306 AS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT-II 



securities for the five hundred thousand dollars required 

 by the charter, but also gave two hundred acres of land as 

 a site. Thus came into being Cornell University. 



Yet the services of Mr. Cornell had only begun: he at 

 once submitted to us a plan for doing what no other citizen 

 had done for any other State. In the other common 

 wealths which had received the land grant, the authorities 

 had taken the scrip representing the land, sold it at the 

 market price, and, as the market was thus glutted, had 

 realized but a small sum; but Mr. Cornell, with that fore 

 sight which was his most striking characteristic, saw 

 clearly what could be done by using the scrip to take up 

 land for the institution. To do this he sought aid in vari 

 ous ways ; but no one dared join him, and at last he deter 

 mined to bear the whole burden himself. Scrip repre 

 senting over seven hundred thousancLacres still remained 

 in the hands of the comptroller. The trustees received Mr. 

 Cornell s plan for dealing with the scrip somewhat doubt 

 fully, but the enabling act was passed, by which he was 

 permitted to i locate this land for the benefit of the uni 

 versity. So earnest was he in this matter that he was 

 anxious to take up the entire amount, but here his near 

 friends interposed : we saw too well what a crushing load 

 the taxes and other expenses on such a vast tract of land 

 would become before it could be sold to advantage. Finally 

 he yielded somewhat : it was agreed that he should take up 

 five hundred thousand acres, and he now gave himself day 

 and night to this great part of the enterprise, which was 

 to provide a proper financial basis for a university such as 

 we hoped to found. 



Meanwhile, at Mr. Cornell s suggestion, I devoted my 

 self to a more careful plan of the new institution ; and, at 

 the next meeting of the board, presented a &quot;plan of or 

 ganization,&quot; which sketched out the purpose and consti 

 tution of such a university as seemed needed in a great 

 commonwealth like ours. Mr. Cornell studied it carefully, 

 gave it his approval, and a copy of it with marginal notes 

 in his own hand is still preserved. 



