ROCKS, STORMS, AND PERIL -1868 -1874 413 



grounds, there came along, in his rough wagon, a plain 

 farmer from a distant part of the county, a hard-working 

 man of very small means, who had clearly something 

 upon his mind. Presently he said: "I would very much 

 like to do something for the university if I could. I have 

 no money to give ; but I have thought that possibly some 

 good elm-trees growing on my farm might be of use to 

 you, and if you wish them I will put them in the best con- 

 dition and bring them to you." This offer we gladly 

 accepted; the farmer brought the trees; they were care- 

 fully planted ; they have now, for over twenty years, given 

 an increasing and ever more beautiful shade to one of 

 the main university avenues ; and in the line of them stands 

 a stone on which are engraved the words, "Ostrander 

 Elms." 



But while all this encouraged us, there were things of a 

 very different sort. Could the university have been de- 

 veloped gradually, normally, and in obedience to a policy 

 determined solely by its president, trustees, and faculty, 

 all would have gone easily. But our charter made this im- 

 possible. Many departments must be put into operation 

 speedily, each one of them demanding large outlay for 

 buildings, equipment, and instruction. From all parts of 

 the State came demands some from friends, some from 

 enemies urging us to do this, blaming us for not doing 

 that, and these utterances were echoed in various presses, 

 and reechoed from the State legislature. Every nerve had 

 to be strained to meet these demands. I remember well 

 that when a committee of the Johns Hopkins trustees, just 

 before the organization of that university, visited Cornell 

 and looked over our work, one of them said to me: "We 

 at least have this in our favor : we can follow out our own 

 conceptions and convictions of what is best; we have no 

 need of obeying the injunctions of any legislature, the 

 beliefs of any religious body, or the clamors of any press ; 

 we are free to do what we really believe best, as slowly, 

 and in such manner, as we see fit." As this was said a 

 feeling of deep envy came over me : our condition was the 



