward sold, property which availed $78,-
112.13. The new building (West College) was still incom-
plete, and the college was badly in debt.
At this juncture the young Albany clergyman assumed
the presidency. He at once applied to the State for aid,
and in March, 1805, it came in the shai)e of the grant of
the proceeds of four lotteries of $20,000 each. The re-
turns, however, were slow, and in 1806 the Legislature
borrowed $15,000 on the credit of the State and loaned it
to the college, to be repaid from the proceeds of the lot-
teries. In 1814, when the lotteries were wound up, the
colleg<^ had realized from them about $76,000, which was
applied toward furnishing the (Mpiiiunent, edilices, and
instruction necessary for the rapidly increasing number
of students.
A few years' experience showed that the site in the
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 51
city was not sufficiently ainplc, and the ol)sorvin^ eye
of Dr. Nott, at an early pcM'iod in liis presidency, had
noticed in the suburbs a better one, whicli com])ined in a
rare degree every advantaj>:e desiral)le. On the eastern
border of the city the fields rose by a gentle slope to a
plain of moderate elevation and of easy access. Near
the upper edge of this slope the construction of a tei-race
a few feet higli would afford a level campus of ample
space, and a site for buildings that would overlook the
valley, the river, and the neighboring city, while north-
ward glimpses of mountains blue in the distance, and
southwestward ranges of hills dividing the waters of the
Mohawk and Susquehanna rivers, would present a pan-
orama of peculiar loveliness. A gently murmuring V)rook
issuing from dense woodlands flowed across the grounds
just north of the proposed site, and in the rear alternat-
ing fields and groves extended several miles eastward to
the Hudson.
A half century later, in an address before the gathered
alumni of Union who had met to celebrate the anniver-
sary of his accession to the presidency. Dr. Nott thus
spoke of the new college grounds :
Fifty years ago, having been charged with the supervision of
Union College, I stood for the first time on yon rising grounds,
where the college edifices now stand. The same range of
western hills, the same intervening luxuriant flats, and the
same quiet river, winding through fields of grain whitening for
the harvest, then met the eye; the same starry firmament over-
spread the night, and the same glorious sunlight rendered visi-
ble by day, in its general outline, the whole lovely Valley of
the Mohawk.
The immediate college grounds, however, now so symmetrical
and ornate, were then mere pasture ground, scarred by deep
ravines, rendered at once unsightly and difficult of access by an
alternation of swamp and sand hill, and the whole divided into
numerous irregular compartments, in evidence of different own-
52 UNION COLLEGE.
erships. As yet, ncilhcr slu-iih noi- ivi'c. liad Ijccii planted, walk
traced, garden laid out, or edifice erected thereon.
A tract of some 250 acres was secured, mainly on the
responsibility of the president, and new buildings begun
upon plans drawn l)y M. Joseph Jacques Ramee, a French
engineer then eminent in this country, and for a time
employed by the National government in planning forti-
fications and public works.
In 1890, in an old print-shop in Paris, a Union College
graduate of the Class of '80 discovered M. Ramee's original
sketch of the gi'ound plan of the college buildings and
garden. It bears the inscription " (hUk/e de P Union a
Schenectady^ Etat de Neiv Yorck, 1813," and is probably
the original draft submitted by the architect to Dr. Nott.
It was purchased and deposited in the College Library.
This plan has been very closely followed in the laying
out of the grounds and the erection of the successive col-
lege buildings. It shows the ground plan of the main
college buildings, north and south, the central circular
building, not com[)leted till 1876, and the projected semi-
circular building in the rear, wlii(di has still more recently
taken form in tlie Powers Memorial Building, finished in
1884. The two buildings at the ends of this semicircle,
however, are still to be built. Nor has the lake in the
"college pasture," or the Catholic cross in the garden,
shown on the Frenchman's plan, yet materialized into
being. The work of construction was begun in 1812 and
the two main buildings finished in 1820, although one of
them was occupied as early as 1814. These l)uildings
are four stories high, 200 feet by 40 feet each, and cost
about $110,000.
To meet this expense, application was again made to
the Legislature in 1814. Dr. Nott was a power in Albany.
His influence with the legislators and before committees
was another instance of that remarkable force which im-
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 53
pressed itself upon all lie met. Otlicr coUeojes and institu-
tions were before the Legislature of 1814 as applicants for
aid, l)ut, satisfied that their unaided efforts would prove
iuetfeetual, they intrusted their cases to President Nott,
who generously advocated their claims in the same breath
with his own, and the benefits to Hamilton College, the
College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Asbury
African Church of New York, were included in the same
gi'aut as those to Union. Columbia College had intro-
duced a bill intended to grant to that institution the cele-
brated Hosack Botanical Garden in New York. Convinced
of the futility of their independent claim for aid, the Co-
lumbia managers withdrew their special bill and besought
Dr. Nott to take up their appeal. This he did so gener-
ously and vigorously that the Columbia grant was at-
tached as a "rider" to his own lottery bill, and went
through with it. Thus, solely through the influence of
the president of Union, Columbia received that magnifi-
cent property which to-day forms its principal endow-
ment. The botanical garden granted to Columbia com-
prised twenty acres located between Fifth and Sixth
Avenues, Forty-seventh and Fifty-first Streets, in New
York City, then three and one half miles out of town, but
now the center of the wealth and population of the me-
tropolis. In the same act which gave to Columbia the
title to the botanical garden, it was provided that within
one year from the passage of the act at least one healthy,
exotic flower, shrub, or plant of each kind it contained in
duplicate should be sent, with the jar containing it, to
Union College. There is no record, however, that Co-
lumbia ever complied with this graceful suggestion for
the recognition of Union's services in her behalf.
So marked was the influence of Dr. Nott in favor of the
combination bill that at the close of the act in the offi-
cial session laws of 1814 was printed this unprecedented
"Note. — No bill before the Legislature excited greater in-
54 UNION COLLEGE.
teivst uiid alU'iitioii tlian tiiis act. JMiicli crcilit is due to
the unwearied exertions of the able and eloquent president
of Union Collejjje in promoting its passage."
This lottery bill gi-aiited to Union College $2()U,()()(), to
Hamilton College >|;4(),0()(), to the College of Physicians
and Surgeons $30,000, an<l to the Asbury African Church
in New York $4,000, with intei-est for six years. But the
managers of these lotteries appointed by the act were so
remiss in selling the tickets that up to 1822 not a dollar
of the principal had been paid to any of the beneficiaries.
Again, therefore, the good Doctor betook himself to
Albany, and on April 5, 1822, an act was passed "To
limit the continuance of lotteries." It recited the delay
in the conduct of the concern, and authorized the institu-
tions themselves to take the management of the lotteries,
direct the drawings, receive the avails, and pay the prizes.
The other beneficiary institutions, having witnessed the
failure of the lotteries during the preceding eight years,
took alarm at the responsibility this act devolved upon
them, and refused to participate in the active management.
Not so the president of Union. With the consent of his
Board of Trustees, the president bought out, for a satis-
factory consideration, the interest of all the other institu-
tions, for which he borrowed on his own responsibility
$75,000, and assumed in his own person the entire man-
agement of the affair. It was this bold act, and the trans-
actions which followed it, which years later brought
Union College into the courts, and into legislative inves-
tigations, and which caused the motives and acts of the
president to be sharply arraigned.
From this consolidated lottery Union College received
in all a sum of $277,000. Dr. Nott had sub-let to Yates
& Mclntyre, a firm of brokers, the management of the lot-
teries, reserving to himself a percentage of the profits
from such management, which were afterward found to
amount to $71,091.29. In order to save the firm of Yates
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 00
& Meliityre from bankruptcy and from imporiling the
college interest in the proceeds of the lottery, Dr. Nott
had advanced the firm large sums of money by pledging
his and his wife's pro])erty, and had taken as security a
bond for $150,000. It was the ownership of these two
sums which years later gave rise to the charges against
the president. His enemies claimed that these profits
and the bond belonged to the college, and not to the Doc-
tor personally. This claim was, however, never made by
the college, but by newspapers and by outsiders. The
charges were never credited by the friends of Dr. Nott, or
by the college trustees. And the president had frequently
announced his intention ultimately to appropriate every
dollar that he derived as profits from the lottery transac-
tion to the benefit of Union College, a promise wdiich was
eventually more than fulfilled.
In 18-1:9 a resolution was introduced in the Assembly
requiring a report as to the financial condition of Union
College. This was incited by the reports of newspapers
hostile to Dr. Nott, charging that he had appropriated to
his own use $560,000 of the funds of the college. A Com-
mittee of the Assembly made an examination of the
books and reported that the " financial condition of the
college was unsound and improper." This led, of course,
to a thorough investigation, in which Hon. John C. Spen-
cer, an old pupil of Dr. Nott, volunteered his services in
behalf of his old instructor, and his masterly argument
before the Committee was so convincing as to complete
the vindication of his venerable instructor of other years
and to remove the odium from an honored name. Dr.
Nott completed the discomfiture of his enemies by an-
ticipating the report of the legislative committee and by
executing a deed of trust which bestowed upon the col-
lege a property then estimated at over .$600,000. Cer-
tainly the college owes its high position among American
colleges not only to the scholarship and the reputation of
.IG UNION COLLEGE.
Eliplialet Xott, but also to liis financial skill and niuni-
liceuce it owes its largest endowment.
The tracing to their culmination of the lotteries and
the difficulties engendered by them has caused a digres-
sion from the history of the college itself and its progress
through these years. Notwithstanding the number and
the intricacy of the outside matters which claimed his at-
tention, Dr. Nott's first interests were in " his children,"
as his pupils were affectionately styled. From the time
of the erection of the new college buildings on the hill
the number of students steadily increased until in 1820
the number in all the classes exceeded 300, and the grad-
uating class alone contained sixty-five. In this class were
several men who attained distinguished eminence, among
whom were William H. 8eward, Laurens P. Hickok, who
long stood at the head of American metaphysicians ; AVill-
iam Kent, one of New York's ablest jurists ; Tayler Lewis,
the greatest linguist and classical scholar of his age, and
Rev. Dr. Horatio Foote. In 1825 Union had passed Har-
vard and Yale in the number of its students, and with the
exception of a few intervening years held for a quarter
of a century the honor of being the largest college in the
United States. The fame of Dr. Nott as an educator, the
high reputation of the college, the excellence of its sys-
tem and management, drew students from all parts of
the country to Schenectady, and large numbers came
from the lower classes of other institutions to obtain the
benefit of President Nott's senior lectures, and receive
from his hand their diplomas. The president drew
around him and kept as his coadjutors a remarkable
body of faithful, energetic, and learned i)rofessors, and
throughout his unprecedented administration of sixty-
two years the college enjoyed the highest degree of
prosperity.
In 1845 was celebrated with great enthusiasm the semi-
HISTOKY OF THE COLLEGE.
57
centennial tinniversary of tlie founding of the college,
for which preparations had been made for two years
KEV. LAUKKXS PKKSiJL S UK KoK, 1). 1)., LL. U.
previous. The occasion was one of general rejoicing
and congratulation. Addresses were made by Rev. Dr.
Joseph Hweetman, one of the first graduates, and by
Dr. Alonzo Potter, afterward vice-president of the col-
lege. Over 500 of the alumni attended the anniversary.
Another interesting anniversary was held nine years
later, on the completion of the half-century of Dr. Nott's
administration, July 25, 1854. The central point of in-
terest on this occasion was the address of the venerable
president, which was a compact review of the labors,
trials, and successes of the fifty years which had closed.
The other principal orators were Hon. William W. Camp-
bell, of Cherry Valley, and President Francis Wayland,
of Brown University, a former pu[)il of Dr. Nott. The
58
UNION COLLEGE.
proceedings u[)()U holli tlit.'se anniversary occasions were
preserved in the form of printed memorial pamphlets.
Before this time, however, tlie president had l)egnn to
feel the infirmities of advancing years, and in 1852 Dr.
Laurens P. llickok was elected vice-i)resi(lent. Uiton him
gi'adually devolved the cares of administration, although
the presidency was not actually conferred upon him until
the death of Dr. Nott, in 18GG.
The prosperity of the college continued undiminished
until the Civil War burst like a storm-cloud over the
country. The classes of 1860 and 1861 were among the
largest in the history of the college. Through nearly a
quarter of a century the South had sent more students
to Union College than to any other, and the class rolls
of those years show representatives from nearly everj"
i;i:v. ciiAiM.ics Ai<.i:--Tr< AiKt.\. n. i>., i,i,. i>.
Southern State. Bnt as tlie controversy over the (jues-
tion of slavery became more bitter, the South gradually
HISTOIIY OF THE COLLEGE.
59
withdrew its young xmm from Northern institutions, and
when tlie first sliell i)roke over Sumter tlie hist ])and of
Southern students tlien rcmainini;' in Tiiion left to join
REV. ELIPIIALET NOTT POTTER, I). U., LL. U
the ranks of the Confederacy. Nor was this the only
cause of depletion. Scores of Northern students forsook
their books to take up the musket. The college campus
became a drill-ground. The brilliant young professor of
modern languages, Professor Elias Peissner, recruited a
company on College Hill and led them in person to the
front, himself falling on the bloody field of Chancellors-
ville, with a colonel's stars on his shoulders. Over three
hundred Union men became Union soldiers in that great
struggle for the vindication of the National honor.
The war was the beginning of a period of depression
which lasted for many years. Dr. Nott died in 1860, at
the ripe age of ninety-three years, and was succeeded by
Dr. Hickok. The latter resigned in 18G8, and was sue-
60
UNION COLLEGE.
cecded by Rov. Dr. Cliai-los A. Aikoii, of l^riiicftoii, who
served for only two years. After a ]>ri('f iiitcrregnuiii,
Rev. Dr. Kliplialet Nott Potter, a son of Bishop Aloiizo
Potter and a grandson of President Nott, was elected to
the presidency. Under his administration new endow-
ments were received, new buildings erected, and the num-
ber of students increased. Misunderstandings, however,
arose Ix'twt^en the ])i-esident and the faculty and trustees,
and he retired in 1884 to accept the presidency of Hobart
College. On his retirement, Hon. Judson S. Landon
became president ad iifferin/ until the election, in May,
1888, of Harrison E. Webster, LL. D.
II \i;i;i^( IN I,, w i,ii>i i.i;, LL. D.
Pi'esident Webster served the college till January, 1804,
when, by reason of ill health, he presented his resignation.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE.
61
which was accepted with many expressions of regret and
of appreciation for his vahiable services to liis alma mater.
REV. ANDREW V. V. RAYMOND, D. I)., LL. D.
Early in 1894 the trustees elected as the successor of
President Webster Rev. Dr. Andrew V. V. Raymond, a
graduate of the Class of 1875, and at that time pastor of
62 UNION COLLEGE.
the Fourth l^'esljyteriaii Church of ^Uhaiiy. There are
many who link this coincidence with the youth, the en-
thusiasm, the oratorical aljility, and the remarkal^le per-
sonal influenco of Dr. Raymond, and draw a })arallel be-
tween Pi-csident Nott and Pi'esidcnt Raymond. Not since
the war lias ilie old college experienced such a period of
pi-osperity and of hopeful enthusiasm as since the. inau-
guration of President Raymond, which occurred in June,
1894. The classes have doubled in numbers, the teaching
force largely increased, new endowments have been se-
cured, and the standard of scholarship constantly elevated.
New interest and enthusiasm have l)een inspired among
the alumni, and complete harmony exists in the college
councils.
Educational Influence and Progress.
There is perhaps no place more fitting than this for a
brief mention of the services of the instructors who have
made Union famous, and of her influence in the develop-
ment of higher education in America. It is true that
during the administration of Dr. Nott he alone shaped the
policy of the college, originated plans for its government,
suggested and carried into effect changes when needed,
and controlled its affairs as absolutely as any monarch
who ever ruled an empire. Yet his rule was gentle, if
autocratic. The utmost harmony prevailed in the coun-
cils of the faculty, and the mention of their names is
sufficient to account for the value and popularity of the
Union College course during his long administration.
At the head of the Greek department Union has had
such instructors as Andrew Yates, Henrv Davis, Robert
Proudfit, Taylei" Lewis, and Henry AVhitehorne. In Latin,
Thomas C. Reed, John Newman, Benjamin Stanton, and
Robert Lowell. In ^lathematies, John Taylor, Benjamin
Allen, Francis AVayland, Isaac AV^. Jackson, and Isaiah B.
HISTOKY OF THE COLLEGE.
63
Price. In Chemistry, Joel B. Nott, Charles A. Joy, Ben-
jamiu F, Josliii, Charles F. Chandler, and Maurice Per-
kins. In Natural Philosophy, Thomas Macauley, Alonzo
PROF. TAYLER LEWIS, D. D., LL. V.
Potter, and John Foster. In French and German, Pierre
Reynaud, Louis Tellkampf, Pierre A. Proal, Elias Peiss-
ner, William Wells, and Wendell Lamoroux. In Natural
History, Jonathan Pearson and Harrison E. Webster. In
Rhetoric, Logic, and Belles-Lettres, Thomas C. Brown well,
Alonzo Potter, Laurens P. Hickok, Nathaniel G. Clarke,
Ransom B. Welsh, and George Alexander. In Oriental
Literature, John Austin Yates and Tayler Lewis. In Civil
Engineering, Frederick R. Hassler, William M. Gillespie,
Cady Staley, and Winfield S. Chaplin.
Union College was the first to break away from the
strict and beaten classical course, and to place scientific
instruction on .a plane of equal dignity. At Union also
originated the so-called optional system, which it has
always exercised to a limited degree, but never to the
64
UNION COLLEGE.
extent of license wliich it afterward attaincil in other col-
leges. As far back as 1797, we have seen, in the report
of the Regents quoted in the foregoing pages, the germ
of this now popular systcnn. " A provision is also made
for substituting the knowledge of the French language
histead of the Greek, in certain cases, if the funds should
hereafter admit of instituting a French professorship."
This professorshi}), with a single excei>tion, the first in
the United States, was established in 1806.
The essential features of the scientific course, as origi-
nated by Dr. Nott, and so ably advocated by President
Wayland and others of his ])U])ils, was the substitution of
the modern languages and an increased amount of mathe-
matical and i)h3'sical science, in place of the Greek and
HMH
p
^H
\ \
rv ■ ^^
^m
t
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jHSHI^^P
.^'-
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IKOF. ISAAC \V. .JACKSON.
Latin languages. It also permitted, within certain well-
defined limits, the election of certain studies by the stu-
dents.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 65
The first course of civil engineeriiii;- in any American
college was established at Union in 1845, by Pi-ofessor
William IM, (fillcspic, and lias evei- since Ixhmi successfnlly
continued. WJiile the college still maintains the classical
course in all its thoi'oughness, the scientific instruction
has recently been still further developed by the estab-
lishment of courses in sanitary and electrical engineering.
The departments of English and of modern languages
have also been greatly strengthened, and the course of
instruction at Union to-day com])arcs favorably with that
of the best New England and New York colleges.
Union has been called the mother of secret societies.
Instead of antagonizing and repressing the fraternities,
the authorities of Union have ever encouraged and fos-
tered them. The three oldest college fraternities in the
United States, except the venerable Phi Beta Kappa, which
had then already ceased to be a secret society, were or-
ganized at Union in 1825 and 1827. These were Kappa
Alpha, Sigma Phi, and Delta Phi. Later on, in 1832 and
1847, Psi Upsilon, Chi Psi, and Theta Delta Chi established
their first chapters at Union. The authorities have al-
ways maintained that, properly conducted, the fraternities
were of actual benefit rather than a hindrance to college
discipline. The fraternities now flourishing are, in the
order of their establishment. Kappa Alpha, Sigma Phi,
Delta Phi, Psi Upsilon, Delta Upsilon, Alpha Delta Phi,
Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, and Chi Psi, reestablished
in 1892. The Union Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, estab-
lished in 1817, is the Alpha, or parent, cliaj)ter for the
State of New York. Another honorary fraternity, Sigma
Xi, has recently been established, to which only the
honor men of the scientific and engineering courses are
eligible, Phi Beta Kappa being confined to the classical
students.
Two literary societies, the Philomathean and the Adel-
phic, each nearly a century old, divide the allegiance of
5
66 UNION COLLEGE.
the stiKk'iit.s. Each liiis a line hull uucl wcU-stjlected lil»ru-
ries of from three thousand to five thousand volumes.
One of tlie earliest of all college publications was the
"Floriad," publislied by the litei'ary societies of Union in
1809. A few nnnibers of tliis paper are in the Boston City
Lil)i-ary. The vai'ious student publications which have
followed it, and survived for a longer oi* shorter ])eriod,
were the "Students' Album" (1827), "The Parthenon"
and "Academicians' Magazine" (1832), "The Union Col-
lege Magazine " (18(){)-1875), " The Unionian " (18G2), "The
Spectator" (1873), and the " Concordiensis" (1877). The
last mentioned is now the principal college publication,
and has recently been made a bi-monthly. " The Grarnet,"
so named from the college color, is an annual illustrated
publication, conducted by the secret societies. The " Par-
thenon" has been recently revived in magazine form.
The songs of Union form a handsome volume, "Car-
mina Concordia," first collected by Truman Weed, of the
Class of '75, a new edition of which, embodying the recent
songs, has just been issued by two members of the Class
of 1896. John Howard Payne was one of Union's ear-
liest song-writers, and gifted writers have from year to
year added to the collection. A few of these songs are
perennial in their fragrance, and are always sung on
festive occasions. This is especially true of the " Song
to Old Union," composed by Fitzhugh Ludlow, of the
Class of 1856. It is always sung on commencement
day, at the close of the graduating exercises. The hearty
good-will and feeling with which returning sons join in
the grand chorus :
Then here 's to thee, the brave and free,
Old Union smiling o'er ns.
And for many a day, as thy walls grow gray.
May they ring with thy ehildren's chorns,
show that the gifted poet did not attune his lyre in vain.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 67
The government of Union College has always been pa-
ternal, but characterized by the greatest freedom consis-
tent with good results. The ponderous code of rules and
restrictions of the old days has long since gone out of
print, and the only rule now promulgated at Union Col-
lege is, in the language of ex-President Webster, that
" Every student should do his work and conduct himself
like a gentleman." On these two hang all the law and
the prophets.
Of the nine presidents of Union, four. Presidents Hickok,
Potter, Webster, and Raymond, have been graduates of
Union. Presidents Maxcy and Nott bore the diplomas of
Brown University, Presidents Smith and Edwards were
Princeton men, and President Aiken was a graduate of
Dartmouth. The strict adherence of the college to the
principle of Christian union which shaped the plans of
its founders is apparent in the varying religious tenets of
its several presidents. Presidents Smith, Edwards, Nott,
Webster, and Raymond were Presbyterians; Dr. Maxcy
a Baptist ; Dr. Hickok a Congregationalist ; and Dr. Potter
an Episcopalian.
Buildings and Gtrounds.
The oldest buildings on the college grounds are the
North and South College buildings, uniform in construc-
tion, and 800 feet apart. The ends of each building con-
tain residences for professors, and the central part, having
three distinct entrances and sections, provides 48 rooms
in each college. Backward from each of these buildings
run the two " colonnades," each 250 feet long. These con-
tain recitation rooms, lecture rooms, and apparatus. The
colonnades terminate each in a larger, square building, the
North building being devoted to the chemical and philo-
sophical laboratories and lecture rooms, and the South to
chapel, Registrar's office, and natural history museum.
68
UNION COLLEGE.
Tliu miiseiiiii of uatunil liisloi-y is oiio of the finest in this
country, being exceeded, in the nunilici- and \aiiety of its
specimens, only by that of Harvard Tnivcrsity and tlie
Smithsonian Institntion at WashinjAton. It comprises (1)
the extensive collections, chiefly of marine animals, made
by President Webster during his occupancy of the chair
of natui-al history, (2) the celeljrated Wlieatley collection
of shells and minerals, donated by E. C. Dclavan, (o) spcci-
^CVoi.:^--^
ENTRANCE TO COLI.E(;E (iROUNDS.
mens received fi-om the National and State governments,
and (4) coutributions from friends and }>atrons of the
college.
The philosophical museum is also rich in apparatus,
especially in iusti'uments illustrating electricity, magnet-
ism, light, heat, acoustics, pneumatics, statics and dyna-
mics, hydrostatics and hydraulics, and measurements.
The engineering department possesses the celebrated
HISTOKY OF THE COLLEGE.
69
Olivier collection of models, consisting of about fifty
models, representing the most important and compli-
eat«'d ruled surfaces of descriptive geometi'y, i>articularly
wai'ped or twisted surfaces. Their directrices are rep-
resented by brass bars, straight or curved, to which
are attached silk threads representing the elements or
successive positions of the generatrices of the surfaces.
THE TERKACE.
Each of these threads has a weight suspended by it so as
always to make it a straight line. These weights are
contained in boxes sustaining the directrices and their
standards. The bars are movable in various directions,
carrying with them the threads still stretched straight
by the weights in every position they may take ; so that
the forms and natures of the surfaces which they consti-
tute are continually changing, while they always remain
70 UNION COLLEGE.
" ruled surfaces." In this way a plaue is transformed
into a paraboloid, a cylinder into a hyperboloid, etc.
These models were invented by the lamented Theodore
Olivier, while professor of descriptiv^e geometry at tlie
Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers, in Paris. One set of
them is now deposited there and a second is in the con-
serv^atory at Madrid. Coj^ies of some of them are to be
found in most of the iiolytechnic schools of Germany.
The Union College set is the original collection of the in-
ventor, having been made in part by his own hands, and
after his death, in 1853, retained by the widow till bought
from her by Professor Gillespie, in 1855. It is more com-
plete than that in the Paris Conservatoire. It may be
worth noticing that the silvered plates on the boxes,
reading " Tnvente par Theodore Olivler,^^ etc., were added
by Madame Olivier after the purchase, at her own ex-
pense, as a tribute to the memory of her husband ; her
own words being, ^^ Je teuais a ce, que cliaque hi.strument
portdt le noni tin savant dont la reputation passera a la
posterite.^
Memorial Hall, long a familiar object in the pictures,
and originally designed for a chapel, was delayed for var-
ious causes, so that the foundation was not laid till 1858.
The war and its attendant depression interrupted the
work, which was not resumed till 1874, and the present
domed structure was evolved in 1876. This building,
situated midway between and in the rear of the two main
buildings, is nearly circular, 84 feet in diameter, the dome
rising 120 feet from the floor. It has never been of any
particular use to the college, but is employed for the
banquet hall at commencement time, and is adorned by
paintings, statues, and works of art.
A president's house was built in 1873, and in 1874 a
gymnasium, which, when finished, was one of the largest
and best equipped in the country. All these buildings,
except Memoi-ial Hall, are of brick, rough cast with stucco
72 UNION COLLEGE.
or cement, producing tlio "gi'uy old walls" celebrated in
college song.
Some distance behind the circular })uilding has recently
been erected a handsome structure known as the Powers
Memorial Building, finished in 1885. This consists of a
chapel-like central building, with wings extending from
it on either side in the form of a half-circle. The central
building forms a splendid I'eceptacle for the 4:(),()0() vol-
umes which constitute the college library, and the wings
contain the president's office and eight spacious and well-
equipped recitation rooms.
The development of fraternity life is gi-adually intro-
ducing a more modern architecture on the college grounds.
The Psi Upsilon fraternity recently secured the grant of
a lot on the college grounds, to the rear of South College,
and has erected on it a fine chapter-house costing $30,-
000. The Alpha Delta Phi Society has erected a hand-
some and commodious chapter home, now approaching
completion, near the Psi Upsilon chapter house, on a path
which is known as the "Grecian Bend." The Sigma Phi
Chapter has recently been enriched by a bequest of
$40,000, and a building for this venerable fraternity is
probable in the near future. Similar plans are contem-
plated by Delta Upsilon, Chi Psi, Beta Theta Pi, and
other of the Greek-letter societies.
The original grounds acquired for college uses in Sche-
nectady have been somewhat reduced by street improve-
ments and the sale of lots, but are still amply sufficient,
embracing about 125 acres, including the campus, gardens,
and grounds properly belonging to the college and essen-
tial for its use, besides some one hundred acres of wood-
lands and fields adjoining.
During the residence of Professor Thomas Macauley,
more than fifty years ago, a beginning was made in the
improveinent of a garden north of Xorth College. The
work was, howevei', scai'cely more than a beginning until
HISTOKY OF THE COLLEGE. 73
Professor Isaac W. Jackson became a resident of the ad-
joining dwelling in 1831, when a series of improvements
were begun, which, aided by a small annual gi-ant from
the trustees, have gradually transformed a wild ravine
and tangled woodland into a charming ramble and pleas-
ant retreat. The grounds end)race some twelve acres, and
combine many attractions of sylvan solitude and floral
beauty, " Captain Jack," as the pi'ofessor was affection-
ately styled by his pupils, devoted the last years of his
life almost entirely to the beautifying of this garden, and
here, under the spreading elm which was his favorite
resort, were held his funeral ceremonies in 1877.
Besides the real estate in Schenectady, the college owns
a few lots in the City of New York and a large tract
comprising over 1100 city lots in Long Island City. This
tract was received under the deed of Dr. Nott, and is of
great value, already yielding the college a considerable
annual income. The constant growth of Long Island
City, its probable connection with New York City in the
near future by tunnel or bridges, and its inevitable con-
solidation with the metropolis, unite to make the college
real estate of immense prospective value.
The trustees of the college are, by its charter as
amended, the Grovernor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary
of State, Com^Dtroller, Treasurer, and Attorney-Greneral
of the State, ex officio; fifteen chosen for life by the
Board of Trustees and four elected, one each year for a
term of four years by the alumni. The present trustees,
exclusive of the ex-officio members, are Silas B. Brownell,
Rev. Dr. William Irvin, Hon. Judson S. Landon, Hon.
Edward W. Paige, William H. H. Moore, Rev. Dr. Denis
Wortman, Hon. John H. Starin, Clark Brooks, John A.
De Remer, Rev. Dr. George Alexander, Robert C. Alex-
ander, Hon. Warner Miller, N. V. V. Franchot, Col. Charles
E. Sprague, Howard Thornton, Hon. Wallace T. Foote,
and Rev. David Sprague.
74 UNION COLLEGE.
The faculty, as now eoiistituted, is made up as follows :
A. V. V. Raymond, D. D., LL. D., President ; John Foster,
LL. D., Nott Professor (Emeritus) of Natural History ;
Henry Whitehorne, LL. D., Nott Professoi* of the Greek
Language and Literature ; William Wells, LL. D., Pro-
fessor of Modern Languages and Literature and Lecturer
on Current History ; Maurice Perkins, A. M., M. D., Pro-
fessor of Analytical Chemistry; Sidney G. Ashmore, A. M.,
L. H. D., Professor of the Latin Language and Literature ;
James R. Truax, A. M., Ph. D., Professor of the English
Language and Literature; Thomas W. Wright, A. M.,
Ph. D,, Professor of Applied Mathematics and Physics;
Frank S. Hoffman, A. M., Professor of Mental and Moral
Philosophy; Benjamin H. Rii)ton, A. M., Ph. D., Professor
of History and Sociology, and Dean of the Faculty ; Olin
H. Landreth, A. M., C. E., Professor of Civil Engineer-
ing; James L. Patterson, So. D., Professor of ^Nlathemat-
ics; Samuel B. Howe, Ph. D., Adjunct Nott Professor,
Princii)al of Union School ; Albert H. Pepper, A. M.,
Assistant Professor of Modern Languages ; James H.
Stoller, A.M., Professor of Biology; Edward Everett Hale,
Jr., Ph. D., Professor of Rhetoric and Logic ; Edwin H.
Winans, A. M., Assistant Professor of Mathematics;
Homer P. Cummings, Instructor in Surveying ; Wendell
Lamoroux, A. M., Librarian and Lecturer ; C. P. Linhai-t,
M. D., Instructor in Physiologj^ and I*hysical Education ;
George Y. Edwards, A. M., Instructor in Latin and San-
skrit ; Howard Opdyke, A. B., Instructor in Mathematics
and Physics; Elton D.Walker, B. S., Instructor in Engi-
neering; John I. Bennett, A. M., Instructor in Greek;
besides a corps of thirty-six lecturers.
The general catalogues of Union College contain a list
of names of which both the college and the country may
well be proud. In the total number of its graduates it
stands at least fourth, and perhaps third, among American
colleges. The number of its alumni is nearly double that
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. lo
of any other college in New York State. Its graduates
have become prominent in every profession and walk in
life. Among the number have been a President of the
United States, two Secretaries of State, two Justices of
the United States Supreme Court, ten Senators, two
Speakers, and 130 members of the House of Representa-
tives. Thirty-six college presidents have had their edu-
cational ideas molded at Union and have transplanted
them to other institutions. One-fifth of the whole number
of judges elected to the bench of the Court of Appeals
and of the Supreme Court in New York State have been
Union College graduates.
The general alumni association was organized and in-
corporated in 1857, and local associations have been formed
in New York City, Albany, Chicago, Rochester, St. Paul,
Boston, San Francisco, and Washington. The New York
association has over 500 members.
Union Univeksity.
Union University embraces the following institutions :
Union College,
Albany Medical College,
Albany Law School,
Dudley Observatory,
Albany College of Pharmacy.
Union College acquired by its original charter full Uni-
versity powers, but the creation of graduate institutions
at Schenectady was not found practicable. Schools of Law
and Medicine, and also an Astronomical Observatory, had
existed at Albany, only a few miles distant, for many
years previous to 1873. The arrangement naturally sug-
gested by these circumstances was, that the professional
schools and the observatory at Albany should be united
with Union College under the charter and Board of Trus-
76 UNION COLLEGE.
toes of tlic latter. Tliis was aocordiiifcly effectod ])y tlie
incorporation of Union University in ISTii. The An>any
College of Pharmacy was created by the Board of Regents
June 21, 1881, and incorporated as a department of the
University August 21, of the same year.
The President of Union College and permanent Chan-
cellor of Union University has the oversight of the Uni-
versity, each of the institutions having its resident Dean.
The University Board of Governors is composed of certain
of the permanent trustees of Union College, and of repre-
sentatives of each of the other institutions embraced in
Union University.
BACCALAUREATE DAY.
The Services of this day included a Discourse upon an assigned topic in
the morning, a Cojiference on Religion and Education in the afternoon, and
the Baccalaureate Sermon in the evening.
DISCOURSE
BY REV. GEORGE ALEXANDER, D. D.
Class of 1866.
Z\^t ndigtouisf ^diffucncc of Clnion CoUcgc.
ONE hundred years ago Europe was still rocking with
the throes of the French Revolution. America had
just entered upon the hazardous experiment of popular
government. The administration of Washington was
drawing to a close amid scenes of turbulence that boded
ill for the Republic. The State of New York was for the
most part a wilderness. For nearly a century and a half
the Dutch colonists and their descendants had held this
smiling valley, but so narrow was' their domain that the
ax of the hardy pioneer was ringing not twenty miles
away.
But a new spirit was abroad in the land. Men were
rejoicing in the sense of emancipation, and beginning to
feel the years before them. In the natural gateway be-
tween the Catskills and the Adirondacks fresh streams
of migration were meeting and mingling. Scotch and
Scotch-Irish, obeying the instinct of their race, were
pushing back among the hills which the Netherlanders
had not cared to explore. Men of New England, who
had developed muscle and grit in wringing a livelihood
from their sterile hills, had started on that tremendous
march which in a century has reduced a continent from
80 UNION COLLEGE.
sava,2:ory to civilization. The modern era of ent('r])rise
and progress and vast material development had just
begun.
If we could reproduce the moral and religious atmo-
sphere of that period we should find a contrast not less
vivid between the last decade of the eighteenth century
and the last decade of the nineteenth. The War of Inde-
pendence, and the political ferment that followed it, hod
l)t>en anything but fav(n'able to those faculties of the soul
wliicli look Godward. The Puritan revival had s]t('iit
its energy, and the undis{;i[»lined spirit of libei'ty was
in active hostility to the stern and somber theology of
New England. The democracy of America had been
brought into close and vital relation with that continental
democra<'y whose ultimate object of assault was the
('liristian faith. Ske[)ticism had loosened the bonds of
moral obligation. The Churches were enfeebled and in
many cases disorganized. The Christianity of America
was on the defensive, and had little energy for conquest.
American institutions were about to be subjected to a
new and searching test. Could the tide of migration and
immigration be folloW(^d and dominated l)y the wholesome
and disciplinary influences of leai'uing and religion !
Such were the conditions under which Union College
had its birth. It sprang from the soil ; it was not the
product of individual beneficence or ecclesiastical zeal or
legislative initiative, but of popular demand. No other
American college has been created in response to a peti-
tion signed by a thousand men of the viciiuige. It is one
of the factors which has shaped the history of a century
unparalleled for the brilliancy and beneficence of its
achievements.
The impulse to whicii our college owes its origin was
national and secular rather than religious, but religious
men are coming to recognize the fact that nothing is
more sacred than those seculai- movements which bear
DISCOURSE. 81
witness to the reality of a Divine Spirit which is like
the wind that bloweth where it listeth — to the power
and ceaseless activity of a God immanent in His nniverse.
Tlie task assigned me is to trace in rude outline the
contribution^ of Union College to the forces which make
for righteousness and the ui^building of the kingdom of
God. Let us seek those contributions in the reahu of
Christian thought and education, in the field of church
organization and leadership, in the annals of world-wide
evangelism, and among the forces that tend toward the
reunion of Christendom.
I. The philosophy of the eighteenth century had much
to do with its spiritual decadence. Hobbes and Hume,
Rousseau and Voltaire, had formulated the ideas which
occupied the public mind to the prejudice of both con-
science and faith. Atheism had poisoned the fountains
of learning. The educated mind of America has never
been so pronouncedly unchristian as it was at the close
of the last century. Among the students of Yale College
there was about this time but a single professor of re-
ligion. Similar conditions prevailed at Williams and
Bowdoin.
If the spirit of the nineteenth century has been, in
comparison, reverent and belie\dng, it is because far-
seeing and godly educators, among whom Dr. Dwight
and Dr. Xott stand preeminent, bent their best energies
to the task of impressing a Christian stamp upon our in-
stitutions of higher learning.
In the development of the American college as a center
of Christian light and power the sons of our alma mater
have borne no inconspicuous part. Her great thinkers
and teachers have been profoundly religious, men of lofty
character and invincible faith. Froin the roll of those
who have served on her faculty we might call the names
of Thomas C. Brownell, Francis Wayland, Laurens P.
Hickok, each of which stands for a measureless force in
6
82 UNION COLLEGE.
the education of tlie Aiiierictiu people. By tlieir i)ubliea-
tioDS, and still more by direct contact of mind with mind,
they disseminated the principles of a sound and reverent
philosophy. Their teachings were saturated with those
ideas which lie at the basis of the Christian faith, and im-
pose upon the spirit of man the most solemn obligations
and sanctions.
In this sanctuary, where he worshiped, it is especially
fitting that reference should be made to the influence of
that serene scholar who united the crystalline thinking
of a Platonist with the spiritual intuitions of the Hebrew
seer. No Biblical scholar of his time foresaw more dis-
tinctly or faced more fearlessly the peril to which the
progress of physical science and scientific criticism would
subject the foundations of revealed religion. We cannot
reckon the number of those whom Tayler Lewis strength-
ened to meet it. No one who received the impress of his
catholic and cosmopolitan spirit could ever fail in rever-
ence for the sacred oracles or share the panic of timorous
half-believers who would withhold the Scriptures from
the sharpest scrutiny.
II. Union College has, however, produced men of the
arena rather than men of the cloister. Scholars some-
times become conspicuous by reason of their aloofness ;
they become influential by merging their life in the
stream of common humanity and giving it direction. To
shape institutions of religion and learning is to live and
work forever.
The citizens of Albany and Tryon counties who peti-
tioned for the founding of a college in the town of
Schenectady to supply " men of learning to fill the sev-
eral otfices of Church and State" l)egan to realize their
ideal when Eliphalet Nott was called to the presidency.
He was a master of assemblies and a mover of men. His
fame as a pulpit orator made him })i-esident of the college,
and his fame as a college administrator made him a force
DISCOUESE. ^ 83
ill public affairs which we cannot now ostiniato. It is not
surprising that young men drawn from the meager con-
ditions of frontier life into contact with so commanding
a personality caught the inspiration of his genius. To
be with liiin was an education in the leadership of men.
Under his tuition those who viewed life as a divine voca-
tion became like the men of Issachar, "who had under-
standing of the times to know what Israel ought to do."
Responding to the needs of a rapidly expanding nation,
they l)ecame founders and framers of beneficent institu-
tions. Time would fail us to name the schools of higher
learning which were founded or presided over in their
earliest years by ministers of the gospel who received
their training and impulse from Union College. Among
them are Trinity, the University of New York, the Uni-
versity of Michigan, Hanover, Knox, Hobart, Eacine,
Philadeljihia Divinit}^ School; and, in another category,
Elmira Female College, Rutgers Female College, Vassar,
and Smith. In shaping the most significant educational
movement of the last half-century, the higher Christian
education of American womanhood, it is no exaggeration
to say that Union College men both pointed and led the
way.
It may be a more graphic presentation of the part that
Union College has taken in the statesmanship of the
kingdom of God if we make a cross-section of the stream
of her alumni and note the posts of influential service
which at a single point of time were occupied by her men
of religion. Forty years ago to-day ministers of the^
gospel who were sons of old Union presided over such
colleges as Bowdoin, Brown, Princeton, University of
Michigan, Western University, Racine, and Hobart. A
Union graduate was president of the House of Bishops
of the Protestant Episcopal Church. In that body were
a group of Union alumni, including Bishop Brownell, of
Connecticut ; Bishop Doane, of New Jersey ; Bishop
84 UNION COLLEGE.
Alonzo Potter, of Pennsylvania; Bisliop Horatio Potter,
of New Yoik, and Bishop Upfold, of Indiana, il would
be difficult to select from the entire roll of hei- cler<;y five
men whose influence uj)on the fortunes of that historic
Church has been more profound and permanent.
At the same date, Dr. Ludlow and Dr. Proudfit were
in the seminary at New Brunswick, shapiu": the theo-
logical instruction of the Dutch Keformed Churcli. Dr.
De Witt occupied the most conspicuous pulpit in that
denomination as ])astor of the Collegiate Church in New
York City. Dr. Wisner, also a graduate of Union, was
Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly. Half
of the theological chairs of the Presbyterian Church were
occupied by Union graduates. Dr. McMasters, the
founder of Hanover, and subsequently the president of
Miami University, was professor of theology in New Al-
bany, now McCormick, Seminary, Dr. Robert C. Breck-
enridge was dominating the thought of the Presbyterians
of the South as professor of theology in the seminary at
Danville. Dr. Huntington was occujiying the same chair
in Auburn Seminary, as successor to Dr. Hickok. Dr.
Phillips, Dr. Wadsworth, and Dr. Grurley were filling the
most conspicuous Presbyterian pulpits in New York,
Philadelphia, and Washington, respectively.
Such selections from a list which might be greatly ex-
tended will afford some conception of the influence which
this venerable institution was exercising upon the re-
ligious thought and life of our country in the five preg-
nant years which immediately pi-eceded the nation's
baptism of blood. It is not without significance that in
the darkest hours of that tremendous struggle, when the
mind and the heart of her great President wei'e bowed
with the weight of his responsibility, while a Union
gi-aduate was the leader of his Cabinet and a Union grad-
uate the commander-in-chief of his armies, a Union
graduate was also his sjtiritual counselor, and knelt with
DISCOUESE. 85
him when his burdened sonl cried out for Clod, for the
Hving God.
III. But we turn to another fiehl of inquiry. The char-
acteristic note of the nineteenth century is evangelism.
The Church has recovered the spirit of conquest which
glorified the Pentecostal era. Wide areas have been added
to the domain of Christendom and ancient strongholds
of paganism have been invaded. In this sublime warfare
our college has furnished her full quota of heroes and
martyrs. Her president for more than sixty years began
his ministry as a missionary. Cherry Valley was a rude
frontier settlement when, as teacher and schoolmaster,
he kindled there the lam^) of religion and learning. Men
of God who lit their torches at his flame could not ignore
the Macedonian cry from the regions beyond. By hun-
dreds they followed the trail of the settler's wagon
through the wilds of the Western Reserve and across
the rich prairies of the Louisiana Purchase. It was
through the perils and pains of such unremembered
heralds of the cross that in those days of slow locomo-
tion the isolated settlements were kept from lajjsing into
barbarism. They planted the school beside the church,
and infused into the advancing tide of migration the
saving salt of intelligence and virtue. Some of them
tm'ned their feet towards the vanishing tribes of red
men ; and some of them went southward. A graduate
of this college, following close upon the marching col-
umns of '61, established at Old Point Comfort the first
school for freedmen, and began the work which to-day
is bringing eight million men of African descent into
intelligent citizenship.
On such an occasion as this w^e may perhaps consider
ourselves released from the obligation to confine our
praises to dead heroes. As a type of many others, let
me trace the career of one who here received his diploma
forty years ago, and who has become the most widely
6*
86 UNION COLLEGE.
known luissionury uii the coiitiiK'nt — tireless, dauntless,
ul)iquitoiis. First a missionary to the aborigines of the
Indian Territory, then a missionary in the sparse settle-
ments of ]\Iinnesota, then for a dozen years marshaling
the Chnreh's advance along the slopes of the Rockies, in
Colorado, iu Montana, and Wyoming and Utah ; penetrat-
ing the mining camps, where godh^ssness and anarchy
reigned supreme, appealing to the consciences of desper-
ate men and reminding them of home and mother. Still
later we find him the apostle of Alaska, sailing away into
wintry seas to brave the forces of lawlessness in their
farthest strongliold and to save a simple race from ex-
tinction. He roused the Church to a sense of her respon-
sibility, and shamed the general government into making
provision for the defense of its helpless wards. Finally,
true to the spirit of his alma mater, he invited a union of
Churches for the redemption of that remote principality,
and said of the Catholic priest whom he found engaged
in the same holy service, " My heart went out to him as
to a brother." For the Church of his own allegiance,
Sheldon Jackson accei»ted the i'(\gion most inhospital)le,
and planted the standard of the cross where the northern-
most point of the Republic looks out on the l)leak and
lonely prospects of the Arctic seas.
But our theme requires us to take a wider range. A
few years ago I received a letter from a graduate of this
college who was doing yeoman service on the Pacific
slope, offering himself as a foreign missionary, and say-
ing: "I feel that I ouglit to be on the skirmish line."
With scores of our alumni he is now enduring hardness
as a good soldier "on the skirmish line." Some, like
those who joined the educational foives of the new
Japan, have enjoyed the speedy fruition of their labors
in seeing Christian forbearance and self-restraint and
humanity displacing the barbaric code which lately op-
pressed that now rejuvenated and emancipated nation.
DISCOURSE. 87
Some, like Lansing beside the Pyramids and Crawford
in Damascus, have been slowly rearing on the ruins of
hoary civilizations the more enduring fal)ric of the king-
dom of God. Others have 8imi)ly given the last, full
measure of a soldier's devotion and laid down their lives,
that over their prostrate forms later comrades might
press on to victory. Long and shining is the martyr
roll. We might speak of Hume, whose grave is deep
among the coral and pearls of the Indian Ocean and
whose children are passing on through Southern India
the torch which he kindled; of McQueen, 1)reatliing out
his life on the deadly shores of Africa and leaving as his
last message to the native chief, " I am going home " ; of
Preston and Butler in China; of Nevins also, glorious
missionary and prince among men ; of Whiting, who fol-
lowed in the track of the pestilence, bearing succor to
the famishing, until the plague claimed him as its victim,
and over whose lonely grave the untaught children of
the East paid divine honors. Such are the unwritten
epics of this sublime crusade. It is something to have
touched elbows in the march of life with comrades like
these. Amid our centennial rejoicings we do well to
bring our own poor lives under the spell of their ex-
ample, and to borrow stimulus for future service from
the pathos and chivalry of their story ; to be reminded
by them of that teaching of our Lord and Master, which
we are too ready to forget : " He who saveth his life
shall lose it ; but he who loseth his life for My sake shall
save it."
We build, like corals, grave on grave,
To pave a path that 's sunward.
We are beaten back in many a strife,
But newer strength we borrow.
And where the vanguard halts to-day
The rear will rest to-morrow.
88 UNION COLLEGE.
IV. But wo cuuuot leave the coiisideratiou of this
theme without tuniiu^ for a moment to that particular
iu which the position and influence of Union College are
unique.
If tlio first petition for a seat of learning in this ancient
town had hecn granted, the institution woidd have been
known as (■linton College, based upon the Heidelberg
Catechism and the decisions of the Synod of Dort. The
delay of fifteen years resulted in making it Union College,
with a basis as broad as the fundamental convictions of
Christendom. It is doubtful whether such an issue could
have been reached a century ago anywdiere except in a
Dutch colony. Union's most distinguished historian has
painted in glowing (,'olors that type of Puritanism per-
sonified in William the Silent, the enlightened and tol-
erant Puritanism of Holland. Dirck Romeyn and the
Dutch burghers, who a hundred years ago directed the
policy of this historic Church, illustrated the noblest
(pialities of the Netherlands when, in the founding of the
college, they sacrificed the narrower interests of a de-
nomination that they might advance the larger interests
of Christian civilization. The union proposed and accom-
plished was not a union of Churches, but a union of
Christians in the high walks of learning. The founders
of the college took pains to guard against ecclesiastical
domination by providing that the majority of the trustees
should not belong to any one sect. It was their aim to
establisli an institution which should be a common
gi'ound of meeting for men of all creeds, where they
might rub off their sharp points of antagonism, and dis-
cover underneath all superficial differences their common
heritage of faith in Christ, and their common calling to
patriotic citizenship. Their design is well expressed in
the motto selected for Union University, " In Necessariis
Unitas, in Dubiis Libertas, in Omnibus Caritas."
There has never been occasion to modifv the original
DISCOURSE. 89
plau. Union ColIej::e has not escaped those strifes whicli
arise from personal idiosyncrasy or conflict of policies;
bnt throngh all its history there has l)een no hint of
cleavage along the lines of denominational preference.
Here Baptists and Methodists, Cameronians and Catho-
lics, have measnred strength in the generous emulation
of classic pursuits, learning to estimate at their true
value the great things in which they agree, and the
minor things in which they differ. The history of Union
alunnii bears witness that this sympathetic association
has not impaired their loyalty to their respective Churches,
but they have been able to distinguish between loyalty
and bigotry, and to rejoice in a brotherhood that is
broader than their particular household of faith. The
influence of that catholicity which has prevailed here is
illustrated by the fact that an honored son of this col-
lege, imbued with its spirit and endeared to its faculty
by his manly and Christian qualities, is to-day the trusted
coadjutor of that enlightened prelate who represents the
See of Rome at the national capital.
Eternity alone can reveal how much the irenic spirit
of Union College has done to soften sectarian asperities,
to extend the reach of Christian charity, and to hasten the
fulfilment of the Saviour's prayer for His disciples yet
unborn, " that they all may be one, as thou. Father, art
in me, and I in thee."
This may be still a far-off event, but it is a divine
event, and toward it the deepest longings of Christendom,
inspired by the Holy Ghost, are steadily tending. To
labor for this blessed consummation, our college stands
irrevocably committed by her charter, by her traditions,
by the life-work of that great cloud of witnesses who, in
spiritual presence, now encompass us.
Amid the rejoicings of these commemorative days,
fragrant with hallowed and inspiring recollections, let us
consecrate ourselves anew to this holy purpose, and
90 UNION COLLEGE.
breathe for our alma mater tli(5 prayer so eloquently
voiced by her distiii^uislied orator of fifty years ago:
"Honored Parent ! Heretofore you have been the home
of religious toleration. May you b(^ so still. Thus far
you have been the nursery of free spii'its, of a compre-
hensive and large-minded Init reverent philosophy ; thus
may it always be. . . . And when the term of fifty years
has again rolled away, and your children and children's
children shall come back to celebrate your praise and
write up your records, may it l)e found that this is then
the home of brave and true men — of men braver, truer,
holier than we, that better and wiser spirits have risen
up to direct your counsels, and that a higher scholarship
and a deeper sanctity are sending out from these shrines
rich blessings on the world."
Conference on tlje flelation? of Heiigion anb <JJbufation»
«
ADDRESS
BY REV. A. C. SEWALL, D. D.
Mhiistcr of the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, N. T.
WE are met for friendly conference. It is assumed
at the outset that we are not all agreed. Our aim
is not contention, however. We seek not to defeat or
even to persuade, but to enlighten and to helj) each other.
The results of our conference ought to be the more valu-
able because of our difference of standpoint and diversity
of view.
Our theme is broad and of great importance — "Re-
ligion and Education." A thorough discussion would
require the consideration of religion as such, and of the
different religions as they appeared among men, with
the relation of each to education. I anticipate, however,
that we shall, in this discussion, understand by religion
Christianity, and by education culture.
Religion without education quickly degenerates into
superstition and idolatry. It is of the very genius of
Christianity, and helps to mark it as divine, that it both
requires and promotes education. We shall heartily
agree, I think, with Dr. Storrs, that, "Whatever else is
92 UNION COLLEGE.
true or not, tlx* suiiorlative educatioiiul force of the world
appears cnil.odit'd in tliis system of faith which came by
peasants as its ministers, and tlie Son of a carpenter as
its mysterious sovereij^n Teacher."
Christianity requires education t(» master its written
documents and rightly to read its history; it promotes
education by its appeal to thought, the challenge which
not a few of its truths throw down to the human reason,
and by the stimulus it gives to the very highest possible
personal attainments. It is a sim|)l(i matter of history
that the free public school, the college, and the university,
are all the outgrowth of Christianity. Wherever educa-
tion has sought to divorce itself from religion, howerer,
culture has gradually lost the virtuous self-control neces-
sary to guide it to noble ends. Unless education, accord-
ing to Dr. Channing's fine conception, "unfolds and
directs aright our whole nature; uidess it calls forth
power of evei-y kind, i30vver of thought, affection, will,
and outward action; power to observe, to reason, to judge,
to contrive; power to adopt good ends firmly and to
pursue them efficiently ; power to govern oui'selves and
to influence others ; power to gain and to spread happi-
ness," it fails of its true end and becomes an instrument
of evil.
"Clear ideas," says F. W. Robertson, "do not advance
the soul one step toward the power of doing what is
right, neither has cultivated understanding any necessary
connection with strengthened, much less purified, will, in
which alone moral excellence lies." Christianity alone
can purify and give that strength to the will which shall
make it the ca]>able and trustworthy guide of an ever-
advancing culture.
We, therefore, wed Christianity and culture, religion
and education ; or rather, we rejoice that they have been
wedded in a higher sphere than the humble sanctuary of
our thought; and we, therefore, feel justified in pronoun-
ADDRESS. 93
cing, "What God hath joined togethei- let not man put
asunder."
Th(^ appropriateness of our theme to tliis phice requires
but the briefest explanation. Union College, in celebrat-
ing her one Imndi-edth anniversary, is not disposed to
forget the place where she was born. Personally, I feel
justly proud to-day to be the official successor of that
far-seeing, liberal, and large-minded man. Rev. Dr. Dirck
Romeyn, the seventh pastor of this First Reformed
Church, to whom the Dutch Reformed denomination.
Union College, the City of Schenectad}", and the State of
New York owe so large a debt of gratitude. I hold in
my hand the original agreement entered into by a meet-
ing of citizens, called at Dr. Romeyn's suggestion and at
which he presided, pursuant to which the Academy was
built, which, ten years later, and largely under Dr.
Romeyn's influence, became Union College. It is signifi-
cant of the wise catholicity of the founders that in the
original charter of the college a clause was inserted pro-
viding that no religious denomination shall ever acquire
a majority in the board of trustees. The college was
meant to be in reality as well as in name a Union college,
admitting to all its privileges and on an equal footing
young men desirous of liberal culture, whatever their
personal religious preferences. From the beginning the
college has aimed, and it still aims, to be true to the pur-
pose of its founders, nor will those who now administer
its affairs consent to limit the execution of that purpose
by the old-time conceptions of liberality. They I'ather
seek to keep fully abreast of the times in the effort to
maintain the broadest catholicity consistent with loyalty
to truth as such, whatever its som'ce and aim.
We, therefore, welcome to this discussion to-day rep-
resentatives of different bodies of Christians, that each
may freely speak from his own standpoint of the rela-
tions between religion and education as he conceives
94 UNION COLLEGE.
thciii, or of methods, teiidc^iicies, needs, ix'([uirements, eii-
eouragemeiits, as each may deem conducive to the best
results of our cojifen'injz; with cacli other.
Permit me to preface the introduction of the several
speakers with this simple sentiment: May that unity of
all true believers for which Christ Jesus prayed be not
inconsiderably ])romoted by this and all kindred nssom-
blages.
It gives me pleasure to introduce as the first speaker
of the afternoon a gentleman who re}>resents that great
movement to which England and the world owe so much
for the revival of spiritual Christianity, as well as for its
educational institutions, the Rev. B. B. Loomis, of the
Class of '63, now pastor of the Methodist Episcopal
Church of Canajoharie, New York.
ADDRESS
BY REV. B. B. LOOMLS, D. D., PH. D.
Class of 1863.
KEPEESENTING THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
MY heart is filled with a twofold joy to-day. I am
permitted to return to alma mater and unite with my
fellow-alumni and the citizens of this goodly city in cel-
ebrating the centennial of Old Union — and I am also,
through the genuine catholicity which makes the name
" Union " more than a mere empty title, given a few min-
utes in which to represent the Church of my choice, my
spiritual alma mater, and trace some of her work for re-
ligion and education by the side of Union College, down
through the century.
Methodism was born at a university and in a revival,
and hence has always been in a high degree favorable to
both religion and education. The youngest of all the great
denominations, its earnest evangelizing spirit has given it
remarkable success in gathering people into Christian con-
gregations, and training them in habits of religion and
virtue.
Anticipating the discovery of the correlation of forces
by half a century, the early Methodists soon learned how
to transmute the spiritual fervor of their converts into
religious activity, and developed a zeal which has led the
Church to push out with the advancing tides of immigra-
96 UNION COLLEGE.
tiou and plant tlic institutions of Christianity on the ever-
widening frontier of our civilization.
Its system of cii-cuit-proachinj^, by which one earnest
man could sui)i)ly a doz<m or moi-e scattered hamlets or
country neighborhoods with religious services, was ad-
mirably adapted to pioneer work, and enabled the de-
nomination to lay bmad and enduring foundations for
the great Church which has since arisen.
The economy of Methodism provides for the use of her
forces with the least possible loss of power. Through her
unique system of pastoral supply she has no vacant pul-
pits and no idle pastors. The frequent changes in the
pastorate of the churches keep the great fundamental
truths of Christianity, with their divine impressiveness
and saving power, constantly before the people, and the
Divine Spirit has greatly honored the simple, plain, prac-
tical preaching of the truth as it is in Jesus.
It is a matter of simple historical accuracy to say that
Methodism stands to-day the largest, and numerically by
far the strongest, of all the Protestant denominations of
America.
Her various branches on this continent have now a total
of four million five hundred thousand communicants,
ministered to by more than twenty-nine thousand clergy-
men and sheltered in nearly fifty thousand places of
worship, of all classes, from the lowliest to the most mag-
nificent, with an aggregate value of one hundred and fifty-
seven million dollars. Special care has always been taken
of the children and youth, so that the Sunday-schools of
American Methodism enroll more than four million mem-
l)ers and the Young People's Societies, known mostly as
Ep worth Leagues, are to-day over a million strong.
While building uj) this colossal ecclesiastical structure,
Methodism has not forgotten the claims of needy and suf-
fering humanity. Her philanthropic and eleemosynary
enterprises have been on the same broad scale.
ADDRESS. 97
Her bishops now circumnavigate the globe in their of-
ficial visits to her world-wide missions. A few years since,
when, for the first time, the annual missionary contribu-
tions of the Methodist Episcopal Church aggregated a
round million of dollars, the missionary secretaries re-
ceived a congratulatory note from Dr. R. S. Storrs, ex-
pressing the hope (while implying a fear) that the effort
was not a mere spasm of benevolence, and that the
grand advance would be maintained. The contributions
of the Church have never since fallen below that mark,
and last year, amidst all the financial stringency of the
times, $1,137,000 was poured into the treasury of the
parent society, while half a million of dollars more were
contributed by the Women's Home and Foreign Mission-
ary Societies for the same great cause. The Board of
Church Extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church
has during the twenty-eight years of its existence re-
ceived and disbursed more than $5,000,000, and aided in
the erection of over 9000 churches, while for several
years past the denomination has been building churches
at the rate of two for every working day in the year.
Though but a young Church, having celebrated the
centennial of her organization less than eleven years
since, she has already established her hospitals at various
points and instituted homes for the indigent aged and for
homeless children ; and in every department of real re-
ligious work this Church has been striving to obey the
mandate of her divine Lord and Master, to preach the
gospel to every creature, and fulfil the design of her ex-
istence by spreading Scriptural holiness over the land.
The Methodist Church has also always been the firm
friend and earnest advocate of education, in both its ele-
mentary and its higher forms.
The slur of illiteracy has sometimes been flung at
Methodism by those who were ignorant of her origin and
history ; but facts show conclusively that no one de-
7
98 UNION COLLEGE.
iioiniiiatioii lias done iiioi-c to awaken and ti*ain tin; in-
tellect than has she.
Tt is true that from the first the (lenoniination has
admitted many laborers into the ranks of her ministry
who were not liberally educated, but this has been from
the necessities of the rapidly-growing work rather than
from choice, and the pro))oi'tion of such is every year
decreasing, while a large number of graduates from both
college and theological seminary enter the Methodist
ministry annually.
John Wesley, besides writing and printing many works
of his own, also abridged and published many other
books for the use of his societies in England, and made
all his itinerant preachers agents for the dissemination
of this literature among the people.
American Methodism, soon after the organization of
the Chnrch in 1784, established a religious pul)lishing
house in the City of New York on a borrowed capital of
$600. This establishment has grown and expanded with
the growth of the Church until now there are branch
houses in the princi[)al cities of the land, with an aggre-
gate capital of over $:'),000,000.
During the past century $50,000,000 worth of religious
literature has gone from this source into the homes of
the people, leaves from the tree of life foi- the health of
the nation. A great family of denominational periodi-
cals has sprung up, of widely differing characteristics,
from the stately review, filled with the results of the
ripest thought and the highest culture, down through
the ranks of the family religious newspaper, the organ
for the young people's societies, the teachers' journal and
the children's papers, all ably conducted and vigorously
sustained.
The total circulation of such periodicals in all the
branches of American Methodism is not less than three
and a half million cox)ies, and it is impossible to ade-
ADDRESS. 99
quately estimate the leavening power for good exerted
by all these magazines and papers.
The Methodist Episcopal Church also, very soon after
taking an organic form in this land, showed its devotion to
the cause of higher education by establishing an institu-
tion of learning, known as Cokesbury College, at Abing-
don, Maryland. This school, of high classical grade, did
good work until twice destroyed by fire, and was the pecul-
iar charge of the pioneer bishop, Asbury, who went up and
down the land preaching on the close relations of relig-
ion and education. The spirit of the primitive bishop
has been preserved in the Methodist book of discipline,
which makes it the duty of every pastor to preach spe-
cifically on the subject of education, and to take an in-
terest in all the young people of his charge who are seek-
ing the advantages of higher education.
Cokesbury College was the first of a long line of edu-
cational institutions originated and fostered by the Meth-
odist Church. Besides the educational work of Southern
Methodism, the Methodist Episcopal Church has now in
active operation no fewer than sixty theological sem-
inaries, colleges, and universities, having property in
lands, buildings, and endowments amounting to $24,000,-
000, with instructors to the number of 1600, and 25,000
students. Several of these institutions are, as the name
implies, real universities, like our own Union University,
having several complete departments, as those of liberal
arts, law and medicine, or theology; or the fine arts of
music, painting, and architecture.
At the apex of Methodist educational institutions stands
the newly-organized " American University " at the na-
tional capital. This institution, which is for post-gradu-
ate study only, is planned on the broadest scale, and
aims to promote the highest and most thorough scholar-
ship.
Any view of the work of Methodism in education
100 UNION COLLEGE.
would !)(' far IVoiii coiiipkilc which omitted all iiiciitioii
of her fifty-six classical seminaries, where college pre-
paratory work is done, and many young people wlio
never reach the college nvo fitted to do well their work in
life.
It is but just to add that no small fraction of the edu-
cational work of Methodism for the i)ast twenty-five
years has been a labor of love and Christian benevolence
among the colored people of the South, nearly $3,000,-
000 having been expended there within that time.
Thus it is seen that the Methodist Church has l)een
from the first, and never more so than now, the firm
friend of ivuo. culture and real piety, believing that
science and n^ligion, the knowledge of the works and of
the Word of God, should ever walk the earth, like twin-
sisters, hand in hand to honor God and bless mankind.
ADDRESS
BY REV. WALTER SCOTT, A. M.
Class of 1868.
KEPKESENTING THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
I COUNT it a privilege on the present occasion to speak
for the Baptist people on the subject of Education.
The theme assigned is "The Spirit of Baptists toward
Higher Education." Their views on higher education do
not differ materially from their views on education in
general. I may, therefore, be allowed to give these gen-
eral views on this imj)ortant interest.
First, the Baptist's attitude toward public education.
His views on this subject are shaped by his views as to
the relation of Church and State. It may not be neces-
sary to say in this presence that Baptists have always
stood for the complete severance of Church and State.
If it be granted that public education is one of the func-
tions of society organized in government, and Baptists
so believe, such education should be conducted without
control or interference on the part of any religious body.
Such control or interference is a union of Church and
State in a greater or less degree. Let the citizenship of
the land develop public education on a broad and popu-
lar basis, neither offending nor propagating the religious
preferences of any part of the community. As nearly as
possible it should be colorless in a religious way. On
7* wi
102 UNION COLLEGE.
the utlier liiuid, irreligioii must not be suffercMl to make
public education a propaganda. In no scliool of the peo-
ple let a man's faith be evil spoken of, nor any man's
doubt. Otlier places abound for religious instruction
and discussion. In brief, the Baptist's position toward
pul)lic education is one of cordial sympathy as a citizen.
He recognizes its necessary limitations, ])ut believes no
other agency has done or can do the work so well. Let
its work stand.
As to the development of public or State, as distin-
guished from National, education the Bai)tist holds pro-
nounced opinions. Here, also, his religious views color
his opinions. The Baptist Church is preeminently a
democratic Vxxly. It has been called an ideal republic.
Every member has a voice in its affairs. What may be
called a dual ballot — that is, male and female suffrage —
has long been the order in Baptist churches. Their
strength has lain in the body of the people, rather than
in what are called the higher and lower classes. These
facts put the Church in sympathy with the people. It
believes in the rise of the people, or, if you prefer, of all
peoples. It has no fears of vast popular movements.
They are to be expected, and result in good. Baptists
hold, from their strong, democratic spirit, to the propo-
sition that equal privileges should be open to all youth
in public education. To apply and illustrate this propo-
sition would take more space than is here given. It
must suffice to say that this principle has scarcely been
put in practice as yet in any community, much less in
any State. There is a difference in every city between
the wealthy and the poor sections. There is a distinction
in every State between the rich and the poor district, be-
tween city and country. The truth seems to be that the
State has not yet placed its hand firmly on the education
of its youth. Country district, town, or city manag(»-
ment, purely local and limited agencies, baffle society in
ADDRESS. 103
its aim after equality of educational privilege. Massa-
chusetts, always in the van in public education, has
taken important steps in recent legislation. Other
States are wheeling into lin(>, hut nowhere is the goal yet
reached. Public education should be lifted ont of the
narrow limits hitherto existing and recognized as one of
the chief interests of the entire commonwealth. The
times are ripe for a comprehensive plan of State educa-
tion which shall insure equality of educational privilege
to all youth.
Turning to National as distinguished from State edu-
cation, Baptists hold a similar attitude. Give all youth
of the nation their birthright — equality of educational
privilege. It is, of course, conceded that the States have
a sphere of educational work into which the nation may
perhaps never enter, and that States may vary in their
educational policy. But it remains that the nation has
an educational opportunity and duty. It has already
its naval and military schools and other agencies. A
single battle may cost as much as a college or university.
No one believes our nation will stop here. The concep-
tion of a national university is not new, but it has not
taken definite form. The idea has been advanced and
advocated by some of the most practical men of affairs
the nation has produced. Give the nation a few men
with the instincts of educators and statesmen to lead,
and the vague aspirations looking toward national edu-
cation will be soon embodied in legislation and institu-
tions.
Such an enterprise may result in good by preventing
the States from enterprises in the way of State universi-
ties, if by university is meant an institution for profes-
sional and graduate study. Such work involves large
funds, teaching power, and appliances. It is expensive
and needless for most States. Let fewer but better uni-
versities be the new order. If the State carries its youth
104 UNION COLLECxE.
from kiiulergiirteii tliruiigli college or its equivalent, uni-
versity work may fall to the States on a joint basis or to
the nation. However these matters may be wrought out,
the Baptist holds to a pulilie odueational policy which
sliall give each youth his bii'thi'iglit — e(pudity of educa-
tional privilege.
Second, the Baptist's attitude toward th(^ <lenonniiation
in education.
Baptists believe the denomination also has a place in
education on account of the limitations of public educa-
tion. Such limitations appear in the teaching fostered
under a public system. These have been partly sug-
gested. It is not possible to enlarge upon them here.
Under l)oth public and denominational systems, especially
in the highest ranges of study and teaching, freedom of
teaching, or LeJirfrciheif, and freedom of study, or Lernfrci-
heltj must be defined and guarded. With such freedom,
however, there must go responsibility, for freedom and
responsibility cannot be separated.
Public education is limited in another way. Each com-
munit}" or commonwealth works by itself. Nation stands
apart from nation. State from State. The denomination
is an inter-state, or rather an international, agency which
may run to and fro over the entire earth. It is not
bounded by national limits, but is a commonwealth dif-
fused among the nations. Here is an opportunity not to
be lightly passed by. It is greater to-day than ever be-
fore. They err who think the denomination is a spent
force in education. It is rather an old force under new
and favorable conditions. The British War Ofifice touches
to-day with telegraphic finger half of the globe. A gi*eat
religious body with membership in all parts of the earth
reaches humanity by its educational effort as never in the
past.
Baptists again believe the Christian denomination has
a place in education, because religion furnishes a basis
ADDRESS. 105
and motive for educatiou. Nothing moves man so pro-
foundly as religion. It stirs the deepest sentiments of
the heart. It begets the purest and holiest enthusiasms.
Under its benign teaeliings a nobler type of manhood
thrives and human l)rotli('rhood grows apaee. State and
National education, while not formally religious, owe their
origin to its pervasive spirit, which, like leaven, spreads
through the body politic, and, like the sun, sends its light
everywhere. Religion molds the foremost races, and lifts
the lowest stratum of humanity to a loftier plane. The
most powerful motives for self-improvement and for the
betterment of humanity come from the spirit of religion.
It is the strongest factor in universal education.
Still further, the experience of Baptists in education
strengthens their faith in it. Many great teachers have
arisen in this communion. It has given to American ed-
ucation an Anderson and Dodge, a Wayland and Sears, a
Kendrick and Hackett, a Eobinson and Strong, a Broad-
dus and Andrews, a Curry and Harper, a Welling and
Boyce. Strong supporters of this work have also risen
up among Baptists who have given their wealth to edu-
cation. This has increased more in recent years. The
denomination has founded and maintained numerous
schools, academies, colleges, and seminaries. Reports of
the Baptist denomination give statistics on this head. I
venture merely to summarize them.
Colleges and theological seminaries in the United
States: 42 institutions, 789 teachers, 10,322 pupils,
$22,884,991 total property.
Total institutions in the United States (including above,
with some additional colleges and numerous academies) :
159 institutions, 1,846 teachers, 31,337 pupils, $31,927,-
624 total property.
The American Baptist Missionary Union (largest Bap-
tist missionary society) has in Europe, Asia, and Africa,
1,246 schools and 26,214 pupils.
106 union college.
Totals.
T^iiit«M] States 31,:i37 pupils
Other countries (estimated), Caucasian 2,000 "
A. B. M. Union, missionary fields . . . 26,214 "
Other societies (estimated) 13,000 "
72,551
The majority of these pupils are in schools of secondary
grade and higher.
Those institutions were started from the n(>l)le8t relig-
ious motives. Tlieir teachers in\t their heart into the
work. Their students have been a blessing to the world.
To-day these schools stand by the Hudson, the Mississippi,
the Congo, the Ganges. This effort is moving on in the
great world centers, at London, Calcutta, Yokohama,
Chicago, Washington, and in remote and neglected places
among j^oor and obscure people. It aims at the backward
as well as the foremost races. None can contemplate the
educational work of this or of other great Christian bodies
with indifference. The work is a growing, not a waning,
enterjjrise. It is a rosy dawn, not a fading day.
The (Christian denomination is thus a world-wide force
in education. State and nation plan foi- a limited popu-
lation or area ; this contemplates the training of the race.
Measure its field — it is as broad as the earth, as extensive as
humanity. How can it lay down its work without being
faithless to a great opportunity f On the contrary, it
must organize and correlate its agencies better than in the
past. Let it continue to train and send forth leaders.
Let it fire the heart of nations with a generous sympathy
for their own populations. It may appeal to men of
wealth to consecrate their wealth to this cause, which lies
at the basis not alone of social progress, but of the very
life of society. It gives humanity a true ideal and leads
on to equal and univei'sal education.
ADDRESS. 107
There i.s no time to enlarge ui)on these themes, but
ampler treatment would put in stronger light the idea I
have ti-ied to emphasize, that the Cliristian denomination
has a broadening field and opportunity in universal edu-
cation. I may name in this connection one characteristic
fact of our times — the consecration of great wealth to
educati(^n. do back a quarter of a century. Who could
foresee the recent vast accumulations of wealth ? Or who
could foretell the great benefactions of men of wealth to
education ? Cooper, Cornell, Colgate, Pratt, Drexel, Stan-
ford, Hopkins, Fayerweather, Slater, Peabody, Rockefel-
ler, — we cannot even call the roll of names that will never
fade from the memory of humanity. If education ranks
among the first interests of the race, these men stand
among the truest benefactors of mankind. They are
master-builders in rearing the fabric of a better social
order. Analyze the lives and motives of these men, and
it will appear that a religious motive directly or indirectly
impelled them in their undertakings. They were not dis-
obedient to the heavenly vision. This will not cease.
Men will devote wealth in the future to education as they
have done, but in a larger way and on a broader plan.
They have given millions ; they will give tens of millions.
Mark, also, how plans have grown. Peter Cooper gave
to the youth of a city, Ezra Cornell to the youth of a
commonwealth, Daniel Slater to a neglected race diffused
over the South, George Peabody to another race in the
same region. A Christian philanthropist will rise up in
the future to devote his wealth to the better training of
youth, not in a city, state, or nation merely, but the whole
world over. Such a gift will mark a new era in uni-
versal education. The administration of such gifts is
to-day possible to a degree never before equaled in hu-
man history.
Third, the Baptist's attitude toward denominational
cooperation in education.
108 UNION COLLEGE.
The times are not rii)e for full cooperation as yet, be-
cause the workl-field is so vast that they who work in it
scarcely touch each other. But soon the vastness of the
field will show the necessity of joint labor in universal
education. How such union of effort may be effected we
cannot discuss here, but a law of organization or principle
of cooperation will, doubtless, touch these great and be-
neficent educational forces of our common Christianity.
Already there are suggestions pointing along this line.
The Chautauqua movement has a home in many parts
of the world. The international Y. M. C. A. work is es-
tablished far and wide, and is pushing forward with a
spirit big with hope. Christian denominations have their
schools in all lands. The printed page and the teacher
have an open world before them. I point to the history
of this college, standing at the threshold of its second
century, as an illustration of such cooperation of Chris-
tian men. Eliphalet Nott, the Presbyterian; Alonzp
Potter, the Episcopalian ; Francis Wayland, the Ba[)tist ;
John Newman, the Methodist ; Tayler Lewis, of the Re-
formed Chm-ch, labored side by side, loyal to the Churches
of which they were ornaments and the cause of education
of which they were promoters. Whatever may be the
future of this college, — we confidently hope it may be
one of honor and usefulness, — the idea on which it rests
is destined to have a large place in Christian education
throughout the world.
I have sought briefly to give the views of Baptists on
public education, State and National; on denominational
education, and on the cooperation of Christian denomi-
nations in education. Baptists believe the Christian idea
to be fundamental as a basis, motive, and inspiration. It
is the Son of Man who In-ings to the sons of men in all
the earth equal privileges in religion and education.
The work goes forward as Baptists view it. Events
and upheavals may seem to check advance, but they do
ADDRESS. 109
SO ill appearance only, not in reality. Mental and spiri-
tnal forces, like the great operations of Nature, the falling
(low, the spri^ad of light, the growth of harvests, move
silently but surely. A fairer social order is rising; but,
as in the rearing of the ancient temple, we hear no sound
of chisel, no blow of hammer. To that regenerated form
of society we inay npply the imniortal words of Milton:
"Methiuks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation,
rousing herself like a strong man after sleep, and shaking
her invincible locks ; methinks I see her as an eagle,
mewing her mighty youth, and kindling her undazzled
eyes at the full noonday beam, purging and unsealing
her long- abused sight at the fountain itself of heavenly
radiance." Or it may be like the earthly dawning of the
pro})hetic vision, fair l:>ut long delayed, of a new heaven
and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, where
knowledge fills the earth as waters cover the mighty
deep.
ADDEESS
BY REV. THOMAS E. BLISS, D. D.
Class of 1848.
KEPKESENTING THE PKESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
THERE is ail atmosphere, it is said, imperceptible to
many, but which in fact gathers around every insti-
tution of learning in the land. The philosophy of a cer-
tain institution or college used to be often spoken of as
having come from the atmosphere of that region. It is
so to-day with regard to Old Union. In man 5^ things
there is a peculiar atmosphere which is found here, and
which is represented in the motto on the seal of our
beloved mother : " In essentials, unity ; in non-essen-
tials, lil)erty; in all things, charity." This spirit has
taken strong hold of the great body of the graduates
of this University. As one of its representatives in the
East for years, and for more than a quarter of a century
in the West, I tliink I can bear good testimony to the
fruitful and beneficent results which have come from
the cultivation of the spirit and principle presented in
that motto. In my own native State of Massachusetts
we were wont to boast of our deep interest in educa-
tion. Our foi-efathers had hardly landed in the region
of Massachusets Bay or on Plymouth Rock before they
l>egan to consider the question of education. Old John
Harvard, a Puritan divine, founded Harvard College as
ADDRESS. Ill
oarly as lOHO, l)y .C'ivinc; ei,i;lit liundrod jiouiids sterling', and
tliat institution lias lived on and has been-a power in the
educational ^Y()rld. Yale took its rise in the beginning
of the eighteenth ctMitnry. It started with only a few
books contributed by the neighboring ministers in that
region, but its onward progress has been marked with
power; and all along there have been great glory and
honor attending the history of that institution. Turn-
ing now to Dartmouth — Old Dartmouth, where Webster
graduated, and that prince of flowery orators, Rufus
Ohoate, — we find there that education was one of the
first things which took hold of the popular mind. Old
Dr. Wheelock, early in the enterprise of settling the
State of New Hampshire, there founded an Indian school.
Many imagine that Indian education is a modern thing.
Oh, no ! Our fathers did ten times more of that work in
proportion to their means and numbers than we are
doing to-day. They founded Dartmouth College as an
Indian school. Then it was endowed by Lord Dart-
mouth, and rose to its present position of honor among
the great educators of the East. Williams had a similar
origin, though not an Indian school. Amherst came
on later ; then Brown. I was settled once within fifteen
miles of Brown University, and I love it almost as well
as any other, though not quite as well as Old Union.
It is one of those honored institutions that took their
rise in the early history of New England, and which have
done a mighty work in sending out master-minds for
the education of the nation, who have scattered far and
wide from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and have done,
and are doing, a beneficent work in laying foundations
broad and deep in all the new and rising States of the
great West.
But we must not dwell too long upon this subject.
I have been exceedingly pleased to hear the reports of
the work of the Baptists, but when we come to speak
112 UNTOX COLLEGE.
of the early Presbyterians, Cougre.i^atioualists, and Dutch
Reformed — as wc used to (tiiW tliat Church; and it is
an honored name, the Reformed Church, now called —
we find that they were often blended in their great
religious and educational enter) )rises. As late as 1845,
if I remember correctly, the Presbyterian and Congre-
gational Churches were united as one in the support
of Home and Foreign Missions. New England sent out
her young men and maidens and settled all the western
region of New York State v^ery largely. When I was
there near Rochester supplying a pulpit some years ago,
they requested me to write the history of the Presbyterian
Church. When I looked through the old records of
that Church I found it had a creed as sound as its songs,
ringing clear on all the fundamental doctrines of the
kingdom of our God; and yet it was for sixty years in its
history a Congregational Church, founded by a colony
from Pittsford, Vermont. So I might go on to almost
any extent showing how the blended strength of these
two great bodies has wrought grandly in the great work
of education and the greater work of the kingdom of our
God.
But let me come a little closer to the present. Having
spent most of my ministry upon the frontier of the West,
I would like to show you briefly how these things work
together. "In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, lib-
erty. In all things, charitj'." Some years ago when I
left my charge in the Old Bay State, I went to the Upper
Lakes, and there, upon the shores of Lake Superior, at
Hancock, I organized a Congregational Church. Within
six months after I went there we had members of seven
different religious bodies who were members in good
standing in that Church; yet I never saw a more united
Church. Its members worked together harmoniously;
they wei'e all seeking one common object, the advance-
ment of the Redeemer's kingdom, the salvation of ini-
ADDRESS. Ml]
mortal souls. I witnessed some beautiful sights in my
own home there. Many times after its occurrence the
fact impressed me that upon a certain evening- which
I now recall there knelt side by side in prayer in my
house members of these seven different religious bodies ;
yet no one would ever have dreamed that they ever be-
longed to different religious denominations; no one would
ever have thought that they had not been from child-
hood in the same religious family. I also found that
there was just as much readiness to cooperate. The
spirit was large — in the great essentials they were one;
private opinions they held without disturbance, but in
working together for Grod they were a unit.
Again and again it has been my privilege to do this
same thing. I am pastor to-day of a church in which
there are representatives of some half-dozen different
bodies among its members. We never think of that
difference. We all work together and pray together.
My friends, I have found some of the sweetest hours
of my ministerial life of over forty years among those
blended souls, singing the songs of Zion, working and
praying together, and for the common welfare of Christ's
kingdom. Ecclesiastical form is one of the smallest
things we have to consider. It is the union of hearts,
the union of sympathy, the union of as2:)iration — all
drawing their inspiration from that divine fountain
which flows from the pierced side of our precious Sa-
viour — in this is the hiding of the strength of the king-
dom of our God in this world. It is to these great
things that we need to give our thoughts, the things that
when rightly presented bring souls together as one, so
that they all speak and sing in the sacred " language
of Canaan." Yes; that is one of the beautiful things
that I can recollect here in other days, even in this old
city of our great love. We wish you to understand that
we intend to carry forward that spirit of Christian union
8
114 UNION COLLEGE.
more and inoi'c in the West. It is doing a great and
blessed work tliere. Diflferent religious Inxlies have their
place and value ; but iu comuiunities where there are only
a few, perhaps half a dozen, Christians, of as many dif-
ferent denominations, there comes in the need of union
and of blending of hearts in the work for the Master,
which is attended with tlie most benign results. In edu-
cational matters, let me say that our Methodist friends
have the stai-t in that region, and we are very glad of
it. The conditions are such that we may find it neces-
sary to unite in one great Union University, taking dear
Old Union as our model ; and I have recommended it
again and again. I was glad that Dr. Alexander to-day
made mention of the fact that in this college and in its
Board of Trustees there never had been any discord be-
tween the various denominational elements. It is one of
the secrets of power in the educational and religious world
that we, especially in earlier frontier work, hold fast to
the motto of dear Old Union ; and with that we expect to
win success, success not only in educational matters, but
also that success which is higher — success in the up-
building of the Redeemer's kingdom among the great
mountains of God, where, we trust, it shall stand so
long as time shall endure.
ADDRESS
BY REV. WILLIAM D. MAXON, D. D.
Class of 1878.
EEPRESENTING THE PEOTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
IT is one advantage of a conference of this kind that
each speaker can contribute his own especial thought,
and so add to the sum total of thoughts. I regard this
subject somewhat in a general way, and perhaps more
especially from a philosophic point, with some consider-
ation of the particular difficulties which obtain in the
matter of applying religion and education. If I were
asked to speak specifically of the contributions of the
Church of England and the American Episcopal Church
to-day to education, I should have no need to feel ashamed
beside the quota of results that have been presented here
this afternoon by our Baptist and Methodist brethren.
However, I do not feel myself quite justified in speaking
specifically of the results of the work of the American
Episcopal Church in matters of education and religion ;
and I can only trust that as I speak as a loyal member
of the American Ef)iscoi)al Church, born and bred in it,
you will take what I say as reflecting in some measure,
though very poorly, the convictions which obtain in the
Protestant Episcopal Church concerning the relation of
religion to education.
Tin UNION COLLEGE.
''It is tlic cliiot'est of good tiling's foi- a man to be liim-
self."
This saying o±" Benjamin Wliichcotc, sometime Provost
of King's College, Cambridge, will, I am sure, fiud full
response in all who look for a real relation between reli-
gion and education. // is tlic chicfcst of nootl fJ/})/f/s for a
man to he Ji'nnsrlf.
{(() It is one side of an eternal truth. The personality
of man is real. No man is worthy of the name who does
not respect his personalit3\ Ever}- man fails to be what
he ought to be who is not educated up to the possibilities
of his i^ersonality — to be himself; his real, true, best,
and fullest self.
