Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-01-28
NO. "a.
THE BOWDOIN DINNER.

THE BOWDON DINNER.
The annual reunion of the alumni of Bow
doin College residing in Boston and vicinity
was held at the Parker House last evening.
The alumni gathered to the number of about
forty in one of the parlors at o'clock, and
an hour or more was passsd in pleasant in
tercourse and interchange of "reminiscences
of old times and former companions. The
preliminary business of the association was
small in amount, consisting simply of an cleo
ton of officers for the year. The Hon.
Nehemiah Cleaveland having declined a re-
election as president, the Hon. John c. dodge
(1S34) was unanimously chosen to that posi-
ton. Mr.. Charles M. Cumston (1S43), head
master of the English high school, upon whom
this college at its last commencement confer
red the degree of LII. D., was chosen vice
president, and d. C. Linscott, Esq, was re-
elected secretary.
The doors were thrown open, and the
guests proceeded to the dining-room. At the
right OF the president sat the Rev DR.. Harris,
president of the college, and at his left the
Rev. DIR. Leonard Woods, ex-president.
Among the alumni present were Professor c.
+. Bracket@of Bowdoin, Charles c. Everett
of Harvard, the Rev. DIR. Z. B. Webb, the
Rev. Benjamin G. Snow, long missionary
to the Pacific Isles, the Revs. Elijah Kellogg,
J. 0. Means and Henry NJ. King of that city,
Mr.. James r. Osgood and many other we'll
known gentlemen of the various professions.
The Divine blessing was invoked by the Rev.
DR.. Webb. After the cloth was removed, the
commencement hymn,
Let children hear the mighty deeds,
was sung, being deaconed off by the presi-
dent OF the evening, who then, with few
complimentary words, introduced President
Harris. The introduction gave DR.. Harris
a text which served to point the inevitable al
lusion to the bachelor condition of ex-Presi-
dent Woods,-an allusion which is never
omitted at a college occasion when the beloved
ex-president is present, and which he invari-
ably receives with good-humored embarras-
ment which adds greatly to the delight of the
company. President Harris gave brief
sketch of the present condition of the college
which he represented to be in promising con-
dition and doing its work thoroughly and ae
ceptably. He added few earnest words on
the general subject of education, pleading
for Spreservation of all that is good in the
old system, with a due recognition of the
demands of the age in the introduction of
whatever is new. and good. He spoke in ref
erence to the memorial hall also, and said
that the exterier was entirely completed. The
funds when all collected would be just about
sufficient to pay for the work done. No pro-
the interior.
President Woods, who was next called upon,
was received with great applause and made a
most excellent speech, at first brimming with
humor and afterwards in more serious vein.
He took up the theme entered upon by DIR.
Harris, and deprecated any attempt to force
our American colleges into the system of Eng
lish universities. Such change, he main
tanned, is opposed to the American modes of
life and thought The true idea should be to
hold fast to the college as school for general
culture, and to group about it, as it is now the
tendency to do, the institutions for special
training. He described the promises held
forth when one of our New England colleges
adopted a purely elective system, and its dis
| astrous failure, and predicted that such would
be the result whenever that plan should be
tried again.
! The Rev. Benz. G. Snow (lS46) spoke briefly
but forcibly of the value of the training he
had received at Bowdoin In the special work
which he had been called upon to perform.
1t might be supposed that college training
would be of little use in the islands of the
Pacific Ocean, but such was not the case. 1t
had been of great service in the study
of languages. Mr.. Snow created much
merriment by speaking two or three sentences
in one of the Pacific Island dialects, in re-
sponse to n call from some of the company.
He described how he had been obliged to pick
up few words from the natives, to acquire a
wholly unknown language, then to reduce it
to writing, to prepare books in the language.
and finally to teach the natives to read and
write their own language. All this he had
done, and to-day there was dialect of one of
these islands which could be spoken by only
two white persons,-himself and his wife. In
all this his training in college was invaluable.
There were several other notable speeches
made, but we can only mention them. Pro-
fessor Everett (lS50) said that his position
with reference to Bowdoin where he had grad
uated, and Harvard where he was now located,
was something similar to that in which he
found himself when, as a little boy, he was
asked which of two girls he liked best. With
a wisdom beyond his years he had answered
vantages which Bowdoin possessed he men
toned the opportunity to enlarge the lungs
and frame, while of Harvard it had been said
that the students were obliged to run to fires
in order to get an opportunity to shout ''tire."
The Rev. DIR. Webb, ClS46) spoke of the great
necessity of a classical school in Maine equal
| in rank and reputation to that at Andover, to
supply the material from which Bowdoin should
draw. He mentioned that he was aware of
some Maine boys now in Andover who ought
to go to Bowdoin, but who would inevitably
| DC CaTTltu W OtLSr CouSSts ny tuciN dptuSsc
to go with the majority OF their companions.
The Rev. Elijah kellogg (ls40) told a humor-
Gus story of his own experience with two
young men sent down to him at Harpswel
from the college to be reformed. The Rev
Mr.. Means (lS43) spoke of the encourage
ment and hope a visit to the college and ar
examination of its working had given him
Other speeches were made by Mr.. Cyru,
Woodman (lS36), Dr. James Aver Qs35), j
W. Perry, Esq. OS46), Mr. Joseph H. Alb
bott (ls22), b. A. G. Fuller, Esd. Qs39), I
S. Harlow, Esq. (ls36), the Rev. George
Gannett QS42), Mr.. George Nj. Adams lS44,
and Oliver Stevens, Esq. QS4S). Ths
speeches were harmonized and introduced by
pertinent and witty speeches and stories by
Mr.. Dodge, the president, who fully justified
the choice made by the association. The
meeting broke up at about eleven o'clock
The class which was most numerously rep
resented was that of 1854, by four members
but the classes of 1889 and 1861 had each
three - Rosfon 4dgsrItser