The Portland daily press., 1891-11-23


ties. and when the:time came for him to
90 to Meadville, Pa, to deliver his lecture
before the students Of the divinity school,
he started as usual. The excessively hot
weather which characterized last spring,
found him in Washington, and he was
prostrated by 1t. From this he never re-
covered. He came to his daughters home
in Massachusetts, but could proceed no
further toward Portland.
Had DR.. Hill lived until the seventh Of
next January he would have seventy-four
years of age. He was born ia New Bruins
wick, N. j., but his parents were English.
At the age of ten years he was left an
orphan with scanty resources. At twelve
he was apprenticed for three years to the
publisher Of weekly newspaper In New
Brunswick, the Fredonian. It was while
acting as carrier boy for this paper. that.
at the age Of IA, he made what was proba-
bly, his first venture inIliterature. 1t was
a carriers New Years address, printed by
him for distribution among the.patrons of
the paper.
The training upon the newspaper, even
such an ono as the Weekly Fredonian,
must have been Of great value to the boy
whose knowledge and researches were af-
terwaids to extendiintoIlnearly Eevery de-
partment of learning. In his sixteenth
year he was enabledlto attend for a short
time an academyiiat Lower Dublin, near
Philadelphia, taught by his brother; but
the very next year he was apprenticed to
an apothecary.
In the five years which elapsed between
his apprenticeship to the apothecary and
the attainment Of his majority he must
have found considerable time for the stud
les needed in preparation for college. For
as he approached his twenty-frst year he
went to Massachusetts, for sixteen months
OF study, at fest under DR.. -Rufus p Steb-
bins, and then at Leicester academy. In
1889 he was prepared to enter Harvard Col
lege 10 the class Of '43.
There are several gentlemen In Maine
who remember DR.. Hill as student.
Judge Nathan Webb was freshman the
year he was senior. In those days the
gulf between the freshman and the senior
In Harvard was almost impossible. Con-
sequently Judge Webb did not know him
so well then as later in life. But tom"
Hill. as he was called Familiarity by every
one In college, was known to seniors and
freshmen alike as the first scholar In the
class of '43., It isltrue he did not stand at
the head Of the class. In that place was
Horace Binney Sargent, the Msssaehu-
setts soldier and politician. But "Tom"
Hill was poor, had been Obliged to pursue
his studies amidst financial difficulties, and
had won the place he held by sheer, unaid-
ed ability. Such circumstances always
have their fair weight in the democratic
minds Of college boys; and the common be-
lief that "Tom" Hill was the first scholar
In his class was undoubtedly perfectly ac-
curate.
Hon. George Walker was another col
lege-mate. In those days Mr.. Walker and
DR.. sHill were steachers in DIR. NewelPs
Sunday school, that of the First Unitarian
church in Cambridge. Even then, young
man. in his COLLEGIATE days, DIR. Hill sp-
peared very much the senior Of his college
mates from the very qualities that made
him pre-eminent later in life. He was an
old young man in thought and ability. All
looked up to him and venerated him. His
careless indifference to everything. and
contempt of the rank list used to excite
President Quincy's ire. He said 1t was
shame that such q remarkable young man
should be so Indifferent. He coolly went
off to Walpole, N. H., once during term
time and was gone three weeks without
permission from the faculty. ta
Although Sargent stood at the head of
the class. DR.. Hill did mot graduate with
out substantial tokens of his pre-eminence.
The highest mathematical honors of the
class were his; and the same year the
franklin Institute Of Pennsylvania con-
ferred upon him gold medal for the in
ventlon Of a machine which calculates the
eclipses Of the moon. These early honors
show the natural bent of his mind. Math-
ematical studies delighted him most then.
as they continued to do. Many years after
he told friend in this city that he had
adopted the plan of using only his Mon
days for mathematical studies. By such a
fixed rule he kept himself from being led
away from his regular duties.
After two years course in the Harvard
Divinity school DR.. Hill became pastor OF
the Unitarian church at Waltham, the city
where he was finally to end his days after
nearly fifty years Of noble and useful life.
He was pastor Of the Waltham church
about fifteen years, a term of service that
speaks for itself as to the abilities and fit.
ness Of the young pastor.
| In Januarv 1880 Dr Hill sueeaadad
Horace Mann as president Of Antioch Col
lege, Ohio. His alma mater had her eyes
upon him at this time, AS Is evidenced by
the degree of Doctor Of Divinity, with which
she honored him. she was soon to give Q
still more distinguished mark of her appre-
citation. In 1862 the progress of the wal
caused the suspension Of Antioch College
and DR.. Hill was called to the presidency
of Harvard.
DIR. Hill was for six years president oi
Harvard College. At that time the presi
dency Of an American college was not Just
what it is now. and the presidency Of Har,
yard was far different Columbia had moi
then though Of calling a busy man Of az
fairs like Seth Low to her presidency, and
Harvard had not thought of the methods
OF President Elliot. DIR. Hill was a presi-
dent OF the old school, by training theolo-
gan, with strong leanings towards mathe-
maticai and scientific Investigations. Yet
one Oh his early training could not fail to
DO practical man also. Aud while he may
not nave left upon the history of Harvard
coiiege the impress left by others Of