{h) But there is another side to the eternal truth, and
I cannot forbear to give this also in the words of the
same old English scholar and churchman :
"He that taketh himself out of God's hands into his
own, by-and-by will not know what to do with himself."
The personality of God is also real. Apart from God
no man can really know himself. That, therefore, is no
true education which does not, directly or indirectly,
sooner or later, establish a living intercom'se between the
personality of man and the personality of God. That is a
defective education which, tending to take a man out of
God's hand into his own, puts him on the destructive
broad- way of not knowing what to do with himself. For if
the way of men lead not finally to God, who is the supreme
consciousness of the universe, then man, indeed, shall be
hopelessly lost amid the unconscious things of the universe.
The relation, then, between religion and education is
fundamental, and continuously necessary. In a real sense,
religion and education are one and the same thing; for
relifjion is the education of the full nia>f, the educing, draw-
ing-out, and leading forth of all the human faculties,
forces, and feelings up to their unity and completion in
the divine. .
ADDRESS. 117
But our subject, I take it, is not transcendental, but
practical. Religion has a commonly accepted province,
and education another. Can the two provinces touch with
mutual advantage I For us, religion means Christianity,
and education stands for the pursuit and acquisition of
modern knowledge. What relation do these bear one to
the other I Are they enemies I Should they not be
friends and co-workers ?
1. The extreme partizans of secular knowledge insist
that religion and education have nothing in common —
that education is scientific, natural, progressive ; while
religion is transcendental, visionary, traditional, and sta-
tionary. Such opinion was prominent when I was in
college, seventeen years ago. We young men were quite
sure of the value of scientific education, but we were
much mixed about religion ; we had a keen appreciation
for the great names of Darwin, Spencer, and Huxley, but
we had little or no vital interest in that Name which is
above even/ name. The opinion still extensively holds.
Many students, convinced of the conclusions of modern
science, think it incompatible with their allegiance to
knowledge to hold still to the Christian religion. The
opinion has been popularized by Mr. Ingersoll, and to
some extent by the novels of Mrs. Humphry Ward.
But there are signs of reaction and revolt. Certainly
the awful revelations that have been made in the city of
London concerning the compatibility between the gross-
est immorality and the extreme of the culture of secular-
ism have made the whole civilized world sick of an
education divorced from religion. Mr. Benjamin Kidd's
" Social Evolution " is a strong mark of the rebound
from the dogmatism of secularism, in its clear recognition
of the power of religious belief in the evolution of society.
Mr. Balfour's " Foundation of Belief " indicates the com-
patibility of political leadership with clear convictions
of Christian philosophy. Prof. George Romanes, who
8*
118 UNION COLLEGE.
twonty yoars n^o put forth a "Candid Examination of
Theism" with a skei)tieal conchision, has lately died in
the communion of the Church of Enj^land, having left
notes upon a " Candid Examination of Religion," treated
from the standpoint of fact, whih; the words of James
Anthony Fi'oude in one of his recent works are reassui'-
ing : " Science grows and observers are adding daily to
our knowledge of the material univei'se, Init tliey tell us
nothing of what we ))iost want to knoir.''''
Now, it is the Christian religion which tells us specific-
ally, enthusiastically, authoritatively of what we most
want to Joioic. Considering the precariousness of this
earthly life, we may well ask, What is the use of this fev-
erish pursuit of modern knowledge, with its prolonged
and complicated process of education, if men shall ac-
quire from it nothing permanent, nothing to outlast his
earthly and temporal experience ? Yes, it is religion,
Christ's religion, which tells us what we most want to
know; it is religion, Christ's religion, which unveils and
injects eternity into the midst of time; it is religion,
Christ's religion, which gives coherency and unfailing
inspiration to the j)ursuit of knowledge; and, therefore,
this religion must enter into education and continue
with education throughout the whole course of man —
religion in the education of the home, religion in the edu-
cation of the school, religion in the education of the
college and univeivsity, religion in the education of the
busy after-life in the world.
2. But what is the Christian religion ? Here is con-
fusion. Here is the difficulty of bringing religion and
education together. Christendom is divided and subdi-
vided. The chief teachers of Christ's religion differ
greatly as to what constitutes its essential truth and effi-
cacious methods. They are jealous of their resi)ective
convictions. Hence the Christian religion is banished
from where, next after the home, it ought to be taught —
ADDRESS. 119
in the publio seliools. But so intense is the division of
Christendom that both seeulai'ists and rehgiouists unite
in the one cry, " The School for the State aud the Church
for God." But that cry is not consistent with the claims
of the Founder of the Christian relij>-ion. He came to
bear witness to the truth. He said, " All power is given
to Me in heaven and in earth." He sent the Divine Spirit
to guide the world into the fullness of the truth. How,
then, shall this supreme and universal Master be ex-
cluded from anything that conduces to the welfare of
man f Shall He who bade men to love God not only
with their hearts and souls but with their })U)i(ls as well
be denied His rightful place in the realm of knowledge —
in the school, the college, the university? Nay, He who
is supreme ahorc all is, indeed, supreme in all.
But, alas ! Christ is barred from his universal domain
very largely because of the unhappy divisions among those
who bear His Name. Nevertheless even here are signs
of reaction and revolt. Across the lines of our divisions
there has been raised a cry which, when fully caught up
by the voice of our common Christianity, shall level to
the ground the walls of sectarianism. That cry is, " Back,
back to Christ ! The School, the State, the Church — all
for God." Certainly, since 1886, when the Church of
which I have the honor to be a minister put forth its
platform of church-unity, there has been a remarkable
interest in overcoming the divisions of Christendom.
There have been many discussions and conferences,
many biddings to prayer, and many sermons preached.
All western Christianity, from the Pope at St. Peter's
to the humblest missionary worker on our borders, has
felt the thrill of the call to unity. It is a difficult prob-
lem — one that will not soon be solved; but one that
must be solved if the power of the living Christ shall,
indeed, have rightful sway over the opinions and preju-
dices of men ; and when the problem of church-unity is
120 UNION COLLEGE.
solved, the problem of religion and education will need
no solution.
Then, indeed, shall be witnessed the restoration of that
image which the famous Dean Colet, of St. Paul's, set
up in the noble Christian school he founded in London
in 1510. It was an image of the Child Jesus standing
over the master's chair in the attitude of teaching, with
the motto, '"'' Hear ye HimJ'^
ADDRESS
BY REV. FREDERICK Z. ROOKER, D. D.
Class of 1884.
REPRESENTING THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
IT would be a sort of profanation to try to put into
words the feelings with which I have come here to-
day to speak to you and with you. These feelings are
too profound and sacred to admit of any description. I
have been invited to take an active part in the centennial
celebration of my alma mater, and the respect and love
with which I have ever regarded her have to-day min-
gled with them a kind of awe, the most natural evolution
of the reverence which preceded it, when I consider that
she is now venerable, not only for her office as teacher of
men and maker of men's characters, but also because her
brow is circled by the hundred years of a glorious ex-
istence. I feel honored by this privilege of speaking to-
day; I feel glad to be alive to participate in the first
centennial of Old Union.
You have asked me to give the view which the Catholic
Charch takes of the subject of religion and education.
It is not a difficult thing to do ; for the position of the
Catholic Church in that matter is definitely and clearly
formulated, and within her fold there is no chance for a
diversity of opinions about it. Her teaching in this re-
gard is the logical outcome of the great fundamental
122 UNION COLLEGE.
principles which permeate by their influence her whole
system — principles about which, or about the evident
and necessary deductions from which, she admits no
discussion.
Let me then, briefly, expose to you these principles,
and I am sure that you will agree with me that the stand
taken by the Church regarding the relation of religion to
education is but a necessary conclusion. In the first
place, the Church recognizes as existing two distinct or-
ders — the natural order and the supernatural order ; the
order of nature and the order of grace. To her the su-
pernatnral order is just as real, and, for rational crea-
tures, far more important than the natural. In her
doctrine there is no place for the theory that man was
created to work out as best he may a natural destiny, or
by the use and perfection of his natural faculties to pro-
gress through grades of evolution to a better and fuller
knowledge of himself and the universe, and consequently
to a better and fuller existence as a more perfected and
highly developed element of that universe.
No, the Catholic Church sees in man a creature made for
one end only, and that end a supernatural one. At the
moment of his creation he was placed in a supernatural
state, and to that state was he restored by the work of
the redemption. The one and only perfection to which
he can attain is a perfection in, and of, the supernatural
order. If he does not attain that he must forever remain
unperfected. Do what he will with his natural faculties,
develop them as he may in the natural order and by nat-
ural means, there is nothing for him to hope for. You
can see, then, how all-important it is for him to get into
this supernatural order, and work and live and develop
in it. Unless he does so, it were better for him never to
have been born.
Now, this supernatural order is a thing whose very ex-
istence is absolutely hidden from the natural knowledge
ADDRESS. 123
of man. By his natural faculties alone he never could
even come to know that there is such a thing, much less
could he know anything about its details. And yet this
knowledge is of supreme importance to liim. ^Vlience,
then, is it to come t Only from tlie Author of both the
supernatm-al and the natural. Only the voice of God
speaking directly to man could make known those things
which are of first and highest concern to him. The se-
crets thus manifested constitute the deposit of revealed
truth, and the knowledge and understanding of them are
the most necessary things in the life of man. To commu-
nicate this knowledge, and to perfect this understanding,
is the work of religion and of the teachers of religion.
These considerations are enough for our present purposes.
The conclusions which naturally flow from them will give
a very accurate and sufficiently detailed explanation of
the position of the Catholic Church in this matter.
In the first place, then, what is education I It is the
development of man by the imparting of knowledge to
his intellect and by the training of his rational faculties
so that they are made capable of doing the best that is in
them. If the best that is in the rational faculties of man.
were confined to the natural order, then education would
be complete and perfect when it should train those facul-
ties up to their highest natural capacity. Then the pur-
est and best and profoundest of philosophers would
be to us examples of the most perfect results attainable
by education.
Then education would consist in leading our youth by
the paths of naturally acquired knowledge to the highest
summit of natural thought. It would mean to help youth
to know as many as possible of the undisputed facts dis-
covered by human investigation, and from these facts to
formulate the highest and best abstractions. It would be
performing its whole duty when it should train up men
to walk in the paths of moral righteousness, to think
124 UNION COLLEGE.
high thoughts and do noble actions, to be animated, in
all things by a spirit of justice and truth, to govern their
lives by prudence, to enjoy the world's goods with tem-
perance, and bear the world's ills with fortitude ; when it
should make men feel that they are indeed men and not
beasts, and that they are all men and, as men, brothers.
But the best that is in the rational faculties is not re-
stricted by nature. It is true that nature limits their
own independent activities; but it does not limit their
capacity for things higher than nature, provided they be
helped by a corresponding power.
While God has not put into our nature the power of
doing things above its own requirements. He has made
it capable of receiving supernatural assistance. He has
established for man a supernatural end; and though
He has not given him the power of reaching that end by
his own unaided exertions. He has made him so that,
properly aided, he himself may make the necessary su-
pernatural progress.
Since, then, it is the work of education to develop the
very best that is in man, and since the very best that is
in him goes on above and beyond the natural, a develop-
ment which takes no account of the supernatural cannot
be truly called the education of a man. True education
must be permeated by, and must tend to, the supernat-
ural, for its one aim must be to lead man to his true end.
But this is the same as to say that true education must
be permeated by revealed religion, for only in revealed
religion do we find any knowledge of the supernatural or
of its workings and requirements.
This, then, is and always has been and always will be
the position of the Catholic Church. On this question
she cannot compromise. The communication of truths
without reference to revealed religion may be instruction,
but it can never be education; and instruction is not
enough for man. The Church can never recognize as
ADDRESS. 125
perfect a system of t<^aoliiiig which pi-esciiids from the
existence of revealed religion. It may be that circum-
stances make it impossible to have the best aiid most
perfect, but it does not follow that she is therefore con-
tent with what she holds to be imperfect.
Instruction in profane knowledge is necessary, and if
it cannot be had except it be taken apart from any re-
ligious training, it will be so received, and everj^ effort
will be made to supply the deficiency in other ways.
But the Catholic Church will never cease to long for, nor
to work for, a better condition of things. If she did she
would be false to herself and to the i3rinciples on which
she is founded, and from which she draws her vitality.
With her, revealed religion is the first and last necessity
of life. Unless it entered into every phase of the activ-
ity of her subjects, she could not exist. She would,
therefore, be inconsistent did she not insist that it should
have the first and middle and last place in the education
of the young.
So much, then, for the relation to education of the su-
pernatural regarded objectively. But there remains for
a full explanation of the Church's position the considera-
tion of the supernatural in its subjective aspect. It does
not suffice to set before the young the great truths of the
supernatural order. These truths cannot, indeed, be
known unless they are placed before our minds by a
competent authority ; but even when placed before us
they cannot be taken into our intellects and assimilated
by them, and made the ruling principles of our lives un-
less our wills are gently molded to their acceptance.
There is needed not only the manifestation of infinite
wisdom, but the action of infinite grace ; and, in the ordi-
nary disposition of Providence, this all-powerful yet all-
gentle moving of the will is accomplished only when by
careful training the will has been disposed to receive it.
Here, then, is another, and perhaps the greater, office of
126 UNION COLLEGE.
education — the training of the will to make it submissive
to the operation of grace. This training can be accom-
plished only with the aid of a practical, tangible religion.
The absolute necessity of these two elements in education
the Church ever insists on, and she claims that just as
man has no natural but only a supernatural end, so he
can have no real natural but only a supernatural moral-
ity, since morality is nothing but a means to the end.
She claims that her position is supported by the history
of all nations. The principles and precepts of what is
called natural morality have been investigated and
known to perfection for centuries. The practical fruit of
this investigation has always been summed up in the
almost despairing cry, " Video meliora prohoque, sed dete-
riora sequorP
The Catholic Church finds a great and a natural satis-
faction in watching the movement of thoughtful minds
toward her position on this question. An organization
made up of human subjects cannot divest itself of hu-
manity so far as not to enjoy saying "I told you so,"
when a chance offers. The Church, confident of her posi-
tion, stands firm and awaits the developments of time,
and as she sees one or another of her teachings gaining
accej)tance outside her fold, she feels encouraged to go
on hoping for that union of minds and hearts for which
she has longed for centuries and for which she will long
while she continues to exist.
BACCALAUREATE SERMON
BY THE BT. REV. WM. CROSWELL DOANE, D. D., LL. D.
Bishop of Albany.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also
of wood and of earth ; and some to honour and some to dishonour.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good
work. —2 Timothy, ii, 20, 21.
IT is a pleasant thought to me that everywhere in the
Church of which I am a minister, this evening, this
portion of Holy Scripture is read in the Even-song serv-
ice, sending its searching words into the listening ears of
thousands ; to be turned into some life influence in the
hearts of men ; and to pass, by the natural tendency of
Christian thought to Christian prayer, into an earnest
resolve, or a still more earnest supplication, by which the
chai'acter of a young man may be formed. And so, about
us here to-night, concerned with the question of charac-
ter-forming in you young men of Union, are gathered
thoughts and prayers and lessons most congenial to this
last religions service, for some of you, of your under-
gi'aduate lives. For this whole chapter is the outpouring
of an old man's earnestness, and an old man's experience,
to a young man who is as his son. It appeals, first of
all, to that inherent element of youth and manhood —
namely, strength, which is the young man's glory. It
recognizes strength as something to be honored and
128 UNION COLLEGE.
held iu high esteem, even as St. John wrote " unto j^oung
men because they were strong." It asks for this vigour
of young manhood, that it may be " empowered (sv5ova[j.orj)
with the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Because the trend
and tendency of young strength is to self-confidence and
presumption ; and, strong as youth is, and young as your
strength is, it is not sufficient for the burthens or the
battles or the duties of life. It makes of every man a
teacher and trustee for others, of all that he has heard
and learned; and sends you out, not to the idle indul-
gence of a selfish scholarship, but to hold up, and to hand
on whatever light of truth you have gained here. It puts
before you the conflict of life, in which you are enlisted
for the truth and the right, " soldiers of Jesus Christ,"
and lays the laws down by which the fight is to be fought.
" Enduring hardness " ; not ease and indolence and sham
fights and fine uniforms and parades, playing with the
weapons that are given you for work; but what the
heathen poet taught of preparation for their games, —
" multa tulit fecitque puer sudavit et alsit," — courage, en-
durance, simple living, abstinence, suffering, self-mastery.
It bids you keep yourselves clear and unclouded by the
blandishments and temptations of mere earthly things,
entanglements with the affairs of this life, its pleasures,
its seductions, its near horizons of aim, its narrow limita-
tions of effort ; mere money-getting, mere place-hunting,
mere selfish satisfaction of the senses. It forbids, as sure
to lose even the earthly crown of a success that satisfies^
all the mean tricks and subterfuges, the quibbles with
truth, the indifference to honour, the advantages taken,
the resorts to double-dealing, by which men " strive un-
lawfully." It stands you outdoors, in the full light of
Heaven's highest noon, with God's eye on you, in the
whole enterprise and undertaking of your life, each to be
" a workman that needeth not to be ashamed." It gives
you the two tests by which alone all character is tried,
BACCALAUREATE SERMON. 129
whether it rest or not on tlie foundation of God ; the out-
ward and visible sign of a confession of the Master, by
whieh "the Lord knoweth them that are His," «y^<'/ tlie in-
wai'd and spiritual grace, woi'king deep down into the
motives and aims and intentions of life, " Let every one
that nameth the name of Christ depart from inicjuity."
I know, of course, that it is the letter of an Apostle to a
Bishop, a pastoral letter to one whom he had set in high
place, in the Church of the Ephesians. But it is resonant
and redolent with just what is, and ought to be, in my
heart to-night, the urgency and entreaty of an old man to
young men, " Thou, therefore, my son, be strong."
The portion of this letter to which I especially address
myself to-night, my friends, contains great princii3les of
practical value for the life on which you are setting forth,
and principles which need some application and some
interpretation for theii' full understanding.
The picture is of the palace of the Great King, in which
are gathered the various vessels for His use. The great
House is the Church, in the first and finest sense. And,
in the larger and wider range of its inclusion, it is the
world ; all His, the Master's, in which He is ; and every
man in it, and every thing in it. His, for use. How great
the House is, looked at any way. How little in compari-
son the largest, costliest vessel of them all. In it He
rules. Who is present, not in the sense of the old pan-
theism — which was more reverent and more religious
than some things that pass for Christianity now — but
present in a reality of influence, of interference if you
will, which makes every act and every instant full of
Him — "immanent" the modern philosophic word is.
The old expression told it of the universe, "Heaven and
earth are full of Thy glory." "If I climb up to Heaven
Thou art there, if I go down to Hell Thou art there also ;
if I take the wings of the morning and remain in the
uttermost parts of the sea, even there also Thy hand
9
130 UNION COLLEGE.
shall lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me." And,
for the Church, which is in the world, the Master's
promise fills it with His presence, instant, immediate, in-
tense, universal : " Lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world." And in this great House in which
He is, there are these various vessels (axs-rrj). It is a word
used constantly in the New Testament Scriptures to de-
scribe sometimes men, and, sometimes, the bodies of men ;
and it is used here in its larger sense, the whole man.
What are we set to learn here, every man of us, about
our place and portion, in this great House of God, the
World ? Three things — Diversity of character ; distinc-
tion of use; devotion of service; and, after these, an
indiscriminate usefulness and honour to each in his own
place.
Diversity of character; "gold and silver and wood and
earth." Oh, what a wealth of wisdom, and what a world
of truth are here. Half the wretchedness and unrest of
life would be done quite away with by the acceptance
of this first thought. It is not easy always to accept, or
pleasant to believe. But the vain strifes of vaulting am-
bition, the senseless swellings after unattainable ends, the
feeble apings and imitations of other people whom we
can never resemble, and the wretched failures of so many
lives, might all be avoided if only men would learn this
truth, that they are made of various stuffs and different
materials; some rare and rich, some poor and homely.
And life could not be, without these various and differing
vessels to carry on its work. It is easy for some impa-
tient, discontented individual to fault the Maker and the
Master that, being clay, he was not gold, or, being wood,
he was not silver. But the discontent comes from wish-
ing to be something other than he is. And the content
would be if each would realize three things, the infinite
wisdom of his Maker; the responsibility of life relative to
the capacity of the liver ; and the need of just such ser-
BACCALAUREATE SERMON. 131
vice as each can render to accomplish all God's will. It
seems to nio that jnst here lie the use and value of your
trainini;- time ; to have found out the stuff you are made
of. It is idle folly to imagine that only common things
can be made out of common stuffs. That cheapest and
commonest of all materials, earth, in the hands of Palissy
the potter, made vessels of beauty that equal Cellini's
work in gold; and the Sacrament-Haus, in the Dom-
kirche at Nuremberg, with its top tendril bent over lest
it should strike the roof, is rival to the rarest Venetian
filigree of silver. Learn, and lay well to heart, the equal
value, for their own peculiar uses, of all created sub-
stances. It is this longing after the unattainable that
wastes life out with fevers of discontent.
To make the most of one's own self, and not to be
some one else, should be the intelligent desire of every
sensible man. And to be excellent in auyili'mg, to make
good machinery, to plant a garden well or sow a field, to
breed good horses or to manufacture honest goods, is to
fill out one's place in life as really and as valuably as
to be poet, practitioner of law or medicine, inventor,
statesman, editor, philosopher, or priest.
And the next lesson is of distinction of use. There is
a vulgarity in the misinterpretation of these words, which
is well-nigh insufferable. There is no intimation here
that " some to honour and some to dishonour " means
that gold and silver vessels are for honourable things, and
wooden and earthen vessels for dishonourable things. The
honour or dishonour lies, iwt in the material of which the
vessel is made. There is no commonest thing which is
not " to honour," if it be honourably used. And there is
no such depth of dishonour conceivable as the degrada-
tion, to base uses, of the finer, rarer vessels of silver and
gold.
How I wish I could press this home. I take it, and
you take it, that the man of intellectual ability, of spiri-
132 UNION COLLEGE.
tual power, is the most precious vessel of all. Is he
therefore, by the mere possession of these gifts, a "vessel
unto honour"! And I say a thousand times. No! To
prostitute intellect till it ministers only to the dissemina-
tion of doubts and the denial of God ; or to pervert the
subtle influence of spiritual power till it panders to pas-
sion or sin, dishonours the noblest vessel in the great
House of God. The other lesson, the honourableness of
commonest things, is taught us at every turn. There is
the slow, dull boy, most ordinary in capacity, whose plod-
-ding patience, dully persisting in the pursuit of problems
caught in an instant by the superficial facileness of a
quicker brain, has seized, and holds what he has gained,
with a grasp of retentiveness, which makes him really a
scholar; where the other has only a half -forgotten smat-
tering of memorized words. And everywhere in life
to-day there are the steady, useful, trustworthy men, not
smart enough to run the risks and take the ventures
which land their quicker fellows in degradation and dis-
honesty ; the men whose speech is slow, but whose word
is as good as their bond, on whom men lean for counsel
in doubtful times, and for confidence in days of disaster
— " vessels of wood and earth " to honour.
And the next lesson is of devotion of service — " sanc-
tified and meet for the Master's use." Life lies open and
out before you from to-day. There is no choice of what
is called independence, because that means, really, selfish-
ness and self-will. In the veritable mesh and network of
life, the relation of men to one another is so close and
vital that no man liveth or dieth to himself. Robinson
Crusoe, even, had his man Friday. And as there is of
necessity interdependence among men, so there must be
dependence upon some stronger power and higher will.
Offero, till he becomes Christopher, will be the servant of
Satan. The choice is not ivJietlier, but " wJiom will ye
serve." It is a choice that cannot be made too soon.
BACCALAUKEATE SERMON. W>]
" Choose ye this day whom ye will S(^rvo." Yon know
that the other side of man's choice is God's call. Yon know
that (rod's call is yonv " callini>-," yonr vocation, yonr place
and lot of work in life. And yon will have to learn that
that call comes in various ways, and to very varying oc-
cupations. It will be largely influenced by your capacit}^,
" gold, silver, wood, earth." For God never puts the ves-
sels in His House to any unsuitable use.
And while I would fain believe that some of you, at
least, may have, and hear, ;uid heed the call to the sacred
ministry, I beg you to realize that this is not the only
meaning of " the Master's use." For He has use for, and
need of, men who shall serve Him in every walk and way
of life. What is meant is that every man shall so do his
woi'k, in whatever state of life God calls him to work in,
from time to time, as to be serving his Master in that
work. Look out to-day upon the world. You are the
young men of the coming generation of Americans, to be
citizens, to hold public office, to guide public opinion, to
minister public or private trusts, to be the bankers, the
tradesmen, the lawyers, the physicians, the clergymen, the
manufacturers, the law-makers, the politicians of the time.
You are to fill these places, and to act out these parts,
so that the Master can use you for His great ends.
The rottenness in public life and private affairs, which
shocks us and threatens us to-day, is due to the common
forgetfulness of this fundamental truth ; and there is
danger that it will spread till it corrupt the body politic.
There seems no watchfulness sharp enough in trustees
and directors to detect the step-by-step stealing (called by
a euphemism borrowing), whose end is dishonesty and
dishonour ; and often after these, the disgraceful escape of
consequences, by the contemptible cowardice of suicide.
And the reason is not far to find. The clerk or the cash-
ier is imitating his directors or trustees. Eaten up with
the sin of covetousness, they are committing the crime —
9*
134 UNION COLLEGE.
which gambling is — of money-making by the effort,
through reckless risks, to get something ivitli no equivalent
given. I have no stone to cast against the great body of
the brokers of the world. There are illustrious examples,
I know, among them of fidelity to obligations unwritten
and unsigned, which all of us might learn to imitate.
There are among them men who, within our recent recol-
lection, have saved the credit of the country from disaster
and disgrace. The essential element in commerce, of
buying low to sell at an advance, if it be right in land
and sugar, cannot be wrong in stocks and bonds. But
the lawless and illegitimate business which skulks behind
slang names in "the Street," of buying augthii/g with
nothing, of promises without the means to pay, of rising
to success on another's wreck or ruin, wrought out " with
weapons " that are not even carnal, but hrutal, the tossing
of sharp horns, the crushing with cruel claws ; these are
among the crying crimes of capital to-day. The rich
master wins his millions, and whets the appetite of his
poor clerk to make his smaller, sinful ventures ; or he
loses his millions, makes good the loss, and does not mind
it. But the weak follower has no resource behind. The
venture fails. His little fortune is wi'ecked, and then the
sequel follows, in fast succeeding steps ; false entries, de-
tection, flight, a skulking life, an ignominious death. And
the chief blame rests on the protected and undetected
sinner who led him astray. There is no cure for this but
in the consciousness that every vessel must be sanctified,
purged from all these evil lusts, meet for the Master's use,
and living as though used by Him, for the high ends of
honesty and honour, and faithfulness to trust.
Turn from this, up or down, as you may think it, into
the political field, which has great atti'activeness in a
country like ours, where the rewards of highest place
have been won, and can be, from the lowest start. We
have high-sounding sentences like " public office is a pub-
BACCALAUREATE SERMON. 135
lie trust." We have great schemes of civil service and
reform. But very few live up to the sentences, or are
governed by the schemes. The temptations are great; to
be popular, to influence votes, to manage men, to con-
trol great measures, to advance one's own interest, to get
tlie patronage of great corporations, to have the power of
much patronage to distribute, to stand well with the party
for party ends and gains ; all these, this side of the coarse,
vulgar, criminal, traceahle taking of a money bribe, seduce
the public man from the strict integrity of his service.
He has forgotten the Master for whose service he is set
apart, to lift society, to advance the 8tate, to get good
government, to use the public money with a liberal econ-
omy, to have clean streets, good roads, pure water; to
give employment with honest wages to the men who la-
bom* with their hands ; to prevent vice, to manage, gen-
erously and wisely, public charities, to raise the standards
of education.
There are no human panaceas, I know, to cure the po-
litical corruption which so runs riot in our State as to
recall the sickening senility of the decayed governments
of the older world. But this consciousness of responsi-
bility to God, of service to the Divine Master, of being
here in this world to be used by Him and for His great
and gracious ends, has made the patriots, and statesmen
of the Hebrew people, of the Gentile nations, of all ages
and races of men ; made Moses the Law-giver, and Daniel
the Ruler, and Aristides the Just, and xVlfred the Great, and
Louis the King, and William the Emperor, and Washing-
ton the President, and Lincoln the Liberator. And it has
power now to-day to convert our politicians into states-
men, and to make each one of you a vessel of use and
honom".
And here discrhn'mation ends. Diversity of character
and distinction of use are inherent and essential elements
of service and of life. There must be differences in the
136 UNION COLLEGE.
natures and temperaments of men to make a world ; as
there must be in the materials of which the world is
made. For men cannot clothe themselves with wood, nor
build their houses with spun silk, nor plow their fields
with gold, nor clear their forests with axes of silver. And
for the parts we have to play in life there must be the
men of muscle and the men of nerve, the men of thought
and the men of action, the poet and the man of affairs,
the student and the soldier, the dreamer and the doer, the
inventor and the mechanic, the maker and the spender of
wealth.
And the complement of all this is distribution of use ;
" propria quae singulis^'''' we might read the old proverb.
Because for the different uses which the Master has for
men. He must have different sorts of men. Because the
Master has made the vessels of His great House of differ-
ent stuffs, He must have, for each. His appropriate use.
And the lesson of success in life is simply the learning
of fitness. What am I suited to do f It is a long, deep
subject, this, with many sides. Aimlessness ends in use-
lessness. The Chinese-shoe idea, of a father forcing his
son against all inclinations and all indications, ends in
wretchedness and failure. The ivilful struggle against
surrounding suggestions of circumstance and opportunity
breaks the bir,d's wing against the cage bars, and the
man's heart against the barriers of impossibility. The
ivill-less surrender of easy-going indolence to difficulties
which were meant to stimulate to effort, cumbers the
world with what we call tramps when they are dirty, and
gentlemen of elegant leisure when the linen is clean. It
is not easy, always, to find one's use. It is found not sel-
dom after much experience and many mistakes. And no
one man can tell it absolutely for another. But, honestly
sought for, it will be certainly found.
And here, I say again, discrimination ends. For useful-
ness and for honour, for the use the Master will make of
BACCALAUKEATE SERMON. 187
US, and for tho honour lie will give us, there is abso-
lutely no ditt'erence between gold and wood, between sil-
ver and oavth. ; and no distinction between the positions
that rank highest in the world's eye, and the places which
are so lowly that the world does not see them at all,
since for every faithful servant, whose work is well done,
there is waiting " the joy of His Lord " ; the joy that was
in the heart of the Master, when, from the sublime height
of the Cross, He looked back upon the pathway of His
earthly life, and saw, step by step, and detail after detail,
(he will of Grod for Him, finished and fulfilled ; this, and
besides this, the joy, into which He entered, of the Son
" in Whom the Father is well pleased."
Brothers and friends, old and new sons of this old
mother, rejoicing to-day in her children as her jewels ; I
have come heartily to render this small service as a debt
of love to Union University. Fifty years ago I came here
as a boy with my belov^ed father, to keep the semi-centen-
nial of this college. It was a day of strong impressions
to me, a boy of twelve. The venerable president, upon
whose heart was written the name of Union ; the Bishop
of Pennsylvania who gave one son to the presidency and
another to be the Bishop of New York ; and my father,
the Bishop of New Jersey ; these men rise up before me.
And they are noble illustrations of the lesson I have tried
to leave with you to-night ; " vessels of honour," every
one. I go behind that day with its rich memories, to
recall the earlier years of my father's student life here
when with a love of study and a thirst for knowledge
which overleaped the barriers of restricted means he
woi'ked with his might till he attained his end, an educa-
tion which should fit him " for the Master's use," and be-
fore and after these, are the great names and many, " of
whom the time would fail me to tell," on our alumni
honom' roll.
As I stand here to-night recalling the past with its il-
138 UNION COLLEGE.
lustrious instances, and rejoicing in the present, which
has put my old friend and fellow-citizen of Albany into
the high place of service here which he is preeminently
fitted to fill, I look with the fearless eye of hope toward
the future of this University. One of the many institu-
tions of the higher learning in this great State, it has its
own sphere of service, its own especial possibilities of
usefulness. I remember well my father's words that
June day fifty years ago, when, speaking of our Colleges,
he quoted the old lines : " Facies non omnibus una nee
diversa tamen, qualem decet esse sororum." '
Yes, they are sisters, all these fair mothers of the intel-
lectual, moral, spiritual children whom they bear and
train : Columbia, Union, Hobart, Cornell, Williams, St.
Stephen's, Syracuse, Hamilton, and the rest. They are
vessels in the Master's House, different in character and
distinct in use, but " vessels unto honour," For our Uni-
versity here, — if I may so call Old Union as naturally the
institution of the capital city of this State, and as a kind
stepmother to me, her unworthy "alumnus causa honoris,"
— our University has its own peculiar place and power in
the purposes of Grod. You will not fault me if I avow
that, naturally, my chiefest interest as a churchman
centers in our Church Colleges — Columbia, Hobart, St.
Stephen's ; because I believe firmly that a perfect educa-
tion demands training in the Christian religion, and that
a perfect training in the Christian religion demands defi-
nite teaching of tJiefaUJi.
But my deep interest in education breaks down all
narrowing limitations and recognizes the learning and
the teaching, the larger appliances for scholarly work
1 He translated tliem that day :
They seem not one,
Nor yet as two,
But look alike,
As sisters do.
BACCALAUREATE SERMON. 139
wherever they are, the great things tliat are behind Old
Union, and the great things that are before her, too.
Tied, I am glad to say, witli a bond that is more than
telephonic, to my own old town of Albany, by the fact
that the Medical and Law departments of the University,
the College of Pharmacy, and the Dudley Observatory
are there, and with a possibility of even nearer and closer
contact with the Capital City which more and more is
tending to be the home of thought and study. Union
University is the University of Allmny ; and Albany is
the capital and center of the Empire State.
Our watchword to-night is "Concordia" — together-
heartedness, that means — the union of Alumni and
Undergraduates in a liberal love of their Alma Mater;
the union of Trustees and Faculty under the brave lead-
ership of the President, in a large conception of future
work; the union of the Public Schools with the High
Schools and Academies, and of the High Schools and
Academies, in this broad section of New York, with this
University, so that they shall feed her, and she shall
foster them ; the union of all the Colleges and Universi-
ties of the Empire State; the union of the educational
interests of New York; the union of all lovers of that com-
bination of piety and patriotism for which this institution
stands, the Jive Union of diversity in unity, "non omnibus
una," "e pluribus unum;" and She, the mother of such
noble sons and "bringing forth more fruit in her age";
She, in position and in purpose, in nature and in name,
the point and pivot of that union in which there is
strength.
God grant the consummation, and hasten it in His time.
God guide and guard you, my young friends and make
you "vessels unto honour." God bless Old Union.
EDUCATORS' DAY.
The morning and the aftei'noon Sessions of the Conference were held
in the College Chapel, the evening Session in the First Presbyterian
Church.
(JEtiufational Conference.
MORNING SESSION.
SUBJECT : THE SECONDAEY SCHOOL.
Hon. Melvil Dewey, Secretaky of the University of
THE State of New York, presiding.
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS
BY MR. DEWEY.
IT was my experience as a boy, some thirty years ago,
to come nuder teachers from Union College oftener,
perhaps, than under teachers from any other half-dozen
institutions. The three teachers in the schools I at-
tended that made the strongest impression on me were
all graduates of the old college at Schenectady, and the
result of my experience was that, as I approached the time
for my college course, I found myself possessed with a
strong feeling that it was a great thing to go to col-
lege, but to go to Union was a much greater. Union
stood out in our imagination far beyond the ordinary
college, because of the men we had seen her send out.
It chances, too, that the best day of all the year to me is
144 UNION COLLEGE.
the anniversary of the organization of Union, and the
election of her first president — for on that day I was
married.
When I became connected with the Regents, I naturally
felt a warm interest in Union College, not only because
she was the eldest born of those institutions which have
received charters from the Regents, but also because of
the things for which Union has stood ; and the true test
of that is the reception accorded her innovations by the
educational world. Union was preeminently a pioneer
in certain directions. She was a non-sectarian institu-
tion. When, a hundred years ago. Union's charter was
sent out from the Regents' office, soon after the most
famous of my predecessors, DeWitt Clinton, had assumed
office as Secretary, nearly all colleges were sectarian.
Now, as I look over the list, I find less than one tenth
willing to report themselves as sectarian. Thus the ex-
ample of undenominationalism set by Union a century
ago has been largely followed. The principle has grown
stronger and stronger, and to-day the strongest higher
educational institutions are non-sectarian.
Then, Union stood for a greater liberality in its range
of studies. It was a pioneer in introducing modern lan-
guages and scientific studies into the college curriculum.
It set the example of greater flexibility with less of the
Procrustean in college courses.
Union was also a pioneer in trusting students — put-
ting them on their honor as to their personal conduct.
We of Amherst are very proud of the Amherst system ;
but I find that, under President Nott, Union had laid the
foundation of a great deal of that trust in students' honor
which has since his day so widely spread throughout the
country.
So I come to Union this morning with a peculiar in-
terest in this centennial, and our topic of " The School "
leads me to say what I believe in my heart of the second-
INTRODUCTOKY ADDRESS. 145
ai\y school. England, forced to a profound conviction
of its superlative importance, has been engaged this
last year in reorganizing her secondary-school system.
France, since the Franco-Prussian war, has marvelously
developed her secondary schools, as well as her schools of
higher education. The French used to think that they
as a nation needed to pay only for primary education ;
but they learned a grievous lesson at tlie time of the
Prussian war, and since then their appropriations have
grown fivefold for secondary education — fivefold in
twenty-five years. The gain to the country through this
greater devotion to advanced education has more than
offset the physical losses of the Franco-Prussian war.
The truth was aptly put by that famous Frenchman,
Renau. When some one said that it was the German
needle-gun that cost France the victory, he said, "No; it
was not the Grerman needle-gun, nor the German soldier
that held the needle-gun ; nor was it the German school-
master that made the German soldier; but it was the
German University that made the German schoolmaster."
France learned that lesson, and it teaches us that we
cannot have a thorough and satisfactory system of ele-
mentary schools till we first have a system of secondary
schools to fit teachers for the elementary work.
It is part of the stock in trade of superficial writers in
the public press to clamor that public funds ought to be
confined to the elementary schools; that it is unjust to
take the taxpayers' money to support high schools, as is
done all over the country. Such people forget the pecu-
liar character and nature of education. They take no
account of what might be called its "diffusive" qualities.
Their criticism would have force, if it were true that
secondary education benefited only the recipient. But
that is no more true than that the man who builds a
lighthouse on a rocky coast to light his own fishing-
smack safely to harbor can exclude its benefit from all
10
146 UNION COLLEGE.
but his own little craft. It is no more true than that the
man who builds a beautiful roadway beside his own resi-
dence builds only for himself ; every passer shares the
benefit. It is no more true than that he who drains a
pestilential swamp, and turns the wet jungle into a
blooming field, can keep the whole gain for himself. The
health of the whole community must be improved by his
labor. So the fallacy of the criticism of these many well-
meaning people lies in the fact that they overlook the
diffusive nature of education, and that the secondary
school in training its students is raising the standard of
intelligence of the whole community.
I ran across a case the other day which illustrates this.
The head of a great manufacturing firm said : " We have
all the work we can do in our own factory. We get all
our workmen, if possible, from Worcester, Massachusetts."
The question was asked, "Why?" The reply was, "Be-
cause the Worcester Public Library, supported by taxa-
tion, has one of the best collections in this country of
books pertaining to our work ; and the presence of this
library with its fund of information produces a class of
people who are the best for our business." That gives a
tangible illustration of a substantial return from an in-
vestment in material from which intelligence is made.
Which one of us to-day, in looking for a home to which
he might bring his children for their proper education,
would hesitate a moment to pay the higher price of living
in a community having a good secondary school.
In many cities, taking the value of lot and building,
and the various expenses connected with the support of
the high school, we have the equivalent of an endowment
of not less than a million dollars. A few years ago that
would have been thought a princely endowment for a
university, yet the cities of the country are maintaining
these schools ; and if you were to put it to the vote of the
community, you would have an overwhelming majority
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. 147
in favor of coiitiiiuiiig tins munitic'eut support at public
expense.
The year 1895 has been marked by important legisla-
tion to the advantage of the high schools of this State.
Fii'st was the law providing for an academic fund that
should hereafter be increased each year with the growth
of the schools. Heretofore we have been under a law
dating back half a century, which provided a fixed and
unchanging sum, so that when the number of schools
increased, the divisor became constantly larger and the
quotient constantly smaller. As the number of students
in those schools increased, the amount received for each
grew less. So far as State encouragement was concerned,
it was a financial misfortune to any school to have the
number of schools or of its own pupils increase.
A second clause of the law provides that every school
registered as of academic grade should also receive an-
nually one hundred dollars, and also one cent for each
day's attendance of each academic student. This action
of the legislature was doubly significant because it fol-
lowed an agitation in this State from that little remnant
of people who still antagonize public taxation for support
of high schools.
Still more significant, educationally, is the beginning of
a new system under which the Court of Appeals will, at
an early day, require every candidate for the legal pro-
fession to have at least a full high-school education.
They have raised the standard now three times, and with
the last increase of requirements, say that probably the
next step will be to require, within the next two or three
years, a four-year high-school course, or its full equiva-
lent. The legislature this year also established a graded
increase in the requirements for the study of medicine,
so that the classes matriculating after 1897 must be made
up solely of candidates having a full high-school course,
without which they will not be allowed to pursue their
148 UNION COLLEGE.
medical studies. Next came the movement for raising
the standard of education for admission to the practice
of dentistry, sustained by the State Dental Society, com-
posed of the best dentists in the State, who secured the
same requirements as for the study of medicine. The
dentists were closely followed by the State Veterinary
Society, who secured a law providing that no man or
woman shall be admitted to practice in this State, after
the class entering in 1897, who has not laid the founda-
tion for his profession in a full high-school course. Fi-
nally came the law reaching the common-school teachers
in cities, requiring that, in 1897, again, teachers must be
graduates of normal schools, or in lieu thereof must have
had a full high-school course supplemented by thirty-
eight weeks in a training-school, or normal-school tech-
nical instruction.
In law, medicine, dentistry, veterinary surgery, and
public-school teaching, then, this year has marked the
setting of the high-school course as the minimum educa-
tional requirement for admission to these professions,
and one of the most eminent and clear-minded theological
seminary presidents recently sent in a request to the Re-
gents that a similar rule should be made for theological
students. This was one of the things we had been shy
of suggesting, but had been hoping and waiting for from
the side of the seminary. All these movements have
come from the professions themselves. The call has al-
ready come from theology, and there is a growing feeling
that the Civil Service of the State should require at least
a high-school training as a condition of candidacy there-
for. We are going to learn the lesson that they have
learned in Europe, that if it is worth the twenty million
dollars that it costs each year to support the educational
system of the State, then the State is entitled to the bene-
fit arising from having the product of the high school and
academy in its professions and its public departments.
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. 149
See what this new law means to the secondary school !
Hereafter, if your boys and girls hope, either soon or
late, to go into either of these professions, they must
complete the high-school course. This will be a powerful
incentive to them to remain in school and round out
their education instead of dropping out after the first,
second, or third year, as has been so common. The State
gives a still greater pecuniary support to the schools, and
also this encouragement in the form of statute that ad-
mission to practice in these scholarly professions must
depend on the candidate's having prepared himself by a
general education at least equivalent to a high-school
course. This advance has gone hand in hand with in-
creased technical requirements in professional schools.
As we take up the discussion of the school, to be
opened by a man known throughout the length and
breadth of the laud, pray bear in mind that this is an
educational conference, and that we are to have a face-to-
face discussion of the points brought out by the speaker.
I take pleasure in introducing for the first paper this
morning a man whose work in elementary as well as sec-
ondary education is known throughout this country and
abroad, and who is recognized as a leader wherever the
work of the Committee of Fifteen is known. We are all
proud that that man, who did more than any one else in
this cause, was of our own State, — Mr. William H. Max-
well, Superintendent of Schools in Brooklyn.
10*
ADDEESS
BY WILLIAM H. MAXWELL,
Supt. of Public Instruction, BrooUyn, N. Y.
THE STUDIES OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOL.
IT is not without good reason that, in celebrating the
hundredth anniversary of the foundation of Union
College, the work of the school should receive due atten-
tion in the exercises. The hundred years that have
elapsed since the acorn was planted which has grown into
the stately oak that shelters us to-day have witnessed
many changes in education — changes that have affected
the school even more than they have affected the college.
These hundred years have seen the German system of
education — the most complete the world has ever known
— developed from the kindergarten to the university.
They have seen — nay, we ourselves have seen — within
the past few years education in England become the right
of all instead of the privilege of a few. They have seen
universal popular education established in every British
colony. They have seen France, rent asunder by the un-
clean spirits she has cast out, at last clothed and in her
right mind, and become in many respects a model to the
world in the education of her children. And they have
seen the great public-school system of America struggling
up from its small beginnings in the Dutch colonies in New
York and the Puritan settlements in New England, until
ADDRESS. 151
it lias l)ec()iiu' tlic chief means of enlightenment for the
masses of the people, an incalenlable fovee that makes for
riii-hteousnoss. The century that is di'awing to a close
will stand in history for many great and beneficent move-
ments, but for none more than for the spread of popular
education.
When we come to analyze this wonderful movement of
the century, we find certain strongly marked features
which cannot be mistaken, and which must be thoroughly
understood if we are to plan wisely for the development
of education in the future.
In the first place, this movement for popular education
is not confined to any one country; it is a- world-move-
ment. Universal education is not confined to America ;
it is not confined to Germany. It has recently become
the law in England and the law in France. Its beneficent
influence is felt in poor oppressed Ireland, and is making
New Zealand a model commonwealth. It is making its
way slowly, but surely, in Italy. Signs are not wanting
that it is making headway in Russia. And it has enabled
Japan to conquer her more powerful and more populous
neighbor, who has used popular (education not to develop
the latent powers of individuals, but to preserve the tra-
ditions of semi-barbarism. Popular education, as a
world-movement, is part of a still larger movement — the
democratic movement by which political power has been
transferred from the few to the many. Without popular
education as ballast, the ship of state will inevitably be
wrecked on the rocks of anarchy.
But while popular education is a world- movement, it
is a movement that has acquired a peculiar strength and
a peculiar character in America. We have taken part —
in many respects we have led the way — in the onward
educational movement; but it has been in a manner pe-
culiarly our own. In other countries, popular education
has progressed along lines laid down by the central gov-
152 UNION COLLEGE.
ernment, which regulates the schools of the people down
even to the smallest details. In this country, on the other
hand, the central government takes no direct part in edu-
cational work, except in the education of its Indian wards.
It is true that it has always evinced the liveliest interest
in popular education, not only by collecting and pub-
lishing, through its Bureau of Education, facts and sta-
tistics that would be otherwise inaccessible, but by mak-
ing enormous grants of land for the support of schools
and colleges. The care of popular education, however,
has been reserved for the State governments. These, in
turn, have, as a rule, contented themselves with passing
general laws, and have left the management of details to
local authorities. This fact — the regulation of popular
education by local authorities — I take to be the most
characteristic feature of popular education in America.
Educational theorists, who admire the symmetrical and
easy-running machinery of the German and French edu-
cational systems, upbraid us with what they are pleased
to call the lack of system in America. They point to the
undoubted facts that New York has one system — if sys-
tem it can be called ; that Massachusetts has another ;
Michigan, another ; and so on throughout the list of our
commonwealths. They tell us that our public schools
vary extremely in degrees of efficiency, that only in some
places are they managed by educational experts, and that
in many they are injuriously affected by the baleful in-
fluences of party politics. But when all has been said
that can be said with truth in criticism of our public
schools, the great facts remain that American public
schools are the people's schools, that the people pay for
them, that the people have developed them, that the
schools have very largely molded the character of the
people, and that so long as the schools remain under
the care of the people, government for the people and by
the people shall never perish from the earth. We may
ADDEESS. 153
best perceive the advantages of our peculiar way of local
school managemeut by consideriug the effects on a large
population of the opposite policy — the policy of centrali-
zation. From time immemorial, at least for her male
population, China has had universal education, and has
imparted to this education an enormous value in the
eyes of her people by nud<ing it, through competitive ex-
amination, the exclusive door of entrance to all offices of
power and emolument in the Empire. But the autocratic
Chinese govei-nment permits only one thing to be taught
in the Chinese schools — the nine classics that embody
the ancient traditions of the race ; and only one faculty
of the mind to be cultivated — the memory. The result
is that local self-government does not exist, that the peo-
ple, trained only in traditional forms of acting and think-
ing, perpetuate the customs of the ages, and have lost the
power to develop individuality of character and to initi-
ate new forms of civilization. The Chinese system is the
extreme on one side. On the other side, the American
plan shows the contrary extreme. The American plan
has fostered freedom. It has cultivated local self-gov-
ernment. It has developed individuality. It has en-
abled oui- people to subdue a continent to the uses of the
most advanced civilization. It has raised up not one
center of thought and influence that dominates the whole
nation, as Paris has dominated France, but a thousand
centers whence radiate the influences of intelligence.
The evolution of education in America has not been, and
is not now, without its own peculiar dangers ; but its
advantages far more than compensate for its disadvan-
tages. It has made American life strong with the spirit
that breathes in the noble words of Martin Luther :
Know you uot that the wind of freedom is blowing?
In the next place, the century has witnessed the trans-
fer, in very large measure, of the control of education
154 UNION COLLEGE.
from the church and ecclesiastics to secular authorities
and educational experts. The first schools and colleges
established in this country were dominated by ecclesi-
astical authority. In this movement — a movement that
is inevitable among a free people — Union College has
been a pioneer. Though twenty-one colleges were
founded in America before Union, yet Union was the
first in the United States that was not confessedly de-
nominational in its character. As its name implies, its
founders wisely determined that it should offer equal
advantages to young men of all religious denominations
and give preferences to none. Many of our older insti-
tutions, founded expressly in the interest of a sect, such
as Harvard and Columbia, have cast aside denominational
fetters, and work now only for the common good, for the
interests of all and not for the interests of a few.
This movement away from ecclesiastical control is also
a movement away from private control of any kind and
toward public support and public control. In our own
State, nearly every college and university has at some
time or other benefited by the munificence of the State,
and all are more or less subject to the regulations of the
Regents of the University.
In many of the Western States, of which Michigan
may be taken as the type, education from the kinder-
garten to the university is now chiefly in the hands
of the State. But it is in the elementary and secon-
dary schools that this movement is most conspicuous.
According to Commissioner Harris's last report, out
of every 100 pupils in the elementary grade, — by the
"elementary grade" I mean the first eight years of
school work, — out of every 100 pupils in the elemen-
tary grade, 91.54 pupils are in public schools and
only 8.46 pupils are in private schools. In secondary
schools (schools that cover the work from the ninth to
the twelfth years inclusive), 38.41 per cent, of the pu-
ADDRESS. 155
pils arc iu private schools, while 61.59 per eeiit. are in
[)ublic schools. But while this movement away from
ecclesiastical and private, and toward public, support and
control has l)een a most beneficent one, in that it has se-
cured through governmental aid what could never have
been accomplished by private enterprise, in that it has
made universal education possible, and in that it has
freed the schools from the shackles of denominationalism,
yet I for one sincerely hope that the day is far distant
when all schools will be public schools. The private
school has a great mission to perform. In the private
school must be tried those educational experiments
to which public officers would not be justified in applying
the public moneys. The private school, in order to live
against the competition of the public school, must be a
good school, and this friendly rivalry is often productive
of most beneficial results. Moreover, there is always a
class of children who will develop only under individual
training. For these the private school — often the private
boarding-school — is the best school. If a parent is un-
fortunate in his child, or if a child is unfortunate in his
parent, the private boarding-school is the best solution of
the difficulty. Thus, while the tide has set strongly to-
ward the public school, — very strongly in the case of the
secondary school, and almost overwhelmingly in the case
of the elementary school, — the best private schools re-
main to do their special work ; and it is for the best in-
terests of the public schools that, as long as private
schools do their work well, they should remain to par-
ticipate in the great battle against ignorance and vice.
The next great educational movement of the century
has been toward a i-eform of the school curriculum, A
hundred years ago but little thought had been given in
English-si3eaking countries to the work of the elementary
school. A hundred years before the founding of Union,
Comenius had bequeathed to the world the foundations
156 UNION COLLEGE.
of a science of education. Fifty years before, Rousseau
had swept away, as far as eloquence and argument could
sweep them away, the baleful traditions of education,
and let the clear light of day shine into the darkened
corners of the school-house. During the first few years
of the existence of this college, Pestalozzi was showing
by his practice that if we are to educate at all, we must
appeal to the senses as well as to the memory — we must
educate all the powers of the child; and Froebel was
working out that glorious scheme for education by self-
activity which we must needs consider one of the most
beneficent gifts ever made by any human being to suf-
fering humanity — the kindergarten. Yet, at that date,
neither the philosophies of Comenius and Rousseau, nor
the practices of Pestalozzi and Froebel, had penetrated
to the schools of England and America. The elementary
school was neglected. It taught little but the three R's,
and taught that little badly. The secondaiy school —
the academy, as it was and often still is called — aimed to
do no more than meet the requirements of the college —
a little Latin, a little Greek, and a little mathematics.
The ideal was still that of Rugby and Eton — the gram-
mar-schools of England — and the grammar-schools of
England had scarcely advanced from the position they
took in the days of the Renaissance. One of the first
indications that there was a possibility of improving on
the traditional curriculum is to be found in a letter
written in 1803 by a young clergyman of Albanj^, out-
lining a plan for a city academy. The young clergyman
was the Reverend Eliphalet Nott, who was afterward for
sixty-two years the honored president of Union. "I
would now inform you," wrote Dr. Nott, " that I propose
to have my academy embrace a complete system of edu-
cation, and furnish to pupils the means of pursuing a
regular course of study, from the first rudiments of Eng-
lish reading to the last finish of classical culture.
ADDRESS. 157
" Tho better to accomplish these objects, I propose
to liave it divided into at least four different depart-
ments :
" One of elocution, including- whatever relates to ac-
curate spelling, coi-rect reading, and graceful and proper
delivery; one of penmanship, including, besides instruc-
tion in the modes of forming and joining letters as
a study distinct from the practical art, bookkeeping,
letter-writing, mapping, and stenography; one of mathe-
matics, philosophy, astronomy ; and one for the learning
of languages." He further advocated the adoption of the
departmental system of teaching in academies, and the
establishment of primary schools to teach the rudiments
and serve as feeders to the academy.
In all this. Dr. Nott showed himself a man of original
ideas as well as of sound common sense. How far he
was in advance of the prevailing American thought on
school education in the ojjening years of the present
century msiy be shown by the fact that he himself re-
garded his scheme as quite Utopian. And yet when we
compare Dr. Nott's proposed school curriculum, advanced
as it then appeared, with the curriculum of a city high
school of the first class of to-day, we cannot fail to be
struck with the wonderful change — shall I say improve-
ment ? — in the curriculum of the secondary school during
the years that have since elapsed. It will be noticed
that natural science is omitted from Dr. Nott's pro-
gramme ; that in it the studies of English literature and
of modern languages, of art and of manual training, find
no place. But though Dr. Nott did not inclnde in his
ideal course these subjects that now figure so prominently
in the school curriculum, he points very clearly to the
scheme of school organization that has since grown up in
most of our large cities. His primary schools correspond
to the elementary schools containing primary and gram-
mar grades that cover a course of eight years; his
158 UNION COLLEGE.
academy corresponds to the high school that provides, in
most cases, a course of four years.
This dividing line, at the close of the eighth year in
school, between the elementary course and the secondary
coui'se, is largely an artiJSicial line. It is unfortunately
true that pupils in large numbers leave school before com-
pleting the eight years' course. At the close of the eighth
year and afterwards, the desertions from the ranks of the
scholars are extremely numerous. Hence, early in the
history of the public-school system, it was found cheaper
and more effective to gather into one building all the
pupils of the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth years,
and give them instruction under the departmental sys-
tem in subjects supposed to be specially fitted to their
age and comprehension. This plan, while it has the merit
of economy and effectiveness in instruction, has been
accompanied by some striking disadvantages. Not the
least of these is that the fields of labor of the two classes
of school — the elementary and the high — have come to
be regarded in the popular mind as quite distinct, whereas
there evidently ought to be an organic connection. It is
not too much to say that in reality the separation, as far
as aims and methods are concerned, between the gram-
mar-school and the high school is wider than is the sepa-
ration between the high school and the college. Up to a
very recent date the grammar-school has contented itseK
with teaching reading, spelling, wi'iting, geography, Eng-
lish grammar and composition, histoi-y of the United
States, and a little drawing, with sometimes thrown in,
as it were, a few desultory object-lessons that could not
be dignified by the name of science teaching. When the
pupil left this meager mental pabulum, he was at once
plunged into the difficulties of algebra and geometry, the
intricacies of Latin and Greek, and courses in English
literature, general history, natural science, bookkeeping,
and sometimes even logic, psychology, and political econ-
ADDRESS. 159
oiiiy. To till u}) tlio time in the elementary school, the
teachers were perforce compelled to teach an endless
j-outine of nseless detail in grammar and <;'('()<^rapliy, and,
in order to supply some exercise for the reasoning powers,
to present conundrums in arithmetic that serve no useful
purpose except to puzzle youthful brains. In this way
much valuable time was lost in the grammar-school.
Pupils were, and are still, in many places compelled not
only to spend the most plastic years of their lives in
memorizing dry and useless details, but they were and
are prevented from studying subjects useful in them-
selves and of high culture-value. Through stress of cir-
cumstances they were and are forced to leave school be-
fore getting an opportunity to participate in the mental
gymnastic afforded by algebra, geometry, the languages,
and the sciences. On the other hand, the high school, in
endeavoring to compass in four years the teaching of
Latin, Greek, a modern language, general history, Eng-
lish literature, rhetoric, composition, physical geography,
botany, zoology, geology, astronomy, algebra, geometry,
and trigonometry, has made for itself a course so con-
gested that it is impossible to carry it out with pleasure
or profit to any but the strongest minds. In the gram-
mar-school we have had a curriculum meager in culture-
value but crammed with unnecessary details. In the high
school the course has been replete with cultm-e, but so
extensive that its very magnitude, like the overgrown top
of an unpruned fruit-tree, largely defeated the aims of
its existence. President Eliot of Harvard deserves the
thanks of the entire country for calling attention to 'this
anomalous condition of affairs. His striking phrase, the
"shortening and enriching of the grammar-school course,"
is now one of the watchwords of educational reform.
One of the most striking movements of our time has been
this enrichment of the grammar-school course, by bring-
ing down from the high school to the elementary school
160 UNION COLLEGE.
subjects that had previously been considered, in public-
school circles at least, exclusively secondary. Several of
the conferences which reported to the Committee of Ten
strongly favored the commencement of secondary sub-
jects in the grammar-school. The report on the correla-
tion of studies in elementary schools, prepared by Dr.
Harris for the Committee of Fifteen, also takes advanced
ground on this side of the question. It recommends that
Latin, or a modern language, algebra, inventioual geome-
try, natural science, English literature, — to which the
study of grammar is to be subordinated, — and manual
training, be taught in the elementary school.
But even should the curriculum of the elementary
school be enriched by bringing down from the secondary
school Latin, algebra, and the other subjects I have
mentioned, the number of subjects which it is generally
thought necessary to teach in the high school is still
so large that it is impossible for any one pupil to com-
pass all of them within four years. You, gentlemen,
who spend your days in these calm retreats of delightful
studies, when you criticize the attainments of the stu-
dents who knock for admission at your doors, probably
find it hard to realize the difficulties we who live under
less favored conditions are forced to meet in the adminis-
tration of city high schools. Only a small fraction of
those who attend the high schools proceed to college.
The vast majority of the students in these schools go
there, not to prepare for college, but to prepare directly
for life. For them the classical part of the course re-
quired for entrance to college has few attractions. They
want modern languages. They want physical and nat-
ural science. They want commercial subjects, such as
bookkeeping and commercial law. They want manual
training: the girls want sewing and dressmaking and
millinery and cooking ; the boys want mechanical draw-
ing and wood-working and metal-working. How are we
ADDRESS. 161
to arrange for orderly iiistrnctioii in this mass of com-
plex subjects ?
If wo study the liistoiy of the hig'h school cnrricnlnm,
we shall lind that, in obedience to i)opiilar demand, one
subject after another was added to the traditional curri-
culum, uutil the course became so heavy that it was pos-
siljle to give only a few weeks in the year and a very few
hours each week to each subject. We have had high
schools that gave ten weeks to botany, ten weeks to as-
tronomy, ten weeks to zoology, ten weeks to physiology,
ten weeks to geology, ten weeks to logic, and ten weeks
to psychology, with the result that their pupils' minds
became a howling wilderness of stunted growths and
sessile faculties. Even though this system lingers still
in many schools, its deatliblow was administered by the
Committee of Ten. That Committee declared that no
subject should be taught in the secondary school which
cannot be continued long enough, and for a sufficient
number of hours per week, to enable the student to get
out of it whatever of culture-value it contains. The
enunciation of this doctrine is sufficient to carry con-
viction. Any school that arranges its course of study
without regard to this dictum can be regarded only as
falling far behind the age.
The first rational attempt to solve this puzzling problem
of how to teach all the subjects that ought to be taught
in a high school without overburdening the pupil was
made in those cities large enough to support two or more
large high schools. Induced more by reasons of economy
than by pedagogical considerations, these cities have, in
many instances, found it convenient to establish, side by
side with the classical school that prepares for college, the
English high school that prepares, or is supposed to pre-
pare, directly for the business of life. Within the past ten
years, a third school has made its appearance — the man-
ual-training high school, of which the schools of that
11
162 UNION COLLEGE.
name in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Brooklyn, and the
Mechanic Arts High School in Boston, are types. In these
schools the school day is usuallj^ divided into six periods.
Two periods per day are devoted to shop work in woods
and metals; one period is devoted to mathematics; one
to physics and chemistry ; one to English ; and one to
drawing, in preparation for shop work. In cities large
enough to support different schools of these kinds, the
pupils that graduate from the eight years' elementary
course have the right to choose which they will enter.
In smaller cities, where but one high school is possible, a
choice is given among several courses. The Kansas City
High School, for example, has, I believe, eleven different
courses.
The choice of courses, however, whether in different
schools, or in the same school, has proved but a partial
solution of the problem. The Committee of Ten saw the
difficulty, and met it with characteristic boldness by prac-
tically declaring that all the subjects of study in the sec-
ondary school are of equivalent value both for pedagogi-
cal purposes and for admission to college. " These sub-
jects," says the Report, " would all be taught consecutively
and thoroughly, and would all be carried on in the same
spirit; they would all be used for training the powers
of observation, memory, expression, and reasoning; and
they would be good to that end, although differing
among themselves in quality and substance." "A col-
lege might say," continues the Report, "we will accept
for admission any group of studies taken from the sec-
ondary-school programme, provided that the sum of the
studies in each of the four years amounts to sixteen, or
eighteen, or twenty periods a week, — as may be thought
best, — and provided further, that in each year at least
foui* of the subjects presented shall have been pursued
at least three periods a week, and that at least three of
the subjects shall have been pursued three years or more."
ADDRESS. 168
Up to the present time, I think, no ('oUege of standing,
not even Harvard, has followed this advice. Indeed, it
is not too mueli to say that the doctrine of the equiva-
lence of studies for pedagogical purposes is the weak
spot in that great Report. This theory, as President
Baker has pointed out, is at variance with Pliilosophy,
with Psychology, and with the Science of Education. It
ignores the " nature and value of the content." " Power
comes though knowledge; we cannot conceive of observa-
tion and memory and reasoning in the abstract." Any
number of things, such as chess, Choctaw, Egyptian hiero-
glyphics, might be mentioned, the study of which would
cultivate observation, memory, and reasoning, but would
not leave in the mind a valuable residuum of knowledge
that would make for power and righteousness. In build-
ing the curriculum of the school, content must have due
attention, or the whole structure will fall to the ground.
And yet so great an impetus has been given, by this
doctrine of the equivalence of studies, as promulgated in-
directly by the Committee of Ten, that there are now
those who advocate giving not only a choice between
courses, but almost absolute freedom in the selection of
the subjects. The advocates of this freedom of choice
claim that children are " unlike in the mental charac-
teristics which they inherit; that a rigid and uniform
curriculum cannot meet the natural needs of our hetero-
geneous population ; that in so far as we compel a child
to study a subject that he instinctively dislikes, and in
which he cannot succeed, we stimulate his aversion to
intellectual pursuits; that those who can master the
sciences but not the languages, or the languages but not
mathematics, are as much entitled to the fostering care
of the State in their education as those who can become
adepts in all three — science, language, and mathe-
matics."^
1 "Educational Review," Vol. x., p. 20.
164 UNION COLLEGE.
Reduced to its lowest terms, this argument simply
comes to this ; Let a boy study only what tickles his in-
tellectual palate ; let him put aside everything that pre-
sents difficulties ; let him intensify the weaknesses as
well as the strengths which he inherits. It would not l)e
difficult to forecast the results of such a system of educa-
tion. It would develop men weak intellectually, or strong
only in some special line, and weaker morally — men
without the moi'al fiber to dare and to do, to fight, and, if
need be, to die, for what is right. An education that
trains men to avoid difficulties is not the education that
is needed for life. The education we require is the edu-
cation that enables a man to see clearly the object he
ought to attain, and for the sake of that object, no mat-
ter how distasteful the struggle, to overcome all difficul-
ties. Francis Bacon held different views from those of
the advocates of unrestrained freedom in the choice of
subjects of study. " There is no stond or impediment in
the wit," he says, " but may be wrought out by fit stu-
dies, like as diseases of the body may have appropriate
exercises. . . . So, if a man's wit be wandering, let him
study the mathematics ; for in demonstrations, if his wit
be called away never so little, he must begin again ; if his
wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him
study the schoolmen ; if he be not ajjt to beat over mat-
ters, and to call upon one thing to prove and illustrate
another, let him study the lawyer's cases. So every
defect of the mind may have a special receipt."
Two influences will probably prevent the tendency
toward electives in the school from proceeding too far.
One of these is the saving common sense of the people,
who are quick to detect and to cure the vagaries of pro-
fessional educators. The other is the restraining influ-
ence of the college ; for, while the entrance examination
is yet very far from being ideal, it will always be a guide,
to a considerable extent, to the schools ; and the influence
ADDRESS. 1G5
of the college always has been, and probably always will
be, conservative.
And yet we are confronted with a most serious diffi-
culty. On the one hand, we have a multitude of subjects
that must be taught ; on the other hand, we see the im-
possibility of teaching all of them with advantage to
each pupil. Is there no middle course! Is there no
means of determining what subjects are necessary to all
13upils, and what subjects may be freely left to choice !
Dr. Harris, in writing the Report of the Committee of
Fifteen on the Correlation of Studies, has, in my judg-
ment, given us the test by which to determine what are
the essential studies for both the elementary and the sec-
ondary school. " Fourthly and chiefly," he says, " your
Committee understands by correlation of studies the se-
lection and arrangement in orderly sequence of such ob-
jects of study as shall give the child an insight into the
world that he lives in, and a command over its resources
such as is obtained by a helpful cooperation with one's
fellows. In a word, the chief consideration to which all
others are to be subordinated is this requirement of the
civilization into which the child is boi-n, as determining
not only what he shall study in school, but what habits
and customs he shall be taught in the family Ix^fore the
school age arrives." If this principle, — the efficacy of a
subject of study in giving the student an insight into the
civilization in which he lives, — if this principle be ac-
cepted as the chief determinant in building com-ses of
study, it ought not to be difficult to reach a conclusion as
to what are the essential studies.
In the first place it is evident that our civilization can-
not spare any of the subjects in the traditional curriculum
of the elementary school. Reading, wiiting, composition,
arithmetic, geography, drawing, and the history of our
own country are most assuredly essential subjects. To
these I am disposed to add, for the elementary grades,
11*
166 UNION COLLEGE.
manual training and familiar experiments in science.
Science has given us the wonderful inventions that have
almost revolutionized life in the nineteenth century. At
least a beginning in the ways of science should be made,
therefore, by every child. Every man should know some-
thing of wood-working and iron-working tools ; and every
woman something of sewing and cooking. The time has
arrived when the eye may no longer say to the hand, " I
have no need of thee."
In the secondary school the essential studies are litera-
ture, science, mathematics, and history.
By literature I do not mean the desultory reading of a
little modern prose and poetry, but a study, more or less
careful, of characteristic pieces of the world's literature.
Every boy should know his Homer in English, even if
he never reads it in. G-reek. Every boy should read some
of Plato's dialogues that he may learn how to examine
theories. Every boy should read his Shakspere, because
there, if anywhere, the passions may be purified, to use
Aristotle's words, by pity and terror. Every boy should
read his Bible, because the Bible has been the most po-
tent agent for civilization during the last two thousand
years, and because scriptural language runs like a golden
thread through all modern literature. And yet a distin-
guished professor of English at Harvard has told me
that he rarely finds one of his students who can explain
the Biblical allusions in Shakspere. The boy who has
acquired a taste for Homer, Shakspere, and the Bible
will not fail to make himself acquainted with Dante,
Goethe, Swift, and the great moderns. The great world-
literature contains the record of the development of
man's spiritual nature. And what is our civilization but
the concrete result of this development f Without know-
ing something of the world-literature, man may dig, and
eat, and sleep, and buy, and sell, but he will have little
understanding of the civilization into which he is born.
ADDRESS. 167
With tliat literature his life will be fuller, more useful,
and more joyous.
It would lead me too far afield, and I have already con-
sumed too nuieli of your time, were I to give the reasons
why I regard mathematics (algebra and geometry), his-
tory, especially the history of institutions, and science
(physics and chemistry) as, in addition to literature, the
essential studies of the high school.
There are those who claim that the Latin and Greek
languages ought to be included in the list of essential
subjects. Dr. Harris, for instance, argues elaborately
that we cannot understand anything fully until we study
its embryology; and that, since we have derived our
ideas of law and order from Rome, and our ideas of
beauty and taste from Greece, we are studying, in the
languages of these two countries, the embryology of
many of the most important features of our civilization.
The answer to this argument is that we have borrowed
from the Hebrew civilization quite as much as from the
civilizations of Greece and Rome, and that we have never
considered it necessary that all should study Hebrew in
order to understand quite clearly the mandates of ethics
and the doctrines of religion.
Bat, some one answers, you can never gain a true con-
ception of any great work of literature unless you read
it in the original tongue. This is doubtless true, at least
in part ; but it is true, if at all, only of those who have
learned to think in that tongue whatever it may be.
Ninety-nine one-hundredths of all college graduates, it
would be safe to say, have not learned to think in Greek.
They do not and cannot appreciate ^Eschylus or Demos-
thenes in Greek ; that is, they do not appreciate ^schylus
or Demosthenes, as they appreciate Tennyson or Brown-
ing. What they do appreciate, when with painful efforts
they seek to interpret the text, are not the transcendent
beauties of Greek style, but those beauties as dimly re-
168 UNION COLLEGE.
fleeted, or distorted, in their own bald and meager trans-
lations. The great majority of those who study Latin
and Greek, study the literature not in the original but
in their own translations. As the literature must, there-
fore, in nearly all cases be studied in poor translations,
why not have good translations at once ?
If, then, we are to regard literature, mathematics, his-
tory, and physics and chemistry, as the essential subjects
in the secondary school, what are those which may be left
to choice 1 Popular demand, at least in the large cities,
has, it would seem, already determined what the elective
courses shall be. The people demand from the high
schools three classes of students:
1. Those who are well trained in the classical languages,
and who are prepared to meet in these departments of
knowledge the most exacting requirements of the colleges.
2. Those who are well trained in commercial subjects,
such as book-keeping, commercial correspondence, and
commercial law.
3. Those who have had special training of hand and
eye, who understand and can make machinery, who,
though they may not be adepts in any particular trade,
comprehend thoroughly the principles that underlie all
trades — who can give the touch of the artist to the work
of the artisan.
In a word, our civilization demands that its educated
men, no matter what their walk in life, should have the
exactness that comes from mathematical study, the prac-
tical knowledge that flows from science, the political
knowledge that flows from history, and the culture that
flows from the essentially humanizing study of literature.
Our civilization does not demand that all men should be
merchants, but it does demand many men who have had
special training in the usages of commerce. Our civiliza-
tion does not demand that all men shall be machinists or
ADDRESS. 169
designers or inventors; but it does demand many men
who have a theoretical as well as a practical knowledge
of the mechanic ai'ts. Our civilization does not demand
that all men should be classical scholars ; or even that all
should have a smattering of the Latin and Greek tongues ;
but it does demand that some men should be great classi-
cal scholars, worthy interpreters to their fellows of the
contributions made by the peoples of antiquity to the evo-
lution of society as a whole and of man as an individual.
It is the province of the secondary school to present op-
portunities to these various types of men to commence
the study of their appropriate subjects. But the mission
of the school is not ended even here. It is the duty of
the school to see, as far as possible, that each student, in
addition to the essential subjects, is studying that special
group of subjects for which he is best fitted by nature.
The secondary school is the place where the choice among
the many paths that stretch through life must V)e made.
A mistake here is well nigh irreparable. A mistake here
is an injury not only to the individual but to society; for
of all the ailments from which society suifers there is per-
haps none more weakening than the wrong distribution of
talent. There are legislators, both State and National, who
ought certainly to be making shoes or following the plow
or breaking stones, and there are shoemakers well fitted
by nature to be legislators. There are principals of schools
who ought to be selling ribbons; there are men selling
ribbons who ought to be principals of schools. There are
men in the pulpit who ought to be physicians or lawyers ;
and there are physicians and lawj^ers who ought to be
something entirely different. What a change there would
be, not merely in the distribution of wealth, not merely
in increased produ(.'tion from labor, but in the happiness,
the morality, the general well-being of mankind, if every
man were set to that kind of work which he can do best.
170 UNION COLLEGE.
And there is no other agency which has an opportunity
equal to that possessed by the secondary school to bring
about this consummation so devoutly to be desired.
Another great change that has been working itself out
during the last hundred years is a change in methods of
teaching. This change appears, first, in the better adap-
tation of the subject-matter to the pupil's mind ; second,
in the opportunities given to the pupil to observe, to com-
pare, and to reason, instead of merely to memorize words,
words, words ; and third, in the attempts now being made,
under the influence of the philosophy of Herbart, to coor-
dinate various studies : that is, so to arrange the instruc-
tion that the study of one subject shall support and throw
light on the study of every other subject.
Another great change during the century is the slow
but steady growth of the idea that the only sure and cer-
tain way of improving our schools is by providing train-
ing for our teachers. State Normal Schools are a compara-
tively recent growth. It was not until 1839 that the first
State Normal School was established in Massachusetts, and
not until 1844 that a similar institution was established in
New York. In the year 1895, however, our legislature
enacted a statute which, in this matter at least, places the
Empire State in advance of all her sister commonwealths.
Seven years ago, at a meeting of the State Council of
Superintendents held in Albany, I had the honor to offer
a resolution to the effect that the Council should present
to the Legislature a bill requiring that, after a certain
date, no teacher should be licensed or employed in the
public schools of any city or village of this State who had
not had three years' successful experience in teaching, or,
in lieu thereof, graduated from a high school and spent at
least one school-year in professional training. That meas-
ure has three times passed the Legislature. Once it was
purposely permitted to die by the failure of Governor Hill
to affix his official signature. Once it was vetoed by Gov-
ADDRESS. 171
enior Flower. In the year 1895 it was passed Ijy the Le-
gishitiire and signed by Governor Morton. All honor to
Governor Morton !
One otliei- great change there has been. When Union
College was founded but little provision had been made
for the elementary education, and none for the higher ed-
ucation, of girls. Now the number of girls in the secon-
dary schools of the laud far exceeds the number of boys ;
and the number of young women in college is rapidly in-
ci-easing. Who can calculate the benefits that are to ac-
crue from the diffusion of culture, from enhanced educa-
tional power, among the mothers of the land ? Not the
college, not the secondary school, not the elementary
school, but the mother, may be the greatest educator.
The gi'eat educational movements of the last one hun-
dred years have been the movement to remove education
from ecclesiastical and private control and to place it
under 23ublic control; the movement to reform the curric-
ulum, first by extending it, and then by introducing the
elective system under proper limitations ; the movement
to improve methods of teaching by introducing individual
research and coordinating the subjects of study ; and the
movement to place the advantages of education, from the
kindergarten to the university, within the reach of all,
women as well as men. And this last movement is bound
to foster another, wiiich, though still in its infancy, will
necessarily condition all the others — the movement to
study that most complex and delicate of all the mechan-
isms created by God — the human child.
ADDRESS
BY REV. C. F. P. BANCROFT, LL. D.
Principal of Phillips Aiidovvr Academy.
WHEN, through the favor and courtesy of your hon-
ored President and those associated with him in
making up the program of this beautiful academic fes-
tival, I was invited to take part in this conference, follow-
ing the formal addresses with some informal remarks, I
felt constrained to accept the honor out of admiration
for this university, and I assumed that I should be per-
mitted, and perhaps expected, to speak of the work of
the academies in the secondary field, partly on account
of my long and intimate connection with a representative
school of this particular type, partly because Union Col-
lege rests upon an academy which, was established ten
years earlier and which was merged in the college when
the latter was founded, and more particularly because
during the last century the college has received a large
portion of its pupils from this source of supply, and
doubtless must do so in the future to a very considerable
extent.
The proper scope of secondary instruction has never
been well defined in this country. The limits between
primary and secondary subjects, and between secondary
and superior studies, have shifted. This is not strange.
ADDKESS. 173
The country is still new, it has always been wide, and at
the first it was very poor. Those circumstances have
delayed a careful separation and a close articulation of
the various departments of instruction. The theory of
educational values has been unsettled. In tlie present
period of educational reorg'auization soiik^ liiglujr studies
have dipped down into the secondary schools, and, partly
by way of experiment, studies once regarded as purely
elementary have shot across not only the whole breadth
of the schools, but also of the colleges, and have emerged
as university studies. In fact, it seems to be chiefly a
question of method and rate whether a study shall be
considered primary, secondary, collegiate, or graduate.
But there must be a true order of studies, and by and
by there must be substantial agreement as to the proper
field of each of our grades of education. Secondary edu-
cation will improve when that day comes.
In developing our secondary education we have also
employed many different instruments. Private instruc-
tion has long obtained in England, and is likely to find
favor more and more with us, not as a necessity, not as
a luxury, but on account of its flexibility and power of
individual adaptation. Very early in our history " Latin
Schools" or " Gram mar Schools" were established, after
the model of the English foundation schools. For the
most part they have lost their distinctive character, hav-
ing become academies in effect, or more nearly like our
public high schools. The Roxbury Latin School, which
celebrated last week its two hundred and fiftieth anni-
versary, has probably preserved its independent character
more nearly than any other, but is changed almost be-
yond recognition. In the last half of the last century
academies were developed under the most favoring cir-
cumstances. Within the last sixty years public high
schools have been created in great numbers, and have
established themselves with marvelous rapidity in the
174 UNION COLLEGE.
confidence of the people. Recently strictly private
schools have multiplied, and large account must be made
of them in any comprehensive survey of secondary edu-
cation. And, finally, a group of " schools " has been de-
veloped, somewhat after the model of the newer founda-
tion schools in England, schools of which St. Paul's at
Concord and the Lawrenceville School are the most famil-
iar and brilliant illustrations.
Such, in summary, are the different instruments em-
ployed in the secoudary field. We must recognize them
all ; there is room for them all ; there is need of them all.
I am to speak particularly of the academy.
The word academy has been somewhat challenged ; it
has been said to be too large and too ambitious. But it
has associations derived not alone from the fairest scene
in the Attic plain, the noblest doctrines of Greek philoso-
phy, and the purest Greek teachers, but others derived
from the fact that Milton chose it in his tractate on edu-
cation as the designation of his ideal school for the train-
ing of the best youth, gathered together for the most
perfect education ; and Milton stands for all that is noble
in letters, beautiful in personal character, pathetic in
trial, patriotic in service, faithful in friendship, and im-
mortal in fame. The Nonconformists adopted the word
for the schools which they established because they were
excluded from the foundations under the control of the
Establishment, and thus again it oljtained a recognized
significance. Of more immediate interest to us is the
fact that Benjamin Franklin adopted the word when in
1743 he drew up the plan for a higher school for the pro-
vince of Pennsylvania, and especially for the city of
Philadelphia — a school which was known for only a few
years as an academy, then as a college, and now as the
University of Pennsylvania — a proud institution which
takes for its official date not the year of its own charter,
ADDRESS. • 17")
iiov tliat of the college, nor yet that of the academy, but
goes V)at'k to 1740, when the original charitable school
which Franklin reorganized as an academy was estab-
lished, thus making the life of the university venerable
among the universities of our land. The title " Academy,"
therefore, has in it the memory not oidy of Plato and
Milton, but also of tlie sagacious, the })ractical, the enter-
prising, the benevolent and patriotic Franklin, whose
gifts for the promotion of learning in America have
proved so fruitful and enduring.
A little later than Franklin's academy in Philadelphia
there was a movement toward the foundation of a great
secondary school in Massachusetts, and the name academy,
after much deliberation, was adoj^ted Ijy the Phillips fam-
ily for their Andover institution. It was a new school,
and a new kind of a school. The idea and the name at
once prevailed. In Massachusetts alone more than a
hundred academy charters were granted. The State of
New Hampshire and the province of Maine took up the
idea, and the academies at Exeter, New Ipswich, Frye-
burg, Atkinson, and elsewhere were started. Subse-
quently hundreds of similar schools were planted in New
England, in New York, in Ohio, and later in the far
West, and to some extent in the South. In many cases
the Andover constitution was adopted almost bodily.
The founders lived to see in their own generation the
fulfilment of the ^ash expressed in their original gift to
Phillips Academy, viz., that "its usefulness may be so
manifest as to lead the way to other establishments on
the same principles." Up to the time when the public
high school became an integral part of our school sys-
tems, the academy was the princij)al agency of secondary
education. It is still a large factor. The academy went
before and prepared the way for the high school, and
made the high school possible by creating the demand
176 UNION COLLECxE.
for it. The development of the academy was a true re-
vival of learning, and an epoch-making event in American
education.
*****
The typical academy is a school devoted to secondary
education. It has been said to-day that in many cases
academies have been nondescript, have exceeded their
province, have attempted college work. It is true that
at times, and under peculiar pressure, they have attempted
to dignify themselves and enrich their courses by teach-
ing subjects which belong elsewhere. Some apology and
explanation have been given already. The temptation has
often been great, but the typical academy confines itself
to its own specific work, and thereby seeks to benefit
its own and the coming generations. It is not a college,
nor a part of a college. If ever it has wandered from its
own field, it has been partly due to the uncertainty of
boundary already alluded to, and partly to the urgency
of the demand for the higher education. So far as the
academy has yielded to the temptation it has ceased to
be a true academy. In adjusting itself to the new de-
mands and the new conception of secondary education,
it has shown its capacity to meet any just requirement
which the new education may lay upon it, and to main-
tain its place in our school systems. It is neither out-
grown nor outworn.
The academy is an incorporated and endowed institu-
tion. It is not a private venture for profit, nor a personal
memorial, nor a neighborhood convenience, nor a pro-
moter's device for raising values. It is under the aegis of
the State like the colleges, and therefore a public founda-
tion. It is endowed like our colleges, and therefore a
charity. It is incorporated that it may acquire and con-
serve the resources necessary to give it stability, dignity,
and efficiency. It is under the visitation and control of
the State that it may not waste or divert its funds, and
ADDRESS. 177
thereby fail to subserve the interests of the Commonwealth.
It receives the gifts of public-spirited and generous citi-
zens and holds them in perpetuity for the good of all.
It is, therefore, as truly i)ublic as our colleges, or as the
so-called great ])ul)Uc schools of England — Eton, Harrow,
Rugby, and the rest. The attempt to dis))arage the aca-
demy by calling it a private institution is to ignore the
motives which created it, the spirit in which it has been
administered, and the work which it has done.
The academy is historically a religions institution.'
The occasion for its establishment, as graphically stated
by Dr. Alexander in his discourse yesterday, was the de-
cline of learning and religion in the colonies. The motive
for its establishment, as stated by Frauklin and the Phil-
lipses was threefold, — philauthropic, patriotic, religious.
The youth of the land were to be educated for the sake
of their individual welfare and happiness ; the State was
to be saved from the dangers of prevailing ignorance,
provided with competent magistrates, and set forward
in wealth and power; the Christian religion was to be
inculcated, and its influences brought to bear upon the
youthful mind, by means of wholesome associations and
the instructions and example of able and devout teachers.
Franklin emphasized the patriotic motive, but did not
omit the other two. The Phillipses emphasized the re-
ligious motive, but gave full weight to the three. Clergy-
men and Churches have always had much to do with our
academies, but to a surprisingly small degree has sectarian
influence usurped the place of religious influence. They
have often been planted and fostered by denominations,
but learning is catholic, and the schools have ministered
to faith rather than to dogma. The academy has been
religious through and through because administered by
religious men.
Much has been said about the place of religion in edu-
cation, but we are in great danger of missing the real
12
178 UNION COLLEGE.
point. A school cannot be made Christian simply by
putting it under ecclesiastical control. The reverent re-
petition of prayers will not make a Christian school, just
as writing the word God into the Constitution will not
make a Christian nation. Religious influences proceed
by a different law. They are the most vital in the world.
They cannot be taught like mathematics. We make a
great mistake, therefore, when we think that there can be
no religious teaching except by a prelate, or according to a
creed, or by use of a ritual. The religious life of a school
is in its teachers far more than in its teaching.
