Ithasbeen，andis，agreatpleasuretometoseeyoungmenjoininginreligiouseffort;andIfeelproudofthefactthatfromthisassociationatCornellmanystrongandearnestmenhavegoneforthtogoodworkasclergymeninourowncountryandinothers。
Intheerectionofthenewgroupofbuildingssouthoftheupperuniversityquadrangle，aswellasinbuildingthepresident’shousehardby，anopportunitywasofferedforthedevelopmentofsomeminorideasregardingtheevolutionofuniversitylifeatCornellwhichIhaddeeplyatheart。DuringmylifeatYale，aswellasduringvisitstovariousotherAmericancolleges，Ihadbeenpainfullyimpressedbythelackofanydevelopmentofthatwhichmaybecalledthecommemorativeorpoeticalelement。InthelongrowofbarracksatYaleonelongedforsomelittlebitofbeauty，andhungeredandthirstedforsomethingwhichconnectedthepresentwiththepast;but，withtheexceptionoftheportraitsintheAlumniHall，therewaslittlemoretofeedthesenseofbeautyortomeetone’scravingforcommemorationofthepastthaninacotton—
factory。OnemightfrequentthebuildingsatYaleorHarvardorBrown，astheythenwere，foryears，andseenothingofanarchitecturalsortwhichhadbeenputinitsplaceforanyotherreasonthanbareutility。
HencecameanefforttopromoteatCornellsomedevelopmentofabetterkind。AmongthefirstthingsIorderedwereportraitsbycompetentartistsoftheleadingnon—
residentprofessors，Agassiz，Lowell，Curtis，andGoldwinSmith。Thisexamplewas，fromtimetotime，followedbythefacultyandtrustees，theformercommemoratingbyportraitssomeoftheirmoreeminentmembers，andthelatterorderingportraitsofsomeofthosewhohadconnectedtheirnameswiththeuniversitybybenefactionsorotherwise，suchasMr。Cornell，SenatorMorrill，Mr。Sage，Mr。McGraw，andothers。Thealumniandundergradu—
atesalsoaddedportraitsofprofessors。Thiscustomhasprovedverysatisfactory;andthelineofportraitshanginginthelibrarycannotfailtohaveanennoblinginfluenceonmanyofthosewho，dayafterday，sitbeneaththem。
Buttheerectionofthesenewbuildings——SageCollege，SageChapel，BarnesHall，and，finally，theuniversitylibrary——affordedanopportunitytodosomethingofadifferentsort。Therewasachanceforsomeefforttopromotebeautyofdetailinconstruction，and，fortunately，theforethoughtofGoldwinSmithhelpedusgreatlyinthis。OnhisarrivalinIthaca，justaftertheopeningoftheuniversity，hehadseenthatweespeciallyneededthoroughlytrainedartisans;andhehadwrittentohisfriendAuberonHerbert，askinghimtoselectandsendfromEnglandanumberofthebesthecouldfind。Nearlyallprovedofvalue，andoneofthemgavehimselftotheworkinawaywhichwonmyheart。ThiswasRobertRichardson，astone—carver。Iatfirstemployedhimtocarvesundrycapitals，corbels，andspandrelsforthepresident’shouse，whichIwasthenbuildingontheuniversitygrounds;andthisworkwassobeautifullydonethat，intheerectionofSageCollege，anotheropportunitywasgivenhim。Anyonewho，to—day，studiesthecapitalsofthevariouscolumns，especiallythoseintheporch，intheloggiaofthenortherntower，andinsomeofthefrontwindows，willfeelthatheputhisheartintothework。Hewroughtthefloraoftheregionintothesecreationsofhis，andmostbeautifully。Butbestofallwashisworkinthechapel。Thetraceryofthewindows，thecapitalsofthecolumns，andthecorbelssupportingthebeamsoftheroofweremasterpieces;and，inmyopinion，noinvestmentofequalamounthasprovedtobeofmorevaluetous，evenforthemoralandintellectualinstructionofourstudents，thantheseexamplesofaconscientiousdevotionofgeniusandtalentwhichhethusgaveus。
