The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-08
Special Correspondence OF the star.

BROOKLYN, N. T., Jan. D.
A daily paper, In it's details of the in
auguration Of Governor Cornell, on New
Years Day, set forth the following incl
dent: Among the earliest to take seati
I'm the Assembly Chsmber) was veneer
able woman, whose large and finely
shaped features were framed by curls Of
iron-gray hair. This was Mrs. Ezra Cor.
nell, the mother of the new Governor. u
The incident carried my mind back ten
or eleven years, to the period when l was
student at the University which bears
the name of it's honored founder, the late
Ezra Cornell, ana / tried to picture to
myself the changes that time had wrought
In the face and form Of the ihotherly
woman l 50 frequently saw in those hal.
eyon days And then the image Of her
revered husband, dead now a trife over
five years, arose before me, and the food.
gates Of memory were opened and
1eemed once more sitting before my Thu
.ydides and Tacitus inthegreat, old-fash-
ioned building, where lot of us stu
dents roomed, just across the way from
the Cornell Mansion.
And as / sit down to indite to you my
weekly epistle, the idea strikes me that
perhaps you might like to hear some
thing about the father and mother of our
illustrious Governor, especially as their
efforts in behalf of education have given
them world wide fame and rightful
claim to the attention Of any constitu-
ency.
Cornell University, as you are doubt
less aware, is located at Ithaca, beauti-
full hill-inelosed town on Cayuga Lake,
in the central part of New York State
The University stands on the brow of a
lofty hill overlooking the lake, and just
below it, on the hillside, is the new and
palatial Cornell residence. But at the
time to which l refer Mr. and Mrs. Cor
nell lived with their two daughters land
a son-not the Governor-in the heart
of the town, in a large, roomy, dark
painted brick house, directly opposite the
Cornell Library Building, one of Mr..
Cornelrs munifcent gifts to his fellow
townsmen. Being on terms of friendship
with the family l had frequent oppor-
tunity to observe and meet Mr.. and Mrs.
Cornell, and the impression they made
upon me was of plain, earnest, kindly
man and woman, bent upon doing good
without reference to class, race or creed.
And, if may be pardoned for being a
little personal, l might add that the quail
tiles SO conspicuous in the old people
seemed reflected in the conduct Of their
children. ,'
The first time met Mr.. Cornell was in
The winter Of 1869, when I attended a
party given at his residence in honor of
one of his daughters. If 1 mistake not
it was surprise party, gotten up by
some of the more advanced students and
some of the young ladies of the town. I
say I "met" him, but l should rather have
said had a good look at him, though l
had seen him before but not near BY,
Throughout the evening he had been
invisible, but about the time the guests
were beginning to think of withdrawing,
the door Of bis library across the hall
from the front parlor was opened, and l
saw the founder of Cornell University
bending over pile of documents on a
table or desk, before him. 1t was evil
dent that he had been hard at work for
several hours, and when l came to
see and know more of the man, l found
that it wasa frequent thing for him to
thus employ himself-presiimahy as
Chairman of the Board of Trustees upon
the business of the University, for he
had given nearly million of dollars to
the Institution, and therefore had a
deep interest in seeing that University
become financial success.
He appeared to be upward of sixty
years Of age, with prominent, Yankee
cut features, broad brow, clear eye and
long beard, and was dressed in a very
ordinary suit of black. Afterward, on
seeing him on the street, / found him to
be tall and rather thin, with stoop
about the shoulders that proclaimed
both ripeness of age and years of toll;
aye, even of manual labor. Whether /
saw Mrs. Cornell on that occasion, have
no recollection as to, but afterward /
often met her, and she impressed me as
a very motherly woman-a woman of
force of character, of largeness Of mind
and body, and of entire willingness to
meet with equanimity whatever dispen-
sations Divine providence might have in
store for her. She dressed plainly, gen.
orally in black silk, except when busy in
the household, and l look back with
pleasure to the kindly goodbye she
bade me when l bid adieu to student
life and the many kind friends and ac-
quaintances l had made in Ithaca.
Mr.. Cornell never INDUCED in any
thing approaching ostentation or extray-
agance. 1t is true he erected a mansion
which it was said cost 100000 know
that for several years skilled artisans
were employed upon it-but then think
that he was animated more by desire
to place before the public a true stand
ard of architectural beauty, thereby ed
ucating their tastes and elevating art in
the town than nv a desire to gratify per-