As I walked this morning through the beautiful domain
of this college, I said to myself. How easy to destroy its
religious character in spite of all its original purpose
and its history, simply by giving the appointing power
over into the hands of some enemy of religion. Equip
your professorships with agnostics, with atheists, with
profligates, and Union College will cease to be the mother
of bishops and ministers and God-fearing men in all the
other noble walks of life. It is the influence of men like
Tayler Lewis and Laurens P. Hickok, who have loved God
and their fellow-men, who have done their duty day by
day without the slightest pretense of sanctity, who have
gone in and out amid these precincts hallowed by the
memories of the great and the good, and in their turn have
girded their spirits or deepened the streams
That make glad the fair city of God.
It is the influence of these profoundly religious men that
has made this a truly Christian college, has delivered it
from a narrow sectarianism, and caused it to stand
against the unfaith and the heresies of the world.
The academies, removed from political control, pro-
tected from frequent and sudden changes of administra-
tion, identified by their traditions and often by the terms
ADDRESS. 179
of their charters with the spirit and work of the Churches,
are in a peculiar position of vantage in tlie selection of
teachers and the maintenance of a strong and wliolesome
religious life. What might at first seem to be a limitation
has proved to be a safeguard of piety, and a liberalizing
factor in the cultivation of both mind and lieart.
The academy is an institution free from local control.
I speak of this with a degree of diffidence after the able
address of the morning. It is true that a school cannot
thrive except in friendly environment, nor can it prosper
if it does not adapt itself to real and present needs. It
is suicide to relieve a school from the support of its
alumni, the considerate gifts of its friends, the watchful
sympathy and regards of all who are concerned in it.
The oversight of its trustees must be wide and liberal.
The strength of the academies has been in the fact that
they were not planted for narrow communities, but "for
mankind." Like the colleges, they were made equal to
the whole length and breadth of humanity, and they wel-
comed to themselves pupils from every quarter and gave
them of their best. One of the advantages they have
claimed over some other schools has been that they bring
together, on terms of intellectual and social cooperation,
pupils from a wide range of territory and previous train-
ing and future career, in a republic of letters. A good
academy is above local dictation, individual whims, and
private requirements. Its governing board, its teaching
staff, its student body, its rightful constituency, are too
large and too intelligent to submit to caprice and preju-
dice, whether of individual parent or pupil. The fact
that it is not under local constraints makes it free and
independent.
The typical academy is not designed for the classes.
One of the agents of the Massachusetts Board of Educa-
tion, himself educated in a Normal School, at one time
made the public statement that the academies were
180 UNION COLLEGE.
planted for the rich, but I am happy to see that the state-
ment was subsequently withdrawn or modified. These
schools were benevolent from the outset. To make it
possible to give the best education at a moderate cost, en-
dowments were sought. The fees have been kept at a
figure much below the actual cost. The instruction has
been so good that the sons of the most favored have re-
sorted to them ; they have been so accessible that the sons
of the humblest and poorest might aspire to their priv-
ileges. Special funds for students' aid have been gener-
ously provided for those in pecuniary straits. The acad-
emies have been as truly democratic as the colleges, which,
in spite of popular misconception, are for the poor rather
than the rich. In colleges and academies alike the ma-
jority of the students are at struggle to secure the means
of their -education.
Nor, as is sometimes insinuated, are the academies pro-
vided for educating the illiterate and incompetent. The
annals of Union are enough to refute the charge. One
great service of the academy has been that it attracts the
brightest minds, the most forceful characters, stirs in them
the desu'e for liberal education, shows them the possibility
of it, prepares them for it, and sends them on into it.
Like a magnet the academy draws out from the mass of
society that which is most capable of being put to the
highest uses.
The academy provides not simply for the brief school
periods of the pupil, and that chiefly on the intellectual
side, but for the entire life of the pupil, seven days in the
week, twenty-four hours in the day. The social life, the
recreations, the public worshiji, the manifold and varied
interests of youth, — body, soul, and spirit, — are included
in the academy scheme. Many a boy and girl coming
out from good homes have found in a good school a better
and safer place for them than home. Cut off from im-
mediate parental advice, thrown back upon their own re-
ADDRESS. 181
sources, forced to make decisions for themselves, enjoying
a large measure of responsibility and freedom, questions
come up for solution, great questions for the first time
pei'haps, the greatest possible questions about their per-
sonal relations to God and duty, and in many cases the
most momentous decisions have been made, and hence-
forth the spiritual life has been clear, consistent, and
strong. The academy has been a palsetra of character.
As the college age has risen more and more, the academy
age has been the one in which have been developed and
made permanent the habits of manhood, self-control, in-
dependence, and enterprise. Those conditions and ele-
ments which have made the colleges so useful to the
country have been found measurably in the academies
and made them the means of the more general, more
thorough, more ennobling education of our people.
The question is sometimes raised, Shall this agency give
place to something else 1 By all means, if something bet-
ter can be found. After you have provided your cities,
your towns, and your larger villages with the local means
of secondary education, there will be a wide extent of
territory and population unprovided for, including the
rural districts, out of which in the history of our country
have come some of the noblest minds and strongest char-
acters. The history of our academies shows also that out
of our cities, and from the shadow of our best public and
private schools, come many excellent pupils who for vari-
ous reasons have found academy life best suited to their
needs.
I cannot doubt that Union College, the outgrowth and
successor of the Schenectady Academy, having received
a large proportion of its pupils from the academies, and
having in turn supplied a great number of academies
with successful teachers and patrons of secondary learn-
ing, will continue to foster academies in this and the
other States, not to the neglect or disparagement of any
12*
182 UNION COLLEGE.
other kind of school, but in just I'ecognition of a large
field which the academy alone has been able to occupy
down to the present time.
As I glance at the portraits along these walls, I see the
faces of men whose fame and influence have been world-
wide. There is not an academy of any importance in the
land which has not felt the touch of your great teachers.
Their books have come to us, and their lives have been
repeated to us in the lives of their pupils. Here is one of
your presidents, a graduate of our theological seminary,
and a teacher in our academy. There is Eliphalet Nott,
who built himself massively into the history of this col-
lege and his age, and whom I learned to admire in the en-
thusiasm and veneration of a neighbor over whom I
lately said the burial service, a graduate of our academy
seventy years ago, and of your college more than sixty
years ago. Dr. Nott prepared himself for his great work
here by founding an academy in his early ministry and
serving as its principal while still caring for his parish.
Time would fail us to show how intimate have been the
relations between this college and the academies. May
their mutual helpfulness and interest never cease !
[This paper was followed by an informal discussion of the general sub-
ject, in which the Chairman, Rev. Walter Scott, Principal of the Connecticut
Literary Institution, and others participated.]
O^tiiicational Conference.
AFTERNOON SESSION,
Pkesident Austin Scott, of Rutgers College,
peesiding.
SUBJECT : THE COLLEGE.
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS
BY PRESIDENT SCOTT.
UNION COLLEGE may be taken for granted. I shall
not attempt to do as those who have preceded me
have done — pay the tribute to her that she deserves ; but,
as one passes through the halls of Union he must lift
the hat. Perhaps no greater tribute could be paid her
than to say that the subject that is before us this af-
ternoon is in some respects discussed more fittingly at
Union College than anywhere else. We divide time into
centuries ; but the thought has come to me, Is it not pos-
sible that the fragments and portions of time might be
expressed and divided by the ordinary punctuation marks?
For example, some portions of time are so without mean-
ing, or at least only get their meaning as they pass over
184 UNION COLLEGE.
into other portions of time, that they might be, as in sen-
tences, separated from others by a comma. There are
other periods that are quite incidental, which might be
inclosed in brackets or parentheses; and there are still
other periods that, repeating those already past, might
be put in quotation marks ; but the century that is just
coming to a close may, perhaps, best be represented by a
question mark.
We heard this morning of many things that this cen-
tury has done in education. It has done a great deal in
political development. It has provided the materials on
all hands for something that is to come in statecraft, in
religion, in various departments ; but as it rounds itself
out, perhaps if we were to choose that which would typify
this century most aptly, we should choose for its symbol
the question mark. What is to become, politically, of
this conthient of ours? What is to be the outcome of
all the elements that are jostling each other in education !
In the college we have to make a tripod stand : the edu-
cation of the mind, of the soul, and of the body. Per-
haps for the first time in the history of education has
it come about that, simultaneously, these three parts that
make up the whole man are considered by those who are
to determine what education is and is to be, but it is a
question whether the three tripod-legs are equal, and
whether those who are charged with the direction of
education can make it stand. How far must athletics
be made a part of the curriculum of a college ? How is
the mind best trained I How far shall moral training be
a part of any scheme for the perfection of the college
course? These are all matters the present state of
which, as the century goes out, can best be represented
by a question mark. Another thing: \\Tiat is the col-
lege? I saw a day or two ago in a newspaper a chal-
lenge on the part of the colleges to the universities to
this effect : Shall they not give up their undergraduate
INTRODUCTOKY ADDRESS. 185
work ; shall they uot confine themselves to that which is
true iniiversity work? But T will not detain you. My
function is simply to listen while those who are pre-
pared to solve some of these questions speak. Among
the questions which the nineteenth century is to bring to
the twentieth is the silver question. I am to present to
you the man who knows all about it. I doubt whether
there is a man within the four bounds of our Republic
who could have shown the superb courage that has been
shown by my neighbor on my right in writing the his-
tory of the last twenty-five years. So I say to you that
I bring you an expert riddle-solver when I present the
President of that honored institution, — Brown University.
ADDRESS
BY PRESIDENT ANDREWS.
MR. PRESIDENT, Ladies and Gentlemen: Some years
ago the Episcopal Bishop Meade, of the State of
Maine, preached in a logging camp. He preached in his
canonicals, but without manuscript. When he was done,
a lumberman remarked that it was the first time he ever
knew of " one of those petticoat fellows to shoot without
a rest." When I looked over your program and saw the
formidable announcement of papers and addresses to be
presented on this occasion, I said to myself, "You are,
indeed, a rash man if you undertake to shoot this after-
noon without a rest." I much fear, now I have gotten on
my feet and look you in the faces, that ere I conclude I
shall need a rest, and I am still surer that when I am
done you will need one. Not knowing exactly how formal
or how popular these exercises were intended to be, I
did not bring any manuscript. I suppose I might have
brought some. I have in mj closet a large amount for
which I am responsible ; but I am bound to declare that
I have none with me either in my pocket or in my head.
I have, therefore, to shoot as well as I can without a rest.
When President Raymond invited me to be present and
take part this afternoon, although I knew I should at this
time be exceedingly busy, I could not find it in my heart
to decline, because the school where I do my work is
more indebted to this institution than to any other in
ADDRESS. 187
the wide, wide world. We of Brown University feel a very
deep sense of debt to the College of New Jersey, because
the first president of our university was an honored grad-
uate of Princeton. But if our college had its original
birth in James Manning, it had its second and greater
birth in Francis Wayland, and Francis Wayland was
educated in Union College. Possibly I am able to allude
to one thing pertaining to Wayland's influence which
you do not know already. I suppose the greatest event
in the world's political life the last year has been the war
between China and Japan. I fancy that almost all people
in the Western nations, and perhaps nearly all in Japan
as well, have been amazed to see with what ease that lit-
tle nation Japan walked away with the victory. But
there was a history preparatory to that victory, as there
is to every great phenomenon in human life. Those ac-
quainted with the origin of Japanese liberty know that
it rose in almost exactly the same way as did free Prussia
after the battle of Jena. Books on Prussia's wonderful
development relate that it had its source, its start, in the
intellectual movement, headed by Fichte, out of which
grew the University of Berlin. Now, there was at the
beginning of the national development of Japan a Japa-
nese Fichte, a mighty moral teacher of Japanese youth.
The Fichte of Japan was that famous philosopher Tuku
Zawa.
It is an interesting story, too long to tell here this after-
noon, how that great man, in the darkest time his native
land ever saw, gathered about him, just as Fichte did in
Berlin, young men who had hope and power, and taught
them of their possibilities and of the possibilities of the
land in which they lived, filling them with quenchless
zeal for their people. I have recently learned that the
text-book which Tuku Zawa was wont to use, whence he
brought moral inspiration, fire, and ambition iiito the
souls of those young men, was " The Elements of Moral
188 UNION COLLEGE.
Science " by Francis Wayland. We at Brown University
are proud of that fact, as we are of everything connected
with the career of our great president, and it is out of
veneration for him more than from any other cause that
I attend this anniversary.
The subject which was in a more or less indefinite way
placed before me, as indicating the direction which my
remarks were expected to take, was the college of the
present as compared with the college in earlier times.
To it, so far as I have time and can command orderliness
of thought, I will endeavor to aim my remarks.
There is one particular in which collegiate instruc-
tion is, to my mind, distinctly inferior to what it was,
say, in Dr. Wayland's or Dr. Nott's time, — I mean that we
make learning the central topic of our interest. The in-
tellect is the mark at which we aim our work. Instead
of humanit}^, instead of the man, we are now after the
thing which man, it is supposed, ought to know. When
Dr. Nott was chosen president of Union College, and, in
subsequent days, when Dr. Wayland was made president
of Brown University, educators were not thinking prima-
rily of furthering human learning and science. These
were, of course, matters of interest, but not matters of
central interest. The main thing with them was to de-
velop manhood, to turn out students who should nobly
fill important places in society. Therefore, when college
trustees were about selecting a man who was to have the
direction of a college, they looked beyond the question
of his learning. Though they did not leave learning out
of the account, they did not necessarily choose the most
learned man. They desired a man of intellectual tastes,
but above all things they desired a grand and splendid
manhood like Dr. Wayland's. If they could find such a
man they placed him over the college, so that the entire
administration of collegiate work might have as its ob-
ject the training of young manhood in large and splen-
ADDEESS. 189
did character. Those thoughts gave bent and dh-ectiou
to all educational work in Dr. Wayland's time. When
such educators laid out a curriculum they filled it with
drill and culture studies, the central thought being still
human character and faculty. They made comparatively
little of the subject studied ; little of mere science ; little
of mere form. They were thinking of what was best
calculated, or was thought to be, to develop manhood in
the pupils. Their curriculum contained much mathe-
matics, the stud}' of which was continued right up to
the end of the junior year and further if desired. I be-
lieve that with us all through Dr. Wayland's time mathe-
matical study was insisted on quite to the end of the
senior year. I am not sapng that the college authorities
of those days succeeded in making the best curriculum
that could have been devised even then for the promotion
of the "humanities." That was, however, their object,
the great thought they all had in mind. They said,
"Here are young men to be shaped for strong life by
their work in college. What is the best curriculum to
put them through f What the best course that we can
lay down for them to make them the strongest and best
men for their places in the world?" Aside from the
teaching, and the lessons that w^ere given them, students
were incessantly led to think of their calling as men.
Many doctors here this afternoon will say, "But we are
doing those same things now." Indeed, we are, and for
my part I am very glad that we are ; but I do not think
that the motives which I have dwelt uj^on are at all as
central and powerful in the educational practice of our
time as in the educational practice of fifty or seventy-
five years ago.
Turning to the other side of the shield, I believe that,
on the whole, educational work to-day is in the colleges
and universities of America better than it ever was be-
fore. It is better, not because we have so largely left out
190 UNION COLLEGE.
of our thought that great central conception of human
character and faculty, but in spite of that omission. In
what particulars is it better? I cannot mention them
all; I mention a few.
In the first place, our colleges now have more money
than they had when Dr. Nott was here and Dr. Wayland
was at Brown University ; they have a great deal more.
Not all have as much as they would like. Even Chicago
University, the greatest beggar in the college world, wants
more money ; and we always shall want more. [Laughter.]
After our commencement, feeling the need of recreation,
I attended a ball game, a thing I do frequently, even
when I don't specially need recreation, I saw a fine
game. Three and a half innings had been played at the
moment to which my thought now goes back, and neither
side had sent a man across the plate. Just then some
one from outside the iuclosure yelled for information,
"What 's the score f" And some one inside the inclos-
ure who knew shouted back, "Nothing to nothing and
Providence ahead." [Great laughter.] I said to myself,
" That is a most apt formula to describe the financial sit-
uation of the colleges that I know." [Renewed laughter.]
Take Union College and Brown University as an illustra-
tion, and I should say tliat their score, compared with
their needs, was "Nothing to nothing and Brown Uni-
versity ahead." [Laughter.] Still, though you might de-
scribe our present financial situation with a zero, you
could easily use a capital zero, whereas in good Dr.
Wayland's time you would have needed to select a
" lower case " zero. We have much more to do with than
he had. We have larger incomes and we teach more
subjects; we have a larger scheme of education, more
buildings, apparatus, and various appliances which he
could not get. I hope we make as good use of our
larger resources as educators in earlier times made of
the smaller sums they had.
ADDRESS. 191
Secondly, college communities have better health tliaii
they once had. When I entered this chapel this afternoon
a small pro«2:ram was handed me — I don't say "iiisig-
iiificaiit," because it had President Tayloi-'s name on it (his
name is a program in itself), and it contained also the name
of the presiding officer. But it was not a large docket by
any means. Soon a larger and fuller order of exercises
was placed in my hands telling of the athletic contests
which are to take place on these grounds after we ad-
journ at four o'clock. That hints at one of the best feat-
ures in oui' modern college life. I am among the college
officials who rejoice in that athletic, that gymnastic de-
velopment which is taking its place in college training.
Now, at last, educators prize good health ; they make it
a prominent matter for cultivation that youths' bodies
shall be strong in order that youths' minds may have
large and healthful basis. Among the many saws told
about President Wayland is one to the eifeet that he al-
ways advised young men, if they wished to keep well, to
rise early in the morning and take long walks. He knew
that none would do it, but then it was good advice. All
our old graduates remember that precept to this day,
though not one of them ever followed it. By that coun-
sel President Wayland in effect anticipated all this mod-
ern health-cultivation within the college. President Way-
land laid greater stress on the very important matter of
the students' health than most of the men in charge of
higher education in his day. But the professors associ-
ated with him thought little of it, and in consequence at
Brown University you have to come down to compara-
tively recent times to find any systematic attention paid
to the physical training of students. Now, however, im-
provement has come, and our students are forced, if they
do not do it voluntarily, to take time for the upbuilding
of their physical powers. The same can be said of every
well-equipped college in this country. The physical de-
192 UNION COLLEGE.
velopment of young people in college is no longer neg-
lected. The average youngster in college is, I believe,
made healthier, bodily, during each of the four years of
his sojourn there. We can prove that we actually cure a
great many of the diseases which young men bring to col-
lege ; and that we turn the youug man who has no disease
out of college at the end of his course in a condition in
which he is less likely to contract one than he was when
he entered, or would have been if he had not entered.
Something is added to the life-probability of all youug
people who go through college. On an average they will
live longer, do more work, work with less discomfort and
grumbling than if they had not been students. Just
think, ladies and gentlemen, how much it must mean for
the future of our country if anything like that is true,
touching our institutions of high learning. I believe that
it is true, and will be still more true as physical train-
ing Vjecomes more and more an organic part of college
education.
Total wreck often follows neglect of the physical in a
student's life. An educated mind may be worthless if
handicapped by a diseased and emaciated body. I have
an illustration in mind at this moment. A young colle-
gian had won the highest laurels of his class. He was a
si)lendid scholar. His equal had scarcely been known in
the history of his college. He had broken the record in
almost all studies. Students looked at him in amazement
and said, " There goes So-and-so ; his record in Latin was
so-and-so ; his record in Greek was so-and-so." Every
old graduate took off his hat to him. So much for the
development of his mind ; but what of his body I I will
tell you: When he stood upon the graduating platform
to pronounce the valedictory address, being taken with
hemorrhage at the nose he was carried helpless from the
platform and all day they hardly knew whether he would
live or die. And though he was a good fellow and meant
ADDRESS. 193
to do good, it made little difference to the world whether
he lived or died, for he has accomplished nothing from
that day to this. He is a walking skeleton, with no hope
of ever being anything else. You reniendjor, perhaps, a
remark once made in the Senate Chamber at Washington
by Senator Fessenden, reflecting on Senator Sumner. As
was his custom when about to make a speech, Sumner
had just come in laden with a mass of books. Fessenden
said, " Look at that d — d school-boy coming up to recite
his lesson!" A great many of the ])rilliant men who
have graduated from American colleges have been in
after life nothing but school-boys, — pedantic, with infor-
mation enough, maybe, but unable to do aught with it
for lack of physical strength. I am glad that there are to
be athletic contests after these addresses. Young men,
get health ; make your bodies strong ; then your learning
will be of some use. The importance of a good physical
gi'oundwork to our mental life is becoming greater and
greater with every passing year. Look at the influential
men in Congress. The secret with every one of them is
that he has a strong body and is able to work more hours
a day than his fellows can. You must have health if you
are going to do anything great in this competitive world.
As a third element of superiority in our modern educa-
tion, I would mention its larger liberty. The student has
a greater freedom in the choice of studies. Unless car-
ried to very great extremes, this is a distinct advantage.
People have learned in recent years that God Almighty
has many keys with which to unlock human intelligence.
In our college we have shops where they do all sorts of
cunning things ; a shop for wood-working, and a shop for
work in iron, steel, and other metals. Three or four
years ago our faculty recommended to the Board of Fel-
lows that any candidate should be permitted to take one
term in the woodwork shop and another in the iron and
steel work shop, and that each term should count one
13
194 UNION COLLEGE.
term toward the attainment of the degree whatever the
degree might be for which the candidate was studying.
This has been permitted ever since. A considerable
number of the candidates for the degree of Bachelor of
Arts avail themselves of the opportunity. A singular
phenomenon has come to light in connection with this
practice. We have found that many men have continued
dull and inexact, flabby-minded and illogical, until they
got into the shop, who then woke up, became bright,
turned their attention to literature, and proved fine stu-
dents. You would hardly believe this were it not stated
to you on the authority of a college president. (Laugh-
tei-.) But it is true notwithstanding. (Laughter.) Per-
haps with a little effort I can make all understand why it
is so. A very inexact scholar can read Greek after a
fashion, and get through the Freshman mathematics. At
our college we do not require a candidate for Bachelor-
ship in Arts to pursue mathematics after Freshman year.
Well, your dullard can get through algebra, geometry,
and trigonometry, and yet never attain exactness, accur-
acy. Cardinal Newman, you remember, says that a great
part of a liberal education is training in accuracy. The
fellow stuml)les through his " Herodotus," his " Homer,"
even his " Titus Livy " and his " Horace," and gets up
his mathematics too, but the idea of knowing things ex-
acthj he has never been able to realize. But now he,
who never did a day's work in a shop before in his
life, goes to the shop and takes a lesson under the boss
carpenter. This new preceptor says, " Take that board
and plane that edge straight, young man, or you can't
have credit for any work done in this shop." The young
man wakes up. If he never opened his eyes before he
now opens one at least to squint across that edge.
(Laughter.) Then the professor of carpentry says : " Saw
right up to that line on the right, but don't you saw it
out." The learner tries, but saws the line out, and has to
ADDRESS. 195
begin again, for he gets no credit for that piece of work.
He keeps at it until lie can saw along the riglit of that
line and not saw it out. When he has accomplished this
feat, the instructor tries him upon the left of the line;
and then, when liis jtupil has mastered that conquest, he
makes him saw out the line, every part of it. The stu-
dent says: "I have done something at last, and, thank
God, I have done it exactly ! " He could never say that
before. I have known a number of cases where it seemed
to me that the intellectual life of the youth began in
using a saw or a jack-plane or some other implement
employed in the shop.
There is larger liberty also in matters of conduct and
belief. We do not drive orthodoxy or virtue into young
men with the birch. In most States, I believe, it is still
legal for a college president to take a senior across his
knee, and it is certain that some of them deserve this.
It is said that when Dr. Wayland was president he burst
into a dark room -where students were making great dis-
order and seized one big fellow. They had a hard tussle,
but Dr. Wayland was the better man. Grabbing the stu-
dent bodily, he rushed him to the light and held him up
as a girl would hold her doll, and said, " It is you, is it ? "
[Laughter.] The fellow could not well deny it — [laughter]
—and so said, " Yes, it 's me." " Well," said Dr. Wayland,
"go to your room and never let me catch you at this
again." Nowadays, generally speaking, we do not em-
ploy that form of discipline. I weigh one hundred and
ninety-four pounds, but the center-rush in our foot-ball
line is a young gentleman whom I should prefer to dis-
cipline otherwise than corporally. A great deal could he
said upon the advantage of free, open dealing with young-
men, advantage with reference to their character, on both
its religious and its moral side.
However, leaving those interesting things to be dis-
cussed by the president of Vassar College, who knows all
196 UNION COLLEGE.
about young men, I pass on to mention what I call the
reality of our modern education as compared with the
representative and arm's-length character of it once. I
shall never cease thinking that most of the teaching un-
der which I came when in college — that was a long time
ago, I grant, and therefore, perhaps, the general argument
loses weight, but still I will endeavor to advance it, such
as it is — that most of the teaching in college when I was
there was morbidly pedantic. It had little bearing upon
life. It was well meant and it did some good. One must
always be glad to have received that rather than nothing ;
bat I freely say that I think the teaching now done in
most- of our institutions of higher learning is indefinitely
superior to that formerly communicated. It is real, and
not pedantic. That is, teachers to-day insist that pupils
shall actually know something, and not know about some-
thing. A lady once wrote to Professor Hiram Corson, of
Cornell: " My dear Professor Corson, — I have been elected
secretary of a Browning club and I am to prepare the
first paper. We are to meet a week from to-night ; and
I write you respectfully to inquire what I ought to read
in order to get ready for this paper." Professor Corson
wrote back : " Dear Madam : Yours received and contents
duly noted. Read Browning." [Laughter.] Well, when
I was in college we did not read Browning. We did not
read Milton. We did not read Shakspere. Some of us
were in doubt whether such persons ever lived. What
did we read f A certain manual of English literature
with a great many dates in it, not one of which I re-
member, although I was very diligent in that department.
It was somewhat so around the entire circle of alleged
information presented to us. Instead of getting at the
penetralia of things as pupils are made to do now by
first-hand use of the library and in the seminary, we
learned ahout things. This movement in the direction of
reality in collegiate teaching is one in which I glory.
ADDRESS. 197
Begging the pardon of all for the desultory manner in
which I have spoken, I concludes with the expression of
my best wishes for the future of Union College, an institu-
tion of learning for which I have the profoundest respect.
They tell a story about what occurred when MacMahon,
who was President of the French Tie})ublic, reviewed
some cadets at one of the great French military schools.
There was among the cadets a colored boy, who had been
abused by some of his white comrades. Now there was
to be a review and MacMahon was to come and inspect
them. The friends of the negro said, " The colored cadet
will get his rights now that the old man is here." As
soon as the boys turned out upon parade, MacMahon spied
the colored fellow and went straight for him. As he
came in front the colored cadet stood at "Attention,"
straight as a string, and the President addressed him.
He said, in the politest French, "Are you the colored
gentleman ? " And the cadet replied, " Yes, Mr. Presi-
dent, I am." " Well," said the President of the French
Republic, " continue to be so." [Laughter.] What, as a
nursery of learning and character Union College has been
up to this good day, that may Union College continue to
be forever. [Applause.]
13*
ADDRESS
BY PRESIDENT TAYLOR.i
MR. PRESIDENT, Ladies and Gentlemen : I am not
so sure as President Scott is that I cannot say
something about the " score," if necessary. That is not
my subject this afternoon ; but if I had not been brought
up somewhat in an athletic way and been more or less
accustomed to some of these diversions, I have the for-
tune, or misfortune, to have a son at present in a man's col-
lege, and he plays base-ball. If my own training was
deficient in my early days, I think I may possibly have
been fortunate during the last three years.
I greatly regret that I must stand in your presence
this afternoon, for the reason that the place which I
occupy was to be filled by President Clarke Seelye, of
Smith, a graduate of Union College, who would have
spoken, as would have been so eminently fitting, upon
the growth of the woman's college during this century.
I regret that you and I will not be able to listen to his
paper upon this subject, which would have been so
scholarly and so appropriate to this occasion. We know
the deep sorrow which has fallen upon President Seelye
1 President Taylor kindly consented, at very short notice, to fill the gap in
the Educational Conference caused by the disability of President Seelye, of
Smith College. He was, therefore, compelled to appear without manuscript
or any considerable preparation. The following address is from a transcript
of the notes of the reporter employed for the Centennial occasion. The
Committee takes the entire responsibility of this publication.
ADDKESS. 199
in the loss of his son, and in tlic later loss of his brother,
also an honored aluinnns of Union College; and I am
snre that onr hearts all ^2:0 ont to him to-day in sym-
pathy. I can only claim, — having been asked at a late
hour to stand in his place to-day, — I can only claim a
certain fitness as representing him as a friend, and also
as representing another alumnus of Union College, the
first active president of Vassar College, my own prede-
cessor, President John H. Raymond ; so that I feel, in
standing before a Union College audience, as a friend of
these men, so eminent in the education of woman, and
as their representative, I may faintly express what they
might have said so much better regarding the growth
and progress of this great movement among women. I
cannot, of course, speak, looking back over a century, of
woman's education alone; for the woman's college has
only entered upon the heritage that has been prepared
for it during the progress of the century. As we look
back upon the early days of Union, there is very little to
see in the line of woman's education. The early days of
the century suggest the small scope of the training of
that day, in the branches of which Mrs. Adams tells us,
reading, writing, and arithmetic, and for a favored few
dancing and music ; they recall the time when the Bos-
ton School Board closed its school, which had been open
for a year to girls, because girls came in so much larger
numbers than boys that it threatened the exchequer of
the City of Boston, and to save their treasury they closed
their high school against the girls ; they suggest the days
when Emma Willard learned first the power of woman to
master mathematics, — a pathetic tale it seems to me, —
when she, who had been trained to believe in the compa-
rative weakness of woman's mind, studied until she had
mastered geometry and had been tested by a young stu-
dent of Middlebury C-ollege, who lived in her family, as
to her capacity to pass an examination. They carry us
200 UNION COLLEGE.
back to tlie days when Frances Power Cobb, that brilli-
ant woman and brilliant thinker, was trained in one of
the best schools in England, where education was such
that it curbed both body and mind and stilled the soaring
of the spirit ; the days when Emma Willard began a great
work in Troy, and Mary Lyon opened a school at Holyoke
whose work has gone out into every section of the globe ;
and when Catherine Beecher founded a school at Hart-
ford which produced such a profound impression in the
country. All these were the gathering of the rills to-
ward the fullness of the stream. As one watches the
progress from those early times through our century,
Oberlin and Antioch, Lombard, and Mary Sharp, and
Macon, Iowa, and Alfred, admit women to the privileges
provided for men or are specially founded for women,
until Elmira is constituted, in 1859, as perhaps the high-
est reach of them all for the express education of young
women. It was not, however, until Mr. Vassar placed
his fortune at the disposition of the trustees whom he
had constituted a board for his new college for women,
and made something like a sufficient provision, at that
day, for the beginnings of a college, that these streams of
influence culminated and a college was built which com-
manded a position among the men's colleges of the coun-
try, in virtue of its size, — which is always counted too
largely in college matters — in virtue of its size and en-
dowments and faculty.
From that time on progress in the direction of higher
education for women has been rapid. I shall not stop to
review it. "We know that hundreds of colleges for men
have opened their doors to women. We know that there
are four or five large colleges for women that are the
equal of the best colleges for men, and the movement has
gone on apace until a score of thousands of students are
to-day enlisted in this higher education, and our larger
universities (and many more of them will soon follow)
ADDRESS. 201
are opening tlieir doors for the highest education attain-
able for women as for men. Now I say that, in viewing
this progress of women's edueution, we are to rememl)er
that the woman's college entered nj^on a heritage, and
while we look back over a century to-day, it is only a
third of a century that is really marked by the great
movement that we entitle the higher education of wom-
an. The rest of the period was one of preparation ; so
that women's colleges have entered into a condition pre-
pared for them by the general advance of educational
theory and practice. Let me very briefly summarize
what seem to me two or three leading lines in which the
educational world has so changed from early times as to
prepare a better opportunity of development for women's
colleges.
In the first place, within that time we have entered into
the elective system of study. I say elective sj/sffm of
study, because it represents a pr'mcipU ; because it is a
declaration, not of a mere liberty of choice as over against
prescription, — never that, — but a declaration that, in
paths of knowledge other than those which were believed
the sole lines of education a quarter or a half century ago, a
full development of the student may be gained as well as
in the old. The elective system of study represents the
vast advance of knowledge within our generation and the
necessity of a new system if these valued lines of know-
ledge are to be introduced into a college curriculum. It
means, therefore, not necessarily an equal valuation of
all studies for educational purposes, but that the edu-
cated world will never again return to the belief that
only one particular system of knowledge is worthy of
being called liberal training. It means that in many
different groups, and by many different preparations, a
liheral training, in the large, free sense of that word, may
be gained. Now, in the last quarter of a century this
elective system of study has absolutely broken up the old
202 UNION COLLEGE.
American curriculum. The Ameiican college of twenty-
five or thirty years ago, when this movement for woman's
education began, was a quite well-defined institution. It
had definite outlines, definite purposes. No man would
claim to-day that there is much that is definite about the
American college. It is, in fact, chaotic. It looks toward
the high school on the one side and toward the university
on the other ; it can hardly tell with which its relations
are the closer, so developed has the high school become,
and so far down has the univei'sity dij)i3ed into what
most of us were coming to think the proper sphere of
collegiate study. Now the American college undoubtedly
will become a more definite institution between the high
school and the university, and although one must projDh-
esy carefully and with due difiidence, this at least seems
clear: the American college will be Jiheral in distinction
from professional,, its courses will be largely elective and
increasingly broad, and while it will not admit the equal
educational value of all studies, it will never again allow
a single group to define the notion of a liberal education.
Into this heritage, — a substantial gain in educational the-
ory — the American wommi's college has entered.
Now, in another aspect, it seems to me, a very consid-
erable change has come over our institutions in a quarter
of a century, and that is in the disciplinary aspect of col-
lege life. President Andrews has spoken fully of that, and
I will not dwell upon the subject more than simply to say
that we men who were educated twenty-five or thirty or
forty years ago are very likely to exaggerate the superi-
ority of this later time. The discipline then was quite as
good in the main, perhaj^s, as it is now ; but I think we
may say, on the whole, that there has come to be a heart-
ier and happier relationship between the student and the
professor, and that it could not be said, perhaps, as com-
monly as it might have been said once, in the language
ADDRESS. 203
of a famous professor of Brown University, that a profes-
sor's life would be a very happy one if it were not for the
student. There has come to be a far bett(U- relation gen-
erally between the teacher and the taught ; but there are
many of us who can look back and remember the men
who taught us and impressed theii' ideals u])on us, who
held in their hands the conduct and discii^line of the
colleges, and say whether a half or a quarter of a century
ago it was the man or the system that had most to do
with the effect of our college life upon our after lives.
In one other aspect, let me say, there has been a vast
progress in our educational theory. Within that period
has been the time of the growth of federation, of the re-
cognition of the relationship of the various parts of our
educational whole. Never before in the history of edu-
cation, I believe, has there been so clear an understand-
ing on the part of men interested in the various depart-
ments of education, of their common interest; never a
time certainly in American education when men have
come to recognize so clearly that the school, the college,
and the university must work hand in hand, that they
must be in touch, the response of part to part ; and the
most hopeful sign in the educational firmament of Amer-
ica is the fact that all these educational parts are looking
toward this unity, and men are beginning to recognize
clearly that they do not labor in a college or a university
or a high school or academy merely, but that they have
part in a harmonious and correlated system of instruc-
tion which is related to every interest of our common
life. The committees that have been formed by a Na-
tional Educational Association, the Committees of Ten
and of Fifteen, have touched the life of the university
and of the college, and the life of the school, and these
are but signs of what is certain to come in far larger
measure, with increased hope for the ordering of much
204 UNION COLLEGE.
of the chaos in our present educational system because
we are appreciating the value of a unity founded in our
common interest.
It is into this heritage, into this threefold aspect of
growth, that the woman's colleges have entered, and es-
pecially the later colleges. The questions, then, this af-
ternoon to be answered in few words are, What do the
woman's colleges signify in this movement of a century ?
What do they represent as influences in these directions
of American thinking and practice I
What do they represent in the intellectual life of the
American college ? To my own mind there are here two
very manifest dangers. One of them has been briefly re-
ferred to by my friend, Dr. Andrews ; it is the danger of
intellectualism. That, however, is the danger from the side
of the faculty — the danger of a simple intellectualism; the
forgetfulness that, after all, we are educating men. What-
ever our teaching may be, and in whatever branch it may
be, it certainly fails unless it somehow grips the soul of
a man ; unless it makes him larger, fuller, with stronger
purposes in life and better able to achieve them. After
all, Rousseau was right when he said that " to live " was
"the profession he would teach one." Whatever be its
intellectual or other standards, the education that does
not send out men and women better equipped for life
is a failure. Now, it seems to me that, through the mere
course of nature, through the action and reaction which
are its inevitable law, we have come to put our emj)hasis
a little too much, perhaps, in our college work upon the
merely intellectual side of education. Doubtless a gen-
eration ago there was a far lower intellectual ideal, and
the need of putting more emphasis upon this aspect of
our colleges was profoundly felt; and those of us who
were in college a quarter of a century ago, I am sure,
recognize the fact very clearly that there has been an
immense advance, but, as in all human things, a one-
ADDKESS. 205
sided advance. The moral side needs emphasis, "moral"
in its large, broad sense, the power that takes hold of
the soul and the heart of a man and makes him intellec-
tually earnest, and sincere, and progressive, as well as
morally earnest.
It seems to me, also, that there is another danger right
over against the danger from the side of the faculty, and
that is a danger from the student side of college life, the
danger of too little intellectual earnestness and too little
moral earnestness. No man rejoices more than I do in
this progress in athletics. Let me say a word here, be-
cause of what has just been said, and because I observe
always in gatherings of men a tendency to the belief
that athletics concern yonng men alone. Why, men and
brethren, Vassar College started this work of physical
edncation. Vassar College opened its doors to physical
education in 1865, and physical education has been a
feature of that institution ever since. We have had a
well-equipped gymnasium for years, including a swim-
ming-bath ; we have a field for basket-ball and battle-
ball ; we play tennis and golf; we skate and we row, and
we are familiar with the bicycle. I am inclined to think
that if some of us of the stronger sex were compelled to
follow some of these girls in their exercises in the gym-
nasium, we should get very short of breath and weary in
body before we had finished. These gii-ls are not weak-
lings by any means; they keep fully abreast of the
sterner sex in athletics of the proper kind. As I say,
I rejoice in all these physical contests. I admire base-
ball too, but do you know I can hardly recognize it as a
college study? I ask myself now and then what would
be thought by an unprejudiced observer from Mars if
lie should drop down upon some of our great univer-
sities in the midst of the athletic season. It seems to
me that there is grave danger here to American educa-
tion. I believe in athletics ; I believe in base-ball and
206 UNION COLLEGE.
to a degree in foot-ball; in the foot-ball that is played
on the foot -J) all field and not in the newspapers by college
correspondents, and witli the toufjue. But I am sure that
the educated American people are awakening to the be-
lief that there is a danger here, a danger that the intel-
lectual tone of our colleges and universities is suffering.
I know it to be true in large measure, and that the un-
prejudiced observer, if he were to visit several of our
large universities, would have reason to question whe-
ther, side by side with this athletic education, they were
also sufficiently gripping their men intellectually and mak-
ing of them good men and citizens. For I do believe
that the first business of a college is the making of good
men after all, men who know how to think (that is the
great difference between men as life goes on — the power
to think clearly, accurately, strongly), and then to act;
and the college that is not doing that is failing at the
main point of college education, no matter what its
base-ball team can do, or how its foot-ball record stands.
[Applause.]
Now I ask what are the women's colleges doing in the
face of these two opposite dangers that threaten American
education f I believe that they are standing for a health-
ful mean ; that they are emphasizing as much and as
clearly as any colleges in America the intellectual side of
education, and that their health record will compare with
the best of our American institutions; that they are watch-
ing the physical side and are watching the intellectual
side also. And this needs to be said, — will you allow me
to say it? — it needs to be said with emphasis to an audi-
ence even of college men. I took up a journal a few
months ago, one of the leading papers of America, which
had reviewed the catalogue of the college which I serve.
It was an admirable editorial ; respectful with that degree
of respect which men are in our later years beginning to
show to women's colleges. It was evidently by a practised
ADDRESS. 207
hand. It took up the essential features of our college
curriculum, and dwelt upon them with skill. It compared
our curriculum with those of colleges for men, and showed
that it stood equally well, so far as the catalofjuc was con-
cerned. And then it raised this question : If the women's
colleges are (Johuj this work as it is printed in their cata-
logues, then who shall say that they are not doing equally
well with the best of our colleges for men? That is a
question which is raised continually, and surprisingly.
In the college which I represent there are in our fac-
ulty graduates of Hai'vard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, and
Michigan, and of several of the smaller colleges ; we have
among the men of our faculty representatives, too, of the
larger universities, such as Johns Hopkins, and of several
of the European universities ; and our women represent
the best of the women's colleges, and some of them also
have worked in the European universities as well as in
those of our own land. Now is it possible (and in this
regard Vassar is onl}^ a type of the faculties of the wo-
men's colleges in general) — is it possible that a body of
men and women who are thus products of the best in-
stitutions of America do not know what good education
isf And is it possible that they work along together
year after year with ideals clear, and knowing what
education means, and do not hold up the level as high
as that of any other institution in the land f Let me
say plainly, as a man (I speak as a man), let me say
that as I have worked with both men and women I have
been struck by this, that when it comes to holding fast
to an ideal, it is the woman who hews to the line. (Ap-
plause.) I say that with no depreciation of man's work
or of man's high ideals ; but it is in the nature of woman,
it is what you call conscience in her; it is what makes
woman more religious, and, as a rule, more faithful to the
ordinary duties of life. And carrying that into education,
what does it mean ? It means that your girls cannot slip
208 UNION COLLEGE.
through. Sometimes your boys do. It meaus that your
girls cannot be absent from the college week after week,
that they cannot cut here and cut there and still main-
tain their standard of scholarship. It would be absolutely
impossible, I think, for any average student to be absent
from college as much as some of our teams in the larger
colleges are absent, and do the work which is required in
women's colleges. I speak very plainly, men and breth-
ren, because I wish to emphasize the answer to the question
to which I am set to speak, — what are women's colleges
doing for education in this last quarter of the century? —
and I sum up this point with the declaration that I be-
lieve that there is no educational work done in our col-
leges anywhere in America that is more fairly set in the
face of a high ideal than that of the colleges for women.
Their curricula are the equals of those of our best colleges
for men ; their faculties have no reason to lift their hats
to the faculties of other institutions, save as a matter of
fraternal courtesy ; and they are holding their ideals and
pressing toward them.
Now, in a few words let me speak of that second point,
the standard of discipline. I believe that the women's
colleges are contributing something to the ideals of col-
lege government. It does not seem to me that in this
respect we have grown very rapidly in the last few years,
notwithstanding the better relation between the teachers
and the taught. The old ideal of college government
still prevails in the major number of our American col-
leges. It involves the largest possible liberty on the part
of the student and the occasional interference on the part
of the faculty; at least that seems to me the case as I
study it. It was the case in the college in which I was
educated, though we had at the head of it one of the
first men of our generation in education. It has been
true of the men's colleges with which I have been asso-
ciated rather intimately for the last few years. I see it as
ADDRESS. 209
I. watch the government of some of our larger colleges, the
combined collego-uuiversity, which we are calling univer-
sities in our days, — that perfect freedom, a freedom that
we tolerate almost nowhere else in the world in our
young men, limited only by occasional interference on
the part of the faculty. But the idea of an independent
body of students ruled by principle and by honor has
spread very slowly among our men's colleges in America.
Now, is not that true ? I know the Amherst plan and it
stands almost alone ; but in oiu- women's colleges there is
a general tendency to trust the students, to establish for
them certain standards of conduct, and to leave the en-
forcement of these to the principle of honor. When I
was at Amherst a few years ago, I said to my friend.
President Grates, as we walked out of the chapel after
service, " What are those young men around here ? "
He replied, " Those are monitors." Said I, " Are they
part of your self-govei'nment system I " He replied.
"Well, we have to have our monitors. That is part of
the system." Self-government as it is carried on in our
women's colleges involves no monitors. It means honor.
It means that certain principles of conduct are set up for
the student body by the faculty, and the student l)ody
agrees to enforce them. Attendance at college chai:)el is
one of the matters thus left with the students ; the mat-
ter of compulsory exercise, which seems so absurd in
most men's colleges and which is getting to be very ab-
surd in the women's college, but which used to be so nec-
essary, is another ; the matter of retiring at some defi-
nite time, which seems also unnecessary at men's colleges,
unless a man is training and has to do somen} luff, in
which case he goes to bed at a stated and sensible hour,
constitutes a third. These cases are left absolutely
to the honor of the students. Now, men and brethren, is
not that a step forward, and is it a step which cannot be
taken by our colleges for young men f Is it possible that
14
210 UNION COLLEGE.
young men cannot be trusted ? Is it possible that they
have not honor enough to sustain the law? I do not
believe that they cannot be trusted to look after their
own conduct in these matters. Ever since I have known
anything of the self-governing principle, I have always
said that it might be tried just as well in om^ colleges for
men as in our colleges for women, and that young men
might be educated to feel that it is more dangerous to
face the condemnation of their own conscience than that
of any college faculty ; and until our young men are edu-
cated to that level by our colleges it seems to me that the
colleges are not progressing as the}^ should. This is the
contribution of our women's colleges to the last quarter
of a century in the matter of government. I do not
mean that this system of self-government has never been
known outside of them : I mean that it is the wlwJe tendency
in them. I am told that at West Point, where I suppose
boys are no better than they are in other places, the one
thing that will never be forgiven a man is a lie ; and in
the case of mischief in a class-room, where the professor
asked, " Did you do that ! " and the guilty man said, " No,
sir," the class gathered about the man after recitation,
and said, "Unless you go and confess that lie, we will
cut you. We '11 have no lying at West Point." Now
whether that be true or not, — and it only comes to me as
a report, — it ought to be true in every association of
young men and young women that a lie is recognized as
the very meanest of sins. A lie, as Kant said, is the
abandonment of one's own personality; and certainly in
this matter of government our colleges ought to be doing
what they can to lead young men to live by their honor,
and to recognize the governance of high principle. If the
colleges for men would say to their students, " Here are
certain principles of conduct which are necessary because
we are gathered here and related as a common body with
common interests and aims : will vou enforce them I " I
ADDRESS. 211
believe that the young men could be absolutely trusted to
enforce them — not every young man, — no society was
ever as perfect as that, — but enougli young men to make
it more perilous for the otfender than any college faculty
can make it.
Let me say, finally, that I think the women's colleges
are contributing something in our generation to the set-
tlement of the vexed question of the relation between the
college and the university. That question is not all on
one side. The universities have quite as much to answer
for in this present educational chaos as have the colleges ;
bat I believe the women's colleges are at least doing
something to attempt to solve the question. There are
two tendencies among the leading women's colleges. One
of them is represented by the emphasis on graduate
work; the other is represented by the belief that the
American universities are absolutely bound to open their
doors to women, for graduate courses, — that it is inevit-
able that the progress of another generation will turn
aside the obstructions that still stand in the way of the
complete opening of aU (/raduate work to women. In the
light of that belief, the other tendency in women's col-
leges to which I refer is to emphasize the college work
with opportunities for a single year of graduate study,
leading to the master's degree, but with the general aim
to send its students to the large universities as soon as
they have finished the undergraduate course. These two
tendencies have been promulgated and definitely held;
there is no drifting in the matter; and I am sure that
you will all agree with me that the tendencies of most
American colleges on this great question are to drift and
to wait ; while at least some of these women's colleges
have faced this question definitely. The trustees of one
of them have put their emphasis on graduate work ; the
trustees of another have put their emphasis on under-
graduate work, and have withdrawn from the catalogue
212 UNION COLLEGE.
the offer of the doctor's degree and have decided that
students who desire that must go to the larger univer-
sities.
Here, then, are the contributions that occur to me as
having been made by women's colleges during the last
quarter of a century toward the general tendencies of ed-
ucation in American colleges. Their battle is well won.
It has been no sudden conquest. It has been a battle, I
repeat, which these women's colleges have been waging
to get the mere right of recognition ; but to-day they do
not plead; to-day they stand hand in hand with the best
of the colleges for men ; to-day they claim equality ; to-
day they turn out results that are fully equal to the best
of those from the colleges for men ; and all that can be
hoped for is that just as the best colleges for men have
held their faces toward the future, so these colleges for
women shall press on and on, ever looking toward the
highest and never satisfied.
[An animated discussion followed, in which President Scott, Principal
D. C. Farr, Hon. Melvil Dewe.y, Dr. Thomas E. Bliss, Dr. Wm. H. Maxwell,
and others participated. After adjournment an Athletic Contest was con-
ducted on the College Oval.]
<^Durationa! Coiifcrcncc.
EVENING SESSION.
SUBJECT, THE UNIVEKSITY.
Pkesident Gilman, of Johns Hopkins Univeksity,
pkesiding.
PRESIDENT GILMAN, in taking the chair, referred
to the distinguished services that the graduates of
Union College have rendered to Church and State, and
congratulated the authorities in having brought hither,
on this centennial anniversary, so many leaders of educa-
tion in widely separated States. A special ser\ace has
been rendered to American culture by setting apart one
day to consider what places in the educational system of
the United States belong to the school, the college, and
the university. When these three stages are generally
recognized and their work kept distinct, there will be less
waste of force, less duplication, greater progress, richer
results.
We may say in a few brief phrases that the school stands
for that which is essential to the training of the citizens
of a republic ; that the college stands for liberal education,
an introduction to the nobler lessons of history, language,
science, and philosophy; while the university stands partly
for the advancement of knowledge, and partly for jjrofes-
14* -''
214 UNION COLLEGE.
sional training and the preparation of young scholars for
those manifold pursuits of modern life, which are depen-
dent upon an advanced knowledge of the laws of nature
or of the history of human thought. The conception of
a university, as distinct from a college, has of late years
been growing more and more obvious in this country, and
accordingly the speakers invited for this evening have
been chosen from certain new foundations in which the
effort is making to work out these fundamental ideas,
free from the fetters of precedent and custom.
Let us take it for granted that in developing the idea
of the American University, each institution will have its
distinctive character. Our highest seminaries will not be
organized under a national government, as universities
are organized under European governments; but each
will grow up in its own environment, and proceed with
its own work, according to the means it possesses and
with due regard to what is in progress elsewhere. We
may take it for granted, also, that the American Univer-
sity will stand upon the American College, so that what-
ever changes may be introduced in the latter, — although
greater wealth may provide more ample facilities, and
even greater freedom may provide more varied courses of
study and opportunities of wider choice, — the American
people will still preserve the fundamental characteristics
of the American College. This " college " idea was intro-
duced by the earliest colonists in Massachusetts, Connec-
ticut, and Virginia, and it has spread from one State to
another, until it is now recognized in every part of the
land. It provides for a liberal introductory training in
the arts and sciences, designed at once for those who go
forward into the so-called "professions," for those who
enter upon the scientific and professorial vocations of
modern times, and for those who proceed at once to the
pursuits of active business. Those who are striving for
the development of the university idea generally believe
ADDRESS. 215
ill the doctrine that it should be associated with the de-
velopment of the college idea. The distinction between
collegiate and iinivei-sity methods is therefore niaiiitaiiied.
CoUege education is cliiorty didactic. The master trains
the pupil. The college means discipline, and the forma-
tion of character, the preparation of youth for intelligent,
useful, honorable lives. University education is freer.
The teacher leads his pupils, awakens in them the love of
research, and at once suggests, inspires, and guides their
investigations. It prepares for professional life by pre-
cept, example, opportunities, criticisms, and encourage-
ments ; and it includes, among professions, the manifold
vocations which have been developed in modern society
by the progress of science. Moreover, the university en-
gages directly in the advancement of knowledge, and car-
ries the torch of inquiry into the border-lands of darkness
or obscurity.
[The speaker then proceeded to illustrate the modern
process of research by reference to the study of the nature
of light, the analysis of the solar and stellar spectra, the
measurement of wave-lengths, and the coincidence of
certain f)henomena of electricity and light. A second
illustration was taken from the domain of philology, and
and especially from the study of the Sacred Scriptures.
"A large part of the questions of interpretation which dis-
turb in these days the Christian Church can never be de-
termined by popular assemblies, but only by the quiet,
careful, accurate, learned studies of the scholars of the
world." A third illustration was found in the latest
phases of biological science, the study of bacteria, and
the experimental study of psychology.]
These and many other examples are indications of the
highest work of the modern university, — the patient, pro-
longed, unselfish cooperation of gifted men, well trained
for investigation, freed from pecuniary anxiety, and
quickened to exertion both by the atmosphere in which
216 UNION COLLEGE.-
they live, and by tlie comments to whicli they are exposed.
Such work as this, pregnant with benefits to mankind, can
only be carried forward by universities. What private
institution, what high school, what college, can undertake
with any prospect of success these difficult tasks I
These introductory words must not be expanded. They
are only intended to awaken your interest in the addresses
of the speakers now to be presented.
I am obUged to announce that President Harper, of the
University of Chicago, has been prevented from appearing
here this evening by reason of his ill health. A telegraphic
message has been received from him saying that by the
advice of his physician he does not dare to undertake the
journey ; but he has sent to us one of his worthiest col-
leagues, well qualified to speak upon the subject of uni-
versities, — Professor Hale, a graduate of Harvard, once a
professor of Cornell University, now of the University of
Chicago, and soon to be Professor Hale of the American
School of Archaeology established in Rome. I have, my
friends, great pleasure in introducing to you Professor
William Gr. Hale, of the Chair of Latin in the University
of Chicago.
ADDRESS
BY PROFESSOR WILLIAM GARDNER HALE.
IADIES AND GENTLEMEN: In the brief paper
^ which I am about to read, it is not my purpose to
address myself primarily to members of my own profes-
sion who are themselves conducting graduate work. My
aim is rather, in discussing the subject of graduate study
before an audience brought together by interest in the
highest university teaching, but presumably made up in
considerable part of persons who are themselves engaged
in other occupations, to try to make clear how, and under
what influences, graduate work arose in this country, what
are its characteristic aims, and what, in a general way, is
the nature of its methods.
One more thing also needs to be premised. Wherever
I am obliged to speak of details, I shall take them from
my own department. This must not be understood to
mean an undue sense of the importance of that depart-
ment, but rather a due sense of the importance of the
cobbler's keeping to his last, if he desires to speak with
any authority.
It is a commonplace that there are men still living who
have witnessed most of the really gi'eat advances in in-
vention that have been achieved since the days of the
Roman Empire. The successful application of the prin-
ciple of the steam-engine to the steamboat, the railway,
and the factory ; the invention of the telegraph, the elec-
218 UNION COLLEGE.
trie light, the telephone, the typewriter, and, — latest,
though surely not least, — that miracle of motion, that
friend of both sexes and all ages, the bicycle, — all this
falls within the last ninety years. The nineteenth cen-
tury is characterized by its creative power in the material
world.
As great a change has taken place, and that within the
life of some of us who will not yet own up to being old,
in all departments of university work. An excellent
training was afforded in our colleges twentj^-five and
thirty years ago ; and perhaps this training had certain
aims, a certain governing conception of the cultivated
gentleman, as well as of the scholar, which it would be
dangerous for us to leave behind. But there is no ques-
tion that the attitude of mind to which it led was too
often the recipient and passive attitude. The phrase
"book-learning" alone would not describe it, but the
phrase " book-learning and culture," if the latter word be
used in the ordinary narrow sense, would for too many
colleges fairly characterize it. To-day the aim of univer-
sity education is very different. Whether the student
may or may not attain to the rank of inventor in the
world of intellectual activities, he at least knows that he
may set his aim as high as this, and that nothing but im-
perfection of endowment need stand in his way.
This change is the result of the natural growth of the
scholarship of our American professors, under the influ-
ence, of course, of the general intellectual advancement
of the country, and the accompanying interest in the
work of the Old World. The first of our American schol-
ars to be led to Europe by this interest was George Tick-
nor, of Harvard, who became a student at Grottingen in
1815, and returned full of plans for the development of
the university ; which plans he was not destined to see
realized. Ticknor was far in advance of his day. A
group of men, some thirty-five years later, — /. e., in the fif-
ADDRESS. 219
ties, — followed in his footsteps, met with better fortunes,
and have the honor of having contributed lai'gely to the
new seholarsliip of Amerioa. I have in mind such men as
Whitney, of Yalo ; (Jildersleeve, of Johns Hopkins; Good-
win, (Miild, and Lane, of Harvard. These men found in
Germany a different conception from that which they had
seen governing college work in this country. The |)ro-
fessors whose lectures they attended were not occupying
themselves with teaching what had been handed down
by the fathers, but were putting all received opinion to
the proof, and, in consequence of the clarified \nsion and
the heightened power which they gained in the labor of
examination, were discovering and establishing what had
not before been known. And they were training their
followers to do the same thing ; for the student absorbed
the spirit, and caught the method, of his master. The re-
sult was that these young Americans brought home to
the professorships which they were destined to fill in this
country a new conception of the function of a university.
And their conception gradually spread to others, finding,
indeed, a ready welcome in the mind of many a man who
had not crossed the ocean.
The moment the new way of looking at things began
to gather strength, it would naturally bring with it a
continuance of study beyond the allotted four years ; for
the new kind of scholarship would be possible of attain-
ment only to men who had gone much beyond the point
to which the four years of the college course, as then con-
stituted, could carry them. So far as my knowledge goes,
the first graduate study, in the modern sense of the word,
was established, late in the sixties, at Harvard and Yale.
At both places a few men offered advanced instruction,
and a few graduates remained to take it. But the work
was by no means organized. The instructors of the col-
lege were already overburdened, and no adequate pro-
vision could be made for the needs of the new class of
220 UNION COLLEGE.
students, who accordingly had to do what they could,
with only imperfect guidance. A considerable impetus,
however, was soon given through the institution of fel-
lowships, first offered at Harvard, if I remember rightly,
in 1869, and soon reaching a respectable number, with
good incomes attached. Inasmuch, too, as most of these
fellowships, on account of the unsatisfactory state of
things in America, were especially created for the pur-
pose of non-resident study, — which at that time was
synonymous with study in Grermany, — new leaven was
constantly being brought into the country.
At the time we have now reached, about the middle of
the seventies, the Johns Hopkins University was organ-
ized. With the greatest wisdom, its managers seized
upon the new conception, and, using it as a foundation,
built upon it a famous structure, the services of which to
American education can never be forgotten. They made
the graduate school the university, the undergraduate de-
partment being, at the outset, of little consequence, and
indeed, in the opening year, hardly existent. With this
complete change in the placing of the emphasis of their
attention, they were enabled to address themselves di-
rectly to the problems of the organization and develop-
ment of advanced work. Their example and their suc-
cess stimulated graduate study in places where it had
begun, and helped to evoke it in places where it had not
begun. To-day it is to be found in many universities, in
some existing in little more than name, in several existing
in spirit and in truth.
The aims of this work I have already characterized.
But you will bear with me if I attempt to throw them
into sharper relief through a more detailed description
of what takes place when a body of students is gathered
together about a group of specialists.
It is generally found that the men who come up to a
ADDRESS. 221
given university for graduate study have two kinds of de-
ficiencies. First, deficiencies of quantity are likely to exist.
In a given language, for example, gi-adnates of the smaller
colleges and universities have generally I'ead less of the
literature than they would have done if they had taken
their undergraduate course in the larger university to
which they come for further work. It is necessary, there-
fore, to give them this fnller reading, which they will
take side by side with the more advanced undergrad-
uates. Further, it is generally found that the work they
have done has been of a less severe character than the
ideals of the larger university demand, — that they are
less exact in their methods, less to be trusted when set to
find out precisely what, e. g., a given author says upon a
given page, than students who have had four years of the
generally sterner training of the larger institution. But,
even for the graduate of the larger university, a wider ac-
quaintance with his elected field, and a more rigorous
exactness of work in that field, are always necessary. In
two points, then, the graduate student must always be
set to bettering his equipment, — in point of quantity and
in point of quality. This may be called the preliminary
training of the graduate school.
Secondly, alongside of this preliminary training in
many cases, and early in graduate study, at any rate,
the training is entered upon which is especially designed
to call out any inventive powers, any powers of true dis-
covery and production, with which nature may have
gifted the candidate. The methods chosen will vary
somewhat in different departments; but the brief de-
scription which I shall give of the method that seems to
me the sound one in work with which I am familiar will
certainly afford a true picture, so far as the controlling
spirit is concerned, for other departments as well.
First, however, let me say that there are certain sine
222 UNION COLLEGE.
qua nons for successful work of this kind. These are as
follows :
To begin with, the student must be gifted by nature
with a certain amount of the celestial fire. Like the poet,
the successful graduate student must be both born and
made. In the ease of either vocation, a stern self-training
may possibly replace the training that should have been
given by others of more intimate experiences; but the
being-to-the-manner-born is indispensable.
The second prerequisite is of almost the same supreme
importance, though it is often sadly left out of the reckon-
ing. Our great, good-natured public is disposed to think
that a professor is a professor, just as a street-organ is a
street-organ, with the distinction only that some profes-
sors, like some organs, perform more agreeably than others.
It is the common idea that all that needs be done in order
to convert a college into a true universitj^ is to give its
professors graduate work, by getting somebody else to do
the nndergraduate work. As well might you hope to
succeed if, in a factory, you were to replace an inventor
by a skilled superintendent. Luck might be with you,
but the dice are loaded the other way. One must, there-
fore, be skeptical at times when a college or university
suddenly announces the establishment of a graduate
school. One wants to ask, "Where are your specialists
and creative workers ? What publications have they con-
tributed to science 1 " It is the common supposition that
every college professor is a specialist. In truth, compara-
tively few are, in the modern sense of the word. I re-
member well a cultivated clergyman's saying to me in
my college days, with an air of some regret, that he sup-
posed scholarship had gone so far that it was no longer
possible for a man to command the whole of human know-
ledge. I smiled, with the complacency of youth, at his
conception of scholarship. But to-day the actual state of
affairs is too serious to admit of any smiling. In every
ADDRESS. 223
direction, investigation lias been pushed so far that sul)-
jects once thought to constitute a specialty are now re-
garded as gi'oups of specialties. Anatomy and physiology
would, not long ago, have been supposed to conu^ easily
within the field of the biologist, — or, at any rate, they would
have been thought of as lying too close togethei* for any
separation from (^ach other. Yet to-day they are being
recognized as separate departments, on the ground that
each forms so distinct and so great a specialty that no
man can be a leader in both. Precisely the same thing
is actually the case, though without resulting separation,
with many subjects thought of by the public as one and
indivisible. See, for example, what is covered by such
a department as Latin. The public has already learned
to think of archaeology as something separate, and is be-
ginning to think of comparative philology as separate;
but it does not suspect that comparative philology com-
prises two subjects, comparative phonetics and compara-
tive syntax, entirely distinct from each other, and each
so vast that no man living can be master in both. And
it does not suspect that the field of what would be called
Latin proper, for instance, covers a wide range of sub-
jects, — a great and extended literature, to know the com-
pass and development and principles of interpretation of
which, as things are to-day studied, is in itself a life-task;
further, Roman law ; further, Roman public adminis-
tration; then again Roman religion, which is almost
as distinct from Roman literature as, in the nineteenth
century, theology is from English literature ; further,
Roman private life; further, epigraphy; further, paleo-
graphy; and, finally, textual criticism, which bears upon
both paleography and the science of interpretation, or
hermeneutics. In every one of these fields many men
in different parts of the world, — in Germany, in Italy, in
Russia, in Denmark, in Norway and Sweden, in Holland,
in France, in England, and in America, — are constantly
224 UNION COLLEGE.
working and publishing. It is a difficult task to keep up
with what is done even for the interpretation of one par-
ticular author, — if he belongs to the more important class,
— so much is V)eing turned out by the press. And the
case is the same in every field. Books are constantly
appearing, and dissertations and other monographs of
various kinds. The monthly hst of such publications is
formidable. But this is only a part. In addition, there
are journals, so numerous that the popular periodicals
in this country are few by comparison. There are two
weeklies solely devoted to classics, besides some four or
five other weeklies which are sure to contain classical ar-
ticles that cannot be overlooked by the specialist. Then,
solely devoted to classics, there is a bi-weekly, there are
eight quarterlies, and there are eleven monthlies. In ad-
dition, there are the papers of many learned societies,
some meeting annually, some of tener ; and there are the
various series of studies of universities, already above half
a dozen in number, and destiued to be added to. I count
up something like forty philological publications, every
one of which ought to be watched by an advanced worker,
that he may overlook uothing of the material belonging
to his particular specialty that is scattered through this
great mass. It makes the head ache and the heart fail to
stop to think of it ; and yet, without this sweep of activ-
ity, which is like the rush of a great city, life would be a
comparatively dull thing to a man of the specialist type.
But you see the necessary inference which is to be drawn
from the mention of this mass of production. Latin,
G-reek, history, biology, chemistry, are to-day no longer
specialties,— they are each a group of specialties, often
only remotely related to one another. To say, then, that
a man is a specialist in Latin, or a specialist in history,
is to say almost nothing about his equipment. He must
have a certain knowledge of most of the general province
in which he works; but, in addition, he must have an ex-
ADDRESS. 225
tended and minute knowledge of what has been done and
what is doing in some one field in that province. Tliis,
then, is the second condition of successful graduate work.
It is not sufficient that the professed leader of it should
be an estimable gentleman ; he must have the knowledge
of a specialist, in the severest sense of the word.
The third condition is still harder to meet. The leader
of graduate students must not merely be a leader as to-
ward them, while as toward the masters in his craft he is
but a follower. He must himself be a master, or have
the blood of mastery stirring in him. In this country, as
in G-ermany, the professor that professes graduate work
should be a man whose forum is, or at any rate is evi-
dently soon to be, the world of scholars, the world over, in
his province. This means that he must have the power
of scientific divination. His scholarship must not be of
the recipient type, but of the creative.
But the power of divination in itself is not all. The
successful worker has a fascinating, but a severe, life. He
must be possessed not only of insight, but of the power
of long and strenuous labor, that looks through many
years to an end. And to be able to spend this absolutely
necessary labor upon the field of his intended successes,
he must have leisure from much teaching and from much
executive work. Hardly a man in America yet has this
in any degree which to a European scholar would seem
tolerable.
We have now seen the four requisites of true graduate
work of the highest kind, — one for the student, three for
the professor : for the student some measure of the divine
afflatus within the breast ; for the professor, first, a com-
manding knowledge of a specialty, in the strictest sense ;
second, creative power ; and third, leisure for creative
work.
President Grilman is reported once to have said that, in
order to found a university, all you had to do was to get a
15
226 UNION COLLEGE.
professor of Grreek and a professor of mathematics; mean-
ing thereby, of course, not that these two subjects were
all that needed to be provided for, but that men were
wanted first, and brick and mortar only secondarily.
Adopting his form of statement, one may say that for a
seminary, the theater of the highest graduate work, only
two things are needed, a student of dormant creative
power and a professor of active creative performance.
But what is a seminary ? At the end of a long sitting of
a convention at Albany a few years ago, some one rose
and said : " I thauk heaven that this day's discussion has
at last shown me what a seminary is. A seminary ap-
pears to be a long table." The description is incomplete,
but it is very good as far as it goes. The long table,
about which the professor and his students sit side by
side and on the same physical level, is the visible symbol
of an aim and a method. James Russell Lowell, in my
student days, once addressed his audience of undergrad-
uates as "gentlemen and fellow-students." The words
meant a great deal, and characterized the spirit that has
gradually developed a true university out of the college
of John Harvard. And yet it is very difficult to feel
yourself the fellow-student and co-worker of a man who
sits above you on a high platform. The long table
means, or should mean, a true fellowship. It means the
admission of the student to all the privileges of the pro-
fessor's craft and to partnership in the professor's own
investigations. The professor will, if he follows the
course which seems to me the only true one, lead his
students into the field of his own most advanced work.
He will first have to stay with them some time at the en-
trance, giving them conceptions of methods of explora-
tion, past and present, of dangers to be avoided, and of
help to be obtained. Then he will carry them on to some
of the simpler problems which he has himself solved, or
thinks he has solved, and of which the solutions are not
ADDRESS. 227
yet printed; or perhaps lie will set them to test opposing
solutions that have been propounded in the past by dif-
fei'ent investigators, or to test solutions in the current
journals. In the doing of this work, and in the discus-
sion that follows around the " long table," the members
of the seminary will gradually gain points of view, and
come to understand the general nature of procedure in
the collection and use of evidence. And finally, the
teacher will lead his students straight on into the unex-
plored or half-explored country in which he is himself
working, showing them where he himself has run against
a precipice, or where he is entangled in a jungle. In the
course of time, — for this is not a rapid process, to be un-
dertaken for completion within a definite period under
contract, — the powers of the student unfold. He reaches
his intellectual majority, and becomes capable of going
on without a hand to guide him, of finding a field and
turning explorer for himself. The fruits of his indepen-
dent investigation, if he succeeds in accomplishing such
a thing, are shown in a thesis forming an actual contri-
bution to existing knowledge. He is then rigidly ex-
amined on the subject of this special work, and, less rig-
idly, in the various fields of his general province ; after
which, if successful, he is admitted to the noble army of
doctors, — that is, of men intellectually equipped for
teaching.
But what of the people who, with the best of desires
and with good ability in many ways, prove not to have
been gifted by nature with the creative power ? They
generally themselves recognize the fact before they come
to the final steps, or it is pointed out to them by their
teachers ; and they are then obliged to rest content with
the intermediate degree of Master, — an honorable and
very desirable degree in itself, recording the fact that the
holder has show^n scholarly aptitude and the possession
of a considerable knowledge in some department of work,
228 UNION COLLEGE.
but not implyiDg that he has evinced creative power.
But the labor of these students, who have desired the
highest of a certain kind and have not reached it, is by no
means lost. They have gained in their range of know-
ledge and in their intellectual sympathies and apprecia-
tions. To have done graduate work makes life better
for them, just as to have had an undergraduate course
makes life better for any man, whether he is going into a
profession, into business, or into neither.
For those, on the other hand, who have succeeded,
graduate work leads to a new source of power and a new
inspiration. It furnishes something that makes the in-
tellectual life doubly worth living. The teacher who is
only a teacher may possibly be a good teacher, but his
days are uneventful. He knows nothing of the pleasure
of the search, nothing of the joy of discovery, nothing of
the — at least — stimulating disappointment of failure.
I have endeavored, then, to make clear what the essen-
tial character of graduate work is. The limits of time
will permit me only to restate formally two necessary in-
ferences already glanced at, which are to be drawn from
that character. These are as follows :
First, our American colleges and universities can rise
from their imperfect condition and gain a recognition for
scholarship not now accorded to them, only through the
spread of the spirit of creative work. The best conveyor
of a spirit is a man who is animated with it. This means
that, in the appointment of instructors to fill vacant
posts, those young men and young women should receive
the preference who, besides being gentlemen and gentle-
women, — the first of all requirements for a teacher, —
have given clear proof of being so animated.
Secondly, the attempt should not be made to establish
graduate schools at-many places. The graduate school is
difficult to equip, both because it is hard to find, for its
teachers, men who have themselves done creative work
ADDEESS. 229
of recognized value, and because it is prodigiously ex-
pensive to set aside the labor of these men for the in-
struction of a comparatively small number of students.
What all but ten or twelve, at the utmost, of the universi-
ties of this country ought in the present century to do
is to undertake the task, not of conducting graduate
work, but of carrying into the undergraduate courses as
much as possible of the independence of thought and
severity of method which characterize true graduate
work, and so of better equij^ping their students, whether
for a graduate school elsewhere, for professional study, or
for immediate entrance into active life.
President Gilman said :
Another phase of the university question will next be presented
to us by the President of Clark University, who is always wel-
come in assemblages like this, not merely because of the high
station that he holds, but because he has made his life-work the
study of mind and the laws of pedagogy. I will also add that
the third speaker of the evening, Chancellor MacCracken, has
not appeared and will not speak this evening, so that the next
speakei- will be the last. If you are disappointed in hearing that
Chancellor MacCracken will not address you, I will say for your
consolation that I counted up the number of addresses that are to
be delivered here in the next three days and found there were
forty-seven, besides some occasions at which speakers will appear
whose names are not now known. You are sure to be rewarded
by listening to an address by Dr. G. Stanley Hall, of Clark Uni-
versity, in Worcester.
15*
ADDRESS
BY PRESIDENT HALL.
MR. CHAIRMAN, Mr. President, Ladies, and Gentle-
men : Half of an address on an occasion like this is
the introduction of the speaker, and I am very fortunate
in the introduction which has just been given me, com-
paratively so at least; for I would rather be the forty-
seventh man who. President Gilman says, is to address
you before this celebration is ended, than to be introduced
as I was only a few weeks ago to an academic audience a
good ways west of the Missouri River. I arrived at the
place where I was to speak a little late and, as it hap-
pened, upon the same train, as I afterwards found, came the
presiding officer of the meeting. We had three minutes
to eat our dinner together before the speaking began, and
we did not get very well acquainted in that time, for the
presiding officer introduced me in this way : " Ladies and
gentlemen : I have great pleasure in presenting to you as
the next speaker a man who is known as Mr. — ," and there
he stopped. The secretary of the meeting helped him
out by passing up my name written on a piece of paper ;
then he said, "Mr. Hall," and began again: "Mr. Hall
comes to us from one of the new foundations of the East,
which you all know as — " — [laughter] — there he stuck
again, and the secretary passed up a card on which was
written " Clark University, Worcester, Mass."; then he be-
gan with fresh zeal : " Mr. Hall, our speaker to-night, is
ADDRESS. 231
knowu as — ," and then the secretary could not help him.
[Laughter.] And so he finally said : " Well, to tell the
honest truth, I never heard of the man nor of his university
before — [laughter] — but I have had about three minutes'
talk with him, and I would n't be a mite surprised if, un-
like that dude from England, Oscar Wilde, he had a little
bit of good Western common-sense." [Laughter.] Now,
ladies and gentlemen, I might, perhaps, almost take com-
mon-sense as my theme, because I do not know any higher
form of science than that ready, quick, available know-
ledge of nature and of mind which is the best thing a
man can carry about with him ; and the more perfect the
knowledge the more practicable it is and the more ser-
viceable at once ; and if I were to define the end of the
university, I think I should say that it is not only to dis-
cover truth, but to make it common coin everywhere, to
put it into such shape that it filters down through the
lower grades, through the college, through the high-school,
into the grammar-school, and becomes the common pos-
session of everybody — becomes, in short, the common-
sense of the multitude.
A university is really nothing but a corporation. Some
people attribute to it, because of its historical association,
a complete set of faculties besides the philosophical facul-
ties. But " university " means simply a corporation ; and
while I would not undertake to begin my rather desultory
remarks with any definition of university, I think one
characteristic of it is that it is a place where pioneer
work is done in the realm of the soul. That definition is
vague enough certainly to commend itself, I think, in
some quarters.
The first specific feature is one which has already been
touched upon by the admirable survey of Professor Hale
to whom you have just listened — specialization. I wish
sometimes that college men would think twice before
they speak about general culture and the culture of char-
232 UNION COLLEGE.
acter, which we know is fundamental for everything and
everybody, as if it were in any degree inconsistent with
speciaUzation. On the contrary, proper specialization
demands the very best kind of character — truthfulness,
integrity, morality in every direction, self-sacrifice, and
what perhaps includes them all, enthusiasm for the highest
ideals of living and thinking. So that specialization, as
I believe, if precocious is one of the most dwarfing things ;
but if it is built on a proper basis, if the foundation is
large and solid, so that the superstructure will be stable,
specialization cannot be carried too far.
When you come to think of it, the workl to-day is
ruled in every department by the specialist. In the sick
room it is the specialist that says the deciding word,
whether this or that operation shall be performed or
what the treatment shall be. In the Congressional com-
mittee-room it is the expert that determines whether this
or that amount of money is necessary in that great en-
gineering scheme or in anything else. In all matters that
pertain to administration, whether in municipality. State,
or nation, in scientific matters, iu everything that makes
civilization, laying out streets, building great houses,
business ventures — all seem to depend more and more
upon the expert ; so that, more than ever before, the
world is ruled by experts, by those men who have pushed
to the front and have had as their ideal to know every-
thing that could be known about some little point. And,
therefore, I believe that there should always be in this
gi'eat flood of commencement eloquence that is poui'ed
out like everlasting showers from heaven upon our acad-
emic youth at this season of the year — I believe that there
should always be among the ideals held up, that of going
to the frontier, of being no longer content to be an echo,
but the ideal of being an authority upon some point, ever
so small though it be. That ideal saves many a young
man ; it makes many a career. There are a great many
ADDRESS. 233
men whose ability is of such an order and of such an
amount that if they attempt many things they are lost ;
but there is almost no one of average talent who, if he
but focus sharply enough, cannot achieve distinction and
render great service in the world to-day. So I have great
respect for the man who has deliberately taken as his ideal
to know all that can be known about some little thing.
It is a high and noble ideal, and far from being incon-
sistent with the other ideal, which should never be for-
gotten in all-round culture of all the faculties of the soul
and of the body. Its only basis should be these, and
these should be its universal and inexorable prerequisite.
I am very fond of telling a little experience of my own
many years ago, when I went fresh from the neighboring
college of Williams to Germany to study. I went at a
time when the senior year was always spelled with a big
" S," and a senior felt he must rather repress his omnisci-
ence, and it was somewhat difficult, as he believed, to af-
fect the necessary modesty when he returned to his ac-
customed niche. Because in those days the senior year
was designed to be the finishing year, and there was left
with a young man who had " finished " a sense of finality
which was the greatest injury of the old college course,
before the university movement began. Well, I went to
Germany after I had " finished " and to a renowned pro-
fessor in one of the universities there and told him what
I wanted to do and said, " What would you advise ? " He
said, " What have you studied f " I ran over the whole
curriculum ; and he said, " What do you want to do ! " I
told him I wanted to study the human soul, the brain in
its relation to the body, and the mind in its relation to
the will. He said, " Well, give me a day to think about
it." I went the next day and he said: "I think your
best course is to spend your first year in Germany in
studying one of the muscles of a frog's leg." I assure you
I felt that that was a great humiliation for a senior, and
234 UNION COLLEGE.
a postgraduate at that, to study the leg of a bull-frog.
Nevertheless, I thought I would begin and see how it
went ; and so with the professor's assistance we went to
work and worked a week oi- two, and the study grew
rather interesting. I found that I had to know a little
about electricity in a more thorough way than I ever had
known it before ; I had to study np a whole branch of
physiology. I found the muscles of a frog were just like
human muscles. I found the muscles of the average
human body were one-half of the body by weight and
expended something like two-fifths of all its energy meas-
ured in foot-pounds. I found that the muscles worked
with the greatest mathematical accuracy and that all could
be made exact by giving the frog an artificial blood of .6
of one per cent, of salt. I say that I got interested, and
at the end of the first year I went off to the mountains
with a great chest full of books; for I had concluded I
would really like to know something about the muscle in
this frog's leg ; and I spent the entire second year upon
that question, because I had then recognized that the
muscles were the only organs of the will; that they had
done all the work in the world, that they built all the
temples, the highest religious structures, made all the
machinery, made all the books, and spoken all the words
— had done everything that man had ever done, that you
would never know of any such thing as will but for the
muscles; and that they, therefore, were the organs by
Avhich you could make the best approach to the study of
the human soul. Well, after the close of the second year,
although I had contributed but the smallest mite to the
great temple of science, I had nevertheless learned the
great lesson that the world has one core, that there is
unity pervading it all, and that you cannot begin to
study any subject minutely without finding that, like old
Thor in attempting to lift up the snake that coiled round
the world, you had got hold of infinity, that you were
ADDRESS. 235
studying the real nature of man, (lod, and the world;
for in these days of evolution and the conservation of
energy, it makes very little difference where you enter
this great temple of truth, provided only you get in. In
this study then I had passed from the attitude of Peter
Bell, of whom the poet tells us, "A primrose by a
river's brim, a yellow primrose was to him, and it was
nothing more," in the presence of this tiny bit of muscle,
— I had passed from this standpoint up to that other
standpoint of that higher poet who culled a flower from
a crannied wall and said, " If I did but know what it is,
branch, stem, root, and all, I should know what God is
and what man is." I had learned the " omne tulit punc-
tum" — nature's organic unity, that she is one to the
core ; and that cannot be learned these days except by
the method of specialization.
My second point has also been already touched upon by
Dr. Hale, and is very closely connected with this. The
college work, as we know, is very largely a work of ac-
quisition. It is culture, as President Gilman is fond of
saying; the college years should be years of discipline, of
training, of putting a man in possession of his faculties
and getting him ready really to acquire and really to use
the tools he works by. There is a method which I believe
is an especial feature and type of the university to-day,
and I would see its method carried down even into the
college. When a young man gets to be twenty-three,
twenty-four, twenty-five, or twenty-six, I am inclined to
think he is approaching an age when a long cramming
for examination is not the best kind of an education
he can receive. The carrying power of the mind does
not measure power; the student must be tested by what
he can do rather than by what he knows ; and it is this
creative power, this enthusiasm which nothing but the
methods of creativeness can reach, that I believe is one
of the chief functions of the university to cultivate. It
236 UNION COLLEGE.
teaches men to think, and that is a very difficult thing to
do. Along with the good work which the colleges have
done, it is amusing to see what a long list of modes of
avoiding thought colleges have multiplied and perpetu-
ated. I have a lecture on that subject, but it would take
an hour at least to deliver it, and I would not enter upon
it here. The lecture is one upon self-deception, or avoid-
ing work, which colleges and high schools have inculcated.
These matters are very insidious ; they often give us the
conceit of learning without real learning ; they make us
feel that we are really making progress when we are only
marking time ; but when you set the man down before
a real problem, you test his mentality and know whether
he has anything in him or not ; give him a definite ques-
tion in one field or another, as the case may be, and give
him an exact problem ; then he is put upon his mettle.
I have seen young men show magnificent powers of or-
derly thought, that had long remained unused, when put
to this test; and there is nothing more interesting than
to see one who has dawdled along through college when
he is compelled to meet and master a real problem, swing
out into the current of thought. No man can master
problems simply because he has studied so many differ-
ent things, and has stuffed himself with a certain amount
of knowledge and has a ticket attached to him showing
his contents, like a vessel loaded with goods, with 200
bales, or 500 boxes of this or that ; but the man discovers
that he needs to read in order to take up his subject
and pursue the special line of investigation in which his
enthusiasm has been thoroughly aroused — it is a reason
to read and acquire information. Even if a young man
who has had this experience does not add anything to
the sum of human knowledge, the effort to do so gives
him new ideals and a higher ambition ; it brings out his
powers. And when you come to think about it, that is
really the discipline of life. Ask any business man whe-
ADDRESS. 237
thei" his business successes have been achieved by rou-
tine, by method, by following old paths, or whether it is
not by investigation and research, looking new facts, or
new combinations of facts, in the face and working one's
way out. That is magnificent common-sense, clarified,
transfigured common-sense, if you please; but it is com-
mon-sense at the top of the ladder of science just as well
as common-sense at the bottom. But there is another
thing no less important than the spirit of research which
should always be cultivated in university work; and that
is that research and its results and possibilities should
teach a genuine attitude of respect, a reverence for the
efii'orts of all seekers for truth. As I visit educational
institutions of to-day and study these problems, I am
more and more impressed with what I think is the great-
est danger of all dangers that menace education to-day,
and I am inclined to think that it is greater in this country
than anywhere else; and that is the growing tendency
on the part of young men to look somewhat askance at
enthusiasm, at zeal, at ardor; to look, perhaps not in a
cynical way, but rather with indifference, and even con-
tempt, toward real, hearty, whole-souled self-abandon-
ment to any intellectual pursuit. I think that is the
spirit which prevails, in some institutions more than in
others, in some men more than in others, but which
is penetrating down into the high school. Only a few
weeks ago at a graded high school address in the East,
the spirit of want of enthusiasm, this desire to be so
preternaturally and precociously staid, was deplored. It
has affected the freshmen and sub-freshmen. The time
was when the freshman was a little green, a little gawky,
a little awkward. It is not so nowadays. The freshman,
the very day of entering college, wants you to understand
distinctly (and it is true) that he has cut his eye-teeth,
and that there is nothing green about him whatever. He
knows what is what. Sometimes he has sucked almost
238 UNION COLLEGE.
all the juice out of the orange of life. I have had occa-
sion this very year to look over a great stack of college
journals with reference to one particular thing, and the
conclusion, as will appear in the published results, is
that, while your collegian is to-day a mighty clever fel-
low, while he has cut his eye-teeth, while he knows what
is what better than the collegian did a generation ago,
and knows it better and better, there are some things
he cannot do. He can write a mighty clever burlesque
or satire or other thing of the kind, and act it also very
well ; yet for i-eal education, for effective work and crea-
tive energy, the American collegian, in spite of his too
great age, which is often deplored, lacks something, ladies
and gentlemen, and that lack which I wish to be defined
better is, I believe, the direction in which our greatest
danger lies to-day. I think that the greatest work of the
world, the creative work, has been performed by men
who have not reached thirty-five. The golden period of
life is the period of youth ; and if these years do not
bring enthusiasui which lifts a man into the stars, which
makes us lose the fear that we shall be a little awkward,
which makes us self-forgetful — if we have lost that power,
perhaps it is unpopular, perhaps it is a little rash, I claim
that that loss of power is not made up by a little short
fellow who knows of no way of adding to his stature ex-
cept by turning up his nose. [Laughter.] I remember
reading a great many years ago in one of Oliver Wendell
Holmes's books an account of a tribe which the writer
had discovered, who, when any great thing was proposed,
were wont to say, " Pooh, pooh ! Nothing can be done.
