1Z5I 
 
 ■ 
 
 ^ 
 
 A 
 
 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 (— 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 
 JO 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 i\ >
 
 ^1 
 
 ■"^J"^ 
 
 ';m 
 
 r0 
 
 m
 
 (M 
 
 n Miemonam. 
 
 Rey. C. T. Mills, D. D.
 
 IN MBMORIAM. 
 
 |ieb. C3)iiis Caggart ||TtlIs, 
 
 ♦ z"*^ * 
 
 Born in Paris, New York, May 4rH, 1819. 
 
 Died at Mills Seminary, California, April 2oth, li 
 
 HIS ^A/^ORKS DO FOLLOW HIM.
 
 'DKi^^lonazii (Bda^nt. 
 
 CO 
 
 en 
 
 A Great Favorite with Dr. Mills. Sung at his Graduation, and also 
 AT HIS Funeral. 
 
 My soul is not at rest ; there comes a strange 
 
 And secret whisper to my spirit, like 
 
 A dream at night, that tells me I am on 
 
 Enchanted ground. Why live I here ? The vows 
 
 Of God are on me, and I may not stop 
 
 To play with shadow^s or pluck earthly flowers. 
 
 Till I my work have done, and rendered my 
 
 Account. The voice of my departed Lord, 
 
 "Go teach all nations," from the Eastern world 
 
 Comes on the night air and awakes my ear, 
 
 And I will gladly go. From henceforth, then, 
 
 It matters not if storm or sunshine be 
 
 My earthly lot, bitter or sweet my cup ; 
 
 I only pray, " God fit me for the work, 
 
 God make me holy, and my spirit nerve 
 
 For the stern hour of strife." Let me but know 
 
 There is an arm unseen that holds me up, 
 
 An eye that kindly watches all my path. 
 
 Till I my earthly pilgrimage have done. 
 
 Let me but know I have a friend that waits 
 
 To welcome me to glory, and I joy 
 
 To tread the dark and death-fraught wilderness. 
 
 And when I come to lay me down to rest, 
 
 To sleep the blessed sleep — it will be sweet 
 
 That I have toiled for other world than this — 
 
 Yea, very sweet. And when I reach my home 
 
 With all the conflict past, if one for whom 
 
 Satan has struggled as he has for me 
 
 Should ever reach that blissful shore, O how 
 
 This heart will flame with gratitude and love, 
 
 And through the ages of eternal years 
 
 Thus saved, my spirit never shall repent 
 
 That toil and suffering once were mine below. 
 
 
 293124
 
 Biographical.
 
 c&ioc^zaiphiccit. 
 
 There are lives that are left as a legacy to mankind. 
 Their works do follow them. They being dead yet 
 speak; and they speak in deeper, richer tones than 
 when they were here. Such a life is that of Rev. Cyrus 
 Taggart Mills, D. D., the founder of Mills Seminary, 
 whose recent departure has filled so many hearts with 
 sorrow, and left a sad void in the great educational 
 fabric of this country, which he has done so much to 
 uphold and adorn. There is much to learn from the his- 
 tory of such a life. From the contemplation of such 
 a character we may be inspired to loftier purpose ; we 
 may learn to employ the faculties we possess in useful 
 activity and noble aims. The blessings which his life 
 has conferred upon mankind, the influence for good 
 which he has exerted, are but the first fruits of an ever 
 increasing harvest that will be gathered in the long 
 train of the years yet to come. 
 
 His early life and struggles deserve to be recorded, 
 as a stimulus to those who are compelled to wrestle 
 with ungracious fortune from the very outset. It is 
 conflict that develops strength. The circumstances of 
 the boyhood years of Dr. Mills were eminently suited 
 to mould and shape a manly, heroic character. He 
 was early called to self-dependence. This developed
 
 the extraordinary business powers of the man, which 
 have been conspicuous through his entire life career, 
 resulting in the accumulation of a large property, which, 
 with his noble example, he has left as a largess to 
 mankind. 
 
