ForalongtimeIstoodonthedefensive，hopingthattheprovisionsmadeforthegrowthofreligiouslifeamongthestudentsmightshowthatwewerenotsowickedaswewererepresented;but，asallthisseemedonlytoembitterouradversaries，Ifinallydeterminedtotaketheoffensive，andhavingbeeninvitedtodeliveralectureinthegreathalloftheCooperInstituteatNewYork，tookasmysubject``TheBattle—fieldsofScience。’’
Inthismyeffortwastoshowhow，inthesupposedinterestofreligion，earnestandexcellentmen，formanyagesandinmanycountries，hadbitterlyopposedvariousadvancesinscienceandineducation，andthatsuchoppositionhadresultedinmostevilresults，notonlytoscienceandeducation，buttoreligion。Thislecturewaspublishedinfull，nextday，inthe``NewYorkTribune’’;extractsfromitwerewidelycopied;itwasaskedforbylectureassociationsinmanypartsofthecountry;grewfirstintotwomagazinearticles，thenintoalittlebookwhichwaswidelycirculatedathome，reprintedinEnglandwithaprefacebyTyndall，andcirculatedontheContinentintranslations，wasthenexpandedintoaseriesofarticlesinthe``PopularScienceMonthly，’’andfinallywroughtintomybookon``TheWarfareofSciencewithTheology。’’
Ineachoftheseformsmyargumentprovokedattack;butallthiseventuallycreatedareactioninourfavor，eveninquarterswhereitwasleastexpected。Oneevidenceofthistouchedmedeeply。IhadbeeninvitedtorepeatthelectureatNewHaven，andonarrivingtherefoundalargeaudienceofYaleprofessorsandstudents;but，mostsurprisingofall，inthechairfortheevening，nolessapersonagethanmyreveredinstructor，Dr。TheodoreDwightWoolsey，presidentoftheuniversity。Hewasofadeeplyreligiousnature;andcertainlynomanwaseverunderallcircumstances，moretruetohisconvictionsofduty。Tobewelcomedbyhimwasencouragementindeed。
Hepresentedmecordiallytotheaudience，andatthecloseofmyaddressmadeabriefspeech，inwhichhethoroughlysupportedmypositionsandbademeGodspeed。
Fewthingsinmylifehavesoencouragedme。
Attacks，ofcourse，continuedforaconsiderabletime，someofthemviolent;but，tomysurpriseandsatisfaction，whenmyarticleswerefinallybroughttogetherinbookform，theoppositionseemedtohaveexhausteditself。
Therewereevenindicationsofapprovalinsomequarterswherethearticlescomposingithadpreviouslybeenattacked;andIreceivedlettersthoroughlyinsympathywiththeworkfromanumberofeminentChristianmen，includingseveraldoctorsofdivinity，andamongthesetwobishops，oneoftheAnglicanandoneoftheAmericanEpiscopalChurch。
Thefinalresultwasthatslanderagainsttheuniversityforirreligionwasconfinedalmostentirelytoverynarrowcircles，ofwaninginfluence;andmyhopeisthat，asitsformativeideashavebeenthuswelcomedbyvariousleadersofthought，andhavefiltereddownthroughthepressamongthepeopleatlarge，theyhavedonesomethingtofreethepathoffuturelaborersinthefieldofscienceandeducationfromsuchattacksasthosewhichCornellwasobligedtosuffer。
CHAPTERXXV
CONCLUDINGYEARS——1881—1885
Tothisworkofpressingonthedevelopmentoftheleadingdepartmentsintheuniversity，establishingvariouscoursesofinstruction，andwardingoffattacksasbestIcould，wasaddedthedailycareoftheregularandsteadyadministrationofaffairs，andinthismydutywastocoperatewiththetrustees，thefaculty，andthestudents。Thetrusteesformedabodydifferentlycomposedfromanyorganizationforuniversitygovernmentuptothattime。Asarule，suchboardsintheUnitedStateswere，inthosedays，self—perpetuating。Amanonceelectedintooneofthemwaslikelytoremainatrusteeduringhisnaturallife;andtheresulthadbeenmuchdry—rotand，frequently，averysleepyconditionofthingsinAmericancollegiateanduniversityadministration。