BX 
 
Class jg£5S^5" 
 Rnnlc .HJtZCta 
 
 Copyright^? 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
A FEW MEMORIES OF 
 
 ^tiltam &eeti Huntington 
 
 BY HIS SISTER 
 MARY HUNTINGTON COOKE 
 
 * 
 
 PRIVATELY PRINTED 
 
 AT THE RIVERSIDE PRESS, CAMBRIDGE 
 
 I910 
 
* 6 S 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 191 0, BY MARY HUNTINGTON COOKE 
 
 £OLA280013 
 
He studies best whose manhood longest 
 keeps 
 
 The passionate thrill that in the boy's blood 
 leaps ; 
 
 Eyes that look out, unconscious of their 
 glow, 
 
 Shy to be known, shall soonest all things 
 know ; 
 
 Into the ear that listens and is taught, 
 
 Shall come the music of God's whispered 
 thought, 
 
 And him the beatific visions bless 
 
 Whose lips the hunger and the thirst con- 
 fess. 
 
 W. R. H. 
 
a f eto jttemorieg of 
 William JKeeD f uutington 
 
 y first recollection of 
 my brother is of a 
 very pretty and hap- 
 py little boy, whom 
 every one seemed to 
 love, full of interest in all living 
 things. He had, like all children, 
 pets of all kinds. The first ones 
 he had were turtles, to which he 
 devoted a great deal of his spare 
 time, and found them very inter- 
 esting. Then came rabbits, which 
 were most tenderly cared for. He 
 developed very early a taste for 
 5 
 
a jpeto 0?emorie£ of 
 
 fishing, which he did not lose as 
 he grew older ; for even as late as 
 1 90 1, when he was in California 
 attending the Convention, he was 
 delighted to go, at the close of the 
 sessions, to Catalina Island, and 
 catch some of the famous big fish 
 there, in company with the Rev. 
 Dr. Manning. I remember that as 
 a little boy the gift of a real fish 
 basket gave him unutterable pleas- 
 ure, and he used to go to the Con- 
 cord River, which was not far from 
 our house, where a friend's garden 
 extended to the bank, fenced along 
 the river for safety. And there he 
 would stand for hours, his patience 
 seeming never exhausted. When 
 he came home his mother would 
 6 
 
£?iittam Hieeii i^untmston 
 
 say: "What luck, Willy ? Did you 
 catch anything ?" And he would 
 reply: "No, mother, not to-day, 
 but I had two bites and a nibble/' 
 And he would start again the next 
 day with renewed zeal, and per- 
 fect hope of success, in spite of his 
 disappointment. This quality of 
 perseverance he retained through 
 life. He was about eight years old 
 at this time. 
 
 In his early childhood our ma- 
 ternal grandmother came to live 
 with us. She was a saintly woman 
 and had a most gentle and loving 
 spirit. She exercised a great influ- 
 ence over Willy from his earliest 
 days, and he certainly was a child 
 of her prayers. Her love for him 
 7 
 
& f eto ft?emorieg of 
 
 was unbounded. I cannot but feel 
 that some of her gentleness of 
 spirit was transmitted to him. And 
 in her last illness, which was after 
 William had gone away to school, 
 she had his portrait placed at the 
 foot of her bed, where she could 
 see it constantly. It was brought 
 from the studio, where it had just 
 been finished, and this is the por- 
 trait which now hangs in the Choir 
 House at Grace Church. 
 
 Our home lay not far from the 
 Middlesex Mills, in the days when 
 the factory girls were of a very 
 good class. And as Willy stood at 
 the gate as a little child, dressed in 
 his pretty light frock, I have often 
 seen them stop and say what a 
 8 
 
William Eeefc ^untinston 
 
 pretty child he was, and ask if they 
 might kiss him. 
 
 There were some very rough 
 older boys who lived in the neigh- 
 borhood, who used to tease him. 
 But his mother had taught him that 
 he must not fight under any circum - 
 stances. And one day when they 
 were teasing him he was heard to 
 say : " If you don't stop I shall ask 
 my father to give you some very 
 bitter medicine." 
 
