LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA 



^Brothers', and the Calliopean. This continued to be for 

 many years the best structure on the grounds. The 

 number of books had been augmented by some excellent 

 purchases made in Europe by Professor Kingsley, but 

 nevertheless the library was most inadequate. Every- 

 thing about the college indicated poverty, economy, and 

 the wise expenditure of restricted means. The salaries 

 were small and the standard of life extremely simple. 

 Academic dress was unknown, except that the professors, 

 in accordance with the usage of gentlemen, usually wore 

 in public, at all hours of the day, black dress-coats, and 

 often with white neckties. It was a great innovation 

 when President Woolsey appeared, on Commencement 

 Day, in a black silk gown surmounted by a tall black tile- 

 hat. His gownless predecessor, President Day, more 

 nostro, used to put on a tile-hat, as he sat in the pulpit of 

 the Centre church, when he came to the solemn act of 

 conferring degrees, and pronounced the traditional phrase 

 beginning " Pro auctoritate mihi commissa" 



In those days, as now, Yale included the faculties of 

 law, medicine, and theology ; but they were regarded as 

 " outside " departments, quite apart from the " college 

 proper " or academic department. Dr. Woolsey, a 

 former Professor of Greek, and a subsequent authority 

 in international law, was called to the presidential chair 

 in 1846, and at once began to impress upon the institu- 

 tion his wise ideas of scholarship. A new life began with 

 his administration : the discipline was made more rigid, 

 new subjects of study were introduced, able men were 

 called into the faculty. 



But the older men were still honored and influential. 

 The former President, the Rev. Jeremiah Day, a calm, 

 wise, judicious man, remained in the corporation till he 

 was more than ninety years old, and might be seen every 

 Sunday in his seat at chapel, and almost every day slowly 

 promenading in the neighborhood of his house, or in his 



154 