 Dr. Mills was born in Paris, New York, in 1819, 
 Had he lived until the fourth of May, he would have 
 reached his sixty-fifth birthday. Until his conver- 
 sion, at the age of nineteen, he had received but an 
 ordinary school education. But conversion with him 
 meant something more than a weak, languid confession 
 of love to Christ. It meant a quick, ready, and full 
 consecration to the Master whom he served — a surren- 
 der of his whole being to the Saviour of his being — a 
 glad going forth in the faith and love of Him who 
 said: " Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end 
 of the world." From the hour of his conversion he 
 dedicated himself to missionary work- 
 He entered Williams College at twenty-one, with 
 less than fifty dollars. Educationally, he was poorly 
 prepared for matriculation. But this did not daunt his 
 unflagging courage. By dint of studying fourteen 
 hours a day, he soon was abreast of all his classes. He 
 taught winters, and so met financial needs Amid all 
 the heavy pressure of work he found time for mission- 
 ary labors among the poor about him. "The poor 
 have the gospel preached to them," was the key-note of 
 his life. He graduated seventh in a class of thirty-seven. 
 Up to the day of his death, he tenderly cherished the 
 memory of his beloved Alma Mater, and was looking 
 forward to the fortieth reunion of his class with fond 
 expectation. He held in reverent esteem the name of
 
 Dr. Mark Hopkins, and delighted to speak of the grand- 
 eur of his character. A picture of this distinguished 
 man hung in his hbrary, and he showed it to his friends 
 with affection and pride. He indorsed the tribute 
 which the lamented Garfield paid to him, where in 
 speaking before a convention of teachers, he said: " It 
 has long been my opinion that we are all educated far 
 more by personal influence than by mere books, or the 
 apparatus of schools. If I could be taken back into 
 boyhood to-day, and had all the libraries and apparatus 
 of a university, with only ordinary routine professors on 
 the one hand, and on the other a great, luminous, rich- 
 souled man, such as Dr. Hopkins is, in the woods 
 alone, I would say. Give me Dr. Hopkins for my col- 
 lege course, rather than any university with only 
 routine professors. The privilege of sitting down be- 
 fore a great, clear-headed, large-hearted man, and 
 breathing the atmosphere of his life, and being drawn 
 up to him, and lifted up by him, and learning his 
 methods of thinking and living, is, in itself, an enor- 
 mous educating power." 
 
 After his graduation at Williams, Dr. Mills entered 
 the Union Theological Seminary, New York, again 
 paying his way by dint of untiring industry. He fin- 
 ished his course without debt. In addition to the reg- 
 ular curriculum, he studied Tamul, in order to be ready 
 for mission work in Southern India. Nine of his class 
 dedicated themselves to missionary work. At their 
 graduation a beautiful missionary chant was sung, 
 which has always since been a great favorite with Dr. 
 Mills, breathing as it did, the spirit of self- surrender 
 to the cause of Christ. This chant was again sung
 
 at his funeral. While pursuing his theological course,, 
 he was actively engaged in mission work among the 
 poor of the city. In church relations he was associated 
 with such men as William E. Dodge, Wm. H. Booth, 
 and Christopher Roberts. They all caught the spirit 
 of consecration to God and humanity. 
 
