The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-31
How Yni. Hciped Wabash College.

To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
 In the admirable resume of the aid given to education by Yale University
 President Northrop stated that eighteen
 American colleges had Yale alumni for their first presidents. Among them he
 mentioned Wabash college, whose first president, Ellhu w. Baldwin, was grad | uated from Yale in 1912. pr. Baldwin s 1 biography was published In 1S43 being written by Dr. Hatfield, with an intro | duction by Dr, s. H. Cox A narration | is given of an interview had with him,
 in the autumn of 1884, ''by clergyman
 from the West" whose appeal was suc-
 cessful in inducing the most popular | pastor in New York city to leave his | large and prosperous metropolitan l church in order to become the president | of new college in the Wabash valley, which when founded was the only in- stitution of learning in region as large as Connecticut, Massachusetts and
 Rhode Island The biographer says
 that this interview was the result of counsel given to the college agent by
 ministerial brethren fully acquainted
 with Baldwins qualifications" but he does not state who those brethren were.
 The facts are worth telling now In con neotion with the recent Bicentennial, and as an illustration of President Northrop's address.
 The college agent referred to was my father, Professor Edmund Otis Hovey, who was also one of the founders Of Wabash college and identified with it for forty five years both as a profess sor and trustee The college had struggled through it's first two years and its agent was then sent East to se- cure funds and find president. Pitts burgh, Philadelphia. Baltimore and New York were visited in vain. Not enough money was raised to pay the agents travelling expenses. Utterly discouraged, he wrote a. letter. at the Tontine Hotel in New Haven, the rec ollection of which came vividly to mind as I sat with friends few nights ago, in front of that same hotel, witnessing the Bicentennial torchight parade. That letter, which is still extant, said that eastern people closed every door against what they styled "a weakling college;" that no funds could be raised, and that the agent resigned every of- fee. It was signed, Yours at the point of desperation, Edmund O, Hovey." Had it been sent the college would have perished; it was not sent and the col lege lived. The facts. as given by the late President Woolsey, were that an other college founder, Rev John M. El- | lis, came In and advised the disheart- | ened agent, before mailing his epistle. l to confer with the Yale faculty. He | did so. They told him of Yale's early | trials and struggles for existence; they | urged him to seek aid from New Eng land churches, and they mentioned | Baldwin as the hest man for president.
 Pursuant to this timely counsel the agent walked up the finest avenue of New York, which was then city some what larger than New Haven now is, knocked at Dr. Baldwin's door, refused to be seated till he had done his errand, and said boldly We want you to go to Indiana and be the president of Wa bash college" Baldwin was astonish- ed, yet accepted. His term of service, however, was short, spanning only about five years, being ended by death in 1s40. But he left an indelible inn press on Indiana. AS the only alumnus of Wabash college at Yale's Bicenten- nial, let me thus, through your col- umns, express the gratitude of my almo mater to that older institution of learn ing which gave her helping hand, as we'll as her first president.
 HORACE c. HONEY.
 Newburyport, Mass Oct. 2s 1901.