The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-30
THE YALE ALUMNI DINNER.
A Pleasant Reunion of the 's0ld Boys"-in'
teresting Letter from Gen. Mckee Dunn.

| from the class of 1885 to that Of 1885, enjoyed
the hospitality of Rev. DR.. N. A. Hyde on the
evening of the 28th After an elaborate dinner
| letters were read from absent members, the most
interesting being the following, from General
| William Mckee Dunn:
ITO the Secretary the Yale Alumni Association OF
Indianapolis:
Dear Sir-I have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of your communication inviting me
| to the alumni dinner to be given at Rev. DR..
Hyde's, the 18th inst, and to say something
after dinner. Please present my thanks to the
association and my sincere regrets that cannot
| accept their invitation to be present at their
| dinner and say something 1t is perhaps for
tunate for the association that cannot be pres
ent to make an after dinner speech. Old men
| are much inclined to be garrulous, par
| ticluarly when they get to- talking
| about old times The inspiration of the occa-
| sion might lead me into this fault l will, there
fore, content myself with the use of my pen,
giving you the opportunity of dispensing with
| the reading and ordering this paper to be fled
| in the archives of the association, should you
! think it even worth that respect.
1.-THE first thing probably would say to the as
ISOLATION. were addressing them, is, that was
| the first student from Indiana to matricuate In
Yale College. This 1 did in May, 1835-more
| than half century ago. l do not wish to be-
| come a Rollin in writing ancient history, but
| you will allow me, trust, to indulge in some
"reminiscences by the way of contrasting the
| then with the now graduated at Indiana Col
| lege NOW University in the fall of 1857 The
! college faculty consisted of Rev. Dr. Wylle,
| president; Rev. Baynard r. Hall, professor OF
languages, and Mr. John a. Harvey professor
| of mathematics. l had received no instruc-
| ton in any science worthy OF mention.
When / obtained my diploma l was in my
| eighteenth year, and felt wiser that day than
| have ever felt since. The next spring was
| made principal of the preparatory department
| of Hanover College, and was so employed for
| two years In this way | earned money enough
| to take me to Yale College. but not enough to
there. l started to New Haven the latter part
of April, 1885. 1t looked to my friends, as well
| as to myself that this was to be long and dis
| tant separation. had never been further from
my home, Hanover, than to Cincinnati in one
| direction and to Logansport in another. 1t
| tried my courage to go so far from home. But
had a strong desire to see the world as well as
| to acquire knowledge. AS never expected to
| travel SO far East again determined to go by
| the way of Niagara Falls and return by the way
of independence Hall. We did not travel in Pull
man cars at that time. l took steamboat at the
| Hanover Landing for Cincinnati; there canal
| boat to Dayton, O. had never been on q canal
| boat before, and was charmed with the comfort
| of that smooth and safe mode of travel. At
Dayton took stage for Cleveland by the way
| of Columbus That was my first experience in
| travelling by stage, and slow. rough and muddy
experience it proved to be. On arrival at Cleve-
/
steam up, advertised to make the first trip of the
| season to Buffalo. I went aboard happy that
| was to be on the first boat to arrive at Buffalo
| that spring But that advertisement was a
| fraud. By the time the boat reached Dunkirk
the lower lake was SO INSTRUCTED by ice that the
boat could proceed no further, and the passen-
| engers were put ashore to prosecute the balance
of their journey in mud wagons. We soon found
the wagons could hardly get along with our
| trunks, and we had to take it afoot The student
| from Indiana found this highway to the
seat of learning a hard road to
! travel, to which were added the discomforts of
| wretched meals and hard floors to sleep upon in
| the roadside cabins. Nevertheless, Buffalo was
reached. and soon thereafter Niagara Falls: The
sight of Niagara was compensation for all the
| dscomforts of travel. The ice was tumbling
over the falls by the acre. as it seemed to my
| eyes, sinking beneath that with which Niagara
river had long time been gorged. The people
! had been crossing on the ice but had almost
ceased to do SO when arrived. However, de-
termined to cross over. as never expected to be
there again have been half dozen times since),
and wished to place my foot British soil. a
| part of the kingdom OF William Nv. That
would be foreign travel. l did cross over and
safely return; but never felt how utterly help
| less was as l did while standing on the ice in
| the middle of the Niagara river, looking up at
| the great fields of ice tumblng down, and going
under, and causing that on which
stood to heave up. and down: l
| then FASTENED to return, lest my bridge might
be swept away, it was liable to start" at any
| moment. Indeed the ice at the shore where l
started to cross over was swept away when re-
turned, and reached the shore by clambering
over the heaps of ice at lower point. trav-
| eled by stage from the Falls to Rochester. where
| I took a boat on the Erie canal, which was then
| great thoroughfare for passengers as we'll as
| freight left the canal at Schenectady to take
the only railroad there was then in the State of
! New York-that is, the from that place to
! Albany, distance of about twenty five miles.
! This was the first railroad l saw, and a
mean, rickety, fiat bar road it was. The cars
| were about the size of omnibuses From Albany,
| of course took steamer to New York city,
| West Point being the object of greatest interest
| to me on the way. New York city was immense
| to my wondering eyes, though then small COM
pared with its present greatness. The Aston
House was then in process of construc.
| ton, but had not yet reached the
height of one story. have since seen London,
| but it did not impress me much with it's mag
nitude as dig New York at that time. What a
| pleasure / found in being green. Everything
| saw on this trip was SO novel and wonderful in
my eyes, From New York I had delightful
| trip by a sound steamer to New Haven, landing
| at the long wharf. It was q SOFT dreamy May
morning when arrived there. and as 1 drove up
| to the Tontine aud looked out upon the green
| and the college grounds and buildings. lightly
| shaded by the elm trees then just bursting into
| leaf, l felt as if were looking upon scene of
| 6uCudutHeuL Anu LuiS was bH0 way Inc
| first student from Indiana reached Yale College
| II entered the college as a resident graduate
and became private pupil of Professor Sill
| man, the elder Mr. Dana and Mr. Beatte were
also his private pupils and we three used to sit
on bench inside the bar when he was
lecturing chemistry and electricity, and
assist him in his experiments. Mr. Dana is now
a world-renowned scientist. Mr.. Beattie has
been professor or president of Center College
| in his native State, Kentucky, for nearly fifty
years. and has rendered Dre-eminent services to
| the cause of education in that State
''My object in going to Yale College was to
qualify myself for professorship in Hanover
| College, to which had been elected l studied
| chemistry, mineralogy and geology under Pro
fessor Siliman natural philosophy under Pro
fessor Olmstead; conchology and botany under
professor whose name have forgotten. 1 at
tempted to do SO much in a short time that did