ThedeathofMr。Cornellaffordedanopportunityforafurtherdevelopmentinthesamedirection。Itwasfeltthathisremainsoughttorestonthatbeautifulsite，inthemidstoftheinstitutionhelovedsowell;andIproposedthatamemorialchapelbeerected，beneathwhichhisremainsandthoseofotherbenefactorsoftheuniversitymightrest，andthatitshouldbemadebeautiful。Thiswasdone。Thestonevaulting，thetracery，andotherdecorativework，plannedbyourprofessorofarchitecture，andcarriedoutasalaboroflovebyRichardson，wereallthatIcoulddesire。Thetrustees，enteringheartilyintotheplan，authorizedmetomakeanarrangementwithStory，theAmericansculptoratRome，toexecutearecliningstatueofMr。Cornellabovethecryptwhereresthisremains;andcitizensofIthacaalsoauthorizedmetosecureinLondonthememorialwindowbeneathwhichthestatueisplaced。Othermemorialsfollowed，intheshapeofstatues，busts，andtablets，asotherswhohadbeenlovedandlostwerelaidtorestinthechapelcrypt，untilthelittlebuildinghasbecomeaplaceofpilgrimage。Inthelargerchapel，also，tabletsandwindowswereerectedfromtimetotime;andthemosaicandotherdecorationsofthememorialapse，recentlyerectedasaplaceofreposefortheremainsofMr。andMrs。HenrySage，areabeautifuldevelopmentofthesameidea。
So，too，uponthegrounds，someeffortwasmadetoconnectthepresentwiththepast。Here，aselsewhereinourwork，itseemedtomewelltoimpress，uponthemorethinkingstudentsatleast，theideathatalltheysawhadnot``happenedso，’’withouttheearnestagencyofhumanbeings;butthatithadbeentheresultoftheearnestlife—workofmenandwomen，andthatnolife—worktowhichastudentmightaspirecouldbemoreworthy。Incarryingoutthisideauponthe``campus’’GoldwinSmithtooktheleadbyerectingthestoneseatwhichhasnowstoodthereforoverthirtyyears。Othermemorialsfollowed，amongthemadrinking—fountain，thestonebridgeacrosstheCascadilla，thememorialseatbackofthelibrary，theentrancegateway，andthelike;and，atthelamenteddeathofRichardson，anotherEnglishstonecarverputhisheartintosomeofthedetailsofthenewlyerectedlibrary。
Meanwhile，thegroundsthemselvesbecamemoreandmorebeautiful。Therewasindeedonesadmistake;andIfeelbound，inself—defense，tostatethatitwasmadeduringanabsenceofmineinEurope:thiswastheerectionofthechemicallaboratoryuponthepromontorynorthwestoftheupperquadrangle。Thatsiteaffordedoneofthemostbeautifulviewsinourownoranyothercountry。AveryeminentAmericanmanofletters，whohadtraveledmuchinothercountries，saidtome，aswestooduponit，``IhavetraveledhundredsofmilesinEuropetoobtainviewsnothalfsobeautifulasthis。’’ItwastheplacetowhichMr。CornelltookthetrusteesattheirfirstmeetinginIthaca，whentheirviewfromitledthemtochoosetheuppersitefortheuniversitybuildingsratherthanthelower。OnthisspotIrememberonceseeingPhillipsBrooksevidentlyoverawedbytheamazingbeautyofthescenespreadoutathisfeet——thegreatamphitheatertothesouthandsouthwest，thehillsbeyond，andCayugaLakestretchingtothenorthandnorthwest。
Butthoughthispartofthegroundshasbeencoveredbyalaboratorywhichmightbetterhavebeenplacedelsewhere，muchisstillleft，andthishasbeentreatedsoastoaddtothenaturalcharmofthesurroundings。WiththeexceptionofthegroundsoftheStateUniversityofWisconsinandoftheStateUniversityandStanfordUniversityinCalifornia，IknowofnoneapproachinginbeautythoseofCornell。Ifeelboundtosay，however，thatthereisadanger。Thusfar，thoughmistakeshavebeenmadehereandthere，littleharmhasbeendonewhichisirremediable。
Butthismaynotalwaysbethecase。Inmyview，oneofthemostimportantthingstobedonebythetrusteesistohaveageneralplanmostcarefullydecideduponwhichshallbestrictlyconformedtointheerectionofallfuturebuildings，nomatterwhattheirsizeorcharactermaybe。Thishasbeenurgedfromtimetotime，butdeferred。[9]TheexperienceofotheruniversitiesintheUnitedStatesismostinstructiveinthisrespect。Nearlyeveryoneofthemhassufferedgreatlyfromthewantofsomesuchgeneralplan。Onehasbuttovisitalmostanyoneofthemtoseebuildingsofdifferentmaterialsandstyles——classical，Renaissance，Gothic，andnondescript——throwntogetherinawayattimesfairlyludicrous。
ThomasJefferson，infoundingtheUniversityofVirginia，waswiser;andhisbeautifulplanwascarriedoutsofully，underhisowneyes，thatithasneverbeenseriouslydepartedfrom。AtStanfordUniversity，thankstothewisdomofitsfounders，amostbeautifulplanwasadopted，towhichthebuildingshavebeensoconformedthatnothingcouldbemoresatisfactory;andrecentlyanothernobleCalifornian——Mrs。Hearst——hasdevotedaqueenlygifttosecuringaplanworthyoftheUniversityofCalifornia。AttheopeningofCornell，asIhavealreadysaid，ageneralplanwasdeterminedupon，withanupperquadrangleofstone，plainbutdignified，tobeatsomefuturetimearchitecturallyenriched，andwithafreertreatmentofbuildingsonotherpartsofthegrounds;butthereisalwaysdanger，andItrustthatImaybeallowedtoremindmyassociatesandsuccessorsintheboardoftrustees，ofthenecessity，inthefuturedevelopmentoftheuniversity，forasatisfactoryplan，suitabletothesite，tobesteadilykeptinmind。