 He was indebted for many of his 
 sterling qualities to his father, who 
 possessed the same trait of popular- 
 ity, without self-seeking or self-con- 
 sciousness, which was so prominent 
 in his son. Dr. Elisha Huntington 
 came to Lowell when it was a very 
 9 
 
& f eto ^emorxeg of 
 
 small town, about the year 1826. 
 He was a young physician fresh 
 from the Yale Medical School, and 
 began practice at once. One of the 
 first evidences of his unselfishness, 
 which was one of his main charac- 
 teristics, was in the very early days 
 of his residence there. A stranger 
 was attacked with virulent small- 
 pox, and as there was no provision 
 in Lowell for such a case, he placed 
 him in a deserted house on the out- 
 skirts of the town. No one was 
 willing to go to the sick man, in 
 dread of the disease. Dr. Hunting- 
 ton at once offered his services and 
 quarantined himself, sharing the 
 man's solitude, and caring for him 
 throughout his sickness. 
 10 
 
William fteefc Huntington 
 
 His medical services were always 
 very welcome, and he was always 
 ready to give to the poor and afflicted, 
 being singularly indifferent to any 
 compensation for his services ; and 
 by his generosity and kindness he 
 won Saint Luke's name of "The 
 Beloved Physician. " He was also 
 President of the Massachusetts 
 Medical Society. 
 
 At the time of his death the 
 whole city was in mourning. 
 
 He rendered great service to 
 Lowell, after it became a city, by 
 serving several terms as mayor, in 
 spite of the encroachment upon 
 his medical work. He gave the city 
 the best of his powers. Whenever 
 it was rent and disturbed by politi- 
 ii 
 
& f eto apemorieg of 
 
 cal troubles, the people always 
 turned to him as a last resort. He 
 never lost his election but once, 
 when the " Know-Nothings" got 
 control of the city. He served as 
 Lieutenant-Governor of Massa- 
 chusetts with Governor Clifford, 
 and was very much interested in the 
 State Prison work. Those were 
 the days before the Associated 
 Charities and the new views of polit- 
 ical economy, and the only thing 
 brought up against him by his 
 enemies when he was a candidate 
 for mayor, was that he was too 
 good to the poor. Owing to his 
 life of charity and sacrifice, he 
 died a poor man leaving behind 
 him a blessed memory. 
 12 
 
William UeeD ^untinffton 
 
 Willy was very fond of horses, 
 and occasionally a friend lent him 
 a small pony, so small that several 
 times, when it stopped very sud- 
 denly with the peaceful intent of 
 eating grass by the road side, he 
 would fall over its head without 
 danger of injury. He never was 
 discouraged, but always mounted 
 again, He was very friendly with 
 his young companions, and always 
 showed the sweet temper which 
 was his characteristic. Athletics 
 were not as prominent in a boy's 
 life in those days as they are now, 
 but he was always interested in boys' 
 sports, such as playing ball. 
 
 When he was about eleven years 
 old some one gave him a fire engine, 
 l 3 
 
a f eto ^emorieg of 
 
 a perfect model, of a good size, of 
 the old tub engine of the day. It 
 was christened " Neptune," and 
 the motto on the standard at the 
 side was, "Douse the glim. " They 
 organized a fire company anddrilled, 
 and enjoyed making trips to imagi- 
 nary fires. The engine was painted 
 red with gold trimmings by his sis- 
 ter and a young fellow artist, and 
 the company was very proud of its 
 machine. 
 
 A very strong trait of his as a 
 child was an intense love of read- 
 ing. At one time "The Arabian 
 Nights" was his constant compan- 
 ion. Fairy tales and all imaginative 
 stories were his delight. We did not 
 associate a love of poetry with him 
 14 
 
William JSeefc i^untittcton 
 
 at that time, although later it be- 
 came one of the great inspirations 
 of his life. He very early developed 
 a great interest in chemistry, and he 
 was constantly engaged in making 
 experiments of various kinds, and 
 trying to manufacture things. He 
 spent his money in buying simple 
 apparatus for experiments. His little 
 store of Hessian crucibles was his 
 great pride. He had sent abroad 
 for them. 
 
