366 AS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT-V 



influence by virtue of his broad, liberal, tolerant views of 

 life which were promoted by study of the best thoughts of 

 the best thinkers of all times. 



The work of organizing and developing the general 

 courses was comparatively easy, and the stimulus given at 

 the outset by the non-resident professors rendered it 

 all the more so. But with the technical departments and 

 special courses there" were grave difficulties. The depart- 

 ment of civil engineering, of course, went easily enough ; 

 there were plenty of precedents for it, and the admirable 

 professor first elected was, at his death, succeeded by an- 

 other who most vigorously and wisely developed it : Este- 

 van Fuertes, drawn from the most attractive surroundings 

 in the island of Porto Rico to the United States by a deep 

 love of science, and retained here during the rest of his 

 life by a love, no less sincere, for American liberty a rare 

 combination of the virtues and capabilities of the Latin 

 races with the best results of an American environment. I 

 may mention, in passing, that this combination came out 

 curiously in his views of American citizenship. He was 

 wont to marvel at the indifference of the average Ameri- 

 can to his privileges and duties, and especially at the lack 

 of a proper estimate of his function at elections. I have 

 heard him say: "When I vote, I put on my best clothes 

 and my top hat, go to the polls, salute the officers, take off 

 my hat, and cast my ballot. ' 9 



It may be worth mentioning here that, at the election of 

 the first professor in this department, a curious question 

 arose. Among the candidates was one from Harvard, 

 whose testimonials showed him to be an admirable ac- 

 quisition ; and among these testimonials was one from an 

 eminent bishop, who spoke in high terms of the scientific 

 qualifications of the candidate, but added that he felt it 

 his duty to warn me that the young man was a Unitarian. 

 At this I wrote the bishop, thanking him, and saying that 

 the only question with me was as to the moral and intel- 

 lectual qualifications of the candidate; and that if these 

 were superior to those of other candidates, I would nomi- 



