WAS THE PROFESSOR RIGHT?

THAT PEERLESS professor, Edwin David Sanborn, for whom one of Dartmouth's most beautiful buildings is named, kept a notebook in the Fifties containing the names and his opinion of the members of each class. Selecting now his comments on the class of 1853 of which no members are living it might be interesting to compare his comments with the actual accomplishments of the members of this class as recorded at the reunion in 1895.

If the professor seems severe upon his charges let it be kept in mind that his words are merely opinions and most of those opinions are kindly. He was judging his men also by the standards of 1850 in which "being a good Christian" is the highest praise that could be bestowed. Then too, the professor was just as wrong in many cases as professors are today for many an ugly duckling of the college campus sometimes turns out to be a prized swan. And so, let us turn to the two following tables for comparison, the professor's opinions of his students, and their own records as written down in class archives:

It is interesting to note that of the 36 members of the class, 17 saw service in the Civil War, and "the grim fact confronts us," says the class report, "that in all probability two members of the class, Wood and Stratham, who both hailed from the south and were intimate friends in College, were personally arrayed against each other in the military operations around Corinth, Miss, being officers in the two opposing forces there engaged.

Professor Sanborn's Notes

Blaisdell, Alfred O. A model boy, quiet, modest, sober, but inefficient. A punctual, diligent but dull student. He was much given to mechanics, drawing, painting, &c. His christian character is above reproach.

Brown, Jonathan C. A pious, plodding man, of little sensibility but of many words never failing yet never excelling.

Burnett, Clarence L. A bright, active acute scholar, a little irregular in his habits, but fitted to make some impression on his contemporaries.

Cahoon, George W. Very feeble in mind, indifferent to study, & often absent from college duties. His character was unimpeachd.

From the Class Report

Blaisdell. Was hardly inefficient. During the Civil War he built monitors and ships for the government, and later became head of the drafting room of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Brown. Went into business and shortly afterward suffered a nervous breakdown which left him an invalid for life.

Burnett. Served in the Navy in the Civil War. Became a successful lawyer and politician. Superintendent for some time of the Trinity Church Sunday school in New York. 11l health crippled him, but he was always a favorite with Dartmouth men and in 1881 invited by New York alumni as the chief speaker at the annual dinner.

Carter, Nathan F. An honest faithful & plodding student, with respectable talents & unpolished manners.

Chase, Charles M. Large in stature weak in mind, stupid & inefficient. He was gifted in singing but excelled in nothing else.

Crosby, Alpheus B. Shrewd, active, industrious & generally well disposed. His rank was moderate in his class, his talents were respectable.

Emerson, John D. An excellent christian, manly, energetic, & of respectable talents; not brilliant nor accurate as a scholar; a good speaker.

Fairbanks, Henry. Pious, well disposed, gentlemanly, fond of travel; not firm in health; quiet cautious & not apt to lead off in any new enterprise.

Farnsworth, Jonathan B. Efficient, manly, talented correct, studious & ambitious.

Hayward, Silvanus. Always on the wing but seldom in fault, excitable, apt to make his neighbors laugh or storm by his tricks; a good student & a professor of religion; often admonised (sic) for playfulness but never reformed.

Hollenbush, Calvin G. A virtuous and amiable man but feeble & somewhat inefficient; a poor scholar but apparently industrious; also a pious man.

Howard, Wm. W. Prompt, diligent, high minded & honorable; professing godliness before he left, always on the side of order, & a good student in all branches though not quick or showy.

Hulbert, Calvin B. Dull, slow, obtuse, but apparently well meaning & honest, professing piety but practising some things inconsistent with a high degree of it.

Hutchinson, John. Impulsive, easily led into folly for the first three years; but during the last year reformed, serious & hoping in Christ; talents respectable.

Kendall, John. Polite, reserved, ambitious & studious; not quick or accurate in recitation; always faultless in dress, decorum & deportment.

Lamson, John A. Phlegmatic, inefficient, often ill & often absent; not well prepared when present giving no great promise of usefulness for the future. Serious, & orderly in his deportment.

Lovering, John D. Remarkably taciturn & reserved; little known; always right in conduct; a fair scholar & worthy man.

Cahoon. Here the professor was wrong. This man became one of the leading lawyers of his day. Was admitted to practice in Vermont Supreme court, and later became U. S. Counsellor in the U. S. court at Washington. He was State's Attorney of Caledonia County for two years.

Carter. If plodding means hard-working, the professor was right. The story of this man's life is a record of terrific effort and great results. As a teacher and minister he accomplished much in many places, as an organizer, and officer he was constantly busy. He wrote 600 published articles, and a book The Native Ministry of New Hampshire.