 Sometimes he had an intimate 
 friend who was associated with him 
 in these undertakings. They made 
 indelible ink, which always washed 
 out, and poor cologne which the 
 family were obliged to buy to en- 
 courage them. 
 
& jf eto a^emorieg of 
 
 Willy was considered rather small 
 for his age, and it was thought 
 best to try to develop his physi- 
 cal strength. When he was about 
 twelve years old he was sent to a 
 military school at Norwich, Ver- 
 mont. He was in the same class with 
 Admiral Dewey. His experiences 
 in Norwich were decidedly rough, 
 and he always said he saw more 
 wickedness there in the country, 
 than in all his life at Cambridge. 
 But he seemed strong to resist temp- 
 tation there, and came back stron- 
 ger and better for his new experi- 
 ence of life. 
 
 I think his first essay in poetry, 
 or rhyme one might call it, was 
 made while he was at this school. 
 
 n 
 
William iSeeti Huntington 
 
 It was on the occasion of a military- 
 walking and camping trip, made 
 from Norwich to Ticonderoga,and 
 in it were chronicled the experi- 
 ences of the days, which he made 
 very amusing. 
 
 After William's return from the 
 military school, he stayed at home 
 under the instruction of a tutor, 
 and also was fitted for College at 
 a private school in Lowell. His 
 lessons never seemed to be any 
 trouble to him, and his life was 
 quiet and uneventful. 
 
 In his Freshman year at Harvard 
 a close friendship began between 
 him and my husband, Professor 
 Cooke, which was only strength- 
 ened by the tie which bound him 
 
 n 
 
& jpeto ^emorieg of 
 
 later as a brother-in-law. I have 
 often heard him tell how in his lec- 
 ture to the Freshmen he saw in one 
 of the front seats the eager and 
 earnest face of a young man who 
 attracted him wonderfully ; and he 
 at once tried to find out his identity. 
 They became immediately great 
 friends, and continued so to the 
 end. 
 
 Mr. Cooke was one of the first 
 professors to take a vital interest in 
 the students in a social way, and as 
 he was then keeping bachelor's hall 
 in Harvard Square, he sought to 
 have personal intercourse with 
 them, and in many cases was drawn 
 into great intimacy. In the class of 
 1859 there were some very charm- 
 18 
 
William iSeeti Jpuntmston 
 
 ing young men, and there were six 
 or eight of them who always took 
 tea with him Sunday evening for 
 two or three years. They read and 
 discussed different subjects, and the 
 evening always ended with prayers, 
 which were chosen from the family 
 prayers in the Prayer Book. They 
 often used to speak of these delight- 
 ful evenings spent together, pre- 
 ceded by a hearty supper of good 
 things. 
 
 My husband entered into closer 
 relations with William than with 
 any other man of the class, and for 
 several summers took him on long 
 walking trips through Nova Scotia 
 and New Brunswick. He also gave 
 William his first view of the moun- 
 19 
 
& f eto &?emorie£ of 
 
 tains of Mt. Desert, and the follow- 
 ing beautiful sonnets " From Green 
 Mountain' ' were called forth by 
 memories of this happy journey : — 
 
 FROM GREEN MOUNTAIN 
 
 Two seas our eyes beheld, one dark, 
 
 one light ; 
 And one above the other; for a screen 
 Of billowy cloud lay, level-poised, 
 
 between 
 Ocean and sky, in undulation white 
 As snow of Zembla. Half-way up the 
 
 height 
 That caps Mount Desert, spell-bound 
 
 by the scene, 
 We stood and marvelled. Had there 
 
 ever been, 
 
 20 
 
William fteefc i^untinffton 
 
 Since Israel's pilgrim march, so weird 
 
 a sight? 
 Meanwhile the sailors, beating to and 
 
 fro 
 On shadowed waters, dreamed not of 
 
 the still, 
 Pellucid beauty of that upper day ; 
 Their captive eyes saw only from below, 
 While we, from our sheer lookout on 
 
 the hill, 
 Scanned either level, happier-placed 
 
 than they. 
 
