Report of the trigintennial meeting with a biographical and statistical record online

partment of Yale's life. Lord Wellington once pointed to the playground of Eton and said:
â– 'The battle of Waterloo was won on that field." Many a battle, important in the world's his-
tory, and not yet recorded, has already been won through Yale athletics.

Most of all, we have learned in these 25 years a profound respect for the teaching and
teachers of Yale. We have learned that it is not the chief business of the University to impart
knowledge. That can be gained outside its walls as well, and, perhaps, even better than within
them; but the work of the University is to gel young men interested in thinking, to give
them power to think, and to teach them skillful methods of thinking. We honor your work,
gentlemen of the faculty, far more than we did as college students. You make life seem
worthy and great in its possibilities. You put backbone into young men, which makes them
strong to battle in life and to conquer. You perpetuate learning and maintain the high
appreciation for it without which the nation would grow weak. For college men learn here
that the education which the college can give is worth more than the highest business success
without it.

Yale helps greatly to keep our land in peace. For our men and women of public spirit
largely fall into two clas.ses ; those who have enthusiasm without experience, and those who
have experience without enthusiasm. The first class rush forward in reforms with a zeal un-
tempered by knowledge, which for a time carries many with them and rebukes with scorn all
whom they leave behind. The other class has been in the fight, has not conquered, has come
lO distrust mankind and to despise those who hope and expect that righteousness will tri-
umph. We believe it is the glory of Yale that she so educates young men as to combine in
them enthusiasm with experience in a way that will last through all their lives; as will give
them the abiding conviction that God rules by His infinite wisdom, the broader view of the
divine plan for mankind which history furnishes, the charm which springs from just judg-
ments, and the persistent purpose which a high ideal inspires.

In this, the noblest of all service, we assure you of our confidence, our hearty support,
and our strong expectation that your work will abide and will more and more exalt our coun-
try and purify the world



REPORT

OF THE
TRIGINTENNIAL MEETING.



The business meeting was held in Osborne Hall at 1 1 A. AL, June 29, 1897.

Thirty- four members of the Class were present.

Mr. Morse, the Secretary, called the Class to order and nominated C. C.
Spellman to preside. The motion was seconded and carried.

Mr. Morse then stated the object of the meeting. He said that the Commit-
tee had waited upon Hon. George P. Wetmore and asked him to preside at the
meeting this evening; that in case he could not be present, owing to his Senatorial
duties at Washington, Mr. James G. Flanders had consented to act as Alternate.
He desired the Class to ratify the choice of the Committee. To that end it was
moved and seconded that Mr. Wetmore preside, and that in case of his un-
avoidable absence Air. Flanders should perform the office.

Air. Davenport then stated that the Committee had chartered a car for the ball
game, which started at 2.20.

Air. \Mld stated that he had tickets for the ball game.

Air. Alorse then called the attention of the Class to a paper published in the
mterests of the Alumni of Yale, which contained a good deal of news each week
about Yale, and stated that a representative of the paper was present who w^ould
make a few remarks.

The gentleman who represented the paper stated : The Alumni Weekly was
a paper of a high order for a College paper. The aim was to make it as interest-
ing to graduates as possible, and this end had been pretty well fulfilled, but could
be better fulfilled by having a greater number of subscribers.

Air. Burrell stated that the paper was indispensable.

Air. Alorse suggested that those who would like to subscribe had better speak
to the agent at the door as they passed out.

AIr. AIorse: — Immediately after the business meeting, as you will have seen
on the cards which I sent you. the next thing is to meet at the steps of the Osborne
Hall and have a group of the Class taken. Air. Wild has kindly had charge of



ihat matter, and he has arranged with the photographer that if there are twenty-
five present, and we have that number — we are thirty-four — the photographer will
take the group and charge 75 cents apiece for the picture ; and I think it very de-
sirable that all be present on the steps with our best looks on.

Our supper occurs at 7 o'clock in the Law School Building, and I would ask
Mr. Wild to explain exactly how we get there. I said it was the corner of Temple
and Elm, and that is Gov. Ingersoll's house, and we can't get in there.

