Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-05-28

ACTIVE AT EIGHTY.
Career of President Angel Of Michigan
University.


University.
Almost any day you may see him on
the campus Of the University Of Mich
igan, a straight-shouldered, bright
eyed old man, with half circle OF
white, struggling whiskers running
from ear to ear, after the fashion Of
Horace Greeley and Gladstone. You
might pick him for a farmer, or, II you
were shrewd, for an armchair phil
osopher; and in measure you would
be right in both instances. But he Is
more. He is president Of the second
largest American university, says
Hampton's Magazine.
James Burrill Angel celebrated his
S0th birthday in January. For thirty
seven years he has held the helm Of
the University of Michigan. And dur
ing that period he found time to act as
American minister to China during the
immigration agitation; as Minister
Plenipotentiary in the adjustment OF
the British fishing wrangle on the
North Atlantic; as chairman Of the
government deep waterways commit
tee and as American minister to Tur-
key.
President Angel loves the life Of the
farm. He seems to know as much
about wheat and corn as he does about
philosophy and psychology. Az mat
ter of fact, there is nothing he so much
enjoys as a long drive or ramble In the
country, and the hours he does not
spend with his books he spends In his
garden.
He has seen the University Of Mich
igan grow from an enrolment OF little
more than 1000 to an attendance OF
nearly five times this figure. II 1t were
not for the summer school OF Harvard
Ann Arbor would be numerically the
greatest American university. 1t is
said that he knows the majority OF the
students by name, not only those of this
year, but last year and years before.
He goes beyond books to the heart OF
the youth. and is human enough to
realize that the 5000 students may and
must learn as much from men as from
documents. Those who know the man
and the university say that 1t Is this
human quality which makes the insti-
tuition so democratic and so popular.
President Angel was born in Scitu-
ate, r. I. It was sixty years ago that
he stepped on to the commencement
platform of Brown university as val
edictorian of his class. 1t was a year
later that he realized that the hard,
grinding days and nights Of study had
exacted a heavy toll. He faced the
handicapped future of the man with a
great brain and frail body. For
the better part Of year he wandered
through the south. Then he crossed to
Europe and added to his wanderings
two more years in France, Germany
and Italy. When he returned he was
a man with a new body.
He was still in his twenties when he
was elected to the chair of modern Ian
guages at Brown. He was just a year
past 81 WlcH uc idSCd thO SAot''AoS->~S
Of his life. The problem came In an Of
fer to become editor Of the Providence
Journal. Printers ink called, and for
six years the people Of Providence were
given a newspaper that endeavored to
go beneath the news and give them
each day broad, homely philosophy
as we'll as current events. Editor En-
CELL enjoyed these days, but slowly the
thought was forming that he had made
a mistake in leaving educational work.
When he was rendered the presidency
of the University of Vermont, he ac-
cepted, and has remained in collegiate
work steadily since then, except dur
inc the periods given to the service Of
tie country.