most attractive speaker
was Mr. Evarts, and the fact that his views of education were somewhat
conservative added much to the interest of his speeches. He generally
had something to say in favor of the system of a prescribed curriculum
in liberal education, which was then considered as quite antiquated.
When President Dwight, shortly after his accession to office, visited
the capital to explain the modernizing of the Yale educational system,
he told the alumni that the college now offered ninety-five courses to
undergraduates. Evarts congratulated the coming students on sitting
at a banquet table where they had their choice of ninety-five courses
of intellectual aliment.

Perhaps the strongest testimonial of the interest attached to these
reunions was unconsciously given by President Hayes. He had received
an honorary degree from Yale, and I chanced to be on the committee
which called to invite him to the next banquet. He pleaded, as I
suppose Presidents always do, the multiplicity of his engagements,
but finally said,--

"Well, gentlemen, I will come, but it must be on two well-understood
conditions. In the first place, I must not be called to my feet.
You must not expect a speech of me. The second condition is, I must
be allowed to leave punctually at ten o'clock."

"We regret your conditions, Mr. President," was the reply, "but must,
of course, accede to them, if you insist."

He came to the banquet, he made a speech,--a very good, and not a
very short one,--and he remained, an interested hearer, until nearly
two o'clock in the morning.

In recent years I cannot avoid a feeling that a change has come over
the spirit of such associations. One might gather the impression
that the apothegm of Sir William Hamilton needed a slight amendment.

On earth is nothing great but Man,
In Man is nothing great but Mind.

Strike out the last word, and insert "Muscle." The reader will
please not misinterpret this remark. I admire the physically
perfect man, loving everything out of doors, and animated by the
spirit that takes him through polar snows and over mountain tops.
But I do not feel that mere muscular practice during a few years of
college life really fosters this spirit.

Among the former institutions of Washington of which the memory is
worth preserving, was the Scientific Club. This was one of those
small groups, more common in other cities than in Washington, of men
interested in some field