Mk. Wild: — It is on Elm street. Go right out of College street and turn to
the right. It is nearly opposite the North Church, between Temple and Elm
streets ; '67 has a room on the second story.

jMr. Morse : — There is another interesting feature. We have our supper on
the second floor of that building, and those of us who were present at the '92
meeting in Brothers Hall will remember that 'jj was present in Linonia, and
courtesies were exchanged by both classes. We are now on the second floor of
the Law Building and '"jj is on the third floor, and we will have another oppor-
tunity of exchanging courtesies.

Mr. Wild stated that seats at the ball game had been arranged for the Class
to sit all together.

Mr Ingham: — Have any arrangements been made for our next reunion?
I would like to make a suggestion that our next reunion be held in 1901, upon the
occasion of the bicentennial celebration of Yale College. At that time many of
the classes will be here, and I think it would be better for us to be part of the
general crowd, instead of waiting until 1902.

Mr. Mor.se: — That matter came up in the Class of '56, and they decided to
hold their meeting in 1900, on the ground that at that time (1901) there would be
so many other matters of interest to take up the attention of the Alumni and grad-
uates who would come that there would be no time to have a Class reunion, and I
think it would be better to reconsider that matter.

Mr. Dexter: — I rather favor Mr. Ingham's motion, on the ground that
more would be present. I move that the motion be laid on the table, and brought
up at the supper. Seconded and carried unanimously.

Mr. Morse : — I suggest that we all meet just before 7 o'clock and go to the
supper in a body. Suppose we meet on the steps of the North Church at a quarter
to seven. Seconded and carried.

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Mr. Morse: — It has been suggested by the Committee that the names of
those present be taken now, so that as each additional name comes up we can tell
Mr. ^Maresi, the gentleman who has charge of the dinner, the exact number he can
rely on.

Mr. Adee : — I move that the Class march from the car into the ball grounds in
a body singing "Here's to '67; drink her down." Seconded and carried.

Mr. Morse: — I should like to know where we take the car to go to the ball
game.

Mr. Spellman : — The car starts from Trinity Church at 2 :20 sharp. Let
every one remember Trinity Church at 2 :20, and North Church at quar-
ter to seven.

yiR. ^Mokse: — I move that we adjourn to the steps below and have our pic-
tures taken.

Seconded and carried.

At 2.20 P. M. the Class assembled at Trinity Church and took a car which
had been chartered by the committee for the ball grounds.

Headed by Mr. Davenport, of the Committee, who carried a large blue silk
banner on which were the words, "Yale ; Class of '67," the Class entered the
grounds, and were assigned seats opposite first base. They were enthusiastically
cheered by the occupants of the grand stand. They were the oldest graduates
thai attended the game as a class.

Of the game little need be said, except that it does not always turn out that
way.

Promptly at 7 o'clock the Class met at North Church and, headed by Flanders
and the Secretary, marched to the Yale Law School building, where on the second
story a room had been provided for '67.

DINNER.

Addresses at the Class Dinner of '67, June 29th, 1897 :

James G. Flanders, the Hon. George P. Wetmore being absent, presided at
the meeting of the Class.

Mr. Flanders : — Gentlemen of the Class of 1867, it is certainly not inappro-
priate after the lapse of more than a quarter of a centun,-, when we meet to cele-
brate our reunion, that one of our Class should make our acknowledgments to the
Creator, and I will ask the Rev. Mr. Sprag^e to do so.

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Mr. Sprague: — Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for this reunion of
our Class, for the prosperity Thou hast given us in the past; we thank Thee for
Thy kind Providence. We recognize Thy hand of love in all our doings, and we
call upon our souls, and all that is within us, to bless and magnify Thy holy name.
We ask Thv blessing, for Christ's sake. Amen.