[9]Ithasnow——1904——beenveryintelligentlydeveloped。
CHAPTERXXIV
ROCKS，STORMS，ANDPERIL——1868—1874
ThusfarIhavedweltespeciallyuponthesteadydevelopmentoftheuniversityinitsgeneralsystemofinstruction，itsfaculty，itsequipment，anditsdailylife;
butitmustnotbesupposedthatallwasplainsailing。Onthecontrary，thereweremanydifficulties，somediscouragements，andattimeswepassedthroughverydeepwaters。Therewereperiodswhenruinstaredusintheface——whenIfearedthatmynextmovemustbetocloseourdoorsandannouncethesuspensionofinstruction。
Themostseriousofthesedifficultieswerefinancial。Mr。
Cornellhadindeedendowedtheinstitutionmunificently，andothersfollowedhisexample:thenumberofmenandwomenwhocameforwardtodosomethingforitwasastonishing。InadditiontothegreatendowmentsmadebyMr。Cornell，Mr。Sage，Mr。McGraw，Mr。Sibley，andothers，whichaggregatedmillions，thereweresmallergiftsnolessencouraging:GoldwinSmith’sgiftofhisservices，ofhislibrary，andofvarioussumstoincreaseit，rejoicedusall;andmanyotherevidencesofconfidence，intheshapeoflargecollectionsofbooksandmaterial，cheeredusinthatdarkestperiod;andfromthatdaytothissuchgiftshavecontinued。
Someoftheminorgiftswereespeciallyinspiring，asshowingthebreadthofinterestinourwork。Oneofthemwarmedmyheartwhenitwasmade，andformanyyearsafterwardcheeredmeamidmanycares。AsMr。Sageandmyselfwereonedaylookingovermattersuponthegrounds，therecamealong，inhisroughwagon，aplainfarmerfromadistantpartofthecounty，ahard—workingmanofverysmallmeans，whohadclearlysomethinguponhismind。Presentlyhesaid:``IwouldverymuchliketodosomethingfortheuniversityifIcould。Ihavenomoneytogive;butIhavethoughtthatpossiblysomegoodelm—treesgrowingonmyfarmmightbeofusetoyou，andifyouwishthemIwillputtheminthebestconditionandbringthemtoyou。’’Thisofferwegladlyaccepted;thefarmerbroughtthetrees;theywerecarefullyplanted;theyhavenow，forovertwentyyears，givenanincreasingandevermorebeautifulshadetooneofthemainuniversityavenues;andinthelineofthemstandsastoneonwhichareengravedthewords，``OstranderElms。’’
Butwhileallthisencouragedus，therewerethingsofaverydifferentsort。Couldtheuniversityhavebeendevelopedgradually，normally，andinobediencetoapolicydeterminedsolelybyitspresident，trustees，andfacultyallwouldhavegoneeasily。Butourchartermadethisimpossible。Manydepartmentsmustbeputintooperationspeedily，eachoneofthemdemandinglargeoutlayforbuildings，equipment，andinstruction。FromallpartsoftheStatecamedemands——somefromfriends，somefromenemies——urgingustodothis，blamingusfornotdoingthat，andtheseutteranceswereechoedinvariouspresses，andrechoedfromtheStatelegislature。Everynervehadtobestrainedtomeetthesedemands。IrememberwellthatwhenacommitteeoftheJohnsHopkinstrustees，justbeforetheorganizationofthatuniversity，visitedCornellandlookedoverourwork，oneofthemsaidtome:``Weatleasthavethisinourfavor:wecanfollowoutourownconceptionsandconvictionsofwhatisbest;wehavenoneedofobeyingtheinjunctionsofanylegislature，thebeliefsofanyreligiousbody，ortheclamorsofanypress;
wearefreetodowhatwereallybelievebest，asslowly，andinsuchmanner，asweseefit。’’Asthiswassaidafeelingofdeepenvycameoverme:ourconditionwastheveryoppositeofthat。IngettingreadyfortheopeningoftheuniversityinOctober，1868，asrequiredbyourcharter，largesumshadtobeexpendedonthesitenowsobeautiful，butthensounpromising。Mr。Cornell’sprivateaffairs，asalsotheconstantdemandsuponhiminlocatingtheuniversitylandsonthenorthernMississippi，kepthimalargepartofthetimefarfromtheuniversity;andmyownuniversitydutiescrowdedeveryday。Thepresidentofauniversityinthosedaystilledaverybroadfield。Hemustgiveinstruction，conductexaminations，presideoverthefaculty，correspondwiththetrustees，addressthealumniinvariouspartsofthecountry，respondtocallsforpopularlectures，addressthelegislaturefromtimetotimewithreferencetomattersbetweentheuniversityandtheStateandwriteforreviewsandmagazines;andallthisleftlittletimeforcarefulcontroloffinancialmatters。