Don't get excited ; don't fret yourselves." That attitude
of pooh-poohing, I think, is a danger in many sections of
our academic life to-day. I do not know the cause of it
to a certainty, but there is, I think, at least one cause of
it of which I will speak in a moment and then sit down.
I know but one cause of it, and I believe that in the di-
ADDRESS. 239
agnosis I am not mistaken. When I was a small boy at
home and read a kind of forbidden yellow-covered litera-
ture, I was inspired with a desire to be an Indian ; and
when I see these fellows that go round pooh-poohing, the
old fervor for the Indian nature returns, and again would
I like to be an Indian — a-Kickapoo. [Laughter.] The
period of adolescence is that long critical period which
begins with the teens. It is sometimes called the " hob-
bledehoy " period ; it has a great many comic as well as
a great many scientific names. It extends, as it is now
thought, well on toward thirty in men and only to a
somewhat less advanced point in women. That period
is the critical period of life. It is the period of regenera-
tion and new birth. Nature gives to aid us then our great
sum of inheritance. We hear from far-back ancestry and
remote lines of inheritance. Those who up to that time
seem like their father begin to show maternal traits ; and
those who in their bodies up to that time show only their
parents, begin to show their grandparents. They begin
to open all the floodgates of ancestry. Mr. Galton says
if we reckon eight great-grandparents to the individual,
most of us have had something like twenty-two millions
of ancestors ; and we hear from a good many of these
then in this critical period of adolescence. But the sin-
gular thiug about that is that where it occurs in a pure
blood, as in the Germans, for instance, or Jews, or as in
the case of most of the ancient stocks, there seems to be
a sort of instinctive natural tendency that carries yoimg
men safely through it without dangerous perturbations
and without too great suddenness of change; but the
biological principles of mixture of bloods bring this great
change wherever nations are mixed, as we are in this
country particularly, so that a great many ethnic stocks
flow in all our bloods. This period comes not only more
suddenly, but with greater fervor and heat, and it comes
and goes with a panic; it comes toward that period of
240 UNION COLLEGE.
life and goes at the later period ; and when taken in con-
nection with the fact that parental restraint is removed
in onr country earlier than it is elsewhere, I think that it
points to a possibility of great danger in the future ; and
I connect it in my own thought with the fact that this
country beats all creation in the production of text-books.
Your own great master, Hickok, whose text-books we use,
was one of the very first and best of these men. About two
years ago I had occasion to look over and count up the list
of text-books addi-essed to young men pertaining to moral
subjects designed to steady them through this period,
having titles such as, "Young Man's Own Book" and
" Practical Lessons on Moral Science." I comprehended
in my list a little over three hundred of such books as
these produced in this country alone, and found that, as
far as any proper estimate could be made, there were
two or three times as many in this country as in Ger-
many, for instance ; so that the conclusion was obvious
that our people either have an unusual pedagogic predi-
lection for literature of this kind, or else our young peo-
ple are in need of an unusual amount of advice upon this
subject. I leave these two facts standing together, the
precocity of our young people and the existence of this
abundant literature designed for their guidance. I will
not dwell upon this, though it opens up a very large field
of discussion and inquiry.
I believe the university always ought to teach as well
as to investigate. There is a very great difference be-
tween having a man as a teacher who is himself a master
of research, and one who does not know what research is
even in college work. If a man has been inflamed with
a real love of knowledge and knows what the emotion is,
he is a better teacher ever after that; a man who has
contributed ever so little toward the sum total of know-
ledge teaches after that with something of fire and ani-
mation; he is touched with something of the creative
ADDRESS. 241
spirit; he speaks with \vh;it Phito calls the true enthusi-
asm which was only a kind of preparation.
The best pedagogue is- a man who has striven with
uew problems, even if he has not found their solution. It
is an inspiration to sit at the feet of such a man ; it is
guidance for life. So I think that one of the best things
in the university is passed along down in this day when
so many of the influences are at work from above down-
ward in the new inspiration of this mode of teaching.
To my mind, the conclusion of this university move-
ment is this : It is very new. It really almost began with
the great sagacity of the president of Johns Hopkins
University, who said early in the seventies that which
was said there in Baltimore again last year at the open-
ing of the high school : We care not for numbers. We
cross-section all of these lines of endeavor. We want re-
search. We want the few best. We want them to think.
But instead of extending the high school, it is a crying
need of this country, whence four hundred of our young
men are expatriating themselves every year to study
abroad, that facilities for research should be increased.
It is a national shame that young men cannot be given
such facilities here at home. We ought to have as good
teaching in every department of science as can be had
abroad. I believe that we are to have it, and that this
university movement which has begun so gloriously is
only in its beginning. It is dawn; it is not yet noon,
still less evening. Every one of these movements that I
have mentioned, and Dr. Hale has mentioned, is, I think,
just in its incipiency. The day of the university stands
on tiptoe peering over the mountain toj), and is just com-
ing to the vision of young men who will live to see its
bright and glorious consummation. One of the good
things which it will bring, as I have said, is a closer rela-
tion between these institutions, which is so aptly illus-
trated by these celebrations in these days, and ])y this
16
242 UNION COLLEGE.
particular celebration in which so many institutions take
part, to which you invite not only your own graduates,
but the representatives of so many diiferent institutions
as well who have never seen this town before. The fed-
eration movement is going on everywhere, and will finally
harmonize the relations of our various institutions of
learning, from the grammar school all the way up to the
university, for they must be correlated ; educators must
touch hands and avoid appropriating each other's terri-
tory, in order that the best results may be gained. I re-
member attending a Salvation Army meeting a great
many years ago, in which the leader and light of the meet-
ing — a large anniversary meeting — came in and walked
down the middle aisle, a great, magnificent fellow, saying,
as he walked, " Three hundred and twenty-one pounds,"
— which was his weight, — "three hundred and twenty-one
pounds, and every pound for Jesus." This sort of testi-
mony has its weight, and I would not in the least dis-
parage the enthusiasm which the personal element may
arouse — far from it. But it seems to me that the day
has passed when it can be relied upon to maintain the
separateness, and at the same time the success, of any in-
stitution of learning. We have had the day when college
presidents by their leadership or reputation made their
institutions what they were. Most of us of my age remem-
ber when this was perhaps true ; there are some of these
presidents left yet, but most all of them say now, "It
is dollars and cents and students for my institution."
Their reputation is at the service of their institution,
three hundred and twenty-one pounds, or one or ten
pounds, for their college. So narrow and absolute is
the devotion of some presidents to dollars and students
for their own glory. But the day of narrow provincialism
is doomed, and I think the university movement is neces-
sarily for cooperative work. The fields of science are so
large that its thousand grades of work cannot be worked
ADDRESS. 243
unless we join hands. It is a blessing to have occasionally
new institutions as well as to have old ones ; because it is
the S2:)ecial mission of new institutions of learning to
make new departures. They can try experiments. They
ought to be, in a greater or less degree, experiment sta-
tions, and the older ones which follow later can give
means that have been tried there greater momentum.
That has been the ease. The whole university move-
ment, in my mind, can be summed up in a single sen-
tence, with which I will close. We live in a day when
people are talking a great deal about the love of nature.
We have no end of nature-books in every book-store.
There are Thoreau, Jeffries, Gibson, Burroughs, and all
the rest of that galaxy — everywhere books on the birds,
the trees, and sky — there seems to be a movement that
has hardly been equaled, I think, in civilization anywhere
for loving nature, and a desire to get close to her. It is a
popular movement very largely, it is not essentially aca-
demic in this form, and we are getting to understand
along with that that nature is one. These are times
when force, rather than matter, constitutes the world.
It is a time when we are coming to see things with the
mind's eye rather than with the body's eye, so that nature
is coming to have really new poetic feeling — nature, and
man as a part of nature. We are recognizing it as the
source of literature, of all the arts and all the sciences, and
even religion to a very great extent ; for man is a part of
nature extended, its culmination and its crown, so that
the student of nature, and now even the expert, is get-
ting more and more reverence. He comes to feel as that
strange new English poet says about his lady-love; he
tells you she is not very handsome, but he says you can-
not see her countenance for her soul. That is the way
the natui-alist feels when he studies man in any of his
works or his physical nature. When he looks at nature
he no longer sees her countenance for her soul. She is a
244 UNION COLLEGE.
great reservoir, a great magazine of force; even trite
things come to take on a grand transcendental meaning
as they are transfigured in the countenance of nature.
Science and reverence are to be reinforced by this great
scientific movement. •
Roger Bacon, as you know, used to turn from his early
scientific study of nature to compose hymns, and when he
made what he thought was one of his greatest discoveries
in the heavens, he turned from his telescope and wrote,
" Gloria in Excelsis." That is the sentiment which will
make every religious conviction and every religious sen-
timent deeper and stronger, and that is what makes rev-
erent the university in its laboratory, in its seminary, in
its special lines of work to-day, and is to make it infinitely
more in the great future impending so near, and in which
you young men are to see the veritable workshop of the
Holy Ghok.
ALUMNI DAY.
16*
The principal events of this day were the annual meeting of the Phi Beta
Kappa in the English Room, and of the Sigma Xi Society in the Engineering
Room at 9 a.m.; the meeting of the Board of Trustees in the Philosophy
Room and of the General Alumni Association in the Chapel at 10 a. m.; the
Centennial Banquet in Memorial Hall at 1:30 P. M. ; the Reunion of Classes
about the "Old Elm" in the College Garden at 3:30 p.m.; a Reception by
President and Mrs. Raymond at 5 p. m. ; and a Commemorative Service in
the First Presbyterian Church at 8 p. M.
TUESDAY, JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH.
CENTENNIAL BANQUET,
President Eaymond presiding.
OPENING ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT.
HONORED Guests at this board, Ahimni of Union
College, Friends and Brothers all : We bid you wel-
come to our centennial rejoicings. While we gather in
the name of Union College, it is not for her praise alone,
nor chiefly, but for the praise of that love of learning and
devotion to high aims which speaks in the history of
every American college, and which molds the destiny of
this Republic. It is not my province, however much it
might be my pleasure, to dwell upon the past, nor yet to
speak of the future, but rather to open the door and lead
the way to the fellowships of the present hour. From
time immemorial the table of feasting has been the altar
of friendship, and the breaking of bread the pledge of
fraternal union. We honor tradition to-day, as is seemly
at such an anniversary, and conserve the fraternal spirit
of the world of letters as we make this the occasion for
the exchange of intercollegiate courtesies and expressions
of mutual esteem. To-morrow, in this place and at this
248 UNION COLLEGE.
hour, we who are the sons of Union will gather around
our mother to tell her of our gratitude and devotion ; but
to-day we take our places at her side as hosts, and it be-
comes my privilege to present, one by one, the guests
who make this occasion distinguished by their presence.
When, more than a century ago, while the War of the
Revolution was still in progress, the citizens of the Mo-
hawk and Upper Hudson valleys petitioned the Governor
and Legislature for a charter of a college, they introduced
the question of State control of education ; and while the
petition for a college was denied for the time, the larger
question raised by it received attention, and led to the
establishment of a most comprehensive system of State
control under the corporate title of the Board of Regents
of the University of the State of New York. I will not
speak of the functions of the Board of Regents, nor of
the service which they have rendered to the State during
these years further than to say that the first charter
granted by them was that which in February, 1795, cre-
ated Union College in the city of Schenectady, New York.
[Applause.] These circumstances gave rise to a most
singular relationship ; for Union College may be consid-
ered as at once the mother and the daughter of the Board
of Regents ; but her maternal character has not been rec-
ognized in the State at large, nor, indeed, has she insisted
upon it, but, waiving her claim as progenitor, has gloried
in the right, title, and emoluments of the eldest daughter,
and with true filial spirit she welcomes to-day, first of all,
her official mother in the person of the Chancellor of the
Board of Regents of the University of the State of New
York, who, let me say, in himself represents the spirit
and the aims, the scholarship and the culture, of higher
education in the Empire State.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Reverend
Anson J. Upson, D.D., LL.D., Chancellor of the Univer-
sity of the State of New York. [Applause.]
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 249
SPEECH OF ANSON JUDD UPSON,
ChdiiceUor of the l')iirersltji of the State of Xeir York.
MR. President, G-raduates of Union College, and La-
dies and Gentlemen : Personally, I have no right to
address this distinguished assembly. Only my ofiQcial
position could justify your committee in giving me the
privilege of representing here the Regents of the Univer-
sity of the State of New York.
Yet I am encouraged by the peculiar relations of this
college to our Board. Union College was the first college
chartered by the Regents. You are really the eldest
daughter of the University. Columbia College is only a
new edition of King's College. Its charter granted by
the Crown was revised and corrected by us. Columbia is
welcomed heartily to our family, yet, compared with you,
she is an adopted daughter only.
As a Board, the Regents are greatly indebted to Union
College. I remember that our historical catalogue of
Regents contains the names of twenty-six of your gradu-
ates. Three of those have been Chancellors of the Uni-
versity, and one a Vice-Chancellor. Three of your gradu-
ates have been Secretaries of the University — a most
important executive office. The official terms of these
three men covered forty-eight years. One of these Secre-
taries was a man whom, even in this presence, I do not
hesitate to name illustrious — Gideon Hawley, whose
memoi"y is here, by his Alma Mater, deservedly honored,
and who, as Regent and Secretary, served the State for
fifty-six years. Gideon Hawley was a graduate of Union
College in the Class of 1819.
And here also let me gratefully acknowledge the loj^alty
of this college to the University. For a hundred years
you have transmitted to Albany most suggestive and
250 UNION COLLEGE.
valuable annual reports. In the annual convocation of
the teachers of this State in the Capitol, you have been
frequently represented. The Presidents of Union have
honored us by their dignified presence. They have bene-
fited the teachers of the State by giving them the results
of their wide experience, and stimulated them by their
inspiriting eloquence. Your Professors have contributed
largely to the interest and usefulness of the convocation
by giving us the results of their scholarship in erudite
and sometimes pi'ofound papers, and in vigorous and in-
fluential discussion. For all this and much more, permit
me, in the name of the Regents of the University, to ex-
press our thanks.
And permit me to say also that while you have thus
courteously and loyally recognized us, we have not been
indifferent to you. At the very beginning, as I learn
from the records of our Board, in granting your important
charter, the Regents were not neglectful of what they
thought were your best interests. They were very delib-
erate; thus subjecting themselves to criticism in some
quarters. They were careful not to degrade the college
by granting powers which in their judgment the academy
was not yet fully prej^ared to exercise.
And so in 1792 they refused a charter because sufficient
funds had not been provided. Again, in 1794, they de-
nied a similar application because, as the Board expressed
it, " the state of literature in the academy did not appear
to be far enough advanced, nor the funds sufficient."
Later, in 1794, a circular, to use its own words, invited
" a number of gentlemen of information " so called, to
meet at the house of James McGourk, innkeeper in Al-
bany. Those " gentlemen of information " finally pe-
titioned the Regents for the charter of a college with the
munificent endowment of $25,000, the President to re-
ceive annually $750, the Professor of Mathematics $550,
and the Professor of Latin and Grreek $500. This endow-
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 251
meut and these salaries were large sums in those days.
The city of Albany, your rival at that time, offered $50,-
000 and two acn-os of land. Nevertheless, after much de-
liberation, the Regents granted your charter in February,
1795. No wonder that this significant event, after so
long delay, was celebrated by " the ringing of bells, the
display of flags, bonfires, and a general illumination."
The i-emarkable history of this great college justifies the
popular enthusiasm at its foundation.
The Regents share in the congratulations of this occa-
sion. Your college has a peculiar history. You have
not merely repeated here the collegiate life of other
similar institutions. And the Regents, advanced in years
as they have been supposed to be, blind and deaf, resting
their chins on gold-headed canes, even this " collection of
fossils," as they used to be named — even these insensate
men have not failed to observe your remarkable charac-
teristics. And on this historic occasion you will permit
us to honor you for them.
For example: at college commencements and educa-
tional anniversaries, the Regents had frequently and
patiently listened to long orations by distinguished men
on such themes as " The Scholar in Politics," " The
Duties of Educated Men to the State," " The Relations of
Learning to Public Life." The Regents had heard these
elaborate discourses so often, with no practical result
appearing, that they began to think and to say : " This is
all in vain ; the scholar will never get into politics. Men
cannot be educated to serve the State. Learning has very
few, if any, relations to public life."
But our venerable Board has lived long enough to see
in your college an example of the contrary. Under the
leadership of your illustrious fourth President for sixty-
two years — your great President whose name is on every
lip to-day, this college has given to the world a successful
example of what can be done in educating young men for
252 UNION COLLEGE.
public life. I cannot be mistaken when I say that it has
been a characteristic of this college to be in touch with
public life, to be closely affiliated with public affairs.
You have educated here an unusual number of public
men — men of affairs, statesmen, politicians who have
not disgraced that once honored name, men who could
influence and have influenced public opinion. You have
educated men who sometimes have controlled the opin-
ions of the whole country — men for whose words, in
some great crisis, the whole country has waited in breath-
less suspense.
But the Regents have noticed also that, like most bene-
factors, you have not done this beneflcent work without
suffering for it. Those critics who separate habitually
learning from life have said of this college : " There can
be no good learning there." Those who try to believe
that the theoretical and the practical cannot coexist in
education have denied the thoroughness of your scholar-
ship, assuming continually and asserting sometimes that
a practical education must be superficial. Such objec-
tors cannot have read the published list of your honored
instructors for a hundred years, as their names illuminate
your general catalogue.
Who can believe that Francis Wayland, who by his
profound and vigorous thinking led for many years the
largest Protestant denomination on this continent — who
can believe that Francis Wayland, whose thoughts on for-
eign missions are controlling the opinions on that subject
of this country to-day ; who believes that this great Bap-
tist thinker, an instructor here for ten years, encouraged
superficiality in his teaching 1
Who can believe that Alonzo Potter was a sciolist?
That great Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Pennsylvania
combined remarkably in his career the theoretical and the
practical. It has been truly said of him that he had " a
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 253
genius for admiuistration." But this genius for adminis-
tration must have had a solid foundation in exact and
varied knowledge and mental eulture, else he would not
have inspired, as he did, in the public mind, such profound
respect. Alonzo Potter delivered five consecutive courses
of lectures in five successive years on " The Evidences of
Christianity," hefore the Lowell Institute in Boston, to
audiences that filled to repletion the largest public hall in
that city. Who can believe that such a teacher, instruct-
ing classes here for twenty-one years, could have habitu-
ally taught his students to sacrifice genuine scholarship
to fallacious pretense f
To charge your fifth President, Laurens Perseus Hickok,
with superficial teaching, calling it practical, seems lu-
dicrous enough to those of us who knew him well. I
can see now that great, simple-hearted philosopher, that
Bunyan's " Great Heart," opening his eyes in wonder at
such an accusation. Let those who believe it tr}" to read
and re-read, until they think they begin to comprehend
his philosophical masterpieces. Let them study the " Ra-
tional Psychology " and the " Empirical Psychology " and
the " Rational Cosmology," and when they give up their
study, they will have changed their minds about the su-
perficiality of this profound thinker.
In oui' biographical dictionaries, the name of the illus-
trious Tayler Lewis is followed by the distinctive title
" scholar." Could there be a more appropriate name for
that prince in the realm of classical and Biblical learning I
For twenty-eight years Tayler Lewis was a teacher here,
and really for fifty-seven years he was identified with the
life of this college. I dare not trust myself to express a
tithe of the respect and reverence that I profoundly feel
as I pronounce his venerated name. Would that the
thoughts of this modern Plato could forever pervade and
control our Republic !
254 UNION COLLEGE.
Oh, for an hour of Wayland and Potter and Hickok
and Lewis now ! Who of us would not sit at their feet
to be taught as they woukl teach us f
And these four are not the only real scholars who have
given their life and learning to this venerable college.
Yates and Macauley and Brownell and Joslin and Jack-
son and Averill and Savage and Gillespie and Pearson
are names among your honored dead that represent gen-
uine scholarship surely. And though John Foster be
still living with us, we will place his name upon this roll
of honor now : serus in coelmn redeas !
The more you study, without prejudice, the history of
this great college, the more thoroughly will you be con-
vinced that the theoretical and the practical have not
been here divorced. I am proud to number among my
own kindred a graduate of this college who could repeat
page after page of the " Iliad " of Homer, in the original
Grreek, as he learned it in his boyhood here. I am half
ashamed to have seemed to give importance to such
groundless prejudices by so elaborate a refutation.
Mr. President, what I have already said may be applied
to another characteristic of your collegiate history, which
the Regents have noticed with increasing favor. Presi-
dent Nott believed, and his belief has been shared by his
colleagues and successors, that no matter how far a young
man may have wandered away, you should never preach
to him a gospel of despair. Tell him rather that in his
young life his bad habits cannot have become so fixed
that Grod cannot and will not give him strength to con-
quer them. Under the influence of this encouraging doc-
trine. Union College became a city of refuge to many a
young man for his reformation and restoration. The
Regents are not alone in honoring you for the principle
here announced and for the practice that has followed it.
Objections can be made to this method of collegiate
management. We may be told " it violates collegiate
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 255
comity to receive those rejected l)y other colleges." We
may be told that " the few bad received may corrupt the
good already here." Yet, iiotwitlistaiiding these objec-
tions, it may be deliberately affirmed as the verdict of a
hundred years that, on the whole, yours has been the
better way. For young men in danger of making a men-
tal and moral failure in life, a college should be no prison
for punishment. It should be a reformatory, not a peni-
tentiary. To many it is, as it should be, a mental and a
moral hospital.
When this new method of collegiate management was
introduced, it was disapproved by many educational au-
thorities and by some denounced. This is not surprising.
Those were days of extreme formality and reserve be-
tween teachers and scholars. In those days the under-
graduate, as he walked the street or on the college cam-
pus, was directed to uplift his hat at a prescribed distance
on the approach of any college officer — twenty rods be-
fore meeting the President; ten rods from a Professor;
five rods from a Tutor. Formality was the rule, friend-
liness was an exception. Not so now. The example and
influence of this college have largely contributed to this
beneficent result.
And the history of this college is very useful as an en-
couraging example in one other important particular. If
I am not mistaken, you have received from the State of
New York more money than has been received from this
State by any one of our educational institutions. The
larger gifts to Cornell University came indirectly from the
United States Grovernment. They cost our people noth-
ing. But you have been the principal educational ben-
eficiary of the State of New York. AVhere is the citizen
who knows anything of the histoiy of this State, and of
our eminent men, who will not wish that those gifts to
you had been far more abundant and valuable ? When I
remember the great multitude of public men, a President
256 UNION COLLEGE.
of the United States, governors and senators and judges
and law-makers, and the greater number of clergymen
and physicians and teachers and lawyers and scientists
and successful and influential business men, who have re-
ceived their education here, I am ready to affii-m that
this college has returned to the State more than fourfold
for every gift received directly or indirectly from its
treasury. Why, the public services of your illustrious
graduate, William Henry Seward, alone have abundantly
compensated this Commonwealth for all it has given
to you.
These appropriations to Union College and their be-
neficent use are an example of what our State should do
for all its colleges. To all here to-day who represent the
various colleges of this State, your example in this respect
is encouraging and ought to be controlling in educational
legislation. We are grateful for munificent private bene-
factions, but what a shame it is that more is not now
appropriated to higher education by our State ! Each
New York taxpayer pays less than one cent a year for
higher education. In the Northwestern States — "the
Wild West" — public sentiment is overwhelmingly "in
favor of placing the higher education within the reach of
every child of the State." The example of Michigan and
Wisconsin is well known. " The University of Minnesota
receives from the State annually $200,000, or the equiva-
lent of the income from an endowment of $4,000,000."
Why should not every New York boy or girl, desiring a
thorough education, receive it f Shall those only who are
satisfied with an elementary education receive that at the
hands of the State, and the more nobly ambitious poor
boys and girls be denied the higher opportunity I Let us
widen the equality of our educational advantages until
in the freedom of their education our colleges shall sur-
pass what has been " the glory of the democratic colleges
of New England."
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 257
Please accept, Mr. Presideut, my thanks for your coiii--
teoiis patience in listening to my words. And permit mo
to renew to yourself and to your honored colleagues
and to the authorities and benefactors of Union College
the cordial congratulations of the Regents, with expres-
sions of our very sincere good-will.
A resolution recently adopted by the Board intrusts to
me the grateful "duty of congratulating the college upon
the acceptance of the presidency by the Reverend Doctor
Raymond, and of expressing their cordial wishes for the
continued prosperity of their oldest chartered institution."
^
President Raymond said : I trust that we have all bowed with becoming
humility as we have received this blessing of our mother.
In the history of American colleges, one name stands prominent — may I
not say preeminent? Presideut Eliot is authority for the suggestion that
the proper introduction for Harvard College is a reference to her age ; that,
he says, is a solid fact of superiority which none will gainsay, while in other
respects there may be those who will question her leadership. His modesty
is becoming ; but we are inclined to resent the imputation that any one
would withhold from Harvard College any of the glory which is her due.
Fifty years ago, at our semi-centennial celebration, one of our graduates, in
a burst of enthusiasm, said that, in fifty years. Union College had graduated
nearly half as many students as Harvard College in her then more than two
hundred years of life. That was an unfortunate suggestion ; for the repre-
sentative of Harvard 'College went back to Cambridge evidently jealous for
her glory and marshalled all her forces to put such a distance between Har-
vard and Union as should forever silence our boasting; and he succeeded.
[Laughter and applaiise.] To-day we are humble. As we make no compari-
son of years so we make no other comparisons, but recognize the honor which
has been done us by the President of Harvard College in designating a mem-
ber of her faculty to bring to Union the greetings of her oldest sister : and it
gives me great pleasure to present to you Professor George Herbert Palmer,
of Harvard University. [Applause.]
17
258 UNION COLLEGE.
SPEECH OF OEORGE HERBERT PALMER,
Professor in Harvard University.
MR. PRESIDENT, Graduates of Unioi], and Ladies
and Grentlemen : Brief as my duty is, it is a most
agreeable one. I am charged witli bringing you the
hearty congratulations of Harvard University, — congrat-
ulations which rest on the grounds of kinship and of
honor.
Of kinship, because you and we have been associated
for a century in carrying on the great campaign against
human ignorance. Side by side we have stood, doing our
work in our independent ways, and yet from the begin-
ning, gentlemen, those ways have been highly similar.
Our fathers went forth into the wilderness. When there,
they saw that civilization could not be, unless men were
trained through learning for places in the State and in the
Church. Your ancestors and mine alike thought of the
college as the natural leader of the people; and they
shaped their policies with that in view.
I may mention another point of kinship. You have
persistently stood for freedom in religion. You have
been an unsectarian college. You have built up a
strongly religious institution, while insisting that the re-
ligious life of each man should be free to expand along
its own lines. We have tried the same experiment, and
with a similar result ; for I found last year that Harvard
sends into the Christian ministry more students than any
other college in the country, with the single exception of
Princeton. I believe, gentlemen, that the principle ac-
cepted by us both is the sound one. So deep in the na-
ture of man is the religious impulse that all it needs is
opportunity and training to come forth with beneficent
power.
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 259
I am sent to you, however, to bring coiigi-atulations
not merely on grounds of kinship, but on the ground of
honor too. Wo are thankful for your career. Often it is
said that the number of colleges in this country is too
large. I cannot think so. There is work enough for all
to do, for the small college and for the large. Each has
its special office in spreading the college idea far and
wide. Jealousies here are out of place. The success of
one is a success for all. And certainly in the difficult
task of inclining our people to prize a serious discipline,
Union has done a work in which every other college must
rejoice. The multitude of her graduates who have risen
to positions of eminence has commended college educa-
tion to the country at large.
But, Mr. President, I cannot sit down without expres-
sing a deep personal obligation to Union. Twenty-five
years ago one of your graduates was teaching school (as
is the habit of Union graduates) in a small town of cen-
tral New York. Looking over his pujiils, he noticed
among them a young girl who, as it seemed to him, de-
served a college training. He told her so. He told her
father so ; and with some difficulty the girl's parents were
persuaded to send her to Michigan University. She sub-
sequently became President of Wellesley College, — and
my wife. [Applause.] I had always known, gentlemen,
that in Union is strength. I have ever since been doubly
persuaded of it. [Prolonged applause.]
$
President Raymond then said : While the Board of Regents may be
regarded as the mother of Union College, Princeton was undoubtedly the
nurse of her infant years ; for her first President, the Rev. John Blair Smith,
was a graduate of Princeton College ; and fearing evidently for the life of the
child, he resigned after four years of service, and was succeeded by another
260 UNION COLLEGE.
Princeton man, Jonathan Edwards the younger. This in itself is enough to
establish a close relationship between Union and Princeton. The debt under
which we were thus placed has been recognized by iis ; and we have all rather
prided ourselves upon paying that debt by giving back to Princeton one of
her most illustrious Presidents, John Maclean. But President Patton in-
forms me that we are mistaken in regarding President Maclean as a grad-
uate of Union, as he was certainly a gi'aduate of Princeton. To tell the
truth and the whole truth, I believe he was an alumnus of both colleges. Hav-
ing graduated from Princeton, he must have recognized the superior value of
a degree from Union, and so have come here for that degree. Certainly we
can say this now with safety, inasmuch as President Patton, who expected to
be here, is not with us to-day to refute it.
Union College has always prided herself on being the first college in this
country to be established by charter upon an undenominational basis. While
never losing her religious character, she has been consistently non-sectarian.
Her first two Presidents were Presbyterians, as we have seen ; her third Pres-
ident, the Rev. Jonathan Maxcy, was a graduate of Brown University and a
Baptist. This only marks the beginning of our debt to Brown University.
How that debt was increased all will know when I say that our next Pres-
ident was also a son of Brown, although not a Baptist, and was none other
than Rev. Eliphalet Nott. That name stands for the greatest glory of the
past, and establishes the close connection between Union and Brown Univer-
sity. I have spoken of our debt, but it does not burden us as it would had we
not given to Brown the man whose name may rank even with that of Dr.
Nott among the great presidents of American colleges, Francis Wayland.
President Andrews hoped to be with us to-day, but because of other engage-
ments he felt that he must confine his greetings to the words which were
spoken yesterday at the Educational Conference in the College Chapel. And
surely all who heard those words will recognize the tribute that has been
paid to Union College by the presence here and the address of the distin-
guished successor of President Wayland.
But what of Yale ? It is not her fortune to wait long in any roll-call of
American colleges for the sound of her name. She is so accustomed to see-
ing her blue at the front that it must always be a surprise to find it anywhere
else; and, to speak frankly, if I had been guided by purely personal feelings
in arranging this program, I should have seen that the name of Yale led all
the rest. For am not I a graduate of Yale by inheritance? Did I not walk
her campus and sit upon her fence and receive her diploma in the loins of my
father? [Laughter.] Is not one of my most cherished treasures a prize
which we thus took together when he gi-aduated in 182.5 ? But environment
modifies heredity, and I am now a Union man and allied to Union's interests.
[Applause.] But even Union's interests cannot long disregard the claims of
Yale. We may not have given any President to Yale. Yale may not have
given any President to us ; but the whole college world is indebted to Yale
University. Her democratic spirit ; her honest Americanism ; her straight-
forward devotion to her own traditions and her own aims have been an in-
spiring influence in all the college world. We are glad to recognize our ob-
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 261
ligation to Yale and are j^lad to i'0('o<^nizt' tlic lioiior wliioli Yalo has doiio ns
by sending as Iut roprosontativc the Dean of lier coUege fiieulty, Prof. Henry
Parks Wright, whom I now have the pleasnre of presenting.
SPEECH OF HENRY PARKS WRIGHT,
I)e((n of Yale College Faculty.
MR. PRESIDENT and Alumni of Union College : I
very much regret that President Dwight is not able
to be here to-day ; but the fact that this is commencement
week in New Haven also sufficiently explains his absence.
I have been requested by the President and Faculty of
Yale University to represent them at this centennial cele-
bration, and to express to you, sir, and to those asso-
ciated with you in the management and government of
this institution, our fraternal greeting. Union College
had a worthy beginning. Its name preserves the creed
of its founders who, a century ago, avowed those prin-
ciples of liberality and unity to which to-day all colleges
subscribe. It has had a worthy history. Of the twenty-
one American colleges founded before the year 1795, few,
if any, were able to present at their one hundredth an-
niversary such a list of distinguished graduates as you
can now show. Yale congratulates you, sir, on the rec-
ords of the past and on your present prosperity. As
you say, Yale has not contributed largely to your fac-
ulty; but we do not forget that the distinguished man
who, for more than sixty years, presided over this insti-
tution, though a graduate of Brown, came, as you did,
from good Yale stock, and was brought up under Yale
influences. [Applause.]
One hundred years is a long period. We speak of a
century without stopping to think how much the word
means, or what a large fraction of all historic time a cen-
tury is. If we go back to the founding of this college,
11*
262 UNION COLLEGE.
we fiud ourselves in the administration of Washington
and in the early years of the American Republic. The
period covered by the history of this institution is about
one twenty-fifth of the time since the founding of Rome.
Sixty such periods would take us back to that date given
in Hebrew chronology for the creation of Adam. The
administration of President Nott alone included about
one thirtieth of the entire Christian era down to the
present day. A college that can celebrate its one hun-
dredth anniversary is, as man counts time, very old.
Now here is something that is remarkable in regard to
age, — namely, that you can grow old and at the same
time be gaining new life and new vigor. The life of an
individual soon reaches its natural limit. When a man
finds that he has a work to do, he soon comes to realize
that the great thing lacking is time. He could accomplish
his work if life were only long enough. Every year added
to the past with him takes away a year from the future.
But there is no such natural limit to the age of an insti-
tution of learning ; it never becomes so old that it may
not patiently plan for centuries to come. In fact, the
longer the past has been, the longer the future is likely
to be. Our American universities have survived revolu-
tion, war, change in government. With the exception of
the Christian religion, there is nothing which seems to be
more firmly established than our institutions of learning.
Age, too, generally brings with it the characteristics of
age. We unfortunately cannot grow old and still keep
our youth. But to an institution of learning increasing
years bring increasing strength. As it grows old it may
not only keep young, but it may even grow young. The
college has access to the fountain of perpetual youth.
All our American colleges that have passed their one
hundredth anniversary are really younger to-day than
they were fifty years ago, — younger in their life and
spirit. They no longer cling obstinately to old theories
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 263
simply because tliey have loug beeu held. They are
ready to investigate and ready to accept the best. Their
spii'it is progressive.
As Union College enters upon its second centui-y our
wish is that its history may cover many centuries ; and
that the record of each may be as creditable, as gratifying
to its officers, to its alumni, and to its friends as the
record of the one now closed, and that with its increasing
years it may combine that wisdom which is the charac-
teristic of age with the energy and the enthusiasm and
the progressive spirit of youth. [Applause.]
President Eaymond said : Our nearest neighbor among the older colleges
and our closest friend, I thiuk, among all the colleges, is Williams. [Ap-
plause.] We are almost twins. For the echoes of her centennial celebration
have not yet died away. For one hundred years we have shared experiences
and divided honors. When her Garfield fell our Arthur took his place and
continued his policy. [Applause.] Nowhere is Williams's splendid past more
honored than at Union, and nowhere is her present prosperity the subject of
more sincere congratulations.
President Carter had hoped and expected to be with us some time during
this centennial celebration ; but finding at last that he would be obliged to
be at Williamstown during the whole of the week, or the first part of the
week, at least, he appointed a professor to represent Williams College, who
is most cordially gi-eeted this afternoon, not only for the sake of Williams,
biit also for his own sake, , And as we now welcome Professor John Haskell
Hewitt, I may be permitted to express the hope and desire of all Union men,
that this occasion may be the pledge and the beginning of even closer fellow-
ship through the new century upon which we have both entered.
SPEECH OF JOHN HASKELL HEWITT,
Professor in Williams College.
MR. PRESIDENT, Alumni, Students, and Friends of
Union College: Williams College having recently
celebrated her centennial anniversary, — as your President
264 UNION COLLEGE.
has just intimated, — sends to Union, as to a slightly
younger sister, her most cordial greetings on this auspi-
cious occasion.
There are many things connected with the origins and
histories of these two colleges which, it seems to me,
should tend to make strong the bond of sisterhood to
which I refer. Both of them being among the first fruits
of the peace that followed the war for independence, they
might not inaptly be termed " Daughters of the Revolu-
tion." Both of them being situated near the line of what
used to be known as the " Old Mohawk Trail " connect
themselves in their history closely with those stirring
events and those heroic deeds by which the northern sec-
tion of New York and New England was made forever se-
cure to civil and religious liberty. The origins of the two
colleges were not unlike. It was in your neighboring city
of Albany that our founder, Colonel Ephraim Williams,
when on his march to that battle in which he fell near
Lake George, made his last will bequeathing his little
estate to establish a " Free School " in Williamstown for
the education of the children of his soldiers. Out of that
free school came Williams College, as, I understand, out
of an academy came Union College. As has been already
intimated, the times of the birth of these two institutions
were so nearly the same that we might properly call them
twins, and give to them the classical designation which
the fond couple over in the Hoosac Mountains gave to
the twins that visited their happy home some time since,
calling one of them " Simul " and the other " Taneous."
[Laughter.] My first knowledge of these two colleges
came to me when a lad over in Connecticut through the
very enviable reputation that each was presided over by
an ideal college president. President Nott at Union and
President Hopkins at Williams, who left lasting impres-
sions on these two institutions, were men of the highest
and noblest conceptions of education, men who placed
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 265
culture above knowledge and character above culture.
They were men, too, of the broadest and most generous
synii^athy in religious matters, exemplifying in their lives
and their teachings that liberal spirit which is expressed
in the motto on Union's seal. And, sir, it is one of the
happy auspices of this auspicious occasion that Union
College enters upon her second century with the ideal
college President still at the helm. [Applause.]
There is also a personal matter, if I may refer to it
briefly here, which has ever led me to look with rever-
ence toward Union College. When, more than a gener-
ation ago, as an undergraduate at Yale, I was initiated
into a fraternity where I formed those strong friendships
which have remained faithful up to this present time, I
was taught to look upon Union as a sort of alma mater,
being instructed that here, in 1833, was founded the
mother chapter of our fraternity.
There are many peculiarities of which Williams might
boast, but you would probably match them at every
point. If I should speak of the Berkshire hills which
form the beautiful setting of our town and om- college,
you would, with pardonable pride, point me to the more
than idyllic beauty of the scenerv of the Mohawk Valley.
If I should make the statement that we have the longest
railway tunnel in America, you would, of course, remind
me that you are located on " The great four-track Trunk
Line of the United States." If I should suggest that we,
being situated just beyond the border, are the Yankee
College, and remind you that, according to Dr. Skeat, of
the University of Cambridge, the word " Yankee " comes
from a Norwegian word which signifies " quick-moving,"
" active," " spry," and suggest to you that therefore we
would be likely to excel in that important branch of mod-
ern education, athletics, and that so the Yankees is fitted
to carry the arts of civilization across the continent, you
would probably remind me that recently canals have been
266 UNION COLLEGE.
discovered in the planet Mars, and that undoubtedly the
Dutchman is ahead of the Yankee there. And when I
look over the long list of illustrious names in your gen-
eral catalogue and see the decided preference you have
for one of the last letters of the alphabet, I am persuaded
that hitherto you have always kept in the "Van."
I was greatly interested recently in perusing portions
of one of the early documents of our college. It was, in
fact, the petition of the trustees of the free school to
which I have referred, addressed to the General Court of
Massachusetts, praying that an act be passed, incorporat-
ing the free school into a college, the said petition setting
forth that " the town of Williamstown is bordering upon
the most fertile parts of the States of New York and Ver-
mont. If, therefore, a college was instituted in that town,
such is its local position that great numbers of youths
would probably resort there from the neighboring States,
for the purpose of obtaining a liberal education. This
would furnish an opportunity of diffusing our best hab-
its and manners among the citizens of our sister States."
Thus early, sir, in her history, you see cropping out that
missionary spirit which has always characterized Will-
iams College.
I fear I have dwelt too long upon the past and that you
may be reminding me of that old story of the country-
man who was passing by a country inn about noon-time
and stopped for his mid-day meal. The waitress asked
him if he would have some ox-tail soup. Having never
heard of that delicacy, the countryman was a little dazed
at first, but after some moments of meditation asked,
" Is n't that going a good ways back for soup ? " [Long
laughter.] The lesson of the hour, sir, and of this occa-
sion is not so much retrospect as it is thankfulness and
hopefulness. In America, as my friend, Professor Wright,
has already intimated, it still is a rare thing for a college
to attain to the venerable distinction of being a centeu-
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 267
arian. While Oxford can boast of lier eiglit Imiidred
years, Heidelberg of five hundred years, and Edinburgh
of three hundred, our mother university has but recently
celebrated her two hundred and fiftieth anniversary; and
of our nearly four hundred collegiate institutions, only
about a dozen have attained to the age of a century or
more. But, sir, the wealth which a college like Union
has, on its centennial, in its alumni and in its precious
traditions, is incalculable. It is in the college as it is in
the family, — "children are an heritage of the Lord. . . .
They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the
enemies in the gate." It is related that the famous Dr.
Busby, who presided with such distinction for so many
years in the seventeenth century over Westminster School,
was once approached by a would-be patron with the ques-
tion, " What are your references f " " References ! " said
the old doctor, bringing to bear on the would-be patron
that magnificent brow with a mingled expression of pity
and contempt, " References ! Go to the Houses of Par-
liament, to the House of Bishops, to the Faculties of
the Universities, to the leading positions throughout the
United Kingdom, there you will find my references." And
so, as Chancellor Upson has so eloquently indicated. Union
may bid men go to the prominent places on the bench,
at the bar, in the pulpit, in business, in scholarship, in
literature, in statesmanship, and there find her refer-
ences. To-day she may point to her children with a far
fonder pride than did the mother of the Gracchi to her
sons and call them her "jewels." Fittingly, in reviewing
the work of a hundred years, could we use of her the
words of the grand inscription placed in golden letters
over the choir in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, in mem-
ory of its distinguished architect, Sir Christopher Wren, —
the grand pile itself being his solemn and fitting mauso-
leum — si mouumeutum reqmris, cireiuu spice.
Mr. President, the past of Union College is secure ; to
268 UNION COLLEGE.
adapt a line from an English sonnet, May yonr future
copy fair the glories of your past. Now, in closing, I
wish to express my personal gratitude for the courtesies
you have extended to me on this occasion, and again to
give you the glad salutations of Williams College and her
best wishes and heartiest Grodspeed for the new century
on which you enter. [Long applause.]
President Raymond said : Professor Riehardsou, who is to represent
Dartmouth College, is, I understand, on his way, and will be here for to-
morrow's gathering in this place, if he does not arrive before the conclusion
of our proceedings this afternoon. [His speech, delivered at the banquet the
day following, is here inserted.]
SPEECH OF CHARLES F. RICHARDSON,
Professor in Bartmouih College.
MK. PRESIDENT, Gentlemen, and Brothers: I
thank you very heartily for the opportunity given
me to say a few words to-day which I would fain have
said yesterday, but to which I may perhaps give more
emphasis and more earnestness because of the little
delay.
I will trespass upon your time but briefly. I must,
however, say that Dartmouth congratulates you most
warmly upon all the joys of this joyous time. She has
a right to do so ; because Dartmouth and Union, as in-
deed you have already heard in the case of other institu-
tions, are alike in very many points. They are of about
the same age and have nearly identical purposes. They
are devoted to Christianity, but not to denominationalism.
They believe in the education of men remote from the
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 269
largest centers of population. They have twenty-five or
thirty instructors on their faculties, teaching three or
four hundred students. I suppose in all these particu-
lars we are like many other colleges.
One other common ground lies beneath the feet of us
all and supports us all. It is that to which your Presi-
dent so felicitously alluded : the decision of the Supreme
Court in the Dartmouth College case. That decision
showed the country many years ago, and still shows it
to-daj'^, that we have nothing firmer, nothing more sacred,
nothing more truly venerable than our institutions of
learning. We do love them ; for them we live.
Just one more word and I am done. The American
system of education has apparently been committed for
years to the wide subdivision of educational endowments,
to the multiplication of many colleges rather than to the
concentration of wealth in the treasuries of a few. Never
has that distribution of academic endowments and means
been more apparent than in the last five or ten years.
We may well question whether in twenty-five or thirty
years to come we shall not be still farther away from the
old state of things where one could confidently mention
the best two or three American institutions of learning.
To-day, one is the best in one respect, another in another.
I believe that this distribution of resources and attain-
ments will go on and on until a hundred years hence we
shall have more rather than less of these separate cen-
ters, these distributing-points of light and learning. This
very year the extensive reconstruction of two leading
institutions in the American metropolis shows us, if we
did not know it before, what is to be the American policy
of the future.
" To each his own," said the old Latin motto. Other
things being equal, let us serve the college of our gradu-
ation. Other things being equal, let us give her our love,
our money, and our sons. But let us also remember an-
270 UNION COLLEGE.
other thing : in the development of the American system
of education, in this distribution which I cannot but
believe to be wise, one college is to serve excellently in
one way, another in another way. Diversity in unity, —
that is expressive not only of the Union College which
stands for all that is good and true in the past and pres-
ent, and which promises the same for the future, but, as
I believe, of the union of colleges devoted to the republic
of letters and the democracy of true manhood. [Ap-
plause.]
President Eaymond said : One of the universities of the State which
has been in the closest relations with Union College during the past fifty and
more years is the University of the City of New York. Chancellor Mae-
Cracken had hoped to be with us at this time, but wrote this letter, which
has been received recently, and after giving the reasons, which are alto-
gether satisfactory, for his enforced absence, he adds :
I regret that I am thus hindered from presenting myself to the venerable
dame who sits so gracefully by the Mohawk, and who extends hospitable
greetings not to her own children alone but to the children of her sister col-
leges. Since the days when I was in college, I have accepted Union as
approaching in many respects the ideal American college. In situation near
a crowded population, yet outside the crowd ; as to control, under Christian
and moral influences, yet not denominational ; in size, possessed of classes
large enough for a faculty to become acquainted with, yet not too large ; as to
constituency attracting fair proportions from the farm, the village, and the
city alike ; as to ideals of scholarship and manhood not surpassed by any
other college.
The men of Union whom I have known as fellow-students, as conu'ades in
educational and religious work, have made Union College stand out before
my eyes as fulfilling all I have said and much more. What have they not
done in our metropolis, New York City ? I should like to name the names of
a few were it not that I should give way, I fear, to the temptation of men-
tioning too many. I wish that as Union begins her second century she may
be as kind and wise and good, and a great deal richer than she has ever been
in the first century. The Empire State has but a dozen colleges for young
men fairly well endowed. They should be twelve apostles of knowledge,
culture, and character to New York State and the nation.
Sincerely yom's, Henry M. MacCracken.
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 271
If I may be permitted a word after reading this letter, I would like to speak
of the gift which Union College made to the University of the City of New
York in Tayler Lewis. We regretteii the gift and took it back ; and the last
years of the life of Tayler Lewis were spent in connection with his alma
mater. That name has been mentioned elsewhere in the com-se of our pro-
ceedings to-day, a name which is never mentioned without arousing the
warmest gratitude of every Union man ; and at the request which I under-
stand expresses a general desire, I at this time yield for a moment to one of
our own alumni. Colonel Robinson, who has a word to say in this connection.
Colonel Robinson made an appeal to the alumni to
purchase for the college the library of Professor Lewis.
President Raymond then said : The relations between Union College
and Columbia have been close in a special way. It was Dr. Nott who early
in the century fought a legislative battle for Columbia and secured for her
the gift of the Botanical Gardens, the source of her present great income.
Columbia has always been gi-ateful, and has returned the favor, although
not in kind. As an illustration of the return which she has made, I have but
to refer to the fact that our present scholai-ly professor of Latin (Sidney G.
Ashmore) is a son of Columbia College. [Applause.]
When President Low was forced to decline our invitation because of his
engagement to sail for Europe early in the month, he was pleased to desig-
nate the next in official station as Columbia's representative; and it is my
privilege to present Professor Van Amringe, Dean of Columbia College.
SPEECH OF J. H. YAN AMRINGIE,
Demi of Columbia College.
MR. PRESIDENT and Gentlemen: It is with very
great pleasure that I appear on behalf of Columbia
College to congratulate Union upon the happy completion
of a century of useful life. I may, perhaps, be pardoned
if, on this occasion, to catch by reflection, perchance,
something of the glory that gathers about this seat of
learning, I claim that, in a historic and also in a certain
spiritual sense. Union is an offspring of Columbia.
Columbia had already been a generation at work before
Union was called into being, — a generation of momentous
consequence to mankind in which she had played no
272 UNION COLLEGE.
mean part. Her aspirations, her experience, her difficul-
ties, and her accoiaplishment were familiar to the men
who founded this college, and they used them, like wise
men, in framing their charter and outlining then- educa-
tional policies. She appears to have been the incentive
to the creation of the Eegents of the University of the
State, and upon her was their attention first centered.
But that body involved, as you know, a larger concept
than could be filled by the activities of a single institution
in one corner of the State. The Board of Eegents was
intended to be, and is, the outward and visible sign of an
essential union of all the academic and collegiate institu-
tions throughout this commonwealth. The first fruit of
the idea thus embodied, as regards higher institutions, was
this college, so happily and so auspiciously styled " Union
College," — expressing thus by its title the hope and the
design of the founders, that here should be cultivated
and exemplified all the Christian graces that flourish in
any and every religious denomination, and typifying no
less the spirit of unity that animates the entire educa-
tional system of New York.
We celebrate then, sir, to-day, not only the centennial
of Union, inspiring as that of itself is, but, in addition,
the oneness of interest in the public service of all colleges.
For what is any single college but one constituent part
of a systematic whole, contrived and conducted as an
accelerating force in civilization ; one element of an or-
ganized desire and effort to raise all men to a higher level ;
one section of the girdle that encircles the country con-
ducting everywhere throughout her borders life-giving,
character-building influences? The individual colleges
have, of necessity, their chosen fields of action. They
severally spend their energies and find their chief satis-
faction in following out their own especial lines of en-
deavor. Each has, of course, charactei'istics peculiar to
itself ; but if from the strongly marked features of them
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 27)i
all you make a composite picture, it will show you the
image of one of the two necessary saviors of this Re-
public, the other being the Church. All college reunions,
celebrations such as this, bring this truth i)roniinently into
view and enforce a lesson that is most valuable for all of
us to learn ; it raises us to a higher plane of contempla-
tion in educational matters, and makes us more just in
our judgments of each other, more catholic in spirit and
in action.
The charter constituting Union, dated February 25, 1795,
and bearing the honored names of George Clinton, Chan-
cellor, and DeWitt Clinton, Secretary, declared that this
college was established "for the instruction and educa-
tion of youth, in the learned languages and the libei'al arts
and sciences." The century that has since elapsed has
wrought a great change in the conception of what con-
stitutes a collegiate education proper, the " education of
a gentleman." The years have been fruitful in extending
the boundaries of learning, in widening particularly the
circle of the sciences; in begetting a new spirit of re-
search after new truth, and a different method of present-
ing to students that which is already known. A century
ago, the academic curriculum was practically as well
marked out, as definitely settled, as is the technical course
in a professional school of to-day. But that has long-
ceased to be the fact, and we are still in the throes of
an agitation as to what are the necessary elements of a
liberal education. But however widely we may differ in
opinion, however much we may dispute, as to the con-
stituents of such an education, we are at one as to the
vital importance of the thing itself. Whatever may be
the several ways of striving for the result, the intent is
the same everj^where, yesterday, to-day, and forever. It
is to make men, — not merely professional men and spe-
cialists; to cultivate men in the spirit and for the pur-
pose expressed in the legend that the great philosophic
18
274 UNION COLLEGE.
historian and teacher, Francis Lieber, inscribed on the
wall of his lecture-room : Non scholce sed vitm, vitm utrique.
How steadily Union has kept this end in view, and how
well she has thus far executed the trust confided to her,
are clear to those who read her story in the services of her
alumni, are evident to any one who will look about him
upon this impressive assemblage of her sons. That she
shall continue her good work with ever-increasing vigor
and repute is the earnest desire of Columbia; and in its
prosecution, Mr. President, you have our warmest good
wishes. [Applause.]
President Raymond said: And now comes Bowdoin, rich in the in-
heritance of names that are dear to every American heart, the youngest
centenarian in the college world, as barely one year has passed since she
attained the distinction of a hundred years of life. We gave her a President,
but every college in America is debtor to the alma mater of Longfellow and
Hawthorne. Most sincerely do we appreciate the courtesy which has sent
from such a distance a representative to bring the greetings of Bowdoin
College. We welcome Professor William MacDouald.
SPEECH OF WILLIAM MACDONALD,
Professor in Bowdoin College.
MR. PRESIDENT; Alumni of Union College and
Friends: When your President extended a cour-
teous invitation to Bowdoin to be represented at this
gathering to-day, he said in his letter to our President,
that as Bowdoin had recently passed through a centen-
nial celebration, she would know well how to " sympa-
thize " with Union ; and the first thing which I should do
at this time is to extend to Union College on behalf of
Bowdoin our sincere and profound sympathy.
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 2 tO
I count it a great pleasui'e to be able to be here to-day
as a representative of Bowdoin, and to see your centen-
nial exercises passing with such great success. When
President Hyde informed me that I had been delegated
to represent the college here to-day, I asked him what I
should say. His reply was : " Say anything you please,
only make it short." I want, therefore, without being
known for much speaking, to extend the congratulations
of Bowdoin upon the possession by Union College of men
who in every department of life have done distinguished
service, — men who have been great statesmen, great
scholars, great business men, great administrators of af-
fairs. We congratulate you upon the skill, ability, and
devotion with which your college is now directed ; and
we congratulate you — shall I say most of all ? — upon
the large numbers of your alumni who, without making
for themselves great places, without attaining great dis-
tinction, without coming here to-day with a long train
of honors, have, nevertheless, carried into their lives as
citizens, as fathers, as professional men, as public men,
those principles of truthfulness and earnestness, of
honesty, devotion and manliness, which are the sure
foundations of our American life.
It was said the other evening by one of the speakers
that in his judgment the American university must stand
— I think that was his word — upon the college. Those
of us who work in the colleges hope that the American
university will never " step " upon the college. [A voice :
" Grood," and applause.]
We congratulate you upon going into your second
century with such reverence and enthusiasm for the past ;
and I venture to express the hope that, as your new cen-
tury opens, filled with problems more complicated, more
intricate, more taxing and difficult than ever have sur-
rounded the American college before, you may support
your administration here, as it puts out its new ideas, its
276 UNION COLLEGE.
new methods, its new discoveries, with the same enthu-
siasm, the same devotion, the same love for Union which
you manifest here to-day for your honorable past. [Ap-
plause.]
President Raymond : Uniou College has always had a door open toward
the South, and a warm hand of greeting for every visitor and traveler from
the Land of Chivalry. Where names are honored no words are needed to
express our appreciation of the presence of Professor John Randolph Tucker
[applause], who comes to us in the name of Washington and Lee University.
SPEECH OF JOHN RANDOLPH TUCKER,
Professor in Washington and Lee University.
MR. PRESIDENT, Trustees, and Alumni of Union
College : I thank you, sir, very heartily for the kind
way in which you have introduced me to this audience;
and I can say that it is with very great pleasure that I
stand here to extend my greetings to this old institution
at the closing of its first and the opening of its second
century of usefulness and distinction. It so happens, I
think, in looking around this board and in looking over
this audience, that I am well-nigh the oldest man here ;
and that I heard of Dr. Nott almost before any man here
ever heard of him. I am no stranger to Union College ;
for, nearly sixty years ago, a young man who was a
bachelor of arts of this institution taught me the classics
and mathematics in a private school in my father's family
in Virginia; and I knew then from him the nature and
character of Dr. Eliphalet Nott, who presided over this
institution at that time. [Applause.] And old Dr. Nott's
name has been a kind of household word with me ever
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 277
since, and I honor him and honor the university of whicih
he was the illustrious president. I owe something to this
institution on another ground. It did me the honor to
invite me to address its law students at Albany some
years ago, which I had the pleasure of doing ; and I come
to-day, on behalf of the university of which I am a hum-
ble and earnest professor, to extend to you my greetings
on this auspicious anniversary. There are several things
about your institution which touch my sympathy and
strike me as analogous to our own. In the first place
you took your first president from Virginia. Dr. John
Blair Smith, the first president of Union College in 1795,
was taken from old Hampden Sidney College in the State
of Virginia, of which he was then president — I believe
that is true, Mr. President.
There is also much sympathy between your institution
and ours in that, while you are, as we are or profess to
be, a deeply religious institution, there is no sectarianism
or denominationalism in the polity of either.
There is another thing that I hear about your institu-
tion which I sympathize with very greatly, and that is,
that instead of multitudinous regulations for the conduct
of young men in your institution, you put them upon the
platform of honor, personal honor, as the only basis on
which the collegian's life can be properly regulated. That
is the method of government in our institutions. An ap-
peal to the honor of a young American is the highest
appeal that can be made. If he cannot behave himself
as a student upon his honor, he cannot come into any of
our institutions: that is all there is about that. [Ap-
plause.]
Now, Mr. President, as the representative of the only
institution south of Mason and Dixon's line here to-day,
I do not feel solitary and alone, because there are bonds
between you and me which make me feel at home. Let
me tell you something of this old institution with which
18*"
278 UNION COLLEGE.
I am connected, and very briefly. It is now Washington
and Lee University ; it was old Liberty Hall Academy
founded by the Scotch-Irish migration from the Cumber-
land Valley in Pennsylvania into the Valley of Virginia,
between the years 1730 and 1740. They established what
they called " Liberty Hall Academy " in the town of Lex-
ington where I live ; and at the close of the Revolution,
Virginia presented to the father of this country, as an
evidence of her affection and esteem and as a reward for
his services, fifty thousand dollars of the stock in a great
waterway which was to connect the ocean with the Ohio
River. True to the instincts of his unique and splendid
patriotism, he declined any compensation for his public
services. In the eloquent language of Lord Camden on
another occasion, " he knew that the price of his work
was immortality, and that posterity would pay it " ; but
he asked that the fifty thousand dollars of stock in this
company should be appropriated to Liberty Hall Acad-
emy ; and Liberty Hall Academy was then incorporated
in the year 1788 with that as its only endowment, and
was named Washington College after the father of his
country. It afterwards received increased endowments
from the Society of the Cincinnati, and from a generous
citizen, John Robinson. This college continued in opera-
tion until the late war between the North and the South,
the close of which found it a good deal broken up. The
trustees invited to the presidency of the institution Gen-
eral Robert E. Lee, who, putting aside the memory of an
illustrious and wonderful military career, assumed the
garb of a patriotic citizen of a restored and united coun-
try. [Applause.] He consecrated the last five years of his
life to instructing the youth of the land by the thousands,
who gathered there under his direction, to become the
patriotic citizens of a common and undivided country. At
his death the college asked for a change of its charter and
a change of its name, and united with the name of Wash-
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 279
iiigton the name of Lee under the title of Washington and
Lee University.
Whatever differences there may be between us in refer-
ence to past events, tliere is no difference between us on
the gi'eat subjects wliich have called us together to-day.
Thank God! learning, philosophy and science, religion
and morality, have no sectionalism, have no locality ; their
domicile is everywhere; their home is the world. And
we are together to-day shaking hands, not across any
chasm, but shaking hands across this festive board, as
friends for the elevation of American manhood l)y the
extension of all the educational methods within our reach.
In diverse localities we are cooperators in the same move-
ment — you in your locality, we in ours. It is ours, as
yours, to train American manhood to be broad, profound,
catholic, and generous ; to hold up the constitution of our
fathers, with all its amendments, as the sheet anchor of
the hope of the Union of all these American Common-
wealths. We have a government derived from institu-
tional principles ; but a government founded on a written
constitution, to which every man owes unlimited allegi-
ance. It is ours to train every young American to cling
to this constitution of a renewed union with unfailing
fidelity, and to make it a power for the maintenance of
our American civilization and our constitutional liberties
in all their pristine integrity ; and to perpetuate them to
the generations that are to come; and furthermore to
cause it by its splendid example (to paraphrase the elo-
quent language of Webster) to circle the whole earth, not
with the martial strains of any land or any nation, but
with the divine strains of glory to God in the highest and
on earth peace and good will towards men. [Applause.]
Mr. President, the waning hours of the evening and
the limitation that I understood to be upon me, make me
desist from any further speaking, except to add that I
come to you with greetings from our institution of learn-
280 UNION COLLEGE.
ing, — not authorized, because I did not expect to be here,
and Washington and Lee did not know I was coming
here ; but I undertake to say that I convey no more than
they wonld authorize me to convey, — I come with greet-
ings from the universities and colleges of Virginia to you
on this auspicious centennial anniversary. We bid you
Godspeed in the great work in which we are all engaged,
to build up American civilization upon a Christian basis
not only for ourselves and our posterity, but as a bene-
faction to all mankind. [Long applause.]
President Raymond : After Washington, what name shall I mention if
not Hamilton ? The college that perpetuates the name of Alexander Ham-
ilton is represented by Professor Oren Root.
SPEECH OF OREN ROOT,
Professor in UmniJton College.
MR. PRESIDENT and Gentlemen of the Alumni: I
thought as I found my way from the hills of Oneida
that it was very many years since the messengers from
the second station of the Iroquois " Long house " brought
their greetings to the others who stood at the eastern
gate. It is more than a hundred years since those fleet-
footed messengers of the Oneidas brought their greetings
to the home of the Mohawks. I have come to-day, putting
behind me the wonted joys of my own college commence-
ment that I might bring to you the greetings of Hamilton.
I do not know that I can tell very much of the obliga-
tions under which we rest. We shall have a centennial
not many years hence, and perhaps, as college ages run,
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 281
we are a little too near the age of Union to have had any
very marked intiuence pass from the one to the other.
There have been influences, however, and they have been
potent in the life of Hamilton College. I can remember
but one student who left the halls of Union to come to
Hamilton College ; but he bore with him the badge and
the spirit of his fraternity, and that has been a power in
Hamilton College from that day to this. As I look at
my friend whom I knew once as Tutor De Remer, and
recall his fraternity, I know that Hamilton College has
l^aid the debt. There have been other influences, not a
few, but they have been slight. I could tell you of one
that undoubtedly would escape the eye of the historian.
A little more than forty years ago a Hamilton professor
came to your campus. He found on its northern corner
the home and the garden of Professor Jackson ; and wind-
ing through the walks of the garden and among its shad-
ows, the thought came to him of the possibilities for
something of the kind that lay in the land just southward
of his home. And he went back to that home on the
Clinton hills, and there out of his meager professor's sal-
ary, he added acre after acre and acre after acre to his
ground, and all the time before him was the beautiful
suggestion from this beautiful garden, mentioned, I
know, again and again in this week of rejoicing; and to-
day the garden of Professor Jackson is reproduced as
nearly as may be just on the edge of the Hamilton campus.
Year by year, through these more than forty years, there
have been going out through these gardens the educa-
tional influences that, all unseen, and often unrealized,
are mightier than we dream in the formation, not so
much of scholarship, perhaps, but of character, in our
college boys.
I desire, sir, to congi-atulate you on this hundred years.
I have heard it named over and over again as a hundred
years old. Mr. President, it is not a hundred years old
282 UNION COLLEGE.
at all. It is a hundred years j/oiDig, not old. There is no
such thing as soul-age. I feel sometimes like uttering a
protest against what we call a revival of the past. It is
because our ears are deaf that there is no singing of the
song. It is because we cannot see it, as it softly moves
through the shadows.
There is no revival. There is life forever, and always
out of the far past, and I do not altogether care whether
we know its face or not. I have no particular desire for
mummy companionship as it comes out from under the
Lybian hills, because I know that to our life that old
Egyptian civilization has come along Hebraic and Hel-
lenic lines. Let the dead bury their dead. We have
changed it now. Let the dead past bury its dead. Aye !
But out of that dead past there has gone always its living
self, and let not that be buried ! When the living self
out of any past is buried, then there come the dark ages,
but the life moves on. Do any of us dream that there is
less of very life in the questions of Socrates, in the words
that come to us from Plato, than rested there when they
were first spoken by the ^gean ? Their soul was buried
in the dark ages, and the schoolmen heaped their ques-
tions about them ; but the living in that dead past came
forth. Such a gathering as this to-day shows that your
past is living, that the past of Union is as active as it
ever was. I see now and then in the newspapers a note
to the effect that " So-and-So " is the oldest living gradu-
ate of this or that college. In the broadest and truest
sense the oldest li\dng graduate of Union is the first
name on its contmy's roll of graduates, the first man who
here received the honors of his scholarly career.
I am glad that there is this loyalty to Union, — glad
from my own heart, not only, but glad I know from the
heart of Hamilton. It is a grand thing to be loyal, —
loyal not to the past of things, but to the soul of things.
It is grand, brethren, to be actively loyal; grand to
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 283
be joyously loyal ; loyal singing ; loyal to music, as the
sailors on the Trenton in the harbor of Samoa. Amid
the fury of the humcane and the madness of the sea, as
the great flagship was drifting on the breakers, they ran
up the Stars and Stripes to the foremast, while the band
struck up the " Star Spangled Banner." That was loy-
alty, loyalty in the face of death, and it was glad loyalty
to music. From knowledge of the years of the past, we
can hope for the years to be that the sons of Union shall
be loyal.
As I glanced over your centennial catalogue of '94 and
'95, I recognized here and there what even my slight
knowledge of your great roster told me were the sons
of other generations, the far generation, perhaps ; and it is
our hope that for you there shall be this active loyalty to
the soul of things, and that your one hundred years shall
lengthen into two hundred years, and that you will still
go on and on to an eternal superlative. [Applause.]
¥
Prksident Raymond said : Many and strong are the ties which unite us
with Amherst. I forbear to mention them as I introduce Professor Anson
D. Morse, who speaks to us in the name of Amherst.
SPEECH OF ANSON D. MORSE,
Professor in Amherst College.
MR. PRESIDENT, and Gentlemen of Union: I have
listened with interest and approval to the expres-
sions of gratitude to Union which have been so frequent
at this gathering ; and yet through it all I have felt the
conviction that there is no college that owes so great a
284 UNION COLLEGE.
debt to Union as Amherst. It is more than twenty years
ago that your distinguished alumnus, professor, and presi-
dent, Dr. Laurens P. Hickok, came to Amherst to make
his home there. It is true that he never held an official
relationship to the college ; but from the day he came to
the end of the twenty years which he spent there, he was
a powerful factor in its life. I remember well (for it was
in my own undergraduate days) the sensation that his
coming made. To many of us he seemed the embodiment
of philosophy. And those of us who had the privilege
of making his personal acquaintance, received from him
that very best gift which the young can receive from
their elders, namely, an enlargement of ideas and an en-
nobling of ideals. But the influence of Dr. Hickok on
Amherst began earlier and lasted longer than his sojourn
with us. More than a dozen years previous to his arrival
at Amherst, his kinsman, interpreter, and disciple, our
lamented President Seelye, settled at Amherst as professor
of mental and moral philosophy ; and the system which
he taught was the system which Dr. Hickok had elabo-
rated. Whatever else we may say of that system, every
Amherst man believes that it is a strong system, and
knows that at Amherst it has been strongly and efficiently
taught. I believe that it is the simple truth to say that,
for more than one third of a century, the influence of
this philosophy has entered as a structural element into
the mental and moral character of every thoughtful
Amherst graduate.
It is, Mr. President, because of this immeasurable ser-
vice, that our greeting is something very unlike and far
superior to a merely formal expression of interest and
good will in your centennial. [Applause.]
^
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 285
President Raymond theu said : The question has doubtless occurred to
luauy, iu consideration of the well-known position of the Dutch upon the
question of education, Why did not a college appear iu the Mohawk Valley
as early at least as any college iu New England ? The answer is found in
the fact that New England colleges began as schools for the training of Chris- •
tian ministers, because Puritanism had broken away from the Church of
England, and so from the great English universities, tlius cutting off its
candidates for the ministry from the sources of learning in the mother coun-
try. Holland, on the other hand, retaining the sympathy and affectionate
allegiance of her colonists in America, remained still the fountain from
which the Dutch upon this side of the Atlantic supplied their clergy with
learning. They either brought their ministers from Holland, or sent their
sons to Holland to be educated. When the final separation came between
the Dutch at home and the Dutch in America, Rutgers College was organ-
ized ; and Rutgers College was amply sufficient for many years to fill all the
requirements of the Dutch Church. I think that this may explain why there
was not a Dutch college in the Mohawk Valley as early as a college any-
where in New England. It is well known that the foundations of Union
College were laid by the sons of Holland. That is enough in itself to bring
us into closest fellowship with Rutgers College. My own personal relations
with Rutgers College have been very intimate, through my gi'aduation at the
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and my ministry for several years in
the Reformed (Dutch) Church. On behalf of the college, and, personally,
with warm esteem, I greet President Scott, of Rutgers College.
SPEECH OF AUSTIN SCOTT,
President of Eutgers College.
MR. PRESIDENT, aeutlemen of Union: In calling
upon Rutgers, whose origin was Dutch, you are get-
ting back to first principles. We have learned lately that
the Dutch did it all. We have all read Campbell's book,
and know that England is the result of the Dutch, and
America is a product of the Dutch. We have now got
into the house. Up to this time, Mr. President, you have
been on the porch. You have had the neighborly greet-
ings, and it has been very pleasant out there on the porch;
but it has been the porch. Now you are in the house.
A moment ago when you passed down the line I knew
very well what your thought was when you did not sum-
286 UNION COLLEGE.
mon the representative of Rutgers in the order marked
out upon the roster here. I knew it was because we were
the real sister. I knew that, though the flocking in of
these gentle maidens to the gossip and talk there on the
steps of the veranda was very pleasant, when we got up
into our chamber and were taking down our back hair,
then we would have all the confidences of sisters. [Con-
vulsive laughter.]
Further than that, Mr. President, when I perceived
your evident knowledge of and familiarity with all the
forces that have made that that is and that that is to be,
to which my honored friend here upon the right has paid
such a magnificent tribute, of the strength of America,
its educational system and its ideals, I knew all the time
when you were showing such familiarity and the usual
presidential omniscience, — all the time I knew you were
Dutch, sir. [Laughter.] I remembered what a friend
of mine said to some students who were coming to be
admitted into Michigan University. Instead of saying,
" Are you well prepared for the examination in Greek ! "
he said to one young man, " Do you know Greek '? " And
the youngster said, " I don't know Greek, but I have been
in contact with it about twelve years." I remembered
that our honored president to-day had passed Rntgers
College for several years on his way up the hill to the
seminary. And if that were not enough, look at his
name and see these two Dutch " Vs" cuddled up there!
That which will ever keep in poise the ideal work that
the president is to do is to preserve there the balance of
the two "Vs". Spellit always with a "wee". [Laughter.]
Mr. President, the hour is late. The time warns me
that I must only say a word. What shall it be 1 Yester-
day I took a stroll through Captain Jack's garden, and,
so far as the day allowed, toward the confines, if there
be such, of your campus, though I take it, it is like
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 287
Paddy's rope — the end is cut off. I do not know, sir,
why that may not be typical of your college, which stands
in that respect as the representative of them all. You
have heard here from one and another and anothei-, of
how Union College has touched their interests and has
fostered their hopes, and you have heard the tribute all
around the circle paid to Union. Somehow or other I
feel that Union represents the horizon. You remember
one of the happiest mots in Proctor Knott's Duluth speech
was that Duluth was very peculiar in this respect, that it
was equidistant from the horizon on all sides, [Laughter.]
As I stood last night upon this campus of Union, the
thought came to me, and it occurs again to-day as I hear
these tributes from all around the circle, Is not Union
College the horizon itself? [Applause.]
We cannot pay the debt we all owe, Mr. President, we
cannot pay that debt any more than children can pay
debts backward to their parents. The only way is to pay
them forward, and to take just as good care of our chil-
dren as our parents have taken of us. So, whatever we
have received, and you are learning to know, as I think
with all your presidential omniscience you have not known
before, in the words that have been recited in your hear-
ing to-day, what is the debt they owe all around the
horizon.
In that letter read in your hearing just now. Chancellor
MacCracken spoke of the twelve colleges of New York as
something like the twelve apostles. It occurred to me at
once to name them, and when I thought of the place that
this dear college should take, I thought of its appropriate
name. You will remember that when the centurion said
to St. Paul, " With a great cost obtained 1 this freedom,"
St. Paul said in righteous pride, " But I was free born."
St. Paul among the colleges, Mr. President, is this Col-
lege of Union. We have heard that liberty and union
288 UNION COLLEGE.
should be one and inseparable. Here, sir, we have it.
Liberty presided at Union's birth. Union it is ; Union it
will be. Esto perpetua ! [Prolonged applause.]
$
President Eaymond : Before announcing the last speaker, I wish to call
your attention to the fact that this instrument which I hold in my hand is
made from pieces of wood taken from the class elm in the college garden,
and from Dr. Nott's three-wheeled chariot. It was popularly supposed in my
college days that he went up in the three-wheeled chariot. How did we come
by this ? [Laughter.]
I wish also to call attention to the fact that Mrs. Raymond and myself will
be very glad to see you at our home as you pass from here or the college gar-
den this afternoon. We shall be at home from five o'clock until six, and
shall be glad to welcome you.
We might be willing to call Rutgers the real sister, if it were not for Vas-
sar. [Applause and laughter.] Union has shown her regard for the educa-
tion of women by giving the first President to Elmira College, to Rutgers
Female Seminary, to Smith College, and to Vassar College. We are glad to
welcome the present President, Dr. Taylor, the successor to the Union
President of Vassar College.
SPEECH OF JAMES H. TAYLOR,
President of Vassar College.
MR. PRESIDENT : As befits, I suppose, a man trained
in early days in homiletics, I have thought of an
appropriate text, and it seems to me that my mind has
just lighted upon a proper one: Last of all, the woman !
[Laughter.] It was ever thus ; at least since that one oc-
casion on which she got ahead of the man in the Garden
of Eden ; and man has abundantly rewarded her for that
one forward step.
I have thought as I have sat here, expecting to be called
upon in due time to bring the sympathies of educated
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 289
women as a greeting to Union, — I have thought of the
fact that all this galaxy of colleges rej^resented here to-
day by their special delegates have brought the greetings
of those who believe in the education of American man-
hood ; and I stand alone as representing the colleges
which have stood from beginning to end for the educa-
tion of American womanhood. We do not bring our greet-
ings to you, Mr. President, in any apologetic form to-day.
We have fought our battle and we have won our victory.
The colleges which are represented here to-day have one
after another followed in the steps of that victory ; they
are opening their doors to women, as perhaps Union
will. One after another the universities are opening their
higher courses to women, — the universities represented
on this platform to-day. But it has been a battle, and
many of you who are gathered here to-day have seen
that battle fought, and have known through what ignor-
ance and through what superstition and through what
opposition of all sorts these colleges for women have at
last won their way to the front, and deserve to-day, and
receive, the respect of all men who know anything of
their work and their standards. I do not mean to say
that all this opposition has passed away. I do not mean
to say, even in this presence, that the time has come
when it is not still necessary, here and there, to defend
the cause of educated womanhood. It seems a strange
and pathetic thing, when you think of it. I have thought,
as I have heard several references this afternoon to the
struggles of the men of early times in pursuit of an edu-
cation, of those women, of those mothers, who were behind
those struggles, and who sacrificed and wrought, as their
fathers sacrificed and wrought, that their sons might be
graduates of Union College — women to whom the mere
common right of an education was denied, and denied of-
tentimes in the name of religion itself. It is well, Mr.
President, that we have passed beyond the darkness of
19
290 UNION COLLEGE.
those days. It is well that with the growth of this century,
with its close for Union to-day, we can say that we stand
to-day, not for the education of American manhood, not
for the education of American womanhood, but for that
which is beneath and above them both, the education of
human personality, the right of every soul to develop itself
and its powers to their utmost. As Matthew Vassar said,
he found that the Creator seemed to have endowed women
with the same intellectual attributes with which he had
endowed men, and he did not see why she had not the
same right to intellectual improvement and cultivation.
And yet the world at large has not yet grasped that truth;
and in a large proportion, even of our colleges to-day,
there is not a full acceptance of all that that means to the
future of this and of coming generations.
So I say, Mr. President, that in bringing to you the
greetings, as I think I may to-day, of all the women's col-
leges, we recognize our debt to Union. We bring as
those who are laboring with you in the same work and
for the same end — we bring our greeting, our sympathy,
and our hope for your success. And as I think of the
sainted Raymond, that admirable scholar, that man of
broad culture, that executive of rare ability who organ-
ized Vassar College, I can only hope that the Raymond
of Union may have vouchsafed to him the admiration
and the praise and the genuine success which have been
accorded to the Raymond of Union and of Vassar.
[Applause.]
Mr. President, it is too late an hour for me to say more
than this word of greeting. Not on behalf of the college
which I represent alone, but on behalf of that small com-
pany of women's colleges, well endowed, as American
colleges go, well officered, progressive in their aims, high
in their standards, and successful in their attainments,
I bring to you — I have been wondering how I should ad-
dress you, as I heard one and another speak, and refer to
CENTENNIAL BANQUET. 291
our sister colleges — I bring to you as our older brother the
greeting of the women's colleges. [Applause.]
[Before the conclusion of tlie Centennial B;uu(uet the Ivy Exercises had
begun at the "Old Elm" in the college garden under the auspices of the
Class of 1895. At 5 p. m. a delightful reception was giveu by President and
Mrs. Raymond at the President's residence. ]
EVENING SESSION,
Coninimiorativjc ^tbtirc.s.scs anb Ccntcnniai Jpocni.
Rev. Charles D. Nott, D. D., of the Class of 1854,
presiding.
Dr. Nott in opening the exercises of the evening spoke
as follows :
THE Autocrat tells us that the wonderful one-horse
shay went all to pieces — dust to dust — on its hun-
dredth day. And so it seems with most things earthly —
the older they grow the weaker they become. There must
be, however, according to the law, exceptions to prove
the rule. And all her sons rejoice to-day to believe that
dear old Union is one of those exceptions to this rule of
decadence.
Though her walls grow gray our alma mater appears
to have drunk from the " brook that bounds through
Union's grounds" — whose source is the fabled fountain
of perpetual youth ; and the years of her century, instead
of marking her decadence, have but enabled her to swing
toward her prime — which still lies somewhere on in the
years to come.
If the Autocrat knew of but two things that keep their
youth — a tree and truth — we have learned of a third,
Union College, and we, her living sons, surround her to-
]^9* 293
294 UNION COLLEGE.
day, thankful for her excellent health, for her comfort-
able circumstances and proud of her looks, modestly hop-
ing that her sons in the future will be as beautiful and
altogether lovely boys as are we who now gather about
her on this, the day of her hundredth year.
Colleges, like the men who make them, or the men they
make, have their days of trial. Old Union is no excep-
tion to this rule. She has had her periods of storm and
stress, yet, like Antaeus, she never touched the earth
but to renew her strength. And now, on the threshold
of her second century, they who know her and are best
qualified to speak, affirm that at no period of her history
has her condition been more sound than at the present.
Fortunate in her condition, fortunate in her new presi-
dent, fortunate in public esteem, and in the number and
character of her students, her future is as bright with
promise as her past is glorious.
In her sympathies Union College is neither sectarian
nor sectional. She owes allegiance to no denomination,
and she is as proud of her sons in South Carolina as of
those in Massachusetts. Neither was Union College in
the past, nor is she in the present, private family prop-
erty. The old regime of her great president did its work
and passed away.
A new order of things has arisen with a new century,
and I — almost the last of the Mohicans and representing
much of what is left of the tribe — stat magni noinims
umhra — acknowledge no alumnus more loyal to Union
College and her best interests than I am. So then, with
love and hope, we bid our alma mater Godspeed as she
passes into her second century.
The laws of a State are supposed to be for the good of
the people and yet are not always so; for by a well-
known law, the people of this State are deprived of the
services of the most eminent judges just at the time
when, from ripest experience, their powers are at their
ADDRESS. 295
best. A man who for fourteeu years held the position of
a Judge of tlie Court of Appeals of the State of New
York, a station than which none is more honored among
us, and who won the highest honors for sound judgment
and profound learning, is a student and an alumnus of
whom any institution may well be proud ; and it affords
me great pleasure to present to you to-night such an
alumnus of Union College in the person of Judge
Danforth. [Applause.]
ADDRESS
BY HON. GEORGE F. DANFORTH, LL. D.
Of the Class of 1840,
subject: eliphalet nott.
MR. PRESIDENT: I should feel under very great
embarrassment in addressing this assembly, if I had
not reason to suppose that the felicity of the occasion and
subject upon which our addresses are to be made would
so interest an audience in this city that any shortcom-
ings on the part of the speaker would be excused. For
that reason, and for that reason alone, I venture to run
the risk of criticism and to travel over ground which may
be said to be already well trodden. Indeed the events of
to-day and yesterday show that the topics upon which I
am to address you have already been brought to your at-
tention and my only hope is that I shall neither weaken
nor mitigate the effect of that which has already been so
well said.
Esteem and honor have to-day been given in large mea-
sure to our college : the Regents of the University which
wrote its charter have by its Chancellor rehearsed our
obedience to its injunctions, representatives of other
institutions acknowledge their indebtedness to our ex-
ample, and all have found reason to congratulate us upon
the consequence of this occasion. They have, in earnest
and glowing words of estimation, anticipated the tribute
ADDRESS. 297
WO would j)ay to biin whose whole life was devoted to
the creation, growth, and reputation of Union College.
At the risk, therefore, of being censured for traveling
again over ground already well trodden, I propose to take
advantage of this opportunity to recall some of the rea-
sons for a student's gratitude to his alma mater for bene-
fits received, and his reverence for the man whose wise
and efficient guidance made those benefits possible.
Through a hapi:)y coincidence of the year with the day, —
by the several acts of celebration which at this season
engage our attention, and of which this public demon-
stration is one, — we solemnize at once the first full cen-
tenary of years from the foundation of the college, and,
on this the one hundred and twenty-second anniversary
of the day of his birth, preserve the memory and com-
memorate the services of one who was not only so gifted
by nature as to be capable of shaping Union College, but,
by length of life, of leaving it the noblest example of suc-
cessful administration which academic or collegiate his-
tory affords.
It is well and seemly that we do so ; for in the long
catalogue of those concerning whom some information
might reasonably be sought, we find the name of Eliphalet
Nott and his stewardship outlined in the latest encyclo-
pedia of names, that of 1894, in lines fewer than the fin-
gers of the hand which turns the page on which it stands.
We there learn that he was an " American educator, —
President of Union College," and so far as I can find, the
college itself is not otherwise mentioned than as his arena^
his field of operation.
The record is brief ; but on this day, and here, in the
midst of the traditions of this city, where for more than
half a century he served the college and every interest
of education, it means much.
He was not merely an instructor, confined to the books;
he was not an author ; he did not compose treatises ; lie
298 UNION COLLEGE.
was an educator standing for ideals, in politics, in religion,
in all things which concerned men. Though by profes-
sion a clergyman and devoted to his calling, he was an
exception to the criticism that "clergymen understand
the least and take the worst measure of human affairs of
all mankind that can write and read." In his lecture-
room the two functions were as parts to the whole. He
there inculcated high aims, and when he died left a
marked imj)ress upon the times.
"It has been," he says, " my endeavor since I have had
the care of youth to make men, rather than great scholars."
To his class he said : " The folly of most people is they
read too much. You should read but little yet analyze
each book carefully. Be persuaded to think."
He did not wait for the farewell sermon to deliver his
advice and warnings and encouragements to the gradu-
ating class. He met it at the door of the class-room and
admonished its members : " You are approaching," he
says, " that period when you must enter upon the great
world, and if you would ever be men you must learn to
be so now." He believed that a man got on better with a
purpose and a plan, that transition merely is not progress.
" As you pass this year," he said to the incoming seniors,
" so you will probably pass your lives. Search your own
minds, turn your thoughts upon some design, or course
of life, that will entertain you with hopes ; mark out a
laudable course of conduct, so will you go through life
acquiring power and influence over men."
"Don't think too much of the slate and pencil, but
think a great deal of the sum you are to work out."
But there was not much figurative language. He spoke
plainly : " If you spend this year in iudolence, and stoop to
little, mean, and dirty conduct, it is likely you will con-
tinue dirty, mean, and little while you live."
His great object seemed to be the inculcation of such
precepts as would induce in the students independence
ADDRESS. 299
of thought, fitness for action, and both encouraged by
tlio assurance that the prizes of life would fall into the
hand of him who sfroir eanwstli/ after being (inalificd to
receive them. Nor were these precepts left framed into
general language alone. They were more than outlines.
He called the attention of his pupils to posts of political,
professional, and business importance, pointed out the
one undisputed truth yet agreed on — that whoever lives
must die ; that time was running against the occupant of
these positions and in favor of the young man, pursuing
the one to his departure and helping the other to the
goal; that in the nature of things the pulpit becoming
vacant must be filled; that justice must have its ser-
vants, public offices be cared for ; that however good and
excellent the constitution of government, none could pro-
vide that magistrates or officers necessary to support it,
however in themselves good and wise, should continue;
and that when they departed they would leave the world
much as they found it ; that honors, fortunes, places, and
employments were yet to be had, — not by all because
these objects were fewer in number than those seeking
them, but l^y those who by preparation were best fitted
for service. He agreed with Sir William Temple who
had found " no talent of so much advantage among men
towards their growing great, or rich, as a violent and
restless passion and pursuit for one or the other," and was
of his opinion, " that whosoever sets his heart and thoughts
wholly ui:)on some one thing must have very little wit or
very little luck to fail."
