20 
Proceedings of the Inauguration 
yourself and to the college. You went forth into the world to the 
work of a teacher, but we kept our eyes upon you, and it was not 
long before we had you back among us as one of our honored 
professors, delighting us with your wide-awake, magnificent 
qualities as instructor. In your spare moments you were much 
engaged in investigations of an original character. By your own 
eagerness you were industriously employed in digging into the 
fields of physics, striving to discover new facts by which you 
might make plain some of the hitherto unsolved problems which 
had caused perplexity to many a hard working student. So suc- 
cessful was your work, that it was not long before you became 
known on both sides of the Atlantic, and other colleges were 
beginning eagerly to inquire about you. 
Again you went away from us, for several years. You were 
active in other parts of the educational world winning to your- 
self degrees and honors. But the Board of Trustees had their 
eyes upon you still, and when the chair of President was made 
vacant by the resignation of Dr. Emory W. Hunt, turned at once 
to you. They felt that they now had a position to offer you com- 
mensurate with your abilities. They knew you loved your Alma 
Mater, and would surely give her first consideration. They were 
not a little chagrined, however, at the quietness and coolness with 
which you received their communication. You expressed great 
