376 AS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT -V 



series of classes which have profited by his teachings, and 

 the cordial companionship of his colleagues, who rejoice 

 to profit by his humorous, but none the less profound, ob- 

 servations upon problems arising in the university and in 

 the world in general. 



As regards this illustrative material, I recall one curi- 

 ous experience. While on one of my architectural excur- 

 sions through the great towns of eastern France, I ar- 

 rived at Troyes. On visiting the government agent for 

 photographing public monuments, I noticed in his rooms 

 some admirably executed pieces of stone carving, capi- 

 tals, corbels, and the like, and on my asking him whence 

 these came, he told me that they had been recently taken 

 out of the cathedral by the architect who was " restoring " 

 it. After my purchases were made, he went with me to 

 this great edifice, one of the finest in Europe; and there 

 I found that, on each side of the high altar, the architect 

 had taken out several brackets, or corbels, of the best me- 

 diaeval work, and substituted new ones designed by him- 

 self. One of these corbels thus taken out the government 

 photographer had in his possession. It was very striking, 

 representing the grotesque face of a monk in the midst of 

 a mass of foliage supporting the base of a statue, all being 

 carved with great spirit. Apart from its architectural 

 value, it had a historical interest, since it must have wit- 

 nessed the famous betrothal of the son and daughter of 

 the English and French kings mentioned in Shakspere, 

 to say nothing of many other mediaeval pageants. 



On my making known to the photographer the fact that 

 I was engaged in founding a school of architecture in the 

 United States, and was especially anxious to secure a good 

 specimen of French work, he sold me this example, which 

 is now in the museum of the Architectural Department at 

 Cornell. I allude to this, in passing, as showing what mon- 

 strous iniquities (and I could name many others) are 

 committed in the great mediaeval buildings of Europe 

 under pretense of " restoration. " 