He insisted that thought was the cause of any idtimate
success. His one great object, therefore, was to make his
pupils think : " ^\'liat use is it," he asks, " that some one
else has thought or written and you have read his work
without thinking! The time you have thus spent is
almost wholly lost."
He instructed his classes less in the theory than in the
300 UNION COLLEGE.
practice of philosophy ; taught them how to regulate the
operations of their own minds and influence the minds of
others ; that "of all sorts of instruction, the best is gained
from our own thoughts as well as from experience, for
though a man may grow learned by another man's
thoughts, yet he will grow wise and happy only by his
own ; that the proper use of other men's thoughts toward
those ends is but to serve for one's own reflections."
Such, we are assured, was his own habit. Doctor Way-
land, at one time his pupil, and afterwards his associate,
says of Doctor Nott : " Nothing in books seemed to him
of any value unless he had thought it through and tested
it by his own power of intellectual analysis." Thus his
system was to develop, not to cram.
Addressing the senior class, after referring to the stud-
ies which had occupied them in other classes, he says :
"Now you come to inquire into the principles of the
mind, the causes of the emotions you have seen in it and
the manner in which it is moved ; this you cannot learn
without much reflection."
In dealing with the individual, or with the class, the
obtaining a diploma, or an apparent fullness of knowledge
without nourishment to the mind, was not at all the ob-
ject of the teacher. His avowed purpose, declared in the
lecture-room, and condensed and reiterated in the most
serious and impressive manner to each class as its mem-
bers were about to separate, was to give the mind, the
spirit, and the moral nature of each one of them that in-
spiration which should enable him when he came into
the stress of life to show that he was competent to do the
work that he was sent to do. In fine, to him the student
was not a child or mere pupil, but a son. On every suit-
able occasion he urged upon him the adherence to moral
principle and the necessity of religion in order to true
success in the life that now is as well as in the life which
is to come.
At recitations, the exercises in his lecture-room were
ADDRESS. 301
brief; the subject in hand was discussed and examined,
his own views presented, showing the consequences which
floAved from the truth enunciated, and appUed it to the
various forms of individual, social and political life. He
dwelt much upon the difference between character and
reputation: what men think yon to be; what you really
are. The ingenuous student carried away with him these
lessons, and felt that gratitude which " every man feels
to him who speaks well for the right, who translates truth
into language entirely plain and clear."
Concerning oratory he had much to say. His views
were instructive, not philosophical. He said to his class :
" This man and the other man may tell you, you ought to
speak so and so, but I never found any one whose teach-
ings profited. Eloquence is purely natural : when excite-
ment or feeling exists, in all nations and in all languages,
you will find all eloquent from the little child to the de-
crepit old man."
Of books I think Dr. Nott talked little. He said: " Taci-
tus is good ; Shakspere is beyond all ; the Bible is the
only book that I never found wrong. Its accounts of
human nature are all true, according perfectly with the
principles of Philosophy, though never treating of it."
He impressed his classes with the idea that every man
can be really great if he will trust his own high instinct,
think his own thought, and say his own Avord.
He spoke of a preceding class as " having maintained
dignity and an excellent character through their college
course," and added, "Although they were in no wise re-
markable for their talents, yet some of them will be great
and have no small influence, and this in consequence of
the manner in which they spent their senior year."
He was careful concerning the health of the students,
bodily as well as mental : as they did not live according
to natui'e, they must consult reason, and of course adapt
their diet and all their habits to their sedentary life.
Students are easily moved to laughter by jokes and
302 UNION COLLEGE.
witticisms of the teacher, and occasion was sometimes
had before Dr. Nott, who himself thought well of laughter,
declaring it to be, as I have been told, "the final cause of
health"; but I fancy he rarely laughed himself — cer-
tainly not in the presence of his class. The Methodists,
he said, lived not so long as other denominations; first
because of excessive preaching; second, not enough
laughter.
I am well aware that the little sentences and the brief,
unconnected members or paragraphs of instruction which
I have reproduced, can convey a very faint, if any, im-
pression of the method of Doctor Nott in the class-room.
However it might be at the beginning, before the nov-
elty of the situation had been worn away by the student's
interest and curiosity in the manner of this new teacher,
before he had sat at his feet many days there was an in-
terchange of minds between teacher and pupil. The prob-
ing question of the master was addressed to the pupil,
for the ascertainment not so much of his knowledge as
his capacity. The discoveries thus made were applied to
useful ends — perhaps in the recitation room, perhaps in
the students' dormitory, possibly, though after other ven-
tures, in the Doctor's office. But whether on the side-
walk, in room, or office, the whole course of instruction
tended to one single result : preparation for the duties of
practical life ; encouragement for a bold, earnest, uncom-
promising entrance upon it. Theory without facts pal-
pable and known was evidently a pastime, and wholly
foreign to the purpose of the teacher; while practice
without a knowledge of principle's was a blind mechan-
ism for which he had no use. I do not know that Doctor
Nott put in writing his instructions, — perhaps in later
years a synopsis, — but in some way or other, apparently
without interference or aid from the author, several of
his discourses, under the title of "Counsels to Young
Men," were put in print — among the number, the sub-
ADDRESS. 303
stance, apparently, of several baccalaureate addresses.
In these, moral precepts are not lacking; reliance upon
God and his holy word enforced, but there was impressed
upon the young man that, these observed, submission to
the impulse acquired in college would ensure after suc-
cess even in the most worldly view of life.
It has been said that " there is an American disease, a
paralysis of the active faculties, which falls on young
men of this country as soon as they have finished their
college education, which strips them of all manly aims
and bereaves them of animal spirits ; so that the noblest
youths are in a short time converted into pale caryatides
to uphold the temple of conventions," despairing to find
other employments, or at least such as will satisfy them.
There was small reason for this disorder in the mind of
Dr. Nott's pupils. If the disciple had learned anything, it
was that the value of college education is not in itself
but in what it leads to. He had been taught to do his
best, to trust his own convictions, exercise mental inde-
pendence, rely on personal responsibility and effort.
Notwithstanding all this, there is diffidence and timid-
ity. The master reads the heart of the student and trans-
lates it: "As you approach the world," he says, "every
place of honor, of confidence, of profit, appears preoc-
cupied; there seems to be no room for action. . . . Be-
lieve me," he continues, " it is a deceptive view that you
are taking. If all those places of honor, of profit, of con-
fidence, are not already vacant, it is precisely the same
to you as if they were so. Death and age are vacating,
and will vacate them in time for you to occupy. ... And
all that intelligence and virtue, that active and successful
talent which adorns the age, will disappear, and its hon-
ored possessors, conducted in succession to their graves,
will molder amid sepulchral ashes, forgotten, or remem-
bered only by the monuments of glory they shall have
during their transitory life erected. As you advance,"
304 UNION COLLEGE.
he says, " the stage will clear before you, and all the hon-
ors of state, church, the world, will be committed to you."
He paints, in his address, with glowing colors the pos-
sibilities of life and asks: "Are you willing merely to
grovel through life ; to creep away like unfledged reptiles
from their cells, and, buried in obscurity, pass your fu-
ture years in inglorious sloth till finally, mere excres-
ences, you perish unnoticed and unlamented?" Then
going from selfish considerations to wider fields of use-
fulness : " You ask," he says, " what can a mere individ-
ual hope to accomplish ? What !" he exclaims. " Almost
any thing he wills to undertake and dares to persevere
in. Each of you possesses a capacity for doing either
good or evil which human foresight cannot measure nor
human power limit." He invoked as illustrations the
names of men who had formed a place for themselves in
the world's history, and whose thoughts had become em-
bodied in material results: as Cyrus at Babylon, Cfesar
at Rome, Constantine at Byzantium, Howard in philan-
thropy. Sharp, Glarkson, and Lancaster, who had then
recently, with very scanty material appliances, introduced
a new era in the history of letters, and, he said, " rendered
the houses of education like the temples of grace, accessi-
ble to the poor." He was himself of great enthusiasm, with
abounding love and interest in young men, and gifted
with great ingenuity in devising plans both for teaching
and governing; the enthusiasm he felt he communicated
to the young people of whom he took charge. They sub-
mitted to its influence. In the line of his instruction was
the declaration, made in their presence as part of his final
blessing : " Though I were to exist no longer than those
ephemera that sport in the beams of a summer morning,
during that short hour I would rather soar with the eagle
and leave the record of my flight, and of my fall, among
the stars, than creep the gutter with the reptile, and hide
my memory and my body together in the dunghill."
ADDKESS. 305
He proceeds to show, however, that althoiigli man is im-
mortal, yet " upon this little ball and during this momen-
tary life eternity is staked ; that liell is merited or heaven
won ; and this," he says, " is not conjectural, nor is it
merely probable, But certain, infallibly certain." Indeed,
in his addresses to the members of the college, whether
on the last day or the commencement of a term, in chapel
or church or lecture-room, he spake to them as persons
not only possessed of intellect, capable of thought and
affections, but as requiring motive for action, and sought
to build up in them a strength of moral purpose, to be
directed to self-imiDrovement. He taught that the human
spirit owed its emancipation and its progress to the be-
lief that it is connected by an actual bond with its Crea-
tor ; and on all these subjects his views were presented
with earnestness and affection, as from a heart warmed
with the subject. He sought in all ways and at all times
to make his pupils think of their own characters and
future conditions.
I conceive that in nothing I have said can cause be
found for the great traditionary reputation which has
come to us concerning Dr. Nott. Let me go further and,
with short detail, call to mind some of the more tangible
acts which furnish a larger justification.
Following learned and expert officials, he entered upon
the presidency of Union College at the age of thirty-one
years ; in the order of his coming being its fourth presi-
dent. He found the names of few students upon the
catalogue, and a short curriculum. At once the number
of students increased, the lines of study were enlarged,
with each graduating class his fame spread abroad, and
soon there came, from different parts of the country, many
students. From private and public sources the treasury
of the college was enriched. The State became and con-
tinued to be its patron. He remained in office until Janu-
ary 29, 18G6, when, at the age of ninety-three, and after
20
306 UNION COLLEGE.
an official life of sixty-two years, lie died. At that event
misfortune seemed to assail the college. It had the usual
complement of officers and faculty, and from time to time
a president, one succeeding another, little space inter-
vening, and the college, in its uncertainty of leadership,
became like a ship tossed by a tempest and left at the
mercy of the winds and waves. In 1890 its alumni felt
moved to make, if possible, some provision against what
appeared to be a fatal emergency. There was at once a
revival of interest; meetings of the graduates were
called ; they were held in many of the principal cities of
this State. To that of New York City there came crowds
of alumni, representatives of classes covering many years,
and able, as by a composite picture, to clothe their teacher
with a personality almost adequate, even in the eyes of
those who had never seen or had personal knowledge of
Doctor Nott, to account for the representation which for
so many years had made that name famous.
I draw from that picture as from one taken as it were
in the very presence of the subject, and so fill up the
narrow outline I have tried to sketch. On that occasion
the hearts of the audience were full and turned to the
memory of the master. Among them were honor-bearers
of distinction in the State and in the nation, eminent
physicians, men from the pulpit, the bar, teachers, repre-
sentatives, men from various classes of the many whom
he had taught. The speakers on that occasion testified
concerning him, and, as by general consent, every demon-
stration of affection was echoed by the audience ; every
mention of his name was followed by applause. "Ah ! "
said one speaker, himself famous in a neighboring State
as a leader among men, " Ah ! brothers, we owe his name
this applause ; but we give him also the silent, grateful
homage of our hearts. If yonder door should open, and
we could see entering there that majestic presence, that
form of manly beauty, with what electric enthusiasm
ADDEESS. 307
should we rise to greet liim and condiK't him to the seat
of honor." Said another speaker, then a Bishop of the
Church : " How eloquent ho was ; how skilful, how wise,
how gentle, how loving in the management of young men.
I have heard," he continued, "I have heard a great many
men preach, but such power as Dr. Nott displayed in the
pulpit, in his lectures, in the chapel, and in his instruc-
tions in the class — such power to move the conscience,
to touch the heart, to arouse the loftiest aspirations of
tlie human mind, I have never heard excelled."
80 it continued ; one after another of his sons declar-
ing, " We, all of us, owe all we are, all we have been, and
all we can hope to be, to our loved and loving master."
The fact that twenty-four years had passed since his death
was unnoticed ; the inspiration of his teachings was so
felt that the feelings, thoughts, desires, and memories it
excited appeared possible only with the outward continu-
ity of life. The room seemed full of expectation, as if the
subject of eulogy and extollation had only delayed his
coming.
Such are some of the testimonies to his manifest use-
fulness ; the gratitude which he earned, the obligations
which he conferred, and the value of his labor as the sub-
stantial founder of Union College, the creator of its
prestige and its power.
Let me touch upon one other inquiry quite pertinent to
our subject. How was the greatness of Dr. Nott achieved ?
What warrant was there for the lofty estimate put upon
his life and labors by his contemporaries ?
It is not easy to get at the inner life of any man so as
to rate him at his real value, but to do so in any degree
we are usually compelled to examine his origin, the social
influences to which he was subjected, the effects of edu-
cation and the general conditions by which at the early
periods of life he was surrounded. Such inquiries bring
little aid on this occasion.
308 UNION COLLEGE.
The saying Nemo nasciter artife.r, if ever true, has no
application to Eliphalet Nott. He at the first opportunity
exhibited skill and ability of the most practical kind. He
did not acquire it by education as that word is usually in-
terpreted, or by training, — he was no apprentice, — or from
example, for in whatever he undertook he went to it as
a pioneer ; power and facility were born hi him. He was
a preacher, but his fame as such began with the delivery
of his first sermon, and was so enlarged and magnified as
to make his ministrations desirable in the widest field
and in the most influential and devout churches. Guided
by no formulated rules of rhetoric, or lessons from the
schools, he so improved the occasion of a conspicuous
violation of the law of God and man, that his discourse
and elegy on the death of Hamilton placed him in the
front rank of orators, in the very place where Hamilton
himself had stood. His style was equally distinguished for
fluency and vigor. Without academic education himself,
without useful experience, ignorant of the philosophy of
the schools, uninstructed even in the terms and verbiage
of the books, he left the ministry at Albany to become
president of the college. His predecessors. Smith, Ed-
wards, Maxey, had passed through the academy and col-
lege. They possessed the learning of the schools ; he had
a college honor but no college career; yet, during his
official life, he received as candidates for a degree imply-
ing culture in the arts and sciences thousands of students,
who had from him such advice and direction as promoted
their success in life and made them not only his disciples,
but, as we have seen, his lovers also. The college was
poor; he invoked for it, through the State, large bene-
factions. He was poor himself, but by his astuteness in
business, and his discoveries and scientific inventions,
he was able to acquire such fortune as by his gifts en-
riched the institution.
He wrote but little, was averse to correspondence, put,
ADDRESS. 309
SO far as the public were enabled to know, few thoughts
on paper, left no autobiography, not much material for
the writing of a biography by any person, except as it
might be gathered from his conduct from youth up.
Indeed, he must be judged by the acts which he origi-
nated, by what he did. Tn his youth there were no strik-
ing incidents which distinguished his life from that of
other New England boys. There was poverty; there was
a pious, wise, affectionate mother. Save these aids, the
processes by which he became what he was were inward;
the action of a superior mind quite independent of out-
ward advantages. He was a singular and an original
person. His life and its achievements, as it seems to me,
illustrate the observation of Dr. Channing, that " Whilst
the Supreme Being encourages liberally the labors of ed-
ucation by connecting them with many good and almost
sure results, still, as if to magnify his own power and to
teach men humility and dependence, he often produces
with few or no means a strength of intellect and prin-
ciple, a grace and dignity of character, which the most
anxious human culture cannot confej'."
The little we know of his lectures excites a desire for
more. It is doubtful, however, if at this day they would
satisfy our expectations, — without his voice, his earnest-
ness, his idea freshly suggested, — they would lack the
persuasive power of the spoken word. So accompanied,
his instructions formed an era in college life. They were
not put in writing. In this respect he resembled Lycur-
gus, of whom it is said: "He left none of his laws in
writing .... for what he thought most conducive to the
virtue and happiness of a State were principles, inter-
woven with the manners and breeding of the people."
These would, in his opinion, remain immovable as
fou!ided in inclination, and be the strongest and most
lasting tie, and the habits produced in the youth would
answer in each the purpose of a law-giver.
20*
310 UNION COLLEGE.
As for smaller matters, and whatever occasionally var-
ied, it was better, he thought, not to reduce these to a
written form and method, but to suffer them to change
with the times and to admit of additions and retrench-
ments at the pleasure of persons so well educated.
And as Lycurgus resolved the whole business of legis-
lation into the bringing up of youth, so, as we have seen,
it was the endeavor of Dr. Nott, from the moment he as-
sumed the care of youth, to make men of them, rather
than scholars.
His method succeeded. He had no forerunner. He
followed no precedent. It cannot be said that he set an
example for imitation. His method succeeded because it
was his method. He had able, faithful instructors under
him: I recall with admiration the names of Yates, of
Jackson, Proudfit, Taylor, — names dear to students of
half a century ago — each had his own sphere, and within
it rendered service making more effective the greater in-
fluence which followed the relations of their president
with his class.
At intervals since that day — how remote it seems —
the College has been weary. It has borne heavy burdens.
" After the tale of bricks is doubled," says the proverb,
"Moses comes." The grievous conditions seem to have
been endured. Our Moses is already with us ; he has de-
clared the law of his administration, and disclosed the
"mission of the American college" — to make men fully
equipped and competent for the affairs of life.
Again in our alma mater, therefore, shall be proclaimed
the " efficacy of ideas," founded in sovereignty of nature
by Eliphalet Nott in 1804, and confirmed by his successor
in 1894.
ADDRESS
BY REV. STEALY B. ROSSITER, D. D.
Of the Class of 1865.
SUBJECT: "the stareed faculty."
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE men have served
as presidents, professors, and tutors in the faculty of
Union College in the one hundred years of her honored
existence.
Some of these names have had frequent mention al-
ready. We heard of them on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
morning and afternoon, and we who adore them cannot
mention them too often. That is what we are here for,
to repeat these names, to dwell upon them, to kiss them.
The spirits of these men are hovering near us ; we see
them again. It would be worth a year of our monoton-
ous life to sit at their feet again for one dear hour.
Seven of those who acted as presidents, twenty-four
of the professors, and forty-six of those who served as
tutors are marked on the College rolls with the fatal as-
terisk. Of these we wish to speak, not with particular
mention of them all, but with some sympathetic refer-
ence at least ; and of some of them with a more detailed
remark, as their liv^es, their work, and their contributions
to the thought of the century demand.
Eight of the eleven presidents and fifty-four of the en-
tire number of the faculty have been ministers of the
312 UNION COLLEGE.
gospel of Jesus Christ, a sufficient answer to the surmise
of many, that when a man believes he puts a partial
extinguisher, at least, upon liis reason. Union College
in its large life stands for character at work in every-day
affairs ; for learning vitally united to practicalness ; for
sound judgment ; for interest in the things that concern
men in the every-day working world, and if it is true
that what men gain in college influences, molds, shapes
their after careers, then, by the fostering care of Union
College, piety has been converted into practical force,
and belief in the supernatural has greatly vivified and
strengthened the natural in the past one hundred years.
It is a matter of exceeding interest to note the connec-
tion of these honored names of the faculty with the va-
rious departments of learning, philosophy, mental and
moral and natural, with the languages, ancient and mod-
ern, with the art of thinking, writing, and speaking, with
the sciences, with political economy, engineering, and, in
fact, with those things that touch men for practical good,
and to know that the work of the College faculty has not
been the sowing of seeds in a snow bank, but in fruitful,
productive soil.
In Ezekiel's vision we see the river of life issuing from
under the portals of the temple of God and becoming a
mighty stream, and everything liveth whithersoever the
river cometh. So in vision we see issuing from the doors
of the college a stream of intelligent and devoted life,
which takes its way out among toiling and busy masses
of men, which broadens as it flows and which quickens
everything it touches. It is impossible to conceive, it is
impossible to describe, the effect of one hundred years of
refined, intelligent life flowing out upon the world. How
great the impact of it upon the ignorance of the sur-
rounding mass ! How far-reaching the diffusion of its
thought and learned contributions to the life of the peo-
ple ! How certainly must there have been a lift, a refine-
ADDRESS. 313
inont, a broadening of view, an elevation of ideals for the
whole people ! How evidently was the character and zeal
of the faculty impressed upon the thousands of young
men who came under their instruction, and which lifted
them from the field, the factory, the farm, the humble
home, into the regions of commerce, of influence, and of
sway.
Pleasing would it be to lift each one of these names
from the page of the college catalogue, resurrect it for
the hour, and hold it up for an instant's observation and
words of true valuation. But such reference would con-
sume more than the time allotted to me, and would
defeat the wishes of all the dead alumni, that those most
honored and loved in life should have the place of particu-
lar mention on this great centennial occasion. But while
we submit to the Welshes of our honored dead, we can-
not fail to recognize that these many luconspicHOus work-
ers, somehow inspired with the same ideals and with the
same spirit, somehow — though unconsciously to them-
selves — working for the same end, wrought honorably and
faithfully in their day, and have given to Union College
a solidarity and permanence of reputation that has not
varied much from the standard set for it by its great and
most renowned president. Dr. Eliphalet Nott.
The name of Yates is an honored one in our college an-
nals, and appears frequently in the early history of the
college. It is selected for our first reference, because
Andrew Yates was one of the first professors who
filled a prominent chair, and because of the eminent
ability of the man himself. He was a graduate of the
class of '98, the second class that issued from the fostering
care of the young college. He was professor of the Latin
and Greek languages ere his college career was fully over;
professor of moral philosophy and logic in 1814, continu-
ing some ten years. He was a man of varied accomplish-
ments and wrought well for the institution to which he
814 UNION COLLEGE.
had allied himself. His service was given to Union when
our alma mater was very humble in her conditions, how-
ever vigorous in her ambitions. He served in the ministry
of the gospel after he left the professor's chair, and died
in 1862.
A name that arose to great eminence in the world was
that of Thomas Church Brownell. The boy who began
life as little Tommy Brownell ended life as the Rt. Rev.
Thomas C. Brownell, D.D., LL. D. He graduated at Union
in 1804.
He remained in the college as tutor and professor of
belles lettres and moral philosophy, — there was a con-
nection between these things in those old days, — and in
1809 was chosen professor of chemistry and mineralogy.
Union at this time was feeling the stimulus of its great
president ; the class-rooms were crowded with students.
Professor Brownell was sent to Europe to secure neces-
sary apparatus and appliances for his department and
remained there a year. He added to his other branches
of instruction that of rhetoric, which he continued until
his separation from the college in 1819.
Meanwhile his deep and serious nature, not satisfied
with the duties of the professorship, sought the more
spiritual duties of the pastorate. He became a clergy-
man of the Episcopal Church, and was ordained in Trinity
Church in New Yoi-k City in 1816. His ability, his learn-
ing and force of character were widely recognized and he
became Bishop of Connecticut in 1819. He had from the
first a zeal for the kingdom, and even while a professor
in college would perform missionary work in the country
round about, and when he became Bishop of Connecticut
he entered upon his new duties with great vigor and con-
secration. He carried along with him his high regard
for educational work, and this led him to found Wash-
ington, now Trinity, College, Hartford, of which he was
the first president and which he served seven years. At
ADDRESS. 315
the death of Bishop Chase of Illinois, he became presiding
bishop. He contributed a number of valuable books to
the reading: world, chiefly of a religious character. His
was a strong, full, vigorous, widely-extended life. He
died in 1865.
Dr. Nott had l)een only five years president of Union
College, when in the fall of 1809 a little New York lad of
thirteen years of age came knocking at Union's door.
For four years this young and sensitive and naturally
able mind felt the inspiration and personal magnetism
of the great president. He caught the contagion, the
force, the genius of Dr. Nott. If ever one mind was in-
oculated with the genius of another, that mind was Fran-
cis Wayland, and that inoculating personality was Dr.
Nott.
He graduated at seventeen years of age, and supposed,
in his ignorance of what God had in store for him, he was
to be a physician. But in 1816 Grod and he had a grapple,
and he was converted in the good, old way of deep con-
viction of sin and of entire surrender to God. His toy-
ing with the profession of medicine was swept away on
the instant, and he began to study for the ministry in
Andover Theological Seminary. He was tutor in Union
College in 1816 and 1817, professor of mathematics and
natural philosophy 1821 to 1826. At the early age of
thirty-one he became President of Brown University,
the same age as that of Dr. Nott, when he assumed the
presidency of Union — another strange coincidence in
the lives of these two men. From this time on his life
was sending waves of influence out on every side. The
whole country felt the effect of his ideas and personality.
He became one of the most remarkable educators and
preachers of his' day. The secret of his own strength,
of his strong determining influence upon others, and of
his success with young men was his view of moral re-
sponsibility. Wherever he found himself, he felt himself
316 UNION COLLEGE.
related to existing things, and therefore morally responsi-
ble for the removal of evils and the betterment of condi-
tions. He stirred the religious world as it had not been
stirred for a long time, by his great sermon on the moral
dignity of the missionary enterprise. His books on Moral
Science and Intellectual Philosophy struck the same
grand chord. His own secret life was urged on by the
same noble sense of responsibility. His letters to the
ministry were elevating and ennobling. Sixteen volumes
issued from his pen, treating of themes of high and death-
less importance. He was a man that united great mental
power with strong common sense, and both were radiated
with the sweet light of a rare spirituality. We of old
Union feel as though his life was a torch, lighted from
the great torch burning here, to shine in that distant
State and repeat the work that was being done here. He
was caught up to God in the year 1865.
The name of Potter has been closely and honorably
connected with the fortunes of Union College from its
early life, and is found among the faculty and in the hon-
ored list of its presidents and its board of trustees, and
two men bearing that illustrious name take part in these
Centennial Exercises. Perhaps no one of them will shine
with more enduring fame than that of Alonzo Potter, grad-
uated from Union College in 1818, a class that gave two
bishops to the Episcopal Church; tutor from 1819 to
1822; professor of mathematics and natural philosophy
from 1822-26 ; professor of rhetoric and natural philos-
ophy, 1831-45 ; honorary vice-president, 1847-65, taken
to heavenly rewards in that same year. The boys started
in early in the former days, for Alonzo Potter entered
Union College at the age of fourteen, Tayler Lewis, four-
teen, Francis Wayland at the age of thirteen, Isaac Jack-
son at the age of eighteen, and Gillespie, of Columbia, at
fourteen. Potter's entire life was given to the cause of
education and religion. He filled many of the professors'
ADDRESS. 317
chairs in tlio College, and as Bishop of Pennsylvania lie
originated and promoted some of the most excellent and
enduring Church charities, and made his life felt in strong,
energetic ways along many lines of usefulness.
He left the record of his thinking in a volume on po-
litical economy, and one on the evidences of Christianity,
and in perhaps the most noted of all, a volume of reli-
gious philosophy. 80 brave and strong a life was worthy
of an enduring monument, and that was given to the
world in a biography written by Bishop Howe.
The brilliant period of Union College history was from
1826 to 1876, when in its faculty were found such men
as Jackson, Pearson, Hickok, Lewis, Gillespie, Peissner,
with its grand President marching on before, to be suc-
ceeded by one as grand but differently grand, Dr. Hickok.
Rarely has it been the privilege of any American college
to gather into one corps such a coterie of men, original
in thought, bold in discovery, eminent in special fields,
setting the standard for thinkers everywhere, and con-
tributing so much valuable, original, and shaping material
to the reading and thinking public.
A rare, sweet, kindly life began at Cornwall, Orange
Co., N. Y., in the year of our Lord, 1804, when the boy
Isaac W. Jacksou was born into the world. Every one
has his life line, and the life line of this boy was straight
from the cradle to the grave, scarcely a sinuosity in it
anywhere, and ever on the incline, until it was lost in
the pure region of eternal shining and ideal form toward
which, during his pilgrimage his eyes were ever turned.
He graduated at Union in 1826, and entered imme-
diately upon the duties of a tutor in the (^ollege. From
that time until his death, which occurred in 1879, cov-
ering a period of fifty-one years, he gave himself to
devoted, painstaking, self-denying service of his College,
and to rapt, intense study and enjo5''ment of the laws of
God as displayed in optics.
318 UNION COLLEGE.
If Dr. Nott may be called the guardian genius of Union
College, Professor Jackson may well be called one of its
delightful permanences.
The light of his life was as distinct from the life of other
members of the faculty as Orion from the other planets
of the night, and the odor of his life as different from
other lives, as the scent of mignonette from that of
roses and violets. Our memory of him is not disturbed
by the name of any other claiming a share in our regard.
He is, as it were, in a little room by himself, and we often
turn aside for friendship's offering.
He was created for mathematics. Even as a boy in old
Albany he was noted as a superior mathematician, and in
all his years of study he gave the best of himself to this
favorite pursuit, and in it found for himself the most ex-
quisite delight. Dr. Hickok in his philosophy sought to
reach the region of pure ideas by a process of reasoning.
Dr. Jackson was born into that region, and his study was
always of the ideal forms unimpaired by their embodi-
ment in physical forms.
Pure mathematics, '" so called from their crystal clari-
tude, the science of certainty, the divine science, the
science of the ever being," to this Dr. Jackson devoted
his intellectual life. It was said of the star-gazers of the
Orient that some of the light of the resplendent sky was
reflected from their faces, and it is true of the star-gazers
of the present day. They are not as other men, for a
certain purity and serenity and kindliness of mind are
theirs.
Professor Jackson reveled in the brightness and mystery
of the midnight sky. He knew the rapture of the intricate
mathematical problem solved. He saw the marvelous
laws of light in all their wonderful action and interplay,
and it is safe to say his joy in beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord was in great part the explanation of his
contented, hospitable, kindly life.
ADDRESS. 319
He found liis true place as professor of the exact
sciences, or rather God put him in liis true pUice, but he
niiglit have found other and honored phices if he had
souglit them. The fire of the orator and the advocate
was in his nature, and he might have risen high in the
councils of the State. He did turn from ideal forms and
mystic shinings as found in the heavens to the study of
horticulture and gardening. He made the desert blossom
like a rose. He created a little paradise out of barren-
ness. He loved the softness and color of the rose-leaf,
for these were to him the eternal laws of God at play.
He endeavored to embody ideal forms and curves and
arches in winding paths and ovei-hanging limbs of trees,
in vistas, in surprises to sight and sense. And thus he
lived as between two worlds : the world of shining and
the world of color.
There is something finer and higher in human nature
than scholarship, and that is a gracious selfhood. The
kindly man that Professor Jackson was stirs our deepest
and tenderest memories. His loves were but the symp-
toms of a great, deep, affectionate heart. He inspired in
his students a tender regard.
We called him captain for some reason not fully known,
nor do we want to know, and we remember yet the glee-
ful way in which we used to respond to his " Fall in,
gentlemen ; fall in," in our annual procession down Col-
lege Hill. He must have " form," if he had to carve it
out of the boys, though it was ragged form, I fear, as
soon as his back was turned. He was a poet in his way.
He was a humorist, and well do we recall the little ex-
cursions into politics, or literature, or reform, he used to
give us in recitation time, with his legs thrown over the
arm of his chair, for the day was hot, and optics had no
charm for the boys, who had watched the stars on the
previous night. He loved dogs and horses and flowers
and little children. His heart was kindly, and his occa-
320 UNION COLLEGE.
sional sharp speech was a thin disguise to his gentleness
of feeling, which we easily saw through. " I remember
with remarkable distinctness," says a graduate of '76, "his
last public ai:)pearance ; the quavering voice, the keen
eyes, the long white locks of this venerable scholar, and
the thrill that passed through my boyish heart as he ap-
peared before us."
A remarkable intellect was given to the world in the
birth of Tayler Lewis, in Northumberland, Saratoga
County, in the year 1802. Even at the early age of nine
his mind began to open and to show its aptitudes and
preferences, and at fourteen he knocked for admittance
at the doors of Union College. Graduated in 1820, he
commenced the study of law, which study of law and the
practice of it consumed a period of thirteen years. That
period is marked as disclosing a divergence of feeling be-
tween his soul and his profession. It was not only dis-
taste for law and its practice that led to his separation
from it, but a high sense of personal righteousness. His
conscience was a fire within him. It maintained itself
at white heat through all his life and never would allow
him to compromise, nor to forsake a persecuted class of
human beings for the sake of possible and great gains;
nor yield a single iota of what he considered to be truth,
nor to hesitate to attack traditional interpretation of
Scripture which his studies had found to be false, even
though he knew that such attack would draw upon him-
self the bitterest comment and assault. Understand the
conscience of this man, and you understand all his life-
career, for that was the impelling force back of it all.
Naturally, after his divorce from the law, his activity
turned in the direction of teaching, and for the next five
years we see him at the head of academies at Waterford
and Ogdensburgh. During this period he began to dis-
cuss in the weekly 2)apers subjects for the times. An
inexhaustible fountain was thus opened for the reading
ADDRESS. 321
world, for from this time on he poured forth a constant
stream of articles for magazines, reviews, and newspapers,
touching themes of ijractical, litei'ary, national impor-
tance, and ending in tlie remarkable series of articles on
the "Sabbath-School Lessons" published in the "Sunday-
School Times" of 1876 and 1877.
His professorial career began in 1838 when he became
professor of Greek and Latin in the University of New
York, in which he continued nine years. His Phi Beta
address at the commencement of his alma mater, on the
extraordinarj'" title, " Faith the Life of Science," drew the
attention of the pedagogic world, and he was offered pro-
fessorships in different places, but accepted the one in
the University of New York.
His first book appeared while occupying this chair —
"Plato Against the Atheists," a book for scholars and
full of the finest disquisitions in metaphysics and subtle
etymologies.
The fullness and power of his great life dates from
1849, when he accepted the professorship of Greek in
Union College, and later the chair of Oriental languages
and Biblical literature. Always a student, in these days
his studiousness became intense and often the morning
broke and found him still at his delightful task. Sleep
he considered an intrusion, and the solitude and quiet of
college vacations were to him periods of the greatest de-
light. These were the days of his long walks, deep into
linguistic lore. This was the period of omnivorous read-
ing and intense literary activity. One book followed
another in quick succession, and, in between, articles
for magazines appeared in rich profusion. He startled
the religious world by his volume, " The Six Days of
Creation," but there was no occasion for alarm, for by
profound criticism of the Scriptm^es he antedated the dis-
coveries of geology, and found in the words of the Bible
that which was afterwards found in the rocks of the earth.
21
322 UNION COLLEGE.
He was a man of versatile accomplishments and no
subject repelled him. He loved to solve the problems of
higher mathematics. He ardently loved the stars and
would talk of them as of familiar friends. He loved
music, would think in music, and long after deafness
had shut out the world of sound he would finger the key-
board of a musical instrument in hopes to revive, by as-
sociation, the delights forbidden him. The sound of the
wind through the trees, the singing of the birds, were to
him exquisite delight because of the sensitiveness of his
soul to all things beautiful. Scholar, patriot, poet, theolo-
gian too; God seldom makes a rarer spirit than the one that
burned in the fragile frame of Tayler Lewis. Among his
latest utterances was this, " I go where all is brightness."
Perhaps the name most honored in the college faculty,
next to the ever glorious name of Dr. Eliphalet Nott, is
that of Laurens P. Hickok. He was born at Bethel,
Conn., in 1798, and graduated at Union College in 1820,
in the twenty-second year of his age. He served as
pastor over the Congregational Church in Kent and af-
terward in Litchfield, Conn., and in 1836 was called to
the professorship of philosophy in Western Reserve Col-
lege. He had now reached the position for which, by
natural endowment, strong individual preference and
singular aptitude, he was particularly fitted. And from
this time on his remarkable and muscular intellect laid
hold of, in forceful grapple, the most supreme subjects. In
these early years he began to lay down the lines of that
mighty system of thought which stretched from the ethi-
cal obligation of a rose in your buttonhole to the im-
peratives resting upon the absolute reason. The system
grew in his mind from the years of quiet professorship in
Western Reserve until it was finished after seventy years
of age, in the quiet study at Amherst, whither he had
retired, according to a settled plan, in the crowning and
completing work of his life, " The Logic of Reason."
ADDRESS. 323
You have but to name the titles of his published works,
— not to mentiou numerous and briefer articles con-
tributed to the magazines and reviews of his day, most
of which were little excursions off the main line to reach
stations of thought and difficulty a little in the interior,
and throw upon them the liglit of an explanation, — to
see in what high and difficult altitudes he lived.
"Rational Psychology," published in 1848, revised in
1861, a transcendental philosophy, which assumes to see,
by clear intuition, the necessary conditions of all thinking,
and therefore be able to affirm, so things must be.
" Moral Science " followed in 1853. The logical order
would have been rational psychology, mental philosophy,
moral philosophy; but evidently he was influenced by
the desire to give the young men under his care as soon
as possible a strong, determining word on morals, which
would be for them chart and compass in the navigation
of the wide sea of personal habits.
" Mental Science " followed in 1854, only a year after.
The publication of two such books in two years attested
the vast powers of his mind, his well thought-out system,
and his immense ability for hard work.
In 1858 he published his " Rational Cosmology," and in
1872 " Creator and Creation." The last in a good sense a
revision of the former, in which he clearly shows there
can be no proof of divine existence by the conclusions of
the logical judgment, but only by the clear seeing of the
reason. And thus the Creator being clearly perceived, it
was not difficult to contemplate how the various forces of
nature were originated, and how by their interaction a
material universe was builded, and then how life-power
was superinduced upon force, and the vegetable and ani-
mal kingdoms brought into existence, and how, at last,
by the gift of reason, the animal was lifted into the hu-
man, and the free, moral, responsible man appeared upon
the scene.
324 UNION COLLEGE.
In 1872 also appeared his " Humanity Immortal," which
is indeed his philosophy applied to human life, free,
moral, responsible. It is indeed the theology he taught
in the old days at Auburn Seminary, but now perfected
and completed and in fine accord with the line of truth
presented in revealed Scripture.
In 1874 appeared his last book, " The Logic of Reason."
The title itself is as bold as anything he ever did.
Dr. Hickok was a metaphysician, not according to Aris-
totle's definition of metaphysics, thiugs after physics, but
according to the modern idea, things interior to physics.
He was a man continually pressing back of the sense
phenomena in search of the sub-stans underlying and
supporting the sense phenomena. And not content with
that, seeking to determine why things are so and not
otherwise ; and standing, as it were, on the last conclu-
sion of the logical understanding, leaping to the concep-
tion of the fixed and necessary conditions in which all
things must originate and grow.
He was a theologian. He held the illuminating explana-
tion of fixed decree and free agency, foreknowledge abso-
lute and moral responsibility, as no man in this century ;
and if he had given himself particularly to theology he
would have filled the chair of theology, vacant now for
many centuries, and waiting yet for an occupant.
He was a philosopher. With him the endowment of
the reason is the differentiation of the animal and the
human. It involves conscious selfhood ; it has an insight
of its own being and activity ; it is part of the absolute
reason, and therefore knows in itself, and clearly sees, the
methods of the divine ratiocination. He was not content
with the position of Kepler, — " I think the thoughts of
Grod after him," — but being vitally connected with the ab-
solute reason, he thought the very thoughts of God, the
thoughts that God must have thought, but with such
awe-stricken reverence that he was prostrate as well as
ADDRESS. 325
exultant ; so daring that, if not smitten to the very core
of Ills being with absohite self-surrender, he might have
sinned the sin of the great apostate angel.
He was a potency, an intellectual dynamo, a character
positive as Gibraltar. He impressed the students strangely
and mightily. He bulked large in mind and body. We
cannot forget that large, heavy hand that used to de-
scend upon the desk before him and shake it in all its
structure, nor the oft-repeated words, "It must be so."
We recall the rolling gait, almost a waddle, up the old
college hill, and the great gold-headed cane that used to
thump the pavement with force sufficient to penetrate it,
which hangs now in a student's room in a home in the
interior of the State, and that grand, kindly heart, con-
siderate of young men's frailties, tender and helpful to-
wards those who needed aid of any kind. His manly
humility, his strong common-sense, his infinite self-con-
trol, his gentleness and patience, coupled with his mighty
intellect, exalted him to a region where but few men
walk, and where by necessity the solitude is great. " Old
spiritual worthiness " we used to call him, and the name,
given in jest, is perhaps the best title that could be given
to so grand and pure a man.
A valuation of the force and weight, and I might add
the dimensions, of the college faculty, which should omit
the name of William Mitchell Gillespie, would be strangely
wanting ; so unevenly balanced, that the men who stud-
ied under him might well call out for explanation. He
was a man different from all the others ; a man singular
in habit, in reserve, in sensitiveness and in a certain soli-
tariness that he always carried about him. He added a
necessary something to the immortal three whose names
weave such a halo of brilliancy around the forehead of
alma mater. His was a fine, penetrating intellectuality.
There was a strain of dissent about him, a sort of re-
serve of conclusion, a hold of faith not as yet a grip,
21*
326 UNION COLLEGE.
but only the faintest kind of a touch, that was piquant
and attractive to some minds that felt coerced by the
positiveness of Hickok and Lewis. He was born in New
York City in 1816, and graduated from Columbia College
in 1834. He studied in Europe for many years and re-
turned in 1845, with a mind capable, well-stored, and
venturesome. He was immediately called to the chair
of civil engineering in Union College, and held his posi-
tion until his death, which occurred January 1, 1868,
His nature was rather cold, but not insensible to beauties
of nature, nor unobservant of passing events, — as his book
on " Eome as seen by a New Yorker " in 1843 and 1844 can
testify, — nor un appreciative of the loyalty and regard of
the students. But he was not a man to inspire ardent
affection, and triangulation does not conduce to sociabil-
ity. He walked apart. He was lost in his line of study.
His contributions to the science of engineering have been
very valuable, and he, like his mighty confreres, was seek-
ing the highest, as his " Philosophy of Mathematics " in-
dicates and his higher surveying abundantly shows.
There are many other names that shine in our sky ;
some twinkled but for a little time, and some shone on
steadily, like the planets of the night.
Thomas Macauley, D.D., LL.D., who served as tutor and
as professor of mathematics and natural philosophy for
seventeen years.
Robert Proudfit, a sweet, beloved name to many a
graduate, who was professor of Greek and Latin lan-
guages for thirty-one years, and continued on in kindly
sovereign interest over his department for eleven years
more, making a continuous service of forty-two years.
Thomas C. Eeid, D. D., who served in the high and
important chairs of political economy and intellectual
philosophy and Latin languages and literature for
twenty-five years.
Jonathan Pearson — Pinky Pearson, we used to call him,
ADDKESS. 327
and those titles are dearer to us than college degrees — that
grave and kindly man, who led us out into the fields
and the forests for the study of nature, and while he was
found face-deep in the wonder of stamen, pistil, and cor-
olla, the boys played leap-frog behind his back ; but be it
said once for all, for all students and all the faculty, we
loved them none the less but all the more because of our
youthful friskiness. He served his alma mater for fifty-
one years.
Again the name of Yates. John Austin Yates, D.D.,
tutor and professor of Oriental literature for twenty-six
years.
Peissner, that heroic name, who will be abundantly
mentioned when Union College and the army shall be
considered.
Beujamin Stanton, connected with the life of the insti-
tutiou, in Union School and Union College for twenty-
six years, a scholar in physical build, in mental poise,
in wide and varied learning.
And last of all that young and ardent spirit. Professor
Isaiah B. Price, well fitted to succeed Professor Jack-
son in the chair of the exact sciences, who gave such
promise of successful career, but was cut off in the prime
of life.
These all died in the love of the college they once
served, and each contributed according to his ability to
the renown and work of alma mater. Union has become
a name to conjure by, and it is Union, Union, Union, all
along the lines and np the heights and into the future, and
the motto of the college is to become the motto of the
Universal Church, and the spirit of the college the spirit
of the Universal Brotherhood. So mote it be.
Dr. Nott said: Some time ago while rummaging through an old literary
junk shop in New York, I happened to see a bundle of documents labeled
*' Union College," and upon examining its contents I found they included a
copy of the commencement exercises at this college for 1860, and opposite a
certain poem delivered on that occasion there was this marginal note in
pencil: "Well written, but faint spoken." The voice that was difficult to
hear across this church in 1860 grew in power until it was heard with ease
and pleasure not only across many a church, but across the State and across
the continent, in journalism and other forms of literary work. It gives me
great pleasure to introduce to you the sole proprietor of that voice, who will
deliver before us this evening a poem which I am confident will be well writ-
ten and not faint spoken. [Applause.]
CENTENNIAL POEM
BY WILLIAM H. McELROY, LL.D.
Of the Class of 1860.
THE EOLL-CALL.
As o'er his harp the minstrel bends, though only friends are
round him,
A certain nervous bashfulness quite threatens to confound him —
'T is so Leander must have felt, his courage down to zero,
When, rising from the Hellespont, he read some rhymes to Hero.
woman, when we love you most, then most you trouble make
us,
For you we yearn to do our best and then — our wits forsake us ;
So now The Unexpressive She, more dear than any other,
1 celebrate with trembling lips — God bless her, she 's our
mother.
What beacons blaze on memory's coast, as here to-night we rally,
As ever swelling peals of joy ring through the Mohawk Valley ;
Should we be dumb the very stones would cry aloud to shame
us —
List ! 't is our mother leads the hymn, the old time Gaudeamus.
CENTENNIAL POEM. 329
She sings it, holding" liigli hei" torch, a sacrod ton^h ofh'arning,
Behokl it, as the centnry ends, well tiininicd and bi-ig-htly
burning :
Hail, blessed torch ! and nuiy thy ))eanis, sufifused with light
supernal.
Shine more and more till dawns the day, the perfect, the eternal.
We kneel to crave her sovereign grace, with love's impassioned
hunger.
We cry, fond gazing on her face, '' You 're ever growing
younger" —
Then Time, the scythe-man, says to Tide, '' Let 's halt — 't would
sadly shame us
If we refused to wait for her, who leads the Gaudcanius.^^
For her we spurn the people's rule and glory in our treason —
Up with the garnet, live the Queen, this high Centennial season !
Were all her sister autocrats as wise, as true, as tender,
The woman question soon were solved — each man would quick
surrender.
She hears us ; and across her cheeks the blue blood swiftly
rushes ;
She may not take to compliments, but ah, what charming
blushes.
She shakes her head — she knits her brows — she makes as if to
blame us,
And then she strains us to her heart, and murmurs, Gaudeamus.
And when, held in her ample lap, she bending proudly o'er us.
We 've fond rehearsed each terrace song — nine cheers with
every chorus.
She cries, while o'er her radiant eyes, a shade of sadness passes,
'' Please some one call the roll for me, the roll of all my classes ;
" Pray call it loud and call it clear, for oh your mother 's eager
To catch the names of all her sons, from alpha to omega;
And if, perchance, some names are blurred, I '11 prompt you, be
dismayed not.
For each is graven on my heart in characters that fade not."
330 UNION COLLEGE.
The roll-call reaches from the class, long siuce caught up to
Heaven,
Which flourished in the antique times of 1797 ;
On to the current, climax class, where dwell the coming sages.
The class of 1895, proud heir of all the ages.
With varied names the roll is writ, with dull ones and with
bright ones.
With names of workers and of drones, of black sheep and of
white ones ;
Of those who loved the classic tongues, of those who took to
statics.
Of those who madly doted on the higher mathematics.
Here are the names of youths who stormed the heights of grand
Parnassus,
Who viewed the world, its men and things, through fancy's
tinted glasses ;
Of those, with pebbles in their mouths, who evermore were
seeking
To learn why old Demosthenes was good at public speaking.
This name — with problems of the soul, its owner loved to
grapple.
The boy was made of martyr stuff — he never flunked from
chapel ;
That name was borne by him, alas, of college rules disdainful.
Whose course so prematurely closed, for reasons rather painful.
Names ! names ! the strictly orthodox and those who posed as
skeptics
Because — it often happens thus — they were such prime
dyspeptics.
And his who, scorning printed books, paid Nature his
addresses —
Sweet Nature ! in a frock of white, blue sash and sun-kissed
tresses.
CENTENNIAL POEM. 331
Our mother follows close tlio roll, with face of wrapt attention,
With pensive smile and gracious speech she greets each name
we mention,
But gives no sign, O loving heart, who stupid or who bright
were.
Which were the truly proper names, who black sheep or who
white were.
Thus loud and clear and clinging at her knee,
We call the long, long roll from A to Z,
The task completed as we end the call,
And turning tell her, " Mother, that is all."
Her benediction falls — a sacred joy —
On the bowed head of every Union boy :
Those here, those vanished ; for up there, I ween.
Her children bend to view this hallowed scene,
And join in spirit with the pageants here
With which we keep this glad red-letter year.
When the last sunset fades from College Hill,
When time is o'er and nature's heart is still,
When earth and sky are shriveled like a scroll.
And the great Master calls the final roll,
Then shall our mother cry on bended knee,
^^ Lord, here am I, and those thou gav'st to meP
MEMORIAL DAY.
[The exercises of this day included three distinct meetings designed to
commemorate the achievements of Union graduates in Patriotic Service, in
Professional Life, and in Statesmanship and Politics. The first was held on
the College Campus at 8.30 A. M., the second in the tent at 9.30 a. m., and
the third in the First Presbyterian Church at 8.00 p. M. The Alumni Banquet
was held in Memorial Hall at 1.00 p. M., and the Semi-Centenuial of the
Engineering School in the tent at 4.00 p. M.]
WEDNESDAY, JUNE TWENTY-SIXTH.
€f)c CoUcgc in patriotic ^f^crViicc,
Gen. Daniel Buttekfield, LL. D., of the Class of
1849, presiding.
FLAG-RAISING, WITH AETILLERY SALUTE.
GENERAL BUTTERFIELD said : The ceremony of
this morning is fitting as to locality, since here in the
valley of the Mohawk the first flag of the Union was dis-
played on a battle-field under fire upon the plains of Oris-
kany, and the first great victory won under that flag
echoed the sounds of its guns here from near-by Saratoga.
It is proper, since, beginning with the war of 1812, when
the notices posted in the streets and highways of Sche-
nectady and Saratoga counties called for recruits from
men of patriotism and valor to enlist under Jonas Hol-
land, an officer of Union College, down through every war
on sea or land, from the foundation of this college to date,
its sous have rallied under that flag.
It is fitting and proper also, since that manhood which
has been instilled and imbibed and inheres in the very
walls, paths, and shades of old Union has ever and will,
may God gi*ant ! rally to uphold, protect, and defend the
emblem of our nationality.
336 UNION COLLEGE.
Let the flag be raised !^ and let us greet it —
It is not my province to speak of Union's sons and
their work under that flag. That honor, duty, and plea-
sure is left with the gentleman whom I shall have the
houor to present to you. I may not overstep the bounds
of my allotted duty, nor trespass upon the preparations
of this occasion, by any eulogium or apostrophe to our
"old glory." The Fourth of July is coming, and from
every corner of the land will echo and reecho with pride
and fervor such sentiments.
As Union College has nobly carried on the work, so
gracefully outlined by the orators of last evening, of
practical education, of making men of thought and deci-
sion of character, I may say that now and here and else-
where, its sons, quick in the intuitive perception of the
thoughts and minds of the people and of duty, see no
longer any danger of humiliation to that emblem, save
that it comes through the indecision or the want of reali-
zation, by some chosen servant of the people, of what that
flag means, outside of its glory and its history and its
typical character, as the emblem of a nation of free citi-
zens. It means, and it must mean, and shall mean, if the
will of the people is obeyed, protection at any cost, in any
clime, on any sea or shore, to the just and sacred rights
and privileges of every American citizen ; protection to
their persons, their property, the trade and commerce of
the American people as individuals and as a nation.
And it is part of the teachings of this college, by its
traditions, its customs, and its spirit, that its sons shall
always insist and lead in upholding that principle.
Of what its sons have done in the century of the exis-
tence of the college, Major Austin A. Yates, a son of
Union, gallant, eloquent, and patriotic, whom I have the
pleasure of introducing, will now speak to you. [Cheers.]
1 At this instant the flag was raised on Memorial Hall as the General waved
his hand. It was greeted with cheers and the singing of the " Star-Spangled
Banner."
ADDRESS
BY MAJOR AUSTIN A. YATES.
Of the Class of 1854.
Backward, turn backward, old time on your way;
Make us all boys again, just for to-day!
DKOP the curtain on tliis brilliant scene. Reverse
the panorama and roll it back from the close to the
center of the century. As it rises again, look with calm
judgment in these days of peace on the young nation
and the old college in the days of war!
The United States in the fifties. The land of the free
and the home of the brave ! So it was in song and story
as we sang and told it. If it was so, then have the great
soldiers of Union living, and her greater dead, fought and
suffered and died in vain !
The land of the free ? The dead beneath us have re-
deemed the mightiest republican empire of earth from
the curse of the Northern doughface and the shame of
the Southern slave !
The land of the free, and its highest tribunal presided
over by a Northern judge, had declared that there were
a million and more among us who, by reason of change
of complexion caused by exposure to God's free sun, had
no rights which a white man was bound to respect !
The land of the free. In its sunniest half the whistle
of the Yankee overseer's whip, the moan of the bereaved
99 337
338 UNION COLLEGE.
mother at the foot of the auction-block, the hanging of
the abolitionist, and the banishment of the school-marm.
In the colder, sterner North, the doughface bending
the supple hinges of the knee, that political thrift might
follow the demagogue's fawning. Obedience to the in-
famous Fugitive Slave Law driving the citizen to chas-
ing the African to his fetters. Disobedience to that law
stealing him over the underground railroad, our good old
Moses, whom I remember in the early fifties as a prom-
ising old gentleman of apparently seventy-five, being the
first consignment to Dr. Nott, a local director. The lonely
abolitionist receiving about as much consideration from
Silver-gray and Woolly-head Whigs, Old Hunker and
Barnburner Democrats, as a Prohibitionist from Chi Psi,
Sig, or Delt — shouting, sometimes dying, for the immor-
tal principle that is to-day the doctrine of the world all
around from Russia to Japan. "Wherever Ood Almighty
gives the form of man, whatever may be his complexion,
he gives there the feelings and the rights of man."
The laud of the brave were we 1 We were fresh in the
recollection of the Mexican war. We had taken up a
nasty little quarrel over a line fence on the Rio Grande,
that a suit in trespass before a country squire should
have settled, and with the strength of a young giant had
pounded the life out of a little neighbor republic, held
her up like a Western footpad, and robbed her of Cali-
fornia and its gold. No wonder that the shameful story
has been denounced by the most generous, the most mag-
nanimous, the greatest soldier of his day, Ulysses Grant.
And abroad in the harbor of the barbarian, when the
citizen of the land of the brave and the home of the free
was insulted, he promptly took his endangered life under
the British flag, the flag his father had conquered. Well
he might! For there lay there nothing representative of
the land of the free and the home of the brave except
perhaps a silent man-of-war of the capacity and endur-
ADDRESS. 339
auee of a bull-liead oanal-l)oat, with a fow brie-a-brac
cannon, captured in 1812, along the sides, and the Stars
and Stripes drooping in appropriate shame from her
stern.
In the United States Senate a courteous and accom-
plished scholar of Harvard, a statesman renowned on both
continents, a Uint<Ml States Senator, was clubbed into
insensibility from behind, and the assailant rewarded with
a gold-headed cane by an admiring constituency. And
this was the land of the brave !
Under the tlag that waves in triumph, beside the roses
that flame in pride, over the graves of Peissner, Strong,
Jackson, Newbury, and McConihe, and above the little
shelter-tents of the undiscovered dead where in pale
sorrow no lily droops, let us thank Grod that there is an-
other, a greater, because a real, land of the free and home
of the brave over which old Union raises the flag of her
country to-day !
Union in the last of the fifties. At the very summit
of her power and prestige. The third largest graduate
list in the land. Its roll of honor the most brilliant in
America. They called it Botany Bay. It was a snarl
of envy ! Its majestic President cared little for the
record of the men who came here from other colleges.
He wanted no ready-made divines or statesmen or
judges. The rougher and coarser the stone, the greater
his pride in the intellectual sculpture of which he was
a perfect master. A wondrous judge of human nature,
with the suavity and, if need be, the sternness of Riche-
lieu. More than any man in history I think he resembled
the great cardinal. He preferred to carve character and
brain with his own unaided skill, and that others had
not succeeded never discouraged him. His strength was
waning, but the day had not long passed when every
State officer of New York was a Union graduate, and
Senate and Assembly his children by a large majority.
340 UNION COLLEGE.
When it was his will, he controlled the State from the
little study where so many of ns had been made to swell
with pride or to quail with terror. With governors,
judges, senators, and men whose names were household
words all over the world beside him, his commanding
presence in the center of the silk-robed professors, the
Commencement stage beggared the dignity and impor-
tance of the Supreme Court of the United States.
It was Union College. Union of hearts and union of
hands that no disunion of lands for four years has ever
severed. Many went from us to the other side. Mis-
taken ? Yes, they should have fought where their vigor-
ous youth was passed, inside Union. But mistaken cour-
age is still courage. Political blunders cannot detract from
the splendid heroism that has redeemed in the blood of
Union's children all the condemnation that can be visited
upon a man who fights with stubborn bravery in the
doorway of his home. Many a Union man was a Con-
federate soldier of untarnished name. No Union man
was ever a traitor. And there is a mighty gulf between
a traitor and a soldier of his State.
So shake, Johnnie, our hands are outstretched. We
remember you well. Fiery, hasty, so sensitive as to
wounded honor, a very Harry Hotspur. But brave, true,
and generous, the Southerner had no enemies at Union
— has no enemies now. Your immortal courage was
American courage, your heroism was the honor of Old
Union. Here 's our hand. Don't let us be any longer
than in the old days in finding that other hand.
In '56 the College Senate and House of Representatives
was in the full tide of its power and usefulness. It fol-
lowed and often preceded the action of the National Con-
gress. A tall, fine-looking, plainly dressed member of the
House had attained a commanding position. He was as-
signed to representation of one of the Southern States.
We expected to hear of him again, and we did. Out in
ADDRESS. 341
Kansas he had won his way up in the terrible days of
the border wars, in the fight for popular sovereignty.
He was appointed attorney for the United States to for-
ward the work of an administration that threw its whole
inflnence on the side of the extension of slavery in the
Territories. But to all who expected that Alson C. Davis
would do a wrong to his countrymen, or be false to
his country, he was a bitter disappointment. With all
his strong personality he espoused the cause of human
liberty throughout the world. He won a splendid battle
and made the State that honored him forever free. He
was the first of Union men in the struggle, he was a pio-
neer of the advancing cause that has driven human slavery
from the earth. As colonel of volunteers he fought the
battle through. We put him on the roll of honor only a
little while ago. As a hero in the very van of the mighty
struggle, we lay on the grave of Colonel Davis the honors
Old Union would gladly strew at his feet.
The war sadly broke up Union. She was a divided
college, but excepting those who went to their homes on
the secession of their States, she was intensely loyal. The
martial spirit was strong within her. Before the gun of
Sumter had ceased, the sullen echo that was the signal of
the death of peace. Captain Jack's son, then Inspector-
General of the State, went promptly at the head of a
splendid regiment that the prestige of his name quickly
enlisted. As handsome and gallant a soldier as the war
produced, his superb presence and ringing command at-
tracted the attention of all as he marched to Bull Run,
the melancholy beginning of an unprepared people. He
fought with the determined heroism of a veteran. The
son of Captain Jack was of fighting stock. He returned
to Washington to die a long and lingering death of rest-
less fever, fading away till he looked so like death in life
that they know not when he died. The war had come
home to Union, and they laid Colonel William A. Jackson
22*
342 UNION COLLEGE.
in yonder valley, beneath the granite block that proudly
marks the resting-place of the first of Union's immortal
dead.
In the old Grivens Hotel a brevet second lieutenant,
U. S. A., in '60 sat among us in all the glory of his glit-
tering uniform. We looked at him with hushed interest.
The mutter of the coming storm was in the Southern
sky, its very shadow in the air. A mighty good fellow
who left us for the front. I never saw him again. We
read of Captain Strong, of Major Strong, of Colonel
Strong, as he rose with promotion for gallantry; and then
we read of the charge of General Strong, of his heroic
death as he fell at the foot of the flagstaff at Wagner.
Only a lad, and the story of his bravery was sounding
through the world !
But the martial spirit was alive at Union. Daily the
College Zouaves drilled and marched. At their head a
tall, slight, but wiry and muscular German, a soldier by
education and experience, of ripe culture and courtly
manners, the companion of Schurz, a professor at Union.
A beautiful company, those College Zouaves, as they
marched through the streets of Schenectady. An insub-
ordinate company ; for, when the command was "-guide
right " and the girl was on the other side of the street.
Captain Peissner got left. So did the girl, for the call
was to other arms than hers. Very gay the College
Zouaves in their red, white, and blue. But the sullen
roar of battle, resounding with increasing volume, broke
up the holiday parade of the College Zouaves. It meant
no more picnics, no more smiling faces at the windows,
no more balls at night. It meant to many the bivouac
instead of the picnic, the hardtack instead of the straw-
berry ice, the skulking sharp-shooter instead of the girl's
smiling face, the lonely picket instead of the music and the
dancing feet. It meant another and ghastlier red, white,
and blue — the red blood ebbing from the heart, the
ADDEESS. 343
white face upturned to the sky, the bhie coat spread on
the sentry line. It meant all this and more to their com-
mander. Three men of Union in the awful carnage of
May 3 at Chancellorsville stood by the flag deserted by
all but themselves. Three men of Union called on the
flying hosts to rally. But the three men of Union stood
alone. Two fell dead in their stubborn valor. The other,
a son of Tayler Lewis, dropped with a shattered arm.
Stonewall Jackson's men tenderly raised the dead and
sent them through the lines that stood with uncovered
heads as tlie last of General Peissner and Captain
Schwerin went by. The war was home to Union then,
writing fast on the list of her deathless names.
For two years Union was in control of the entire opera-
tions of the Federal army. Henry Wager Halleck was
commanding the armies of the United States, General
James B. Duane was engineer-in-chief of the Army of
the Potomac. The Secretary of State was William H.
Seward. Halleck's management was not brilliant, and
it has been severely criticized. The great Premier has
been the target of those who know little of the situation
at that day. The marvelous aftersight, always infallible
as it is cheap, perpetually commenting on the impossible
foresight, tires the soldier. Wondrous prophets of the
past ! Predicters of the bygone ! With superb futures
behind you ! How little you know of that day and gen-
eration ! Halleck was no slower than the astute Prime
Minister, no slower than the patient President, Al)raham
Lincoln, the Americans' earthly God. "Festina lente"
was the motto of the hour. The North was honeycombed
with traitors — infinitely more dangerous as they were
infinitely more contemptible than the brave rebels whom
the soldier honors to-day.
Do you remember that when war began in earnest,
when at last the command thundered four thousand years
ago in behalf of the bondsman, " Let my people go!" was
344 UNION COLLEGE.
at last obeyed, the streets of New York ran red with blood,
orphans fled from the doors of the flamhig asylum, and
the African wherever found was swung to the lamp-post f
" Festina lente," hasten slowly. Raise high on our roll of
honor, in the name of, in loyalty to, our grand new college,
the names of Halleck and Seward. Send the soldier down
to posterity with Grant and Sherman and Sheridan ;
the incomparable statesman with Webster and Calhoun,
Marcy and Blaine.
Read down the roll, and remember, as I send out the
names I find, that the flag we raise to-day floats high be-
cause they lie low in death beneath it !
Let the soldier of New York first express his gratitude
to the great quartermaster-general of the State who fed
and clothed us, watched over us with a fatherly care af-
terward, the most courtly, accomplished, and graceful
President of the United States since the day of Madisou,
Chester A. Arthur.
All honor to the professor's and bishop's son, of the
church militant himself, shot in the breast at Newberu,
returniug to duty and to battle, marching first into Rich-
mond, Major-Greneral Robert B. Potter.
Hartranft, soldier, statesman, major-general, governor.
General Tibbitts, very near the end and home, falling
in battle, closing in death a long and brilliant service.
Sam Barstow, driven from the field by the hand of
death, the only power that could take him from the front,
to die on the hospital cot.
Colonel John McConihe, sent to his everlasting rest in
the trenches of Cold Harbor, found with his head upon
his arm, as his chum had seen him when the chapel bell
rang.
Captain Samuel Newbury, falling amid the crashing
trees, the roaring scream of battle, in the pathless Wilder-
ness.
ADDKESS. 345
But there are others. Tlie unsung, but never unliou-
ored ; those who wore neither chevron nor stripe, eagle
nor star; the grandest patriots of all, the unrewarded
privates in the ranks.
And with unfeigned sadness, in sincerest sorrow. Union
sends down from its great heart, within the old gray
walls, its words of tenderest sympathy to those who
moui-n their dead in gray. In life they fought, the blue
and the gray ; in death they are not divided. And the
tlag we raise floats lovingly, as the sun shines, over all !
Survivors : Union tells me to bid you welcome — come
you in butternut or blue. Meredith of the navy, who
stood at the mast with Farragut at Mobile ; Fred Town-
send, Brigadier-General, U. S. A., one of the first to raise
the cheers of Union. Douchy, captain of artillery; Major
Frank Martindale; Major Fox, whose contribution to
the literature of the war has raised a good soldier high
in the republic of letters; Colonel Allan H. Jackson, the
beloved commander of the 134th; Colonel John Buster
Yates, of '52, who verified the destructive name the Belts
gave him by painting red, with burning bridges, as col-
onel of engineers, the march from Atlanta to the sea.
You need not answer, your names are on your country's
muster-roll !
And now let the command go down the line ! To the
highest ranking officer of us all, let the living present
arms ! Presiding over us, the man who has ridden through
shot and shell for every year through the mightiest strug-
gle of the century. The commander of a brigade, a di-
vision, and of an army corps, twice wounded and in
twenty-eight battles, the chief of statf of the Army of the
Potomac, the honored, trusted friend of Lincoln, Sher-
man, Grant, Sheridan, and Meade, the generous friend
of Union, the patron of American culture, of which he
is a distinguished ornament — every soldier and son of
346 UNION COLLEGE.
Union salutes Major-General Daniel Butterfield, of the
Armies of the United States ! [Tremendous applause
and cheers.]
With malice toward none, with more than charity, in
honor to you all, now the final roll-call of the great
reconstructed.
Bob Toombs, of Union and of Georgia, great states-
man and bad prophet, declared he would call the roll of
his slaves beneath the shadow of Bunker Hill. Union
will call a nobler roll, that of the unconquerable defeated,
beneath the grateful shade of Memorial Hall. General
Printop, brave always, honored in defeat. Roy Pierre
Antoine, captain of Confederate artillery, before whose
guns some of us groveled in the grass. Colonel Hutch-
inson, of Morgan's cavalry, in front of whose charge we
gamboled on the green. Colonel Picot, Lieutenant-Colo-
nel Losee, did you get the worst of it ? If you are with
us, stay with us ; we will give you the best of it now.
All over! No trace or track! Earthwork and em-
bankment and fortress leveled, the rifle-pits closed by
the hands of a single generation. All the rancor and
bitterness of the strife vanishing and impalpable as the
dust and ashes in the casket and the coffin of the blue
and the gray. No discord in the song of the land of the
free and the home of the brave, no ghastly burlesque
now. And when the lips which have spoken to-day shall
be voiceless in the grave, and the hand that records the
doings of the old college Centennial day pulseless in the
tomb, succeeding generations of Union, children in the
class-room and on the grand old seat of stone, will hold
in lasting remembrance the names of Union's soldier
dead ! [Applause.]
Geneeal Buttekfield said : Weston Flint, a son of
Old Union, of the class of 1860, will close our ceremonies
here with four stanzas of poetry for the Old Flag.
ADDKESS. 347
Mk. Flint :
THE OLD FLAG.
Fling out the Old Baimer, let fold after fold
Enshrine a new g'lory as each is unfurled ;
Let it speak to our hearts, still as sweet as of old,
The herald of freedom all over the world.
Let it float out in triumph, let it wave overhead,
The noble old ensign, its stripes and its stars ;
It gave us our freedom, o'ershadows our dead.
Grave might to our heroes, makes sacred their scars.
Let it wave in the sunbeams, unfurl in the storm.
Our beacon at morning, our guardian by night.
When Peace shines in splendor athwart her bright form,
Or War's bloody hand holds the standard of might.
Unfurl the Old Banner, its traitors crush down.
Let it still be the banner that covers the brave —
The starry-gemmed banner with glory we own,
'T is too noble a banner for tyrant or slave.
Ziyt College in |)rofej^^ional Hife*
W. H. Helme Moohe, of the Class of 1844, pkesiding.
Mr. Moore, on taking the chair, spoke as follows :
BRETHREN, Alumni, Ladies and Gentlemen : Some
of the small rivers are associated with large results.
For example: Rome on the Tiber, and London on the
Thames. We are specially interested these days in Union
College and Schenectady on the Mohawk.
Having learned, from legal training and long experi-
ence, to admire and love the just principles and clear
equities of commercial law, it seems fitting for me to say
a few preliminary words on the influence of Union Col-
lege on commerce and transportation. The lessons here
acquired and the studies here pursued which do not ap-
pear in any curriculum have been very productive.
Of the early navigation of the Mohawk I need cite only
one or two sentences of romance. When the great In-
dian chieftain, " the Eagle of the Mohawks," stood on the
banks of this river and was about departing forever, " a
mingled expression of grief and anger passed over his
countenance as he watched a loaded boat in its passage
down the river. ' The white man carries food to his wife
and children and finds them at home. Where is the squaw
and papoose of the red man f ' " And again : " No light
ADDRESS. 349
canoe then shot down the river like a bird upon its wing.
The laden boat of the white man alone broke its smooth
surface."
The students who came here from the South or from the
sea-board and first saw the Mohawk when its waters were
low, thought tliis famous river a very insignificant little
stream. They wondered why the bridges over it were
built so high ; but when they beheld a first-class freshet
in midwinter, as the floods came and the river burst its
heavy frozen covering, overflowed its banks, swept away
barns, bridges, and dwellings, together with huge blocks
of ice which went crunching, grinding, and breaking down
the stream, there was an object-lesson showing the ef-
fects of cold u[)on commerce and industry over a large
part of the world. There was an exhibition of power,
teaching in the most eloquent and impressive manner
the perils and difficulties which commerce and enterprise
have to contend with.
Fifty-two or -three years ago an important legal trial
took place in the court-house here in relation to damage
caused by the overflow of the Mohawk. Two of the ablest
lawyers in the State were engaged, and one Saturday af-
ternoon many of us students listened to their summing
up before a jury. Their arguments and eloquence, with
some of their telling sentences, have not been forgotten.
Two or three years afterward it was my privilege to listen
to one of them who was employed to defend the city of
New York in the highest court of this State, and likewise
to Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, who made the argu-
ment against him. Mr. Webster's argument was that the
loss occasioned by the blowing up of buildings to stop
the gi-eat fire of 1835 should be paid for by the city.
A century ago canals were a commercial success in
Europe, and were studied and projected here. What de-
lightful sensations the first students and the jjrofessors
also enjoyed in reading the able debates and State papers
350 UNION COLLEGE.
on this subject ! And what pleasing anticipations thrilled
them as thej'' looked upon this beautiful valley of the
Mohawk, and thought of its becoming the great channel
of communication between the civilization of the East
and the wilderness of the far West! And when these
anticipations wei'e realized, and the artillery guns, at right
distances apart, tiring in quick succession, carried the in-
telligence that Buffalo was united to New York and the
waters of the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean — what
rejoicing! And who can now estimate how much this
channel contributed to the commercial power and great-
ness not only of the city of New York, but of the State
and our country at large?
When the water-borne vessels through this valley had
already accomplished grand results, then came the rail-
roads. You are aware that one of the first in this country
was between Albany and Schenectady ; and it was appro-
priately named the Mohawk and Hudson. The table-
land between these two valleys was reached by inclined
planes with their stationary engines.
For about ten years the plane at Schenectady, within
convenient walking-distance from the college, furnished
its own instruction. Members of the class of '44 enjoyed
it, and watched the construction of the new road around,
by which it was superseded.
Three or four railroads concentrated here ; and the
largest depot the students had ever seen or known was
an ornament to the city. But it was a wooden struc-
ture, and somewhat more than fifty years ago it was
burned, and so quickly that its lessons were studied
and have been referred to ever since.
To return to our first thought — there is another small
river, which empties into the Caribbean Sea, and which
we hope will at no distant day be the location of a ship-
canal, with which Union College will be honorably asso-
ciated — a waterway that shall connect the Atlantic and
ADDRESS. 351
the Pacific, and with vast benefit and blessing add to the
ocean power of this country and the world.
Thus I liave hastily glanced at a single feature of that
wonderful progress to which not merely the legal, but all
the learned professions stand so closely related.
But not to delay you, my friends, we have as our theme
at this time and place. Union College in Professional Life ;
and I have great pleasure in presenting to you a gentle-
man identified with these new ways of navigation, and
all the interests which grow from civilization, law, and
order, the Hon. J. Newton Fiero, of the class of '67, late
President of the New York State Bar Association, who
will now address you. [Applause.]
ADDRESS
BY J. NEWTON FIERO,
Of the Class of 1867.
UNION COLLEGE UPON THE BENCH AND AT THE BAR.
'XTTHY may we not proceed further, and affirm confi-
▼ ▼ dently that the profession of the law is to be pre-
ferred before all other human professions and sciences, as
being most noble for the matter and subject thereof, most
necessary for the common and continued use thereof, and
most meritorious for the good effects it doth produce in
the commonwealth ? "
How far Union College has during the first half of the
century of her existence given a practical answer to this
question, propounded nearly four hundred years ago by
Sir John Davy in the preface to his reports, is to be de-
termined by the story of her sons who have devoted their
lives to the practice of the law or been called to administer
it from the bench. That record we shall give in brief and
incomplete manner unworthy of the theme.
A consideration presents itself at the outset which re-
quires a moment's attention. It will be a ground for just
criticism as regards the contents of this paper that undue
space is devoted to those graduates who have attained
distinction by virtue of holding official position, and that
very many illustrious men have been passed by who were
ADDRESS. 353
ornaments to the bar, in some instances their very names
being ignored, in others receiving but scanty mention.
This may arise because the individual opinion of the
writer as to the phice any ahimnus has taken in the minds
of the public may not be that which by common consent
is accorded him. But the real and only justifiable excuse
for thus passing hastily over the names of many who are
entitled to be recalled upon an occasion like this lies in
the fact that as to lawyers who have never occupied offi-
cial position the records and even traditions are so scanty
as to render it impossible to do justice to their merits or
fairly to recall the story of their lives and influence.
When to this is added the brief space of time allotted for
the preparation of this paper and the necessity for inquiry
and research in many directions, it will be fully appre-
ciated that it is not only difficult, but almost impossible
to render the proper meed of praise to all the illustrious
names to be found upon the roll of graduates of Union at
the bar and on the bench.
Still another embarrassment exists in the fact that very
many of her illustrious sons are so well known in our
own day and in - the present generation, that to recall
their names would seem to be a work of supererogation,
aside from the difficulty of doing justice to those who are
still engaged in the active duties of their profession. It
has therefore seemed better, with the single exception of
one who has passed away, to confine this paper to a record
of a few of the leading lawyers and judges who graduated
during the first half of that century the completion of
which we to-day commemorate.
In the first class graduated from Union we find the
names of three clergymen, but not a single lawyer. A
marked improvement is found in 1798, which graduated
two lawyers ; and in 1799 we not only find the bar fully
represented, but the bench recognized by the conferring
of an honorary degree upon Egbert Benson, then justice
23
354 UNION COLLEGE.
of the Supreme Court, and later judge of the United
States Circuit Court.
In that year graduated John Savage, who survived
until 1863, receiving from the college the degree of LL. D.
in 1829. He was appointed chief justice of the Supreme
Court of the State, January 29, 1823 ; and until 1836 pre-
sided over that court, having as associates such eminent
jurists as Samuel Nelson, G-reen C. Bronson, and William
L. Marcy. His opinions are to be found in the volumes
of Cowen and Wendell, and do credit to his early training.
Samuel A. Foote was a member of the class of 1811, and
was admitted to the bar in 1813. After a long and distin-
guished service at the bar, he became a member of the
Court of Appeals in 1851. It was said by Judge Folger,
on behalf of the Court of Appeals, at the time of his death
in 1878, at the age of eighty-eight : " He was the living
link which held in one three successive judicial organiza-
tions. He began the practice of the law before any one
now sitting on this bench was born, and he continued it
in full vigor of mind and body until the day of his death."
In 1818, with Bishops Alonzo Potter and George W.
Doane, was graduated Sidney Breese. Taking up his
residence in Illinois immediately after graduating, he was
almost constantly in official position in that State, dis-
charging public trusts up to the time of his death in 1878,
— successively district attorney, reporter of the Supreme
Court, senator of the United States, and chief judge of
the Supreme Court of Illinois. He is regarded as one
of the ablest jurists who has occupied a place upon the
bench of that State, possessing a character of great intel-
lectual vigor and absolute independence.
The name of William H. Seward, of 1820, is so thor-
oughly associated in the mind of every graduate of Union
with his record as a statesman, that it seems like trench-
ing upon the ground of others to mention his name in
connection with his career at the bar; yet it would be a
ADDRESS. 355
manifest injustice to pass by the i-ecord of Mr. Seward
as a lawyer. That he was eminently successful at the bar
as a very young man is a matter which has a basis much
more substantial tlian mere tradition, and none can listen
without pleasure to the well-authenticated anecdote il-
histrating liis confidence and courage upon his first argu-
ment before Chancellor Walworth in the Court of Chan-
cery. The story is told by one of his friends and admirers
as follows :
Seward's manner when he began his argument was
that of exceeding diffidence. To add to his embarrass-
ment, the chancellor began to ply him with questions and
suggestions. At length, when the questions became too
frequent, the young lawyer paused in his argument and
took his seat.
"Why do you not proceed with your argument?" was
asked in some surprise.
" I beg leave to say," said Seward, " if your honor will
permit, that until now I never understood the arguments
in the Court of Chancery were conducted in the form
of dialogue with the court, and not understanding that
practice, I am unwilling to proceed."
" Proceed, sir, proceed with your argument," said the
chancellor; "you shall continue it uninterrupted." And
no further interruption occurred.
After retiring from the State Senate, Seward's legal
career covered a period of little over four years; but
during that time the celebrated cases of The People v.
Freeman and The People v. Wyatt, in both of which he
appeared for the prisoner, gave him a wide-spread and
solid reputation as a lawyer, he having in the latter case
interposed, for perhaps the first time, the defense of moral
insanity, which has since become so popular, insisting
that "persons who are the subjects of natural or con-
genital derangement are not morally accountaljle, because,
though they may know an act to be wrong, they cannot
356 UNION COLLEGE.
refrain from doing it, being irresistibly compelled to its
commission."
Mr. Seward's argument to the jury in that case, although
unsuccessful, is said by one who was present to have ri-
valed Erskine's famous defense of Hadfield under a like
plea.
Hiram Gray was a member of the class of 1821, and
survived until a very recent date, having been a member
of the Commission of Appeals appointed under the pro-
visions of the Constitution of 1869, which constituted as
such commission four judges of the Court of Appeals
then in office, for the purpose of completing the calendar
of that court, and authorized the governor to appoint a
fifth commissioner.
In the same year was graduated Philo T. Ruggles, who
at his death had the distinction of being the oldest living
alumnus of the college. Although not distinguished as
an advocate, and holding no judicial position, he exer-
cised judicial functions during a period extending over
very many yeai's, and relating to matters of the utmost
importance, since by virtue of his judicial temperament,
thorough knowledge of the law, and inflexible integrity,
he was selected alike by courts and litigants as referee
to determine controversies involving most important
quesions of law and fact, as well as very large, varied,
and important financial interests.
John A. Lott was of 1823. After holding the office of
justice of the Supreme Court, he became a judge of the
Court of Appeals in 1869 ; and upon the organization of
the Commission of Appeals was selected as chief com-
missioner, and continued to act in that capacity during
the continuance of the commission and until the com-
pletion of the work assigned it under the Constitution.
In 1824 graduated Ira Harris, who not only represented
the State with honor in the United States Senate, but
ADDRESS. 357
discharged the duties of justice of the Supreme Court
under the 7iew Coustitution in a singularly felicitous man-
ner, rounding ont a successful and honorable career as
one of the fonnders of and lecturers in the Albany Law
School, and acting for a brief period as the president of
Union College ; a man of thoroughly solid attainments
who left the impress of his personality upon those with
whom he associated at the bar, on the bench, and in the
lecture-room, and whose name is one of those the sons
of Union delight to honor. His long and honorable
career closed in 1875.
Amasa J. Parker, of 1825, who passed away May, 1890,
ripe in years and honors, in the eighty-third year of his
age, filled a large place in the history of the bar and of
the bench of the State. Although for a considerable
period — from 1844 to 1855 — he was a justice of the Su-
preme Court, he is best known and will be remembered
most distinctively as a lawyer. The manner of his gra-
duation was unique.
He was only sixteen years of age when he took charge,
as principal, of a classical school at Hudson, which he
conducted with success. Nearly two years after he had
assumed charge of this academy, he learned that the
trustees of a rival educational institution at Kinder-
hook boasted of an advantage enjoyed over the Hudson
Academy, in that their principal was a college graduate.
Mr. Parker waited until the close of the school year at
Hudson, then went to Schenectady. There he was pre-
sented to Dr. Nott and Vice-President Potter, afterward
Bishop of Pennsylvania, He explained his visit, and
said he was there to pass his four years' examination.
The faculty approved of the novel application, and the
full examination for the four years' course was success-
fully passed during the week, and he took his diploma
with the class of 1825, and, returning to Hudson, sent word
23*
358 UNION COLLEGE.
to his friends at Kinderhook that their boasted advantage
was no longer good. Subsequently a trustee of Union,
he was always loyal to its interests.
In 1851, with Judge Ira Han-is, of Union, 1821, and
Amos Dean, Union, 1826, he engaged in founding the
Albanj" Law School, and continued as one of its lecturers
for a period of nearly twenty years, preparing in the
meantime six volumes of reports of criminal cases and
assisting in the editing of the fifth edition of the Revised
Statutes of the State. He was one of the earliest advo-
cates of law reform. While visiting Europe in 1853, when
such reforms were under consideration in England, he
addressed the Law Reform Club at its annual meeting,
on the invitation of Lord Brougham, explaining the re-
sults of his experience on the bench, as to the changes
that had been made in this State, more particularly as to
the administration of law and equity in the same court.
From 1855 up to the time of his death. Judge Parker
was actively engaged in the practice of his profession, and
recognized as one of the leaders of the bar of the State,
being engaged in many of the most important cases in
the State and Federal courts.
Of Amos Dean, 1826, we have spoken in connection
with the founding of the Albany Law School in collabo-
ration with two other eminent graduates of Union. ' This
school in 1873 became a part of Union University, and it
is very largely to the impetus given under the manage-
ment of Amos Dean that it early attained a high reputa-
tion as a school of law.
William F. Allen, of 1826, was for sixteen years a jus-
tice of the Supreme Court, for two terms comptroller of
the State, and for eight years a judge of the Court of
Appeals. It was well said of him : " He filled a large space
in the annals of the State." The qualities which charac-
terized him were said by those who knew him most
intimately to have been " a firm, intelligent, and compre-
ADDRESS. 359
hensive grasp of the most difficult questions iu the law,
and the wisdom which he bi'ought to bear upon the solu-
tion of legal controversies," as well as the " facility with
which he could comprehend and formulate the principles
applicable to the most difficult and complicated cases,
and, above all, his independence of judicial judgment and
fearlessness with which he adhered to and enforced his
conviction of the right." It was a well-deserved tribute
that "through an extended life he was an honor to his
race, to his profession of the law, and to his judicial office."
Rufus W. Peckham, for many years justice of the
Supreme Court in the Third Judicial Department, and at
the time of his decease in 1873 a member of the Court of
Appeals, was of 1827. No more fitting tribute can be
paid his memory than that of the memorial handed down
at the opening of the court at its first meeting after the
disaster by which he came to his death. Chief Judge
Church, on behalf of himself and his associates, said:
" Judge Peckham has for many years been identified with
the judiciary of the State. His judicial career began as
a judge of the Supreme Court, to which he was elected
in the district where he had spent the whole of his pro-
fessional life; and the qualities which distinguished him
as a judge in that position led to his nomination and
election as an associate judge of this court on its organi-
zation. His firmness, his learning, and his fearlessness
and independence in maintaining his convictions, guided
always by a strong sense of justice, which was a distin-
guishing feature of his character, won the confidence and
respect of the bar and bench, and of all with whom he
was associated."
Ward Hunt, of 1828, attained to the high dignity and
responsibility of associate justice of the United States
Supreme Court after having served as associate and chief
judge of the Court of Appeals and Commissioner of Ap-
peals.
360 UNION COLLEGE.
George F. Comstock, of 1834, came to the bar in 1837,
and entered upon the practice of his profession at Syra-
cuse. In 1847 he became a reporter of the Court of Ap-
peals for a term of three years, and in 1856 a judge of
the Court of Appeals to fill vacancy; was chief judge of
the court, 1860 to 1862. "His opinions are all marked
with the stamp of eminent ability, but his reputation as
a judge rests chiefly upon his opinions in a few cases
which involved the determination of great questions and
the evolution and application of principles of permanent
value. These opinions he elaborated with the greatest
care, and exhibited great logical power, the most discrimi-
nating analysis, and profound learning." He practised his
profession with marked success after his retirement from
the bench, and up to his death in 1892.
