Lehigh University - Epitome Yearbook (Bethlehem, PA)

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each class. The relative amount ot work, therefore, remained the same; but its drudgery was increased. While Prof. Frazier had the subjects of metallurgy mining, ore-dressng and crystallography, there were no text books on the subjects, and they were taught by courses of lectures. Metallurg}- was always difficult to teach, as its growth was so rapid that no text-book could keep pace with it, and no set of lecture notes would be valuable twelve months afterwards. This entailed an enorm ous amount of work in reading a mass of periodicals in French, German, Swedish, and English; in adapting them to the purposes ot the lecture course, and in securing illustrative material. When Prof. Frazier came in 1871 there was very little of the latter for miner- alogy or crystallography; when he died he left a very large and admirably arranged museum and an ample supply tor class-room investigation, so that the courses in crystallography, mineralogy and blowpiping would be some- thing more than mere book-work, and each student had an ample opportunity to see and study a w ide variety ot types of the same species; to make com- parisons, and to work them up in laboratory experiments, with the result that his graduates carried awa} ' a very good knowledge of whatever he tauo ht. In the same way, the metallurgical lectures were illustrated by actual practice in the Bethlehem Iron Works, and in the various refineries and metallurgical plants between New York City and the center of the state. As a member of the taculty. Prof. Frazier was always a good friend of the students. Any man who had shown diligence or interest in any subject which he taught, was recognized and appreciated, and if by chance he failed in an examination and petitioned tor a re-examination, he always received it, and here enters a very peculiar feature of Prof. Frazier ' s work. If such a man had shown by his examination that he had only a slight perception of the subject, Prof. Frazier would always impress on him additional work, which in some cases amounted to nearly an entire review of the subject, to be taken out of regular hours and under his direction; so that he punished himself as well as the student in prescribing this extra work. Being himself a man of the strictest honor, he had a great interest in the honor system at the Univer- sity, and did all he could to further its good. His standard of work was so high and his examinations so rigid that the faculty and students were satis- fied that when a name was reported by him as a candidate for a degree, that its owner was very well prepared. While on the other hand, those who failed and were so reported, were accepted as being incompetent and passed over. Prof. Frazier made no enemies, and he died leaving a name of the strictest integrity, of justice, of impartialit)-, of enthusiasm for his work, and of a high standard of excellence. It will be many days before Lehigh will find a man who will willingly undertake so large an amount of work as he did, or who will be able to perform ever - part of it so thoroughly and so well as did Prof. Benjamin West Frazier. E. H. W. 17

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Benjamin W. Frazier, A.M., ScD. Born October 3, 1841. Died January 4, 1905. PROFESSOR FRAZIER came to Lehigh in 1871, and till 1881 taught everything connected with mining, metallurgy, ore-dressing, blow- pipirg, economic geology, lithology, mineralogy, and crystallography. These courses extended over three years, so that for ten years Prof. Frazier taught three classes nearly every da in the week, and generally two or three times during the day, and taught them thoroughly. In 1881, mining, geology, lithology and ore dressing were removed from Prof. Frazier ' s work; but the in- crease in the number of students obliged him to have two and three sections cf 16

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Cj)c 3llma 2l atcr Where the Lehigh ' s rocky rapids rush Like a watchman on the mountain, from out the West, stands she grandly hold, ' Mid a grove of spreading chestnuts, Earth and Heaven ' s secrets seeking, walls in ivy dressed. hoarding them like gold. On the hreasl of old South Mountain, All she wrests from Nature ' s storehouse, reared against the sky, naught escapes her eye. Stands out noble Alma Mater, stands Gives she gladly to her dear sons, while our dear Lehigh. we bless Lehigh. We will ever live to love her, live to praise her name; Live to make our lives add luster to her glorious fame. Let the glad notes wake the echoes, joy- ously we cry, Hail to Thee, our Alma Mater Hail! all hail! Lehigh! 18