InthisconditionofthingsMr。Cornellhadinstalled，as``businessmanager，’’agentlemansupposedtobeofwideexperience，who，ineverythingrelatingtotheordinaryfinancialmanagementoftheinstitution，wasall—powerful。
ButasmonthswentonIbecameuneasy。AgainandagainIurgedthatacarefulexaminationbemadeofouraffairs，andthatreportsbelaidbeforeuswhichwecouldclearlyunderstand;butMr。Cornell，alwaysoptimistic，assuredmethatallwasgoingwell，andthematterwasdeferred。Finally，Isucceededinimpressinguponmycolleaguesintheboardtheabsolutenecessityofaninvestigation。Itwasmade，andaconditionofthingswasrevealedwhichatfirstseemedappalling。Thecharteroftheuniversitymadetheboardoftrusteespersonallyliableforanydebtoverfiftythousanddollars，andwenowdiscoveredthatwewereowingmorethanthreetimesthatamount。AtthisMr。Cornellmadeacharacteristicproposal。Hesaid:``Iwillpayhalfofthisdebtifyoucanraisetheotherhalf。’’Itseemedimpossible。Ourfriendshadbeencalleduponsoconstantlyandforsuchconsiderablesumsthatitseemedvaintoaskthemformore。ButwebroughttogetheratAlbanyafewofthemostdevoted，andinfifteenminutesthewholeamountwassubscribed:fourmembersoftheboardoftrusteesagreedtogiveeachtwentythousanddollars;andthis，withMr。
Cornell’sadditionalsubscription;furnishedthesumneeded。
Thentookplaceoneofthethingswhichledmelaterinlife，lookingbackoverthehistoryoftheuniversity，tosaythatwhathadseemedtobeourworstcalamitieshadgenerallyprovedtobeourgreatestblessings。AmongtheseIhavebeenaccustomedtonamethemonstrousMcGuireattackintheAssemblyonMr。Cornell，whichgreatlydisheartenedmeforthemoment，butwhicheventuallyledtheinvestigationcommitteenotonlytoshowtotheworldMr。Cornell’scompletehonestyandself—
sacrifice，buttorecommendthemeasureswhichfinallytransferredtheendowmentfundfromtheStatetothetrustees，thusstrengtheningtheinstitutiongreatly。Sonowapieceofgoodluckcameoutofthisunexpecteddebt。
Assoonasthesubscriptionwasmade，Mr。GeorgeW。
Schuyler，treasureroftheuniversity，indrawingupthedeedofgift，endeditwithwordstothefollowingeffect:
``AnditisherebyagreedbythesaidEzraCornell，HenryW。Sage，HiramSibley，JohnMcGraw，andAndrewD。
White，thatincasethesaiduniversityshalleverbeinpositiontorepaytheirsaidsubscriptions，thenandinthatcasethesaidentiresumofonehundredandsixtythousanddollarsSHALLBEREPAIDINTOAUNIVERSITYFUNDFORTHE
CREATIONOFFELLOWSHIPSANDSCHOLARSHIPSinthesaiduniversity。’’Agenerallaugharoseamongthesubscribers，Mr。
McGrawremarkingthatthiswasratheroffhanddealingwithus;butalltookitingoodpartandsignedtheagreement。
Itiscertainthatnotoneofusthenexpectedinhislifetimetoseetheuniversityabletorepaythemoney;but，withinafewyears，asourlandsweresoldatbetterpricesthanweexpected，theuniversitywasinconditiontomakerestitution。Atfirstsomeofthetrusteesdemurredtoinvestingsolargeasuminfellowshipsandscholarships，andmyfirstefforttocarrythroughaplantothiseffectfailed;butatthenextmeetingIwassuccessful;andso，inthisapparentlycalamitousrevelationofdebtbeganthatsystemofuniversityfellowshipsandscholarshipswhichhasdonesomuchforthedevelopmentofhigherinstructionatCornell。
Sofarastheuniversitytreasurywasconcerned，mattersthenceforthwentonwell。Neveragaindidtheuniversityincuranytroublesomedebt;fromthatdaytothisitsfinanceshavebeensomanagedastoexcitetheadmirationevenofmenconnectedwiththemostsuccessfulandbestmanagedcorporationsofourcountry。Butfinancialdifficultiesfarmoreseriousthanthedebtjustreferredtoaroseinadifferentquarter。Inassumingtheexpensesoflocatingandmanagingtheuniversitylands，protectingthem，payingtaxesuponthem，andthelike，Mr。