IndrawingtheCornellcharter，weprovidedforagoverningbodybyfirstnamingacertainnumberofhighStateofficers——thegovernor，lieutenant—governor，speaker，presidentoftheStateAgriculturalSociety，andothers;next，acertainnumberofmenofspecialfitness，whoweretobeelectedbytheboarditself;and，finally，acertainproportionelectedbythealumnifromtheirownnumber。Besidethese，theeldestmalelinealdescendantofMr。Cornell，andthepresidentoftheuniversity，weretrusteesexofficio。Atthefirstnominationofthechartertrustees，Mr。CornellproposedthatheshouldnamehalfthenumberandItheotherhalf。
Thiswasdone，andpainsweretakentoselectmenaccustomedtodealwithlargeaffairs。Averyimportantprovisionwasalsomadelimitingtheirtermofofficetofiveyears。
DuringthefirstnineyearsthechairmanshipoftheboardwasheldbyMr。Cornell，butathisdeathMr。
HenryW。Sagewaselectedtoit，who，aslongashelived，dischargeditsdutieswiththegreatestconscientiousnessandability。Tothefinancesoftheuniversityhegavethatshrewdcarewhichhadenabledhimtobuilduphisownimmensebusiness。Freelyandwithoutcompensation，hebestowedupontheinstitutionlaborforwhichanygreatbusinesscorporationwouldhavegladlypaidhimaverylargesum。Fortheimmediatemanagement，intheintervalsofthequarterlymeetingsoftheboard，anexecutivecommitteeofthetrusteeswascreated，whichalsoworkedtoexcellentpurpose。
Thefaculty，whichwasatfirstcomparativelysmall，waselectedbythetrusteesuponmynomination。Indecidingoncandidates，Iputnotrustinmerepapertestimonials，nomatterfromwhatsource;butalwayssawthecandidatesthemselves，talkedwiththem，andthensecuredconfidentialcommunicationsregardingthemfromthosewhoknewthembest。Theresultsweregood，andtothishourIcherishtowardthefaculty，astowardthetrustees，afeelingofthedeepestgratitude。Throughoutallthehardworkofthatperiodtheysupportedmeheartilyanddevotedly;withouttheirdevotionandaid，mywholeadministrationwouldhavebeenanutterfailure。
ToseveraloftheseIhavealludedelsewhere;butoneshouldbeespeciallymentionedtowhomeverymemberofthefacultymustfeeladebtofgratitude——ProfessorHiramCorson。Noonehasdonemoretoredressthebalancebetweenthetechnicalsideandthehumanities。Hiswritings，lectures，andreadingshavebeenasolaceandaninspirationtomanyofus，bothinthefacultyandamongthestudents。Itwasmyremembranceoftheeffectofhisreadingsthatcausedmetourge，atapublicaddressatYalein1903，theestablishmentnotonlyofprofessorshipsbutofreadershipsinEnglishliteratureinallourgreaterinstitutions，urgingespeciallythatthereadersthuscalledshouldeverydaypresent，withlittleifanynoteorcomment，themasterpiecesofourliterature。Icanthinkofnoprovisionwhichwoulddomoretohumanizethegreatbodyofstudents，especiallyinthesedayswhenotherbranchesaresolargelysupplantingclassicalstudies，thansuchacontinuouspresentationofthetreasuresofourlanguagebyathoroughlygoodreader。Whatisneededisnotmoretalkaboutliterature，buttheliteratureitself。
AndhereletmerecallanespecialserviceofProfessorCorsonwhichmayserveasahinttomenandwomenoflightandleadinginthehighereducationofourcountry。
OnsundrycelebrationsofFounder’sDay，andonvariousothercommemorativeoccasions，hegaveintheuniversitychapelrecitalsfromMilton，Wordsworth，Tennyson，andotherpoetsofthelargerinspiration，whileorganinterludesweregivenfromthegreatmastersofmusic。
Literatureandmusicwerethusmadetodobeautifulserviceasyokefellows。Ithasbeenmylottoenjoyinvariouscapitalsofthemodernworldmanyofthethingswhichmenwhohaveadeepfeelingforartmostrejoicein，butneverhaveIknownanythingmoreupliftingandennoblingthanthesesimplecommemorations。
