Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-06-28
BUTLER AT HARVARD.
HE CAPTURES POPULAR ENTHUSIASM.
How Old fsen Talked ut the Alum II Dinner
-He ArOuses the Enthusiasm of
HIS An6fecca

How Old lsen Talked ut the Aiumoi Dinner
-Ho Arouses tho Enthusiasm of
HIS Audience.
Gen. Butler went to the Harvard college
alumni d:nner Wednesday. The Lancc.s
with their band. performed their historic
escort duty to the six horse carriage in
which his exce!iency and lieutenant gov
eInor Ames rode over the bridge, and
President Elliott welcomed his guests at
| the door of Massachusetts, hall. There
were present about fifty gentlemen. most
of the distinguished alumni, to a few Of
| whom the governor was presented. There
| was no formality about the reception; in
| fact, the governor was left to his own 70
sources and sought out and spoke with
| two or three in the crowd whom he knew.
Among those present were A: Hon. E. r.
Hoar. president of he board of overseers :;
ex President Hill, of the University; Hon.
Charles Francis Adams, r.,Judge Lowell,
Of the U. S. circuit court; Judge COlburn,
of the supreme court, and members
Of the college government When the
procession marched to Sanders theatre the
governor, with Hon. John Quincy Adams,
came next behind President Elliott. He
was greeted by silence as he took his seat
among the nOtables on the platform and,
clad in black, his Prince Albert coat
adorned with the inevitable bOutOnniere,
remained a passive listener to the orations
and dissertations of the graduates. Pres
itient Elliott, wheu these were ended.
conferred degrees on the 207 members of
| the graduating class and also announced
| the honorary degrees. Fcancis A. Walker
of Boston, and Rev. George E. Ellis, ID.
d., of Boston, received the degree of LII.
d. Rev. Charles Babbidge, of the class of
! '23, received the degree of ID d. Mr..
Babbidge has been pastor of Il church i'll
Pepperell for fifty years aud was chaplain
of the first (Sixth) Massachusetts, regi
ment which went out for three months
President Elliott entertained the COVER
nor during the interim which succeeded
and escorted him into Memorial hall 1T .
o'clock.
The Alumni Dinner
| Fully one thousand alumni wee present
at the dinner, while undergraduates occu
pied the galleries overlooking the dinner
tables. After Dean Gray, of the Divinity
school, had asked the diviuc blessing and
the veteran Sibley had led in the singing
of the seventh psalm, Joseph ii. ChOate,
of New York, the presidin. officer, felct
cusly began the speech making. Mr..
ChOate pointed cut pleasantly that the
governor, who sat at his left, was present
as tho guest of the president and fellows
and not of the alumni and made several
other illusions, which could be taken
either as slaps or compliments. but which,
in the light of other words. were clearly
intended in tho latter sense. The Older
men among the alumni. prominent among
them being several we'll known opponents
| - ~
| sallies, except when Mr.. ChOate alluded to
Harvard's hatred of shams. Then they
| Joined in the demonstration started by the
younger men. Mr.. ChoaLe announced be
fore concluding his remarks that Samuel
j. Bridge, of Boston, had ordered III
ideal statue of John Harvard to be placed
in the quadrangle. President Elliott, in
his address. stated that $11O, 600 had been
given to the college during the year, the
income of which is to be expended as the
faculty may see fit, and $4,000, the in
come of which is to be added to the presi
dents salary.
Governor Butler realized his uncomfort
able position while the president was
speaking. He nervously chswed his
unlighted cigar aud turned and twisted il,
his chair. He had just been shown the
last Life. with its burlesque of him in hls
predicament.
Governor Buffers speech.
When lie arose to speak he laid down :.
| bouquet of red roses which he had had in
hs hand. The younger portion of the
assemblage only cheered. His first sen-
tenccs lamented the poverty Of his boy
hood, which compelled him to seek an
humber alma mater than Harvard. Then
he recalled almost with tears tuit his
eldest son, the pride OF lis life. now dead,
was a Harvard graduate. Fearing that
he was in danger of breaking down under
the rush of rccOilectiOns he quickly turned
to his official duty as the representative of
the state and entered on an eloquent Oil
comium of the commonwealth anu the
college and their close legal rela
tions. of" he said, tho college
has swung away in any degree
from the affections of the people, swing
her back. POpularize her, bring her down
to the people and the people up to her and
make her what she was at tho beginning
Of the century," He spoke gratefully OF
what Massachusetts, owes to Harvard col
lege, saying: g In every time of her dis
tress, in every time of her need, Harvard
college has been the refuge of Massachu
sets. from the time whom smallpox drove
the Legislature out of Boston aud yo,,
took it into your hall and gave
it a home ; and then the Legisl itur d;
burnt it up, or it took fire when
they were in it-not from any heat in the
Legislature-and Massachusetts, rebuilt it,
| Again, when your halls were wanted for
the barracks OF Washington's troops, did
Harvard college object No, no. With
the patriotism that distinguished the
fathers they left these halls to be occupied
by the troops and went to the shades of Il
neighboring town and there carried on tho
studies in very small building. But
! when the war of the Revolution was rag
ing and when Washington commanded
here the classes Of Harvard were necessa.
rily small, for all it's young men were in
the army of the country"
liutIer Chsered TO the Echo.
Turning to the record of Harvard in tho
rebellion, ne paid a glowing tribute to the
| old chaplain of his Sixth regiment, Rev.
Mr.. Babbidge, who had just received the
dOctorate of divinity, and said Har
| ward has done one thing to day which, if
felt, after the kind reception you have
given me, thought of unkindness toward
her, would wipe it all away" This was
the governors triumph. Every man in
the great hall joined in the applause until
the rafters rang again and again. Three
cheers were called for and the venerable
clergyman rose and bowed and wept in
response. The remaining sentences of tho
governors speech were elogistic of the
students of Harvard whose death at the
front is cOmmemoratedb by the building in
which the company was assembled, and at
IAl