Cornellhadtakenuponhimselfafearfulload，anditpresseduponhimheavily。Butthiswasnotall。Itwas，indeed，farfromtheworst;for，inhisanxietytobringtheuniversitytownintoeasyconnectionwiththerailwaysystemoftheState，hehadinvestedverylargelyinlocalrailwaysleadingintoIthaca。Underthesecircumstances，whilehemadeheroiceffortsandsacrifices，hisrelationstothecomptrolleroftheState，whostillhadinhischargethelandscripoftheuniversity，becameexceedinglydifficult。AttheverycrisisofthisdifficultyMr。Cornell’shardworkprovedtoomuchforhim，andhelaydowntodie。Theuniversityaffairs，sofarastheland—grantfundwasconcerned，seemedhopelesslyentangledwithhisownandwiththoseoftheState:itseemedaltogetherlikelythatathisdeaththeinstitutionwouldbesubjectedtoyearsoflitigation，tohavingitsendowmenttiedupinthecourts，andtoasuspensionofitsoperations。Happily，wehadasouradviserFrancisMilesFinch，sincejusticeoftheCourtofAppealsoftheState，andnowdeanoftheLawSchool——amanofnoblecharacter，ofwonderfullyvariedgifts，anadmirablelegaladviser，devotedpersonallytoMr。Cornell，andnolessdevotedtotheuniversity。
HesetatworktodisentanglethebusinessrelationsofMr。Cornellwiththeuniversity，andofbothwiththeState。
Everymemberoftheboard，everymemberofMr。Cornell’sfamily，——indeed，everymemberofthecommunity，——
knewhimtobehonest，faithful，andcapable。Helaboredtoexcellentpurpose，andinduetimetheprincipalfinancialmembersoftheboardwerebroughttogetheratIthacatoconsiderhissolutionoftheproblem。Itwasindeedadarkday;wewerestillundertheshadowof``BlackFriday，’’theworstfinancialcalamityinthehistoryofthenation。Mr。Finchshowedusthatthefirstthingneedfulwastoraiseabouttwohundredandfiftythousanddollars，whichcouldbetenderedtothecomptrolleroftheStateincash，who，onreceivingit，wouldimmediatelyturnovertothetrusteesthelandscrip，whichitwasall—importantshouldbeinourpossessionatthedeathofMr。Cornell。HenextpointedoutthemeasurestobetakeninseparatingtheinterestsoftheuniversityfromMr。Cornell’sestate，andthesewereprovidedfor。Thesumrequiredforobtainingcontrolofthelandscripwasimmediatelysubscribedasaloan，virtuallywithoutsecurity，bymembersoftheboardthenpresent;
thoughatthatdepressingfinancialperiodofthecountrystrongmenwentaboutwiththebestofsecurities，unabletoborrowmoneyuponthem。InafewdaysMr。Cornellwasdead;buttheuniversitywassafe。Mr。Finch’splanworkedwellineveryparticular;andthis，whichappearedlikelytobeagreatcalamity，resultedintheboardoftrusteesobtainingcontrolofthelandedendowmentoftheinstitution，withoutwhichitmusthavefailed。Buttheweekswhilethesenegotiationsweregoingonweregloomyindeedforme;rarelyinmylifehaveIbeensounhappy。Thatcrisisofourfatewasthewinterof1874。
Theweatherwascoldanddepressing，myfamilyfaroffinSyracuse。Mymainrefugethen，asatsundryothertimesofdeeppersonaldistress，wasinwork。Inthelittlesouthwestroomofthepresident’shouse，hardlyyetfinishedandstillunfurnished，Imademyheadquarters。Everymorn—
ingablazingfirewaslightedonthehearth;everydayI
devotedmyselftouniversityworkandtostudyformylectures。Happily，mysubjectinterestedmedeeply。Itwas``TheAgeofDiscovery’’;and，surroundedwithmybooks，Iworkedon，forgetful，forthetime，oftheDecemberstormshowlingaboutthehouse，andofthestillmorefearfulstormsbeatingagainsttheuniversity。ThreenewlectureshavingbeenthusaddedtomycourseontheRenaissanceperiod，Ideliveredthemtomyclass;and，justasI
wasfinishingthelastofthem，amessengercametotellmethatMr。Cornellwasdying。Dismissingmystudents，I
hurriedtohishouse，butwasjusttoolate;afewminutesbeforemyarrivalhiseyeshadclosedindeath。Buthisworkwasdone——noblydone。AsIgazeduponhisdeadfaceonthat9thofDecember，1874，Irememberwellthatmyfirstfeelingwasthathewashappilyoutofthestruggle;andthat，whereverhemightbe，Icouldwishtobestillwithhim。Buttherewasnotimeforunavailingregrets。Welaidhimreverentlyandaffectionatelytorest，inthemidstofthescenessodeartohim，withinthesoundoftheuniversitychimeshesolovedtohear，andpressedonwiththework。