 Brief our advantage ; presently the sun, 
 Nearing the noon-mark, gathered all 
 
 his might, 
 And smote those vapors till they broke 
 
 in flight; 
 Not hastily (for panic there was none), 
 But with slow movement eastward, one 
 
 by one, 
 
 21 
 
a jf eto a^emorieg of 
 
 The cloud battalions drifted from our 
 
 sight, 
 Till everywhere, from verge to verge, 
 
 was light ; 
 And those below saw clear, as we had 
 
 done. 
 God shows enfranchised spirits, such as 
 
 thine, 
 Dear friend, dear brother, who beside 
 
 me stood 
 That morning on the mount, both sides 
 
 of things : 
 The dim, the bright; the earthly, the 
 
 divine. 
 Spirits in shadows see but one. Oh, 
 
 would 
 The days were born of which the Sibyl 
 
 sings ! 
 
 He still indulged in his taste for 
 fishing when he had an opportu- 
 
 11 
 
William fieeti Huntington 
 
 nity, and I have often heard him 
 tell how, on their trips through 
 New Brunswick, they stopped to 
 catch salmon, and hired a horse and 
 wagon to carry the salmon from 
 place to place, to provide some- 
 thing eatable, as their food was 
 of the most primitive description 
 and scant at that. 
 
 Mr. Cooke was in the habit, at 
 that time, of giving experimental 
 popular lectures in several large 
 cities. William went as his assist- 
 ant, and these trips fostered his love 
 of science, which was always very 
 strong. Thus he saw, under very 
 pleasant auspices, Baltimore and 
 Washington, and other places of 
 interest. 
 
 23 
 
& f eto a^emorieg of 
 
 During William's preparation 
 for college at the Lowell School, 
 it was taken for granted that he 
 should go to Hanover and attend 
 Dartmouth College, as our father 
 was a graduate of that institution, 
 and Harvard, on account of the 
 expense, seemed quite out of the 
 question. Mrs. Huntington, our 
 mother, was a woman of great force 
 of character, and exercised a very 
 strong influence over her son, by 
 whom she was always dearly loved. 
 She was a delicately organized wo- 
 man and never had strong health, 
 but her mind always rose superior 
 to her body, and "the wakeful 
 demon," as she called it, was never 
 allowed to shadow the sunshine of 
 24 
 
^ttliam fteeti ^unttngton 
 
 her nature. She seemed not only 
 to have "songs in the night," but 
 also visions. And she would then 
 think over the knotty problems 
 which sometimes confronted her 
 in the daytime. 
 
 As the days drew near for the 
 examinations at Dartmouth she 
 surprised us one morning at the 
 breakfast table by announcing that 
 William was not going to Dart- 
 mouth, but that he was going to 
 Harvard. There was a chorus of 
 " What do you mean ? " and " How 
 can it be done?" She replied: "I 
 do not know, but wait and the way 
 will be opened." In a few days 
 she received a letter from Wil- 
 liam's older brother Francis, who 
 2 5 
 
a f eto a^emorieg of 
 
 was a young merchant in New 
 York. He had gone to New York 
 alone at the age of seventeen, hav- 
 ing been obliged to give up college 
 on account of the weakness of his 
 eyes. He said that he was now in 
 a position which would allow him to 
 have the pleasure of educating Wil- 
 liam at Harvard, and he should be 
 glad to assume all the expense of his 
 course. So this little incident in- 
 fluenced the whole course of his 
 life, as everything seemed to hinge 
 on this change of surroundings. 
 His brother Frank took the most 
 intense interest in William's col- 
 lege career, and at his gradua- 
 tion, when he was elected class 
 poet, and made so deep an impres- 
 26 
 
sion on his audience, Frank's satis- 
 faction was complete. The bond 
 between the brothers was very- 
 strong, as is shown by the fact that 
 William named his son for him, 
 Francis Cleaveland. 
 