 In September, 1848, at Ware, Massachusetts, he was 
 married to Miss Susan L Tolman, for six years an as-^ 
 sociate with Mary Lyon at Mount Holyoke, both as 
 pupil and teacher. With a life companion equally con- 
 secrated to missionary work, he sailed at once for India 
 under the auspices of the American Board, which then 
 embraced both the Presbyterian and the Congrega- 
 tional denominations. He was stationed in Ceylon, 
 where for five years he had the presidency of the Batte- 
 cotta Seminary, educating young men for the ministry 
 and missions. In the administration of affairs here, 
 the superior financial ability of Dr. Mills was mani- 
 festly apparent. Wonderful success attended his 
 work. After six years of devoted service, impaired 
 health necessitated an interval of rest and recruiting. 
 But medical advice forbade his return to the field on 
 peril of his life. In speaking of this recently, Dr. 
 Mills said: '• It was the saddest day of my life when 
 I was told I could not return." But he still worked for 
 the cause he loved, by arousing an interest in the 
 churches of the East, and laying before them the mag- 
 nitude of the work. He was called to a pastorate in 
 Berkshii-e, N. Y., where he was greatly beloved. But 
 two years' labor showed that his strength was insuffi- 
 cient for pastoral work. He now entered business life 
 as his only resource during the interval of recupera-
 
 13 
 
 tion. This was not his chosen work. And after two 
 years he felt the divine command stirring within him ^ 
 "Go, teach all nations!" and he obeyed by accepting 
 the position of President of Oahu College, near Hono- 
 lulu. This college was established for the education 
 of the children of missionaries and other foreign resi- 
 dents. Here he remained four years, doing a grand 
 work, bringing the College from a condition of de- 
 pendence, that called for several thousand dollars a 
 year from the Board, to a self-supporting basis. It has 
 continued on a paying basis up to the present time. 
 But to a constitution already impaired by his stay in 
 India, the climate of the Islands proved deteriorating, 
 and he was again forced to give up the work he so 
 much loved. Miss Atkins of Benicia, who was visiting 
 the Islands en route to China, on learning of the en- 
 forced change of climate, said : " You must go to Cali- 
 fornia!" In 1865, Dr. Mills purchased Miss Atkins' 
 school at Benicia, the pioneer institution for young 
 ladies, and entered upon his great educational work in 
 this State. Here he labored for seven years. From a 
 famil) numbering less than forty, it rapidly outgrew 
 all accommodations, and larger quarters were impera- 
 tively demanded. With that marvelous business fore- 
 cast which characterized his entire career, and his 
 wonderful executive ability, he managed to secure 
 lands that rapidly appreciated in value, and when the 
 time came for enlarged work, it found him ready to 
 prosecute his plans successfully. Owning the present 
 beautiful site, he decided to build here, thus securing 
 a healthy location, secluded, yet easy of access. Gen- 
 ■erous contributions were made by friends of education
 
 14 
 
 to induce the removal from Benicia and to aid the work. 
 Some tvvent3'-five thousand dollars, in money, and 
 five thousand dollars in other gifts, exclusive of a 
 sum raised for the building of the church, were con- 
 tributed for the purpose. Energetic, liberal friends 
 were not wanting at this juncture. But the outlay, as 
 is always the case where such a vast enterprise is pro- 
 jected, far exceeded the original estimate. No less 
 than one hundred and sixty thousand dollars were in- 
 vested at the start. Heavy financial burdens now 
 pressed upon the indefatigable founder. But the se- 
 quel proved him equal to the emergency. In 1871, 
 the Seminary was re-opened in its new surroundings. 
 It was very much against the wish of Dr. Mills that 
 the Seminary should bear his name. His modest, 
 retiring nature shrunk from any such conspicuity. He 
 chose the name "Alderwood," and insisted that the 
 institution be called " Alderwood Seminary." The 
 first intimation that he had of the christening of the 
 Seminary as " Mills," was from the architects' pictures. 
 From all of these that came into his hands, he erased 
 the name, but he labored in vain in this regard. The 
 name, " Mills Seminary," still adhered to the institu- 
 tion that he founded in love, faith, and prayer. It 
 was a grand success from the very day of its inau- 
 guration. Year by year new buildings and other im- 
 provements have been added, until to-day Mills Sem- 
 inary stands in proud preeminence among the best 
 educational institutions of the country, representing in 
 solid values not less than two hundred and seventy-five 
 thousand dollars, with eight scholarships, aggregating 
 over twenty thousand dollars, which are used for the
 
