New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-21
MARY A. 0. WHITE.
A MEMORIAL SKETCH BY ANDREW d.
WHITE.

relation Of religion to science and letters Is Tic
beautiful Gothic Church on the Ill., better KNOW"
to the students as sage Chapel Adjoining tls on
the north is the Memorial Chapel whose rch windows
tell the names and the fame Of the beneacors OF te
college Beneath the beautiful west window Is a
rccumbent figure in pure white marble OF hrs. An
drew d. White the wife Of the ex president OF Oore"
In the vault below rests all that IS mortal ol hc'
This figure is the work Of Franklin Simmons Oh l'ohc
and is a fine piece of sculpture. The graceful head
rests on the snow-white pillow, as If in sleep ana INC
observer is almost constrained to believe lie Is gazing
on the living rather than OIL cold marble
A touching biography Of Mrs WHITE mas just Dceh
published privately by her husband Iheie 10 N'"o"
that is interesting in his account OF his vines con"eo
ton with the rise OF Cornell University ana NeF III
tuitlve estimate of Ezra Cornell;
ImpeIfccty understood, the university OcoSnc 'N'
centre OF attack from many influential quarters MANY
good men who If they could have conpehena,u lI' Pu
poses have rallied u it. sulD' were iouiu ''"e
! warm il not hostile Enemies OF the ne" lhs''u'ion
op.n OF concealed many hardly d'y l'S''u WIN
ost some attack based upon misunderstanding o. hosS
Heavy be borne, ana especaly was 'o'
need Of learning 'to labor anu to wait IN al INA.
trying period she su-ta ned her husband oy uouAn'''
coun eli and by loving confidence even more precious t'
counsel She had in stiklng degree, an intuitlFe
power Of recognizing men OF real "o'th uhuer "nS eN
! terror. Ezra Cornell simple plain quaker o. u.P
thoughts and few WORDS, not at all winning ''o O"
passerby making not many personal III nus alP'rn'S
NOT caring TO make any; she came directly at MS
heart aud saw h-1 he was-pltlent scll'S'crHO'"s
gifted with a striking foresight and with deop u'sFe
! for the welfare Of his frow-men. Her face always
lighted a. he emit red the whether at Syracuse or
Ithaca he was always a welcome guest. The goodness
~ hor heart recognized goodness Of his In CONVEX
,aon with her hi, dry intentions way was chAh-'u
OF simple courtilness. Her feeling to"'ru Nan =
an the more noteworthy because he had brought 20 h'uR1
one o, her most cherished hopes. Her husband had been
called to pro'essorship In the New--ngland UNIVERSITY
from which he had graduated and this proesNo snip
that which she had especially preferred LOT h""'
For that university town, she had conceived o'c
A. first siaht his friends had won her heart "G
she felt that II she leave her old home sufiouu'
ings the best and most beautiful Held for the fe'ls
work OF lie at that Getty Of Fins, M
CornelPs gilt 70 proposed university IN western
/ New.York and his feeling toward her hu'oihu
nut an end to this beautiful dream. Instead OF taxing
part in the quiet professional life II b'aut'u i'7.,'"
town she on,d rude ginnings' the suuggcS oVl
ankless for new ard doubtful enterprise on the out
skirts OF Western New-York village. beautiful Ihueeu'
I'm, al that time almost Inaccessible, and which, so Tar
as she then knew could present any attraction 70
her.
But she welcomed Mr.. Corners visits none the less
heartily accepted husbands decision. made no com
plant when asked transfer her family to the ne" he'u
and entered into hopefully with words OF counsel
and cheer. And sne had her reward. Loving heor''
were attracted around her in the new place a. In the
Old; new friends in Ithaca-n the town ana upon
/ the university hill. To every person In thl' ne"
university colony and to whom she knew In the neigh
boring town, she was drawn by genuine kindness OF
| heart.
Il s strictly within the truth say that never either
nj S,rlcse or Artor Ithaca or In the university
circle did there rise out the atmosphere Of her hcaF
and soul single cloud Of dislike or di'trr't for any
OF those about her; and in looking back over her ne
tboe nearest her cannot eubcr that she ever eN
messed regarding any the persons with whom she had
., 40 I'm either OF those fields any sentiment at variance
with a deep kindly feeling toward them. and beiet
In their deep kindly feeling toward her
In the year 1871 sore trial. Hci husband had
been named q the National commissioners to Vst the
prrt ~ Santo Domingo reference to the anneXa-
ton proceedings then pending. The friea;e which bore
the commissioners. with their large corps OF diplomatic
and scientific attaches left New-Gork IN January S"u
had hardly been out port twentyfour hours when a
-. cr,ol rulor -pread through the country that the
firat, lad founderd and that there were no SURVIVORS
Strang, as this report was almost university
accepted Proofs Of the catastrophe were spe'ay us
covered Nentod obituaries OF the coElnh7Sor9 VIZ
,,,lh.d In the metropolitan journals. speeches regarding
m cata.tr1phe were made in the National Congress ana
for Two weeks taken for granted that ue ifi-"1
Tennessee LAT been lost with all on board puruS Al
, tlr, her charactr asserted lts"lL Ihat u're was
30, ,- b.,rt Great depth distress those immcllaty
,hot hr well knew but she went on s'r'h'F win ncr
daily tasks KEEP, the courage OF her niue i"Hy' un'
AZ last after DAYS and nights OF h'F'@'"'' I'm"
M. nav. that all board safe She rarely Fefie1
,.,ri ,o thi. uerol seemed anxious to smut the
door upon -but the first thing her husband ho'eu "'"
Ice saw her sweet face upon returning TO washington was
lint har had become OF snowy NHt--~'''
I, va, during tbs period that gift was made to the
I,-ltv I'm her name which gave her lasting pel-ure-a
m -, t.nor and clock bell adding deep. sonorous ho.e
,t. chime Of nine bells previously given by Yer! dear
,tud ard telling thu hours. Upon It's rim were oa''
h following words from the XCIId Psalm in the version
she loved best: -
ITO tell Of Thy loving kindness carly In the morning.
And Of Thy truth in the night season.
Uuou the ,de-oppo-ite simple inscription In her honor
east the following sonnet, written for the bell by Pro-
s.or James Russell Lowell, who was at that Time recurring
At the university
Il call "a, rs the irreyocabe hours
Futile a, air strong a. fate. TO make
Your lives OF sand or granite AWFUL powers
Even a, men choose they either give or take
In the following year the completion OF the lre'l'
dents house upon the university grounds at Ithaca ana the
establishment Ia IL OF her new home Her she Drought
an amo.phere which dill much for the change OF that hill
a farm into the group OF charming homes IL mas since
,,,,mc IL had been her fortune TO receive IN
~ various homes many people OF distinction a. this world
tnr,e Presidents OF the United states eminent states
- man M science and In her own aud other coun'
INIT for the poorest student who came TO her house she
t a., warm grasp Of the hand and her face was lghted
t,h a. p4,ant SMILE for the most important per
a She had ever mctuay. more than this. she Tiooaoiy
~ a. Paris or Berlin really made stronger ehG'a'or TO
,,.,-, her guest, than at those times when students
,r, ID her rooms az the University OF Michigan or AZ
,.r. H. Thor must De- who viii never forget W"I
i,, l. than week before her ath, when Tor The li-t
tr sine welcomed such student gathering Then a Oh
mn -urn oc,a,ion- C,trc her bearing kindly STA
ee,lt. that must have won all hearts,