University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

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mLi. x, v 111 €bgar Honi siftlep TN THE AUTUMN of 1908 Professor E. L. Ashley came to the Massachusetts - ' - Agricultural College as Instructor in German Language and Literature. Holding a Master ' s degree in Arts from Brown LTniversity, trained for his special work by study and research in the University of Heidelberg, he brought to our College the dignity and the poise which is characteristic of the liberal thinker disciplined by the classical tradition. The biographical events which bear upon Professor Ashle y ' s preparation for his life ' s work may be simply stated. He was born at Medford, Mass., Sept. 6, 1880. First a country school boy, then prepared for College at the Boston Latin School, he entered Brown University, graduating in 1903 and remaining three years more as instructor in German and graduate student in Germanics. During this period of study he received the M.A. degree. The year 1906-7 was spent at the LTniversity of Heidelberg. Then followed a year at Bates College whence, in 1908, he was called to head the Department of German at M.A.C. In regard to his attainments in the world of scholarship it is sufficient to .say that he is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and furthermore that American students of merely average intelligence do not study Germanics at Heidelberg LTniversity. The qualities which now distinguish the man were manifested at an early age. Even as a boy he seems to have possessed the gift of a vivid and creative imagi- nation. He is thrilled by stories of the dogs of St. Bernard; he revels in the exploits of all-conquering story-book heroes; he dreams of crossing the seas and visiting strange countries and stranger peoples. But rarer than the gift of imagi- nation is the ability to incarnate the vision in deeds. This boy was a practical idealist; he prepared hijnself in Greek, and without a teacher, for admission to the Boston Latin School. Furthermore, he took up by himself and under rigorous self-discipline made considerable advance in the piano before he had received a single lesson in music. It can be seen that the child was truly the father of the man for the youthful enthusiasms and interests all bore fruit. Creative imagination has ripened into a delightful, whimsical and ironical humor which accompanies a keen insight into human nature; on the objective side it has led to a passion for gardening and decorative art. The dream of travel in foreign lands has been realized and Professor Ashley is our most traveled faculty member. Summer vacations find him in France, Spain and Italy, while in 1911 he extended his travels into Egypt and Palestine. His early conquest of a foreign tongue has gone on to the mastery of German, French, Spanish and Italian. The interest in music has developed into the thorough and exhaustive accfuaintance with musical history and theory which has enabled him to direct some of our students away from the current vulgarisms misnamed music and into a world of keen satisfaction and ever increasing pleasure.

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There is yet another field which this versatile man has made peculiarly his own. Professor Ashley is recognized as one of the very few American connoisseurs on French, Spanish and Italian antiques, particularly textiles such as laces, tapestries, velvets, brocades and ecclesiastical vestments. Certain of the leading art museums of the country owe not a few of their choicer pieces to this modest and indefatigable worker. His position at M.A.C. has been somewhat unique. In an atmosphere inimical to humanism where scientific practicality all too easily slips over into commercialism, and where the exigencies of democratic control are sometimes trying to the liberal spirit, he has maintained a commendable loyalty to the stable though subtler values of life and has not sacrificed principle to expediency or sin- cerity to personal preferment. The Profes.sor Ashley known to students in the class-room is an unassuming gentleman — quiet, poised, impersonal, patient and sympathetic with stumblers, gently ironical when dealing with pretence and conceit, firm in discipline. Year after year these qualities exert their silent, steady influence. He knows that there are no short cuts to knowledge, no magic formulae for the acquirement of foreign tongues; he asks for rigorous sustained effort, and those who make the sacrifice are never disappointed with the results obtained. It is the constant judgement of the students, and one with which, as a member of his first class at M.A.C. we can heartily concur, that you learn the language with Ashley . It is an encouraging index of the growing liberalism and deeper intuition of our student body that the Class of 1927 has seen fit to dedicate this book to one who represents so richly the qualities which intelligent men in all ages have regarded as their most precious heritage. R. E. TORREY.