386 AS UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT -VI 



us was superb. Immediately below us, in front, lay the 

 beautiful valley in which nestles the little city of Ithaca; 

 beyond, on the left, was the vast amphitheater, nearly 

 surrounded by hills and distant mountains; and on the 

 right, Cayuga Lake, stretching northward for forty miles. 

 Few points in our country afford a nobler view of lake, 

 mountain, hill, and valley. The speakers naturally ex- 

 patiated in all the moods and tenses on the munificence 

 of Mr. Cornell and Mr. McGraw ; and when all was ended 

 the great new bell, which had just been added to the uni- 

 versity chime in the name of one most dear to me, the 

 largest bell then swinging in western New York, inscribed 

 with the verse written for it by Lowell, boomed grandly 

 forth. As we came away I walked with Goldwin Smith, 

 and noticed that he was convulsed with suppressed laugh- 

 ter. On my asking him the cause, he answered: " There 

 is nothing more to be said; no one need ever praise the 

 work of Mr. Cornell again. ' ' On my asking the professor 

 what he meant, he asked me if I had not heard the last 

 speech. I answered in the negative that my mind was 

 occupied with other things. He then quoted it substan- 

 tially as follows: "Fellow-citizens, when Mr. Cornell 

 found himself rich beyond the dreams of avarice, did he 

 give himself up to a life of inglorious ease? No, fellow- 

 citizens; he founded the beautiful public library in 

 yonder valley. But did he then retire to a life of luxury? 

 No, fellow-citizens; he came up to this height (and 

 here came a great wave of the hand over the vast amphi- 

 theater below and around us) and he established this 

 universe!" 



In reference to this occasion I may put on record 

 Lowell's quatrain above referred to, which is cast upon the 

 great clock-bell of the university. It runs as follows : 



I call as fly the irrevocable hours 

 Futile as air, or strong as fate to make 

 Your lives of sand or granite. Awful powers, 

 Even as men choose, they either give or take. 