Mr. Flanders : — Gentlemen of the Class of 1867 : I count it an honor to preside over this
Class at its thirtieth anniversary, especially in view of the fact that I am one of few to
whom this meeting comes as the first reunion since we graduated from Yale. I am aware
that were it not for the absence of the distinguished Senator from Rhode Island I should not
be in this place, and perhaps I ought not to be in the place at all by reason of my previous
absences ; but, gentlemen of this Class, I have been here at every reunion, if not in the flesh,
at least in the spirit. (Applause.) I look back to the years which I spent in old Yale as
among the pleasantest, the most fruitful, and the most beneficial of any in the life which I
have spent, and if I have learned any lesson in those years of contest, it has been that this
old Alma Mater of ours qualified us well for the contest, and sent us out upon equal terms with
all the world. So, gentlemen, when we look at the Class of 1867, and read its record in the
years that have passed, we find that all of the members of the Class have filled honorable
positions in the communities in which they live, and that many of them have risen to eminence.
Until I heard Brother Burrell this morning in Alumni Hall, I was of the opinion that we
were a modest Class (laughter), and I was reminded on that occasion of a story which was
told of some of the students of a University with which we have competed, and with which
we have had contests in which we have succeeded. In Delmonico's in New York it is said
that a gentleman connected with the New York press, not particularly modest, came in one
day attended by three friends, and he found plenty of tables at which there were seats for
two, but no tables at which there were seats for four, except one at which sat two Harvard
-Students, so he asked them to exchange their table and let him sit there with his friends, and
they did so. As he walked out he said to the students: "Perhaps you would like to know
whom you have accommodated? This is Frank Stockton, the celebrated novelist; this is
Lawrence Hutton, the artist; this is H. C. Bunner, of 'Puck,' and I am Mr. Smith, of the
'Daily Union.' " "Ah, indeed," said the Harvard student. "Very glad to hear it. Perhaps
you would like to know who accommodated you ? This is Prince Bismarck, and I am Kaiser
Wilhelm." Now, I thought by contrast until this morning that we were modest, and I believe
still that most of us are, and I won't make any exception of Burrell (laughter), but we have
a right here in this banquet hall to-night, when we sit here as members of the same family,
to look back over these thirty years, and see what this Class of 1867 has accomplished, and
we see that when the great State of Rhode Island wanted a gentleman to fill the distinguished
office of Senator it looked to the Class of 1867 and chose for that honored position Wetmore ;
and when again the Episcopal Church, or (if I were not in the presence of some reverends



who are not of that faith) I might say, the Church in Southern Ohio, wanted a Bishop, they
went for that Bishop to the Class of 1867, and chose our Boyd Vincent; and, again, gentle-
men, when Grover Cleveland wanted a man to honor the Bench whom did he chose but
Showalter, now present with us ; and when, again, one of the most distinguished churches in
the City of New York wanted a man to fill its pulpit, and adorn and honor it, whom did they
call but Dave Burrell. against whom we have fought, with whom we have competed, but for
whom we have long cherished affection and admiration ; and when the State of California,
upon the far Pacific Coast, w-hich at the time we were in College was terra incognita, when
the State of California wanted one member of the profession of which I am proud to be a
member to sit upon the Bench, whom should they call but Jim Allen, who has come three
thousand miles to be here to-night. And, gentlemen, I could call the roll of this Class, living
and dead, from end to end, and that roll, as I called it. would be a roll of honor. I could
refer to our brother Bruce, a creditable and worthy representative of our Government in 1889
in Edinburgh. I could refer to those m.embers of my own profession, who have been dis-
tinguished at the Bar. I could refer to those men who in business life have all stood as
pillars in the community in which they lived ; but, gentlemen, I will spare you the infliction
of a long speech lest none of it should be remembered by you. Perhaps, however, I ought
to tell one little story. A lawyer of our city, who for the purposes of this story may be
called Jones and who had the reputation of being prolix, had it said of him that he was re-
tained by a citizen named Smith to appear for him in an equity case, and this citizen was
invited to Mr. Jones's office to listen to the answer Smith was to swear to; and it was said
that Jones read the answer and fv-^ad until it was dinner time, and after dinner he read and
read until it was supper time. After supper they came back, and he read and read and read
until the evening was gone, and then he asked Smith if he could swear to it,, and Smith said
he would be damned if he had not forgotten the first part of it. I would, however, say one
other thing of our Class : A gentleman, who was a Senior when we were Freshmen, and a
Senior when we were Sophomores, a Senior in our Senior year, a member of our Class
whom we delighted to honor, respect and love — that gentleman is here to-night, commg here
from the Old World, from the City of Munich, which has been his residence for more than
ten years, and as I am informed it has been the custom at these reunions to give the first
opportunity of being heard to that classmate who has made the greatest sacrifice in coming
here to meet us, I ask you, gentlemen, to listen to-night to what shall be said to us by our
friend and classmate, Spencer,

