Union College - Garnet Yearbook (Schenectady, NY)

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and acquainted with her needs. He went to her as a son. The twenty- one years of his minority were passed at and in the vicinity of this insti- tution. He had known her all his life. He had known her faculty and her students. He had been familiar with her history, her traditions. her aims, her struggles, her vicissitudes, her triumphs, and he had gone out frotn the shadow of her gray old walls with her benison on his head and her image in his heart. He felt that the call of the trustees was the call of God. He accepted it freely and unhesitatingly, and on the 26th day of june, 1894, he was inducted into the ofiice of president under auspices the most favorable and happy. His inaugural address on that occasion struck the keynote of his character and marked out his mind's plan and his heart's wish for old Union. He said: H The College exists for the development of good citizens. The college itself must be intensely and pre-eminently democratic, the persistent enetny of all fictitious distinctions between man and man. 'L The college as the conservator of honor must teach it as a virtue. This suggests the inf'luence, not of books so much as of men, the atmosphere of strong personality, the touch of noble character. The Christianity of the college must be the Christianity not of pre- cept nor of creed, but of life. The spirit of an institution is of more far-reaching influence than its curriculum. These all are noble truths well stated. No son, no friend of Union could wish her course laid down and carried out on better, broader, higher lines than these. And there is no son nor friend of Union but who will heartily join in the closing sentence of that hne and manly inaugural address: That the Union of the future may repeat the vigorous life, the high aims and the public service of the Union of the past is the prayer, the hope, the con- fidence of every loyal son. Hoiuicta GIQIEIQINE, '76, l I

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sung witl1 vim by the assembled class. Whether this was his tirst, last, and only appearance as a cotnposer of songs tI1e writer hereof is un- able to state. It goes without saying that he graduated with honors and that his successes aroused no CllVy in any quarter. Then began his special work of preparation for the lTlllllSll'y. He studied theology in tl1e setn- inary of the Reformed Qljutchj Church at New Brunswick, N. j., gradu- ating i11 1878. The same year he was ordained and entered upon his ministerial career as pastor of the First Reformed Church of Paterson, N. J. In 1881 l1e assumed pastoral charge of the Trinity Reformed Church in Plainfield, N. J. Here he remained for sixyears. Tl1e people of l1is denomination felt that he was growing. He was coming out from Z1lll0llf,ff the masses of the clergy and taking ra11k among the leaders. In ISSO he was sent as a delegate to the General Synod of tl1e Reformed Cl111rcl1. He was sent again ill 1883 and again i11 1886. His pas- torate i11 l'l:tintield was a happy and successful one, but that mysterious influence which draws a man unconsciously back toward the home of his boyhood and toward the scenes of his youth was working on l1i1n. lt is a law as fixed and definite as the law of gravitation. And when the time was ripe he accepted a call from the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Albany to become its pastor. This was ill 1887. lt was a long step forward. Great and good men l1ad occupied this pulpit before him. The place was fairly redolent witl1 traditions of eloqnence,of goodness and ability, But if there was any doubt in the lllllld of anyone of his fitness for this position it was soon dispelled. He not only won the l1earts of his con- gregation and held the CllllI'Cll up to herlevel, but he at once took a lead- ing place among the pastors of the city of Albany and of the preachers ofthe State of New York. He -was sent as a commissioner totl1e General Assembly of his church in 1888, i11 1891, Zlllfl in 1893. In ISQO l1e was elected moderator of the Synod of New York. ln 1887 he received the degree of IJ. ll. from his Alma Mater, and in 1894 the degree of LL. D. from Willia111s College. lt was in 1894 that he was called to the presidency of Union College, The inevitable had cotne. The choice of the trustees was a perfectly natural one. As a resident of Albany and as President of the Alutnni Association he was thoroughly conversant with the affairs of tl1e college, IO

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I895. 3 jan. 3 jan. S Jan. jan. 311 4 Feb. 22 Feb. 2 March. 6 March. March. March. 3 April. 9 April. April. April. May. May. june. I June. I3 june. June. June. I3 39 I2 17 4 30 I I9 2l 22 June. June. 33 24 june. 25 june. 26 27 I7 june. june. Sept. I7 18 I9 24 Sept. Sept. Sept. 7 Oct. Nov. Nov. Dec. 20 Dec. Dec. 1896. 2 jan. 6 jan. 7 Jan. 5 28 7 20 , I8 Sept. University Calendar. Winter term of Medical College resumes. Winter term of Law School begins. XVinter term of Union College begins. Day of Prayer for Colleges, last Wednesday in january. Registration of candidates for Commencement prizes, W'ashington's Birthday. Recess, one day. Examination for conditioned students. Commencement of the College of Pharmacy. Winter term of Law School ends. XVinter term of Union College ends. Spring term oi Law School begins. Spring term of Union College begins. Good Friday. Recess, one day. Commencement ofthe Medical College. Selection ofjunior and Sophomore prize orators. Decoration Day. Recess, one day. Date for presentation of prize essays. QNoon.D Examination for conditioned students. Spring term of Lau' School ends. Commencement of the Lau' School. '1'hird XVednesday in June. Allison-Foote Prize Debate between the Literary Societies, Union College. Prize Speaking of Juniors and Sophomores and Alexander Prize Contest. Sunday, Memorial and Baccalaureate Sermons. Educational Symposium. Meeting of Trustees, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, alumni 3 Union College, Memorial Day. Commencement of Union Collegeg President's Reception. Fall term of Law School begins. Entrance examination for Union College. Iixamination for conditioned students. Fall term of Union College begins. Winter term of Medical College begins. The College of Pharmacy begins. Election Day. Recess, one day. Thanksgiving day. Recess, tive days. lixamination for conditioned students. Fall term of Law School ends. Fall term of Union College ends. Winter term of Law School begins. Winter term of Medical College resumes. Winter term of Union College begins. I2