John K. Porter, distinguished as an advocate, and bear-
ing a high reputation as a judge of the court of last
resort, was of 1837. For many years a member of the
leading law firm in the city of Albany, he conducted a
very large business as counsel in the higher courts, and
achieved a reputation in the argument of causes second
to that of no lawyer in the State. For a term of years,
beginning with 1865, he was a member of the Court of
Appeals; and upon his retirement became the head of one
of the leading firms in the city of New York. He was
best known to the public by reason of his participation
in the action of Tiltou against Beecher, in which he won
many professional laurels, and to the country at large
from having been counsel upon the trial of the assassin
Guiteau for the murder of President Garfield. The un-
remitting labors of this trial, extending over weeks and
months, undermined his constitution, and ruined health
necessitated his retirement from the bar. He was bril-
liant, persuasive, and logical as a lawyer ; and his opinions
are clear, pointed, and concise, indicating a vigorous in-
tellect trained to the duties of the bar and the bench.
ADDRESS. 361
His standing with his brethren at the bar is, perhaps,
best ilhistrated by the fact that he was chosen as the first
president of tlie New York State Bar Association npon
its organization in 187(3, and elected for a second term
the following year.
Those in attendance upon these Centennial exercises
have listened to a commemorative address from George F.
Danforth, of 1840. To those who have had that pleasure
it is unnecessary to recall either his vigorous personality
or his ability as an orator. To the wider circle of gradu-
ates of the college he is known as a loyal son of Union,
for whom a successful career at the bar was followed by
a term of fourteen years of service in the Court of Ap-
peals, from which he retired, alike to the regret of the
bar and bench, only by reason of the constitutional limi-
tation upon the term of his office. He was selected by a
unanimous vote of his associates to preside over the de-
liberations of the commission appointed in 1890 to revise
the judiciary article of the Constitution, and did much
toward shaping the report which was ultimately substan-
tially adopted by the recent Constitutional Convention.
Hamilton Harris, of 1841, is, perhaps, among all the
names mentioned, more especially a representative of the
bar as apart from the bench. Nearly all the sons of
Union who have been distinguished as lawyers have like-
wise achieved success as judges. But aside from the office
of State Senator, Mr. Harris has held no official posi-
tion. For very many years he has been closely identified
with the history of the bar of the State, and his industry,
ability, and learning have been availed of by hundreds
of suitors in trial courts and courts of last resort, and no
lawyer in the State has a more substantial clientage or
is better worthy of its confidence. The easy and deliberate
manner of Mr. Harris in the trial courts recalls the anec-
dotes related of Sir James Scarlett, who was said, during
the progress of a trial, to regard the proceedings with
362 UNION COLLEGE.
apparent indifference, but, as a fact, giving the closest
attention to the salient features, with regard to which
his adversary found him a most thoroughly equipped
and dangerous adversary. Nothing of fact or law es-
capes his notice, and in concise and convincing terms,
with no attempt at oratory, every point is presented in
the clearest and most convincing terms to court and jury.
No one has greater pride in his profession or takes
greater interest in affairs appertaining to the advance-
ment of the educational interests of the State. Mr. Har-
ris is not a stranger to the delights of literature, and finds
relief from most painstaking and successful labor at the
bar among the shelves of a carefully selected library.
Orsamus Cole, of the class of 1843, was for many years
chief justice of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, and as
such attained a high reputation as a jurist.
Eobert Earl, of 1845, retired from a seat upon the bench
of the Court of Appeals at the close of 1894, after a con-
tinuous judicial service in that court of nearly twenty-
five years, having served a longer period in that tribunal
than any other judge sitting upon that bench since the
organization of the court. Judge Earl was admitted to
practice in 1848, and remained at the bar until 1869, serv-
ing during that period as county judge of his county.
He first took his seat upon the bench of the Court of
Appeals in 1870. He later became a member of the Com-
mission of Appeals, and upon the dissolution of that
body was again elected a member of the court. He acted
as chief judge in 1870 and 1892. His opinions appear in
the New York reports, beginning with volume 41 and
ending with volume 144, and number over 1400. If pub-
lished by themselves, it is said they would make about
eighteen volumes of the Court of Appeals reports. He
has thus impressed himself in a most striking manner
upon the development of the law in this State for the
ADDRESS. 363
past quarter of a century, since their ((Ucility fully equals
the quantity.
Upon his retirement from the court the unusual cour-
tesy was extended him of the expression of the views of
the judges in an official minute, and their appreciation
and that of the bar cannot better be expressed than by an
extract from that proceeding. They say: " Especially we
shall miss him at the consultation-table, where the capa-
city to see swiftly, grasp accurately, and hold firmly the
rapid succession of facts and doctrines involved in the
cases as they pass in review, finds its most useful field of
effort. He held his place there, a sentinel never asleep,
a patrol always on the alert, a guard not to be eluded ;
and yet none of us, even when stopped or challenged,
ever had reason to regret the manner of the vigilance;
for, however earnest the warning or relentless the criti-
cism, there was always kindness and courtesy behind it,
and a zeal which fully subordinated pride of opinion to
the sound and stable reputation of the court."
John T. Hoffman, of 1846, is best known in other fields
than the law. He was, nevertheless, a man of standing
at the bar ; and as recorder of the city of New York ob-
tained a high reputation for a fearless and independent
discharge of his judicial duties.
Eighteen hundred and forty-six graduated Silas W.
Sanderson, for some time chief justice of the Supreme
Court of California, and who for many years occupied a
commanding position at the bar of that State ; and Wil-
liam H. King, a lawyer of high standing and reputation
in his adopted city of Chicago, where, for a considerable
period of time, he was president of the association of the
bar of that city.
And here we have arrived at the close of the first half-
century, and, with a single exception, leave the record
from 1847 to be made up at a later day ; not but that a
364 UNION COLLEGE.
number of the sons of Union have distinguished them-
selves at the bar and served faithfully and well upon the
bench, but for the reason that we now come to deal more
fully with our contemporaries, many of whom have estab-
lished their reputation, some of whom have it yet to
make, and further suggestion might seem invidious.
The exception noted is that of Samuel Hand, of 1851,
who passed away, nearly a decade since, at the early age
of fifty-three. From 1859, when Mr. Hand located at
Albany, his reputation as a lawyer was at once established
throughout the State. As a member of the famous firm
of Cagger, Porter & Hand, he developed his capacity for
work, his methods of thorough preparation, and his abil-
ity to grasp and expound intricate questions of law.
Up to the time of his death, except the short interval
during which he was a judge of the Court of Appeals in
1878, he was the leading counsel at the bar of that court,
a position for which he was admirably fitted not only by
his knowledge of the law, but by reason of his ability to
grasp complicated facts and to apply legal principles
thereto. During these years he served a short period as
State reporter, publishing six volumes of the New York
reports. Chief Judge Ruger said of him, with the approval
of the members of the Court of Appeals : " His most en-
during claim to distinction must, we think, rest mainly
upon the reputation made by him as an advocate at the
bar of this court, where, for nearly a quarter of a century,
he occupied a commanding position and was more exten-
sively employed in the argument of cases than any other
individual practitioner. The confidence reposed by his
clients in his ability was fully justified by the great power
and varied resources which he brought to bear in the dis-
charge of his professional engagements, and the success
which usually attended his labors. His forensic eft'orts
were always distinguished by thoroughness of prepara-
tion, perfect and expert knowledge of the case in hand.
ADDRESS. 365
a clear and comprelieusivo appreciation of tlie legal ques-
tions involved, and of the reason and philosophy of the
rules bearing upon them, a logical and felicitous method
of arrangement and presentation which enabled him to
exhibit in the strongest light the favorable features of
his theme, and to anticipate and counteract those of his
adversary."
He was the second president of the New York State
Bar Association, serving two terms in that capacity.
The roll of lawyers and jurists who graduated from
Union during the first half-century of her existence num-
bers also Alfred Conkling, of 1810, United States minister
to Mexico and district judge of the Northern District of
New York ; John W. Edmonds, of 1816, circuit judge of
the First Circuit in 1845, and justice of the Supreme Court
in 1847; Josiah Sutherland, of 1824, justice of the Su-
preme Court in 1857; Enoch H. Rosekrans, of 1826, justice
of the Supreme Court, 1855 ; and William W. Campbell,
of 1827, judge of the Superior Court and justice of the
Supreme Court.
Eighteen hundred and twenty-six graduated Alexander
W. Bradford, commissioner to revise the laws, and surro-
gate of the county of New York ; Hamilton W. Robinson,
judge of the New York Common Pleas ; and Gilbert M.
Speir, judge of the Superior Court.
Eighteen hundred and thirty-three gave to the Supreme
Court bench Joseph Mullin and Daniel Pratt; 1835, James
C. Smith, for a long term presiding justice in the General
Term of the Supreme Court ; 1836, Peter S. Danforth and
William Fullerton of the Supreme Court bench ; 1839,
John N. Pettit, circuit judge in Indiana, and Hooper C.
Van Vorst of the Common Pleas and Superior Court;
1841, Joseph Potter of the Supreme Court; and 1842,
Joseph W. Jackson, justice of the same court.
Union has, therefore, in addition to a brilliant array of
lawyers whose name is legion, and whose services at the
366 UNION COLLEGE.
bar have been rendered with ability, fidelity, and integrity
second to none, seen of her graduates up to 1846, upon
the bench, a chief justice of the Supreme Court under
the Constitution previous to 1846, three chief judges of
the Court of Appeals, eight associate judges of that court,
four of the five Commissioners of Appeals ; and the list
is not complete without the enumeration of numerous
judges and justices of superior courts, and three chief
justices of the highest courts of other States.
Thus has the college discharged its functions as an
educator of the men who are described by the prince of
Roman orators as " learned in the laws and that general
usage which private persons observe in their intercourse
in the community, who can give an answer on any point,
can plead and take precautions for their client," and from
among whom are selected the magistrates of the com-
monwealth, whose duties are set forth in the quaint lan-
guage of Bishop Home to be, " when he goeth up to the
Judgment Seat to put on righteousness as a beautiful
robe, and to render his tribunal a fit emblem of that
Eternal Throne of which justice and judgment are the
habitation."
No one can be better aware than the writer of this
paper that justice has not been done to the alumni of
Union who have pleaded at the bar or administered
justice from the bench. Lack of time, opportunity, and
sources of information can alone excuse the shortcomings
of which he pleads guilty. He throws himself upon the
mercy of the court, craving so light a sentence by way
of just criticism as may be compatible with the character
of the offense. To have selected from the large number
of names of those who have graced the bench, those who
might have been deemed most worthy of further men-
tion, would have been a work of difficulty which could
have been performed, with justice to those interested, by
no expenditure of time or labor. To have selected a few
ADDRESS. 367
for fuller montioii would have appccared iiivulious. To
have given the record of all mi^ht have been tedious. It
has therefore been deemed best to leave those names, as
well as those of the distinguished members of the bar
who have made a reputation for themselves and been an
honor to the college, to other annals, in which may be
more fully recorded their ability, industry, and integrity.
ADDKESS
BY REV. TEUNIS S. HAMLIN, D. D.,
Of the Class of 1867.
UNION COLLEGE IN THE MINISTRY.
MR. CHAIRMAN aucl Ladies and Gentlemen: It is one
of the infelicities, and perhaps the chief infelicity,
of coming so near the close of this long series of addresses,
that I must inevitably repeat many of the names which
you have already heard, and to the bearers of which you
have already paid the tribute of your applause. But
over against that infelicity stands the joyful fact, which
will be a thorn in the side of my dear friend Fiero, that
no name that he mentioned has been pronounced in my
hearing before, or had occasion to be pronounced, except
the very distinguished name of William Henry Seward.
All the earliest colleges of this country were created
for the express purpose of providing for the churches an
educated ministry. In most cases the money that started
them came from meager clerical salaries, and the nuclei
of their libraries were gathered from the shelves of the
neighboring pastors. They were established to teach
the Bible and the Christian religion quite as much as the
classics, scientific studies being comparatively unknown.
All their presidents and most of their professors were
clergymen. And they were nearly all denominational.
ADDEESS. 369
111 this respect our college was a distinct adviince upon
any predecessor. Its name records the historic fact that
several religious denominations cooperated in its organi-
zation ; and in its administration and its students it has
always been true to tliat name. This means, however,
not that it has l)een less religious, hut rather more so.
Nor has it been less clerical. Of 104 trustees, to 1884,
not including ex-officio trustees, 28 were clergymen.
Of its 11 presidents and acting presidents to date, 8
have been clergymen, and all full presidents have been
such except Webster. Of 130 professors and tutors, to
1884, 55 were ministers of the gospel. All four men in
the first class, 1797, entered the ministry. Of some 7500
alumni, 1312 have been, or are, clergymen in all the lead-
ing denominations, and 300 of them have received the
degree of Doctor of Divinity.
I have been honored with an invitation to speak to
you about these 1300 men. Don't get frightened — I am
not going to do it. [Laughter.] It is a stupendous task.
I cannot even call the roll of their names in the time
allotted me. I could not mention even the barest facts
about those of them that have reached national or inter-
national distinction. I cannot enumerate the academical
and ecclesiastical and civil honors that they have won
and worn. Nor would either, or all, of these things, if
done, give you any conception of " Union College in the
Ministry." A single sentence can state the fact ; but to
know what it means we must trace the influence of these
men in the many thousands of pupils that they have
taught ; the libraries of books that they have written ;
the innumerable men and women and children that they
have influenced for good in the pulpit and in pastoral
work; the institutions of learning that they have founded,
and the centers of light that they have created in our own
land and in foreign lands ; the philanthropies that they
have originated or stimulated; the reforms that they
24
370 UNION COLLEGE.
have promoted ; the patriotism and all civic virtues that
they have cultivated and practised. Nor would these
things be adequately represented by mentioning a few
of the most brilliant names and their most splendid
achievements. Most of these 1300 have lived and worked
unheralded; in towns and villages and rural neighbor-
hoods ; on narrow incomes and amid many circumscrib-
ing conditions ; in short, after that inconspicuous fashion
that marks nine tenths of the productive and valuable
labor of the world. Still all their years and powers have
been spent in the service of their fellow-men ; in bringing
comfort to the sick and dying, hope to the discouraged,
salvation to the lost. What humblest of all their parishes
could be found where they have not awakened ambition
in some young men or women who have become in their
turn scholars, teachers, orators, statesmen — the leaders
that have molded cities, communities, civilizations!
When we remember that most of the masters in business,
in the professions, and in official life, have come from
the farm or the village ; when we consider the meager-
ness of their childhood, its few glimpses of the world or
outlooks on life ; when we think that the minister, per-
haps, alone of all their acquaintances could talk with
them of books, education, history, the world's insatiable
demand for men of power and of unselfish ambition ;
when we see the purpose thus aroused to be something
more and better than an ignorant drudge : then we get
a suggestion, at least, of the far-reaching influence of the
humblest country pastor. Gather, in any of our great
centers of power, the men that control business, make
laws, shape thought, administer affairs, and ask them
where their success had its initiative, and how many of
them will say, "In the inspiring counsels and unfailing
encouragement of my minister when I was a lad at home" !
Moreover, it is a great thing to be able to say of any
1300 men that their example, as well as their influence,
ADDRESS. 371
lias beeu uiiitonuly on the riglit side. There may be ex-
ceptions to this among our clerical alumni ; hut if so, they
are unknown to me. Not all these 1300 have been gi-eat
scholars or eloquent preachers; many of their names
have no place in biographical encyclopedias, and have
probably seldom been mentioned in the newspapers. But
all of them have been temperate, pure, honest, truthful;
good neighbors and good citizens ; safely trusted by their
fellow-men. And this is a tribute not only to their moral
character, but to their general efficiency. It has always
been claimed for Union College that it turns out practical
men ; men of affairs ; in the best sense, men of the world.
This claim is amply sustained wherever its alumni are
found, and nowhere more notably than in the ministry,
usually regarded as the least practical of callings. If the
superstition still lingers in any mind that clergymen are
mere doctrinaires ; at home only in the study ; incompe-
tent to care for themselves ; incapable of understanding
the complicated questions of business and politics ; very
good to give abstract advice, but quite useless for put-
ting it into practice ; without executive or administrative
talent or aptitude : I know of no better antidote for that
superstition than a study of the clerical alumni of this
college. If any one thinks of the ministry as primarily
a talking, not an acting profession, let him note not
only what these men have said, as it is cherished in the
memory of thousands, and preserved in pamphlets, re-
views, and books, but what have they done, as it is seen
in the solid architecture of a multitude of churches and
schools and colleges ; in millions of dollars of permanent
endowments; in many scores of libraries; in the ad-
ministration of countless philanthropies ; wherever, in-
deed, an educated intellect and a sympathetic heart can
find opportunity to benefit mankind.
If, therefore, we select a few from this noble list, and
sketch briefly their most notable achievements, it will
372 UNION COLLEGE.
not be due to any lack of ai^preciation of all the rest, but
first, to our rigid limits of time and space ; and second,
to the difficulty, indeed the impossibility, of getting ac-
curate information. If, as a sample, I had here and should
read to you a letter I received from that incorrigible man
John D. Nott about himself, you would see what troubles
I have been through, and I am sure I should have your
deep sympathy. It is this selection which is the most
embarrassing part of our task. Every hearer will note
what seem to him inexcusable omissions and dispropor-
tions. To such criticisms there is no answer. One can
only aver that he has used his best judgment, without
prejudice or partiality, and tried to show fairly the
work of Union College in the ministry.
Some classification will be convenient; and we will
begin with those ^clerical alumni who have devoted their
lives principally to teaching. And here I regret to say that
I shall have to refer again to some of those names already
mentioned by my friend Dr. Rossiter in his superb ad-
dress, to which you listened with such rapt attention last
night.
Francis Wayland, of the class of 1813, was born in
New York city, March 11, 1796, and died in Providence,
R. I., September 30, 1865. His father was a clergyman ;
his mother a woman of " superior mind, accurate and dis-
criminating judgment, and a strong and expansive thirst
for knowledge." He pursued his preparatory studies at
the Dutchess County Academy at Poughkeepsie, and en-
tered Union in the sophomore class. He took a three
years' course in medicine; but when ready to practise,
he became a Christian, joined the Baptist Church, and
decided to enter the ministry. He studied two years
at Andover Theological Seminary, and for four years
(1817-21) was a tutor here (at Union College), a period
which he pronounced " of great service to him intellec-
tually." His only pastorate followed, five years in the First
ADDRESS. 373
Baptist Church of Boston. He was a groat preaclior, clear,
cogent, fervid, and eloquent. His sermon on " The Moral
Dignity of the Missionary Enterprise," ])ul)lislu'(l in many
languages, and very widely circulated, was one of th(^ most
potent incentives to modern missions. In 182(5 he was
recalled to this college as professor of moral philosophy ;
and early the next year was elected the fourth President
of Brown University. Here, during twenty-eight years,
his great life-work was done. He took rank with his own
instructors, Nott, Leonard Woods, and Moses Stuart.
He was a pioneer in introducing into the college course
wider scientific studies and the elective system. His
text-books, especially on ethics, had, and still have, great
currency. He was a leader in organizing the public
schools of Providence and of Rhode Island. He was the
first president of the American Institute of Instruction.
He gave much aid in the founding of free public libraries
throughout New England. He was an acknowledged
leader in all the affairs of the Baptist denomination. He
was a public-spirited citizen. He continued throughout
his life to preach the gospel, not only in leading pulpits
on great occasions, but especially to his students ; and
to them not simply in the college chapel, but individu-
ally. His aim always was to make Christian scholars.
Henry Philip Tappan, of the class of 1825, was born
at Rhinebeck, N. Y., April 18, 1805, and died at Vevey,
Switzerland, November ]5, 1881. He was of Huguenot
and Holland descent, his ancestors having been among
the early settlers of the New Netherlands. His father,
once in affluent circumstances, had met reverses; and
Henry had to make his own way to and through college
by teaching. Being graduated here at twenty, he studied
theology three years at Auburn, and then became pastor
of the Congregational Church at Pittsfield, Mass. He was
an admirable preacher and a faithful pastor ; but at the
end of three years bronchitis compelled him to leave the
24*
374 UNION COLLEGE.
pulpit. In 1832 he accepted the chair of iutellectual and
moral philosophy in the University of the City of New
York. For six years he filled this chair with signal abil-
ity. For the fourteen years following he gave himself
largely to authorship. He reviewed with masterly power
Edwards's great work on " The Will," and wrote a treatise
on logic, of which Victor Cousin said : " It is equal to any
work on this subject that has appeared in Europe." In-
deed, his books made him known in every educational
center of the Old World, and in 1856 he was elected a
corresponding member of the Institute of France. In
1852, at the ripe age of forty-seven, he was called to the
presidency of the University of Michigan. That insti-
tution had been ten years in existence, but had had no
president, the faculty electing one of its own number
chairman annually. Speaking before the University
Christian Association some years later. Dr. Tappan al-
ludes thus to the sundering of his cherished associations
in the East: "Believe me, it was a painful decision for
me to make to accept that call, although so honorable,
and implying so much public trust. But I saw that I
was called for no ordinary purpose, to enter upon no
common work. A young, vigorous, free, enlightened,
and magnanimous people had laid the foundation of a
State university; they were aiming to open for them-
selves one of the great fountains of civilization, of culture,
of refinement, of true national grandeur and prosperity.
While leveling the forests and turning up the furrows
of the virgin soil to the sunlight, they would enter upon
the race of knowledge and beautify and refine their new
homes with learning and the liberal arts. It was the
charm of this high promise and expectation that drew
me here."
Beyond even Francis Wayland, Dr. Tappan had broad
and liberal ideas of the place and work of an American
university. He thoroughly understood the European
ADDKES8-. 375
system, and perceived how its best principles niiglit l)e
applied here. He believed the colleges of the East to be
weak through having no vital connection with schools of
lower grade. So for eleven years he labored with unspar-
ing energy, great wisdom, and magnificent success to
unify, enlarge, and make permanent the educational sys-
tem of the splendid couimonwealth of Michigan. Of the
result Professor Henry 8. Frieze says: "This university,
whatever may be its progress towards the highest devel-
opment, whatever amplitude it may attain in the var-
iety of its departments or the diversity of its learning,
will always represent, and can never go beyond, the ideal
held out before it bj^ the first president." And President
Angell writes : " You can hardly exaggerate our estimate
of Dr. Tappau as a thinker and an educator and a leader."
To have done such work for an institution that now
numbers almost 3000 students is glory enough for any
man ; but Dr. Tapj)an did more : he profoundly and
permanently influenced the development of education
throughout the entire West.
Leonard Woods, of the class of 1827, son of Dr. Way-
land's teacher of the same name, was born in Newbury,
Mass., November 24, 1807, and died in Boston, Decem-
ber 24, 1878. He studied theology at Andover, and was
a resident graduate and tutor there until 1833. He was
nev^er a settled pastor, though an exceptionally able and
eloquent preacher. Richard Henry Dana, his private
pupil, says of him : " At twenty-four he had been the
first pupil of Phillips Academy, first in every branch at
Union College, foremost man of his period at Andover
Seminary, and had published a translation of Knapp's
' Christian Theology,' with a preface and notes, showing
profound scholarship." He aided Edward Robinson in
editing the "Biblical Repository," and Moses Stuart in
preparing his commentary on the Epistle to the Ro-
mans. For three years (1834-37) he edited the " Literary
376 UNION COLLEGE.
and Theological Review," and for two years was professor
of sacred literature at Bangor. Then for twenty-seven
years, from 1839-66, he was fourth president of Bow-
doin College. Here his great life-work was accomplished.
The college flourished under his administi-ation in every
way. Many men now of the highest distinction were
his pupils, among them Chief Justice Fuller, Senator
Frye, ex-Speaker Reed, General Howard, Newman and
Egbert C. Smyth. Though great as a teacher, he was
even greater as a man. His personality was charming
in the highest degree. Professor Park pronounces him
" even more remarkable for his conversation than for his
public addresses." When in Rome, Gregory XVI. con-
gratulated him upon his " excellent Latin, and the rich-
ness of his discourse." The last twelve years of his life
were devoted to researches in this country and in Europe
relative to the early history of Maine.
Laurens Perseus Hickok (What can I say further of
him when I remember what Dr. Rossiter said last night ?
And yet it is a name which you would be unwilling that
I should omit), of the class of 1820, was born at Bethel,
Conn., December 29, 1798, and died at Amherst, Mass.,
May 6, 1888.
He studied theology under private teachers, as was
much the custom at that period, and became j)astor of
the Congregational Church at Kent, Conn., where he re-
mained for five years (1824-29). For an equal period he
was pastor at Litchfield, succeeding Lyman Beecher.
These ten years were very fruitful. Dr. Hickok's preach-
ing was clear, pungent, and vigorous. He addressed the
intellect and the conscience with great power, and the
number of conversions, especially of thoughtful men, was
very large under his ministry. In his first year at Litch-
field upward of a hundred confessed Christ. But he was
essentially a theologian and a philosopher. The call to
found the department of theology at Western Reserve
ADDRESS. 377
College in nortbeni Ohio, wiiile his friend Dr. Beeeher
was doing a similar work at Cincinnati, was very attrac-
tive to him ; and for eight years he had the opportunity
of laying solid foundations in that new region. For an-
other eight years he tauglit Christian theology at Auburn,
having as pupils many notable men. In 1852 he returned
to his alma mater as vice-president and professor of men-
tal and moral science. It had been his lifelong ambition
to found a genuine American university, with such ample
courses and such an able faculty that our young men,
however ambitious for specialized scholarship, need not
go abroad to seek it. Dr. Hickok came to Union with
the well-grounded hope of doing that great work here;
but unforeseen obstacles prevented. For sixteen years,
however, he taught and wrote, practically administering
the college, and succeeding Dr. Nott as president in 1866.
He easily takes rank with the three or four greatest meta-
physicians of the age, and with the two or three greatest
theologians. His thinking was remarkably profound.
The elements of his system were clear to every attentive
student; his ultimate reasonings tax the acutest intel-
lect to follow. His beautiful integrity, simplicity, humil-
ity; his unfeigned piety; his genuine interest in his
pupils, endeared him to every one who fell under his
influence. His last years were spent in charming retire-
ment at Amherst, where he worked steadily in revising
his text-books and thinking out his system to its con-
clusions, even after partial blindness had prevented his
committing them to paper with his own hand. May I
add it was my privilege, year after year, to make an
annual visit to Dr. Hickok at Amherst, and he never
ceased to express his earnest regard and concern for the
welfare of Old Union ! (My watch admonishes me that I
must turn down many of these pages.)
John Howard Raymond, of the class of 1832, in which
he took high honors, was born in New York city, March
378 UNION COLLEGE.
7, 1814, and died at Pouglikeepsie, August 14, 1878. He
studied law at New Haven, but his religious convictions
forbade him to enter upon its practice, and in 1834 he
entered the Baptist Theological Seminary at Hamilton,
N. Y. He drifted at once into teaching, and was never
a pastor, though he jDreached constantly and had esj^e-
cial success in revival work. For ten years he taught
rhetoric and English literature with brilliant success
at Madison, and for five years filled a similar chair at
Rochester University. In 1855 he was selected to or-
ganize the Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn, in which
work he spent ten laborious and fruitful years, evincing
the highest order of originality in conception and thor-
oughness in method. His success here led to his being
chosen in 1865 to continue, as its second president (prac-
tically its first) the organization of Vassar College. Here
he did the work of a pioneer in equipping a great institu-
tion for the higher education of women. In the thirteen
years of his incumbency he placed Vassar side by side
with the older colleges for men. Meanwhile he taught
mental and moral philosophy, and made a deep impres-
sion upon his pupils. He sacrificed his life in his devo-
tion to Vassar, which is his enduring monument.
Lauremus Clark Seelye, of the class of 1857, was born
at Bethel, Conn., September 20, 1837. He studied the-
ology at Andover, and afterward at Berlin and Heidel-
berg.
His only pastorate was for two years over the North
Congregational Church of Springfield, Mass., whence he
was called to the professorship of English literature and
oratory at Amherst. After eight years of efficient work
here, he was chosen as organizer and first president of
Smith College at Northampton. His twenty-two years
there have been brilliantly successful. If Dr. Raymond
provided the higher education for women at Vassar, Dr.
Seelye has provided the highest at Smith. Its courses
ADDRESS. 379
of study rank witli those of our best universities, and its
work leaves nothing to be desired in point of thorough-
ness. When such an institution was projected there was
wide-spread doubt as to its feasibility. Even so ex-
perienced an educator as Dr. Hickok (piestioned whether
students could be found qualified to enter. But Dr.
Seelye's faith in the desire and demand for such edu-
cation by women, and in their ability to receive it, has
been splendidly vindicated.
Joseph Aldeu, of the class of 1829, a lineal descendant
in the sixth generation of John Alden of the 3Iai/ffower,
was born at Cairo, Greene County, N. Y., January 4, 1807,
and died in New York city, August 30, 1885. He studied
theology for two years at Princeton Seminary, and was
for two years tutor in Princeton College. His only pas-
torate was over the Congi'egational Church at Williams-
town, Mass., where he made a deep impression by both
mental and spiritual power. A failing voice disqualified
him for the pulpit, and he became professor of rhetoric
and political economy in Williams College, ranking next
to the great President Hopkins in influence over the stu-
dents. After seventeen years he was called, in 1852, to
the chair of mental and moral philosophy in Lafayette
College, and five years later to the presidency of Jeffer-
son. After five years here, and some two years devoted
to literary labor, he became president of the State Normal
School at Albany, and rounded out his life with fifteen
very busy and fruitful years of teaching teachers. He
had a genius for teaching, aiming principally at the in-
tellectual development of his pupils, having no rigid
methods, but studying each individually, and adapting
his work to personal traits and needs. Dr. Alden was a
prolific author, the number of his titles reaching seventy-
six, and his books covering a very wide range of themes.
Not a few of his writings are of permanent value.
Ransom Bethune Welch, of the class of 1846, was born
380 UNION COLLEGE.
in the town of Greenville, Grreene Coiint}^, N. Y., January
27, 1824, and died at the Healing Springs, Va., June 29,
1890. He was of Holland blood. From early boyhood
he made his own way in the world, beginning at sixteen
to teach district schools. Thus he passed with honors
through academy and college. He studied theology at
Andover under Dr. Park, and at Aubiu'n under Dr.Hickok.
Frail health disabled him for the arduous labor and in-
cessant strain of permanent pastoral work. His three
years at Catskill was his longest settlement ; here he did
brilliant as well as faithful service, but it took five years
to recuperate. Those years, however, were not spent in
idleness. He read widely, and wrote largely for news-
papers and reviews. In 1866 he returned to his Alma
Mater as professor of rhetoric, logic, and English litera-
ture. He filled this chair nobly for ten years, meanwhile
producing a masterly volume on "Faith and Modern
Thought." In 1876 he succeeded to the chair of his
teacher and friend Dr. Hickok as professor of Christian
theology at Auburn. To this great place and work the
last fourteen years of his life were given. His theology
was Christocentric, irenic, constructive. He held both
the respect and the love of his students. His fit monu-
ment is the Welch HaU at Auburn, to build which he left
a bequest of $36,000.
John Williamson Nevin, of the class of 1821, was born
near Strasburg, Franklin County, Pa., February 20, 1803,
and died at Lancaster, Pa., June 6, 1886. He was of
Scotch-Irish descent. As a student at Princeton Semi-
nary he distinguished himself in Oriental scholarship,
and for two years taught Hebrew as a substitute for Dr.
Charles Hodge, who was studying in Europe. From 1829
to 1840 he was professor of biblical literature in the
Western Seminary at Allegheny ; and for thirteen years
in the German Reformed Seminary at Mercersburg.
Here he was associated with Dr. Philip Scliaff, the two
ADDRESS. 381
moil addiiij;' greatly to the t'aiuo and power of the insti-
tution. Dr. Nevin was a remarkable thinker and teacher,
and left an indelible impress on his pupils. Side by side
with this professorship he held for twelve years the presi-
doney of Marshall College at Mercersl)urg; for four years
edited the "Mercersburg Review"; and published a large
number of theologieal works, many of them of intrinsic
and permanent value.
George Washington Eaton, of the class of 1829, was
born at Huntington, Pa., July 3, 1804, and died at Ham-
ilton, N. Y., August 3, 1872. He took no regular theo-
logical course, and was never a pastor, though ordained
to the Baptist ministry. He was an able and effective
preacher, and his paramount interest was the education
of young men for the ministry. For thirty-eight years
his labors were given to what is now Colgate University,
as professor of mathematics and natural philosophy, of
ecclesiastical and civil history, of intellectual and moral
philosophy, of systematic theology, and as president of
both, the seminary and the university. His personal influ-
ence among students and alumni was extraordinary, and
his memory is cherished with j^eculiar affection.
Silas Totten, of the class of 1830, was born in Scho-
harie County, N. Y., March 26, 1804, and died at Lexing-
ton, Ky., October 7, 1873. He was ordained to the Prot-
estant Episcopal ministry by Bishop Brownell in 1833.
The same year he was elected professor of mathematics
and natural philosophy in Trinity College, Hartford,
Conn., and from 1837-48 was its third president. The
college prospered greatly during his administration :
Brownell Hall was built, the library and endowments
were increased, and a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa was
created, of which he was the first president. For eleven
years (1848-59) Dr. Totten was professor of belles-lettres
at William and Mary College, Virginia ; and for five years
chancellor of the University of Iowa. His only rectorship
382 UNION COLLEGE.
was for two years at Decatur, 111., after which he resumed
teaching in 1866 at Lexington, Ky.
Roswell Park, of the class of 1831, was born at Leba-
non, Conn., October 1, 1807, and died at Ravenswood, 111.,
July 10, 1869. While a sophomore at Hamilton College
he received a cadetship at West Point, where he was
graduated in 1831 at the head of his class, performing
the feat which Mr. Piero a few moments ago described
as performed by his friend Judge Amasa J. Parker.
He had found time for classical studies, and a brief
period of labor at Union entitled him to his B. A. He
was made lieutenant in the engineer corps, and did
excellent work at Newport, Boston, and the Delaware
Breakwater. For six years he was professor of natu-
ral philosophy and chemistry in the University of Penn-
sylvania. In 1842 he resigned, studied theology at Bur-
lington, N. J., and was ordained to the Protestant
Episcopal ministry. He founded a private school for
boys at Pomfret, Conn., and carried it on very success-
fully till 1852. The next year he was called to become
the founder and first president of Racine College, Wis.
With this work for ten years he combined the rectorship
of a parish. He had calls to the presidency of various
other institutions, among them Norwich University. He
was a pioneer in introducing scientific courses into the
college curriculum, and was one of the original members
of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science. His " Pantology " Avas one of the earliest efforts
in this country to summarize and classify knowledge in
encyclopedic form.
Erastus Darwin McMaster, of the class of 1827, was
born at Mercer Village, Mercer County, Pa., February 4,
1806, and died at Chicago, December 10, 1866. He studied
theology under his father. After a seven years' pastorate
at Ballston, N. Y., he was called to be the second presi-
dent of Hanover College. He found the institution feeble
ADDRESS. 383
iu every way, but led it to a career of prosperity, which
was checked, however, by the unfortunate attempt to
remove it to the ueighl)oriiig city of Madison. For four
years he was president of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio,
and for eight years professor of systematic theology at
New Albany, Ind. He died six months after assuming
the same chair in the Northwestern Seminary at Chicago.
John Ludlow, of the class of 1814, was born at Ac-
quackanonck, N. J., December 13, 1793, and died at New
Brunswick, N. J., September 8, 1857. He was of English
and Dutch descent. He led his class in college, and hav-
ing remained as a tutor for one year, studied theology at
New Brunswick. In 1817 he settled over the Dutch Ee-
formed Church of that city, and soon became known for
his learning and eloquence. In 1823 he became pastor of
the historic First Reformed (Dutch) Church of Albany,
and served it brilliantly for eleven years. In 1834 he
was chosen seventh provost of the University of Penn-
sylvania. His administration of eighteen years was
highly vigorous and successful. He permanently revived
the law school, and broadened the university in every
direction. He preached almost constantly, and lectured
before the Athenian Institute, the Mercantile Library As-
sociation, and the Smithsonian Institution. The last five
years of his life were spent in teaching ecclesiastical his-
tory and church government at New Brunswick.
Henry White, of the class of 1824, was born at Dur-
ham, N. Y., June 19, 1800, and died in New York city,
August 25, 1850. His early years were spent working
on the farm and attending the district schools, and from
seventeen onward in teaching. He distinguished him-
self in college, especially in mathematics and philosophy.
He studied theology at Princeton ; labored in the South
for the American Bible Society for two years; and in
1828 was called to the Allen Street Presbyterian Church
of New York city. He was a lucid and strong preacher,
384 UNION COLLEGE.
avoiding speculations, and dwelling on revealed trntlis.
He won the respect and confidence of the metropolis to
an unusual degree. He was one of the founders of the
Union Theological Seminar}'-, and its first professor of
theology. Here he worked uninterruptedly for fourteen
years. Indeed, he overtaxed a slight frame already im-
paired by obstinate dyspepsia, and dying at the early
age of fifty, exclaimed, "I am a victim of overwork."
He did much to shape the broad, irenic, comprehensive
policy that marks Union Theological Seminary.
Robert Raikes Raymond, of the class of 1837, was born
in New York city, November 2, 1817, and died at Brook-
lyn, N. Y., November 16, 1888. While in college his
father failed in business, and the son su2:)ported himself
by writing for the press. After graduation he continued
newspaper work in Philadelphia and Cincinnati ; taught
a private school ; and read law in the office of Salmon
P. Chase. When beginning to practise he felt himself
called to the ministry, and studied theology for two years
at Madison University. He held Baptist pastorates at
Hartford, Conn., and at Syracuse, N. Y. In this latter,
city he was a most eloquent and effective advocate of
freedom as against the recently enacted fugitive-slave
law. In the Presidential campaign of 1856 he wrote the
famous song, to the tune of the "Marseillaise," whose
chorus thrilled the country from east to west :
Free press, free speech, free soil, free iiieu,
Fremont aud victory !
In 1857 Dr. Raymond joined his brother John Howard
as professor of English literature and rhetoric at the
Brooklyn Polytechnic. Here and in the Boston School
of Oratory (of which he was the head), in his Shakspere
class and his dramatic readings, and with a great number
of private pupils, he distinctly elevated and advanced the
art of public speech in America.
ADDRESS. 385
Eliplialet Nott Potter, of the ela.ss of 1861, was born at
Schenectady, N. Y., September 20, 1836. He is the son
of Bishop Alonzo Potter, and has eight brothers, all of
wlioni, like himself, have gained emin(!iiee. He studied
theology at the Bei'keley Divinity School; did effective
mission work in the Lehigh Valley; was a chaplain in the
Civil AYar ; was the first professor of the Lehigh L^niver-
sity ; and in 1869 became rector of St. Paul's, Troy, N. Y.
In 1871 he became president of Union College, which,
under his administration, became Union University in
1873. [Applause.] For thirteen years he filled this office
with vigor and wHde success, and foi- the past eleven years
he has been the efficient president of Hobart College.
William Augustus Van Yranken Mabon, of the class
of 181:0, was born at New Brunswick, N. J., January 24,
1822, studied theology at New Brunswick, and became
pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church at Durham, Hud-
son County, N. J., in 1816. His ministry was very suc-
cessful, but he added to it many other labors : for seven
years he was superintendent of the public schools of the
county, for seventeen years examiner of all the teachers,
and for five years commissioner for the equalization of
taxes. His last work was done as professor of theology
at New Brunswick.
Alexander McClelland, of the class of 1809, after a pas-
torate of seven years in New York city, devoted twenty-
nine years to teaching at Dickinson and Rutgers colleges,
and at the Theological Seminary in New Brunswick.
John Williams Proudfit, of the class of 1821, had a use-
ful pastorate at Newbiuyport, Mass. ; but his chief work
was done as professor of Latin and Greek in the Univer-
sity of New York for seven years, and in Rutgers College
for nineteen years. Hiram Plummer Goodrich, of the
class of 1823, was professor of biblical literature for ten
years at the Union Seminary, Va. ; and John Holt Rice,
probably the ablest and most influential Presbyterian
25
386 UNION COLLEGE.
minister of Ins day, said of him : " He makes tlie ciitical
study of the Bible a means of promoting the piety of the
students. He is worth more than his weight in gold."
Cja'us Mason, of the class of 1824, was professor in the
New York University from 1836-50, teaching belles-let-
tres, political economy, and evidences of revealed reli-
gion. Maunsell Van Rensselaer, of the class of 1838, after
several brief rectorships, was from 1859-72 president of
De Veaux College at Niagara, and from 1872-76 of Hobart
College, Geneva. John Gulian Lansing, of the class of
1875, was born in Damascus, in the street called " Straight."
He studied theology at New Brunswick, had successful
pastorates at Mohawk and West Troy, New York, and
since 1884 has been professor of Old Testament languages
at New Brunswick. He is especially interested in Arabic,
his native tongue, and is the founder of the Arabian mis-
sion. He has just published a commentary on the Song
of Songs.
No one can be more painfully sensible than I of how
inadequately this bi-ief mention of twenty-four men rep-
resents the work of our clerical alumni in the department
of teaching. Many men that have taught for the longest
periods and with the most success have not even been
named, as William Thompson, of the class of 1827, for
fifty-five years in the Theological Seminary at Hartford,
Conn., and John S. Kidney, of the class of 1838, for
twenty-four years professor of divinity in the Seabury
Divinity School of Fairbault, Minn. But I have aimed
not so much to give a catalogue of brilliant teachers as
to indicate the vast scope of their work. We are wont
to think of ministers as competent to teach only theology,
but our graduates have taught mathematics, languages,
science, metaphysics, ethics, logic, rhetoric, oratory — all
with notable power. They have administered public
schools, private schools, academies, colleges, theological
seminaries, universities, with brilliant success. They
have led the way in nearly all valuable new departure
ADUKESS. Ji87
in education, normal training;', scicntitic courses, eclectic
studies, the liiglier and the liighest education of women.
Their text-books, from the normal methods of Alden to
the loii:ic of Ta])pau and the mental and moral sci(Mice of
Wayland and Hickok, are still instructing many times
the number of those whom these men reached by the
voice in the class-room. If the story of "Union (College
iu the Ministry" should stop just liei-e, — where I think
you would be thankful to me if I would stop [laughter], —
it would l)e one of which any institution of learning in
the country might well be proud; but I am not going to
stop, even to please you. [Laughter.]
Among our alumni are six hishops of the Protestant
Episcopal Churchy and no greater names adorn the roll of
the episcopate in this country. Thomas Church Brown-
ell, of the class of 1804, was born at Westport, Mass.,
October 19, 1779, and died at Hartford, Conn., January
13, 1865. He was a student at Brown University, 1800-02 ;
and when Dr. Jonathan Maxcy was elected president of
Union College young Brownell followed him here, and
was graduated the year that Dr. Nott succeeded Dr
Maxcy. He studied theology under Dr. Nott. From his
graduation until 1818, fourteen years, he was tutor in
Latin and Greek, professor of belles-lettres and moral
philosophy, of chemistry and mineralogy. He spent a
year in travel and study in Europe. Originally a Con-
gregational! st, he was ordained to the Episcopal minis-
try, and became assistant at Trinity Church, New York.
The next year, October 27, 1819, he was consecrated the
third bishop of Connecticut. His administration of his
diocese was eminently wise and vigorous. He was the
chief founder of Trinity College, and its first president
for seven years, 1824-31. From 1852, for thirteen years,
until his death, he was the presiding bishop. He was a
large contributor to the current literature of the day, and
published several valuable volumes.
George Upfold, of the class of 1814, was born near
388 UNION COLLEGE.
Guildford, Surrey, England, May 7, 1796, and died at In-
dianapolis, Ind., August 26, 1872. From eight years of
age lie was a resident of Albany, New York. He took a
two years' course at the College of Physicians and Sur-
geons in New York city, and then entered upon the study
of theology under Bishop Hobart. He was rector suc-
cessively in Lausingburgh, New York, Pittsburg, and
Lafayette, Indiana. He was for twenty-three years the
first bishop of Indiana, and performed the arduous labors
of a new and very large diocese with vigor and success.
George Washington Doane, of the class of 1818, was
born at Trenton, N. J., May 27, 1799, and died at Bur-
lington, N. J., April 27, 1859. He studied for the minis-
try at the General Theological Seminary, New York city.
Ordained in 1823, he was assistant at Trinity Church,
New York, for a year ; for four years professor in Trinity
College, Hartford ; and for two years assistant, and two
years rector, at Trinity Church, Boston. In 1832 he was
consecrated the second bishop of New Jersey. This office
he held for twenty-seven years. He was indefatigable in
labor ; but his controversial and somewhat domineering
temper made him many enemies, and his life was stormy.
He founded institutions of learning at Burlington for
both boys and g-irls. He was no mean poet, and his vol-
ume called " Songs by the Way " contains much of merit.
His most popular hymns are: —
" Softly now the light of day
Fades upon my sight away."
and
" Thou art the way : to Thee alone
From sin and death we flee."
Alonzo Potter, of the class of 1818, was born at La
Grange, Dutchess County, N. Y., July 6, 1800, and died
on board the steamer Colorado, in the harbor of San
ADDRESS. . 389
Francisco, July 4, 1865. His father was a farmer, and
both his parents belonged to the Society of Friends. He
entered college at the early age of fifteen ; took the first
rank in scholarship, aiid was gra<luated with the highest
honors. He attributed his first love of books to the read-
ing of "Robinson Crusoe." Shortly after graduation he
was baptized and confirmed in Philadelphia, and entered
upon the private study of theology. But he was soon
called to Union as a tutor, and at twenty-one was pro-
fessor of mathematics and natural philosophy. After five
years he became rector of St. Paul's, Boston, where he at
once became a power for good, and soon brought the
church into the first rank. But five years of labor here
impaired his health, and he returned to Union as pro-
fessor of mental and moral philosophy and political econ-
omy, a chair in which he did splendid work for thirteen
years. For the last seven years of that period he was
also vice-president of the college, and its administration
was largely in his hands. During all this time, his rela-
tions with Dr. Nott were most intimate. He was really
a member of the president's family, having married his
only daughter in 1824. Meanwhile he had been offered
a professorship in the General Theological Seminary in
New York city ; the presidency of Hobart College, and
the bishoprics of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Wes-
tern New York, all of which positions he had declined.
In 1845 he accepted the bishopric of Pennsylvania, and
held it twenty years. The whole State quickly felt the
influence of his zeal and labor and wisdom. He founded
the Episcopal hospital, academy, and divinity school of
Philadelphia ; established young men's lyceums, work-
ingmen's institutes, and popular lectures; vigorously
pushed the cause of temperance; and was felt far and
wide in all departments of education. His magnificent
intellectual powers were splendidly shown in his sixty
Lowell lectures, 1845-53, delivered to immense crowds,
25*
390 . UNION COLLEGE.
without notes, and traversing the whole ground of phil-
osophy. His character was massive and solid; his life
clean and honest to the last degree ; and his piety most
simple and sincere.
Horatio Potter, of the class of 1826, brother of Alonzo,
was born at La Grange, N. Y., February 9, 1802, and died
in New York city, January 2, 1887. He was ordained in
1828, and began his ministry at Saco, Maine; but was
almost at once made professor of mathematics and natu-
ral philosophy at Trinity College, where he labored five
years. In 1833 he became rector of St. Peter's, Albany,
and for twenty-one years, except for occasional absences
in Europe on account of ill health, he labored with
marked success as both preacher and pastor. For thirty
years, 1854-84, he was the active, wise, laborious bishop
of New York. He found the diocese distracted, but his
administration soon brought peace. He practically ban-
ished controversy. He made great progress in popular-
izing his church among the poor, and the laboring classes.
The twenty-fifth anniversary of his consecration was ob-
served with great distinction at the Academy of Music,
May 3, 1883 ; and the citizens of the metropolis, without
distinction of sect, crowded to do him honor.
Abram Newkirk Littlejohn, of the class of 1845, was
born at Florida, Montgomery County, New York, De-
cember 13, 1824. He studied theology at Princeton, was
ordained in 1848, and was rector successively at Amster-
dam, N. Y. ; Meriden, Conn. ; Springfield, Mass., and New
Haven, Conn., where he remained nine years. He had
large numbers of Yale students among his parishioners,
and exerted over them a most stimulating and salutary
influence. From 1860-69 he was rector of Holy Trinity,
Brooklyn, and for the last twenty-six years he has been
bishop of the diocese of Long Island. The chief monu-
ment of his wise and earnest administration is the mag-
nificent foundation at Garden City, with its cathedral.
ADDRESS. 391
schools, and princ'cly uiulownionts. From 1874-86 Bisliop
Littlejohii had the ovei'sight of all the American Epis-
copal churches in Europe.
Our (clerical alumni lidrr filled nidni/ 'imporUud cxrciit'ive
places in connection witli the missionary boards and other
agencies of the Church. William Chester, of the class
of 1815, was born at Wethersfield, Conn., November !20,
1795, and died at Washington, D. C, May 23, 1865. His
father, John, commanded at Bunker Hill the regiment
on whose action Webster said the fortunes of the day
turned. William studied theology at Princeton. He was
Presbyterian pastor for three years at Galway, N. Y., and
for eight years at Hudson. His ministry was greatly
successful. The remaining thirty-three years of his life
were devoted to the Presbyterian Board of Education as
agent and secretary. He did the work of the present
Board of Education and the present Board of Aid for Col-
leges and Academies. He was instrumental in founding
seven colleges, and in helping many others out of finan-
cial embarrassment. His wise foresight and arduous
labors have resulted in giving the opportunities of edu-
cation to a multitude of young men,
Samuel H. Hall, of the class of 1837, was born in Ge-
neva, N. Y., in 1819, and died at Newark, N. J., October 10,
1890. He began the study of law at Cleveland, O., but,
becoming a Christian, decided to enter the ministry, and
pursued his studies in theology at the Union Seminary
in New York. He had pastorates at Marshall, Mich., and
at Syracuse and Owego, N. Y. During the Civil War
lie did noble service in the Christian Commission. In
1865 he was elected secretary of the American Seamen's
Friend Society, and continued in that office for over
twenty- two years. He presented the religious needs of
sailors with fervor and success in a multitude of pulpits,
and secured large sums of money for work in their behalf.
Edwin Wilbur Rice, of the class of 1854, was born near
392 UNION COLLEGE.
Kiiigsboro, N. Y., July 24, 1831. He jji-epared for col-
lege at the academies of Kiiigsboro and Little Falls. He
studied law at Johnstown, N. Y., but deciding to enter
the ministry, took his theological course at the Union
Seminary, New York city. He was never a pastor, but
from 1861 to the present has been connected with the
American Sunday School Union. He has been mission-
ary, district agent and superintendent, associate secre-
tary and secretary, assistant editor and editor-in-chief.
He has also been the leader in the financial management
of the Union, canceling a debt of $250,000 and secur-
ing a permanent endowment of $350,000. Dr. Rice has
shown a remarkable perception of what the people need,
and will accejDt, in the way of helps for Bible study, for
both old and young. He has made the lesson helps,
from the primarj^ to the most advanced grade, as popu-
lar as they are useful. His publications number thirty-
five volumes, including a history of the books of the
Bible, a "People's Dictionary of the Bible," "People's
Commentary on the Gospels," and many others. Nor
does the fact that these books are written for the people
imply any lack of scholarship in them, for they have
received the commendation of many most thorough stu-
dents of the Bible. Few men of this generation have
done more than Dr. Rice to popularize the study of the
sacred Scriptures.
Time will permit only the mention of Alfred Elderkin
Campbell, of the class of 1820, nine years secretary of
the American and Foreign Christian Union, and of John
A. Lansing, of the class of 1842, eighteen years secretary of
the Board of Education of the Reformed (Dutch) Church.
Our clerical alumni have done their full share in tlie
tvork of foreign missioiis. Stephen Mattoon, of the class
of 1842, was born in Champion, N. Y., May 5, 1816, and
died at Marion, 0., August 15, 1889. He studied theology
at Princeton, and was for twenty years (1846-66) a mis-
ADDKESS. 393
sionary of the Presbyterian Church in Siani. Thougii
bitterly opposed at first, he soon won the confidence of
the people. He was the first to translate the Gospels
into the Siamese tongue, and his last work there was the
revision of the whole New Testament in the vernacular.
" He was a leader in all the enterprises and details con-
nected with the mission, and his prudent counsel was
sought and his advice accepted by all." After his return,
due to the failing health of his wife, he was for four-
teen years president of Biddle University at Charlotte,
N. C, and for half that period was also professor of the-
ology. Samuel R. House, of the class of 1837, who bap-
tized the first convert after twelve years of the hardest
pioneer labor, and Stephen Bush, of the class of 1845,
have also been missionaries in Siam.
Gulian Lansing, of the class of 1847, studied at the
Newburg Theological Seminary,'and early in 1851 reached
Damascus, his chosen field of labor. At the end of one
year he was able to preach in Arabic. After five years
failing health compelled his return, but he so improved
at sea that he at once set sail again for the Orient. Late
in 1857 he reached Cairo, which for thirty-five years, till
his death, September 12, 1892, was the scene of his in-
defatigable labors. He was called the " Head of the Ameri-
can Mission in Egypt." For many years he was pastor
of a church at Cairo, and taught Hebrew and hermeneu-
tics to young men in training for the ministry. He was
a man of wide and accurate scholarship, of simple faith,
of undaunted courage, and of boundless persistence in
his work.
Augustus Brodhead, of the class of 1855, was born at
Milford, Pa., May 13, 1831, and died at Toronto, Can.,
August 29, 1887. He studied theology at Princeton. No-
vember 7, 1858, he sailed for India as a missionary of the
Presbyterian Board, twice narrowly escaping shipwreck
during the voyage. He labored twenty years in all the
39-1: UNION COLLEGE.
various activities of a missionary's life, editing the mis-
sion magazine and publishing valuable books in the na-
tive language, preparing a hymn-book for Sunday-schools
and church services, cooperating with the Bible and Tract
societies, and constantly preaching the gospel. His busi-
ness capacity was marked, and he largely managed the
financial affairs of the mission. His excellent judgment,
kind heart, and most exemplary piety endeared him to
a very wide circle of friends, and made his influence in
India exceptionally great. Ill health compelled his re-
turn, and his last years were spent nsefully in the pas-
torate at Bridgeton, N. J.
The work of many of our clerical alumni has been so
varied, and much of it so far aside from the ordinary rou-
tine of the ministry, that it is very difficult to classify them.
Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, of the class of 1819, was
born at Cabell's Dale, Kentucky, March 8, 1800, and died
at Danville, Kentucky, December 27, 1871. He studied
law, and practised it for eight years, meanwhile being a
member of the Kentucky legislature for four sessions.
He spent a year at Princeton Seminary, and in 1832
became pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church of
Baltimore, Md., where he had a successful pastorate of
thirteen years. For eight years of this period he was
editor of the Baltimore " Literary and Religious Maga-
zine." For two years (1845-47) he was president of Jef-
ferson College. For the six years following he was pastor
of the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington, and Su-
perintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Ken-
tucky. For sixteen years (1853-69) he was professor of
systematic and polemic theology at Danville. In all
these varied positions he displayed large grasp of in-
tellect and indefatigable industry. He was a stanch
unionist during the Civil War, and did much to hold
his State to loyalty, or rather to prevent its secession.
He was a born controversialist. His attacks on Roman
ADDRESS. 395
Catholicism were oxtromoly bitter. He was the author
of the Act and Testimony of 1834, which played so
large a part in the disruption of the Presbyterian Church
in 1837: and he steadfastly opposed the re-union which
was acconii)lished in 1870.
Sheldon Jackson, of the class of 1855, was born at
Minaville, New Yoi-k, May 18, 1834. He took a full
course of three years at Princeton, and receiving ordina-
tion by the presbytery of x^lbany, went at once as mis-
sionary to the Choctaws. For five years he was a home
missionary at La Crescent, Minn., and for another five
pastor at Rochester in the same State. From 1869-82 he
was superintendent of Presbyterian Home Missions in
all the Rock}" Mountain region. His restless activity,
ardent zeal, unflagging energy, and marvelous executive
talent did wondei's for the extension of religion and the
organization of churches in the Territories. He was pio-
neer, prospector, administrator, all in one. No man was
more quick to see an opportunity, or more efficient to
seize it. In 1872 he established a newspaper called " The
Rocky Mountain Presbyterian" at Denver; in 1882 it
was transferred to New York city under the name of
" The Presbyterian Home Missionary," and for three years
he was in control of it. He brought many Indian chil-
dren from the far West to be educated at Hampton, Va.,
and Carlisle, Pa. ; and probably no other man had the
confidence of the tribes sufficiently to procure these chil-
dren at that date, 1879. He was one of the first to
perceive the needs and opportunities in Alaska, and
whatever work of civilization is going on in that remote
country owes its initiative principally to him. For the
last ten years (1885-95) he has been the general agent of
the United States for education in Alaska, under the In-
terior Department. He found the nativ^es facing actual
starvation owing to the destruction of the seal and the
walrus, and has conducted the successful experiment of
396 UNION COLLEGE.
introducing Siberian reindeer. There is little of our ter-
ritory, from the Mississippi to the Aleutian Islands, over
which Dr. Jackson has not traveled on religious and
humanitarian errands, and the whole broad expanse is
dotted with the monuments of his wisdom and energy.
Allen Wright, of the class of 1852, was for four years
— the longest period allowed by law — governor, or prin-
cipal chief, of the Choctaw Nation of Indians. He was
also superintendent of their schools. The Indian Office
report for 1869 speaks in glowing terms of the Nation's
progress in agriculture and education under his leader-
ship. He was many times their representative before
the Interior Department and before committees of Con-
gress at Washington ; and was one of the commissioners
that negotiated the last treaty with the Choctaws, — that
of 1866, — in which slavery among them, or involuntary
servitude except for crime, is abolished. His latest offi-
cial visit to Washington was in 1882.
Frederick Z. Rooker, of the class of 1884, took his theo-
logical studies and degrees at the American College in
Rome, of which he was at once on graduation appointed
vice-rector. He had the general management of the in-
stitution, with regular classes in the college, and with
frequent lectures on dogmatic theology at the Propa-
ganda, as supplying the place of Mgr. Satolli, then hold-
ing that chair. After six years of this service he was
made secretary to the apostolic delegation at Washing-
ton, which high and responsible position he now holds.
He is the first American to hold a commission in the
official representation of the Holy See in this or in any
other country.
Perhaps we should have a category of authors. Nearly
all the men thus far named have done something in
authorship; many of them much of permanent value.
Among these, along with Alden and Rice, our most pro-
lific writers, should be mentioned Alexander Dickson, of
ADDRESS. 397
the class of 1S4G, not for the number of his books, — for
he has published only two, — but for their quality. "AH
About Jesus," and " Beauty for Ashes " are among the best
devotional volumes in the language. The former has been
likened by reviewers to Bunyan and Rutherford, and by
Dr. Charles Hodge to St. Bernard. Although Dv. Dick-
son was in the pastorate only ten years, he has been do-
ing an essentially pastoral service of comforting the sor-
rowing through these volumes for twice that period.
I have mentioned but forty-seven names out of the
1312 on our clerical roll — do you not feel discouraged?
[Laughter.] Yet what a total of solid, substantial work
do their lives represent ! If we could summon before us
all that have been influenced for good by their wi-itings,
their instruction, their administration of sacred trusts,
what a throng would fill and overflow this spacious cam-
pus ! Yet it would be but a fraction of those that have
come under the cultured and Christian power of our
alumni in the ministrJ^ For most of the remaining 1265
have been pastors of churches in nearly all the denomin-
ations in this land. This does not mean fame. It means
generally only a local reputation. But it means a verdict
by the jury of the vicinage of clean and honest lives; of
faithful preaching of saving truth ; of quiet, self-denying
ministry to the poor, the sutTering, the dying ; of a mighty
total of influence thrown for every genuine reform, and
for all generous, exalted thinking and living.
Some of our clerical alumni have been remarkable,
among other things, /or the lem/fJi of tlie'w pastorates orer
the same eougregations. William R. DeWitt, of the class
of 1816, was born at Rhinebeck, N. Y., February 25, 1792,
and died at Harrisburgh, Pa., December 23, 1867. He
was a soldier in the War of 1812. He studied theology
with Dr. Alexander Proudfit at Salem, and with Di-. John
M. Mason in New York city. His only settlement was
over the Presbyterian Church of Harrisburgh, Pa., from
398 UNION COLLEGE.
1818 till his death, forty-nine years. His congregation
at the capital embraced many of the most learned and
thoughtful men of the great commonwealth, and he held
them by force of ability and character.
vSamuel M. Haskins, of the class of 1836, was born in
Waterford, Me., May 29, 1813, and prepared for college
at Bridgeton, near his native place. He studied theology
at the General Seminary in New York city, and his only
pastorate has been over 8t. Mark's Protestant Episco})al
Church of Brooklyn, N. Y., for fifty-six years. Three
congregations have colonized from St. Mark's, and twenty-
five young men have gone from it into the ministry, two
of whom have become bishops.
Thomas DeWitt, of the class of 1808, was born at Kings-
ton, N. Y., September 13, 1791, and died in New York city.
May 18, 1874. He studied theology at New Brunswick.
He was pastor of the Hopewell and New Hackensack
Reformed (Dutch) churches for fifteen years, and of the
Collegiate Church, New York city, for forty-seven years.
He was a trustee of Columbia and Rutgers colleges, vice-
president and president of the New York Historical So-
ciety, and from its early days a member of the Council of
the University of New York. The meti-opolis had no
more honored and worthy citizen.
John Dunlap Wells, of the class of 1838, was born at
Whitesboro, N. Y., October 25, 1815. For eight years
after graduation here he was principal of an academy at
Huntsville, Alabama. He studied theology at Princeton,
and after some six years of service in teaching and as
stated-supply, he became pastor of the South Third Street
Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, N. Y., where he has
continued to this day, forty-five years. He has been a
member of the Board of Foreign Missions of his chm'ch
for forty-one years, and its president for the past ten
years ; also a trustee of Princeton Seminary for twenty
years.
ADDRESS. )^99
James Kobert Graham, of tlio class of 1844, was born
at Montgomery, Orange County, N. Y., July 16, 1824.
He taught several years at Union after graduation; then
studied theology at Princeton. Since 1851, for foi'ty-
four years, he has been pastor of the Kent Street Pres-
byterian Church of Winchester, Va. For over forty-two
years he has been stated clerk of his presliytery, I Ije-
lieve an unparalleled term of continuous service. In 1894
he was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Pres-
byterian Church (South).
William Carpenter Wisner, of the class of 1830, was
born at Elmira, N. Y., December 7, 1808, and died at
Lockport, July 14, 1880. He studied theology privately,
was ordained at the early age of twenty-three ; and after
five years' various service settled over the Presbyterian
Church at Lockport, where he remained thirty-nine years.
He was a man of solid learning, and his speech was en-
livened by brilliant wit. He labored very successfully
in many revivals, and became known and loved in all
Western New York. He was twenty-five years a trustee
of Hamilton College, and eleven years of Auburn Semi-
nary, to which he left his valuable private library.
Alexander McLeod, of the class of 1798, was born in
the Island of Mull, Scotland, June 12, 1774, and died in
New York city, February 17, 1833. His only pastorate,
of thirty-two years, was over the First Reformed Pres-
byterian Church in New York. His remarkable elo-
quence gave him wide fame. He was one of the editors
of "The Christian Magazine" and a prolific writer. As
early as 1802 he published a volume entitled " Negro
Slavery Unjustifiable," which was of sufficient value to
be re-published in 1860.
Charles Newman Waldrou, of the class of 1846, was
born in Albany, N. Y., December 25, 1821, and died
at Detroit, Mich., March 2, 1888. He studied theology at
Princeton, and after a few months as stated-supjily at
400 UNION COLLEGE.
East Hampton, Long Island, settled over the Reformed
(Dntcli) Clim-cli at Cohoes, N. Y., and remained thirty
years. He was a strong. Scriptural, scholarly preacher ;
a modest, devout Christian, and did a work of permanent
value.
James McFarlane Matthews, of the class of 1803, was
born at Salem, N. Y., March 18, 1785, and died in New
York city, January 28, 1870. He studied theology at
New Brunswick, and was associate professor of ecclesi-
astical history there for ten years. He founded the South
Reformed (Dutch) Church in Garden Str-eet, New York,
and was its pastor for twenty-nine years. He was one
of the founders of the University of the City of New
York, and its first chancellor, 1831-39.
Charles S. Vedder, of the class of 1851, was a tutor
here ; studied theology at Columbia, S. C; was pastor for
fi.ve years at Summerville; in 1867 was called to the
Huguenot Church of Charleston, where he is still in act-
ive service after twenty-eight years. His influence in
the city and State has been, and is, potent for good. He
is a public school commissioner for Charleston, presi-
dent of the Charleston Bible Society, of the City Board
of Missions, of the Training School for Nurses, and of
the New England Society. Many of his sermons, plat-
form addresses, and poems have been published.
William Melancthon Johnson, of the class of 1858, was
born at Cambridge, N. Y., May 1, 1834. He took the full
three years' course in theology at Princeton; was pastor
six years at Stillwater, N. Y.; in 1867 was called to the
Presbyterian Church at Cohoes, which he continues to
serve after twenty-eight years. His ministry has been
most diligent and efficient, and he has the confidence and
affection of all his fellow-townsmen.
Ichabod Smith Spencer, of the class of 1822, was born
at Rupert, Vt., Februarj^ 23, 1798, and died at Brooklyn,
N. Y., November 23, 1854. He prepared for college at
ADDKESS. 401
Salem, N. Y., wIrto he (Mijuyod the friciidsliip and coun-
sels of Dr. Proudfit. After graduation, lie was for six
years principal of academies at Schenectady and Canan-
daig'ua, meanwhile studying theology under the direction
of Dr. Andrew Yates, professor of moral pliilosophy at
Union. From 1828-32 he was colleague pastor of the
Congregational ( -liurcli at Northami)ton, Mass.; and then
until his death, — twenty-two years, — of the Second Pres-
byterian Church of Brooklyn, N. Y. He stood well toward
the head of the ministry of his day ; and in some respects,
as, for example, in dealing with inquirers, he was peer-
less. This appears in his two series of "Pastor's
Sketches," which have been published in England and
translated into French. He was called to leading pulpits
in New Y^ork, Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and other
cities, and to the presidency of Hamilton College, and of
the University of Alabama. He was one of the founders,
and for thirteen years a director of Union Seminary.
Stealey Bates Rossiter, of the class of 1865, was born
at Berne, Albany County, N. Y., and prepared for college
at Kinderhook. He studied theology at Union Semin-
ary, New York city. After four years' pastorate over
the First Congregational Chm'ch of Elizabeth, N. J., he
was called to the North Presbyterian Church of New
York city, which he has served with great ability and
success for twenty-two years, and where he still remains
— and we all know why since we heard him last night.
But desirable and influential as are long pastorates,
briefer ones sometimes indicate that high order of talent
for which many churches compete, and which leads to
more frequent changes. Phineas Dinsmore Gurley, of
the class of 1837, was graduated here with the highest
honors, and was known at Princeton Seminary for his
high stand as scholar, gentleman, and Christian. He was
for eleven years pastor of the First Presbyterian Church
of Indianapolis ; for four years of the First Presbyterian
26
402 UNION COLLEGE.
Church at Dayton, 0., and for fourteen years of the New
York Avenue Presbyterian Church of Washington, D, C,
where he was the trusted friend and counsellor of Abra-
ham Lincoln. Charles Wadsworth, of the same class
(1837), in a period of forty years, was pastor of a church
in Troy, N. Y., of another at San Francisco, and of four
churches in Philadelphia. He was one of the most bril-
liant preachers of his day, and always had crowded audi-
ences. He was poet as well as orator. A noble presence,
a melodious voice, an inexhaustible imagination, and in-
tense earnestness, made his eloquence irresistible. Nel-
son Millard, of the class of 1853, was four years a tutor
here; studied theology at Princeton and Union and in
Europe, and has been pastor at Montclair, N. J. ; at Chi-
cago; Peekskill, N. Y. ; Syracuse; Norwich, Conn., and
Rochester, N. Y., where he is at present. In all these
commanding pulpits he has been noted for clear and pro-
found thinking, for breadth of view, and for vigor and
effectiveness of speech. George Alexander, of the class
of 1866, was pastor for fourteen years of the East Avenue
Presbyterian Church of Schenectady, raising it from in-
fancy to a vigorous maturity, doing a truly missionary
and apostolic work, meanwhile filling a professorship in
the college. For eleven years he has been pastor of the
University Place Church in New York city, where he is
universally recognized as one of the ablest preachers and
wisest counsellors of the metropolis. Since 1884 he has
been a director of Princeton Seminary, of which he is an
alumnus. Thomas McCauley, of the class of 1804, was
tutor and professor here for eighteen years; pastor in
New York, Philadelphia, and again in New York; a
founder of Union Seminary, and for three years one of
its professors. He had genuine Irish wit and pathos, and
was one of the few Scotch-Irish ministers to join the
New School Church at the division in 1837. Greorge
Smith Boardman, of the class of 1816, studied theology
ADDKESS. 403
at Pi'iiieetoii ; was an itinerant missionary in Ohio and
Kentucky, then the " Far West " ; was pastor at Water-
town, Rochester, Rome, Cherry Valley, Cazenovia, Og-
densburg, and Little Falls. He was known through all
central and western New York as an able preacher and
a faithful pastor. Abiel Sherwood, of the class of 1817,
studied theology at Andover, and spent his ministerial
life in the South and West. He was eminent as a moving
and convincing preacher. A revival began in his church
at Eatonton, Ky., in 1827, that spread over the entire
State. He was a prolific writer, and his later years were
devoted to teaching. Abraham Brooks Van Zandt, of the
class of 1840, studied theology at Princeton, and was pas-
tor at Newbury, N. Y., Petersburg, Va., and in New Yoi-k
city. He was also for nine years professor in the semin-
ary at New Brunswick. He was an eloquent preacher,
and the foremost scholar of his day in his denomination.
Dwight Kellogg Bartlett, of the class of 1854, studied
theology at Princeton, and was pastor at Stamford, Conn.,
and at Rochester and Albany, N. Y. He was a man of
strong, vigorous intellect, and of the highest character.
Grideon Parsons Nicols, of the class of 1860, studied the-
ology at Princeton, was ten years pastor of the Immanuel
Presbyterian Church of Milwaukee, Wis., and has now
been fourteen years over the First Presbyterian Church
at Binghamton, N. Y., a model preacher and pastor. John
Jermain Porter, of the class of 1843, studied theology at
Princeton, and has been an efficient minister at Kingston,
Pa.; Buffalo, St. Louis, and Watertown, N. Y., in the last-
named place seventeen years. William Willet Harsha, of
the class of 1843, has been pastor at Galena, Hanover,
Dixon, Chicago, and Jacksonville, 111,, and at Tecumseh,
Neb., and is now professor of theology in the Omaha
Seminary.
The simple mention of these twenty-five names is suf-
ficient to show how wide-spread has been the influence
404 UNION COLLEGE.
of our clerical alumni in the pastorate. From North to
South, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, they have
filled leading pulpits in all the great cities, and no min-
isters have surpassed them in intelligence, wisdom, zeal,
fidelity, scholarship, eloquence, and practical efficiency.
But there are 1240, unnamed in this paper, who have
labored in towns and villages and rural parishes, with as
unsparing self-denial and as painstaking fidelity as the
most brilliant man in all the list. And their work has
been as valuable to men, and as honoring to Grod, in their
humbler sphere. Would that I could hold before you
every name and every life for your reverent admiration !
I must mention just one more who has been thus far
a pastor at Paterson and Plainfield, N. J., and at Albany,
N. Y., whose future I will not venture to predict further
than to say that it will certainly be vigorous, faithful,
and successful ; a member of the class of 1875 ; our hon-
ored and beloved President, Andrew Van Vranken Ray-
mond. Under his masterful leadership, we believe Union
College is to renew not her youth only, for that was a
period of weakness ; but the best conditions of her prime.
As it was the personal influence of Dr. Nott that sent so
large a proportion of our alumni into the Christian min-
istry, so we hope it will be the high character, charming
personality, and warm piety of Dr. Raymond that will
again bring this profession to the front in the estimation
of Union's students. The ministry is no longer, indeed,
the one learned profession. It commands less ex-officio
notice than a hundred, or even fifty, years ago. Clergy-
men to-day, like other men, must stand or fall on their
merits or demerits. But now, as always, no other calling
touches human life at so many vital points, or ministers
to such crying and irrepressible needs of man. While
the consciousness of sin remains a part of our thinking,
while we fear death and the unknown future, while the
hope of immortality rises in our hearts and cries out for
ADDRESS. 405
a reassuring word of promise, while social and civic
evils demand reform, while so large a portion of our
race sit in darkness and the shadow of death, the Chris-
tian ministry must ever stand, where it has always stood,
in the forefront of the forces that make for I'ighteousness
and happiness. The newspaper cannot do the work of
the living voice, nor the book bi-ing the comfort in sick-
ness, sorrow, and death of the living person. Man must
meet man face to face in all the supreme matters of sin
and salvation. And this service — for it is only in the
most superficial sense a profession — appeals to all that
is most chivalrous and heroic in young manhood. The
call is not to riches, or reputation, or alluring honors,
but to service for men and for God. It may mean pov-
erty, obscurity, life-long hardships ; but it carries its own
daily and sufficient reward. For this service we covet
the best of Union's sons. We glory in the men that have
made her name famous in business, medicine, law, poli-
tics, statesmanship. It has stirred our hearts most pro-
foundly to hear the stories of their deeds. But we believe
that in no department of activity has Union College more
honored herself and blessed the world than in the Chris-
tian ministry. And we long to see this brilliant and
beneficent past more than reproduced in the years to
come. The ministry more than ever demands the widest
and deepest culture ; the best graces of speech ; the clear-
est and strongest thinking ; and above all that practical
grasp of the problems of life that has always been the
crown of Union's training. Maj' the brightest and best
young men of our beloved land seek their education here;
and may the brightest of the brightest, and the best of
the best, enter the Christian Ministry.
26*
ADDRESS
BY JOHN VAN RENSSELAER HOFF, A. M., M. D.,
Of the Class of 1871.
UNION COLLEGE IN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.
MR. CHAIRMAN, Ladies and Gentlemen : Wrote a
late distinguished medical teacher, "When Boer-
haave, the most accomplished and celebrated physician
of the eighteenth century, died, he left behind him an
elegant volume, the title-page of which declared that it
contained all the secrets of medicine. On opening the
volume every page except one was blank ; on that one
was written : ' Keep the head cool, the feet warm, and the
bowels open.' This legacy of Boerhaave to suffering
humanity typified, not inaptly or unjustly, the acquire-
ments of medical art at the close of the last century."
Let us not forget, however, that substantial advances in
our knowledge of the human body, its form, functions,
and material had been made ; much was known that more
ancient philosophy had not dreamed of, but at the dawn
of the nineteenth century, it has been said, " the vast ma-
jority of practitioners, slaves of a routine which author-
ity had sanctioned, were guided solely by empiricism."
The Declaration of Independence made by our fathers,
and the epidemic of war which followed it, and which
for an entire generation possessed the earth, in changing
the political and social relations of the nations and peo-
ADDRESS. 407
pies, gave an immense impetus to seieuoe ; so it is not
extravagant to assert "that in all this turmoil, change,
and progress, medicine has kept abreast of the other
natural sciences, of politics and of theology, and made
equal conquests over authority, error, and tradition."
It was during this period of intense activity, mental
and physical, and but twenty years after Lexington,
where
. . . the embattled fai'iners stood
And fired the shot heard round the world,
that Union College was founded. Even then the last
British soldier had not yet left the soil of the new-born
repuVdic, and the now independent States were just be-
ginning to rise, AntjBus-like, with renewed strength to
the gigantic task of developing the land.
It is most surprising that at the very beginning of
this era of development, when, from the conditions of
the situation, the material things, the bare necessaries
of life, demanded the first thought, founders could have
found time to consider and appreciate the supreme value
of education to the perpetuity of their new-born nation.
" We had become a people of one heart and one mind,
of equal rights and like obligations. The responsibili-
ties the change imposed were not long in being felt. A
form of govei'ument won by the valor and founded on
the sovereignty of the people could only be perpetuated
by the preservation of popular virtue and the spread of
popular intelligence. The first thought, therefore, of our
statesmen was the promotion of public education." '
The fomiding of Union College, and the establishment
of the public-school system in our State, which occurred
almost simultaneously, were among the first evidences
that the impetus given to science by the turmoil and
confusion of war was having its effect here. Before this
1 Hon. Isaiah Towuseud, Class of '31.
408 UNION COLLEGE.
we had no scientists, for the actualities of life occupied
our people and had to be met each day as they arose.
There was little time for study and less for research.
We "inherited the traditions, the superstitions, the theo-
ries, the authority, and the empirical results of Europe,"
but their sifting for the grain of truth remained for a
later day. Particularly was this so of the science of medi-
cine, whose followers were compelled to devote themselves
wholly and solely to the care of the sick. There was then
no overcrowding of the profession, and no time or place
for physicians as original investigators and natural phil-
osophers.
The influence of our college upon the medical profes-
sion, so far as it is tangible and to be measured, must be
sought for in the history of the lives of her graduates.
No one can hope on an occasion like this to enumerate
all who have striven manfully in their calling, many of
whom, after lives full of devotion to humanity, have
departed, leaving only a tradition ; while others have
written their names high in the temple of science. Yet
whether they be known to fame, or remembered only in
the prayers of the lowly but grateful, we feel sure that
all have sustained the good name of our alma mater.
The first graduate of Union College to receive the de-
gree in medicine was John Nash Smith, class of 1798, of
whom, unfortunatelj^ the records at my command tell
nothing save that he paid his debt to nature in 1829,
having proved, let us hope, by thirty years' devotion to
his profession, as he certainly did in leaving it, that
By medicine life may be prolonged, yet death will seize
the doctor too.
Following him came Bancker, Cleveland, Hasbrouck,
Forman, and others. It was not, however, till 1807 that
there appeared on the roll of Union's graduates the name
ADDRESS. 409
of one who so deeply impressed liis generation as to force
recognition and cause his memory to be revered for half
a hundred years.
Theodric Romeyn Beck was born in this city [Sche-
nectady] four years before our college — of which he be-
came one of the most distinguished graduates — was
founded. Of English descent on his father's side, his
blood was well tinctured with the Dutch, his maternal
grandfather being the Rev. Dirck Romeyn, D. D,, some-
time pastor of the First Reformed Church here, and one
of the most active promoters of Union College. Gi'adu-
ating at the age of sixteen, he immediately entered upon
the study of medicine in Albany, and thereafter in New
York, under the distinguished Dr. David Hosack. Re-
ceiving his degree in 1811 from the College of Physicians
and Surgeons, Dr. Beck at once commenced to practise
his profession in Albany, which city thereafter remained
his home. In 1814 he visited Europe, and upon his return
the next year was appointed professor of the institutes
of medicine and lecturer on medical jurisprudence in the
Fairfield Medical School. Two years later, having been
elected principal of the Albany Academy, he relinquished
the active practice of medicine and devoted himself to
its teaching. It must not, however, be understood that
he had lost interest in the profession of his choice. Far
from it, he gave many of his best years to the investiga-
tion and exposition of the science of medicine in some of
its most important departments. In 1829, Dr. Beck was
elected president of the Medical Society of the State of
New York and remained its presiding officer for three
years. It was said of him that while president of this
association " his suggestions were constantly such as
might become a physician, a philanthropist, and a states-
man ; that they were not Utopian is proved by the fact
that very many of them have been adopted as measures
of State policy and general hygiene."
410 UNION COLLEGE.
Di*. Beck coiitiuued his professional duties at the Fair-
field Medical School until it closed in 1840, when he was
elected a professor in the Albany Medical College and re-
mained such until, in 1854, his declining health, and the
increasing demands upon his time, forced him to close
his active career of nearly forty years as a teacher of
medicine, but not his connection with the profession, for
he remained professor emeritus until the day of his death.
The crowning labor of Dr. Beck's life, and that which
has made his name illustrious in the world of letters, is
his work on medical jurisprudence. Published in our
country in 1823, it at once attracted the attention of the
world, was republished in London two years later, and
shortly thereafter was translated and published in Ger-
many. This remarkable work passed through ten edi-
tions in the English language during its author's life, and
yet others since his death, and to-day — after seventy
years — it still remains the standard. Truly of this great
teacher and honored son of Union it may be said that
in his death, which occurred in 1855, the world lost " one
of the most devoted, indefatigable, and earnest promoters
of medical science."
During the first generation of the existence of the college
we find the names of many graduates who in the profes-
sion of their choice doubtless made a deep and lasting
impress. They were the silent workers content to minister
to the sick, to alleviate individual suffering, but of whose
influence in the communities in which they settled we
find little or no record, and of whose writings, alas, no-
thing. They were men of deeds, not words. Others there
were, of perhaps no larger mould or greater influence,
who, having left behind them written evidence of their
work, appear to us as something more than a name.
Two other Becks, John B. and Louis C, followed their
elder and greater brother in later classes, and his ex-
ample, in becoming distinguished teachers of medicine,
ADDEESS. 411
tlie t'oruiLT holdiiio- a cliiiir in the College of Physicians
and Surgeons, New York, and the latter in Rutgers.
Then followed Lansing, Benedict, Hosier, Bogert, Mur-
doch, Blatchford, Gansevoort, Yei'planck, Willard, Living-
ston, Fitch, and a host of others who are but names. The
tirst graduate recorded as having entered the public medi-
cal service was Oodwise, of the class of 1822, who became
a Medical Director in the Navy. Others, however, whose
names are unknown to the speaker, probably took part
in the War of 1812.
Drake, of 1823, followed the star of empire and became
a professor in Wesleyan and the Ohio universities. Yoiu"
own Duane, who exerted so large a measure of in-
fluence iu this community ; Lauderdale, Bayard, and
then Thomas Hun of 1826, that Nestor in medicine, who
settled in his native city, and to-day, nearly seventy years
since he received the stamj) of approval of this institu-
tion, lives honored as one of the most distinguished
physicians and respected citizens of Albany. Following
them Thorne, Horton, Kissam, Winne, Bloodgood, and
finally, at the beginning of the second generation, the
name of Hamilton appears.
Just as Dr. Beck's great work was receiving the hom-
age of the world, a youth was about to graduate from
Union College whose influence upon the profession of
medicine was to be almost as far-reaching as that of his
distinguished elder.
Frank Hastings Hamilton graduated in the class of
'30, and received his degree in medicine from the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania in 1835. He added to an in-
tense love of his profession the enthusiasm of a teacher
of surgery, and hand in hand throughout his eventful
life went precept and practice. Almost immediately after
entering the profession Dr. Hamilton settled in Auburn,
N. Y., and inangurated a course of lectures in anatomy
and surgery, which he successfully continued for three
412 UNION COLLEGE.
years until (in 1839) appointed professor of surgery in
the Fairfield Medical College.
Upon the abandonment of this school Professor Hamil-
ton accepted a chair in the medical college at Geneva,
N. Y., and in 1846 went to the Buffalo Medical School,
becoming at the same time surgeon to the Charity Hos-
pital. It was during his residence in Buffalo that he had
opportunity to gain the practical experience in his spe-
ciality of surgery, which he afterward added to so abun-
dantly that its record is stored in many volumes, and it
was there he impressed himself so deeply upon the pro-
fession, in its formative period, that his influence as
teacher and author will be felt so long as his name (and
that of his great colleague Flint) shall remain deep graven
in the walls of the school he made famous.
In 1859 Professor Hamilton accepted the chair of prin-
ciples and practice of surgery in the Long Island Medical
College, and in 1861 was appointed professor of military
surgery, a chair which at that time existed in no other
medical school in the United States, and which, I might
add, exists in no medical school in our broad land to-day.
Think of it, ye who are training your children to be sol-
diers against the evil day which will surely come, what
training are your physicians receiving to enable them to
meet the same contingency ? None, absolutely none.
At the call to arms in 1861, Frank Hamilton went to
the front to learn, by actual experience, in what military
surgery differed from other surger}'". How well he learned
the lesson is recorded in his treatise on this subject which
appeared in 1865 — a work that all members of the pro-
fession might read with profit, even though military
sanitation, keeping step with other specialties in our pro-
fession, has advanced far beyond the point where our
great war left it.
Colonel Hamilton, after having distinguished himself
in all the positions he was called upon to fill, resigned as
ADDRESS. 413
Medieul Inspo(^tor in 1863, to aeoopt tho oliair of military
surgery in Bellevue Hospital Medical College, su(di pro-
fessorships being then fashionable.
When war is rife, and danger 's nigh,
" God and the soldier ! " is the people's cry.
In 1868, Professor Hamilton took the chair of Principles
and Practice of Surgery, for —
When war is past, and all things righted,
God 's forgot, and the soldier slighted.
and so is military sanitation in the schools. He retained
this office until his death. Dr. Hamilton had a very wide
professional connection ; he was surgeon and consultant to
many hospitals, and his advice and assistance were sought
by sufferers from all parts of the world. The demands
upon his time were unceasing, and yet his contributions
to the literature of his profession were many and valuable,
and received merited recognition beyond the shores of our
own land. August 11, 1886, his work was done, and he
rested from his labors as surgeon, teacher, author, soldier.
Who can measure the intiuence of our alma mater
upon the medical profession exerted through fifty years
of Frank Hamilton's example and teaching? Truly it
may be said of him, as he said of his friend and elder,
Beck, " One asks how has any man been able to accom-
plish so much f By system, perseverance, devotion and
honesty of purpose, united to excellent talents."
