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118
ROCHESTER ALUMNI REVIEW
o'clock on Wednesday afternoon .
. It �as
apparently the first me . eting of Its ki . nd :
although it has been said that the society
of alumni was formed in 1853.
The year of 1854-55 witnessed several
important changes in the faculty. In July,
185+, Dr. Thomas ]. Conant and Dr.
Ezekiel G. Robinson concluded their serv­
ices, the former as professor of the Hebrew
language and literature, and the latter as
professor of the evidenecs of natural and
revealed religion, chairs which were not
afterward filled, registering in . that respect
a significant change in . the cUrriculum. The
resignation of H. LI � coln Wayland, as
tutor in Greek and history, -also took ef­
fect in Ju ly, 1854.
Appointment of Dr. Mixer
In January, 1855, the Executive Board
voted "to employ Albert H. Mixer as a
temporary instructor in German and
Greek, at a compensation of $100 per term,
this arrangement to expire at the � ext com­
mencement." But when that time came
(in July, 1855), the Board of Trustees
appointed Mr. Mixer profe � sor of modern
,
f d"
and provided further "that he be engaged
during the ensuing year to give instruction
o�e hour a day for two terms in German
and such other branches of study as may
be required, at a compensation of $300
per annum." Coincident with that, the
board passed a resolution, "That students
of the freshman class who may require instruction
by private teachers in branches
where the preparation has been imperfect,
will be expected to defray the cost of such
instruction." An explanation of some of
these things may be found in another resolution
which the board adopted at that
time, "That it is the first duty of this board
to perfect the amount necessary to secure
the charter of this university, and to stop
the annual deficit of four thousand dollars
a year in its expenditures over its income."
languages "at a compensation to be regulated
by the amount of duty per orme ,
Cutting Succeeds Raymond
The �etirement of John H. Raymond
as professor of rhetoric and belles lettres
occurred at the end of the year 1854-55.
It was caused by his having been elected
President of Vassar College. The chair
was soon filled by the appointment of Sewall
S. Cutting as professor of rhetoric and
history. Mr. Cutting had been for years
the editor of the New York Recorder,
prior to the time when Dr. Anderson took
over the editorship, and he had been a
strong supporter of the movement which
led to the founding of the U niversity of
Rochester. But before he was tendered
this professorsh ip :l\1essrs. Kelly, Harris,
Sheldon Anderson, \Vheelock and \Vilder
were ap�ointed a comm ittee to confer with
him on the duties of the professorsh ip, with
authority, in their discretion, to tender it
to him, if satislled with the results of the
interview and with their further inqulTles
with respect to his qualifications. He had
been graduated with high honors from the
University of Vermont, and was pronounced
one of the ablest men in the Baptist
ministry, a clear thinker, and a scholarly
writer.
Perhaps better than a detailed account
of the commencement exercises of 1855
will be the following excerpts from what
the A 1II 1'riw1l of July 14, 1855, said concerning
the University and the commencement:
Comments on University Growth
"We have been a close observer of the
commencements of the University of Rochester
for the five years in which that institution
has existed. . The anniversary
has grown in interest with each
recurrence and has attracted a larger attendance
each successive year. It has become
the great literary festival of the city.
Hundreds come from abroad [i. e., from
outside of Rochester] to attend it, and from
all parts of the country the leading and
prominent men of the Baptist denomination
especially congregate to watch and
rejoice in its progress. Here in Rochester,
the sympathy with the University has
become populm'. It is no longer confined
to a denomination ; all sects and classes
participate in the general sentiment of good
feeling and cordial interest. . . . . The
students come from all parts of the country
and from all classes -and sects, As usual
in colleges, the poo r a re best represented.
. . . .
"The commencement just passed was
more marked than any of its predecessors
by the expression of sympathy and good
feeling on the part of its friends and our
citizens at large. The crowd in attendance
was large and fro m a wider field.
The old familiar faces were all here and
with them mul titudes of new on es. The
literary exercises were attended by crowds,