Mr. Spencer : — Classmates, I did not come here to make a speech. It has been my object
in coming here solely to see you once more — to see your welcome faces, and to clasp your
hands. In place of a speech perhaps you would like to know something of what I am — what
I have been doing — more I cannot tell. You know when I left the Class, for six years I was
engaged in the instruction of the deaf and dumb. I chose that as my profession. Six years
I devoted myself to that work, working hard, sleeping five hours only, and at the end of that
time I thought I would divert my attention from mathematics to chemistry, and for that pur-

26



pose I went to Munich to study. There 1 have been residing ever since. It was hard for me
to get away from Munich, but the professors there told me that it was better to come here and
welcome those whom I had not seen for so long, even though what I should bring would be
but scanty fruit of the harvest of thirty years. After my studies there began I was afflicted
with an illness of a very serious nature. Its consequences are still upon me. I suffered so
that I was totally deaf for eight months. I lost the memory of all the mathematics which I
studied in College — all that I had tried to study for six j^ears subsequent, and many Dranciie> —
navigation, for instance — that I studied in College, I have totally forgotten. Work under
such circumstances somewhat depressed me But after five years I was pretty well recov-
ered, and I thought strong enough to work again. At that time I married and began to work
under Prof. vMlinger again, but after two years of labor I broke down once more, and since
that time I have been spending my life as well as I could in studying languages, science and
art, and wandering from place to place, a useless member of society. (Cries of "No, no.")
I thank you for your kindness and generosity to-night in calling upon me, and I wish you all
God-speed.

Mr. Flanders : — Gentlemen, I will ask now that you listen to the report of
tiie Class Secretary, which probably I should have asked for before.

Mr. Morse then read his report.

Mr. Flanders : — Gentlemen, what action do you take on the report of the
Secretary ?

Motion made and seconded that it be accepted with thanks, and that the
thanks of the Class be tendered to George Adee, Davenport, Wild and Morse.
Carried.

Mr. Flanders: — Gentlemen, in the winter of 1896, in the City of San Fran-
cisco, Jim Allen told me that he was coming on to attend this reunion in 1897.
I was therefore not surprised to find him here when I arrived yesterday, and I
know that it will give pleasure tO' us all to hear from him to-night.

Mr. Allen : — Boys, I am not much in the speaking line, and j'ou can scarce expect one of
my ability to make a speech, but perhaps you would like to know how I feel towards the
Class, and how delighted I am to get back to the Class. It is thirty years since I have been
here, and I have seen very little of you. There are two things about Yale that I have noticed,
and that have made a great impression upon me; one is the democratic spirit that pervades
Yale, and as I walked around the buildings here on Sunday morning on the old South Middle,
I remembered how I took my pitcher, and filled it, and brought it in to have a bath. Boys,
did you go to prayers Sunday morning? I always did, and never went in my night shirt,
either. (Laughter.) But I was just wondering whether this luxury springing up here will

27



not expel this democratic spirit. If there is anything this country needs now it is this demo-
cratic feeling. Another thing, I hope the time will come when Yale will take an mterest in
primary education. I am deeply interested in that, because, living in the country, I have to
think how to educate my five children, as I have discovered that the masses receive very little
education. I have had the misfortune to become an amateur farmer, notwithstanding Greeley's
example, and I have had the same experience as Greeley, and that has added to my desire to
have primary education spread, because to see the incompetency among the laborers is really
remarkable. It is simply because the farm laborers want training, and unless we take a hand
in this, and see that these people are properly trained, and early, too. before they arrive at
the age of twelve, unless we give them all the education we possibly can, I believe this
country will not be a Republic for very many years more, but that the power will come into the
hands of the strongest. There is another thing I noticed in Yale; it is the gentlemanly
feeling, and I must say that when I first went out into the world it did not redound to my
advantage, because I supposed that when I left Yale I should find just as many gentlemen
in the outside world as I found in College, but I soon had my eye teeth cut and I learned that
a gentleman in the outside world is a rare article. Those two things I have noticed in Yale,
and those things have influenced me. Another thing. I have never formed the friendships
since I have been out of College that I did here. I have friends outside of College, but I
never have had the same feeling — I do not feel as free and homelike. I cannot feel towards
them as a friend as I do to the men of Yale, and it is a great delight to come here. I have
come here especially to meet you. I had made up my mind that nothing should prevent my
being at this meeting. It has been a great pleasure to me to meet you. and find so few of you
that have changed from my remembrance of you. I sincerely hope that I shall meet you all
thirty vears hence.



