Reminiscences

We clip the following from the Detroit Journal of Tuesday last, as it tells of ineidents connected with the student life of a number of U. of M. men who have attained prominence: ] was pained to hear of the death of Col. W. !'■ McCreery of Flint, to whom lalluded in mylast paper. .McCreery was fro 11 ftrst to last a modest and uupretending man, and during the war was a s ildier of renown. When le lamong others) had dug his way out of Libby prison, and visited his liome temporarily to nurse his wounds a id recruit his strengt'!, the people of Hint went out to meel uimwith a monster procession, and his recepción was like a Roman "iriumph" In 1859,1 believe lic was '"coaverted " under the preaching of Rev. Wm. Iloganh, and he had amosi singular and distressing experience, uut il (as he told me) he was "brought to the light." Pleas excuse this disgression on account of the special circumstances, and 1 will pass on to the thread of niy narrative. On the arrival at Ann Arbor of those of us who entered the University in 1853, we soon found ourselves members of the different üreek letter societ.es Hobart Miller, Samuel 1'. Duffleld and myself j ined the Chi Pais- if Iremember rightly, tlie oldest organization of that kind in the university. Duffleld, I recollect, used to play the violin, and many a time in those early days we gathered around him while he sang to the accompaniment of his liddie, "A Bare Old Plant is the Ivy (reen " He had also quite a pencbant for poetry, and wrote very creditible lines. II uw ever, I always thought he was strongest in prose, and had a certain originality of puetic expressiou in that form of composition, which would have giveu him a good place in literature, if he had stea iíast y pursued it. 1 gometimes think that Wrt are quite unconsdous of our real mental quality and ability. .James Watson. of my class -afterward known throughout the astronómica! world as Prof. Watson - actually began a translation of Virgil, that he thought was going to surpass Dryden's, and he one day called me in to his room to hear him read portions of it. At the same time, he was only great in mathematics, and did not seem to know it. "Ed. Thurber,"as we u ed lo cali him, gave promise of future standing in bis prefession. Prof. Haven, who at that time taught rheíoric, I remember on one occasion said.aiter Thurber had d livered himself of one of his own productions,"! donotwish to niake invid ious dis'. incUons between members of the class. but Mr. '1 hurber has shows considerable power." When we did not require the " Ivy (reen" and classic mu-ic and simply wanted a dance in one of the old recitation rooms of the dormitory period, one Chapel, also a member of our class, f urnished the melody. ]f I mistakenot he still lives and is a prosperous farmer in Üandstone, Jackson county. 'lhe last time 1 saw him was at a democratie state convention years ago, and I put to him the only really important question, ' Are you happy?" His anBwer was not "responsive," as the lawyers say, and he replied, " I am satisfied ihere is nothing after death I" I said " Fudge ! " and we parted. Hon. J.evi T. Gïidin a also a member of the class of 1857, and I have enjoyed a very pleasant acquaintance vrith him ever since. lie has had a habit when I have met him, of always saying,"How old you are getting," which [ regard as much betttT, even in a jocular way, than that old formula, " What secret have you got to prevent age?" George Landon of Monroe, now Judge Landon, was also one of "the boys." Ile was a great pet of Prof. Fasquelle, for he was (juite proflcient in Germán and Frenen when heentered collega, and spuke the former language fluently. In this connection, I recollect, that when one of the class was out-Frenching the French in his pronuncia' on one day, Fasijuelle broke in upon him with, -'Yon remind me, sir, oí an equestrian, who being about to mount his horse in the presence of some ladies, jumpedso hard thai he feil over the other side into the quagmire." When the writer of this went to Ann Arbor he speedüy became acquainted with Darius .1. Davison, of United States court fame and of J. Sterling Morton, now seeretary of agriculture, for they were Chi Psis, and room-mates, and as unlike as possiMe. Morton dubbed Davison " Pickwick," and I do not remember what endearing nam s Davison gave him ip return. At that tarly day, Morton showed considerable a ílity as a writer. and 1 behi've was invited to deliver a Fourth of July oration at Ann Arbor, by a committee of citizens. "Mort," as we used to cali him was expelled from "the institution" about four weeks before he would have graduated, if he liad been allowed to remain. I believe his oliente was wliat was called "contempt oí' authority."