136 HENRY HILL GOODELL 



and made frequent trips back and forth, when the condition 

 of his health would have been abundant excuse for less 

 strenuous effort." 



He was a keen observer of men, and his large experience 

 in legislative business caused him to recognize the value to 

 a cause of its being well stated. This undoubtedly led him 

 to emphasize strongly, as it was natural for him to do, "the 

 study of one's mother tongue," and to give it a larger place 

 in the curriculum than is usual in our agricultural colleges. 

 In this respect he was master of what he admired. Resolu- 

 tions referred to a committee of which he was a member 

 were usually returned to the assembly much shorter and 

 very much clearer. His annual reports to the Governor 

 and Council, and especially his report as chairman of the 

 executive committee of the National Association of Agri- 

 cultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, show a full 

 knowledge of the subject and a conciseness and lucidity 

 of statement which reflect the nature of his mind. Hard- 

 headed business men, who usually have strong convictions 

 that their ideas are right, found him clear and just in his 

 statement of the point in controversy. 



A contractor had a large bill against the College, which 

 had been running some three years and had been the sub- 

 ject of much angry altercation. It was hanging over the 

 College when Professor Goodell was elected president, and 

 he (the contractor) thought that, before having recourse to 

 the law, he would present his bill again. To use his own 

 words: "I stated my side of the case and then President 

 Goodell stated what he thought would be right for the Col- 

 lege and just to me, and I thought so too, and we settled 

 in half an hour." 



