Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-06-28
IS 100 YEARS OLD.
Chief Justice Fuller Re-
views BOWdOin'S History
IN A MASTERLY GRAFTON.
Several Thousand Attend the Centennial
Exercises.

BRUNSWICK. Me, June 2s-Com mence
mont day at Bowdoin college opened with
smiling skies and crowd OF seyera
thousand alumni and their friends, al
in tiuttsT Of expectancy over the coming
festivities. For the first time in many
years the medical aud academic gradu
ates held their commencement exercises
together
The great event OF the week was thu
centennial exercises of today, IA the
course Of which, Federal Chief Justice
Fuller LID, '59, delivered an grafton,
aud Arlo Bates. A. NJ. '76. read poem.
Mr.. Fuller's grafton follower
The name which our college bears Is as.
ISOLATED with precious m memories, and the
Inauguration OF It's government had a
picturesqueness all It's own Dou btless
the people OF the district Of Maine, pos.
sessing distinctive characteristics derived
from the situation, nature and oapabili.
tics of the province, desired their own es-
tablishment for the acquisition Of higher
education. When that desire took formal
shape is matter OF speculative interest,
but the movement is said to have begun
before the revolutionary war.
We know that the attempt In 1857 was
earnestly renewed In the fall Of 17Ss after
which the legislative journals show un-
remitting effort to attain the end. When,
finally, on June "a, l794, Samuel Adams
approved the charter of Bowdoin college,
he must have recalled the ancient friend
with whom for so many years he had
been associated In the struggle for Ameri-
can liberty and American independence.
Harmony Of PatYiot.
The annals Of the time record the
harmonious action of these two patriots
as respectively mem bers of the Massachu-
setts council and the house Of repre-
sentatives. They were elected together
to the Continental congress. family sick
ness preventing BowGoin's attendance,
thereby giving Hancock the opportunity
10 sign the Declaration OF Independenoe
in bis place. They were fellow. IN sm bers
Of the convention which framed the con-
stitution Of Massachusetts and Of that by
which the federal constitution was rati-
fed.
Bowdoin's Huguenot descent, his en-
inent public career. so largely contribu-
ting 20 successful resistance TO arbitrary
power TO the union OF the colonies and to
the formation OF the new government, es-
pctlhlly lut phTt nc lOOh III TcbptCt Vi buo
grant TO congress Of that unifying power,
the regulation of commerce with foreign
nations and between the several states;
his distinction In the cultivation Of science
and letters, his intimate relations with
Washington and franklin. his unaffected
piety and his Christian death, these things
carry their own lessons. and give cause
for felicitstian that they are inseparably
connected with the day we celebrate.
James Bowdoin, the son, succeeded to
close terms Of friendship with Washing
ton. But the second Bowdoin. although
filling responsible public positions, must
always be chiefly remem bered for the
wise munif ence with which he sought
to advance the cause Of letters In the per
pstuation OF bis fathers memory and the
family name.
We are told by his eulogist that at the
annual commencement OF 1919 he formed
his collection Of minerals and metals and
the models OF crystallography, and depos-
tied them for the use of the college,
and he endowed professorship Of ma
thematics and natural and experimental
philosophy Yet he could hardly have
anticipated that the first American work
on minerelogy would carry the name of
Cleveland aud Of Bowdoin throughout
the civilized world, OF that the college
could boast In It's centennial year. In the
Searles science building, Of better facili-
ties for teaching the sciences than any
college Of its size Possesses
Valuable Precspts
The classic pen Of President Woods has
mbalmed for US the scene OF the In
auguratiOn Of the first president and the