Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White — Volume 1White, Andrew Dickson
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Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White — Volume 1
White, Andrew Dickson
Cornell University; Diplomats -- United States -- Biography; White, Andrew Dickson, 1832-1918
It must be confessed that all was not plain sailing
in my new position. One difficulty arose from my
very youthful, not to say boyish, appearance. I was,
indeed, the youngest member of the faculty; but at
twenty-four years one has the right to be taken for a
man, and it was vexatious to be taken for a youth of
seventeen. At my first arrival in the university town
I noticed, as the train drew up to the station, a number
of students, evidently awaiting the coming of such
freshmen as might be eligible to the various fraternities;
and, on landing, I was at once approached by a sophomore,
who asked if I was about to enter the university. For an
instant I was grievously abashed, but pulling myself
together, answered in a sort of affirmative way; and at this
he became exceedingly courteous, taking pains to pilot me
to a hotel, giving me much excellent advice, and even
insisting on carrying a considerable amount of my baggage.
Other members of fraternities joined us, all most courteous
and kind, and the d<e'>nouement came only at the
registration of my name in the hotel book, when they
recognized in me ``the new professor.'' I must say to
their credit that, although they were for a time laughed
at throughout the university, they remained my warm
personal friends.
But after I had discharged the duties of my professorship
for a considerable period, this same difficulty existed.
On a shooting excursion, an old friend and myself came,
and, being very hungry, asked for bread and milk. My
companion being delayed outside, cleaning the guns, the
farmer's wife left me and went out to talk with him. I
continued eating my bread and milk voraciously, and
shortly afterward they entered, he laughing heartily and
she looking rather shamefaced. On my asking the cause
he declined for a time to state it, but at length said that
she had come out to warn him that if he did not come in
pretty soon ``that boy would eat up all the bread and milk
in the house.'' This story leaked out, and even appeared
in a local paper, but never, I think, did me any harm.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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