Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-08-14
B0WDITCH.
The Boston Correspondent of the Anti,Slavcry
Standard writes:

The Boston Correspondent of the Anti,Slavcry
Standard writes:
I remember the celebrated Nathaniel Bow
ditch, the author of the Navigator and translator
of Laplace's Mecanique Celeste, telling me once
the story of his first visit to Cambridge. lie was
then a practical Navigator" himself, and found
himself, one Commencement morning in Boston
harbor with n ship and day upon his hands
With the ship he could do nothing, for every body
was away at Cambridge and no business what.
ever was DING. So he thought he might follow
the multitude and get rid of his day, 1t he could
not of his cargo, as they we're doing. lie never
had been in Cambridge, and knew no one there
and nobody connected with the College or the
government of it. He, accordingly, proceeded
over to Cambridge, and arrived about the time
the exercises were over. lie elbowed his way i'm
to the meeting house just rs old President Willard
was delivering the degrees to the graduating class.
He did not qlite understand what was going on.
but was amused at tho oddity of the proc eedings
and continued to watch their progress. Present
ly. the old President. GROWING his well powder
ed wig with his square cap, seated himself in the
curious oaken chair which has been the Academic
throne Of the sovereigns of the College from time
immemorial, and began to announce the names
of the persons on whom honorary degrees had
been bestowed. Soon be heard his own name pro.
claimed among the lumber. 1t was the degree of
Master of Arts to which he was admitted. He
said he did not know what it was, or what it
meant, but he understood clearly enough that he
had been selected by the authorities of the Uni
v%ersity, with none Of whom he had the slightest
personal acquaintance, for an honorary distinc-
ton OF some sort. lie afterwards received tn Q
highest degree the College can give. he was chos
en- into all the learned societies Of this country
and into many of those of Europe, he was elect
ed an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of
London, the only American who had ever receiv.
ed such an honor, except franklin, but he decls--
ed to me that none of them all had given him
such pleasure as that unsolicited and unexpected
Mastership of Arts at Cambridge. 1t came, he
said. just at the right time, and was indeed a
word spoken in season.
In the same letter we find the following evidence
Of the time serving character of the Directors of
Harvard College.
The authorities Of the College have not always
been rs unexceptionable in their choice of those
they have chosen to honor as in the case Of this
great self-made man. But they have again resist
ed the temptation of giving to Mr.. Sumner the
complement of a degree of L. L. D., which they
have always been ready enough to administer to
those who have held high Office, or anything like
it, if they were sons of Harvard. Mr.. Winthrop,
Mr.. A obott Lawrence, Mr.. Henry j. Gardner,
Mr.. Nathan Appleton, and others, have received
the honors of the University in their due turn
but MIR. Summers time has not come yet. If they
can do without him, he can probably manage to
do without them for a while. This year, however.
if they passed by Mr.. Sumner, they at least Sc
lected as the object of their attentions the gentle.
man to whom he owed his election to the Senate
The Hon. Sidney Bartlett, of this city, a lawyer
Of distinction, was made a Doctor of laws this
year, and he it was who made Mr.. Sumner Sena-
tor. And it was on this wise: Mr.. Bartlett was a
Member eff our House of Representatives, the
year of that election. You will recollect how
long and how close the contest was. For several
baliotings there had been in some way a double
vote cast by somebody, bot nobody could tell who.
II suited the purposes of the Wings, which party
had still a name to live at that time, to lay it at the
door of the Free.Soilers. The Atlas ia particular;
was active in this stributioa.
Well, Mr.. Bartlett, in the simplicity of bis soul
believing this to be the fact. moved, one morning,
that the next vote be taken by secret ballot, init,
mating that the other party were great friends Of
that way of voting and should be INDUCED in it.
The Free, Sellers all voted for it and enough Wings
to carry it. The Wing whipper.in of the House
was heard to endanger his immortal soul by curses
both loud and deep on Mr.. Bartlett for his action,
and, it is said, he Immediately telegraphed on to
Washington what has been done, adding that
Charles Summer would be elected Senator, the
next morning, by a majority Of one-which. &C.
cOrdingly, came to pass ia the most literal man
aer. SO nobody can grudge Mr.. Bartlett his de.
gree nor yet his precedence over Mr.. Sumner, as
he had made hin what he is.