CONCLUDING YEARS-1881-1885 429 



greater institutions, urging especially that the readers 

 thus called should every day present, with little if any note 

 or comment, the masterpieces of our literature. I can 

 think of no provision which would do more to humanize 

 the great body of students, especially in these days when 

 other branches are so largely supplanting classical studies, 

 than such a continuous presentation of the treasures of our 

 language by a thoroughly good reader. What is needed is 

 not more talk about literature, but the literature itself. 

 And here let me recall an especial service of Professor 

 Cor son which may serve as a hint to men and women of 

 light and leading in the higher education of our country. 

 On sundry celebrations of Founder 's Day, and on various 

 other commemorative occasions, he gave in the university 

 chapel recitals from Milton, Wordsworth, Tennyson, and 

 other poets of the larger inspiration, while organ inter- 

 ludes were given from the great masters of music. Litera- 

 ture and music were thus made to do beautiful service as 

 yokefellows. It has been my lot to enjoy in various capi- 

 tals of the modern world many of the things which men 

 who have a deep feeling for art most rejoice in, but never 

 have I known anything more uplifting and ennobling than 

 these simple commemorations. 



From one evil which has greatly injured many Ameri- 

 can university faculties, especially in the middle and west- 

 ern States, we were virtually free. This evil was the preva- 

 lence of feuds between professors. Throughout a large 

 part of the nineteenth century they were a great affliction. 

 Twice the State University of Michigan was nearly 

 wrecked by them ; for several years they nearly paralyzed 

 two or three of the New York colleges; and in one of 

 these a squabble between sundry professors and the 

 widow of a former president was almost fatal. Another 

 of the larger colleges in the same State lost a very emi- 

 nent president from the same cause; and still another, 

 which had done excellent work, was dragged down and 

 for years kept down by a feud between its two fore- 

 most professors. In my day, at Yale, whenever there 



