The Portland daily press., 1875-10-29
Wesleyan University
The New President Inaug ugarated.

Tuesday last the Rev. Dr. Cyrus d. Foss was
installed president of Wesleyan University. Like
most of the new college presidents recen'ly in
stalled IN New England, he is a young man,
only Al. He is one of three brothers, who
have graduated at Wesleyan, the other two
having died. They were born on the HudsJu,
Cyrus d. at Kingston. He graduated 10 1854,
began teaching in Ame MIA seminary, of which
he 5000 became principal. and joined the New
York conference in 1857, the same year ia
which DR.. Cummings became president of
Wesleyan. One has been preacher and the
other president, therefore, Is years.
The accession of the new man greatly in
spirits management already OF sanguDe and
generous intentions. The trustees at a meet
ing, resolved to signaize the centennial year
by an addition OF $500 900 to the endowment Of
the college. A committee of 25 was appointed
to cooperate with the efforts of the ,umni and
of the patron conferences il this wo,k. The
matter was thoroughly csnvsssed IN view of the
hard times. but it was finally resolved to make
the attempt, and without doubt a fair measure
of success, if not the full, will be attained.
Some of the conferences have already pledged
| their educational collections tor next year to
this purpose. The college needs more profess
| and of advancing culture, and, if it we're able,
would expand some of its courses, aud especial
ly its opportunities for postgraduate study, IN
way that would give it quite university
| character.
The exercises were held in the memorial
| chapel. DR.. Cummingss address was full of
| strong, and generous feeling He gave his sue
l cessor hearty welcome, aud congra ulated him
/ upon the extent to which the presidential Office
bad been relieved of its drudgeries, the faith
ful performance of which was never appre-
| ciated. DR. Cummings was generously aD-
plauded by the audience and was gracefully
complimented by everybody. Prof. Rice, who
spoke in behalf of the faculty, said that Ma
| poeOn had carved his initial on the imperial
palaces, hut it needed no initial to render the
new buildings of Wesleyan university the mon
| ument If DIR. Cummings. DIR. Bradford X.
Pierce speaking for the alumni, said that the
history of Ds. CummipgSs administration was
| written where GOd had written the history Of
the creation, sin the old red sandstont," re-
ferring to the material of the new buildings.
Judge Reynolds Of Brooklyn spoke in b-haif
| of the trustees, and George S. Coleman of the
senior class in behalf of the students. Pr.si-
dent Porter of Yale made the opening praye
and on the platform were Bishops Haven an,
James and President Harris of Drew seminary.
There was only about an hour left for the
| inaugural, an exigeucy which DIR Foss had an-
| ticipated by curtailing the address to modest
| proportions. 1t was altogether an earnest
plea for the physical, intellectual, moral and
religious cultivation of the man. Culture
must lay the foundation of the man aud
be ''based." BeginniDg with the physical,
he said: rhe scholar especially needs Drawn
as we'll as brain, because. in order 10
| be q scholar, he must pay the newt
| able tax levied on every perpetual hard stu
| dent; and also because the supreme prac IL
| cable mental exertion, which IS the business of
his life, is directly contingent on the fnepess
and fulness of his physIcal forces. Let the
!, student then give earnest hee d to the CAFE al
culture of his body. 1t is the home the ipstru-
ment, the mod, aud the ernal companion OF
his soul. Let him know that sppug Cruel,
. midnight lamp burns low. can never make
, bin either a scholar or man. Let him eat
beef and mutton in generous ilices. Let him
: leap into every day as into new Paradise.
: over the wall of eight hours solin sleep. Let
| him not cross his arms behind him, drop his
head, and NOPE along the pavement, inwardly
saying, Il am walking tor exercise-l am
, | walking for exercise" Let him stretch away
, | over the breezy hills with ht companions, IN
utter torSetfulness of lessons, and essaVs and
: sermons. uutil every drop of blood in his VEINS
tingles with the delight of mere animal exist
: epce. Let him hurl the bal, or pitch the
!, ! QUOT, or tug at the oar, or polse tne t'ne
He was forcible aud wise IN discriml mating
s | the sxact value of study The object OF study
ia not 10 GET. but to become Woe TO he fresh
:, | man who scans every lesson with a wry face
3 mnttrring cui bono! We are laughiugiy told
| that MANY a mau, on receiving his master
l. | decree has not Latin enough left 10 read il
"a | and that the bard problems of the higher
y mathematics pass INTO a yet swifter oblivion
but that same man may have mastery o
J. | his mother tongue which but for tn Latin, hs
4 would never have had; and which shall yet b.
his great power at the bar, in tn. pulpit or i,
the senate. The forgotten Anaytics may hav
& | trained him to b enn-ss of uiscrm DatIor
n and grasp of thought which shall set HIN
). among the merchant prIpcrs of the earth
"a Forgotten! what matter if the tourist forge
:. !. some of the steps by which be assembled tn
u Rghil He is there none the less. aud th'
T. mountain air thrills him, and the suolim
b scene spreads arouud him And wnat ma.
U which the student becomes scholar, ant
a. enters into lasting communion with the iofties
,e thought?
a In the evening a large number of the Alum
n. nj friends ard students of the university Assem-
>. blea in Memorial Chapel for social reunion