Chase. After an exciting career in Kansas during the bloody days he became a newspaper editor in Leavenworth, and served on a number of newspapers in the state. He had many talents, was leader of a band and police magistrate, and finally returned to Vermont where he became editor and publisher of the VermontUnion at Lyndon for thirty years. A most active life and a very useful career. The professor was a little mistaken about him.

Crosby. A distinguished doctor and lecturer. In 21 years of practice he operated more times than any other surgeon of his age in New England, and performed every capital operation known to surgery. He held professorships in five or six medical schools at once and at the age of 40 declined two others.

Emerson. Successful minister, educator, writer.

Fairbanks. Taught Natural History at Dartmouth for five years, later became a minister with much success. The professor erred a little in saying that he was not apt to lead off in any new enterprise for he invented a vast number of things, for fifteen of which he received letters patent. One of them was a scale for weighing grain. Was a trustee of the college, traveled much, and wrote a great deal.

Farnsworth. Prominent teacher and lawyer, settling in Windsor, Vermont.

Hay ward. Teacher and minister, member of various boards of education and examination. His tricks do not appear in later life.

Hollenbush. Far from being feeble, he became a doctor at frontier posts, and apparently knew how to fire cannon as well as practice his profession. Possessed of a spirit of adventure which poor health did not daunt.

Howard. Became a lawyer and was treasurer of a bank at Windsor. Died at the age of 36.

Hulbert. Held successful ministries, and was president of Middlebury College.

McDuffee, Franklin. Tardy, not fond of study; quiet & retiring; tho capable of sustaining a good stand in his class.

Moore, Henry W. Of small endowments, virtuous & tolerably studious; excelling in no one branch tho passable in all.

Morrison, Nathan J. A vigorous & manly student not sliowy, nor brilliant, but correct & persevering; a professed Christian & living without reproach.

Morse, Charles O. A stirring, talking, rattling, sort of man, good for a bargain but poor in recitation; imperfect in every branch excelling in none.

Morse, John H. Demure, melancholy, hesitating & reserved; but truly virtuous diligent & faithful; never satisfying himself or anybody else.

Palmer, Wm. S. Particular, nice, exact, often catching little things & losing the great, but faithful, honest, pious & sustaining a high rank in his class.

Parker, Isaac A. Accurate but not polished, diligent but not brilliant, a faultless man 8c a successful student.

Parsons, Chase P. Not quick of apprehension but industrious & ever well disposed, honest, plodding & generally prepared.

Perrin, Daniel. Pursuing knowledge under difficulties; oppressed with poverty; obliged to be much absent; small in stature, demure sober & a little embittered against the world for its treatment of him; a respectable student & a poet.

Perrin, Henry M. Self-willed & obstinate; of good talents & attainments, never immoral, but positively refusing to speak in public; & so lost his degree.

Reed, Andrew. Frank, manly & well disposed, not brilliant or accurate. Always orderly, punctual 8c honorable.

Remick, Charles F. Fond of declamation & show, having fair talents, a professor of religion but not remarkably devout.

Runnels, Moses T. Active, energetic devout & faithful, during the first two years he ranked very high in his class, but lost rank during the last two; was sometimes a little flighty & erratic; taught school with great zeal & success.

Sargent David J. B. Heavy, correct, pious, laborious, without much imagination or taste, of ordinary

Hutchinson. A most exciting career. The professor prophecied well this boy's love of impulsive action. During the riots in Kansas in the Fifties he took his seat in the legislature with a pistol in his hand, in the midst of other members similarly armed. He was once acting governor of Dakota territory and consul to Italy. Later he was a lawyer in Chicago.

Kendall. Went into the Telegraph business in early days. Was superintendent of Telegraph in Washington at time of his death when he was 30 years old.

Lamson. A very successful doctor. Was examining surgeon during Civil War and examined more than 12,000 men. Settling in Boston he became examiner for a large life insurance company, was a member of the school board, the state legislature, and had a large private practice.

Lovering. Evidently a mystery to the professor. Became a scholarly practitioner and lecturer of medicine. Traveled much and finally settled in Newton, Mass.

McDnffee. Became associated with town of Rochester, N. H. as banker, newspaperman, business man, inventor, and politician. Prospered greatly. His grandson, Franklin McDuffee, is now a professor of English on the Dartmouth faculty.

Moore. Became a surgeon in the Confederate Army. Returned home to South Carolina after the war and practised in a modest way.

Morrison. Teacher educator, president of Olivet College, founder of Drury College at Springfield, Mo.

