Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-15
GLINPsEs OF HARPER
Remarkable Fortitude of Chicago
 University's President.
KEEN SUFFERER, BUT EVER CHERRY
How He Followed In Bed the Moves of . Football Game While Racked With Terrible Pain-Incident of His Early Days When He Led . Band. His Methods of Working.

His Methods of Working.
 The late Dr. William Rainey Harper, who had been president of. the Uni yersity of Chicago since its inception in 1891. excelled in many things-as a scholar, as teacher. as great edu- cational organizer, as an authority on Hebrew and other Semitic languages but in nothing was he more admirable than in the fortitude he displayed in the illness that resulted in his death. says the New York Times. During the many months in which he suffered ter rible pain. when he knew that his days were numbered. that all the physicians and surgeons could do was to prolong them for a little while. he remained possible carried on the duties of his position with all his usual keenness and vigor.
 It has been an inspiring spectacle that of this doomed man refusing 2 give in Two months ago, when tie cancer which killed him had grown to such a size that the abdominal region had to be kept numb in order to make it possible for Dr. Harper to endure the pain, he was sitting up in bed re ceiving the bulletins of the Chicago Northwestern football game and fol- lowing the moves on plan he had pre- pared. Like so many other men who afterward became well known, he was a sickly child. but after bis seventh birthday his health improved, and when he was ten years old he entered Muskingum college. near Granville, O., from which he received the degree Of bachelor Of arts at the early age Of fourteen. He caused local scholars to gape with wonder when he delivered his commencement oration in Hebrew. In 1873 when members of the senior class of Dennison university. Granville. O., were preparing for their commence ment events q member of the class, c. T. Thompson, well known lawyer Of Minneapolis, was authorized to arrange for the services of country band at Cambridge, not far from Granville, says the Minneapolis Journal The band went to Granville. performed sat. isfactorily. and the leader, who had been a student at Muskingum college. a little institution not far from Gran vile. made favorable impression upon both the students and the members Of the faculty with whom he came in con- tact at Dennison He also was pleased with the reception given him-so much so that he decided to return there as a student He proved bright fellow and under the persuasion of the Dennison faculty decided to study theology and prepare for the ministry. Prior to that time,he had no special aim in life, no particular ambition beyond that of leading the Cambridge band, but ambi- tions were awakened at Dennison which led to his becoming a notable scholar, particularly in the field of Greek and Heb-aw literature. A few years ago he came to Minne- apolis to deliver several lectures in a course under the auspices of the lnsti- ute of Biblical Literature. an organiza- ton formed for the promotion of study of the Bible While resting one after noon in the study of the First Baptist church. where these lectures were de- liyered. this eminent scholar said to Mir. Thompson:
 What was your college:
 "Dennison university" was the reply.
 What classf'
 "Seventy-three."
 Well. do you remember that your class engaged the Cambridge band for your commencement"
 T certainly do." said MT. Thompson, "as made the engagement myself"
 well. do you remember the leader of that banda"
 "Yes. remember that the leader was A pleasant. agreeable fellow. who gave us our moneys worth
 "Ah. thank you. I am rather glad to hear you say that" said the lecturer. flor I was the leader of that band"
 Mir. Thompson was not more surpris- cd than the reader will be when he dis covers that the leader of the band was Dr. W. R. Harper. the late president of the University of Chicago.
 For fifteen years pr. Harper slept no