Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-14

bling feet they crossed the doctors
threshold that evening and with nerv-
BUSINESS that they could not conceal they
seated themselves at his taofe
Few men were more brilliant and enter
tanning conversationalists than the doc
tor. He was an ideal host and he ex-
erted himself especially on this OCCASION
to set these boys at ease fhe dinner
was a culinary triumph. First there was
chicken soup. Then. after the doctor
had pressed a second helping upon the
youths, the servants brought IN a huge
platter of cream chicken. The doctor
heaped the plates OF the young men ami
urged them to fall to. Although their
appetites were not of the best. they forced
themselves to do justice to the chicken In
this form. Again and again the doctor
pressed them to eat more heartily. ana
by the time the chicken salad was placed
before them they were filled to Te0eetion
After dinner over the doctor a.
tertained them with a flow OF stories anc
anecdotes. In almost every one oil these
a chicken figured more less humor-
ously. The boys squirmed in their chairs
and 1t was with a sigh OF relief from
each of them that they descended the
steps and heard the doctor call after
them cheerily:
Now, boys. | shall always be glad TO
have you come and take dinner with me
whenever you feel like eating chicken.
take a great deal of pride in NV fowls,
and it affords me much pleasure 10 have
the young men who wish to share in my
enjoyment Of them meet under my roof TO
do So
This punishment of chicken thieves be-
came a tradition of Union College there
after. and the doctors hen roosts We're
never again molested.
In his attitude toward slavery also
DR.. Mott was far ahead Of his day. At
a time when slaveholding was almost
universal a fugitive negro crept into
Schenectady. DR.. Mott CHANGED upon
him and gave him shelter in his own
house. When the slaves owner APP
peared DR.. Mott bought the negro from
him for 81 200 and gave the slave his
freedom. For many years thereafter
this black man was one of the charac-
tiers OF the town. DR.. Mott set him up
i'm business as hack driver. and the
man was self-supporting as long as he
lived.
Hard drinking was the rule during
the first half OF the nineteenth century.
1t was considered no disgrace for a
lawyer or statesman. even a cler-
gyman, to appear in public under the
influence of liquor DR. Mott founded
in Union College one of the first tenn
perance societies in New York state. II
still exists. Not only that, but in nu-
merous public addresses he portrayed
the evils of intemperance with terrihc
vvidness No man could excel him in
presenting such picture with all its
CHASTITY details. Whenever he de1fv
cred a temperance address multitudes
flOcked to hear him. He was the first
to employ colored drawings to show the
ravages of alcohol on the human sys-
TEN, and their exhibition caused much
controversy at the time.
AS an orator either in the pulpit or
on the lecture platform. DR.. Mott was
considered the foremost of his day.
Those who have heard him say that
the tones of his voice were perfect
that a man who did not understand
English would have been able to form
an idea of the train of thought which
he was pursuing. His sermons or ad-
dresses never seemed more than guar
ter Of an hour long. although In reality
they lasted from an hour to an hour
and half When he concluded the
audience would sink back in it's chairs
after having been bold upright all that
time underline spell of the attention
that he demanded.
College SO we'll endowed that IL was
one of the richest educational institu
tions in America. His only daughter
married the Rev. AlonZo Potter. who
was then a professor in Union College
and afterward became an Episcopal
bishop. Several of their sons achieved
eminence in the church. among the
most noteworthy Henry Goldman Potter,
who was Bishop of New York and
renowned pulpit orator.
Copyright. 1910. by Richard spillane.b