Class of 1877
The '79 class notes contain an account of the golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Seth N. Gage. This account very properly appears in the '79 notes, but we must claim a share of it for '77, for Seth Gage began his college course with us.
When Edward G. Humphrey died in 1934 the notice in the Necrology spoke of his fine collection of shells, which had then recently become the property of the College, Secretary Parkinson of '78 has allowed your Secretary to see a letter from Trustee Lewis Parkhurst of '78 concerning this collection, from which the following is quoted: "He and his wife had a hobby of collecting beautiful shells, and whenever he hadany vacation he traveled extensively andhad a marvelous collection. 1 heard hewanted to sell it, so I went over and lookedover the collection, but didn't know anything about them. I saw some very beautiful ones, and I took Professor Patten, whohas since died, to see them. He himself wasa great collector of shells, and he was sotremendously enthusiastic over them thatI thought perhaps the College might likethem. It turned out, upon examination,that there is only one other collection thatequals it in the country, and that is ownedby Harvard College. He was very anxiousthat they should go up to Dartmouth, provided \that they could be properly put onexhibition in cases suitable for them. Hesaid if they would go to Dartmouth Collegeunder his name, he would sell them forfiooo, and it seemed to me that that was areasonable price / got the Collegeat the next meeting of the trustees to pay$lOOO for them, and took a truck on fromWinchester to load them on, and sent themup there. That was, I think, three years ago.Mr. Humphrey has since died, but was terribly pleased that they were going to Dartmouth and expected to see them, as soon asthey could be put on exhibition. Now theyare being arranged in cases made purposelyfor them, on the first floor in Wilson Hall.There is a man cataloguing them now. Hesaid he had catalogued about 1500 of themand that he hadn't got half through. I wasglad to see them in such good location."
Secretary, Chelsea, Vt.