Morse, C. O. Successful Boston lawyer.

Morse, John H. Class report bears out the professor. He became a teacher and farmer in Minnesota and lived "a secluded life on the farm."

Palmer. Teacher and minister.

Parker. Professor at Lombard University in Illinois, for 36 years.

Parsons. Teacher in various cities, Biddeford, Me., Atkinson, N. H. and Evansville, Ill. where he did his principal work.

Perrin, Daniel. Became a successful teacher in lowa, lecturing and holding town offices. Never seemed to have best of health.

Perrin, H. M. He held no grudge against Dartmouth, however, for when in later years $215 was raised for powers, fond of preaching & possessing already the intentions of a free-wilier; a very worthy man.

Sessions, Gilman G. A superior scholar, with a heavy voice & awkward figure, generally well-disposed & virtuous, giving promise of some eminence in his future profession.

Stanton, Henry. A model young man, neat in dress, exact in habits, punctual in his exercises, beloved by all; much absent from sickness; but held a high rank.

Statham, Francis C. A sound reasoner, a devout, earnest, accurate & lovely man, always where he ought to be & always prepared & giving evidence of superior endowments.

Thompson, Wm. C. Possessed a fine classical taste, was averse to mathematics, shy, reserved, easily led astray; & when excited, by strong drink was noisy, violent & disorderly.

Thompson, Wm. Smith. Sober, serious, devout, laborious, faithful but not brilliant, possessing very fair endowments & giving promise of usefulness.

Upham, Nath. L. Prompt, energetic, & a little inclined to join with the gay & disorderly, though in the main correct & studious, professing religion & showing more consistency the last year of his course.

Washburn, John S. A very worthy young man, a little ill-timed in his remarks, occasionally, holding a good rank in his class & sustaining an unblemished character.

Whitcomb, George P. A little infirm in purpose, hardly master of himself, yielding often to temptation, still holding in general, to right views & intending to be upright & studious, possessing moderate abilities.

Wright, John F. A little vain, thinking too much of what he is & too little of what he ought to be, still high-minded, honorable, punctual & pious.

Instruction. The power of instruction is seldom ofmuch efficacy except in these happy dispensationswhere it is almost superfluous. Gibbon 1:87.

Wood, Edward J. Inclined to gratify his appetites, absent quite often, possessing superior endowments, a good scholar when inclined to study & having many attractive qualities.

Young, Charles A. Uncommonly quick, learning every thing with great facility, excitable & playful in recitation, but always prepared better than any one else; in character faultless, in piety commendable.

Professor Young's Astronomy course, Perrin gave $100 of it. He was a Michigan lawyer, a member of the state senate, and a judge of probate.

Reed. Practiced law successfully for 39 years in Lewistown, Pa. Held public and banking offices.

Remick. Father of four sets of twins. An adventurous career in real estate operations in the West, including Chicago. Was forced to sell 200 acres of land not far from the center of Chicago for $20,000. In general was not successful.

Runnels. Active journalist and militant clergyman. Rode several thousand miles on horseback during two years missionary work on frontier. Attended Daniel Webster's funeral as delegate of his class. Served in many New Hampshire pastorates

Sargent. Teacher and minister. Died at the age of 29.

Sessions. Became a lawyer in Binghampton, N. Y

Stanton. Died two years after leaving college.

Stat ham. As war usually takes the finest and best of youth, so did it take this young man so highly spoken of by Professor Sanborn. Appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate army after Shiloh he succumbed to a camp disease during the siege of Vicksburg.

Thompson, William C. Lawyer, vice consul to Bermuda, suffered from ill health.

Thompson, William S. As a minister held many New Hampshire pastorates and contributed to Boston, Portland, and Concord journals.

Upham. One of the first to advocate a World Peace Association. Was a clergyman in New Jersey, after Civil War service, and went on diplomatic mission to England as secretary of the commission on Claims.

Washburn. Lawyer of standing in New York.

Whitcomb. Successful in law and politics in Davenport, and Chicago, Ill.

Wright. No record.

Wood. Civil engineer on the Frontier. Campaigned for Freemont in 1856. Rose to rank of Colonel in Civil War. Was clerk of courts in Goshen, Ind., after the war, also judge of common pleas in the 17th district.

Young. One of Dartmouth's most noted men. Astronomer at Hanover and Princeton, author of many works containing original discoveries, holder of medals and awards from many famous societies, here and abroad.

Prof. Edwin David Sanborn Of the class of 1832, whose record of his students in 1853 is compared to their accomplishments almost 50 years later, in the accompanying article.