Afewyearslatercameanothercalamity，not，liketheothers，touchingthefoundationsandthreateningtheexistenceoftheuniversity，yethardlylesscrushingatthetime;indeed，withtwoexceptions，itwasthemostdepressingIhaveeverencountered。AttheestablishmentoftheuniversityinIthaca，oneofthechartertrusteeswhoshowedhimselfespeciallymunificenttothenewenterprisewasMr。JohnMcGraw。Onemorning，whileIwasinthemidstofthelargecollectionofbookssentbymefromEurope，endeavoringtobringthemintosomeorderbeforetheopeningday，hisdaughter，MissJennyMcGraw，camein，andIhadthepleasureofshowinghersomeofourmoreinterestingtreasures。Shewasawomanofkindandthoughtfulnature，hadtraveledinherowncountryandabroadtogoodpurpose，andwasevidentlydeeplyinterested。Nextdayherfathermetmeandsaid:``Well，youarepressingusallintotheservice。Jennycamehomeyesterday，andsaidveryearnestly，`IwishthatIcoulddosomethingtohelpontheuniversity’;towhichI
replied，`Verywell。Doanythingyoulike;Ishallbegladtoseeyoujoininthework。’’’Theresultwasthegiftfromherofthechimeofbellswhichwasrungattheopeningoftheuniversity，andwhich，withtheadditionsafterwardmadetoit，havedonebeautifulservice。Onthebellsshethusgavewereinscribedtheversesoftheninety—
fifthchantofTennyson’s``InMemoriam’’;andsomeweeksafterwardIhadthepleasureofplacinginherhandswhatsheconsideredanamplereturnforhergift——
afriendlyletterfromTennysonhimself，containingsomeofthestanzaswrittenoutinhisownhand。Sobeganherinterestintheuniversity——aninterestwhichneverfaltered。
Afewyearslatershemarriedoneofourprofessors，anoldfriendofmine，andhermarriageprovedexceedinglyhappy;but，alas，itshappinesswasdestinedtobebrief！
LessthantwoyearsafterherweddingdayshewasbroughthomefromEuropetobreatheherlastinherhusband’scottageontheuniversitygrounds，andwasburiedfromthebeautifulresidencewhichshehadbuilthardby，andhadstoredwithworksofartineveryfield。
Attheopeningofherwillitwasfoundthat，whileshehadmadeampleprovisionforallwhowerenearanddeartoher，andforamultitudeofcharities，shehadlefttotheuniversityverynearlytwomillionsofdollars，aportionofwhichwastobeusedforastudenthospital，andthebulkoftheremainder，amountingtomorethanamillionandahalf，fortheuniversitylibrary。Herhusbandjoinedmostheartilyinherpurpose，andallseemedreadyforcarryingitoutinawaywhichwouldhavemadeCornellUniversity，inthatrespect，unquestionablytheforemostontheAmericancontinent。Assoonasthismunificentbequestwasannounced，Iaskedourleadinglawyer，JudgeDouglasBoardman，whetherourcharterallowedtheuniversitytotakeit，callinghisattentiontothefactthat，likemostofitskindintheStateofNewYork，itrestrictedtheamountofpropertywhichtheuniversitycouldhold，andremindinghimthatwehadalreadyexceededthelimitthusallowed。Tothisheansweredthattherestrictionwasintendedsimplytopreventtheendowmentofcorporationsbeyondwhatthelegislaturemightthinkbestforthecommonwealth;thatiftheattorney—
generaldidnotbeginproceedingsagainstustopreventourtakingtheproperty，nooneelsecould;andthathewouldcertainlynevertroubleus。
InviewofthefactthatJudgeBoardmanhadlongexperienceandwasatthetimejudgeoftheSupremeCourtoftheState，Ibanishedallthoughtofdifficulty;thoughIcouldnotbutregretthat，ashedrewMrs。Fiske’swill，andatthesametimeknewtherestrictionsofourcharter，hehadnotgivenusahint，sothatwecouldhavehadourpowersofholdingpropertyenlarged。Itwouldhavebeenperfectlyeasytohavetherestrictionsremoved，and，asamatteroffact，thelegislatureshortlyafterwardremovedthementirely，withouttheslightestobjection;butthisactionwastoolatetoenableustotaketheMcGraw—Fiskebequest。
Aboutafortnightaftertheseassurancesthatwewereperfectlysafe，JudgeBoardmansentforme，andonmeetinghimIfoundthathehaddiscoveredadecisionoftheCourtofAppeals——renderedafewyearsbefore——whichmightpreventouracceptingthebequest。
