18723 Degrees from Cornell 



was accompanied by botanical and soil maps and 

 an explanation of the four or five floral districts 

 comprising that upland region of glaciated valleys 

 and moraines. At the formal Commencement exer- Gradual 

 cises I read an essay entitled "The Colors of Flowers." 

 The front of the old Library Hall (of Ithaca) being 

 crowded to the limit, it was difficult for me — as 

 first speaker — to get through to the steps at the 

 side of the stage. Passing, therefore, from my place 

 in the audience, I put a hand on the platform and 

 leaped to position! This direct method was, of course, 

 a bit unconventional, and when I had finished, the 

 president signaled to me to leave by means of 

 the steps and thus return to my seat as best I 

 could. 



In this connection I may refer to the final degree Doctor 

 conferred on me by Cornell, that of Doctor of Laws °/ ^^^^ 

 in 1886, when I was again unexpectedly the recipient 

 of an unusual honor. In the original organization 

 of the university White had decreed that no honorary 

 degrees should be granted. His successor. Dr. 

 Charles Kendall Adams, did not sympathize with 

 this restriction, and securing the assent of faculty 

 and trustees, arranged to confer the degree of LL.D. 

 on Mr. White and on me. Meanwhile a considerable 

 number of alumni, myself included, had filed a 

 protest against the proposed change in policy. 

 Both degrees were, however, publicly awarded, not- 

 withstanding my own absence. I then wrote im- 

 mediately to Adams, declining the honor; but he 

 urged me to accept it as a personal favor to him, 

 circumstances being; what they were; and thus the 

 matter stands. Afterward, in deference to a strong 

 feeling among the graduates, the practice was dis- 



C 97 ^ 



ion 



