The Portland daily press., 1871-11-18
DAILY PRESS
PORTLAND.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1s, 1871.


A correspondent OF the New York Times,
writing a series of articles upon the Public
Institutions of that State, takes up the Cor
nell University in his second letter, from
which the following extract is taken:
Having observed these features of the place,
looked around for some student who could
Inform me as TO the progress made in the
specially OF CorneIl--the self-supportng part
oil the system. The students were mostly down
town, as It was Saturday, and there were no
classes. But was soon directed to Cascadilla
Place, fine square stone structure built by
Mr.. Cornell Tor the accommodation of Profes-
sOrs and students, and situated half way be-
tween Ithaca and the College, below the ro-
mantle gorge, to which the somewhat affected
Spanish term of Cascadilla has been applied.
l rambed through its corridors in a somewhat
forlorn condition, not finding aay one who
worked on the farm, but heartily admirng
the sensible construction CT this building,
and especially the fine reception hall which
it contains. This is handsomely carpeted,
lighted and furnished. and has besides gift
from the President, Mr.. A. White, OF sp'en-
did set of proof engravings OF Kaulbach's
chef d'9upres in the Museum of Art, Berlin.
This is not the only gift of this accomplished
gentleman, who has won the hearty love and
respect of everybody in the institution, and
has kindled fire of enthusiasm in every
breast which will carry Cornell high up in
| the front, in spite of sectarian snarling and
| do9matic thunder. At last, by good chance,
| l came upon room where young fellow of
/ twenty three was studying Sanscrit. Having
| been in India tor many years was interest
| ed in his studies, and we commenced an ami
mated conversation upon philologic roots.
We criticised Max Muller, commented on
Bunsen's theory of the Peasgic people, and
| heartily agreed upon The absurdity OF study
| ing Greek and Latin, which were dried
sponges, out of which everything good had
been taken by our ancestors. incidentally
| learned that this most accomplished gentle
man was supporting himself by labOring on
| the farm. lie generally worked three hours
| dsy, and six hours on Saturdays, and had
| already got through his appointed labor for
| that Saturday. / asked him it :he manual la
| Dor of plowing, &c, did not stupefy him, con-
l tract the brain cells, and make his apprehen-
\ sion duller. He replied that it did not, be-
cause he had been brought up as farmer,
| and had nothing to learn when he came to
| the college. He was taking the agricultural
course, but had become interested in philolo-
gv, and one OF the Professors, who knew San
/ sefit had become interested in him, and had
given him lessons in that perfect language,
though Oriental studies are not i'll the curric-
4 ulum.
said, 81 suppose yours is an individual
I case?"
| Student-Yes, as regards tie philology, but
! not for the farm. There are twenty nine OF
4 us who work on it.
4 Correspondent Does it pay your ex-
| penses?
| steadily during the long three months vaca-
| ton. which ended in September. can go
| easy now if / feel inclined.
i CcirespOndent-I suppose the hardest part
/ of the work is done by laborers employed Tor
| that purpose?
Stlident-Not at all. There are only two
| teamsters hired on the farm, and all the other
work is done by US. At this moment we're
| laying down series Of drains, and this is very
4 heavy work indeed.
1 Correspondent-Did you do that this morn
ing?
Student-Yes, for six hours.
| Corespondent-And you did not feel stu
| pefed or tired out?
Student-Not at all. / dislike the work,
and was very glad to get back to this, but L
| was not tired
| Correspondent-Are there any other meth
ods of earning ones support here besides tho
1 farm?
Student-Oh yes. If you eau print, you
can earn more in the press-room than ON the
farm, and soon there will be lots Of work in
the machine-shop. Tie men are going to
make copies of Olivier's geometric models.
Observation-Disclosures that?
| Student--Why Eenchman OF the name
| OF Olivier made set of models to illustrate
| all the problems of geometry. set was pnr-
chased by the State of New Yoik, and is, 1
think, al Albany. They are going to make
copies of these. Twenty Thousand dollars
were given, believe, for the first set that he
made but our fellows here can make them
| for eight hundred.
Correspondence see. Well, but men who
| can't handle tools will not be able to do that
| sortot thing.
| Student-Certainly not. Skilled labor is at
the same premium here that it is elsewhere.
| COnespondent-Whatc can the men do who
have only their manual strength?
Student-Well, they can work on the farm
OF they can grade the square.
rrespondent-They can DO that, but then
] do they?
, Student-As general thing they lattempt
it, and finding it rather rough, give it up in
despair and go home.
CorTespondent-Well, but that was hardly
what Mr Cornell designed. was it?
| Studenl-No; be expected that the college
would give work 10 every one that cared to
take it, of kind that he could do. l suppose
that this will he done in the future by out
siders, but it can never be accomplished by
the college.
Cores Notwithstanding in the factory
way you mean. l suppose something that
will utilize the grand water-power that is
running to waste so pic;uresquey in the
gorges.
Student tlaughing)-I guess 50. I have
heard that Mr.. Cornell has some such scheme
| in his head.
Correspondept-But even then, perhaps,
the men could not earn enough to keep them.
| Let us calculate little. have been through
some factories in Auburn lately, and learn
| ed the rate of wages aren't here. Such work
| as upskied students could do would be paid
al the rate OF seven, say eight dollars week
for day of twelve hours. Now, how many
hours can you average of work throughout
| the year?
Student-About half day if 1 work stead
lily through the vacations.
Corlespondent-Very good-then that
would only be four dollars week throughout
| the year for everything.
Student-That would be quite sufficient.
My expenses are only three dollars week,
| and earn enough over to keep me in coarse
clothes.
Correspondence beg your pardon for the
seeming impertinence of the question l am
about to ask, and l beg you to believe that the
spirit that dictates it is not one of mere Curl
osity. Are you living in this fashion from
necessity, or do you perhaps wish to show
that it Can be done by those who have no Ie-
sources?
i Sudent--I do it from necessity; am very
poor.
Corresponjent-Sir,f from my heart honor
you, and if the sympathy of stranger can
tighten road so stony, pray understand that
you have it in the fullest sense of the word.
We shook hands heartily, and l left him to
his Sanscrit, feeling as L walked away that
Cornell meant something more than showed
on the surface. We Americans have been
, rather apt to worship the dollar, but when
poverty is so honorable and so honored as it
is here, our golden idol is like to tumble peg
| or so in the estimation of society.