The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-03-10
Alumni Enjoyed Reminis-
cences of the Past.
THEY WERE JOLLY AND INFORMAL,
President Angel Looks Like Horace
Greeley and James A. Herne-" Ben l"
Wheeler Is just as Young as He Used
10 Be-Dr. Keen and &. l.. Colby.


dinner last evening i'm Lyman Gymnasium.
There was tets of personal reminiscence,
too, which was highly interesting TO the
Alumni. In fact 1t was exceedingly jolly.
For instance, Colonel II. II. i. Goddard,
who presided, was student under Presi-
dent j. b. Angel of the University
of the State of Michigan, who
had come way across country for this
occasion so important to Brown, and Col.
Goddard recalled he patience of his tutor
in the old days, when the young professor
used TO listen to their recitations in
French and German, given with the
purest New England accentl Charles L.
Colby, the magnate OF Wisconsin Central,
who also had rushed over from New York
TO the meeting, was a student under
Angel. He knew the eminent DIR. Keen,
too, from way back in the
old days and he expressed his delight at
the privilege he enjoyed to call so great
man "Billy." The doctor from the other
end of the table sung out that he always
called the big railroad man s'Cholly.n
Mr.. Colby, referring to football, which
he favored in moderation, recalled an ad-
dress which he charged Colonel Goddard
with making To the football team of their
college days just before going into action.
The address was short only five words.
II was, "boys. kick like the devil ! "
Colonel Goddard allowed that he might
have made that speech, but he didn't re-
member il, MIR. Colby averred that he
believed i'm athletics or anything else that
made digestion good and kept the liver in
shape.
President Angel looks like Horace
Greeley. Or, better than that, he is
perfect picture of Actor James
A. Herne in his character part
in that popular. drama, "Shore Acres"
He talks like Herne, too, and the
expression Of his mouth in its pathetic
and humorous plays is Immediately sug-
gestiXe of Herne. His complexion is fresh
as a students, and. his. voice wonderfully
sympathetic. President Angel came
near being the editor of the Providence
Journal at the, deaths of Anthony
and Danielson.. "A strong effort
was made to get him away
from Michigan and back into
Rhode Island journalism; but, unfortu-
nately for the latter, he wouldn't come.
He urgedthe pushing of co-education in
the university work and remarked that
out West it.. was a constant
source of surprise how slow Eastern
colleges were in catching on to
it. He could assure Brown that "there
wasn't any danger" attendant upon hay
ing the girls round. President Angel
told the alumni too that "Andrews would
sail the ship all right If they would only
raise the wind"--which play upon words
brought down the house.
=
Prof. "Ben" Wheeler, who came on from
Cornell, used to be immensely popular
with the High School boys. He began his
duties of tutorship in the old Benefit
street school building just before
the adoption OF the Roman
pronunciation in Latin and taught the
first classes there in the reorganized
language, keeping up the old English
instruction with the classes tnat had got
started that way and teaching the
newly-entered class, and incidentally
himself learning the then new or Roman
method. That was back in the late '70's.
He doesn't look day older now than he
did then, though he has developed NOUS
tache which he tried unsuccessfully TO de-
velop when he left college. and began
training the immature minds in the high
school II or is years ago. He is hand
some and if he were not so big would be
dapper. He illustrated the old fashioned
monastic idea OF college by saying that
the students OF the old days were like
green pears put away in drawer to ripen.
: :
Rev. DR.. Greer told lots of stories. Per-
haps the best one was one that he heard
Mark Twain tell at a dinner. Mark said
he was once carried across country to his
destination on an OK cart over
pretty tough and humply
bit OF road and the experience caused him
to remark that il he was doomed to dwell
i'm Sheol he wanted TO go there in an OK
team because he would feel SO glad when
he reached therel
There was also story about a horse
with the spring halt in one hind leg that
troubled him SO badly that at last he
lifted his foot and stuck Il clean through
the stirrup. Whereupon his rider remarked
vohemontly TO tho horse: "If YOU are
going TO get on, Pm going TO get off.
The Doctor said lots OF folks had spring
halt. He had known congregations to
have il ana wanted TO climb INTO the
pulpit and tell the preacher what TO
preach. The only thing TO do under such
circumstances was for the minister 60
"get OFF, or else TO have the spring
halt cured in the victim. So the people
Of Providence should support the Uni
versity without undertaking 10 dictate ON
differences OF opinion with its president
and faculty. They should endow Il with
out having a string to the endowments.
:
Mr.. Charles II. Merriman, who is now
called Commodore" because he has been
elected TO that high Office i'm the Rhode
Island Yacht Club, said that while he was
not an alumnus he enjoyed the distinction
OF being the only man who had at the
present time three sons at once i'm the Uni
versity. Accordingly he thonght ne
could speak for the alumni. lie
believed in athletics as worker
of OF the exuberance OF youth
and practical divertor of surplus spirits
from the mischief IN which they would
otherwise be expressed.
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