Mr. Flanders : — Some of us at least who have spent four years in Yale have
been struggling pretty hard to make a living — some have made a competency.
We have with us to-night a gentleman who, I think, was only with us one year or
a little more, who, in the thirty years that have elapsed since we graduated, has
placed himself in such a position that he has nothing now to embarrass him, ex-
cept the difficulty of spending the money that he has made, and, with such slight
education, such slight opportunities in Yale, he is a living example of the great
climate which we have in the West, which makes people grow, and grow fast, and
grow large, and grow well, and I ask you, gentlemen, now to hear the experiences
of our brother Nelson, from St. Louis.

Mr. L. C. Nelson : — Friends and Classmates : I am away off in many respects from the
happy place in which you have put me, and in which I would like to be. I was here five

28



years ago, and I am very glad to be here to-night and to meet a great many people, amongst
them those whom I did not see here five years ago ; but in the last thirty years — it is more
than thirty years since I left Yale, and those whom I met here at that time I am pleased to
meet here to-night. They have been years of hard work for me, and these meetmgs here arc
oases in the years of work. Since I left the Class I can say that my life has been one of
close application to business. I have now retired from active life, and a very pleasant life,
in the banking business. I may say here that it has been a most pleasant busmess, and I
advise you all to go into it. I am now living in the suburbs of our great city, which rests
on the banks of the Mississippi. I can look down on the smoke and turmoil under my vine
and fig tree, and know that I am in the peace and quietude which is always the reward of the
virtuous and good.

Mr. Flanders: — Gentlemen, I feel very sure that during these thirty years
no member of the Class of '67 has thought of the City of St. Louis without a
warmth of feeling towards Charley Goodman, one of the leaders, if not the leader
in his profession in that city, I am informed that all the Federal judges in that
Federal Circuit (the largest Federal Circuit in the United States, comprising, T
believe, nine States) are patients of Dr. Goodman, and they are not only all alive,
but their lives are insured until the end of the next century. I ask you, gentle-
men, to listen to Dr. Goodman.

Dr. C. H. Goodman : — Now, I have no speech to make, boys, but I was really beginning
to feel a little badly after hearing all the professions spoken so highly of in connection with
this Class by our distinguished Chairman — all, I say, except the medical profession. I was
beginning to feel a little badly, but I take it all back, when I look around and see Darby
Mann, and Bob Allison, and I dont know of anybody else, who has got into this medical
profession — (Cries of "Landis") — yes, Landis, poor Landis. and Porter — I am not going to
let that profession go by default. You know what Darby Mann has done — done for himself,
and done for the medical profession. (Applause.) There is not a medical man in the
country who does not know the name of M. D. Mann for what he has done in medical science.
Now, Darby Mann has not only done this for himself, but for society, his family, and for
the Class. I think that what any of us have done is not only for his own selfish purpose,
but for the general good of those with whom he is associated. Now, I need not tell you
about Bob Allison. Bob has written himself on the hearts of every man here. It gives me
pleasure to talk about Dr. Allison. He is an honor to himself and to his class. I have
scratched along and managed to make a living. I have a boy in college who does not owe any
money, I think, and he is a pretty decent sort of boy. We are a modest Class, and I like to
get back here with you fellows — some of you are younger than I am, but I doubt if any of
you have a younger heart than I have to-night. I had to look two or three times at some