Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-17
.Cil)[LECE MOURNS
ISAAC SHARPLESS.
uaverford to Close Monday Aft
ernoon During Funeral of
President-Emeritus
DIES AT THE AGE OF n


crford.
The sense of heavy loss in the passing
~ the big hearted man and noted edu-
ootor who perhaps did more than any
otber TO give scope and character to the
ouoker institution of learning, is scarce
,r lossened by the fact that his death
has been expected for some weeks.
Tn hall and classroom today the grief
of faculty and student body was plain
" evident.
Doctor Sharpless had been i'll since
late in November, with an affection Of
The heart. For time he rallied and
during the Christmas holidays, he was
very much better. Early this week.
however, relapse set in, and Doctor
sbarpess became unconscious.
The funeral will be held Monday.
The services will be at 8 o'clock. in
the Friends Meeting House, at Hav-
erford.
The students and faculty of the col
lege will attend the funeral, and
classes are to be suspended during the
afternoon.
DR.. William Wistar Comfort presi-
dent of Haverford College. speaking at
the morning gathering of the Haverford
students and faculty in Robert Halls to-
day. paid tribute to the gift of person
atty and patient administration of the
man who organized the college on its
present successful basis.
Doctor Comforts Tribute
"The Haverford we know today" he
said. was organized largely by Isaac
Sharpless. This organization was in
tended to exalt quality. not quantity.
In his long career of thirty years as
president and forty years as officer, he
has left us an example that we cher
iSh.
.'Now we have come to the end of his
connection with the college. in tthe NOR
tai sense; but it is our part. as fac
ulty and students, to see to it that his
influence will be abiding in the life of
the college. He was firm believer in
the kind of self government that OBJ
tains here now. a healthy condition of
academic democracy.
You all know his services to state
and county, and how he gave practical
demonstration of his conception of the
duties of citizenship. He has an advo-
cate of temperance when it was not as
popular as it is today: an advocate of
neaceabIe methods of settling disputes,
both in the classroom and among for
eign nations; a stout defender of clean
politics with the Republican party.
"He was man who never shirked
any work, no matter how arduous. uD
to the end. He was deeply interested
in athletics as feature of American
education. 1t was his stamp that has
given us the reputation we enjoy for
clean and manly sport. This college as
1t is today is his monument.
Wife With Him at End
With Doctor Sharpless last evening
whel he died were his wife. his SON
DR.. Frederick G. Sharpless, of Rose
mont, and two of his daughters. Miss
Katherine Sharpess and Miss Helen
c. SharplCss.
Three other daughters survive Doctor
Sharpless They are Miss Amy G..
Sharpless. Miss Edith Sharpless, who
is missionary in Japan, and Mrs.
lydia Perry, of Westerly. r. I. Doctor
William i. Sharpless is brother. and
Miss Amy Sharpless and Miss Susan
Sharplcss are sisters. All three live in
West Chester.
Doctor Sharpless was born seventy
one years ago, in Chester county. He
was the son of Aaron and Susanna
Sharpless.
In 1878 he received the degree of
bachelor of science from Harvard. In
lsI5 he was appointed instructor in
mathematics at Haverford College, and
nhlled that position until 1879, when he
became professor of mathematics and
astronomy, in which capacity he served
until 1884.
During the next three years he was
dean of the college, and upon the com
penon OF that service was elected presi-
dent. In 1917 he resigned to become
dean of the Il. Wistar Brown Graduate
School, of Haverford.
August 10, 1876, Doctor Sharpless
married Miss Lydia Trinblc Cone, of
West Chester. In 1883 he was given
toe degree Of doctor of science by the
University of Pennsylvania, the degree
o. LID. by Swarthmore College in
!oSs, Lid. by Hobart College in
TIso3, and the degree Of LID. from
Harvard in 1915.
ASIDE from many contributions to.
sIehtlhc historical and religious peri
gn1lcals, the following volumes came from
geometry and astronomy, the volume on
english education, in the International
EDUCATION series; "a Quaker Expert
ment in Government, ," 1898: 1.-TWO
,onn ,TosnHturies of Pennsylvania History"
i,gW' ,SN Quakerism and Politics." 1906
o. Inc American College" 1915: "Tbe
SStGry Sta!y, Of Small College" 1918; "Po-
s,ysl mDia >, Leaders Iad% of Provincial Pennsyl-
nooatssI before he became seriously i'll. |
CO COvsor Nharplcss was appointed by
ro,;eI Vi;elnor Hproul upon the commission TO
;Hr,Se HIS IN" state constitution. but his
inat ilnneSS made him unable to serve. The
,o u0' service he did for his college was
~ yoih IN plans for an iucrease of
n,n.uSS"lncnt in order that Uaycrford
UuGieSSor5 Uaid might be more adequately
Early Years at Hayerford
with NiIG0gJor aS Sharpless was wont to tell, |
nt'n. on c.haracteristic humor and self. do,
in'a.loG' inv how his entry into the teach
~ prolGSSlon came about because
TS TLSi conldn I find any one else"
join"d" ne said, was the case when he
town .ng teaching staff at West
HOya,tahl ahl also when he first went TO
Of forttord; The college of those days, |
buiEna! Three students and only two
coIlpro ~; was very different from the
descrboJJ' bJ' today. and Doctor Sharpless
COlle."o' ~ The Story of a Small |
Sistant the trials of the young "as-
CalledI superintendent ,as he was
disciniiu VINO was responsible for the
dent hnI, OF the rather turbulent stu
at seyerS sVVTS' which was inclined to rebel
taught me restrictions; and Who also
physics "'alhematics, history. chemistry. |
A ,o'. anatomy and astronomy.
nn rev years Iatar a.. -,