 His early days at Harvard were 
 comparatively uneventful, but he 
 was always in demand for a bright 
 little speech, or for a few verses at 
 a dinner, and had that gift of quick 
 repartee which always distinguished 
 him. His wit was at all times pure, 
 and some of his college songs were 
 quite irresistible. The following 
 songs appeared in the " Harvard 
 Magazine "for July, 1858, written 
 to commemorate the victory, in 
 the 1858 Fourth of July regatta, 
 
 2J 
 
& f eto £®tmmt# of 
 
 of the " Fops " of Harvard over 
 the " Fort Hill Boy " crew. The 
 first was supposed to have been 
 sung before, and the second after 
 the race. 
 
 FIRST SONG— MICHAEL TO PATRICK 
 (Air, Paddy O'Rafferty) 
 
 Arrah, me Patsy ! jist look at the Col- 
 lege boat : 
 
 Niver afore did ye see so much know- 
 ledge float. 
 
 Shure it 's a shame that their arms is n't 
 bigger now, 
 
 For it is muscle, not brains, that will 
 figure now. 
 
 Chorus 
 O ye b'ys, ye fops, ye lady pets, 
 Twinty to wan, and our word that we 
 pay the bets. 
 28 
 
William illeeD Huntington 
 
 Only step here and obsarve the dhroll 
 
 make of her. 
 Shavin's and wire is the notion ye take 
 
 of her. 
 Round as a pratie, and sharp as a pick, 
 
 is she, 
 But niver a match in a race for the 
 
 Mickies she. 
 
 Chorus 
 
 O ye b'ys, ye fops, ye lady pets, 
 Twinty to wan, and our word that we 
 pay the bets. 
 
 Twig the spoon oars what they pull her, 
 
 me jewel, with ! 
 Why don't they keep them to ate their 
 
 oat gruel with? 
 Wooden spoons shure is no sign of 
 
 good luck at all ; 
 Silver we'll have, when the prize we 
 
 have took it all. 
 29 
 
a ftto a?emorieg of 
 
 Chorus 
 
 O ye b'ys, ye fops, ye lady pets, 
 Twinty to wan, and our word that we 
 pay the bets. 
 
 SECOND SONG— PATRICK TO 
 MICHAEL 
 
 (Air, Lillibullero) 
 
 Look! look! will ye, Mike, 
 
 Ye ne'er saw the like : 
 These childer have waxed us through 
 and through. 
 
 The studints is here, 
 
 But, bad 'cess ! it is clear 
 We '11 wait awhile now for thelrish crew. 
 
 Chorus 
 
 Har-r-vard ! Har-r-vard ! O ye spal- 
 peens ! 
 
 Have n't ye scattered my wages like 
 smoke ? 
 
 30 
 
William 1&ttb $untin0ton 
 
 I can't pay a quarter 
 The bets that I oughter. 
 Divil fly oiFwid yer wondherful stroke. 
 
 Jist hark to the yells 
 Of thim Beacon Street swells, 
 And see, over yonder, the cambric 
 wave ; 
 While Micky there stands, 
 A-wringin' his hands, 
 And Biddy is wipin' her eyes on her 
 slave. 
 
 Chorus 
 
 Har-r-vard ! Har-r-vard ! O ye spal- 
 peens ! 
 Have n't ye scattered my wages like 
 smoke ? 
 I can't pay a quarter 
 The bets that I oughter. 
 Divil fly off wid yer wondherful stroke. 
 
 3 1 
 
& f eto a£emorieg of 
 
 Let 's scuttle our boats : 
 Nary one of them floats 
 But looks kind o' shamed about the 
 bows ; 
 And oh ! may the crews 
 In future refuse 
 To meddle with race boats, and stick to 
 their scows. 
 
 Chorus 
 
 Har-r-vard ! Har-r-vard ! O ye spal- 
 peens ! 
 Have n't ye scattered my wages like 
 smoke ? 
 I can't pay a quarter 
 The bets that I oughter. 
 Divil fly off wid yer wondherful stroke. 
 
 "The Harvard Monthly/' in 
 which he was interested as a con- 
 tributor and part editor, we con- 
 sidered the most brilliant maga- 
 32 
 
William fteeti ^imtnt0ton 
 
 zine that had ever been issued. 
 And indeed some of the contribu- 
 tions were exceedingly creditable, 
 and are well worth reading at this 
 late date. 
 