FromoneevilwhichhasgreatlyinjuredmanyAmericanuniversityfaculties，especiallyinthemiddleandwesternStates，wewerevirtuallyfree。Thisevilwastheprevalenceoffeudsbetweenprofessors。Throughoutalargepartofthenineteenthcenturytheywereagreataffliction。
TwicetheStateUniversityofMichiganwasnearlywreckedbythem;forseveralyearstheynearlyparalyzedtwoorthreeoftheNewYorkcolleges;andinoneoftheseasquabblebetweensundryprofessorsandthewidowofaformerpresidentwasalmostfatal。AnotherofthelargercollegesinthesameStatelostaveryeminentpresidentfromthesamecause;andstillanother，whichhaddoneexcellentwork，wasdraggeddownandforyearskeptdownbyafeudbetweenitstwoforemostprofessors。Inmyday，atYale，whenevertherewasasuddeninfluxofstudents，anditwasaskedwhencetheycame，theansweralwayswas，``AnotherWesterncollegehasburstup’’;andthe``burstup’’hadresulted，almostwithoutexception，fromfacultyquarrels。
InanotherchapterIhavereferredtooneoftheseexplosionswhich，havingblownoutofaWesternuniversitythepresident，theentireboardoftrustees，andalltheassistantprofessorsandinstructors，convulsedtheStateforyears。Ihaveknowngiftedmembersoffaculties，termafterterm，substitutefortheirlegitimateworkimpassionedappealstotheirreligiousdenominations，throughsynodsorconferences，andtothepublicatlargethroughthepress，——theirquarrelsatlastentanglingotherprofessorsandlargenumbersofstudents。
Inmy``PlanofOrganization’’Icalledattentiontothisevil，andlaiddowntheprinciplethat``thepresenceofnoprofessor，howevergifted，issovaluableaspeaceandharmony。’’Thetrusteesacquiescedinthisview，andfromthefirstitwasunderstoodthat，atanycost，quarrelsmustbeprevented。Theresultwasthatweneverhadanywhichwereserious，norhadweanyintheboardoftrustees。OneofthemostsatisfactoryofallmyreflectionsisthatIneverhadanyillrelationswithanymemberofeitherbody;thattherewasneveroneofthemwhomIdidnotlookuponasafriend。MysimpleruleforthegovernmentofmyownconductwasthatIhadNOTIMEforsquabbling;thatlifewasnotlongenoughforquarrels;andthisbecame，I
think，thefeelingamongallofuswhowereengagedinthefoundingandbuildingoftheuniversity。
Asregardstheundergraduates，Iinitiatedasystemwhich，sofarasisknowntome，wasthennewinAmericaninstitutionsoflearning。Atthebeginningofeveryyear，andalsowheneveranyspecialoccasionseemedtorequireit，Isummonedthewholebodyofstudentsandaddressedthematlengthontheconditionoftheuniversity，ontheirrelationstoit，andontheirdutiestoitaswellastothemselves;andinalltheseaddressesendeavoredtobringhometothemtheideathatunderoursystemofgivingtothegraduatesvotesintheelectionoftrustees，andtorepresentativealumniseatsinthegoverningboard，thewholestudentbodyhadbecome，inanewsense，partoftheinstitution，andweretobeheld，toacertainextent，responsibleforit。Ithinkthatallconversantwiththehistoryoftheuniversitywillagreethattheresultsofthustakingthestudentsintotheconfidenceofthegoverningboardwerehappy。Theseresultswereshownlargelyamongtheundergraduates，andevenmorestronglyamongthealumni。Inallpartsofthecountryalumniassociationswereorganized，andhereagainIfoundasourceofstrength。Theseassociationsheldreunionsduringeverywinter，andatleastonebanquet，atwhichthepresidentoftheuniversitywasinvitedtobepresent。Sofaraspossible，Iattendedthesemeetings，andmadeuseofthemtostrengthenthec...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看：