Running on down the roster we see the name of Chal-
mers, 1831, a physician of reputation and influence, one
of the founders of the New York Academy of Medicine ;
of John McClelland, 1832, whose munificent gift of $25,-
000 to his alma mater is an example not too often fol-
lowed by her children ; of his classmate. West, who, de-
voting himself to the gentler sex, became the father of
414 UNION COLLEGE.
its higher education in our country and, indeed, in the
world. Then Mitchell, 1833, founder of the Brooklyn
Dispensary and Long Island Medical College; and an-
other of that class, Vedder, so many years a distinguished
resident of this city.
Alexander M. Vedder was born in Schenectady, and
his entire life was spent here, except while in attendance
at the University of Pennsylvania, from which institu-
tion he received his degree in medicine in 1839. He held
the chair of anatomy and physiology in Union College
for seventeen years, until ever increasing demands upon
his time compelled his resignation. Dr. Vedder filled a
large place as a physician, scientist, and man of affairs,
and his influence was far-reaching.
Boekee, 183(3, long in the public service ; Hyslop, of
the same date, a conspicuous practitioner in New York ;
Cary, 1839, of Buffalo; Martin, 1840, a surgeon in the
Navy; Thayer of the Boston University, and your own
Van Ingen, whose discovery that by simply elevating
the foot of the bed sufficient counter-extension would be
afforded to a fractured thigh has brought comfort to un-
numbered thousands, and written his name among the
immortals; Franklin B. Hough, 1843, who devoted him-
self to scientific and historical studies, and was a volum-
inous writer upon these subjects.
Howard Town send, 1844, was a scion of a family dis-
tinguished in the history of this State from the earliest
times. After receiving his degree in medicine from the
University of Pennsylvania in 1847, Dr. Townsend studied
his profession in the schools of Europe, and on his return
to his native city, Albany, in 1852, was appointed to a
chair in the Medical College there. In this school he re-
mained an honored teacher until his too early death. Dr.
Hun, his friend and preceptor, said of him : " The influ-
ence which Dr. Townsend exerted over his pupils ought
not to pass without remark. It was a striking charac-
ADDRESS. 415
tori.stic of his teaching to impress ujjou the students the
importance of just and generous conduct in their rela-
tions to each other and to their patients, and to give
tliem a high notion of the dignity of their profession."
His deep sense of loyalty, his devotion to his calling, and
his appreciation of the duties and obligations of a phy-
sician, made his example one that all well might strive
to emulate.
Then Campbell, 1845, and his classmates, John A.Liddell
— who distinguished himself as a medical officer duiing
the War of Secession, and whose writings are prolific and
valuable — and Mackie, one of the first with us to take an
active part in advancing State medicine; he was aj)-
pointed a special United States Commissioner, Marine
Hospital Service to the west coast of South iVmerica, and
filled other important offices. Field, 1846, a professor in
the medical school at Geneva; J. Foster Jenkins, gen-
eral secretary of the United States Sanitaiy Commis-
sion; James D. Jones of Schenectady; Churchill, 1848, a
conspicuous practitioner in Utica ; Barent A. Mynderse,
1849 ; Van Olinda of Albany, devoted to the suffering
poor ; Martindale, 1850, a medical officer during the war,
and subsequently a member of the Board of Health, New
York city ; and then, when the century was half-spent,
Loomis.
Let us stop for a moment about this semi-centennial
period of the college's existence and glance backward.
The population of our country had then grown to twenty
millions, and her extreme western frontier was marked
by the line of the Missouri River; as a people we had made
substantial progress, as a profession we were advancing,
pari pass\i with the other sciences and arts, toward the
light.
The history of any profession in connection with the
progress and gi'owth of a new country is of the utmost
interest, and particularly is this so with medicine. In
416 UNION COLLEGE.
the older countries certain social limitations have hereto-
fore surrounded this profession, but " in new lands peo-
pled by the self-selection of the fittest, by those who have
the courage of enterprise and the mental and moral out-
fit to win for it success, the physician is sure to take and
keep the highest places." ^ This was essentially the case
with the three hundred graduates of old Union who had
then become followers of the healing art. Scattered
throughout the length and breadth of the land, through
them the mental discipline of our alma mater was being
impressed upon every important community.
But her training and influence had done more than
merely improve the personal status of the physician. It
had, in connection with other like institutions of learning,
created a demand for a higher medical education, which
was even then beginning to be met. In the early colonial
days there were no medical schools or libraries, and stu-
dents received their professional training by the precept
and by the example of practitioners to whom they were ap-
prenticed. Then medical schools were founded to supple-
ment this teaching, and, as the demands upon them grew,
these schools were multiplied, their facilities increased,
and clinical instruction in hospitals was introduced.
It was at this propitious period, when physicists, weary
of the discussion of mere doctrines and dogmata, were
turning to a study of facts, that there graduated from
these halls a youth who was destined to become one of
the most distinguished physicians of the nineteenth
century.
Alfred Lebbins Loomis received his bachelor's degree
from Union College in 1851, at the age of twenty years,
and his doctorate from the College of Physicians and
Surgeons, New York, in 1853. After two years of prac-
tical work as house physician in the public hospitals of
New York, he began practice in that city, devoting him-
1 Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, " Medical News," Philadelphia, January 8, 1887.
ADDEESS. 417
self particularly to diseases of the chest, in wliich specialty
he soon achieved a national reputation.
His work as a teacher began in 1862, when he was ap-
pointed lecturer on i)liysical diagnosis in the College of
Physicians and Surgeons, New York. Continuing in this
office until 1865, he then accepted the adjunct professorship
of theory and practice of medicine, in the University of
New York. Two years thereafter he became professor of
pathology and practice of medicine in that institution,
and continued to fill this chair with profit to his pupils,
distinction to his school, and honor to his profession un-
til his death.
Dr. Loomis was essentially a practitioner and teacher
of medicine, and his ambition to excel in the profession
of his choice led him to devote to it every energy of me)is
saua in corpore sano. He believed the field of medicine all
too large for any one man to cultivate, strive he ever so
diligently, and therefore his fame was gained within its
limits. Let it not be presumed for a moment that Alfred
Loomis was narrow-minded ; far from it, his sagacity as a
man of affairs was recognized by all who knew him, and
was well shown in the upbuilding of the new Universit}^
Medical School, in the organization of the Loomis Lab-
oratory, an institution for the practical instruction of
medical students in chemistry, materia medica, pathol-
ogy, bacteriology, etc, — a worthy monument to a great
physician, — and the construction of the new building of
the Academy of Medicine. His ability as a writer is
proved by the popularity of his works, among which may
be mentioned, "Lessons in Physical Diagnosis," "Diseases
of the Respiratory Organs, Heart, and Kidneys," " Text-
book of Practical Medicine," etc., etc., several of which
went through many editions ; and his talent as an or-
ganizer was felt in the numerous medical societies of
which he was a member.
Professor Loomis died on the morning of January 23,
27
418 UNION COLLEGE.
1895, and on that day we may fitly close the hundredth
year of Union College in the medical profession. But
his influence is not dead. Following the advice of his
great teacher Dr. Nott, whose very words he might have
heard uttered on the occasion of the semi-centennial of
our college, " he endeavored to impart to other minds
high purposes, to be by them again imparted, that thus
this institution, in which he was educated, might become
the sour(?e and center of an influence which shall con-
tinue to extend itself until it reaches the extremities of
the world."
Levi C. Lane, of the same class, went to the Pacific
Coast in the early days, and soon became one of the most
prominent medical practitioners there. He has devoted
the large wealth following successful practice to the
upbuilding of a great medical school in San Francisco,
and his wide-reaching influence will long be felt in the
profession in that important section of our country. Yet
another classmate was Fessenden N. Otis, long time a
professor in the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
New York — a most distinguished trio.
Still further down the roster we see other names,
those of men of a younger generation, even now rapidly
passing, who are carrying forward the good work, and
ever more widely impressing upon our people the in-
fluences which emanate from this ancient center of learn-
ing — Calkins, 1853, a professor in the medical school at
Burlington, Vermont; Eodman, his classmate, professor
of anatomy in the Wisconsin College; Valentine, 1854,
of St. Louis; Hadden, 1856, of New York; Rhodes, of
the navy, and yet another of the navy, whose distin-
guished services and commanding position make him
conspicuous among the sons of Union.
James Rufus Tryon graduated in the class of 1858 ; after
receiving his degree of medicine from the University of
Pennsylvania (1861) he went to Europe, and while study-
ADDRESS. 419
iiig there heard the call to arms, lieturiiiiig home, he
entered the medical department of the navy, in which he
rendered gallant and valuable services during the War of
Secession. Continuing in the service, the excellence of
his work under all conditions of duty, afloat and ashore,
for thirty years was so marked that in 1893 he was se-
lected from among a number of distinguished medical
officers of the navy to be the chief of his department.
General Tryon, through his enviable record as a med-
ical officer and the good professional work done by him
in all parts of the world, has made the influence of his
college very widely felt.
Wilkerson, of the same class, devoted himself to the care
and instruction of the deaf and dumb, and is now conspicu-
ous as principal of the institution at Berkeley, California.
Andrew H. Smith, another classmate, has acquired a wide
reputation as a teacher and practitioner of medicine.
Gillett, 1861 ; Wilcox, of the army, sometime instructor
in chemistry and physiology here ; Baker, Styer, Young,
1862 ; Frothingham, 1863 ; Crarj^, 1864 ; Clyde, and many
others who fought to maintain the Union ; Stimson, 1864,
distinguished as a physician and teacher, and conspicuous
as a military sanitarian, devoted to his patients and pro-
fession, truly it may be said that he doeth honor to the
alma mater that nurtured him. The Featherstonhaughs,
1867-71 ; Pearson, 1868 ; Leonard, 1872, a professor in
the Detroit Medical CoUege; the Whitehorns, 1873-75;
Quimby, 1876 ; Culver, 1878 ; Craig, 1880, and a host of
others, young and old, are all carrying forward the noble
work, and spreading al)road among the people the name
and fame of these classic halls.
Again glancing backward, this time upon the com-
pleted hundred years of Union College, we find that the
population of our country has grown to number nearly
seventy millions, and that the whole breadth of the con-
tinent is occupied by teeming cities, fruitful farms, and
420 UNION COLLEGE.
thriving manufactories, and we also find that in every
department of human knowledge there has been an ad-
vance greater, more momentous, and more permanent
than in any century the history of which is written.
In this advance medicine has bountifully shared; in-
deed, it may be truly said that a new science has arisen,
and more progress has been made in this art, during the
nineteenth century than in all time before. In this mar-
velous progress Union has taken no unimportant part,
not alone through her illustrious sons, but even more, if
possible, through the hundreds of silent ones who have
done their duty simply and in private, " and in their pa-
tient, charitable lives " have exerted an irresistible influ-
ence in advancing their chosen profession.
Of thy sons, Alma Mater, like the Roman matron
you may proudly say, " These are my jewels."
^cmt:;€cntcimial of ttjc Cnginfcring ^^tIjooI.
President Cady Staley, of the Case School of
Applied Science, Presiding.
*
OPENING ADDRESS
BY PRESIDENT STALEY,
Of the Class of 1866.
IT is eminently fitting at this Centennial Celebration of
Union College, that some special note shonld be made
of scientific education. Union College was one of the
very first of the classical colleges to introduce scientific
education in its curriculum. The introduction of science
into the higher educational institutions was a very slow
process. For centuries all the schools were in the hands
of the churchmen, and they were very loath to have
science introduced as a regular study in the schools.
When Roger Bacon began his experiments in physics
and chemistry, many of his colleagues suggested that he
was tampering with evil spirits; and when he showed
them the properties of a combination of sulphur, charcoal,
and saltpeter, which we call gunpowder, they were sure
he was in league with the devil. They invoked the power
of the church ; and Roger Bacon was imprisoned for dar-
27* 421
422 UNION COLLEGE.
ing, as they said, to attempt to find out what God had
meant to keep secret. The church was opposed to science,
and until the present century very little was done in the
line of science in institutions of higher education. One
of the very first of these institutions to introduce science
into their curricula was Union College. More and more
attention was given to different branches of science, but
the first complete department to be organized was that
of civil engineering. In 1845, William Mitchell Gillespie
was called to the professorship of civil engineering in
this college, and the department was fully equipped and
started. Professor Gillespie was particularly well trained
for this work. First, he was a college graduate; then
he went to Paris and studied in L'Ecole des Ponts et
Chaussees, one of the best scientific schools in the world.
He returned to this country and had considerable prac-
tice in railroad engineering and other branches of engin-
eering before he came here to teach. He was, perhaps,
one of the best-equipped men in that line in the United
States. In his teaching he gave equal emphasis to the
theoretical and the practical sides of his subject. He
was not content, as many are, to teach only the practical.
He was not satisfied with what is sometimes called the
" near-enough-for-practical-use " methods. His students
soon learned that precision and accuracy alone would be
approved. And yet there was one student who once
ventured to try the other method with the professor.
This student, whom we will call Mr. M., was given to
vigils not altogether of a studious sort. The class met
the first hour in the morning, and this morning M. was
there, not because he had risen with the lark, but be-
cause he had been out on a " lark " all night. He went
in with the class and seated himself in the front row.
The subject under discussion at that time was the
application of geometry to the division of lands, and
the professor was showing the practical applications of
ADDRESS. 423
geometrical problems. Drawing a circle on the Ijoard,
lie said: "Now we will conceive this to be a circular
piece of ground, and I will ask one of you to find the
center." Then he called upon Mr. M., of whom I have
spoken. M. rose with great dignity, hesitated a moment,
theu walked cai-efully to the board, and witli an air of
confident conviction put his finger as near as he could
guess upon the center of the circle and said, " Professor,
I don't want to be rash about it, but I think the center
is right about there." Those who knew Professor Gilles-
pie (and several of you did know him) remember that he
was not much given to joking in the class-room, but the
joke on this occasion was too good to be resisted. By
the way, those who think the professor did not enjoy a
good joke are greatly mistaken. I remember very well
of his telling me with great glee of a little incident that
happened shortly after he began housekeeping in the
block on the corner of Quackenbush and Union streets.
During the first years of his professorship he was a
bachelor and had bachelor's quarters in that block, hav-
ing his own front door on the street. When he married
he took the rest of the house, and still kept his separate
door. The kitchen was a small wooden building on the
lower end of the block, which also had a door on the
street. One day, when he had gone into the kitchen to
give some directions to his servants, the kitchen door-
bell rang. A servant went to the door and found a man
there with something to sell, who began to talk about his
wares. Gillespie stepped to the door, sent the peddler
about his business, and then started towards his study.
When he got to the foot of his jjrivate staircase, hearing
a knock he opened the door, and there stood the same
man. Gillespie told him again to go about his business,
and the man backed out and started up the street.
Gillespie, thinking the man might go to the next door, also
his own, walked around and reached there, just as the
424 UNION COLLEGE.
door-bell rang. Gillespie opened this third door, and be-
fore him stood the same peddler he had already twice
dismissed. The man started back aghast, but found
courage in a moment to say timidly : " Will you kindly
tell me how far up this street you live!" (Laughter.)
I admit that Professor Gillespie was not much given to
joking in his class-room, but he could enjoy a good joke
when it came his way as heartily as most men.
Professor Gillespie managed the department for twen-
ty-two years, until 1867, when I succeeded him. When
I speak of succeeding Gillespie, I am reminded of a little
anecdote that Oliver Wendell Holmes used to tell. One
time Rufus Choate had an engagement to deliver a lec-
ture, and being unable to keep the engagement, he ar-
ranged that Holmes should go in his place. Holmes met
some friends on the street, who said to him, " Ah, Holmes,
you are going to fill Choate's place, are you?" "Fill
Choate's place ! " said Holmes. " No, sir ; I am going to
rattle around in it." Now, I rattled around in Professor
Gillespie's place for nineteen years. After I left. Professor
Brown succeeded me, and was here eight years. For the
last year, one of my old students. Professor Landreth,
has been in charge of the department, and Professor
Landreth's reputation while at Vanderbilt University is
a guarantee of his success here at Union.
But I am not here to make a speech. I did not know
that I was to look into your faces until I came here and
saw my name on the programme ; but I lived so long at
Union College and got so used to obeying orders, that
when the orders came to appear here I obeyed them.
You expected to listen to General Stone at this time
and place, but I have been handed a letter from General
Stone saying that he cannot be present. I will read the
letter :
The pressure of public duties deprives me of the pleasure of
being with you at the Centennial gathering of the Sons of Union ;
ADDRESS. 425
but I cannot forego the opportunity of sending a word of
friendly greeting, if you will kindly convey it to the men of my
day who may be present, aiul a word of encouragement to the
younger men who in the closing days of the century follow your
footsteps in the great science of construction, as we followed
those of our master, Gillespie, in its middle years. It was to us
a matter of pride that Union College was the first of the great
educational institutions to inaugurate thorough scientific educa-
tion in engineering, and that our great preceptor is still regarded
as high authority, both as to precept and practice, in the science
to which so nuxn}' great technical institutions are now devoted.
The men who have seen engineering grow to what it is have no
reason to doubt the greatness of its f utiire ; and the young men
who are now entering the profession need have no fear of being
too late. The engineer is the knight errant of modern adven-
ture; armed with all the forces of nature and panoplied with
all the arts, he boldly challenges every physical barrier to human
progress ; and the greater success he achieves, the wider are the
opportunities offered to his skill and courage. The heights we
reach to-day are the vantage-ground for a new advance to-
morrow. Just as the country is filled with railroads, and that
field for engineering disappears, science comes in with new
means for their operation and all their methods and appliances
are to be revolutionized. And just as we have determined how
to build highways in this country for the travel we are accus-
tomed to, horseless carriages appear, in astonishing number and
variety, and the science of road-building must be adapted to new
conditions. Meanwhile, we have already an era of ship-canals
and great harbor-works, of enormous water-powers and grand
irrigation projects, of elevated railroads and magnificent bridges,
of tunnels and underground rapid transit lines; and in addition
to all this the prospect of an extensive re-location of manufac-
turing establishments to meet new conditions in trade and trans-
portation, and in the generation and transmission of power.
With these and all the minor constructive works that will follow
the restoration of prosperity, and especially with the field opened
up by the agitation for good roads throughout the country,
there ought to be abundant work for the young engineer.
With heartfelt good wishes, and with a God-speed to old
Union, I am Faithfully yours,
Roy Stone, of the Class of 1856.
426 UNION COLLEGE.
As you have heard so often siuce you have been at-
tending this celebration, Union College is famous for the
men of affairs among its alumni — men of affairs in very
many directions. It is now my privilege to introduce to
you, as one of the speakers of the afternoon, one of these
men of affairs, as well as a statesman, the Honorable
Warner Miller, who will address us.
ADDRESS
BY WARNER MILLER, LL. D.
Cldds of 1860.
THE COLLEGE IN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL LIFE.
MR. CHAIRMAN, Ladies and Grentlemen : The sub-
ject assigned me by President Raymond is, " The
College in Commercial and Industrial Life." Why this
selection was made and why I was assigned to it, I know
not, save, it may be, that the President, in going over the
college records of some of the old men, found that my
record as a classical scholar was the poorest in the class
of 1860, and therefore, being a poor classical scholar (al-
though I was considered good enough then to be elected
professor of Greek and Latin in a collegiate institute as
soon as I had graduated), undoubtedly President Ray-
mond thought I must of necessity be a good business
man, and therefore assigned me to the treatment of this
subject. The fact is, I am as poor a business man as I
was a classical scholar. I am only a plain farmer, who
in these hard times is unable to make both ends meet,
no matter how much economy he may exercise. This
afternoon, however, I shall practise an economy which
you will all approve, for it will be all for your benefit. I
shall economize your time by making a speech only a
few moments in length. Some of my good friends of the
class of 1860 (my own class) and of 1861 have suggested
428 UNION COLLEGE.
frequently during the day that they should move, here
in the audience, that I have leave to print, as they do in
the House of Representatives, and, not waiting for them
to make this proposition (for I know who it is coming
from), I have decided to ask leave to print; and when
the Centennial book comes out, you will find that my
speech of fifteen minutes in length will have swollen to
at least fifty or one hundred pages such as the " Con-
gressional Record."
I never before had the privilege of speaking to a clas-
sical college audience like this in the open air. We were
always surrounded by sacred walls and their associations.
But as I stand here to-day it seems to me that our col-
lege is making very great progress. As I look out upon
this audience it has every appearance of being a Repub-
lican audience, and I might, if my speech was not pre-
pared, — as President Brownell has suggested, — wander
away from my subject and talk about the tariff, or the
present administration, and the foreign policy of the
government of the United States. My friend here in
front suggests that I might speak upon the Nicaragua
Canal. That is a familiar subject to myself, but might
not interest you all. I am determined not to wander
from the subject assigned to me. I have committed to
paper substantially what I want to say.
The subject allotted to me, "The College in Com-
mercial and Industrial Life," is one seldom discussed
when the college or university celebrates.
In the olden times, when education was confined to
the few, the college was instituted for the purpose of pro-
ducing doctors of law, doctors of medicine, and doctors
of divinity. The business man was produced by an ap-
prenticeship in the counting-house.
Then the few lived in palaces; the many in hovels.
The few were clothed in purple and fine linen, and lived
sumptuously ; the many were clothed in coarse clothes or
ADDEESS. 429
skius of auimuls, and fed on black bread. The few were
masters; the many slaves. Education was confined to
the cloister and the court.
To-day all this is changed ; the palaces still exist ; the
hovels have disappeared, and in their places are the com-
fortable homes of the masses.
In free America on gala days the capitalist and the
laborer cannot be distinguished by the difference in their
dress. The food of all classes is gathered from the tem-
perate, the tropical, and the polar regions ; the depths of
the sea even are called upon to contribute to the comfort
and adornment of man.
Education is no longer held to be so sacred that it
would be sacrilegious to communicate it to the masses,
and we have the masses educated now by force of law.
Finally, government, which was once monopolized by the
few without regard to their worth, has lost its exclusive-
ness and become the divine right of the many.
The college and the university no longer confine them-
selves to the production of doctors of law, medicine, and
divinity, but cover every department of human know-
ledge ; all sciences, art, and literature must find a place in
their curriculum.
The young man who can talk Latin and write Greek
verse has only begun his education, and must add thereto
an amount of information uj)on a multitude of subjects
which would have astonished and dismayed the ancients.
The number and variety of the subjects of study and
research to-day are so numerous that no one can hope to
acquire in a thorough manner more than one or two of
them.
The departments of law and medicine, engineering and
science, are divided into numerous subdivisions, any one
of which requires for its complete mastery the best efforts
of the highest order of intellect.
The college to-day gives the preliminary training for
430 UNION COLLEGE.
every calling or profession ; the university with its tech-
uical schools completes the education and sends the stu-
dent forth ready to undertake the active work of life.
Not long ago a most distinguished and successful man
stated that a college education was not necessary, but in-
jurious to the young man who w^as to follow a business
career ; that it was better he should commence by sweep-
ing out the office and polishing the door-knob, than waste
his time in learning Grreek verbs and moral philosophy.
The statement was at once controverted, and an inquiry
set on foot to determine the truth or falsity of the prop-
osition. It was shown that a large part of the men.
controlling the commerce, manufacturing, and trans-
portation of the country were either educated in our
colleges or in the scientific or technical schools connected
with our universities.
Why should it not be so? Is there anything in the
nature of sweeping office floors and polishing door-knobs
which would give one an insight into the laws that gov-
ern trade and finance 1 True, one should commence at
the bottom of his j^rofession or business and learn it in
detail, but he should bring to his work a well-trained
mind stored with all information possible.
If a thoroughly educated youth will not make a more
successful business man than the uneducated, then educa-
tion is not the important institution that it has been held
to be, and government can relax its efforts to make it
universal.
The truth is that no man succeeds in any important
work who is uneducated ; he may not have studied in our
schools and colleges, but he has obtained his education
in a much more laborious and unsatisfactory way. He
has labored at night without the aid of teachers, and re-
gretting that he had been deprived of the advantages to
be derived from our schools.
If education is power, if it is such a training of the
intellect as to enable it to work like a perfect piece of
ADDRESS. 4:U
iiiac'liinery when power is tippliccl to it; if educiitiou so
trains the liuman mind that it will reason correctly from
any })remises or facts presented to it ; theu the educated
man has the advantage over his unoducated brother that
the complete and perfected C()m[)onn(l steam-engine of
to-day has over the crude and incomplete first engine
made by Watts.
If the animal we call man is wanted only as a hewer of
wood and drawer of water, if he is to swing the pick and
handle the shovel only, if the office boy is never to do
more than to sweep the floor, weigh the sugar, and mea-
sure the calico, he need not be college educated.
It is a well-established fact that the labor of the best
educated nations is the most effective. The labor in our
manufacturing industries is from twenty-fiv^e to fifty pei'
cent, more productive than the same class of labor in
Europe, and one hundred per cent, more productive than
among the Orientals.
Mulhall, the acknowledged authority in statistics, in
an article in the last number of the "North American
Review," speaking of the great growth of our country,
says : " The United States in 1895 possesses by far the
greatest productive power in the world ; that this power
has more than trebled since 1860, rising from twenty-
nine to one hundred and thirty-nine milliards of foot-tons
daily." The result he attributed largely to the general
diffusion of education among the masses. He further
says: "The census of 1890 showed that eighty-seven per
cent, of the total population over ten years of age could
read and write. It may be fearlessly asserted that in the
history of the human race no nation ever before possessed
forty-one millions of instructed citizens. European states
have certainly made efforts to ditt'use popular instruction,
and with considerable success, but Americans have left
them far behind in generous and wise-minded expendi-
ture on education."
Education is power which increases in geometrical
432 UNION COLLEGE.
ratio as it ascends from the kindergarten to the univer-
sity. The college produces not only the profound scholar
and philosopher, not only the successful lawyer, doctor,
and preacher, but the broad-minded merchant, the suc-
cessful and hiventive manufacturer, and the far-seeing
projector, builder, and manager of our great systems of
railroads, steamship lines, and the controllers of our for-
eign and internal commerce.
The successful merchant of to-day must know the
markets of the world for the products in which he deals
or he will be distanced in the race. If he would handle
wheat with assurance of profit he must know not only
the crop prospect here, but its condition in the Argen-
tine, in India, and Russia, as well as in England, France,
and Grermany; he must determine whether there is to
be a surplus beyond the demands of the world, or a
shortage.
The cotton and woolen manufacturer must be equally
informed as to the supply of his raw material, and he
must keep abreast of the inventions and improvements
in the process and machinery which he uses, or he will
find himself unable to compete with the better informed
manufacturer.
The railroad, the steamship, and the telegraph have
entirely changed the methods of doing business. The
successful operator of to-day has upon his desk every
morning the latest quotations from every market in the
commercial world. Profits are thereby reduced to the
minimum, and the chances of great gains and great losses
are equally reduced.
The manufacturer studies the wants of the human race
and undertakes to supply them, knowing that if he suc-
ceeds in meeting or anticipating their wants success is
assured.
The man engaged in transportation is continuously
seeking for every possible improvement in the means of
ADDEESS. 433
transportation, and his oflt'orts liave given us Bessemer
steel, which has revolutionized railroads, and reduced its
cost to a point never dreamed possible ; it has also given
us the ocean greyhound, which has reduced the distance
between the continents so greatly that the voyage is no
longer looked upon as an undertaking of importance, but
merely as an excm'sion for pleasure or profit, as the case
may be.
If the merchants of Venice, who sent their richly-laden
argosies the world over, were princes, the merchants,
manufacturers, and transporters of to-day are producers,
controllers, and distributors of the wealth of the world.
These classes have to do with material things; they
supply the physical wants of man : but take away com-
merce, manufacturing, and transportation, and you de-
stroy civilization and man returns to his original and
barbarous state, where trade is measured by a few shells
on a string, where manufacturing goes no further than
the production of bows and arrows and stone hatchets,
and transportation is carried on in bii'ch-bark canoes or
dug-outs.
Education is the force which has changed the face of
nature from a wilderness to a productive garden, and
man himself from the savage, self-destroying, and brutal
being to the man we now know, who so closely ap-
proaches his Creator in the achievements of his intellect
as portrayed by Shakspere and Milton in literature, by
Michael Angelo and Raphael in art, by Alexander and
Napoleon and Grant in war, by Bismarck, Gladstone, and
Lincoln in government, by Galileo and Sir Isaac New-
ton in science, and by a host of others in every depart-
ment of research and learning.
Education has freed and ennobled the race; but it
could not accomplish this until it had broken the bonds
which for centuries had held it, the property of the few,
and away from the masses.
28
434 UNION COLLEGE.
When the spread of education shall be as wide as the
world itself, man will be fit for self-government every-
where; kings, emperors, and the privileged classes will
disappear, and universal peace will prevail.
The college and the university have been free from the
bigotry and exclusivism of the past. It no longer con-
fines its teachings to the dead languages and the humani-
ties, but undertakes to fit our youth for every vocation.
In this breaking away from the ancient system, Union
led the van. It was the pioneer in establishing courses
of study other than the j)urely classical.
In 1829 Union established a scientific course as dis-
tinct from the classical, being the first college in America
to depart from the old system. The beneficial result
following this action can be found in every part of our
land. Nearly every college has established a scientific
department, rendering it no longer necessary to seek
abroad the highest scientific learning.
Fifty years ago the authorities of Union College, real-
izing what a great work was to be done in America in
subduing the country and in developing it by rail-
roads and improving our waterways, set up a school of
engineering under Professor Gillespie, making it the
first college in America to establish an engineering de-
partment.
Thus it is seen that Union has done much to broaden
the lines of college training, and to produce, not alone
the recluse scholar who found his greatest good in add-
ing to his sum of knowledge for his own delectation, but
to produce the all-round man who could take his place
with the best in any career he might choose, whether
law, medicine, theology, or commerce and trade.
I cannot take your time to enumerate the sons of Old
Union who have made its name famous by the success
they have won for themselves. Without boasting, we
may say that during the century that is drawing to a
ADDRESS. 435
close it has had a orreater iufluonco on tho wolfari^ and
position of onr State and the nation, through the men it
has sent out into active life, than any other college in the
country. May we not confidently hope that its record
for the second century, when made up, will be equally
satisfactory and brilliant ? [Apijlause.]
EVENING SESSION.
€i)c €(3\kQC in ^tntcaman^ljip anti politic^,
Hon. John G-aey Evans, Goveknok of South Cakolina,
pkesiding.
MR. SILAS B. BROWNELL, Chairman of the Board
of Trustees, arose and was greeted with applause.
He said : I am glad, friends of Union College, that this
reception should be accorded to me before the address
which I am about to make is finished. This closing ex-
ercise of the Centennial of Union College brings to mind
the action of the committee under which these exercises
have been arranged and carried out — arranged and car-
ried out with a delight and enjoyment which I hope will
only be equaled by the profit and joy to the college which
will arise from the renewed interest and attention which
this centennial celebration will awaken in her alumni and
friends, and by the added facilities which will be afforded
her for the work ahead.
Eminently proper is it that after running the whole
gamut of the professions and vocations, this occasion
should culminate in an evening devoted to that highest
of all vocations, statesmanship, and that we should be
able to listen to a recital of what Union College has done
in statesmanship and politics. There certainly is no
sphere in which greater heights may be scaled and nobler
laurels won than in the sphere of statesmanship and
28* '^'
438 UNION COLLEGE.
politics. The true statesman is the true benefactor of
his kind.
The committee have appointed to take charge of this
evening's exercises one who perhaps more than any
other man of his years is to-day in the eye of the Ameri-
can people, John Gary Evans, of Union's class of 1883,
Governor of South Carolina. [Applause, during which
Governor Evans advanced.] Union College does not
make every one of her children think alike. She makes
men who can think for themselves — men who, according
to their light, do what they think is the right thing to
do. In leaving the management of this final exercise of
the Centennial in the kindly hands of Governor Evans,
I wish to express the thanks of the corporation which I
represent for your attendance and interest in these entire
Centennial proceedings ; and especially to thank the
strangers among us for their generous appreciation of
every effort made by its representatives for their enter-
tainment. I take great pleasure in x^resenting Governor
Evans and leaving you in his care. [Applause.]
ADDRESS
BY GOVERNOR EVANS.
Class of 1883.
IADIES AND GENTLEMEN, Fellow Alumni and Un-
^ dergradimtes of Union College : I desire at the out-
set to thank the committee who have invited me to be
present and preside upon this occasion. I assure you
that my pleasure to-night at being here is akin to that
which fills the heart of a dutiful son when he attends a
birthday gathering in honor of his mother ; and it gives
me filial joy to bring to my alma mater what small hon-
ors, if they be such, I may have gained, and lay them at
her feet.
In America, the college is at once a needed and a po-
tent factor in statesmanship and politics. We might say
that the college has been the salvation of the Union.
But, friends, I have not come here to review past differ-
ences which once divided a united family. I have come
here to bring a message to the young statesmen of Old
Union — ay, and to the old statesmen, that they may
consider the grievous needs of our nation. I bring to
you a message from a section which I have the honor to
represent, a section to which the preservation of this
Union is as dear as it is to New York or Massachusetts.
W^hile possibly some of you may have thought from
reading the press reports that South Carolina was ready
to secede again, nothing could be farther removed
440 UNION COLLEGE.
from the tnitli. The lesson of the war is not so easily
forgotten. But I repeat that my message to you does
not concern past differences. • My home is where, at this
season of the year, with the perfume of the magnolia
commingles the delicious odor of ripening fruits and har-
vests. Grod has blessed that country with the blessings
and favors of nature. The earth fain would bless with
abundance all her children there; and yet, strange and
unnatural as it may seem, in that God-favored country
to-day there are people who are actually struggling for
a bare existence, simply because they lack a proper
medium of exchange. Heaven looks kindly down, the
earth pours forth her treasure, everything is right but
the misgovernment of man. We are thrifty; we are j^ro-
gressive ; and our climate and soil will not let us starve
in spite of injustice and folly ; and we of the young South
are determined to win in the industrial arts and in the
race of progress — and yet for want of a fair medium of
exchange many of our people are compelled almost to
pawn their pots ! This question is for the young states-
man to grapple with, for the young graduates of Union
College to examine and answer. In the solution of this
problem the country seems to be divided into three sec-
tions, one section being the South, a second section being
the West, and a third section being the North and East.
At present tlie interests of these three sections seem to
be conflicting ; they seem to be irreconcilable. It would
seem impossible at the present moment for any man to
point out the legislation by which these diverse interests
would be equally preserved intact, and to the glory of
our common Union. I know not why this should be so.
We hear the rumblings of the distant storm. There is
unrest, and I fear something more than mere disquiet. I
touch upon this question timidly ; for the man who al-
ludes to it is likely to be assailed as a demagogue by
almost the entire public press. When we tell you that
ADDRESS. 441
we have eveiy blessing that God could bestow upon a
people, and that we are moving forward in our industries
and in our educational facilities, and in the same breath
tell you that we are " poor indeed," it docs seem as if we
were indulging in very conflicting statements. But there
is a question here pressing for solution ; and the task
which confronts the young statesman and politician is
more serious even than that which the North had to deal
with in the days of secession and war.
In time of peace we have an effort made looking toward
a centralization of power and of wealth. We have here
this danger, and I can speak plainly in this presence, for
here I am no alien, no mere citizen of another State. Here
I am a son of Old Union, and I am speaking to a band of
brothers among whom heart beats with heart, and the
trouble of one is the concern of all. [Applause.] We
have this danger to the Republic, the massing of mighty
power and colossal wealth in the hands of the few quar-
tered in our populous cities. It is a danger which we of
the South feel more keenly than you of the North ; and
it is a danger which must be dealt with courageously.
In your own metropolis alone twenty families control
enough wealth to purchase a sovereign State, although it
seems that they regard English lords and French counts
as a more interesting, if not a more lucrative, investment.
These enormous and ever-accumulating fortunes exist;
and what a mighty force for the corruption of govern-
ment they represent ! The agriculturists of the country
are poor, and one might almost say actually begging for
the necessaries of life. We of the South are an agricul-
tural people. The people of the West are agricultural in
their intei'ests. We are dependent upon you and you
are dependent upon us. Cannot we then harmonize our
differences? Will there not be a sounder and broader
statesmanship disseminated from our institutions of
learning, so that selfishness may not threaten and de-
442 UNION COLLEGE.
stroy the liberties for which our fathers fought I I tell
you what we of the South feel to-day, and what you
yourselves must inevitably feel. The South lost last
year twenty million dollars upon her cotton crop. A
syndicate in New York made fifteen million dollars upon
the bonds it took to pay the debt ! While these things
go on and vast wealth is accumulating in one section of
the country, can you not see the danger that threatens
the very life of the Republic 1 In the days of Rome this
centralization of wealth caused great murmurings and
mutterings among the people which the authorities tried to
appease by the distribution of free corn. But this means
of purchasing peace became finally powerless and the
Republic fell. Shall we pursue the same course that is
strewn with the ashes of Roman greatness ? Or shall we
not rather seek an answer to the question of how to at-
tain an equitable distribution of wealth among our whole
people ? This is the question we face to-day, my friends.
This is the question the answer to which we seek. But
the young statesmen and the young politicians of the
South and the West and the North who ask this ques-
tion are denounced as demagogues. If there are those
here who doubt the condition of our people at the South,
caused, as we believe, by this crying evil of the unequal
distribution of wealth, let them go down into the homes
of these people, or send their statesmen, to see for them-
selves. I am satisfied that if yon should see these things
and should realize the danger as we realize it, that broad
statesmanship which has always characterized the sons
of Union in times of danger would prevail and triumph
over it all. This is the sentiment in which the South
asks the North to join for the dispersion of the common
danger and the solution of this problem which chal-
lenges the highest statecraft. Such is the sentiment
which I represent here to-night, extending the grasp of
my hand and the deep desire of my heart to the young
ADDRESS. " 443
statesiueii of the North. Let there be no coiillietiiig in-
terests. Let there be no danger of this kind threatening
onr stability in the eyes of the nations of the earth. Let
us take your products in a fair exchange for ours, and
let us go forward to a common prosperity. We will do
our best to deal with tliis question at the South. We
have cast aside all animosity; there is no feeling but for
the common weal. And when you hear that So-and-So
of the old school has been displaced, do not attribute it
to demagogues, but to the sound, progressive element
that goes out from Old Union College. [Applause.]
Now, my friends, as I said, I have come here with no
subject for discussion whatever. I have come simply
to set forth a few facts for the young statesman to con-
sider, in order that he may leave here feeling that all is
not well with his nation ; feeling that the mutterings of
the people and the uprisings, which he is told are sim-
ply the result of the leadership of designing men, are,
in fact, from that class which has always saved the na-
tion. Let the young statesman remember that he who
saves his country saves all things, and all things saved
will bless him. [Applause.]
After music by the College Mandolin Club and the
College Glee Club,
Governor Evans said : It is with great pleasure, my friends, that I in-
troduce a graduate of Old Union, who, during the time that tried men's
souls, was receiving good, wholesome instruction from the old fountain of
learning here. I introduce Hon. David C. Robinson, of the class of '65, a
citizen of your own State. [Applause.]
ADDRESS
BY HON. DAVID C. ROBINSON.
Class of 1865.
MR. CHAIRMAN, Ladies and Gentlemen: Once
more the silence of the summer rests upon these
venerated walls. Once more the light and the living
green make beautiful the twilight. Once more the fra-
grance and the radiance of flower and foliage are in the
air around us. Once more the gathered throng of sons
devoted is in the city of our long-time love. Once more,
for an hour, the intervening past is gone, and on the
surge of a perennial youth we rise as fresh in sentiment
as these before us whose faces are yet radiant with the
light of life's bright morning. Around us are the hopes,
the fears, the joys, the sorrows, the dreads, and dreams
of years now gone forever. With us are faces now no
more of earth. Consecrated hands stretch out to us
across the chasm of the vanished past. Holy voices
sound out like echoes from the years beyond the flood.
Shadows of the almost forgotten dance in the soft
light of evening.
Bear with us, friends, if, amid these day-dreams, we
linger just a little, ere the curtain falls on them forever.
Bear with us while the lights seem touched with colors
not alone of earth ; while the songs of other years seem
fraught with harmonies not now in music known to men ;
while the voices that do speak, the faces that do look.
ADDKESS. 445
the sceues that force their eoniiiig, huve in them each
that sacred something which is all the world to us. So
come tlie memories of youth to those who have such
treasures in the past as we may claim. Be not surprised
that in this summer air, bj^ this calm stream, within
these classic shades, the sheen of lights departed tints all
the shadows of the coming night. For we are gathered
at this ancient seat as we shall not again gather while we
live on earth. Fain would we tarry long within this at-
mosphere of thought. Would we might here forget the
stern and unrelenting call of earthly duty, and the high
sanction of its disobedience. Alas ! not such our privi-
lege ! There is a promise yet unfulfilled ; a hope so far
deferred ; a dream as yet unrealized of rest beyond our
earthly vision. Speed its good coming ; but it is not
with us yet. The trumpet-call to action speaks out as
never before. Our stay in the land of sentiment must
needs be short.
The fragrance of these flowers of memory springs from
the care with which they have been tended. That which
they are, that which they speak, that which they sym-
bolize to us, is born of years of constant labor and un-
ending devotion. The love, the care, the thought, the
work of a hundred years stand around about the radiant
achievings of to-day, and make foundation for the airy
mirage in the which so many of us revel for an hour.
As out of the varied harmony of some vast cathedral
organ sounds all at once the mighty undertone of a diapa-
son, so sounds to us the story of the end and aim of this
one hundred years. What plans, what thought ingenious,
what learning sublime, what questions debated and de-
cided, what forecast used, what perils tried and shunned,
what |)roblems solved and laid aside, are gathered in the
history of that hundred years ? What wonder that as to
an ancient shrine we pilgrims of the dark and doubtful
night come up with shoes put off our feet to tread awhile
446 UNION COLLEGE.
the holy ground, while still the diapason thunders in our
ears. Peace rest upon them both — the silent shrine, the
speaking memory.
What this institution, its teachers, its founders and
leaders have accomplished in the century of its existence
is written in letters indelible upon the history of our
country, upon the record of its every science, in the leg-
ends of every noble effort of the human mind which our
land has known. Filled with the sense of all that she is,
of all that she has been, of all that her noble sons have
done, I am asked to speak to you to-night of Union Col-
lege in statesmanship and politics. I shall not tell you
of the shock this summons gave me. For thirty years I
have stood subject to Union's every call. No demand
that she could make would ever fill the measure of that
which I owe to her. For her I have dared every sort of
peril, from the long-drawn debates of her Board of Trus-
tees to the dietetic dangers of the Alumni lunch. Yet
had I hoped, when I was bidden to voice some sentiment
in her honor, it might have been in lighter mood to cele-
brate the gallantry, the music, or the poetry of other
years, the girls we loved, the songs we sang, the verses
we indited — why was I not asked to speak of these!
[Laughter.] Alas, not so. The gMs are here — same ones
— to speak for themselves ! [Laughter.] The songs are
tabooed by a re-organized j^olice, and the verses — well,
what can be expected to survive in an age of reform !
So, as often in our previous residence in this neighbor-
hood, we are turned against our will from folly to serious
thought.
The first step in the discussion of such a theme as
your committee have punished the speaker with is a
definition of what is meant by "statesmanship" and
what by "politics." Here and now, if ever and any-
where, let us speak the truth, and thus, perhaps, even at
this late day, atone for some past shortcomings in this
ADDRESS. 447
vicinity as toiichiii«^ that sort of si)Ooch. " Politics," in
the language of the modern American, is generally ac-
counted the art of swindling the other side out of what-
ever seems to be afloat ; " statesmanship," the higher art
of concealing the swindle after its perpetration. The
dreams of our fathers of a government of the people, by
the people, and for the people, has somehow resolved it-
self into the motto of the modern American statesman,
"What is there in it for us?" And with politicians
buying voters at five dollars apiece; poll-workers de-
manding ten dollars a day; ward-heelers receiving fifty
dollars a week ; assemblymen said to be for sale at two
hundred dollars each, and senators at five hundred dol-
lars each ; bribery in the Congressional and Legislative
halls of statesmen by day, and draw poker in the hotels
by the same statesmen at night, the conscientious orator
finds himself backed up against a pyramid of past glories
a hundred years old, and asked to define the position
which Union College ought to occupy in statesmanship
and politics. Is it a wonder that sometimes he almost
sympathizes with the theory that the women — God bless
them ! — are the only true statesmen, and that the millen-
nium will only come when Susan Jones is President and
Sairey Gamp Secretary of State [laughter], when the
new woman runs the primaries and Union College grad-
uates are only allowed in politics with a woman's permit
— not good after dark at that, and not issued at all in
the State of South Carolina.
There is a little philosophy in that time-worn story of
the doting parents, who, unable to decide to what voca-
tion they should devote their hopeful son, aged eight,
agreed to watch him on the playground of the school-
house from a near-by window, and to determine the
question by his doings there. If he did all the talking,
he should be a lawyer. If he swapped jack-knives, he
should be a merchant. If he drew chalk pictures, he
448 UNION COLLEGE.
should be an artist. If he fought, he should go to West
Point. And when, five minutes before recess, the young
hopeful, having played hookey on his too confiding in-
structor, stole three lunch-baskets and four big apples,
and made away with his entire plunder behind the school-
house, the fond father exclaimed in ecstasy, " My dear,
he 's a hog. Let 's make a politician of him." [Laugh-
ter.] Nor are we able to say that judged by modern
standards the youth was totally unfitted for the career
thus proudly marked out for him. Still, in this same line
of thought, I might mention some instances of magnificent
self-denial which ought not to be overlooked. In a dis-
trict not far from that which has the honor of my resi-
dence, a Republican caucus was recently called — for some
good purpose, I suppose. Factional feeling was high,
and although there were but three hundred voters in the
district, when the polls were opened it was found that
there were two thousand ballots in the hat. The success-
ful party declined to accept the results of this notable
triumph on the ground that there was reason in all
things. I need hardly say that he lost his political stand-
ing at once, and has been called a Mugwump ever since,
whatever that opprobrious term may mean.
In recent thirst for political information I asked a local
statesman, who weighed two hundred and seventy-five
pounds and wore a number six hat, " How do you man-
age to carry a caucus where there are four hundred votes
against you, and only twenty-five with you?" "Well,"
he replied, " the first thing is to import some more votes."
" And what then ? " " Oh, you 've got to have good
feeling." " And how do you obtain that ? " " Oh," said
he, " I alwa3^s buy it by the keg. It is cheaper, and they
like it better." I need hardly add that when this genius
came to be properly appreciated, he was at once ap-
pointed postmaster by a Democratic Government.
If these were idle fancies, friends, we might laugh and
ADDRESS. 449
pass them by. Perhaps I owe apology to audience so
cultured that even for a moment I drop to speech so
rude. Yet should I remind you that out of just such an
atmosphere spring now the powers that control the rights
we have, or ought to have, as well as our place and stand-
ing with the nations of the earth I To these and such as
they may choose is now committed the right to make
our laws, to choose our officers, and the high prerogative
to make provision for defending title to property rights
of man, and the sacred honor of woman. That it is so
is our own fault. We have gone so far astray in the pur-
suit of dollars and cents that we have forgotten the higher
duty which we owe to the commonwealth; we have
lost sight of those better things which are not to be meas-
ured by the standards of commercial value. We have no
right to condemn the methods of politics and politicians,
while we stand idly by and refuse to recognize our own
obligations to the social pact. Statesmanship does not
mean office-holding. The discharge of public duty does
not demand that the citizen must become a caucus candi-
date or a political wire-puller. In the better days, not
long ago, our public policy was the matured result of an
unselfish devotion to the common weal. To-day the
scramble for political preferment, personal aggrandize-
ment, and private gain have made the public service dis-
tasteful to the very men who ought to adorn it. It is
the duty of those who stand equipped, as are the sons of
Union, for this righteous warfare, to force their way into
the midst of this unclean and hateful scramble, and there
do valiant and unselfish battle for the restoration of our
government to its former high estate. In this way only
can we discharge the full duty which we owe our Alma
Mater, and as well the duty we owe to the land we love.
What this college has been to our government, what it
has been to our State, what it has been to every consti-
tutional and legislative reform, are matters of history.
29
450 UNION COLLEGE.
So thoroughly identified is it and its past with all that is
best in American statesmanship and American politics,
that the pride and glory of the State of New York, and
the honor of the United States, are intertwined with the
work and triumphs of Union College as is one strand of
a rope with another.
I might well linger here to speak the name and fame
of many an honored son of Union College who has re-
flected glory upon her. It would be a pleasant task to re-
call the many who walked here with reverent feet, learned
here great lessons from the book of human nature, and
went forth to a heritage of toil and care for others, which
have made names immortal for themselves and riches
uncounted for their fellow-men. I could tell you of him
whose scholarly foresight beheld the coming storm of
forty years ago, and whose clarion voice gave warning of
the irrepressible conflict even then upon us. I could tell
you of others who, with equal skill and equal zeal, did
yeoman service in the great issues of those other days
and the re-organizations which have followed storms now
passed away. These would be pleasant words to speak
and hear. Not so, however, do I account the highest
aim of our concurrent thought to-night. That which
does most honor to her we celebrate is not the work and
wisdom of any one or any hundred of her sons. They
only illustrated that which they had here been taught.
They only trod the paths to which their feet had here
been early turned. Let us rather contemplate the spirit
of that teaching, the lines of those successful paths. Not
long need we ponder ere the symmetry and strength, the
high argument, of this great work are borne in upon us.
Whose mind so ready; whose thought so keen; whose
ken so wide ; whose eye so bright in all the broad field
of statesmanship as that of them who drank deep
draughts at the fountains of truth here set at liberty, and
by the strength thus gained led on a nation through a
ADDRESS. 451
wilderness beset by many perplexities and watered with
a flood of anxious tears ! By what a path this i)eople
have marched here ! The pillar of cloud by <hiy and the
pillar of tire by night were no more wonderful than the
signs of the heavens which, read by eyes almost inspired,
have been guide and compass to the land we love. As
Moses, elect of Heaven, stood in the way to hear the di-
rections of infinite wisdom and yet remains unrivaled in
the glory of his work, so still stands sure the fame of them
who have had perception to recognize the drift of human
progress, and wisdom to direct the people of this nation
thus far on its road of prosperity, growth, and improve-
ment. No man shall wisely lead his fellow-man but as
he knows the road to that man's mind and heart. The
study of mankind alone makes possible the triumph of
the statesman, the symmetry of the State. The great
issues of right and wrong can only be taught to men by
those who have long known the paths which lead from
man to man. This is the knowledge which the world
most needs and has most sadly lacked. He who has im-
bibed it stands panoplied in armor well meant for every
social fray even in these tempestuous days.
I put aside as unworthy of respect the distinction so
often drawn between statesmanship and politics. If we
are to endure as a nation, if we are to grow in strength and
purity, the wretched idea that politics is the science and
practice of public spoliation must be abandoned forever.
The methods of the American caucus and those of the
forty thieves are so nearly akin that the attempt to dis-
tinguish them is a waste of time. The difference between
the buccaneers of two centuries ago and the average ward
politician of to-day is principally one of hats and boots,
albeit one carried his weapon in his belt and the other
has it in his pocket. The cheats, the deals, the grabs
and steals, the fraud and lies, the perjury and swindling
which have made the record of partizanship for twenty
452 UNION COLLEGE.
years, lie at the root of that which threatens us and our
institutions to-day. These tricks and crimes should be
relegated to the jurisdiction of the penal courts, where
alone they belong. The statesmanship and the politics
of which we speak differ from each other only iu that the
latter consists in the advocacy of a policy, the former in
the administration of a government.
It is the pride and glory of our common mother that
her teaching has been that of an intelligent philanthroj^y
through all the century of her existence. In her classes,
whatever else has been neglected, two great lessons have
always been taught — the eternal strength of right over
wrong, and the great study of human nature. In every
phase of fancy, by every road of illustration, these
lessons have been given over and over again. Within
these halls, for every moment since 1795, the lessons of a
true democracy, the equal rights of man and man, the
universal and impartial right of the weakest to the pro-
tection of law have been the alphabet of instruction.
What wonder that, thus taught, her sons have filled, in
proportion to their numbers, a tenfold wider field in the
range of scholarly statesmanship and true politics than
those of any institution of the land ? This is the high-
est, the noblest output of human thought and culture.
To lead aright the feet of a confiding people, to deserve
the trust they place, are worth the contents of a thousand
coffers, outshine the jewels of a thousand crowns.
And now draws near the hour that shall try men's
souls as they have never yet been tried. The evolution
of the past decade brings us face to face with great
changes in our social structure — vast accumulations of
wealth on the one hand, gaunt poverty on the other.
Here the grind of great capital, there the murmur of dis-
content; personal aggrandizement and display, bitter re-
sentment and hatred, fill the story of to-day. Organiza-
tions of mastei's here, of servants there, are pushing.
ADDRESS. 45IJ
crowding each other till the earth is full of dreary discord.
Still the march of invention fills the scene with shifts so
sudden as to reach the marvelous. To-day the Brother-
hood of Locomotive Engineers is the most powerful and
well disciplined of organizations. Ten years hence the
locomotive itself will be a thing of the past. In many
fields the development of electric machinery makes each
year the training and the lalior of other years absolutely
worthless. What social unrest and disturbance shall
attend these changes none can measure. What human
wisdom shall forecast the perils sure to come, and pro-
vide elastic safeguards for social order in its hour of
danger 1 Not idly content are a million workmen to see
the support of families dwindle ; not without peril shall
be the evolution of a system which cuts in twain the
compensation of the toiling millions. Yet these changes
knock at the very gates of the citadel. The question and
the peril are here.
My friends, that which made this good mother what
she has been shall make her still more to our land in the
fast-coming storm. Here through the generations has
been taught — aye, and illustrated — the great lesson of
self-sacrifice. If modern statesmanship and modern poli-
tics have been debased and degraded by greed and avarice,
they shall find their uplift in a magnificent self-denial,
which shall crowd out the venal and putrescent ringsters
of the day. God forgive them; they have laid hands
upon the very ark of the covenant. But here in this land
of the loyal, in this home of the hopeful, on the threshold
of better days for us and our children, they shall not sell
our birthright for a mess of pottage. They shall not
trafi&c in class hatred and legislative spoil.
There are roads resplendent which lead from tin? high-
est to the lowest, and these roads are fragrant with a
thousand flowers of manly coui'age and womanly faith.
If it be true that one touch of human nature makes all
29*
45-1: UNION COLLEGE.
the world akin, then, at the summons consecrate of an un-
selfish devotion, these flowers shall yet bloom as never
in the world's sad history. And he who has read aright
the law of self-sacrifice has in his grasp the wand of
human progress, the open sesame to social blessings yet
unnumbered. To the well-educated the contention be-
tween employer and employed should be impossible, the
social overturn a sublime mistake, class bitterness the
acme of human folly. Forget not we that when the One
divine made effort to redeem a world, he stooped to
lowest depth, and in the crown of thorns found insignia
of glory eternal. " When thou tookest upon thee to de-
liver man, thou didst humble thyself to be born of a vir-
gin," is text magnificent for him who would be true
statesman, true politician. The meed of him who loves
and labors for his native land can never be measured by
pelf or price. That this great lesson has been always the
teaching of our alma mater is the secret of her past,
the promise of her future.
I shall not fill the measure of your thought and mind
if I cease these words unmindful of that which we owe
to those great souls whose very forms do seem again to
teach us as in the years agone. In their lives they
showed forth the lessons of that very self-devotion in
which alone we now have hope — that human sympathy
which alone opens the door to other hearts. Here, on
the ground they trod when they made plain the best of
learning, it is meet that we do honor to that which they
were and did, now that they rest from their labors. In
the temples of the attained glory they shall wear laurels
worthy of their work. If, in the far off city where those
temples stand, we are some day accounted not unfit to
enter, the crowns most bright will, I am sure, be found
adorning those dear friends of yours and mine whose
simple lives of self-forgetfulness made possible what this
institution is, what her sous have done in the days that
ADDKESS. 455
are gone, and what they shall do in tlio Ijetter days to
come; at once the high argument of our thanksgiving
for that which Union College has been in the statesman-
ship and politics of the past, and our hope foi- that which
she shall be in the better statesmanship and polities of
the future.
ADDRESS
. BY CHARLES EMORY SMITH, LL. D.
Class of 1861.
PLUTARCH gives us an interesting account of the
early training of Pericles. The first statement is
that Damon, under the pretense of teaching him music,
instructed him in politics. Whether politics was some-
thing to be disguised under a more innocent accomplish-
ment, we are left to infer; be that as it may, it was
awarded the first place. Zeno opened to the young stu-
dent the alluring paths of natural philosophy. Under
the influence of Anaxagoras, who first recognized the
intelligent law of the universe, he gained the elevation
and sublimity of sentiment and the loftiness and purity
of style which gave such dignity and splendor to his
speaking.
Through these varied teachings the great Athenian
orator and statesman developed and broadened the na-
tive powers which burst forth in Olympian eloquence,
and made such a profound impress upon his country and
his age. With it all there was a mixture of athletics.
When Thucydides was asked which was the best wrest-
ler, Pericles or he, he answered, "When I throw him,
he says he was never down, and he persuades the very
spectators to believe so." Yet with all this training
which enriched his culture and sustained his flights and
amplified his inherent forces, he maintained unceasing
ADDRESS. 457
watchfulness, and never spoke in public without first ad-
dressing a prayer to the gods " that not a word might
nnaAvares escape him unsuitable to the occasion."
Herein lies the key of success. The triumphs of public
life are rarely accidental. There is no test more severe
tliau that of constantly passing under the public judg-
ment. And so the record of an institution which is lumi-
nous with the achievements of her sons is not a matter
of chance. The influences and methods which implant
the knack of getting on are not the hazard of the hour.
The glory of Union was not adventitious. Through a
hundred years her history is radiant with the chaplets of
honor which have come to her graduates, and which
their achievements have woven together in a rich gar-
land for the brow of the beloved alma mater. Splendid
as are her trophies in law, in theology, in science, in
philosophy, in education, and in practical affairs, there is
no field of intellectual success from which she derives
more luster than from the conquests of her sons in the
realm of higher politics and statesmanship. Where is
there a roll which glitters with a greater constellation of
shining names than those of Spencer, Yates, Breese,
Blatchford, Tallmadge, Stockton, Conkling, Bayard, Har-
ris, Toombs, Peckham, Cassidy, Potter, Bigelow, Blair,
Danforth, Hartranft, Butterfield, Miller, Seward, and
Arthur ?
It is a proverb that in the earlier years Union had a
larger 23roportion of representatives in conspicuous public
life than anj^ other institution. There were times when
she had half a dozen sons from as many different States
sitting together in the United States Senate. She made
governors, cabinet ministers, diplomats, bishops, chief
justices, and presidents. Nor was this a mere fortuitous
result. It was the natural fruit of a deliberate policy
and well-defined methods. It was the legitimate out-
growth of the sagacious system of a master who in many
458 UNION COLLEGE.
respects ranks as the greatest educator this country has
ever seen. Dr. Nott was Damon and Zeno and Anaxa-
goras m one. Under the symphonies of music he could
suggest the notes of politics. Under the analogies of
philosophy he could deduce the principles of life. He
had an unrivaled power of inspiration. With his match-
less skill, whether in private talk or in public speech, he
might say, in the words of Shakspere :
Bid me discourse, I will enchant tliine ear.
It was his theory to rule not by arbitrary law but by
reason and persuasion. He had a profound knowledge
of the human heart. With his marvelous insight and
discernment he intuitively saw the peculiar character of
each individual mind. With his consummate address he
instinctively adapted his methods to their varying re-
quirements. He developed manhood by treating his boys
as men. He put them upon their honor. He deftly
touched the real springs of honorable aspiration. He
took the wayward by the hand and believed in giving
every man a chance. He taught his students to measure
their own resources and strengthened their individuality.
He was himself both a masterly instructor and an im-
posing example. Had he been in politics he would have
been a Thurlow Weed and a William H. Seward in one.
His range was broad and varied. He could rise to sub-
lime heights and he could sound the inmost depths of
sympathy and devotion. In his stately oration on Ham-
ilton we could feel that
'T is the Divinity that stu-s within him.
In the gentle and gracious tenderness with which he put
his strong arm around the humblest student and gave
him encouragement and incentive we could feel that 't is
the humanity that moves him.
ADDRESS. 4")!)
Undrr this iiii^'lity iiilliieiice, at once powerful uiid
mellow, whieli stamped itself upon the whole character
of Union and fixed her impress, she shaped her policy
and worked out her career. Was it the immediate im-
jiression and the direct observation of the power exer-
cised by a great educator in molding lives that sent forth
from the halls of Union such a .remarkable number of
men themselves distinguished in education, like Way-
land and Nevin, Alden and Raymond; and that gave
presidents to Brown, Bowdoin, Rutgers, Madison, Lafay-
ette, Jefferson, Franklin and Marshall, Hobart, Ken-
tucky, Kalamazoo, Vassar and still other colleges ? Was
it this personal example that influenced the not dissimilar
bent of the leonine Robert J. Breckenridge, who carried
from the liberty-loving discourses of Dr. Nott an anti-
slavery impulse even within the domain of Kentucky —
a bent that led the Boanerges of the pulpit to maintain
an active interest in public affairs, and to preside over
the national convention of 1864 which crowned the na-
tional will in the renomination of Abraham Lincoln ?
That training made no Procrustean bed. It left men to
follow their natural careers. It gave John Howard Payne,
Fitzhugh Ludlow and Douglas Campbell to literature.
It sent forth Cassidy, Bigelow and Wilkeson to shine
among the great lights of journalism. It contributed
Breese, Halleck, Butterfield, and Hartranft to heroic
deeds on sea and land. It illuminated American juris-
prudence with an extraordinary number of resplendent
names whose portraitiu'e belongs to other tongues than
mine. In every domain of intellectual effort its monu-
ments tower among the most conspicuous illustrations
of American genius.
The influence and impress of Union were as broad as
the bounds of the Republic. She gave two chief justices
to Illinois ; governors to Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsyl-
vania, South Carolina, and Massachusetts ; senators to
460 UNION COLLEGE.
New Jersey, Delaware, Illinois and other States. She
cherishes in the honored roll of War Grovernors the sturdy
Austin Blair, of Michigan. But though measured by no
State limits her stamp is naturally most marked upon
the imperial commonwealth with which she is especially
identified. The political history of New York is in large
degree the biography of sous of Union. From the very
first her roll was one of distinction. Among the gradu-
ates of 1800 was G-errit Y. Lansing, for many years the
influential representative of Albany in Congress, whose
silvery locks and benignant face still diffused their kindly
light and left their gracious picture in my boyhood days.
Then in swift succession came in 1806 John C. Spencer,
in 1807 Joseph C. Yates, in 1809 Grideon Hawley, and in
1810 Alfred Conkling.
Judge Conkling was more than the father of Roscoe
Conkling. He was himself an embodiment of the high-
bred qualities he transmitted, a leader of opinion, a con-
gi-essman of repute, a distinguished Minister to Mexico,
and a jurist whom John Quincy Adams was glad to ap-
point to the bench because of the esteem formed during
their association in Congress. When Joseph C. Yates was
named as judge he had not gained fame, and there was
some surprise. But he sustained himself so well that he
was elected governor, and for years in a stormy era he
played an important part. He was not daring, adven-
turous, or overmastering; but those who have seen the
representation of his statuesque head, with his lofty brow
surmounted by his Apollo locks, can understand that he
was dignified, discreet, and cautious. Grideon Hawley had
been only three years out of Union when he was made
superintendent of schools, and gained the enduring dis-
tinction of being the father of the common-school system
of New York. He was earnest, indefatigable, and crea-
tive. " For the paltry sum of $300 a year," says the his-
torian, "he perfected a system for the management of
ADDRESS. 461
the school fund ; tlio organization of every neighborhood
in this great State into school districts; for a fair and
equal distribution of the bounty of the State into every
school district; and he devised a plan of operations by
which this vast machinery could be moved and managed
by a single individual." It was one of the beauties of the
old Council of Appointment that soon after he had in-
augurated this great work he was removed. But he lived
for years a shining pillar in the social and public fabric.
I well remember as a school-boy with what veneration
we looked to his tall form slightly bent, and to that im-
pressive aspect, at once genial and commanding, through
which gleamed his true benevolence of soul.
John C Spencer brings us at once to the arena of high
politics. For nearly twenty years he was one of the
chief gladiators. He was the pride of the Clintonians in
their fight with the Bucktails. He was a leader in the
anti-Masonic party. He was a Whig who served and
sacrificed himself with Tyler. Speaker of the Assembly,
Secretary of State at Albany, Secretary of War and of
the Treasury at Washington, several times a candidate
for United States senator, he ranged almost the whole
gamut of political honors. He was not preeminent for
his Christian forbearance, as appeared when, after one
of Thurlow Weed's keen rapier attacks on Edwin Cros-
well of the " Argus," he wrote to Weed in these words :
" What an awful rent you have made in Neddy's hypo-
critical morality cloak ! You have ungowned him more
effectually than it was ever done before. But spare him
not. He deserves no mercy at your hands until he re-
pents and asks forgiveness of his sins." Here is the
smell of brimstone and the glare of the forked flames !
But Weed, thougli long the friend of Spencer, was not
blind to his faults. He sought in vain to save him from
allying his fortunes with Tyler, and in his autobiography
gives us a glimpse of his judgment when he speaks of
462 UNION COLLEGE.
Spencer's " political eccentricity of character." Seward
reflected the same opinion when, discussing Spencer for
the vice-presidency, he said " he is too apt to go off on a
tangent." But however mercurial and unrestrained, he
was brilliant, accomplished, and forceful, and has left an
enduring name in the annals of the State.
The classes from 1815 to 1819 embraced four embryo
United States senators — Nathaniel P. Tallmadge of
New York ; Richard Stockton, bearing one of the great
names of New Jersey ; Sidney Breese, who was also
Chief Justice of Illinois ; and James A. Bayard, of Dela-
ware, the heir and transmitter of one of the few political
dynasties of the country, himself both the son and the
father of a senator. Tallmadge, though a Democrat, was
the avowed friend of the Protective policy. When Jack-
son and Van Buren forced the sub-treasury scheme he
antagonized the administration. These facts led to his
reelection by the Wliigs, though such conspicuous Whigs
as John C. Spencer and Millard Fillmore aspired to the
place. After his retirement from the Senate President
Tyler appointed him Governor of the Territory of Wis-
consin, and Washington Hunt wrote : " All things con-
sidered, I do not regret it, except that I feel mortified to
see him take a commission under this miserable admin-
istration " — a little touch of the political feeling of the
time ! Bayard served in the Senate nearly twenty years,
from 1851 to 1870. He preserved the fame of the father
and anticipated the eminence of the son. He was worthy
of the name, without fear and without reproach. In
1868, upon receiving an offer of stock of the Credit Mo-
bilier he wrote in reply : " I take it for granted that the
corporation has no application to make to Congress on
which I should be called to act officially, as I could not,
consistently with my views of duty, vote upon a question
in which I had a pecuniary interest," Truly a worthy
code of public ethics.
ADDRESS. 463
The years which traiuecl Bayard ripened a rich and
fruitful harvest. Dr. Breckenridge was his chissmate.
Bisliop Alonzo Potter, refined, classic, sedate, was one
year aliead of him. One year behind came tlie famous
class of 1820, — Laurens P. Hickok, with his profound
and ponderous metaphysical mind ; Tayler Lewis, acute
and consummate master of all Gnn^k lore ; William Kent,
son of the great chancellor and himself a jurist of high
repute ; and that fairest of all the flowers of Union, Wil-
liam Henry Seward, of whom more further on. A little
later there was Ira Harris, stately and majesti(*, a model
law master, a sound judge and a conscientious senator;
Charles J. Jenkins, Chief Justice and Governor of Georgia;
and Amasa J. Parker, direct, learned, and fon;ible. The
class of 1826 was a brilliant galaxy — well-beloved Cap-
tain Jack; the hearty, practical Amos Dean; the versa-
tile Judge and Comptroller Allen ; Thomas Hun, wise in
the science of life; the finely-chiseled and scholarly
Horatio Potter; the courtly Orlando Meads; and well-
esteemed Horatio Warner, of the Warner Prize. Just the
year after followed Preston King, a good man who
weighed two hundred and forty pounds, and whose great
practical sagacity gave him additional weight in the
United States Senate; Rufus W. Peckham, no brawn
and all brain, tall in form and towering in command, not
lymphatic in any sense, but decidedly emphatic in every
sense; and Judge William W. Campbell whose genial
presence is well remembered, and who until recent years
was a familiar figure at these commencements.
Union gathered her sons from all sections, and they
stand for all creeds, all parties, and all influences. If she
is glorified by those who dedicated themselves to the ser-
vice of liberty and the defense of the flag, she was not
without representatives on the other side. One of the
most picturesque personalities among all the thousands
that have gone from her halls was Robert Toombs.
464 UNION COLLEGE.
Graduated at eighteen, admitted to the bar at twenty, a
captain in the war against the Creeks, he entered the
House at thirty-four in 1844, rose to the Senate in 1853,
and remained to champion the cause of the South in par-
liamentary struggle till he went out to fight her battles
on the bloody field. Vehement and impetuous, dogmatic
and intolerant, extreme in opinion and eloquent in ex-
pression, with his long mane and his leonine look, he was
the very Hotspur of slavery and secession. It was in
keeping with his fiery and imaginative temperament to
declare that he would call the roll of his slaves on Bunker
Hill. But for a mere chance he might have been Presi-
dent of the Confederacy instead of Jefferson Davis. Op-
pugnant and recalcitrant by nature, he chafed under the
leadership even of his own cause, and retired sullen and
intractable. But the pathway of destiny was fixed ; in
Whittier's phrase, with the finger of the Northern star
Abraham Lincoln wrote freedom o'er the land ; the tow-
ering shaft of Bunker Hill, instead of being stained with
slavery, is a monument to universal American liberty ;
and a fraternal North and an awakened South clasp
hands in a restored and regenerated Union.
For many years the politics of New York were the
Titanic struggles of the potent Albany Regency and its
masterly foes. The editor of the "Argus" was Edwin
Croswell, chaste, classic and careful, revising, refining,
and polishing his proofs down to the hour of going to
press. Around him were the sinewy Silas ' Wright, the
scholarly John A. Dix, the hard-headed Azariah Flagg,
and the virile and robust William L. MnYcy, who was a
true American Secretary of State, and who gave the
country a vigorous and patriotic American policy such
as we would hail with satisfaction to-day. The battle of
the Whigs was fought in the "Journal" by Thurlow
Weed, who, in contrast with the ponderous, heavy-
mailed Croswell, was preeminent in the short, sharp
ADDRESS. 465
vapier thrust that pierccxi tlie weak joint in the urmoi-,
and unhorsed his antagonist with a single stroke. Dif-
ferent from both was that accomplished son of Union,
William Cassidy, who, at the head of the " Atlas," com-
pleted the triumvirate of editoi'ial combatants, and who
was the free lance in the brilliant tourney. In the (con-
flicts of the Hunkers and the Barnburners, of the Dough-
faces and the Free Soilers, of the Hard Shells and the
Soft Shells, he bore the shield of liberalism. A master
of literature, he was peerless in his attic wit, his literary
charm, and his epigrammatic force. He lived to mount
the tribune of his old rival of the " Argus," and to become
the oracle of a new Regency; and you will permit one
who in an humble way was sometimes the victim of his
glittering blade to drop in passing a little flower of cher-
ished memory's admiring tribute upon his sacred tomb.
Time would fail me even to glance at the clear-cut
and incisive Clarkson Potter, the rollicking Pierson, the
reticent and sententious Carpenter, and scores of others
who are worthy of remembrance. But there remains the
greatest of all. William H. Seward was at once the most
conspicuous and the most characteristic product of
Union. He was a favorite of Dr. Nott ; he often sought
the counsel of his old master; and he embodied and
typified the teaching which the patriarch of Union im-
pressed upon his sons. In the galaxy of American states-
men Seward was a star of the first magnitude. He was
great in administration, great in forensic power, great in
diplomacy, great in speculative insight and grasp, great
in creative and constructive statesmanship. His con-
summate defense of the poor negro, Freeman, remains
among the most splendid monuments of legal exposition
and eloquence. His wonderful series of speeches in the
Northw^est pointed and pictured the destiny of a new
empire. His mind had the philosophic quality of Jefl^er-
son's, united with a parliamentary power which Jefi^erson
30
466 UNION COLLEGE.
never possessed. He could soar through the realms of
abstract reason, and could measure methods by the hard-
est and most practical tests. Of wider sweep and less
pragmatic than Sumner, of keener intuitions and loftier
range than Chase, of finer mold than Wade and broader
leadership than Hale, he was facile princeps in that re-
markable and brilliant group of anti-slavery senators
who represented and quickened the awakened conscience
of the country in the crucial decade before the war.
Through all his great career he never lost his attachment
for Union and for Dr. Nott. His famous speech declaring
the " irrepressible conflict " between freedom and slavery
was delivered only after he had advised with his old pre-
ceptor, so that it may fairly be said the voice of old Union
was potentially heard in that crucial trial of the nation.
Seward was as distinctively the leader of his party as
was ever Jefferson or Clay. He was as clearly marked
for the Presidency by the right of primacy as was ever
Clay or Blaine. But his fate was theirs, and hard as it
seemed at the time, the world has long since recognized
a Providence in it. He was a better Moses than Joshua.
His contemplative and optimistic philosophy, which some-
times approached the visionary, was better adapted to
lead the nation up to the inevitable culmination than to
lead it through the stupendous crisis. Destiny deter-
mined for him a different function and a moderating
association. It was an Omniscient Hand that overruled
parties and conventions, and guided and restrained the
sometimes imaginative and illusory visions of Seward by
the more untrained statesmanship, but prophetic insight
and almost divine wisdom, of Abraham Lincoln. And
never was there a union better fitted to pilot a nation
through a supreme trial than that which combined the
masterly dexterity of Seward in diplomacy with the
serene faith, the matchless tact, and the calm supremacy
of Lincoln over all.
ADDRESS. 4()7
Union gave a President to the Republic in Chester A,
Arthur. He had been a master in practical politics —
too exclusively a master, some thought, when under cii--
cumstances more distressing to his sensitive nature than
to any other, he was suddenly summoned to the highest
place in the nation. It' there had been misgivings and
doubts they speedily vanished, and in the party chieftain
who had been especially associated in the public mind
with the violent contentions of New York, the country
soon came to recognize a most captivating gentleman, a
most chivalrous and lovely spirit, and a most accom-
plished and conscientious ruler. He won over a critical
sentiment, and, through his dignified, manly, and heroic
service, he left a fragrant memory which is embalmed in
a new appreciation.
I have not thought to dwell upon the living ; but in
this presence, without wishing to be invidious, I cannot
forbear a passing word upon the versatile McElroy,
who careers with equal skill from politics to poetry ; upon
the clear-headed Thayer, who served with distinction as
Minister to Holland ; and upon the sagacious and coui--
ageous Warner Miller, whose strong judgment and vigor-
ous leadership have been an inspiration to sound politics
in New York. It is for the living to emulate the example
and perpetuate the fame of the dead. Union has a noble
history and glorious traditions. If she has had some
shadows, her career is gilded with splendors. Crowned
with a hrmdred years of lustrous service, her sons and
friends have gathered on this centennial anniversaiy to
honor and revere her. As they gain new zeal and inspir-
ation from this return to the venerable halls of Alma
Mater, so may she derive fresh strength and impulse from
their enkindling presence; and in the new consecration
and influences of this historic occasion, may she look
forward to a long and bright future which shall be worthy
of her illustrious past.
COMMENCEMENT DAY.
30*
The commencement exercises of the class of 1895, held in the First Pres-
byterian Church, were immediately followed by the University Celebration.
In the evening a reception was given at the President's house. The com-
mencement ball in the Memorial Building closed the festivities of the day.
THURSDAY, JUNE TWENTY-SEVENTH.
41m\)crsttp Celebration.
ADDRESS
BY REV. ELIPHALET NOTT POTTER, D. D., LL. D.
President of Uohart College.
MR. PRESIDENT, Gentlemen of the Coii^oration,
the Faculty, the Alumui and their Guests, Ladies
and Gentlemen: My chosen privilege and appointed
duty on this happy day is merely informal and introduc-
tory. Invited to the Chancellorship and also (as your
Centennial Chairman wrote to Hobart College) to "any
Centennial title or position " I would " consent to accept,"
previous engagements permit me only to preside on this
occasion, as "Founder of Union University."
Your Centennial orator holding with me that compli-
mentary remarks customary on such occasions may be
omitted, especially as between brothers, it is, in view of
the " Episcopal injunction of personalities," a happy fact
that the Bishop of New York needs no introduction in
the city or State of New York, or in the United States ;
and indeed, as I was lately reminded by an authority on
the other side of the water, he needs no introduction
abroad, and certainly none therefore at home.
472 UNION COLLEGE.
In the old days, when we nine brothers looked out over
the college parapet from time to time, and from the house
of our father, Alonzo Potter, one of your vice-presidents,
or from the neighboring home of our grandfather, Eli-
phalet Nott, one of your presidents, some of us swarmed
into the town below, we boys found that old Schenectady
was called " Dorp," while in the good, old-fashioned fa-
miliarity of the day they spoke of Henry as Hank.
Presenting the Rt. Rev. Henry, of New York, to this
enlightened audience, it is satisfactory in an age of doubt
to find as a firm foundation, a rock of certainty like the
fact that no introduction is needed between "Dorp" and
"Hank "Potter.
I come from Hobart College bearing salutations. And
as those who have had the good fortune to have been the
instructors of distinguished men have tended to take to
themselves credit for the achievements of their students
and to claim a share of their success, so to-day in some
measure this privilege may be mine as I salute you, Presi-
dent Raymond, as my former pupil as well as my connec-
tion by marriage and, as your letter of invitation reiter-
ates, my " friend."
Hobart in her 70th year saluting Union at her Centen-
nial, adds greetings all the more cordial, because Union
seems to have been the quarry where Hobart has sought
Presidents. Looking lately into her records for the first
president there named, I discovered (so surely did they
count on his acceptance and his coming to the lovely
lake-side collegiate home awaiting him in Geneva) that
the first to be called "president" in Hobart College
records was your vice-president, Alonzo Potter. Family
ties here were too strong to permit his retirement at that
time from Union College. But I find something to the
same effect with regard to my brother, the Bishop of New
York; at least he is one of Hobart's and of your chan-
cellors ; and among others called to Hobart's presidency
ADDRESS. 473
was your gifted alumnus, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Littlcjohn.
The Rt. Rev. Horatio Potter too, another distinguished
Union man, was called, and wrote proposing to accept
the presidency of Hobart provided they could await the
expiration of his previous engagements. And, as show-
ing further appreciation of Hobart's continued relations
to Union, one who became president there and has at-
tained eminence as a Union alumnus, Rev. Dr. Rankine,
has joined the loyal pilgrimage to this centennial shrine.
In that family, by a reversed law of heredity, the beauty
of the mother ascends from the sons to the father, so
that after half a century. Dean Rankine returning is as
ruddy as his boys ; Rankines have been both Union and
Hobart men, and one of them calling on me in Geneva
last week informed me that his father had gone down to
Union " to celebrate." When I discovered yesterday that
he was not at our Hobart commencement although head
of our Divinity School, and heard the remark, " Dr. Ran-
kine is still celebrating at Union," you may imagine my
solicitude. If present to-day will he not rise and, as I
must in a moment return to duties at home, send by me
assurances of his welfare to his waiting people and de-
voted Divinity School f
If something more serious is called for as appropriate
to this occasion, one of Union's alumni suggests for
mention the happy fact that in opening, yesterday, Ho-
bart's Memorial Library Building (fire-proof and free from
debt) in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the
college, we were, in addition to other gifts and perma-
nent funds, enabled to announce a further gift connected
with the Library Building of thirty-five thousand dollars
as an endowment for its maintenance. So seldom com-
paratively can we secure such guarantee funds, that this
is mentioned not only as an example but as an encourage-
ment to those devoted to the arduous duty of placing
educational institutions on permanent foundations.
474 UNION COLLEGE.
Your Ceuteiiiiial orator, who addressed us eloquently
at Hobart College yesterday, enjoyed before we were hur-
ried thence to perform our appointed parts here, the good
cheer provided by one of my household who helped to
prepare half a century ago Union's semi-centennial ban-
quet. It seems that whole burnt offerings made part
then of Union's sacrifices and feasts, for the tradition
I understand is endorsed by Moses Viney, whom we re-
joice to see serving your president to-day. President
Nott having secured freedom for Moses in the old slavery
days, Moses served faithfully and was used by the presi-
dent to point many a lesson and adorn many an instruc-
tive tale, as your thronging alumni will remember. I
doubt if Union's alumni fare better at this centennial
feast than when, half a century ago, Jane Lamey, the
celebrated chef a la mode to whom I referred above, and
others prepared for Union's semi-centennial repast the
above indicated sacrifices (if pagan, none the less tooth-
some); for, as I am informed, the following adorned that
hospitable board of fifty years ago : thirty rounds of beef,
thirty quarters of lamb, twenty-two pieces a la mode,
twenty-five hams, eighty chickens, and lemonade, etc.,
" ad infinitum," as the erudite mathematician of that day
boldly added.
I not only bring from Hobart College greetings, but
congratulations upon Union's successes. That exquisite
modesty that characterizes all Union men, that shrinking
from publicity, is such that if many of us have filled
places of some prominence, it is because greatness has
been so thrust upon us that we have been pushed into
them, and not, as outsiders have proclaimed, because
" Union men are so pushing." Despite such maiden-like
modesty, although co-education is as yet unknown among
us. Union's successes, if unmentionable because of hu-
mility, are unmistakable because of conspicuity. Be it
mine to recall them on a future occasion, should the
ADDRESS. 475
illustrious chairman of your committee, Judge Landon,
kindly see to it, as now, that in seeking to bring here
every alumnus, the committee again recall me. Then,
as has been intimated to me this morning, if the gild«'(]
undergraduate of that day exclaims at my aj)pearance,
"Who is that ancient individual representing Hobart?"
the reply may be, " Only Hank Potter's younger brother
Liph, wlio as a l)oy made mud pies on College Hill, which
later crystallized, one into the long prophesied central
Alumni and Memorial Hall, and others into the build-
ings and funds back of it."
Gentlemen, Hobart College is also celebrating and com-
pletes the commemoration of her seventieth year — rather
a large contract for a small college ; which, however, in
educational value, equals a " big thing," we believe, if all
good work and results are duly estimated. With the
cordial concurrence of the faculty and as a matter of
inter-collegiate courtesy, Hobart at Union's centennial
request has changed the day of commencement that I
might be enabled to participate, as I now gladly do, in this
culmination of your collegiate and university celebration.
Arriving and cordially welcomed at midnight, I regi*et
that previous engagements so promptly recall me; for
thus I am estopped from taking by the hand those with
whom I have been in times past associated here; and
joining in joyous reunions with pupils, classmates, and
college-mates, including the rosy-cheeked boy of long
ago, distinguished among Smiths, and notably for his
oration here, and yet another who has just favored you,
your poet well known in editorial circles, and still others
useful and illustrious in church and State ; while held in
cherished memory also are those once with us " sed nunc
ad astra." I regret that I may not meet face to face all
going to your Centennial and join in your heartiest Union
cheer and utter personally all best wishes for all of
Union's sons and friends.
476 UNION COLLEGE.
As the long line of Union's illuniinati is recalled, there
rises unbidden to your hearts and lips lines like those of
the sublime Hebrew seer. Dr. Alexander and others of
the clergy and laity recognize them as I repeat them
in the Hebrew; for as "face answereth face in a glass,"
so the true Union alumnus conforms to that character
present to the inspired heart of him who said, " Quit
yourselves like men; be strong."
It remains but for me to utter brief words — not of an
introduction which is unnecessary — but of heartfelt as-
piration : Union College and Union University, one and
inseparable, now and forever. For the coming century
and for all the centuries to come, may all best blessings
rest upon " Old Union."
CENTENNIAL ORATION
BY THE RIGHT REV. HENRY C. POTTER, D. D. LL. D,
Bishop of Xew York and Honorary Chancellor of the Fnirersifi/.
MR. PRESIDENT, Gentlemen of the Board of Trus-
tees, and Faculty of Union College, Ladies and
Gentlemen : I recognize — I say it with sincere gratifica-
tion — that it has come to be the tradition of this college
that a collegiate costume shall be associated with the
exercises of such occasions as this. The example set by
yourselves, gentlemen of the graduating class, by the
president of the college, and by my brother who has just
preceded me,^ would seem to make it proper that I should
inflict upon myself this added instrument of torture, the
cap, in connection with what I am about to say. I think
you will agree with me, however, that when on this
tropical summer day, bowing to the supreme authority
of this college, its president, I have endued myself with
robes which belong rather to a midwintry season, I may
be excused from the additional discomfort of wearing, at
least while I speak to you, an Oxford cap. [Laughter
and applause.]
Mr. President, Gentlemen of the Board of Trustees,
1 The graduating class and the president of the college, as also President
Potter, of Hobart College, wore college caps and gowns. Bishop Potter was
himself vested with the scarlet robe and velvet cap of a Doctor of Divinity
of the University of Oxford.
