The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-10-17

|
 Lake Superior he had a Sanskrit gram
 mar with him. which he studied at odd
 moments. when not engaged in col-
 lecting plants or computing barometri-
 cal observations.
 Yale college has had another marked
 example of a scholar with equal abili-
 ty and tastes for widely diverse stud
 les in Professor James Hadley. whose
 first published work was in the depart
 ment of mathematics. and Of whom
 high authority said that the best
 mathematician in this country was
 spoiled when Hadley devoted himself
 to Greek.
 Mir. Whitney's practical banker fath-
 CT was not fully satisfied with his sons
 plan of devotIng himself to Oriental
 studies and asked his pastor whether
 man could support himself in life by
 studying and teaching Sanskrit. Dr.
 Day made the very wise answer that
 if man had any thorough and exact
 knowledge he was likely to be able to
 use it. As Massachusetts man his
 father turned naturally to Harvard as
 the proper place for his sons pursuit
 of advanced studies, but his pastor
 called his attention to the newly es-
 tablished department of philosophy
 and the arts at New Haven as the only
 definite arrangement yet made in this
 country for university work, and espe-
 cially to the unique equipment of the
 special department of Oriental lan- guages.
 l Before coming to New Haven to
 study MT. Whitney prepared and pub
 lished In the Bibliotheca Sacra an arti-
 cle Translated a. d abridged from Von Bohlen) on the Grammatical Structure
 of the Sanscrit;' and in the same peri
 odical in the following year he pub
 lished a Comparison of the Latin end | Greek Verbs"
 In the autumn of 1S49 too late for his
 name to appear in the catalogue of that
 year, MT. Whitney came to Yale and studied through the remainder of the year under Professor Salisbury. His associate in study was Professor James Hadley, six years older than himself,
 but only three years older in college age, who had been appointed assistant professor of Greek in 1S4S. The rela- tions of the two became most intimate and mutually stimulating until the death of Professor Hadley in 1872. MT.
 Whitney edited volume of Mr. Had ley's essays in 1873, and wrote brief but most appreciative and discrimina- ting sketch of his friend for the large work entitled "Yale College" published in 1S79
 In 1850 MT. Whitney went to Germa- ny and spent three winter semesters in studying Weber, Bopp and Lepsius in Berlin and two summer semesters at work with Roth in Tuebingen.
 In 1853 Professor Salisbury proposed that MT. Whitney should be made Professor of Sanscrit literature and its relation to the kindred languages in the department of philosophy and the arts in Yale college" his term of ser- vice to begin August 8, 1858; it being understood that MT. Whitney would in- clude in his instructions the teaching of modern languages to undergradu- ates, and should receive the fees which were then paid for such teaching. It was understood, further, that Mr. Whitney would cooperate with Pro- lessor Salisbury in editing the Journal of the Oriental Society. Professor Sal isbury undertook to create fund which with the fees for modern lan- guage instruction might furnish near ly the ordinary salary of a Yale pro- lessor at that time. MT. Whitney re- piled from Paris, on April 4, 1853, ex- pressing his appreciation of the high l and honorable post offered to him, but | desiring some time to think the matter | over. He returned from abroad about August 8, 1853, and on August 18th | wrote: Although not less distrust- full than before of my ability to dis charge to your satisfaction and my own the duties of the post to which you would assign me, should be disposed | to accept gratefully your proposals, and do my best at least to accomplish that which such an acceptance de- mands of me-"
 The importance to American schol- arship of the offer of this chair to Pro- lessor Whitney may be better appreci- ated if we remember that his prede- sessor still lives, and that no other chair of Sanscrit was established in this country for about a quarter of a century.
 At special meeting of the corpora ton of Yale college, on May 10, 1854, the ''Professorship of the Sanskrit and it's relation to kindred languages and Sanskrit literature" was established, and MT. Whitney was elected to hold 1t. Professor Whitney's appointment was for five years, with pledge of reap pointment flor life'' five years later if he desired it. In 1859 this reappoint- ment was madeline founder of the chair stipulating that Professor Whit ney should be free to retire from the orofessorship at any time.
 During the civil war the ordinary ex- oenses of life increased and MT. Whit ley's family was growing. The income which had sufficed for the young and professor in 1854 had be- come entirely insufficient for his needs, with six children, in 1870 For his pe- ,uniary relief he assumed additional luties of instruction in modern lan- I ,uages in connection with the Sheffield Scientific school. His teaching of mod .rn languages in the academic depart ( nent had ceased with entrance upon I lis duties of Professor Coe in 1867. The [ burden of instructing large classes of I in the very rudiments z f French and German leach academic ' tudent then having only thirty or for s v lessons in each Subiect) became