EZRA CORNELL-1864-1874 325 



study, or the choice of professors, or plans for their ac- 

 commodation, he was never quick in announcing or tena- 

 cious in holding an opinion. There was no purse pride 

 about him. He evidently did not believe that his success 

 in building up a fortune had made him an expert or judge 

 in questions to which he had never paid special attention. 



During the last year or two of his life, I saw not so 

 much of him as during several previous years. He had 

 become greatly interested in various railway projects 

 having as their purpose the connection of Ithaca, as a 

 university town, with the State at large; and he threw 

 himself into these plans with great energy. His course in 

 this was prompted by a public spirit as large and pure as 

 that which had led him to found the university. When, at 

 the suggestion of sundry friends, I ventured to remon- 

 strate with him against going so largely into these railway 

 enterprises at his time of life, he said: "I shall live twenty 

 years longer, and make a million of dollars more for the 

 university endowment. " Alas! within six months from 

 that day he lay dead in the midst of many broken hopes. 

 His plans, which, under other circumstances, would have 

 been judged wise, seemed for a time wrecked by the finan- 

 cial crisis which had just come upon the country. 



In his last hours I visited him frequently. His mind 

 remained clear, and he showed his old freedom from any 

 fault-finding spirit, though evidently oppressed by busi- 

 ness cares and bodily suffering. His serenity was espe- 

 cially evident as I sat with him the night before his 

 death, and I can never forget the placidity of his counte- 

 nance, both then and on the next morning, when all was 

 ended. 



Something should be said regarding Mr. Cornell's po- 

 litical ideas. In the legislature he wasji firm Republican, 

 but as free as possible from anything like partizan 

 bigotry. Party ties in local matters sat lightly upon him. 

 He spoke in public very little, and took far greater in- 

 terest in public improvement than in party advantage. 

 With many of his political opponents his relations were 