477
478 UNION COLLEGE.
GeDtlemen of the Faculties, Graduates and Undergradu-
ates, Ladies and Gentlemen : Fifty years ago an alumnus
and professor of Union College, speaking here in com-
memoration of its first completed half-century, uttered
these words :
"Standing, this morning, midway between the opening and the
close of the first century of our collegiate history, we feel most
vividly the power which we have of translating ourselves into
different periods of time — of multiplying, as it were, our terms
of life. With our venerable brother" [the speaker was refer-
ring to the Rev. Joseph Sweetman, the first and, at that time,
the oldest living graduate of Union College, who had immedi-
ately preceded him as one of the orators of the day] " we have
gone back to the feeble beginnings of our college. We have
trem1)led at the dangers and have sympathized with the toils aud
trials of those who, through God's good hand, were enabled to
bring it into life. We turn in thought to the young men who
are here to-day, as he was here fifty years ago, — undergraduates,
full of youth, and health, and hope. We go forward with them
as they leave these halls ; as they do battle with the trials and
temptations of life; as they fall, one after another, by the way ;
till a small remnant, weary and wayworn, with bended forms
and silvered locks, they come up again at the expiration of an-
other fifty years, to the great Centennial Jubilee ; and we mingle
with them as they join the throngs which shall then crowd these
portals and pour along these streets. Thus, in the oldest and
youngest of our family, do we seem to see one hundred years of
college life, with all its manifold vicissitudes, brought within the
compass of the present hour. We seem to stand at a great
cross-road in the journey of life, where travelers come from
different and opposite quarters ; some rushing forward to assume
the burdens and labors of the way, others advanciug with slow
and feeble step to lay them down. Greetings are exchanged, re-
ports are made, hopes and fears are uttered, and the crowd dis-
perses, to lose itself amid the unnumbered multitudes that throng
life's ways.i
1 " Semi-centennial discourse of the Rev. Alonzo Potter, D. D., Professor of
Moral Philosopby in Union College and Bishop-elect of Pennsylvania," page 2.
CENTENNIAL OllATION. 47!)
The speaker who uttered these words, then in the
prime of his strong and stately manhood, has long since
fallen asleep, and the venerable president and tlie asso-
ciates and contemporaries who then surrounded him
liave, with a single exception, vanished one and all fi-om
this theater of their common endeavors. The great Cen-
tennial Jubilee which he then beheld afar has dawned,
and children, and children's children then unborn, are
here to-day to keep it.
As they gather for this greater festival one thought
must first engross them. We talk of the mutcitions of
time, and, in a country still young and ))ut imperfectly de-
veloped like our own, those changes perpetually challenge
us. As in the history of civilization we have the wooden
age, the stone age, and the iron age, so in the history of
a community or a college fifty years may not f)ass with-
out bringing with them, preeminently in a generation so
energetic and creative as our own, those external trans-
formations — structural, mechanical, aesthetic, and artistic
— of which the last fifty years have been so full. We en-
counter them here to-day, as we meet them all over the
land. The Schenectady of this morning with its me-
chanical industries, with its vast network of steam com-
munications, with its altered modes of living, is not the
slumbrous Dutch survival which some among us remem-
ber so vividly fifty years ago. But when we ascend to
yonder hill and, passing the portals of the historic " blue
gate," advance to the college cmnpus, no change in the
group of buildings that we discover can alter the identity
of that wider outlook, so rare and beautiful in the charm
of its expanse, and in the picturesqueness and variety of
its lovely landscape, which then salutes us. Nature in its
steadfast and immutable characteristics still remains —
the silver thread of the winding Mohawk, the l)reak in the
distant hills, where, long ago, the sun sank to rest, just
as it sets to-day, the corn standing so thick in the valley
480 UNION COLLEGE.
that, ill the words of the Psahnist it seems to "laugh
and sing " ; all these are there, and as the thick-thronging
memories that they awaken come crowding back upon
us, once more we are young and blithe again, and the
future lies at our feet.
I am not sure that it would be well for us if it did, or
that if one who has come here to-day with his half cen-
tury of memories could by some magic make himself
young again, and take his place with those who will this
morning go forth from their alma mater to face the con-
flicts of the world, he would find himself equal to his
tasks or happy in his surroundings. For no sooner are we
sensible, here or elsewhere, of the permanence of nature,
than we are constrained to remember the inevitable and
tremendous transformations of circumstances. This is a
centennial anniversary, and our retrospect this morning
carries us back not fifty merely, but one hundred years.
A century ago ! Do we realize what was the Republic of
1795, and how vastly it differed from the Republic of
1895 1 Less than a decade, then, had passed since our
country had achieved its independence. Less than twenty
years had then elapsed since these American seaboard
States (there were then none others) were colonies of
Great Britain. A sparsely-settled country, a people of
narrow means and meager resources of every kind, a life
that forbade leisure and equally forbade luxury, a long,
hard struggle, in the vast majority of instances, just to
survive the hardships and privations of a new country,
communities almost wholly without roads, or cities, or
libraries, or arts, or manufactures, or commerce, — social
and domestic conditions often so primitive and elementary
that, if we were to reproduce them to-day, they would seem
all but unendurable to the softer manners of our more luxu-
rious age, — these were the conditions from amid which the
youth of 1795 turned their faces toward this home of learn-
ing, and sought for the equipment which it offered them.
CENTENNIAL ORATION. 4Sl
And just because it was so, it would not have been
strange if the culture which liere was offered to them
liad taken on the charact(U"istics wliich those inore ]»viini-
tive times seemed so imperatively to demand. If, instead
of the ordinary curriculum of a college, as we are wont to
think of it, its classical and literary, as well as its mathe-
matical and scientific training, the Union College of a cen-
tur\' ago had set to work to teach its undergraduates how
to plow and sow^ and reap ; how to build fences and bridges
and roads ; how to make tools and use them ; how to rear
mills and run them ; how to create traffic and promote it
— how clever such a method would have seemed to the
men of this day, however it may have appeared to its
contemporaries. It is, as it seems to me, the glory of
your alma mater, sons of Union College, that it did not !
I do not know how it may appear to others, but there
must surely be, to one who looks at it in its wider signifi-
cance, something singularly noble in the spectacle of
those few men who organized this college, and, in the
midst of conditions as hard and incongruous as those
which I have described, set it to teaching that " polite
learning," as it was then called, which so wisely included
not alone the mechanic arts, the physical sciences, and
those other branches of learning which are directly con-
nected with the material conditions under which men
earn their bread, but always, along with these, those
higher branches of learning wliich unsealed the realm
of letters which bridged the intervening centuries be-
tween the Republic of America and the Republic of
Greece, and which gave to human life the charm and
beauty of art and poetry and literature. They saw, those
men of the elder times, with a fine and unerring percep-
tion, that life is always tending, just because of the in-
exorable and ever-recurring wants of the body, to become
sordid and unaspiring and material, and therefore, over
against the pressure of its lower needs they would fain
31
482 UNION COLLEGE.
set the temple of a loftier ideal, and fill it with the
images of the great and good of every age. It may
never have occurred to you to consider the fact, but cer-
tainly it has in it a profound significance, that in an age
when, far more than in our own, with its ampler resources
and its larger leisure, other knowledge than the know-
ledge how to get bread out of the ground, or ore out of a
mine, was not the primary want, such knowledge did
not seem to the founders of this college a stupid imperti-
nence. A friend sent me the other day a copy of the
oration delivered by the Valedictorian of his class on the
fi.rst commencement day of this college, just ninety-nine
years ago. I wish the limits of this occasion permitted
me to quote from its lofty and eloquent periods. From
exordium to peroration they were distinguished by a
felicity of phrase and an aptness of classical allusion
that showed a study of great models and a style instinct
with the best learning. And yet the men who graduated
then, oftener than otherwise, took away such fine culture
as they acquired here to scenes and tasks which were
most unfriendly to it. Unless they could prize it for its
own sake, it served them at best but poorly. But they
did prize it for its own sake, even as for its own sake
they had first of all come to seek it !
The contrast which salutes us to-day is at once curious
and paradoxical. The century that has passed since this
college was founded has produced undreamed-of changes
in our whole social situation. One single illustration of
this, which touches directly the conditions of college life,
will answer as well as an hundred. A century ago the
average annual expenditure of an undergraduate in col-
lege was, I apprehend, rather under than over two hun-
dred and fifty dollars. To-day — at any rate in the
greater colleges — it is, I apprehend, much nearer one
thousand dollars ; and there are large numbers of under-
graduates whose annual expenditure is more than twice
CENTENNIAL ORATION. 483
as uuK'li as this. Now, when we have made all p()ssil)le
allowance for the difference between then and now in
the purchasing power of money, the fact still remains
that such an increase implies a vast increase in the
wealth of the constituencies which are represented in
our college. As to this, as a matter of fact, there can be
no doubt ; and it would seem as if such a change ought
to have brought with it a wider and more general esteem
for those departments of learning which are the especial
distinction of nations in a high state of civilization and
prosperity, with vast resources and a constantly increas-
ing cultivated class. But, as a matter of fact, the present
tendency in colleges seems to be in quite an opposite di-
rection. More and more is it coming to be accepted as
an academic tradition, so to speak, that a man may take
a degree as Bachelor of Arts without having acquired
even an elementary knowledge of the two great languages
which, more than any others, contain the choicest literary
treasures of the world ; and this change has come to pass,
more largely than for any other reason, because such
knowledge is claimed to be of very secondary value, if of
any, in the practical business of our modern life.
I may not argue that question here, open though it
most surely is to argument ; but it suggests another with
which such an anniversary as this is preeminently con-
cerned. We have come to-day to a point in the history
of this college when we may wisely pause and " look be-
fore and after." A hundred years of collegiate life — to
what are they the witnesses, — of what are they the
prophecy f There is a conception of such an institution
as this, which is at once prevalent and popular, but
which, as I conceive, falls far below its highest use and
purpose. A college, we are told, is a place where men
acquire certain branches of higher learning, and store
their minds with certain phrases and formula' which will be
of use to them in the various businesses of life. I just as
484 UNION COLLEGE.
in a school of pharmacy the pupil learns of certain sub-
stances, their properties, proportions, and relations in
combination with each other, out of which come certain
remedial agencies used in the science of therapeutics,
so in a college words, signs, facts are to be stored away
in the mind, and taken down from time to time from
their shelves, as the occasion may require, for practical
service. That this description of a widely prevalent
conception of the office of a college is not a purely im-
aginary one is strikingly confirmed by a passage in
Schopenhauer's essay "On Men of Learning," which
some of you will doubtless recognize, "When," he says,
" one sees the number and variety of institutions which
exist for the purpose of education, and the vast throng
of scholars and masters, one might fancy the human race
to be very much concerned about truth and ivisdom. But
here, too, appearances are deceptive. . . . Students and
learned persons of all sorts aim, as a rule, at acquiring in-
formation rather than insight. They pique themselves
about knowing about everything, — stones, plants, battles,
experiments, and all the books in existence. It never
occurs to them that information is only a means of in-
sight, and in itself of little or no value ; that it is his way
of thinking that makes a man a philosopher. When I
hear of these portents of learning, and their imposing
erudition, I sometimes say to myself, ' Ah, how little
they must have had to think about to be able to read so
much.' And when I actually find that it is reported of
the elder Pliny that he was continually reading, or being
read to, at table, on a journey, or in his bath, the ques-
tion forces itself upon my mind whether the man was so
very lacking in thought that he had to have others'
thought incessantly instilled into him, as though he were
a consumptive patient taking jellies to keep himself
alive ! And neither his undiscerning credulity nor his
inexpressibly repulsive style, which seems like that of a
CENTENNIAL OIUTION. 4S5
mail taking notes and very economical of liis pai)cr, are
of a kind to give me a high estimate of his power of in-
dependent thought." '
There may be two opinions about Schopenhauer's
judgment concerning the style and the substance of
Pliny, but there can be only one as to the eternal dis-
tinction between the two types of students and scholars
of which Pliny was plainly one. That distinction which
Frederick Maurice somewhere makes between acquisition
and illnmifuition lies at the foundation of all learning,
and inevitably determines its character. There is a learn-
ing which is simply an accumulation of various and, it
may easily be, curious, and recondite, and hardly-won
information. It is of such learning that Schopenhauer
elsewhere says "the wig" [the old, full-bottomed, curled
and beribboned wig he means, such as judges and
bishops wore a century ago], "is the appropriate symbol
of the man of learning, pure and simple. It adorns the
head with a copious quantity of false hair, in lack of
one's own, just as erudition means endowing it with a
great mass of alien thought."'- The figure is grotesque,
perhaps, but the idea behind it is undisputably true.
The scholar, in the highest sense of the term, is one to
whom an accumulation of learning is not simply the stor-
ing of his reservoirs, but accumulation for the quickening
of thought and for the large and beneficent activities of
daily service. And the nature of that service, and the
character of its influence, will be largely determined by
the spirit in which the student acquires his learning, and
the use which he aims to make of it.
Let us try and understand ourselves here, and that we
may do so, let me try and state as clearly as I may the
situation as it confronts us. There are between sixty
and seventy millions of people in this land to-day, and
1 " On Men of Learning," p. 51.
2 " The Art of Literature," pages 49, 50.
31*
486 UNION COLLEGE.
of these I presume it would be quite safe to say that not
five ill five hundred are, or ever will be, college grad-
uates. A much larger proportion of them will undoubt-
edly have had the rudiments of a common school educa-
tion, and a very considerable proportion of these, owing
to the pressure of daily wants, the disabling conditions
of their surroundings and other kindred circumstances,
will early have fallen out of the habit of reading any
other than the most ephemeral and often mentally de-
bilitating literature, and equally out of the habit of
thinking hiio and through the grave social, political, and
personal questions which challenge one almost daily. I
know that I- am saying something here which will be dis-
tasteful to many, and which, from others, will provoke
impatient and contemptuous denial. It will be said, for
instance, that the average of intelligence among the
American people is higher than anywhere else in the
world; that the clear vision of the less highly educated
classes is continually demonstrating itself in its singu-
larly unerring instinct for the riglit in great moral and
political issues, and that to think or speak of the large
and less cultivated majority as at all representing an
ignorant European peasantry is at once a slander and a
stupidity, I gladly believe it, but I believe, no less, that
the influence of educated men upon men who are but
partially educated has never been greater than to-day,
and is destined to be greater still. And this is the case,
let nie add, just because our average American citizen
who is not a college graduate, while often unequal to pro-
found or acute original thinking, is nevertheless be-
coming more and more trained to recognize the charac-
teristics and often the force of the processes of such
reasoning, and to be increasingly influenced by them.
Max Nordau says, in his striking work on " Degenera-
tion," that to-day every German peasant who buys a
penny paper puts himself thereby in touch with the in-
CENTENNIAL ORATION. 487
terests and sufferings and fears and aspirations, tlii(>ui;li
its telegraphic columns, of the whole civilized woi'ld. '
Yes, but who is to guide him so to interpret the larger
significance of what he reads as to make of him a better
citizen and a better man f It is here, as I conceive, ladies
and gentlemen, that the office of the true scholar appears.
You may exclaim against social and personal inequalities
as you please. The time will never come when a man
who has not merely learned certain chemical combina-
tions so that he can manufacture a fertilizer, or certain
mathematical combinations so that he can build a rail-
road, but has also learned what made a little peninsula
in the Adriatic the mistress of the world, or how Roman
law became the basis of the jurisprudence of Christen-
dom, or how the fall of empires was foreshadowed in
the " Republic " of Plato, or how the growth of a corrupt
and pri\dleged ecclesiasticism brought about the trans-
formation of modern Europe ; the time will never come,
I say, when the man who has learned these things, not
with a parrot-like learning, but in the length and breadth
of their vast and enduring significance, will not be, in
every highest sense, the master of him who has not. He
may not be as rich, as adroit, as aggressive, as appar-
ently successful. He may be overlooked and forgotten
in the mad scramble for place or power, or in the vulgar
contentions of a political convention. But sooner or
later will come the moment when inferior men, helpless
and groping in their ignorance, will be compelled to listen
1 The humblest village inhabitant has to-day a widei* geographical hori-
zon, more numerous aTid complex intellectual interests, than the Prime
Minister of a petty or even of a second-rate State a century ago. If he do
but read his paper, let it be the most innocent provincial rag, he takes part,
certainly not by active interference and inference, but by a continuous and
receptive curiosity, in the thousand events which take place in all parts of
the globe, and he interests himself simultaneously in the issue of a bush-war
in East Africa, a massacre in North China, a famine in Russia, a street-row
in Spain, and an international exhibition in North America. "Degenera-
tion." Max Nordau, p. 39.
488 UNION COLLEGE.
to him, just as men of meaner mold were compelled once,
and again and again, to listen to Lincoln, — graduate of
no university, it is true, but, from the hour when, a long,
ungainly lad, he lay before the fire in his father's cabin,
reading by the light of a pine-knot, all the way on, a
devourer of books, an insatiate learner and student,
reader and thinker and seer as well.
And thus, I conceive, we are prepared to see the place
which the college ought to fill in our social economy to-
day, and the influence which those who are bred in it
should exert. It should be the training-school not merely
of learners, but of thinkers^ and the men whom it gradu-
ates should be the leaders not merely in successful enter-
prise and in purely technical ability, but in those sounder
ideas of civic and social and moral order, of which the
greatest nations have yet so much to learn. I do not
forget the fine disdain which exists among us in certain
quarters toward the " scholar in politics," nor the impa-
tience of its criticisms, — of which disdain, unless I am
mistaken, you have, here, had quite unstinted expression
on occasions similar to this. But the scholar, happily
for the betterment of the state, however little the ring-
masters and office-holders happen to like it, persists in
obtruding himself into politics, as into all other burning-
questions, and turns the eye of his pitiless lantern of
truth upon partizan leaders, and placemen with equal
and searching impartiality. Have you ever thought
what would become of us if he did not I Have you ever
dared to sit down and imagine what ignorance and cu-
pidity, mated to an unscrupulous lust of power, would
do with the Republic, if it were not for some clear voice
of warning, which, from time to time, lifts its penetrating
note, names the insolent defier of the eternal equities,
paints the infamy of his conduct, and pursues him with
relentless denunciation f We have had our modern
Elijah, lately, in the great metropolis, yonder, facing the
CENTENNIAL ORATION. 4^f)
moderu Alial) of Taiiimaiiy Hall as he sneered, "Art
tlioii he that troubleth Israel?" and answering, as of old,
" I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's
house ! " And we sleep easier in New York because of
his brave and splendid crusade. Does anybody think
that that crusade was a less effective one because Dr.
Parkhui-st was a college graduate ? Nay, does not every
intelligent man know that that clear and vigorous and
acute mind, — yet to light, I hope, the " back fires " that
will burn up all the rubl)ish of "bossism" throughout the
commonwealth, — does not every one know that this
fearless leader was just so much better equipped for his
great task because of his wider reading of history and
the finer training of all his mental powers ?
Never, indeed, was there an age when the state de-
manded of its sons, in whatever relation they are to serve
it, a larger culture or a riper learning. The dangers that
assail us to-day are, after all, as a very limited reading
will demonstrate, but the reappearance of old foes in a
new guise. There is not a political, or social, or economic
heresy of which you may not find the prophecy and the
prototype in the pages of a nearer or remoter past. We
break the molds in which society organizes itself, we
dethrone the monarch and fling away his scepter, but
the peril of officialism forever remains ; and the insolent
pride of office needs forever to be taught, sharply and
humblingly, it may be, — all the way from chief magis-
trate to policeman, — that our rulers and office-holders
are the servants, not the masters, of the people. And the
men who are to lead in these reforms, — the men whose
right it is to lead, as dealing with a situation which has
in it no novelty to them, — are the men who are ordained
to be " men of leading," because they are first of all " men
of light."
And this not only in the realm of civic and political
problems, but also in that wider realm which includes
490 UNION COLLEGE.
our whole social order, and touches all the complex rela-
tions that bind together a civilized society. Here agaiu^
as before, we find that a reconstruction of the form under
which such a society exists does not free it from the
perils which have threatened other and older nations and
communities. We have no landed aristocracy, for in-
stance, in America, but we have forms of associated
wealth which have seemed to many people who are not
at all alarmists quite as formidable and dangerous. How
to harmonize these, and how, above all, to disseminate a
sound social and political economy among people who
are easily misled by a doctrine of socialism which, in
correcting one set of evils, threatens to create others
even more dangerous and destructive in their tendencies,
— this, surely, must be the office of men who have read
history widely and deeply, who have informed themselves
as to the origin and beginnings of socialistic movements,
all the way from Athenian communism, down through
the story of the Hebrew theocracy, — the societies, as we
shouhi call them, of the Essenes and the Therapeiit(e^ —
on through the monastic life of the middle ages, until,
in the sixteenth century (1516), 8ir Thomas More pub-
lished his "Utopia," and in our own century, Robert
Owen, and Saint-Simon, and Lamennais gave to the
world their more or less crude conception of an ideal
state. To be ignorant of these things, of all that they
stand for, and of the truths and fallacies so curiously in-
termingled, which they severally illustrate, is to be
largely disqualified even for intelligently discussing,
much more effectually attempting to solve, the problems
which to-day increasingly challenge us. Here is the
scholar's true place, and here, brethren and fathers of
Union College, will be some of the noblest opportunities
of the men who go forth from yonder halls.
And this, most of all, because this college has always
stood, and I pray God may ever continue to stand, as the
CENTENNIAL OllATION. 491
nursery, not alone of a soiiiul learning, but also as tlic
home of a truly philosophic and reflective tempei', — a
temper touched and ennol)led by the highest of all sanc-
tions, — the person and the messages of Jesus Christ.
The spirit of the greatest Teacher whom the world has
ever known, a Teacher both human and divine, was
early invoked here, and has been the dominant spell in
the noblest minds and lives that the history of this col-
lege has known. It was called Union College, unless I
have been misinformed, because, in a generation con-
spicuous for marked denoniinational differences, it was
meant to stand for a larger and more comprehensive
spirit. The leading institutions of learning in this land,
a century ago, stood mainly for various partial aspects
of Christian truth or ecclesiastical order, which it is no
disrespect to them to describe as exclusive rather than
inclusive. The men who were reared in them were
mainly the sons of those who, from strong conviction or
inherited belief, held somewhat stiffly not merely to a
particular faith, but to a distinctive order. It was the
especial distinction of Union College that it allied
itself to no single fellowship, in these particulars, but
had an equal welcome for pupils of whatever tradi-
tion. As little did it disparage strenuous conviction in
these directions, or discourage its expression. What has
lately, and slowly, come to be the prevalent usage of
other institutions in this regard was, unless I am mis-
taken, the rule of this college from the beginning. Each
youth was taught to respect the convictions in which he
had been reared, and left free to believe and to worship
in accordance with them. But, as recognizing that
greater is the spirit than the form or symbol through
which it finds expression, there presided from the be-
ginning here a wide-minded and reverent faith, pro-
foundly concerned rather for the fundamental verities,
and constantly illustrating their transforming power.
492 UNION COLLEGE.
Such words you will say, perhaps, are mere generali-
ties, and it is easy to indulge in generalities. Bear with
me then, for a few moments longer, if I attempt at once
to interpret and justify them by some illustrative per-
sonal reminiscences. I am not, with a single exception,
familiar enough with the earlier history of Union College
to recall the men who were first conspicuous in deter-
mining its character and creating its just renown; nor
may I venture to deal with its later annals in any purely
judicial spirit. But taking these hundred years as a
whole, there are, I venture to think, four names which, if
not preeminent among those who have influenced the
growth and determined what is most characteristic in
the history and development of this college, are repre-
sentative of those who have largely affected both, and
who may be, at any rate, accepted as typical of what, for
want of a better word, I may call the genius of the col-
lege, — I mean Eliphalet Nott, Alonzo Potter, Isaac W.
Jackson, and Tayler Lewis. I am embarrassed, as you
will readily anticipate, by personal ties connecting me
with two of these names, but not thereby, I hope, wholly
disqualified from estimating them with at least a modei'-
ate impartialitj^ Concerning the other two, I am hap-
pily free to speak without restraint or reserve.
One of them carries me back to childish days, — for,
alas, I was never, myself, his pupil who bore it, — and has
to do with impressions which are among the earliest that
the mind can receive. There is no lad within the sound
of my voice, — there is no man who is not so unfortunate
as wholly to have forgotten the impressions of childhood,
who will not tell you that they concerned, first of all, those
things that strike the eye and the ear, and that awaken,
on the one hand or the other, fear or affection. And so I
apprehend that no youth who can remember him at all
will ever be able to disassociate Professor Jackson from
that impression of soldierly precision, and that aspect
CENTENNIAL ORATION. 4<):)
and niannei' of almost military brevity and abruptness,
which were the first characteristics in him that revealed
tlieniselves. They created at once their own atmosphere,
and built up, inevitably, a fixed tradition which no less
iuevitably found familiar expression in a titular designa-
tion which will live in the memory of the men who were
so fortunate as to be his pupils as long as they remember
anything. But no less vivid in the memory of these
pupils, I am persuaded, as in the memory of all who
genuinely knew him, will be the recollection of those
other qualities, so marked and so engaging, which pre-
eminently determined his character. I remember to have
heard it said once, in connection with Professor Jackson's
devotion to all that was beautiful in trees, shrubs, plants,
and flowers, that it seemed to be a very odd thing that a
professor of mathematics should find his chief delight in
the creation of a beautiful garden ; but in fact it was this
harmony of opposite tastes and characteristics which
made him always so delightful a companion and so in-
teresting a personality. But not this alone. His fine
taste, his scientific knowledge, his rare energy, were all
dominated by a singular elevation and nobility of temper
which assured all men of his incorruptible integrity, and
which made him a power for all that was best. Like the
science which he loved so well and taught so ably, he
was an exact man ; and rectitude, a life ordered upon a
rifiM line, distinguished all that he was and did. In a
thousand unconscious ways his pupils felt and recognized
this, and so he stood here, during all his long and distin-
gidshed service as a professor in this college, for that
which must forever be a part of the structural foun-
dations of character, the right, and the eternal right-
eousness.
Another there was, cast in a different mold, and exer-
cising by his pen, as well as b}^ his voice and presence,
an influence felt far beyond these immediate limits, and
494 UNION COLLEGE.
felt iucreasingly to the eud. In Professor Tayler Lewis
were united in a rare degree the gifts of the thinker and
the seer. His clear and luminous mind penetrated always
to the heart of things, and a rare felicity of statement
made him a teacher in the best sense of the word. All
over this land, to-day, there are men who can look back
and remember how, in more than one direction, his acute
and vigorous intellect gave to their best powers their
earliest and most distinctive impulse, and how the charm
of his picturesque presence, and the beautiful transpar-
ency of his most engaging and lovable personality, made
them in love with beauty, and goodness, and truth, wher-
ever it might reveal itself.
Still another there was of whom I may scarcely ven-
ture to speak at all, and yet concerning whom you will
as little expect me to keep silent. When in the year 1814,
a Quaker lad, no older than the century, entered Union
College, he little dreamed with how large a part of his
life it was to be bound up, nor how large a debt he was
to owe it. Later generations will declare whether or no
he at all discharged that debt ; but no one of his contem-
poraries will be reluctant, I imagine, to own that, what-
ever were the obligations of Alonzo Potter to Union
College, he gave to it in return some of the best years
and most helpful services of a rare and noble life. Gifted
above most men of his day and calling, with a singularly
wide range of vision and a very high and sacred sense
of the teacher's calling, he touched few lives without lift-
ing them to a loftier conception at once of the privileges
and the responsibilities of educated men. A great teacher
himself, he was a greater disciple of the truth, however
revealed. Wherever it led he was ready to follow, and
with sympathies as large and generous as were his intel-
lectual endowments, the motto of Terence, ^'■Homo sum :
humaul nihil a me aliemmi piito,''^ was as true of all that he
was and did as if it had been his own. He loved this
CENTENNIAL ORATION. 495
college with a tender and inextinguishable lov(^, and
much of its most enduring fame will be bound uj) with
his name and services.
And he whose son, if not in the flesh yet most truly in
the spirit, he was, — the man to whom more than any
other in all its history this college is preenunently in-
debted, — do I need even to name him 1 There was a time
when "Union College" and "Eliphalet Nott" were con-
vertible terms. There will never come a time, when all
that is best and greatest in its achievements will not be
indissolubly bound up with his life and work. He could
say of the college, in the highest sense of the words, what
a Roman emperor could say of his capital, — that "he
came and found it of wood, and left it of marble." Step
by step, vestigia nuUa retrorsum, he lifted it out of its pro-
vincial obscurity, and gave to it a name and a fame
throughout the land. A young man, and an old man elo-
quent, he was without the rashness of the one or the
acerbity of the other. Of singular wisdom and penetra-
tion, he was adorned by a no less singular patience and
gentleness. Of a humor so delightful and so unique that
the traditions of it are as fresh to-day as they were a half-
century ago, he was as incapable of a word that could
wound, or malign, as he was of a thought that was base
or mean. A teacher of almost unequaled charm in the
classroom, he was a counselor of matchless and unerring
wisdom for all sorts and conditions of men, outside it.
The helper and defender of the friendless, the pioneer in
every good and noble cause, however despised or forlorn,
his heart was as young at fourscore as when he was
himself a stripling ; and love of his " boys," as he forever
called them, as tender and inextinguishable at the end
as at the beginning. Who will undertake to count the
lives he touched and kindled and ennobled, or to reckon
the men, in every possible rank and calling of life, to
whom his counsels and his maxims were guiding prin-
496 UNION (COLLEGE.
ciples, never to be forgotten ! Great teacher, great leader,
great administrator, but, greatest of all, true father of all
his sons !
My friend and brother,^ if I may venture so to call you,
I congratulate you that yours is the rare privilege of
following men like these. The man of rectitude, the
man of vision, the man of large and comprehensive sym-
pathies, and, presiding over them all, the man of paternal
wisdom and of a child-like and Christ-like benignity —
surely these are types which you and all of us may well
be glad to remember to-day. They stand for that sj^irit
and purpose which have most of all made this college a
power for God and for good. May they never fade out
of these scenes ; and may they find in your administra-
tion new and nobler illustration ! You come to your
large tasks under happy auguries, and with a wide and
generous sympathy on every hand to cheer you forward !
May your work here be worthy of the eminent gifts
which you have elsewhere revealed, and of the high and
unselfish devotion which, hitherto, has adorned your use
of them. The clouds are past, and a new era begins to
dawn once more for your beloved alma mater. May it
shine more and more into the perfect day !
Graduates and Undergraduates, Ladies and Gentle-
men, I end, as I began, with other words than my own.
Speaking for the last time amid these scenes, the orator
of fifty years ago breathed out of a full heart this aspira-
tion for Union College — it is the prayer of his children
and of his children's children to-day :
" Honored parent, heretofore you have been the abode
of religious toleration — may you be so still ! Thus far
you have been the nursery of free spirits, of a compre-
hensive and large-minded, but reverent philosophy —
thus may it always be. Here has paternal kindness and
forbearance ever tempered the exercise of authority, and
1 Addressed to President Eaymond.
CENTENNIAL ORATION. 497
a wakeful parental vigilance l^een applied to the forming
of youthful eharacter. Be it never otherwise ! And,
when the term of fifty years has again rolled away, and
your children, and your (dnldren's children, even to the
fifth and sixth generation, shall come back to celebrate
yoni" praise and write up your records, may it b(^ found
that this is then the home of brave and true men — of
men braver, truer, and holier than we; that better and
wiser spirits have risen to direct your counsels, and that
a higher scholarship and a deeper sanctity are sending
forth from these shrines rich blessings on the world." '
1 "Semi-centennial discourse of Rev. Alonzo Potter, D. D.," pp. 28, 29.
32
REGISTRATION.
REGISTRATION
GRADUATES, GUESTS, AND OTHERS ATTENDING
THE COMMEMORATION.
[The following names appear on tlie college register as those of persons present
during the Centennial, except the names nnnuraliered, which are of persons
whose presence at the Centennial is vouched for by Mr. R. C. Alexander, of the
Class of 1880. The register entry has been exactly copied in each case, so that
spelling of name, initials, residence, and occupation appear as given by the
signer] :
UNION COLLEGE.
1897.
Reg. No.
446 O'Neill, J. A., Schenectady , Med. Student.
1895.
512 Baker, C. Lauranee, Comstocks Stock Breeder.
432 Burtis, Arthur, U. S. Navy
427 Harder, H. D., Castleton
425 Schermerhorn, N. I., Schenectady Accountant.
1894.
94 Aufhampaugh, E. L., Delanson Medicine.
66 Beckwith, N., Stissing, N. Y Student.
415 Braman, Ashley J., Schenectady, N. Y. . . . Joiu'nalist.
384 Cooke. H. L., Cooperstown,
119 Gilmour, Robt. F., Schenectady, N. Y . . . Electrical Student.
437 Gregory, C. E., Coxsackie, N. Y Civil Engineer.
345 Lansing, R. A., New Brunswick
439 Lawton, W. L., Albany, N. Y Civil Engineer.
38 Lynes, G. Briggs, Middleburgh, N. Y Student.
450 Miller, Guy H.. Herkimer, N. Y
33 Smith, Chas. R., Tioga, Pa Med. Student.
32* 501
502 UNION COLLEGE.
Reg. No.
34 Smith, (leoi-ge V., Tioga, Pa Law Student.
313 Veeder, James W., Schenectady, N. Y. . .
395 Veeder, N. I , Schenectady Business.
36 Van Beusekom, R., Jr., McKownville . . . .Med. Student.
498 Van Schaick, John, Jr., Cobleskill, N. Y.. .
1893.
126 Cooper, Frank, Schenectady, N. Y.
122 Clowe, C. W., New Brunswick, N. J Theolog'y.
511 Conde, Edwin C, Schenectady Reporter.
39 Cromer, Wm. F., Schenectady, N. Y Sec. Y. M. C. A.
444 Crane, Fred., Montclair, N. J Student.
476 Esselstyn, Henry H., Brooklyn
48 Fairlee, Alvah, Schenectady Law Student.
338 Field, C. W., Clyde ^
461 Grupe, F. W., Schenectady, N. Y
153 Hoxie, Geo. H., Cambridge, N. Y Teacher.
11 Hughes, George T., New York Journali.st.
121 KUne, H. S., Amsterdam Attorney.
416 Lines, E. D., Jamestown Business.
261 Merchant, H. D., Nassau, N. Y
78 Morey, John R., Schenectady Teacher.
101 Perkins, Roger G., Schenectady, N. Y. . . Medicine.
321 Pike, Emory Edward, Johnstown, N. Y. Insurance.
192 Raymond, H. S., Waterloo, Iowa Business.
314 Van Alstyne, H. A., Rochester, N. Y Civil Engineer.
449 Van Zandt, Burton, Schenectady
1892.
256 Coons, Edw. S., Ballston Spa
252 Conaut, Howard, Waverley, N. Y
32 Dougall, Arthur, Berlin, Md., Minister.
137 Furbeck, George H., Gloversville Physician.
77 Mosher, Gouverneur F., Middletown, Conn. Divinity Student.
3 Orr, Alex., Gloversville, N. Y Glove Manufacturer.
127 Sebring, Lewis Beck, Schenectady, N. Y. . Civil Engineer.
480 TrnmbuU, C. W., Cleveland, O Teacher.
93 Wemple, J. V., Schenectady Clergyman.
1891.
257 Briggs, Henry Ward, Wilmington, Del. . . . Physician.
394 Burr, John W., Gloversville, N. Y Lawyer.
412 Clements, Robt., Cuba, N. Y. ClergjTiian.
40 Dewey, James E., Fort Plain, N. Y
REGISTRATION. 503
Reg. No.
176 Ferguson, James W., Amsterdam, N. Y.. . Lawyer.
r)07 Fiske. Clias., Jr.. Gloversville, N. Y ("ivil Eiig.
247 (libson, H. P.. Schenectady, N. Y
245 Little, Beeknian C, Rochester Civil Engineer.
492 McDonald, W. A., (iloversville, N. Y Lawyer.
246 Walker, Thomas L., Schenectady
1890.
65 Bennett, John Tra, Jr., Chicago, 111 Teacher.
319 Carroll, Fred Linns, Johnstown, N. Y. . . .Lawyer.
208 Clnte, George H., Al])any, N. Y
487 Comstoek, F. L., Ballston Spa. Architect.
62 Fish, Norman D., Tonawanda Lawyer.
75 Knox, John C, Schenectady Minister.
56 Mosher, H. T., Schenectady Instructoi'.
74 Schwilk, Elisha T., New York City Medicine,
320 Stewart, Geo. C, Amsterdam Lawyer.
462 Wright, Arthur B.. New York City Physician.
1889.
125 Cameron, Leroy L., St. Paul Clergyman.
244 Carroll, Edward T., Amsterdam, N. Y Clergyman.
506 Dorlon, Philip S., Troy, N. Y Electrical Eng.
493 Fairgrieve, G. W., Coxsackie ; 84 and 89 . . Teacher.
286 Flanigan, C. H., Albany, N. Y Engineer.
191 Hanson, J. H., Amsterdam Lawyer.
207 Moore, Tom, Schenectady
243 Nolan, Michael D., Troy, N. Y. Lawyer.
322 Shaw, Charles P., Albany, N. Y Merchant.
84 Smith, Max M., M. D., New York City . . Physician.
458 Snow, J. B., Tonawanda, N. Y"" Civil Engineer.
82 Simpson, J. L., Elbridge, N. Y Teacher.
283 Whalen, J. L., New York City Civil Engineer.
1888.
483 Baker, Geo. C, Comstocks Attorney.
Cole, Philip H., Schenectady Professor.
343 Cumings, H. P., Schenectady Instructor.
70 Davis, C. Schuyler, Duluth, Minn Lawyer.
181b Dillingham, A. J., Schenectady, N. Y. . . Lawyer.
190 Kennedy, William L., Jr., New York N. Y. Stock Exchange.
227 King, Louis M., Schenectady Lawyer.
383 Ishkanian, Antranig T., New York City Physician.
228 Lewis, Frank D., Amsterdam Business.
504 UNION COLLEGE.
Reg. No.
359 Little, S. W., Roclie.ster, N. Y Physician.
422 McTntyre, Joseph W., Glenville Clergyman.
20() Stevenson, M. D., Albany, N. Y Physician.
59 Winne, J. Edgar, Kingston, N. Y Minister.
1887.
35 Bennett, Alden L., Waltham, Mass Clergyman.
372 Bridge, Chas. F., Albany Lawyer.
266 Cameron, Edward M., Albany, N. Y. Merchant.
103 Estcourt, Harry S. , Schenectady Newspaper.
107 Furbeek, Geo. W., Stuyvesant, N. Y Clergyman.
424 Gilmoui', John T. B., Schenectady Pharmacist.
509 Gulick, Nelson J., Bacon Hill, N. Y Clergyman.
327 Hawkes, Edward M. Z., Newark, N. J . . . . M. D.
76 Johnson, Irving P., S. Omaha, Neb Priest.
323 Karth, Henry A., Schenectady, N. Y Physician.
209 McMillen, Harlow, Grand Rapids, N. D . . . Teacher.
123 McMnrray, Chas. B., Troy, N. Y
464 Miller, Edward Waite, Syracuse, N. Y. . . . Clergyman.
69 Pepper, A. H., Schenectady Professor.
262 Radlii¥, Kelton C, Schenectady Manufacturer.
55 Van Voast, John C, Schenectady Lawyer.
61 Vroman, Dow, Tonawanda Lawyer.
503 Wemple, Wm. B., Albany, N. Y
1886.
159 Allen, T. Warren, N. Y. City Civil Engineer.
317 Angle, E. C, Schenectady Lawyer.
15 Dorwin, G. S., Ogdensbur-g, N. Y Lawyer.
401 Foote, Thos. H., New York City Engineer.
375 Harris, E. S., Catskill .' School.
67 Jackson, Allan H., New York City Lawyer.
405 Little, J. L., Rochester C. Eug.
495 Perkins, Ed. J., Amsterdam Lawyer.
249 Randall, F. S., Le Roy Lawyer.
443 Wemple, Wm. W., Schenectady Attorney.
1885.
229 Bailey, Frank, Brooklyn, T. G. & T. Co.. Lawyer.
136 Bai-hydt, Geoi-ge Weed, Westport, Conn. . . Clergyman.
268 Bishop, A. B., Clyde, N. Y Teacher.
310 Bond, Frank, Kinderhook, N. Y
361 Coflin, Saml. B., Hudson, N. Y Lawyer.
223 Crane, F. E , Amsterdam, N. Y Civif Eng.
REGISTKATION. 505
Ueg. No.
325 Delaney, Thomas J., Alluuiy, N, Y Engineer.
420 Fowler, Evei-ett, King;st()n, N. Y Lawyer.
')i)4 Foote, Wallaee T., Jr., Pcn-t Henry, N. Y. Lawyer.
32(J (jihbes, K. Hamilton, Schenectady, N. Y. Driiffg-ist.
237 Halsey, Albert L., Schenectady Law.
429 :\rills,'Wm. C, Gloversville, N. Y Lawyer.
42(5 Schermerhorn, J. R., Schenectady
131 Sweetland, 3Ionroe M., Ithaca, N. Y Lawyer.
430 Veeder, John H., Schenectady School Commissioner.
360 Wands, R. J., Fairmount, Md Business.
1884,
362 AUison, Geo. F., N. Y. City Lawyer.
238 Barney, Edgar S., 36 Stnyvesant St., N. Y. Principal.
278 Beekman, Dow, Middlebux'gh Lawyer.
287 Dailey, W. N. P., Albany Clergyman.
493 Fail-grieve, Geo. Wm., Coxsackie, 84, 89. .Teacher.
141 Green, Jas. G., Rochester . . .Lawyer.
264 Heatley, John A., Schenectady Doctor.
339 MacFarlane, A., Albany, N. Y Physician.
118 McEncroe, J. F., Schenectady, N. Y Physician.
348 Moore, William A., Potsdam, N. Y
373 Mynderse, H. V., Schenectady, N. Y Physician.
340 Naylon, Daniel Jr., Schenectady, N. Y. . . .Lawyer.
328 Philip, H. V. N., New York Lawyer.
Stoller, James, Schenectady Professor.
312 Van Auken, L., West Troy, N. Y Clergyman.
47 Young, Henry C, Hagaman, N. Y M. D.
1883.
Adams, John W Lawyer.
251 Addison, Dan'l Delaney, Brookline, Mass. Clergyman.
10 Benedict, R. A., Cranford, N. J . , .Lawyer.
433 Burton, Prank, Glovers\'ille Lawyer.
16 Cantine, James, Busrab, Arabia Missionaiy.
311 Dent, Richard W., Brooklyn, N. Y
46 Franklin, C. E., Albany, N. Y Teacher.
204 Harding, John R., Utica, N. Y Clergyman.
148 Hook, G. S., Schenectady Engineer.
Evans, John Gai'y, Columbia, S. C Governor.
436 Lansing, J. B. W., Tenafly, N. J Physician and Surgeon.
377 McClellan, F. W., Schenectady Business.
466 McElwain, Daniel C, Cohoes Lawyer.
506 UNION COLLEGE.
Reg. No.
336 Sloan, B. Cleveland, Sclienectady, N. Y. . .Insurance.
448 Timmerman, C. F., Amsterdam Physician.
1882.
Case, Lee W., Schenectady Manufacturer.
482 Coffin, Lewis A., New York City Physician.
110 Fail-grieve, J. R., Walton, N. Y Teacher.
Fay, Charles E Clergyman.
371 Gifford, Wm., Schenectady Engineer.
22 Greene, E. W., New Salem, N. Y Clergyman.
380 Griswold, Sheldon Muuroe, Hudson, N. Y. Clergyman.
284 Hinds, Herbert C., Troy, N. Y Clergyman.
370 McFarren, J. A., Syracuse, N. Y Att'y.
102 Reed, W. Boardman, New York City Civil Engineer.
Van Voast, James A., Schenectady Lawyer.
479 Watkins, S. H., Norwalk, Conn Clergyman.
71 WhitehoT'ue, Bayard, Newark, N. J Electricity.
409 Whitmeyer, Edward C, Schenectady. . . . Lawyer.
52 Wright, A. S., Cleveland, Teacher.
1881.
379 Abbott, F. E., Chicago C. E.
248 Anable, C. V., New York Lawyer.
303 Cameron, F. W., Albany Lawyer.
374 Glen, Horatio G., Schenectady, N. Y Lawyer.
298 Henning, John J., Green Island, N. Y. . . .Clergyman.
382 Landreth, Wm. B., Cortland, N. Y Engineer.
435 Lansing, Edw. Ten Eyek, Little Falls Civil Engineer.
Lester, James W., Saratoga Lawyer.
305 McClellan, Samuel Paris, Troy, N. Y Lawyer.
Moore, Frank W Manufacturer.
Raukine, James L., New York City Bu.siness.
221 Schlosser, Henry, Aurora, Cayuga Co., N. Y. Pastor Pi-esby. Church.
95 Still, Josiah, Masonville, N. Y Clergyman.
23 Vedder, A. M., Schenectady, N. Y. Lawyer.
481 Vedder, L. T., Schenectady, N. Y Physician.
277 White, Wm. M., Amsterdam, N. Y Physician.
297 Wood, Robert A., Warsaw, N. Y Editor.
351 Wiswall, Irving W., Ballston Spa Lawyer.
1880.
155 Alexander, R. C, New York Lawyer.
205 Anderson, Wilber E., Scranton, Pa. Civil Engineer.
216 Bishop, Chas. F., Brooklyn Lawyer.
419 Craig, Joseph D., Albany, N. Y Physician.
REGISTRATION. 507
Reg. No.
213 (Vane, F. P. S., Middletown, N. Y Mcnhaiit.
21)0 Ely, Frank S., New York City Manufactnrer.
Fitzfiferald, John Leland, Schenectady. . . . Enjjfineer.
135 Laudou, R. J., City Lawyer,
1!)!) ^[uhlfelder, David, All)any, N. Y Lawyer.
Parry, .lohn F., Glens Falls Banker.
41 Ripton, B. H., Schenectady Professor.
134 Rogers, F. T., Providence," R. I Physician.
234 Sadler, W. H., Scranton, Pa Civil Engineer.
c Chancellor,
440 rpson, An.son Judd, Glens Falls, N. Y.. ] Honorary
f graduate 1880.
Van Santvoord, Talcott C, New York City . Banker.
Vosburgh, Miles W., Albany Business.
1879.
346 Adams, Wm. P., Cohoes, N. Y
37 Goodi'ich, James A., Schenectady, N. Y. . Lawyer.
465 Grupe, John W. H., Schenectady Florist.
344 Heatly, James, Green Island Teacher.
250 Kingsley, H. W., St. Louis, Mo
129 Marks, Geo. E., New York City
169 Reed, Newton L., Olean, N. Y Clergyman.
370 Sevenoak, F. L., New York City
128 Sprague, David, Amherst, Mass Clergyman.
44 Van Dusen, Fred, Ogdensburg Principal.
332 White, E, P., Amsterdam, N. Y Lawyer.
1878.
330 Anable, Eliph. Nott, New York Lawyer.
385 Cass, Lewis, Aloany Lawyer.
365 DeyErmand, Hugh H., Albany, N. Y. . . . Manufacturer.
418 Lansing, Egbert P., Stamford, Conn. Merchant.
80 Maxon, W. D., Pittsburgh Clergyman.
26 Sanders, Chas. P., Schenectady Lawyer.
Smith, Everett, Schenectady Lawyer.
203 Stolbrand, Vasa E., New Brighton Teacher.
293 Thomas, John F., Stuyvesant, N. Y
31 Vanderveer, Lauren, Schenectady, N. Y . . Clergyman.
399 Van Santvoord, Seymour, Troy, N. Y
494 Vroomau, Wm. C, Schenectady, N. Y. . . .Merchant.
1877.
402 Akin, Clarence E., Troy, N. Y
398 Bassett, Frederick J., Providence, R. I. . .Clergyman.
508 UNION COLLEGE.
RefT. No.
130 BrovviioU, F. V., Schenectady Physician.
388 Delehanty, John A., Albany, N. Y Lawyer.
168 Fairlee, Geo., Troy, N. Y Clergyman.
ooo n-jj- Tji n 1- tr XT VI S Pi"of(^ssor iu Columbia
232 Giddings, Franklm H., New i ork < n^^g^g
490 Moore, Dewitt C, Johnstown, N. Y Lawyer.
25 Rankine, Wm. B., New York City Lawyer.
387 Roberson, W. C, N. Y Merchant.
296 Russum, Joseph C, Schenectady Clergyman.
280 Tenbroeck, D. Wessel, Rhinebeck, N. Y. Postal Clerk.
1876.
477 Greene, Homer, Honesdale, Pa Lawyer.
138 Kriegsman, Edward E., Schenectady . . . .Lawyer.
367 Lawrence, E. S., Ballston, N. Y
147 Landreth, Olin H., Union College Professor.
Truax, James R., Schenectady Prof, of English.
231 Veenfliet, E. M., St. Mary's, Ohio Civil Engineer.
1875.
294 Dudley, Harwood, Johnstown, N. Y Lawyer.
Franciiot, N. V. V., Olean, N. Y Manufacturer.
120 Gowenlock, J. N., Marlboro', England. . . .Engineer.
463 Hodgkins, H. C, Syracuse, N. Y Civil Engineer.
392 King, Chas. B., Peoria, 111
98 Oppenheim, Louis, New York U. S. Service.
57 Raymond, Andrew V. V., Schenec'y, N. Y. President Union Col.
295 Schoolcraft, John L., Schenectady M. D.
269 Smith, DeWitt C, Schenectady, N. Y Civil Engineer.
502 Wemple, Frank P., Schenectady, N. Y. . . . Manufacturer.
1874.
337 Backus, J. Bayard, New York Lawyer.
335 Barker, James F., Albany, N. Y Physician.
455 Beakley, G. F., Johnstown, N. Y
1873.
276 Buchanan, A., Chambersburg, Pa Eng'r and Contractor.
2 Clute, Wm. T., Schenectady, N. Y Physician.
270 Faulkner, W. E., Fairview, Pa Minister.
253 King, H. Prior, Glens Falls Lawyer.
485 Lester, WiUard, Saratoga Lawyer.
423 Packer, J. B., Schenectady
302 Rider, John M., New York Lawyer.
REGISTRATION. 509
Reg. No.
282 Rost, Wm. F., SclieiuH-tady
30(i Kudd, Win. \\, Albany Lawyer.
1872.
459 Archibald, Andrew W,, Hyde Park, Bost'n. Clergyman.
241 Barry, J. C, Cortland, N. Y Manufacturing'.
473 Ci'ofts, Clarence L., Hudson Merchant.
333 Hillis, W. J., Albany Lawyer.
79 Kline, Wm. J., Amsterdam Publisher.
451 Mills, Charle-s H., Albany, N. Y
96 Thornton, Howard, Newburgh, N. Y Lawyer.
1871.
378 Corbin, E. A., Albany Teacher.
240 Featherstonhaugh, Geo. W., Schenectady . Lawyer.
196 Hoff , John Van R., U. S. A., (Gov'nor's Isl.) . Med. Department.
279 Sprague, Philo W., Boston, Mass Minister.
230 WUbur, H. S., Rochester, N. Y Lawyer.
356 Yates, C. O., Schenectady .
1870.
513 Backus, Clarence W., Kansas City, Kan . .Clergyman.
139 Geuung, George F., Suffield, Conn Clergyman.
7 Genung, John F. , Amherst, Mass Professor.
Lestei', Charles C, Saratoga Sprs Lawyer.
219 Loekwood, Jas. B., White Plains Lawyer.
Ill Peake, Albert D., Walton, N. Y Lawyer.
500 Peake, Cyi*us A., Yonkers, N. Y Lawyer.
218 Sherman, Joseph, New Baltimore Civil Engineer.
334 Stiles, R. B., Lansingburgh, N. Y Lawyer.
132 Wortman, Denis, Saugerties (Hon.) Clergyman.
1869.
301 Clark, Kenneth, St. Paul, Minn Banker.
363 Washington, J. A., Schenectady
1868.
307 Hunter, W. S., Schenectady Manufacturer.
342 Mott, John T., Oswego Banker.
9 Scott, Walter, Suffield, Conn Prin. Conn. Lit. Inst.
318 Spraker, David, Canajoharie, N. Y Lawyer.
368 Warner, J. B. Y., Rochester, N. Y Planter.
1867.
201 Coons, J. J., Deekertown, N. J Civil Engineer.
143 Doolittle, S. K,, Stony Point, N. Y, Clergyman.
510 UNION COLLEGE.
Reg. No.
414 Fiero, J. N., Albany Lawj'er.
407 Fish, R. B., Fultonville, N. Y Lawyer.
242 Haiulin, Teiinis S., Washington Clergyman.
355 Mun-ay, Wm. H., Albany, N. Y Physician.
289 Olney, A. R., West Troy Clergyman.
267 Planck, M. G., Schenectady, N. Y Physician.
413 Ronan, E. D., Albany Lawyer.
1866.
149 Alexander, George, New York City Clergyman.
486 Ashe, John E., Fonda, N. Y Lawyer.
499 Bates, Erskine S., New York City Physician.
390 Bunn, T. Romeyn, Amsterdam, N. Y
116 Cady, M. M., Dubuque, Iowa ... .Lawyer.
457 Dean, J. J., New York City
452 Loucks, William, Albany, N. Y
474 Miller, James C, Amsterdam
475 Sanson, Thos. J., East Orange, N. J Lawyer.
45 Seymour, Dan'l, New York City Lawyer.
88 Van Vranken, E. W., Brooklyn Lawyer.
Wemple, Edward, Fultonville Manufactm-er.
1865.
189 Albro, W. H., Middleburgh, N. Y Lawyer.
447 Allen, Elmer A., New York City Lawyer.
27 Brooks, Clark, New York Lawyer.
324 Cornell, Howard, Seneca Castle, N. Y Clergyman.
28 Hoag, F. J., Toledo,
478 Lockwood, D. N., Buffalo, N. Y Lawyer.
60 Lyon, R. S., Chicago Commissioner.
193 McLeod, Theodorus, New York City Lawyer.
13 Meredith, J. L., Williamsport, Pa Lawyer.
58 Paige, Jno. Keyes, Schenectady, N. Y. ...
30 Pelton, Frank, Des Moines, Iowa Civil Engineer.
Robinson, David C, Elmira Lawyer.
263 Rockwell, Lewis H., Albany Teacher.
86 Rossiter, S. B., New York City Minister.
194 Rupert, John L., Sammonsville Teacher.
Staley, Cady, Cleveland, President.
274 Sutton, George H,, Springfield, Mass Insurance.
109 Van Zandt, H. C, Schenectady .Physician.
210 Waldron, Z. W., Jackson, Mich Physician.
REGISTRATION. 511
Reg. NO. 1864.
112 Anthony, Wnlti'r ("., Ni'wbui-gli, N. Y. . . Lawyer.
113 Arthur, George, Springfield, Lawyer.
49 Biiruham, T. W., Cleveland, j\rerehant.
212 Carr, Elias F., Trenton, N. J Teacher.
217 Crumb, D. S., Bloonitield, Mo Real Estate.
87 Curtiss. E., Sodus Teacher.
352 Magoun, Edw. P., Hudson, N. Y Lawyer.
Paige, Edward Wiuslow, New York City . .
43 Potter, William Appleton, New York City Architect.
^20 Sherman, Augustus, New Baltimore Lawyer.
273 Steinf iihrer, ( '. D. P., Astoria, L. L, N. Y. . Clergyman.
Stnmg, Alonzo P., Schenectady Lawyer.
8 Van Allen, C. E., Stephentown Minister.
211 Wakeman, Samuel S., Ballston Spa, N. Y. . Merchant.
174 Ward, Henry, Closter, N. J Clergyman.
1863.
167 Atwood, A.Watson, Philadelphia, Pa. . . Lawyer.
497 Easton, Chai-les L., Chicago Lawyer.
105 Parker, Amasa J., Albany, N. Y Lawyer.
Potter, Henry C, New York (A. M.) Chan. '95, Clergyman.
166 Snow, Horatio N., Albany, N. Y Banker.
202 Van Vrankeu, G. D., Hempstead M. D.
1862.
291 BothweU, J. L., Albany Teacher.
397 Brooks, Peter H., Wilkesbarre, Pa. Clergyman.
496 Bm*ns, J. Irving, Yonkers Lawyer.
19 Howe, S. B., Schenectady Supt. Schools.
510 Joslin, J. T., Schenectady
145 Lewis, D. N., Avei'ill Park Clergyman.
393 Shankland, W. H., Albany, N. Y
21 Sherwood, John E., Albany Teacher.
254 Slocum, Elliott T., Detroit, Mich
1861.
358 Bailey, John M., Albany, N. Y Lawyer.
331 Barnes, John A., Chicago, lU Insurance.
441 Coe, John S., Canandaigua, N. Y Lawyer.
260 Earle, Charle.s M., N. Y. City Lawyer.
512 UNION COLLEGE.
Reg. No.
369 Fox, Clias. J., Detroit, Mich
410 Landon, Melville D., New York City ... i
411 Eli Perkins, New York City \ P^^^^'^ot-
Potter, Eliphalet Nott, Geneva President.
108 Reagles, James, Schenectady, N. Y. Physician.
184 Reynolds, S. Edgar, Troy, N. Y Lawyer.
409 Sinitli, Chas. Emory, Philadelphia Editor.
484 Turner, Robert T., Elmira Lawyer.
239 White, T. R., New York City Teacher.
42 Wilcox, Maj. Timothy E., U. S. Army Surgeon.
456 Yost, Daniel, Fonda, N. Y
1860.
255 Arch))ald, James, Scranton, Pa Engineer.
Benedict, Samuel T,, Schenectady Lawyer.
258 Birch, J. P., Philadelphia, Pa Physician.
235 Cantiue, John, Schenectady Civil Engineer.
90 Conant, C. A., Lishas Kill Clergyman.
99 Flint, Weston, Washington, D. C
181a Gilmour, Neil, Ballston Spa., N. Y Manager Aetna Life.
105 Hulett, E. M., Fort Scott, Kan Lawyer.
64 Lyon, J. Alexander, Schenectady, N. Y. . .
200 Mansfield, S., Wappinger's Falls, N. Y . . . . Principal.
214 Miller, Warner, Herkimer Farmer.
McElroy, Wm. H., New York City Journalist.
195 Patterson, Charles E., Troy, N. Y Lawyer.
417 Rexford, W. M., N. Y Contractor.
63 Sprague, Charles E., New York Pres't Savings Bank.
215 Thayer, Samuel R., Minneapolis, Minn. . .
265 Voorhees, J. H., Amsterdam
460 Wilcox, J. H., Otter Lake, N. Y
1859.
442 Hodge, James M., Philadelphia, Pa Secret'y and Treasurer.
117 Jackson, Daniel B., Minneapolis, Minn., . .Clergyman.
177 Peck, Chas. H., Albany, N. Y Botanist.
315 Rexford, Benjamin F., Jr., Montclair, N. J. Custom Service.
100 Robinson, James H., Delhi, N. Y
428 Westlake, W. B., Dallas, Pa Clergyman.
1858.
161 Cooley, Le Roy C, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. . .
162 Daniels, Anson J., Grand Rapids, Mich. . .Lumberman.
17 Enders, J. H., Fort Hunter, N. Y. Synodical Sup't.
REGISTRATION.
513
197
Reg. No.
233 Fisk, Hic'liiiKiiul, Boston, IMass Clerti^yniaTi.
14 Grahain, J. B., Selu'iioi-taay, N. Y
396 Hazleton, Geo. C, Washiut^toii, I). C. ... Lawyer.
175 Johnson, Wm. M., Colioes, N. Y. Clergyman.
Mygatt, John T , New York Business.
316 Norton, L. P., Bennington, Vt Insurance.
403 Tryon, J. R., Navy Dept., Wash., 1). ('. . .Sm-g. Gen'l. U. S. N.
1857.
51 DeRemer, J. A., Schenectady Lawyer.
182 Felter, M., Troy, N. Y Phy.sician.
170 Horner, Geo. D., New Egypt, N. J. Teaclier.
157 Lewis, S. D., Amsterdam Physician.
152 McChesuey, J. B., Oakland, Cal Teacher.
347 Tliorne, C. C, Windham, N. Y Clergyman.
154 Zabriskie, N. Lansing, Aurora, N. Y. . . Law.
1856.
329 Cheeseman, N. S., Scotia, N. Y Phy.sician.
50 Hough, G. W., Bvanston Astronomer.
353 Robinson, W. J., Allegheny, Pa Clergyman.
1855.
114 Clarke, A. P., Cazeuovia, N. Y C. Engineer.
Landon, Judsou S., Schenectady .(A. M.) Lawyer.
1854.
172 Buitoji, Reuben B., Ncav York Physician.
20 Furbeck, P. R., Glover.sville, N. Y Physician.
434 Furbeck, P., West Copake Clergyman.
236 Marvin, Daniel, Troy, N. Y Clergyman.
349 Nott, Chas. D., New York
160 Peterson, E. H., Montrose, N. Y Lawyer.
304 Rice, Edwin W., Philadelphia Editor.
400 Westfall, D. M., Camln-idge
364 Yates, A. A., Schenectady
1853.
54 .Jackson, A. H., Ft. Logan, ('olo U. S. Army.
Millard, Nelson, Rochester Clergjanan.
1852.
354 Anderson, J., Cambridge, N. Y Clergyman.
83 Brownell, S. B., New York Counsellor at LaAv,
259 Dunlap, Wm. B., Schenectady
33
514:
UNION COLLEGE.
Keg. No.
292 Hood, Robt., Livingston, N. Y Civil Engineer.
505 HitcUcock, O. B., Ithaca Minister.
514 Linn, John D., St. Augustine, Fla. Clergyman.
1851.
183 Fry, Jacob, Reading, Pa Clergyman.
179 Graham, William, Dubuque, Iowa Lawyer.
489 Gurley, L. E., Troy Manufactm-er.
171 Smith, Alfred B,, Poughkeej^sie, N. Y Lawyer.
164 Woodi-ufe, Wm. H., Pine Bush, Orange,
Co., N.Y ^.
225 Wright, Frank D., Auburn, N. Y ."Lawyer.
163
1
81
271
341
142
308
438
104
188
151
285
97
408
140
12
158
Physician & Sui"geon.
1850.
Darrow, D. J., Brookings, S. Dakota
Day, S. Mills, Honeoye, N. Y Clergyman.
Thomson, Lemon, Thomson, N. Y Lumber Merchant.
1849.
Brower, H. T. E., Fonda Farmer.
Butterfield, Daniel, New York
French, John R., Syracuse Univei'sity .... Teacher.
Green, Andrew H., Syracuse, N. Y Lawyer.
Merchant, Abel, Nassau, N. Y
Pearse, J. Lansing, Delmar, N. Y Clergyman.
Wells, Sa-m'l, Schuylerville Lawyer.
1848.
Bliss, Thos. E., Denver, Colo. Clergyman.
Bronson, J. H., Amsterdam Retired.
Daucliy, Geo. K., Chicago Manufacturer.
Diefendorf , Menzo, New York Lawyer.
King, Harvey J., Troy, N. Y. Lawyer.
Stark, Joshua, Milwaukee, Wis Lawyer.
Wahlron, C. A., Waterford Law.
1847.
445 MeClellan, R. H., Galena, 111. . . .
187
133
186
18
. Varied.
1846.
Anable, Courtland W., New Brighton, S. I. Clergyman.
Baldwin, R. J., Minneapolis, Minn.
Carroll, John M., Johnstown Lawyer.
Dunham, Isaac W., SchenYly Teacher.
KEGISTEATION. 515
Reff. No.
24 Rankiue, J;imes, Geneva, N. Y Clergyman.
173 Sillinian, H. B., Cohoes
357 Swits, Jno. L., Schenectady
1845.
29 Bailey, Lansing, (Jeneva, N. Y Clergyman.
448 Busli, Steplien, Waterfcn-d, N. Y Clergyman.
275 Campbell, Jolm L., New York Physician.
185 Earl, K., .Herkimer Judge.
272 Perry, Seely, Rockford, 111. Merchant.
6 Putnam, L. D., Grand Rapids, Mich Doctor.
89 Warring, C. B., Poughkeepsie Teacher.
1844.
508 Brown, Theo. S., Chatham, N. Y Clerg^nnan.
515 Lamoroux, Wendell, Union College Professor.
72 Moore, W. H. H., New York Lawyer.
73 Phelps, Philip, Jr., North Blenheim, N. Y.Clergyman.
146 Rice, Alexander H., Boston
472 Wood, Wm. H., Chicago Lawyer.
1843.
366 ColHer, C. P., Hudson, N. Y
386 Geer, A. C, Hoosick Falls Lawyer.
91 Moore, Franklin, Washington, D. C U. S. Service.
4 Taylor, Geo. I., Newark, N. J Clergyman.
106 Taylor, J. W., Cleveland, Ohio
1842.
53 Jackson, S. W., Schenectady Lawyer.
92 Maxwell, J. L., New York Clergyman.
381 McHarg, Chas. K., Cooperstown, N. Y.. . .Clergyman.
1841.
299 Cowles, Augustus W., Elmira, N. Y Pres. Em. Elmira Col.
198 Luce, Samuel D., Fayette\nlle Lawj-er.
350 Potter, Henry C, Saginaw, Mich R. R'd.
470 Potter, Jos., Whitehall Lawyer.
1840.
Chadsey, Demetrius M., Schenectady Lawyer.
124 Clarke, George W., Ph. D., New York City.Teacher.
222 Danforth, George F., Rochester, N. Y. . . .Lawyer.
150 Hodgman, T. M., Rochester Clergyman.
516 UNION COLLEGE.
Reg. No.
1838.
300 McCall, A. J., Bath, N. Y
471 Walworth, Clarence A., Albany, N. Y. . . .Clerg-ynian.
1837.
309 House, Sam'l R., Waterford, N. Y Clerg^nnan.
150 Williams, Stephen K., Newark, N. Y. ... Lawyer.
1836.
404 Haskins, Sam'l M., Brooklyn Clergyman.
391 Seward, Alex., Utica, N. Y
1835.
Foster, John, Schenectady Professor Emer.
406 Reed, Villeroy D., Philadelphia, Pa Clergyman.
144 Van Sautvoord, C, Kingston Clergyman.
1834.
389 Feathei'stonhaugh, J. D., Duanesburg ....
1832.
180 Kanouse, John L., Boonton, New Jersey .Farmer.
1831.
178 Dana, J. Jay, Housatouic, Mass. Clerg^nnan.
¥
OTHER COLLEGES.
AMHERST.
85 Dewey, Melvil, Albany See. Regents, 1874.
132 Wortman, Denis, Saugerties, N. Y Clergyman, 1857.
CHICAGO.
224 Lipes, Hemy H., Central Bridge Minister.
431 Neely, F. Tennyson Chicago, 111.
HAMILTON.
501 Groves, Leslie R., Albany, N. Y Minister, 1881.
LAWRENCE.
421 Albro, Addis, Bridgeport, Conn Clergyman, 1880.
REGISTRATION. 517
Rpur. No.
ROCHESTER.
5 F'owU'i-, Creo. J\r., Rochester, N. Y Teacher, 1878.
RUTGERS.
468 Ditmars, C. P., Niskayuna Clergyman, 1876.
281 Searle, J. P., New Brunswick, N. J Minister, 1875.
TRINITY.
11.3 Ohnstead, Jaiues P., Schenectady, N. Y. . .Clergyman.
WABASH.
407 Johnson, E. P., Albany Clergyman, 1871.
WILLIAMS.
68 Sewall, A. C, Schenectady Clergyman, 1867.
YALE.
288 Sawin, T. P., Troy, N. Y Clergyman, 1864.
226 Wright, Henry P.', New Haven, Conn Teacher, 1868.
33*
INDEX.
''Academy, The." Address by Rev.
C. F. P. Bancroft, 173
AdtUsoTi, Rev. Dauiel, 22
Aiken, Rev. Dr. Charles A., 60
Alden, Rev. Dr. Joseph, 379
Alexander, Rev. Dr. George, 4, 6, 7,
63, 402 ; address by, 79
Alexander, Robert C, 1, 4, 6, 7;
History of the College by, 37
Alexander, R. C, prize, 20
Allen, Benjamin, 62
Allen, William F. 358
Allison-Foote prize, 20
Alnmni Association, 21
Amherst College, 209
Auable, Conrtland V., 22
Andrews, President, address by, 186
Arthm-, President Chester A., 467
Asbury African Church, N. Y., Ap-
plication to Legislature for grant,
53 ; Lottery bill grant, 54
Baccalaureate sermon by the Rt.
Rev. William Crosswell Doane, 127
Bailey, Frank, 5
Bailey, G. R., 21
Bailey, Hon. John M., 25
Bancroft, Rev. C. F. P., address by,
172
Baptist Church, as represented by the
Rev. Walter Scott, 101
Barney, Edgar S., 7
Bayard, James A., 462
Beattie, Rev. Dr. Charles, 5
Beck, Dr. Theodi-ic Romeyn, 409
Becker, Hon. Tracy C, 5
Beekman, Dow, 5, 7
Bliss, Rev. Dr. Thomas E., address
by, 110
Board of Regents, First charter
granted by, 248
Booth, Rev. Dr. Robert Russell, 26
Breckinridge, Rev. Robert J., .394
Breese, Sidney, 3.54
Bridge, Charles F., 7
Brodhead, Rev. Augiistus, 393
Brown, Prof., 25
Brown, Rev. Dr. Robert M., 5
Brown University, 187, 260
Brown, Warren G., 5
Brownell, Hon. Silas B., 5, 6, 24;
Sjieech by, 437
Brownell, Rt. Rev. Thomas C, 63,
314, 387
Butterfleld, Genl. Daniel, 4, 6, 7, 23 ;
Speech by, 335
Butterfleld prize, 33
Burtis, Hon. John H., 5
Burton, Frank, 5
Cady, Monroe M., 5, 7
Cameron, Frederick W., 5, 7
Campbell, Hon. William W., 57
Carroll, Hon. John M., 5
Cassidy, William, 465
Centennial banquet, 22 ; addresses
by Prof. John H. Hewitt, 263;
Prof. Wm. MacDonald, 274; Prof.
Anson D. Morse, 283 ; Prof. George
H. Palmer, 258; President Ray-
mond, 247 ; Prof. Charles F. Rich-
ardson, 268; Prof. Oreu Root, 280;
President Austin Scott, 285 ; Presi-
dent James H. Taylor, 288 ; Prof.
John Randolph Tucker, 276 ; Rev.
Dr. Anson J. Upson, 249; Dean J.
H. Van Amringe, 271 ; Dean Henry
P. Wright, 261
520
UNION COLLEGE.
Centennial Celebriitiou : Resolutions
regarding, 1, 2, 3 ; Date selected
for, 3; List of committees ap-
pointed for, 4, 5, 6, 7
Centennial oration by the Rt. Rev.
Henry C. Potter, 477
Chandler, Charles F., 63
Chaplin, Winfield S., 63
Chester, Rev. William, 391
Clark, Kenneth, 5
Clarke, Nathaniel G., 63
Clarke, Prof. George W., 25
Clute, Dr. William T., 5, 7, 22
Cochrane, Gen. John, 5
Cokesbury College, 99
Cole, Orsamus, 362
Cole, Prof. Philip H., 5, 7
" College, The." Addresses by Presi-
dent Andrews, 186; President
Taylor, 198 ; President Scott, 181
College of Physicians and Surgeons,
Application to Legislature for grant
to, 53 ; Lottery bill grant, 54
Columbia College and the Hosaek Bo-
tanical Garden, 53
Commemoration, Sketch of the, 1
Commencement Day procession, 26
Comstock, Fred. L., 5
Comstock, George F., 360
Conkliug, Judge Alfred, 460
Conover, Archie R., 5
Cowles, Rev. Augustus W., 30
Craig, Dr. Joseph D., 4, 6
Cromwell, Charles T., 5
Cruikshank, Rev. Dr. John C, 5
Culver, Dr. Charles M., 5
Culver, Charles W., 7
Danforth, Hon. George F., 5, 22, 361 ;
address by, 296
Dartmouth College founded, 111
Davis, Henry, 62
Day, Rev. S. Mills, 25
Dayton, Hon. Isaac, 5
Dean, Amos, 358
Degrees conferred, 28, 29, 30, 31
Dentistry, Requirements for study of,
.148
de Puy, Frank A., 7
De Remer, Hon. John A., 4, 6, 7
Dewey, Hon. Melvil. Address by,
143*
De Witt, Rev. William R., 397
De Witt, Thomas, 398
Doane, George W., 21, 388
Doane, Rt. Rev, William C, 20; bac-
calaureate sermon by, 127
Dounan, George R., 5
Earl, Hon. Robert, 4, 6, 362
Eaton, Rev. George W., 381
Education, Baptist Church and, 101 ;
Methodist Episcopal Church and,
95; Presbyterian Church and, 110;
Protestant Episcopal Church and,
115 ; Roman Catholic Church and,
121 ; under secular authority, 154 ;
universal and popular, 151
Educational conference, 143 ; The
academy, 172; The college, 183;
Graduate work, 217 ; Growth of the
woman's college, 198 ; Secondary
school, 143 ; Studies of the second-
ary school, 150 ; The imiversity,
213, 231
Engineering school, 25 ; Semi-cen-
tennial of, 421
Evans, Hon. John Gary, 26 ; address
by, 439
"Faculty, The Starred," 311
Fairgrieve, James R., 5
Fiero, Hon. J. Newton, 5, 6, 23 ; ad-
dress by, 352
Flint, Weston, 23; poem by, 347
Foote, Rev. Dr. Horatio, 56
Foote, Samuel A., 354
Foote. Hon. Wallace P., 25
Foster, John, 5, 63
Franchot, Nicholas Van V., 5, 27
Genung, Prof. John F., 25
Gillespie, Prof.WilliamM., 63, 325,422
Gilman, President, Address by, 213
Graham, Rev. James R., 399
Grand Committee of One Hiindred, 3
Gray, Hiram, 356
INDEX.
521
Greene, Homer, 4. 7.
Greenniiin, Kussell S., 5
Hagar, Prof. Daniel B., 5
Hale, Prof. William G., 31 ; address
by, 217
Hall, Dean Lewis B., 4
Hall. President, address by, 230
Hall, Kev. Samuel H., 391
Halsey, Dr. John C, 5
Hamilton College, application to
Legislature for grant to, 53
Hamilton. Prof. Frank H.. 411
Hamlin. Rev. Dr. Teunis S., 22, 23;
address by, 368
Hand, Clifford A., 5
Hand, Samuel, 364
Harper, President, 216
Harris, Hamilton, 5, 6, 361
Harris, Ira, 356
Harvard College founded, 110
Harvard University's greetings to
Union College, 258
Haskins, Rev. Samuel M., 398
Hassler, Frederick R., 63
Hawley, Gideon, 249, 460
Hazelton, George E., 22
Headly, Joel T., 5
Heatley, James, 22
Hewitt, Prof. John H., 30; speech of,
263
Hiekok, Rev. Dr. Laurens P., 56, 63,
81, 253, 322, 376 ; elected vice-presi-
dent, 58
Hobart College, 472
Hodgkins, Henry C, 25
Hoff, Dr. John Van R., 23; address
by, 406
Hoffman, John T., 363
Holcombe, Hon. Chester, 4, 6
Honors awarded. Special, 32
Hosack Botanical Garden ; how Co-
lumbia College secured it, 53
Huested, Dr. Alfred B., 4
Hughes, George T., 5
Hun, Dr. Thomas, 5
Hund, Ward, 359
Huntingdon, Rev. Dr. Ezra A., 5, 84
Jackson, Hon. Samuel W., 5, 7
Jackson, Prof. Isaac W., 62, 317,
492; "Capt. Jack's garden," 73
Jackscm, Rev. Dr. Sheldon, 5, 85,86, 395
Johnson, Rev. Wm. M., 400
Joslin, Benjamin F., 63
Joy, Charles A., 63
Kent, William, .56
King, William H., 363
Lamoroiix, Prof. Wendell, 5, 7, 63
Landon, Hon. Judson S., 4, 6, 60
Landon, Melville D., 25
Landon, William P., 5, 7
Landreth, Prof. Olin H., 25
Lane, Dr. Levi C, 418
Lansing, Rev. Gulian, 393
Legal profession, requirements for
candidates, 147; Union men in the,
352
Lester, Charles C.,4, 6
Lewis, Prof. Tayler, 56, 62, 63, 82, 253,
320,492; library of, 21
Littlejohn, Rt. Rev. Abram N., 5, 390
Loomis, Dr. Alfred L., 416
Loomis, Rev. Dr. B. B., address by, 95
Loomis, Frank, 7
Lott, John A., 3.56
Lowell, Robert, 62
Ludlow, Fitzhugh, Poem b}', 31
Ludlow, Rev. John, 383
Mabon, Rev. William A. YanV., 385
Macauley, Thomas, 63, 326, 402
McClure, James H., 5, 6
MacCracken, Chancelloi", regrets of,
270
MacDonald, Prof. William, 30;
speech of, 274
McEh-oy, William H., 22. 23 ; Centen-
nial poem by, 328
McLeod, Rev. Alexander, 399
McMaster, Rev. Dr. Erastus D., 382
Matthews, Rev. James McF., 400
Mattoon, Rev. Stephen, 392
Maxon, Rev. Dr. William D., 22;
address bv, 115
522
UNION COLLEGE.
Maxwell, William H., address by,
loO
Medical Profession, Uuiou College in
the, 406
Medicine, requirements for study of,
147
Meredith, Hon. James L., 25
Methodist Episcopal Church as rep-
resented by the Rev. Dr. B. B.
Loomis, 95
Millard, Eev. Dr. Nelson, 5, 22
Miller, Hon. Warner, 5, 6, 25 ; ad-
dress by, 427
Ministry, Union College in the, 368
Moore, William H. H., 4,7, 23 ; speech
by, 248
Morse, Prof. Anson D., 31 ; speech
of, 283
Mygatt, John T., 5
Mynderse, Dr. Herman V., 22
Nevin, Rev, Dr. John W., 380
Newcomb, Zacchens T., 5
Newman, John, 62
North, Edward P., 5
Nott, Hon. Charles C, 5
Nott, Rev. Dr. Charles D., 4, 6, 7,
22 ; address by, 293
Nott, Rev. Dr. Eliphalet, 48, 182,
495 ; and the new college grounds,
51 ; as an educator, 56, 82 ; fiftieth
anniversary of his administration,
57 ; his proposed school curriculum,
156 ; made president, 48 ; sketch of,
296, 495
Nott, Joel B., 63
Nott, Rev. John W., 30
"Old Flag, The," poem by Weston
Flint, 347
Orr, Robert P., 5
Palmer, Prof. George H., 30; addi'ess
by, 258
Park, Rev. Roswell, 382
Parker, Hon. Amasa J., 5, 21, 22, 23,
357
Pearson, Jonathan, 63, 326
Peckham, Rufus W., 359
Peissner, Prof. Elias, 59, 63, 327
Peraberton, Howard, 5
Perkins, Maurice, 63
Phelps, Rev. Philip, 23
Phi Beta Kappa, 21
Porter, John K., 360
Potter, Rev. Dr. Alonzo, 57, 63, 252,
316, 388, 494; extract from semi-cen-
tennial discourse of, 478
Potter, Rev. Dr. E. Nott, 5, 27, 385 ;
address by, 471; elected presi-
dent, 60
Potter, Rt. Rev. Henry C„ 27; Cen-
tennial oration by, 477
Potter, Rt. Rev. Horatio, 390
Potter, Rockwell H., 20, 25
Presbyterian Church, as represented
by the Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Bliss,
lio
Prest, Edward J., 5
Price, Isaiah B., 62, 327
Princeton University, 259
Prizes awarded, 32
Proal, Pierre A., 63
Proceedings, The, 19
Protestant Episcopal Church, as rep-
resented by the Rev. Dr. William
D. Maxon, 115
Proudfit, Rev. Dr. Alexander, 5
Proudflt, Robert, 62, 326
Pruyn, John V. L., 5, 7
Rankine, William B., 5, 7
Raymond, President Andrew V. V., 4,
6, 404 ; address to graduating class,
27; elected president, 61; his
opening address at the Centennial
banquet, 247
Raymond, Rev. John H., 377
Raymond, Rev. Dr. Robert P., 384
Registration, 501
Reid, Rev. Dr. Thomas C, 62, 326
Religion and Education, Conference
on the relations of, 91
Reynaud, Pierre, 63
Rice, Hon. Alex. H., 4, 6, 7
Rice, Rev. Dr. Edwin W., 391
INDEX.
523
Kii'hardson, Prof. Cliarli's F., 12:5, ;50 ;
speeoli of, 268
Riptoii, Prof. Boiijamiii II., 4, (i, :>()
Kobert.son, Tracy H., ;'), 7
RobiiKson, Hon. David C, LM, 2fl ;
appeal for Prof. Lewis's library by,
271 ; address by, 444
" Roll-Call," Centennial poem by Wil-
liam H. MeElroy, 328
Roman Catholic Chni-cb, as repie-
sented by the Rev. Dr. Frederick
Z. Hooker, 121
Romeyn, Rev. Dr. Dirck, 38, 43, 93
Rooker, Rev. Dr. Frederick Z., 89;
address by, 121
Root, Prof. Oren, 30 ; speech of, 280
Rossiter, Rev. Dr. Stealy B., 5, 21,
22, 401 ; address by, 311
Rudd, William P., 4, 6
Ruggles, Philo T., 356
Sanderson, Silas W., 363
Savage, John, 354
Scott, President, addi-ess by, 183 ;
speech of, 285
Scott, Rev. Walter, adcbi-ess by, 101
Secondary school, address by Hon.
Melvil Dewey on the, 143 ; address
by William H. Maxwell, 150
Seelye, President L. Clark, 5, 198,
378
Sewall, Rev. Dr. A. C, 20; address
by, 91
Seward, Hon. Frederick W., 5, 7
Seward, William H., 56, 354, 465
Sexton, Hon. Pliny T., 5, 7
Sigma Xi, 21
Smith, Dr. John Nash, 408
Smith, Hon. Charles Emory, 4, 7, 26 ;
address by, 456
" Song to Old Union," by F. Ludlow,
31
Sprague, Col. Charles E., 4, 6
Spencer, Hon. John C, 55, 461
Spencer, Rev. I. S., 400
Staley, President Cady, 25, 63; ad-
dress by, 421
Stanton, Benjamin, 62, 327
Slariii, lloii. .lohn II., ,5. 6, 7
Steves, I'rof. Oliver P., 5
Stimson, Dr. Daniel M., 5, 7, 419
Stone's, Genl., regrets, 424
Streeter, Dr. Frederick B., 5
Strong, Alonzo P., 22
Swectman, Rev. Dr. Joseph, 57
Tallmadge, Nathaniel P., 462
Tappan, Rev. Dr. Henry P., 373
Taylor, President James H,, 288;
address by, 198
Taylor, John, 62
Tellkamj)f, Louis, 63
Thornton, Hon. Howard, 5, 6
Toom])s, Robert, 463
Totten, Rev. Dr. Silas, 381
Townsend, Dr. Howard, 414
Truax, Prof. James R., 4, 6, 7
Tryon, Dr. J. Rufus, 31, 418
Tucker, Prof. John R., 31 ; speech
of, 276
Tucker, Dr. Willis G.. 3, 4, 6
Union College, History of, 37; aca-
demic charter granted, 41 ; final
petition to the Board of Regents,
41 ; charter granted, 42 ; organiza-
tion of, 44 ; progress of first two
years, 45; financial history, 49; lot-
tery in connection with, 49 ; Dr.
Nott and the new college grounds,
51 ; plan of college building by M.
Ramee, 52; lottery bill grant, 54;
examination of financial condition
by Committee of Assembly, 55 ;
Semi-centennial anniversary, 57;
effect of Civil War on, .58 ; educa-
tional influence and progress, 62;
French professorship, 64 ; first
course of civil engineering estab-
lished, 65 ; mother of secret so-
cieties, 65 ; college publications,
66 ; songs of, 66 ; government of,
67 ; presidents of, 67 ; buildings
and grounds, 67 ; present trustees,
73 ; present faculty, 74 ; General
Alumni Association, 75 ; univer-
sity powers, 75 ; religious influ-
524
UNION COLLEGE.
ence of, 79 ; its origin, 80 ; reli-
gious men of, 81, 83, 84 ; influence
of Tayler Lewis on, 82, 178 ; promi-
nent posts occupied by her men of
religion, 84; and evangelistic work,
85 ; undenominational character
of, 88, 93, 144, 154; liberality in
its range of studies, 144 ; first char-
ter by Board of Regents granted to,
248 ; and the Board of Regents, 249;
in patriotic service, 335 ; upon the
bench and at the bar, 348 ; in the
ministry, 368; in the medical pro-
fession, 406; in commercial and
industrial life, 427; in statesman-
ship and politics, 437, 444, 456
Union University, 75
" University, The." Address by Pres-
ident Gilman, 213; address by Prof .
William G. Hale, 217 ; address by
President Hall, 230
University celebration, 471
University of Pennsylvania, 174
Upfold, Rev. Dr. George, 387
Upson, Rev. Dr. Anson J., address
by, 249
Van Amringe, Dean John H., 30 ;
speech of, 271
Van Santvoord, Seymour, 4, 6, 7
Vassar College, 205
Vedder, Dr. Alexander M., 414
Vedder, Rev. Charles S., 400
Waldron, Rev. Charles N., 399
Ward, Dr. Samuel B., 4
Washington and Lee University, 278
Wayland, President Francis, 57, 62,
187, 188, 252, 315, 372
Webster, Harrison E., 5, 60, 63
Welch, Rev. Ransom B., 63, 379
Wells, Prof. William, 4, 6, 63
Wells, Rev. John D., 398
West, Charles E., 5
West Point, 210
White, Edward P., 2, 5, 7, 22
White, Rev. Henry, 383
Whitehorne, Henry, 62
Wilder, R. E., 5
Willard, Emma, 199
Williams, Hon. Stephen K., 5, 7
Wisner, Rev. William C, 399
Woods, Rev. Dr. Leonard, 375
Woman's College, growth of, 198
Worcester Public Library, 146
Wright, Dean Henry Parks, 30 ;
speech by, 261
Wright, Rev. Allen, 396
Yale College founded. 111
Yale University, 260
Yates, Prof. Andrew, 62, 313
Yates, Joseph C, 460
Yates, Major Austin A., 23 ; address
by, 337
Yates, Rev. Dr. John A., 63, 327
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