The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-28

SEVENTY YEARS AGO
Recollections of William
Clay Wallace, Prince
toms Oldest Graduate.
CHANGES AT NASSAU HALL
His Last Years in CoIlege-Discip-
line in Those Days Was
Very Rigid.
CHANGES AT NASSAU Hall

sThe oldest living graduate" is a phrase
in college circles which is spoken with rev
erential awe, says the Trenton State Gazette,
and to the vast majority means some being
far removed from present interests, forget
full, perhaps, through old age of even the
existence of his Alma Mater. 1t was the
privilege of the writer, however, a few days
ago to sit with William Clay Wallace-a
Princeton alumnus of 1S23-in his pleasant
homestead in Newark, and to discuss with
him the events of long ago. Mr.. Wallace is
now the Oldest living graduate of the Col.
lege of New Jersey, for although the most
recently issued catalogue of the alumni
of the University gives other men in
earlier classes still living, they have
all since it's publication passed from
the classes of the living to join the great
| class of the dead. 1t seems almost inpos-
| elapsed since Mr.. Wallace's graduation.
His eye is as bright and his memory as &C
| tive as they were at thirty, inc a slight
| stoop of the shoulders is the only evidence of
old age.
GRADUATED SEVENTY YEARS AGO.
"Yes, | have been graduated for seventy
! years." said he, as he motioned his visitor to
a seat beside him, and those years have
wrought many changes at Nassau Hall. OF
my old instructors and companions, not one
remains. The campus has been changed al
most past recognition.
I'm my day there were only two buildings
on the compassionate College and the refec-
tory now the college Offices. The Presi-
dents house stood outside of what were then
the campus limits. When I entered college
in 1919 there were between $50 and 200 stud
| ents, all Of whom were quartered in North
college. My roommate was William A.
Washington, then a sophomore, who initiated
me into the mysteries of college life. DR..
Ashbel Green was our President, a very
brilliant man, though reserved and some
what cold in manner and very rigorous in
discipline. Dir. Philip Lindsey was Vice
President, and by far the most popular man
in the faculty, owing to his courtesy and
gentleness. There were, as | remember,
about four other members of the faculty.
We were given a rigorous mental training
by these worthless, who seemed to delight, as
! L suppose the professors do now in giving
long and difficult lessons"
HIS LAST YEAR IN COLLEGE.
During my last year in college DR.. Green
resigned, and the students announced their
preference for Dir. Lindsey as his successor
in no uncertain way. The trustees elected
him, but he declined, and SO DR.. James
Carnahan, who was then chosen, signed our
diplomas. The graduating exercises were
then held in September, for our vacation
came in those laws in October. We were
given six weeks then, with two weeks in
April and two or three days at Christmas. /
remember those hours of HARD study very
wildly, and they were a splendid discipline
for the work of after years, but the most de-
lightftll recollections are those of our frolics
and recreation
his head upon his hand, thinking, perhaps,
of the gay companions long since dead, and
then continued, with a laugh -
DID THEN AS NOW.
1Ihe boys of seventy years ago were not
very different, after all, from those of today,
and many a gay prank we played upon our
long-suffering instructors. We used to
engage in what were termed by the Trus-
tees 'rebellions,' very similar to the Modern
strike, in which we e~ndeavored to obtain
redress for some real or fancied grievance.
Sometimes the students were Victorious.
but more often the stern discipline of the
Faculty prevailed. | remember once in
particular, we signed a petition, asking
that the holiday on the first of every month,
which the Trustees had abolished, be re-
stored. This the professors declined to do,
and SO we laid aside our gowns-which were
always worn then-and refused to attend re-
citations. All the students took part in
this, except the aeiigiosi, and we held out
bravely for a time, but, of course, had to
yield at last.
RIGID DISCIPLINE.
1.-THE discipline of those DAYS was very
rigid, and 1 have often thought that the null
tiplicity of rules was a sort of incentive to
the boys to break them. We used to take
particular delight in exploding torpedoes and
crackers in the college halls, and almost
every meeting Of the Trustees was occupied
in devising means to break up what they
called this evil and pernicious custom DR..
John Maclean, afterward President ofsthe
institution, was then one Of the tutors, and.
while ! venerate him for what he afterward
became, and realize the spirit of the maxim,