The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-01-29
JUDGE DAY II, COLLEGE
Stories About His Career at
Michigan University.
TRAITS OF DISPOSITION SHOWN.

Most Prominent Characteristic Of
the FORMER Secretary OF State Was
His Self EOise I'm Matters of Opin-
iOn-An Alleged Instance of His
Manner uf Procuring Information.
"reminiscences of Judge William r.
Days career in college are in course of
revival now that his name has been
brought once more into prominence,
says the special correspondent Of the
New York Post at Washington. He is
a graduate of Michigan university and
while there lived for time in the fami-
~ of Judge Cooley, afterward the dis
tinguiShed chairman Of the interstate
commerce commission. Day was then,
as now, spare Of stature and not par
ticularly robust looking, but wiry and
of strong vitality, with a fair taste for
out OF door sports, especially running
and jumping, and not a bad ball play
er. His most conspicuous characteriS-
tic was his self poise in matters Of
opinion. There was nothing aggressive
or bumptious about him, but a judg-
ment once formed was sufficient for
him till some one could bring him
first rate reason for changing it, and it
made no visible difference to him
whether his companions generally
shared it or not, He was very studi-
Gus, though not belonging in the grub"
category, and his quiet, uneffusive
manner and his almost shy way of re-
firing within himself when he pre-
2erred reflection to conversation were
, bar to bis making any very violent
personal attachments among his fel-
lows, though all held him in respect.
The expression Of Mr.. Days face al
ways impresses first observers with the
notion Of melancholy, and it is not till
after acquaintance has ripened pref
ty well that the dry, quaint humor
behind the solemn expression peeps out
here and there. On the class day of
the class OF 1870, to which Day be-
longed, the prophet read a poetfcal
forecast of the careers of the several
graduates elect, in which these lines
occurred:
Day is a dismal undertaken, drives a
rushing trade,
And also drives a solemn hearse, keeps
collins ready made;
He advertises to look sad and weep-him-
self, at least
And furnish mourners If required at Just
six bits apiece.
He keeps mining engineer to scoop the
narrow graves;
The scooping is the pleasant part that Mr..
Waters plays.
It might have been the painful duty
of his biOgraphers to record Days fail
ure to get through college. In mathe-
matics he was. If not a dull scholar, at
least a most uninterested one. He
would overcome his difficulties by dog
ged hard work, but it was always a
hateful task, and he made no secret of
the fact. He did manage to get
through, and with a reasonable stand
ing on this line Of study, though an
other affair threatened for awhile his
chance of graduation.
1t appears that while he was senior
a group of members Of his class got
up E. burlesque on the programme Of
the Junior exhibition. Such publications
were against the rules Of the univer
sity, and offenders were often severely
punished. On this occasion the faculty
made a searching investigation, finally
rounding up a lot of the young fellows
and putting them through a fire of
questions and cross questions, after
ward retiring to private room to dis
cuss the results and formulate a judg-
ment. omeb0dy-tradition has it that
Day was the man-suggested that the
student suspects should bore a hole
through the floor Of the apartment in
which the faculty conference was to
be held This was done; the entire pro-
ceedings were noted down by hidden
eayesdroppers, burlesque on the
meeting was prepared, and the profess
sors were actually put into so ridicu-
lOus a light that to save their own
faces they dropped the whole matter.
This direct manner of procuring infor-
nation doubtless was only a forerun-
ner Of the tactics employed nearly thir
ty years later il Washington, in the
ease of Dupuy de Lone and the fatal
letter.