ButtherewasstillmuchhopeofinducingthemainheirstoallowthepurposeofMrs。Fisketobecarriedout。Withoutimputinganyevilintentionstoanyperson，Ifullybelieve——indeed，ImaysayIKNOW——that，hadthematterbeenplacedinmyhands，thisvastendowmentwouldhavebeensavedtous;butitwasnotsotobe。Personalcomplicationshadarisenbetweenthemainheirandtwoofourtrusteeswhichincreasedtheembarrassmentsofthesituation。Itisneedlesstogointothemnow;letallthatbeburied;butitmayatleastbesaidthatdayandnightI
laboredtomakesomesortofarrangementbetweentheprincipalheirandtheuniversity，andfinallytookthesteamerforEuropeinordertomeethimandseeifsomearrangementcouldbemade。Butpersonalbitternesshadenteredtoolargelyintothecontest，andmyeffortswereinvain。Thoughourlegaladvisersinsistedthattheuniversitywassureofwinningthecase，welostitineverycourt——firstintheSupremeCourtoftheState，thenintheCourtofAppeals，andfinallyintheSupremeCourtoftheUnitedStates。Tomeallthiswasmostdistressing。Thecreationofsuchalibrarywouldhavebeentheculminationofmywork;IcouldthenhavesungmyNuncdimittis。Butthecalamitywasnotwithoutitscompensations。Whentheworstwasknown，Mr。HenryW。Sage，alifelongfriendofMr。McGrawandofMrs。Fiske，cametomyhouse，evidentlywiththedesiretoconsoleme。Hesaid:``Don’tallowthismattertopreyuponyou;Jennyshallhaveherlibrary;itshallyetbebuiltandwellendowed。’’Hewastruetohispromise。Onthefinaldecisionagainstus，headdedtohispreviouslargegiftstotheuniversityanewdonationofoversixhundredthousanddollars，halfofwhichwenttotheerectionofthepresentlibrarybuilding，andtheotherhalftoanendowmentfund。
ProfessorFiskealsojoinedmunificentlyinenlargingthelibrary，addingvariousgiftswhichhispractisedeyeshowedhimwereneeded，and，amongthese，twocollections，oneuponDanteandoneinRomanceliterature，eachthebestofitskindintheUnitedStates。Mr。WilliamSagealsoaddedthenotedlibraryinGermanliteratureofProfessorZarnckeofLeipsic;andvariousotherscontributedcollections，largerorsmaller，sothatthelibraryhasbecome，asawhole，oneofthebestinthecountry。AsIvisitit，thereoftencomebackvividlytomeremembrancesofmycollegedays，whenIwaswonttoentertheYalelibraryandstandamazedinthemidstofthesixtythousandvolumeswhichhadbeenbroughttogetherduringonehundredandfiftyyears。Theyfilledmewithawe。
ButCornellUniversityhasnow，withinfortyyearsfromitsfoundation，accumulatedverynearlythreehundredthousandvolumes，manyamongthemoffargreatervaluethananythingcontainedintheYalelibraryofmyday;
andasIrevisetheselinescomesnewsthatthewillofProfessorFiske，whorecentlydiedatFrankfort—on—the—Main，givestothelibraryallofhissplendidcollectionsinItalianhistoryandliteratureatFlorence，withtheadditionofnearlyhalfamillionofdollars。
Besidethesefinancialandothertroubles，anotherclassofdifficultiesbesetus，whichwere，attimes，almostasvexatious。ThesewerethecontinuedattacksmadebygoodmeninvariouspartsoftheStateandNation，whothoughttheysawinCornellastronghold—first，ofideasinreligionantagonistictotheirown;andsecondly，ofideasineducationlikelytoinjuretheirsectariancolleges。FromthedaywhenourcharterwasunderconsiderationatAlbanytheyneverrelented，andattimestheywereviolent。
Thereportsofmyinaugurationspeechwere，insundrydenominationalnewspapers，utterlydistorted;farandwidewasspreadthestorythatMr。Cornellandmyselfwereattemptingtoestablishaninstitutionforthepropagationof``atheism’’and``infidelity。’’Certainlynothingcouldhavebeenfurtherfromthepurposeofeitherofus。
Hehadaided，andlovedtoaid，everyformofChristianity;
IwasmyselfamemberofaChristianchurchandatrusteeofadenominationalcollege。Everythingthatwecoulddointhewayofreasoningwithourassailantswasinvain。
Intalkingwithstudentsfromtimetotime，Ilearnedthat，inmanycases，theirpastorshadearnestlybesoughtthemtogotoanyotherinstitutionratherthantoCornell;