 He was always a faithful attendant 
 at Christ Church, Cambridge, and 
 as it has been sometimes stated that 
 he was a Unitarian while he was 
 in college, it may be well to make 
 a plain statement of fact. I think 
 it was in his sophomore year that 
 the Rector of Christ Church was 
 obliged to leave on account of his 
 health, and the pulpit was filled 
 by a man who had no gift of in- 
 teresting the young; while, at the 
 College Chapel, the Rev. F. D. 
 Huntington was interesting the stu- 
 33 
 
a f eto &?emorieg of 
 
 dents and others with his inspiring 
 preaching. And although the Uni- 
 tarian congregation did not realize 
 it, he was really preaching orthodox 
 sermons. After hearing him sev- 
 eral times William felt that he 
 must have the inspiration that Dr. 
 Huntington gave, but was quite 
 unwilling to leave his own Church 
 in which he had been brought up. 
 He went, as he often did, to his 
 mother for her counsel and advice, 
 and after listening to his longings 
 and desires, she counseled him with 
 the breadth she alwavs showed, and 
 advised him to go where he could 
 get what would most upbuild his 
 character and satisfy his spiritual 
 longings. 
 
 34 
 
^iHiam Jleefc Huntington 
 
 William did not consider that it 
 meant renouncing in any way his 
 Church affiliations after he should 
 have, left college. The five young 
 men with whom he had been 
 associated in Mr. Cooke's Sunday 
 evening readings wanted to join 
 the College Chapel. This was an 
 almost unheard-of thing for a stu- 
 dent to do, and one may be sure 
 that Dr. Huntington was intensely 
 interested in this movement, and 
 made of their coming a most solemn 
 occasion. The Covenant to which 
 they subscribed was not Unitarian 
 in its nature. 
 
 It was about this time that Dr. 
 F. D. Huntington made his public 
 avowal of his change of faith, and 
 35 
 
& f eto a?emorieg of 
 
 was confirmed at Christ Church in 
 Cambridge, with several members 
 of his family. 
 
 William was very much exer- 
 cised as to what occupation he 
 should enter on graduation. His 
 mind was not at first inclined to 
 enter the Church, as he loved sci- 
 ence very dearly, and more so as 
 time went on. But Mr. Cooke, 
 devoted as he was to science, put 
 all his influence on the side of the 
 Church. And after the death of 
 William's mother, which occurred 
 soon after his graduation, Wil- 
 liam's mind never wavered from 
 the idea of devoting himself to a 
 religious life. 
 
 This idea is best expressed by his 
 
 36 
 
William Heeti Huntington 
 
 lines, "Before Ordination, " pub- 
 lished later : — 
 
 Thou callest, Lord, I hear Thy voice 
 And so in meekness come. 
 
 I falter, but not mine the choice. 
 Thou callest. I am dumb. 
 
 I only listen. I am least 
 
 Of all, and yet I know 
 Thou callest me to be Thy priest. 
 
 I argue not. I go. 
 
 All through the past Thy hand hath led ; 
 
 Grant me this day to feel 
 That hand in blessing on my head, 
 
 As at Thy feet I kneel. 
 
 The years await me. What they hold 
 Thou knowest, Lord, not I. 
 
 On every side the cloud-banks fold 
 The edges of my sky. 
 37 
 
William Mttb Huntington 
 
 But still within my ears there rings 
 One voice and only one, — 
 
 All courage to my heart it brings, — 
 Thy will, my God, be done. 
 
 He determined to begin his 
 studies for the ministry as soon as 
 possible. 
 
 2F tfjanft mp «Bo& upon eberp 
 
 remem&rance 
 
 of pou 
 
31 19! 9 
 
 Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
 Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
 Treatment Date: March 2006 
 
 PreservationTechnologies 
 
 A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION. 
 
 1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
 Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
 1 724) 779-2111 
 

 One copy del. to Cat. Div. 
 N U 1911