346 PROCEEDINGS OP THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



the officers of administration. In all the affairs of his office, Mr. 

 Lovering was exact and systematic to the last degree. His fixed 

 principles of college government, and his wonderful memory of facts, 

 names, and faces, enabled him to be perfectly consistent in all his 

 dealings with students, and his high standard of justice made it 

 almost certain that no one could be wronged by his decisions. 

 He was, indeed, a model executive officer, and his long adminis- 

 tration as Regent did much to establish and confirm the policy of 

 Harvard College for a period of twenty years. 



I well remember one of the first occasions when one of the 

 speakers at a College exhibition uttered strong and decided anti- 

 slavery sentiments. One of the older Professors remonstrated to 

 Mr. Lovering, and exj)ressed his surprise that such a passage should 

 have been allowed to be spoken. Mr. Lovering replied, l( I have 

 heard the other side of that question here all my life; and I think 

 it is quite time that we heard this side now." 



Mr. Lovering's sense of fairness was one of his most marked 

 characteristics. He was also a man of remarkable kindness and 

 sympathy, which often took the form of most efficient action even 

 when he seemed to try to repress its expression in words. His 

 whole personality was, indeed, a most striking one, which im- 

 pressed every one who met him, while it was fully appreciated 

 only by those who knew him best. 



Regretting that I cannot listen to the tributes of respect which 

 will be offered to his memory this evening, I remain ever 



Yours, sincerely, 



W. W. Goodwin. 



From Mr. Justin Winsor, Librarian of Harvard University. 



My dear Dr. Peabodt, — Mr. Lovering's failure to be present 

 at a gathering of the Thursday Evening Club in Boston was so 

 unprecedented, that at the meeting which was held during his last 

 illness everybody remarked upon his absence, and it was the first 

 intimation most of us had that he was confined to his house. 

 A fortnight before, at its previous meeting, I had talked with 

 him about his constancy of attendance, and he told me that he 

 had never missed a meeting, and he was among the older mem- 

 bers of the Club. Even to the last he was ready to contribute 

 his share to the edification of its members, and he said to me on 

 this last meeting of his attendance, that he was ready to be called 

 upon for a paper, if there should at any time be a gap to be filled. 