reportsofhostilesermonsreachedus;bitterdiatribesconstantlyappearedindenominationalnewspapers，andespeciallyvirulentwerevariousaddressesgivenonpublicoccasionsinthesectariancollegeswhichfeltthemselvesinjuredbythecreationofanunsectarianinstitutiononsolargeascale。Typicalwastheattackmadebyaneminentdivinewho，havingbeeninstalledaspresidentoveroneofthesmallercollegesoftheState，thoughtithisdutytodenouncemeasan``atheist，’’andtodothisespeciallyinthecitywhereIhadformerlyresided，andinthechurchwhichsomeofmyfamilyattended。Itooknonoticeofthecharge，andpursuedtheeventenorofmyway;butthepresstookitup，anditrecoileduponthemanwhomadeit。
PerhapsthemostcomicaloftheseattackswasonemadebyaclergymanofsomereputebeforethePresbyterianSynodatAuburninwesternNewYork。Thisgentleman，havingattendedoneortwoofthelecturesbyAgassizbeforeourscientificstudents，immediatelyrushedofftothismeetingofhisbrethren，andinsistedthatthegreatnaturalistwas``preachingatheismandDarwinism’’attheuniversity。Heseemedabouttomakeadecidedimpression，whentherearoseaverydearoldfriendofmine，theRev。Dr。ShermanCanfield，pastoroftheFirstPresbyterianChurchinSyracuse，who，fortunately，wasascholarabreastofcurrentquestions。Dr。CanfieldquietlyremarkedthathewasamazedtolearnthatAgassizhad，insoshortatime，becomeanatheist，andnotlessastonishedtohearthathehadbeenconvertedtoDarwinism;thatuptothatmomenthehadconsideredAgassizadeeplyreligiousman，andalsotheforemost——possibly，indeed，thelast——greatopponentoftheDarwinianhypothesis。HethereforesuggestedthattheresolutiondenouncingCornellUniversitybroughtinbyhisreverendbrotherbelaidonthetabletoawaitfurtherinvestigation。Itwasthusdisposedof，and，inthatregionatleast，itwasneverheardofmore。Pleasingisittometochroniclethefactthat，atDr。Canfield’sdeath，helefttotheuniversityaveryimportantpartofhislibrary。
FromanotherdenominationalcollegecameanattackonGoldwinSmith。Oneofitsprofessorspublished，intheProtestantEpiscopal``GospelMessenger，’’anattackupontheuniversityforcallingintoitsfacultya``WestminsterReviewer’’;thefactbeingthatGoldwinSmithwasatthattimeamemberoftheChurchofEngland，andhadneverwrittenforthe``WestminsterReview’’
saveinreplytooneofitsarticles。So，too，whenthereweresculpturedonthestoneseatwhichhehadorderedcarvedfortheuniversitygroundsthewords，``Aboveallnationsishumanity，’’therecameanoutburst。Sundrypastors，intheiranxietyforthesoulsofthestudents，couldnottellwhetherthisinscriptionsavoredmoreofatheismorofpantheism。Itssimplesignificance——thattheclaimsofhumanityareabovethoseofnationality——entirelyescapedthem。PulpitcushionswerebeateninallpartsoftheStateagainstus，andsolemnwarningswererenewedtostudentsbytheirpastorstogoanywherefortheireducationratherthantoCornell。Curiously，thisfactbecamenotonlyagratuitous，butaneffective，advertisement:
manyofthebrightestmenwhocametousinthosedaysconfessedtomethattheseattacksfirstdirectedtheirattentiontous。
Wealsoowedsomemunificentgiftstothissamecause。
Intwocasesgentlemencameforwardandmadelargeadditionstoourendowmentastheirwayofshowingdisbeliefintheseattacksorcontemptforthem。
Still，theattackswerevexatiousevenwhenimpotent。
IngeniouswastheschemecarriedoutbyazealousyoungclergymansettledforashorttimeinIthaca。Comingonedayintomyprivatelibrary，hetoldmethathewasveryanxioustoborrowsomeworksshowingthemorerecenttendenciesofliberalthought。Itookhimtooneofmybook—cases，inwhich，bythesideoftheworksofBossuetandFnelonandThomasArnoldandRobertsonofBrighton，hefoundthoseofChanning，Parker，Renan，Strauss，andthemenwho，inthemiddleyearsofthelastcentury，wereheldtorepresentadvancedthought。Helookedthemoverforsometime，madesomeexcusefornotborrowinganyofthemjustthen，andIheardnothingmorefromhimuntiltherecame，inadenominationalnewspaper，hiseloquentdenunciationofmeforpossessingsuchbooks。Impressive，too，musthavebeentheutterancesofaneminent``revivalist’’who，invariousWesterncities，loudlyassertedthatMr。Cornellhaddiedlamentinghisinabilitytobasehisuniversityonatheism，andthatIhadfledtoEuropedeclaringthatinAmericaaninfideluniversitywas，asyet，animpossibility。