152 



IHE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT 



OF THE Alumni Association, 



Alfred Stover, Ph.G. 

 Ladies and Gentlemen of the Alumni Asso- 

 ciation, Fellow Students and Friends : Again 

 the hand of time has passed round the dial of 

 life's chronometer and another twelve months 

 of the history of our Association has been re- 

 corded in the sealed book of the past, where 

 no alterations or erasures can possibly be made. 

 Whether or no the past year has been one of 

 triumphant success or one of discouraging fail- 

 ure, each and every member present knows full 

 well how much has been his or her personal 

 contribution toward making the past record 

 what it is, All are equally interested and re- 

 sponsible, but I very much regret that all do 

 not take up an equal share of the work. 



I see to-day some who, one year ago (when 

 you again honored me by electing me your 

 President), promised to attend all the meetings 

 held during the year, and to lend their aid in 

 every possible way toward building up the As- 

 sociation. Some are present to-day for the first 

 time since that meeting. I am heartily glad 

 you have not entirely forgotten your promises 

 and that there still remains a day of grace in 

 which the good resolution can, in part, at least, 

 be carried out. We have missed you during the 

 year, the Association has missed your counsel 

 as well as your work, and you too have missed 

 much that would have been a pleasure and per- 

 haps a benefit to you. Let me urge upon you 

 with all the earnestnees I can command to 

 make an effort this coming year to attend the 

 meetings regularly and help support your of 

 ficers in their eflForts for our common good. 



To day our Alumni Association passes the 

 quarter of a century mark, and I trust it is en- 

 tering upon a new era of usefulness. Few who 

 were present at the first meeting, held on May 

 24, 1 87 1, are left to the Association to-day, the 

 majority having passed away, among whom 

 were P. W. Bedford, George C. Close and Jules 

 L. A. Creuse. Some of us here to day knew 

 and labored with these gentlemen in Alumni 

 work, and can testify to their untiring zeal and 

 enthusiasm. We also find among the list of 

 early workers the names of Ewen McFntyre, 

 Thos. F. Main, William Wright, Jr., Lucene M. 

 Royce, Byron F. McEatyre and Theo. Frohwein. 

 Some of these gentlemen still honor the Asso- 

 ciation with their presence and are always en- 

 thusiastically welcomed, but the active work 

 has for some time past devolved upon the 

 younger members, and many of them in turn are 



making honorable records for themselves. The 

 first lady to join the Association was Dr. Mary 

 Putnam Jacobi, who was a member of the Class 

 of 1863 and the firstlady graduate of our college. 

 Time will not permit of more than this passing 

 notice concerning our early history and the 

 work accomplished, of which we are justly 

 proud. The memories of our former associates 

 are held almost in reverence, yet it is mete that 

 we turn our attention for a moment to the work 

 of the present time. It is part of the duties of 

 the President to present an address at the an- 

 nual meeting, in which the work of the year 

 past is reviewed, and also to make such sug- 

 gestions and recommendations for the future as 

 he may deem advisable. 



When I again assumed the duties of Presi- 

 dent I found all matters appertaining to the 

 Alumni Association in a most flourishing con- 

 dition, my predecessor, Mr. Graeser, having 

 been an indefatigable worker, in fact, one of 

 the best Presidents the Association ever had, so 

 most things were very satisfactory. In looking, 

 however, over the needs of the Alumni, I was 

 only strengthened in my former belief that 

 what we required was more sociability, more 

 fraternity and more intercourse with the under- 

 graduates. My eff"orts during the entire year 

 have been used with that end in view. How 

 well I have succeeded, or whether the theory is 

 a correct one or not, I will leave you to judge. 



The first social gathering was the annual out- 

 ing, which had been arranged by my prede- 

 cessor, as is customary, coming as it did just at 

 the beginning of the executive year. This was 

 held at Bay View Park, City Island, on Wednes- 

 day, June 27th, and was as usual a decided social 

 success. The afternoon was well and pleas- 

 antly spent. 



With the commencement of fall the active 

 work of the Association was resumed and the 

 social features before suggested were put into 

 practical operation. A pianoforte was pur- 

 chased by the Association, an entertainment 

 committee appointed and a series of social 

 entertainments inaugurated. Each Wednesday 

 evening the Alumni rooms have been open to 

 the members, students of the college and their 

 friends. Each of these occasions has given en- 

 tire satisfaction to all who were so fortunate as 

 to be present. Through the courtesy of the 

 President of the college the use of the library 

 and adjoining rooms were secured, and three 

 sociables or "ladies' nights" held, at which 

 a programme consistine of music (both vocal 

 and instrumental), recitations and dancing was 



