The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-07-14

, Its college BuIIdings--Letter From
LincOIn- DR.. KirK.-Dr.M aeIean-sDr.
GiEer, etc.
Especial Correspondence of the Cleveland LEADER
SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY.
A neat card Of invitation from the
powers that be" has started Us for the
ancient, honorable and inland town of
Princeton, N. J., to witness the 18th
commencement of Nassau Hall, and TO
participate in the exercises of the centen.
NAL anniversary of the CliOsophic Society.
I had often heard of Princeton and its
schools of learning, as well as the benight-
ed little State of New Jersey, which re-
fused to ratify the Constitutional Amend
ment, but it was quite new to me, and 1
went out to Princeton with my mouth and
ears wide open to see and hear what might
be Of interest in a country SO far behind
the age.
The ride of forty-hve or fifty miles
over the Camden s. Amboy Railroad
monopoly" (see Senator Summers speech
in the Senate for February IA, 1869 is
through a thickly settled and beautiful sec
ton OF country, equal to that of any State
in the Union. Jersey City, Newark, EIiz-
Abeth City, Railway, and New Brunswick
are all large and thriving places. A stran-
ger, particularly, notices the many fine
residences; the great number of large
shade trees, especisllY4he tall and grace
fully dropping weeping willows. ALI the
crops of the State looked exceedingly well
corn thrifty, grass heavy, wheat full
everywhere peace and plenty were smiling
in the land like twin sisters; and Industry
was out, his strong arms and skillful hands
busiIy employed.
THE VILLAGE OF PRINCETON.
Princeton village, there being about
twenty-five hundred inhabitants in the
whole town, stands some three miles from
the Camden s. Amboy Railroad, which
runs between New York and Philsdelphis
Princeton is q remarkably peculiar place.
unlike any other town 1 have ever seen,
It presents the appearance of having been
asleep for the last fifty or seveniy-hve
years, and still must be in a deep slumber.
The villsge-Rhat there is to be found of
one-seems to have strsyed out into the
country and got lost; perhaps it has not
recovered from the fright the British
gave it in Revolutionary times,
although 1 was under the i'm
preston that General Washington settled
that affair at the time. One long street
uns through the centerO of the village, from
which 8 few cross streets branch off. In
the center of the main streets stands 8 low,
wooden market house. It might be well
to collect the native population, both black
and white, around this market-house, and
inform them that now the British are gone,
there is nothing to hinder them from en-
gaging with safety in almost every enter
prise, provided they don't go to boring oil
Seriously, however, Princeton has no sd-
vsntsges, beyond being the seat for col
leges, to Underground or business activity.
The population is all rural and sgricul-
tursl it is an inland town, unblest with
navigation or locomotiOn of fanny sort, save q
dummy" engine which runs from the vii
lsge TO the depot.
There seem to be quite as many black
as white people in the town. In q short
walk about the colleges I counted fifty ne
groes upon the street. There are little
black boys to tend the door bells little
black girls to run of errsnds; black men
for driving in all the carriages, and black
TVRnt AVHTUThpwa TnENagI Il hn;,-
fifty miles from New York one might
sgine himself in the interior of Georgia
or Alabama. The Mansion House and
Nassau Hotel, with their bsr-rooms and
crowds Of men and hangers on, both old
and young, drinking and smoking, reminds
one of those days we read of when men
led 8 rough life, and had never heard of
temperance societies or s~nti-tobacco tracts.
l don't know of q better place to start g
temperance society than in the quiet old
sleepy village of Princeton.
SIGHTS AND SCENES.
There are but few modern-built houses
in the town, most of them being solid old
buildings fromseventy-five to one hundred
years old; President MscLean of the col
lege still living in the same house which
was occupied by the father of Aaron Burr.
With the exception of Cleveland, 1 sup
pose there is not another town in the
United States so heavily shaded with large
trees it seems q perfect forest. Many of
these fine old residences have very extern
sive lawns and grounds. I rsmbled q long
time through the beautiful park which
surrounds the residence of Judge Field,
and which fully equals anything of
rvbsok T,,a1sI Aon
The magnolia groves of the Judge, in
full bloom, gave the grounds a Southern,
sunny look, contrasting strangely with the
shaggy pine and spruce of the North.
Among the mions" of Princeton, aside
tr0m the college buildings, may be men,
toned the grave of Aaron Burr (perhsps
you will call that a dead Iior y the
Princeton battle ground, now a beautiful
field OF waving grain; the tombs of the
Presidents of the College, and the stu
dents monuments" Upon all of thessI
gszed with much interest. 1t is a beautiful
custom the students Of Princeton have;
when a fellow class mate dies in college,
they erect q memorial monument to Lis
memory, eFen if his remains have been to
ken to his native State. A group
of these monuments in the village
cemetery is the source of much
to visiting strsDgers-they are
costly and beautiful. I wonder if the poor
student who starred TO death at Harvard
Collegethe other day will have 8 monument
built to his memory A cold charity,
that, which comes after death, and rears
the marble column over the lifeIess re-
mains
q COLLEGE.
There are some twelve buildings of all
and sizes, old and new, Gothic and
which make up the College of
New Jersey and the Theological School.
Wing Hall and Clio Hall, so famous in
the history of this college, are neat, white
buildings of the C%orinthisn order of srchi-
lecture; the college chapel is a modern
building in the form of q Greek
cross; Nassau Hall is the principal
building and contains rooms
for Students and the college library. A
peep inside the library showed me q beSu-
tiful room, with q marble floor, containing
10000 volumes. The library of the Theo.
logical School is a five story gothic build
ing of stone. standing in the midst of a
deep pine and spruce grove. Brown Hall,
Whera the ThaOlOOioal studants roon, -;