Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-05-25

Tho Historic Old University Is to Be Put
 on the same Footing Columbia Col
 lege-Jay Gould Was a Personal Friend
 of Chancellor NIacCracken.
 NEW YORK, May 95.-Following close upon Seth Lows munificent offer of a Sl,000 O00 library building to Columbia college comes tho announcement that the University of tho City of New York will be enriched by n similar or perhaps grea; or gift. Tho announcement was nll tle by the building committee of the univor> ity, and was I0 lLo effect that it had accepted tEo offer of col trAl building for library, commouconcnt lail and museum Gt Uni versity l,o GhtS with no conditions save secrecy as to tho name of the givcr and that tEo building in lcnuty and cost ac- cord with [. u university plans. This un- doubt odly means a structure that will cost at least $l, UO0 GOO.
 Tho conditions of the donation sea ed the lips of the university officials when asked for further details. There will of course bo great amount of con jcc ture as to tEC identity of the donor, but one sOlu tion ot the my tcry suggested has many elements of probability. It is that the mysterious giver is no other than George Gould, acting for himself and the other Gould C;rS
 It will be ron embCred that the will of the late Jay Gould contained no public boqucStS and this was mGrveled at Mr Gould was warm personal friend of Chancellor Ma Cra ken, Lead of the New York university, arl it was generally be- lioved that ttu long neglected institution would fa:c hnn% sumely at his hands It wa~, thorCf0rV. mu"h to the surprise of many that it did not figure among tho bcneilCiaricS oI his will
 Perhaps Jay Gould Left It.
 An explanation of the mystery was published a short timo after Mir Gould $ death on what stN.' ed tO hc good author ity. 1t was do larrd that the deceased mil liunairo Lnd by no means forgotten Mir MnrC Crno kln instituti,n. anu that his wishes. whiio not oxpro>soI in tho will W, ul br d.'ly cniriel out He was said {" h"No intrusteL tEo matter to George Gould. Y hu w"ulb sec that n handsome sum ot money Was applied in oh man n"r as Nil. A.art rackon desired. It was fuI thrr said tat this gift might tako tho form of a large '. INrAt0ry SCLo"l with a handsome VudnwmCn This auuuun .. mCnt, however. suggests that thu money may be otherwise utilized
 Leaving tho wishes of his father out uf consideration. it would nos astunish somo of Mir. Gould's friends If he made the gift of his own free will lIo has developed n liking for giving the public surprises. chiof among these toing his coup in buying the Nigilant and racing his way into British society.
 should the gift be really his. thcro is little douht that tho fact will bo,ome known after tho public has dune go0i deal ot guessing. Aside from the Gould family the liSt of known friends of the university who could afford 10 give Sl, 0OO, u00 buildings cannot ho largo Historic OId University.
 That the cost will total this amount is certain from the character of tho build ings already erected on the new site It is only Nolr or so since the department of art and scionCe of the university re moved to Furdham heights It has a large plot on tho crest of tho hill at tho eastern side of the Harlem river and nearly oppo- site Fort George Webbs Shiphuilders' home and academy is near by. The inten- tion is to have the large university quad rangle entirely surrounded by buildings, but only a few of the largo vermanent structures have yet been built. The class, ical stylo of architecture has bccn selected for all the buildings and a central one that will he adequate for its purposes and impress its prc-eminonce on the surround ings will cost at lc4ISt the sum named
 Tho foundation of the Now York uni VCrsity dates lack to lS29, ard 1t was due to dissatisfaction over what was consider | cd tho narrow mindcdness of Columbia l college, in which the influence of the Epis- | copal church Iredominatcd
 Tho old university building on Wash ington square. torn down not many months ngu, was erected between lS32 and l lH&5, and Was notable from tho fact that within ils walls Morse invented the tele- Gral and DrAl er took the first photograph of the human face A largo ton story business cditirc has lately been erected on tho site, and its two top floors will still be used by tho univcrsity's schools of law | and rcdagnEv. The gift announced will | put the old institution moro nearly on a level with the leading American univcrSi- | ties than it has been in tho past