Purdue University - Debris Yearbook (West Lafayette, IN)

Page 31 text:

Dr. Smart. Born at Centre Harbor, New Hampshire. June 30, 1841. Died at LaFayette. Indiana. Pebniary 21. 1900. President o( Purdue University from 1883 to igOO. VEN with our faces turned towards the future, and with the prospect of a prosperous career for our alma mater under the guidance of Doctor Stone before us, it is fitting that the class of ' 01 should pay tribute in these pages to the memory of him who was such an important factor in the first two years of our college life. Our freshman year was the last year in which Doctor Smart was able to attend chapel exercises every day; and we can well remember how he used to tell of the progress of events relating to the welfare of the institution from time to time. During our sophomore year he grew weaker and weaker, but still tried to keep hold of the affairs of the Uni- versity. Presy is enshrined in our hearts, partly because his name was handed to us by our predecessors in a spirit of love and confidence that is never mistaken, and partly because of the direct influence of his personality. For ho possessed that indefinable something which gives a man influence over the lives of others. Up to his death, our reverence and respect for him increased with the passing of time, as we grew more and more familiar with his great work and the difliculties which he overcame. As to the personal side of his character, that, perhaps, is best shown in the words spoken by General Harrison at the time of Doctor Smart ' s death: He loved God, and all His creatures. The lapse of time has enabled us to look with broadened view over past events. As we contemplate the life and death of Doctor Smart, Prexy, we are reminded of Tennyson ' s words : I hate the black negation of the bier And wish the dead, as happier than ourselves And higher, having climbed one step beyond Our village miseries, might be borne in white To burial or to burning, hymned from hence With songs in praise of death, and crowned with flowers.