The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-29
LAFAYETTE COLLEGE
The Thirty fourth Annual
Commencement.
The Institution Within and Without.
From Our O1en correspOndens
Historic Associations.

keep Its name IRON historic ObScurlty. In the
colonial times it was place of note, whittier
the 'lone, poor Indian" smoked the pipe of
peace, or dug up the tomahawk and screoched
out amid these echoing hills his war-whoop
of savage hate. When the Indians, one hundred
and twenty years ago, desolated the northern
counties of Pennsylvania, and butchered all
whom Rhey could capture, the little village of
Easton was thronged with the fugitive families
seeking city of refuge Here the stalwart yeo-
men of Pennsylvania stood side by side with
their brave comrades of New jersey, aud swept
back forever the murderous hordes. Here often
the braves gathered in solemn councils; upon
these hills were spoken their words of untaught
eloQuence; in this valley the Governors of the
Keystone State and the Jersey Blues gave wam-
pun, trinkets, and fre-water for many tracts
now titled in fertile farms.
Civilization has already done much to de-
velOp the latent powers of this section, aud
many interesting pages might be written of its
achievements. In these concentrations Lafay-
cite College would bear proud name. Not only
has it been educational society of acknow-
ledged power, but, as well, it has developed a
spirit of missionary enterprise throughout this
neghborhood, already hallowed by the abors of
self-sacrihcing men. In the vivid words of the
late DR.. Brainerd, David Branerd was but
twenty years of age when he preached at the
forks of the Delaware in Indian wigwams, and
his whole life's work was done ut thirty" The
main station of Count Znzendorf was but twelve
miles distant, and from the college cupola can
be seen the little village of Nazareth, where
Whitefeld laid the foundations of an orphan
asylum. This was afterwards completed by the
Moravians for their Theological Seminary; but
it is still known as the 'Whitefeld House.
Animated by the same religious spirit Lafay-
ette College has furnished to the Christian min
istry very large proportion of its graduates,
and the influence of the Brainerd Society is seen
in the number of devoted men who have conse-
Grated themselves to the work of foreign mis-
sions. One of them was native Hindoo,
Ishwari Das, who returned to India and recently
| received two prizes from the Government for
essays relating to some reforms proposed by
| the authorities. Those two missionaries
| alike beloved and honored, Messrs. Janver
| and LGwenthal, whose cruel deaths are so well
| remembered, were students ut Lafayette. Mr..
LGwenthall, who was the son of II Jewish Rabbi
| in Poland, had for his roommate while at Lafa-
yette the Rev. Victor Herschell one of five sons
of a Jewish Rabbi in Germany, all of whom be-
came ministers of the Gospel. 1t is a further
| coincidence in the history of these two Israel
| ties, that about the same time the former was
murdered in India, the latter also sealed his tes-
| timony to the faith IN blood, having perished in
| the massacre at Jamaica, where he was the pas
tor of a church gathered largely by his mission
| ary labors. THE blood of the martyrs is the
| seed of the Church."
The College Buildings.
The first edifce erected for the use of the
college in 1882 is now being entirely remodelled
A wing, fifty by sixty feet, has been added, con-
| tanning fire-proof museum of natural history,
! provided with gallery, thus furnishing large
wall surface for the display of the collections
| In its two upper stories are rooms for botani-
| cal collection, for the operations in the depart
| ment of eXpermentala and mechanical philosophy
| and for n display of models of machinery. This
is connected with the old building by tower
| eighty feet high, with a Norman turret, to nc
commodate the bell of the college. All the
windows are being furnished with dark brown
hoods and bases of iron, and French rosf sur
mounts the entire structure, thus removing the
| antiquated air of the old building Several of
the smaller rooms are to be united to form Il
reading room, and an enlargement made of the
meagre accommodations heretofore had. The
walls are of brick, and will be rough-cast to
| correspond with the main building. The quoins
are of freestone from Connecticut
During the past year brick dOrmitories for stu
| dents have been erected of three and four stories
| in height ~ by 50 feet. They have been named
| from early trustees of the college, as General
John Hare Powell, Matthew Newkirk, and Alfred
| Martien. In the one named after the latter gem
| tleman are temporary accommodations for the
| Civil Engineering department. The jerks
| Chemical Hall contains the cabinets of mine
| rails, fossils, and shells, and the room approprt
ated to the Students Natural History Socety
| ii was visited by many yesterday. The building
| has its name from Col Barton H. jerks, of
| Philadelphia, who bore the principal cost of its
| construction, which amounts to $4,000 On the
| first floor, the tyros in c. emistry have their
| workshop, and execute the delicate operations
| of quanttative analysis. In the main hall the
| citizens in winter gather one evening weekly to
| hear the learned lectures given by the Faculty
| and others to populariZe science. The very eX-
| tensive herbarium including the herbarium of
the State of Pennsylvania, collected by Professor
Porter, is here stored available for practical ap-
| plications in the study of botany.
| North of this, and on the crest of the hill,
stands the Astronomical Observatory lately
erected, and now occupied by DR.. Coffin in the
| instruction of classes studying astronomy and
| natural philosophy. 1t is constructed wholly of
| dark blue limestone brought from the Bushkil
| quarries, and is about sixty feet in front by
| ffty-two in depth. 1t contains a tower and two
| transit rooms, with lecture-room attached.
The tower is surmounted by a revolving dome.
| The massive stone pillar on which the telescope
is to rest is based on the solid rock its height is
| thirty-two feet. The lecture-room in the rear is
furnished with cases for the philosophical appa-
ratus. This building in its complete form, in
| Guiding the telescope that is now mounted within
| its walls is the gift of one of the Faculty Dr.