 15 
 
 benefit of gifted young women who are without the 
 necessary means of education. Nearly all these 
 scholarships have been secured by Dr. and Mrs. 
 Mills, many of them having been given by Eastern 
 friends. It should be remembered that means to carry 
 forward such a vast enterprise as this could never be 
 secured from a Seminary with such generous appoint- 
 ments as are to be found here. Investments in out- 
 side property, wisely selected and carefully adminis- 
 tered, directed by financial skill and turned to good 
 account, have been the secret of the wonderful pecu- 
 niary success of Dr. Mills. His faultless taste is 
 exhibited in the grounds around the Seminary, They 
 comprise eighty-five acres under a high state of 
 cultivation. Over fifty thousand trees have been set 
 out. Only a day or two before his death. Dr. Mills 
 ordered the planting of a large number more, which 
 were to serve as a break-wind to a lovely build- 
 ing-site near the church, where he hoped to build a 
 little cottage, in which he might, with his devoted 
 wife, spend the sunset hours of his life. The spot is 
 dedicated to his tomb, and will be made as lovely as 
 affection can devise. The whole place is extremely 
 beautiful, full of sweet surprises and enchanting land- 
 scape pictures. It tells the story of its consecrated 
 founder. It is a grand and beautiful monument to a 
 life of unselfish, Christ-like devotion to mankind. It 
 was the aim of the founders of Mills Seminary to seek 
 to lay the foundation for a permanent institution of 
 the highest order, conducted on true Christian princi- 
 ples, where pupils should be always surrounded by an 
 atmosphere of Christian influence. Their aim has
 
 i6 
 
 been eminently successful. Believing that secular ed- 
 ucation should never be divorced from religious train- 
 ing, they desired that the two should be so combined 
 that the young women who were here trained should 
 not only become mentally but spiritually strong, well- 
 fitted for the duties of a noble, Christian womanhood. 
 Nearly three hundred Alumnae revere and honor their 
 beloved Alma Mater, and over sixteen hundred pupils 
 are widely scattered, exerting a mighty influence as 
 daughters, wives, mothers and teachers. Who shall 
 estimate the value of a work like this.r* 
 
 It should be remembered, also, in this connection, 
 that this noble gift not only represents the great 
 monied value attached thereto, but, in fact, the entire 
 life-work of Dr. and Mrs. Mills. "' Put somethino; of 
 thyself into thy gift, if thou wouldst render it sacred 
 and immortal," says an eminent writer. Dr, and 
 Mrs. Mills have embodied their whole lives in this 
 sacred legacy to the young women of this Western 
 world. It is, as it were, the grand ultimate of all that 
 has preceded it, of experience, labor, love and devo- 
 tion. It will prove an immortal heritage. 
 
 As is well known, this noble Institution ceased to 
 be private property some seven years ago. It was in- 
 corporated under the laws of the State, and deeded to 
 a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees, to be held by 
 them and their successors forever, for the specific pur- 
 pose of educating young ladies. According to the 
 terms of the gift, the school must be Christian in char- 
 acter but not sectarian. 
 
 It is not to be doubted that the final illness of Dr. 
 Mills was very largely the result of overwork. The
 
 17 
 
 dregs of the disease contracted in India had never 
 been eradicated Shortly before his death he remark- 
 ed to a friend : " For thirty years I have scarcely 
 known what it was to be free from pain." " And yet 
 you say so little about it ? '' He replied : " Why should 
 I trouble others with it ? "' This was a true expression 
 of his heroic, unselfish spirit and life. But, with all his 
 feebleness, he was resolved on liquidating a heavy debt 
 that hung over the Seminary. He combated success- 
 fully with this debt of eighty thousand dollars. When 
 the Institution was deeded to the State, fifty thousand 
 dollars of this debt was still unpaid. All of this, except 
 about seven thousand dollars, he has paid himself. Of 
 the seven thousand Mr. J. P. Pierce, of Santa Clara, gen- 
 erously gave three thousand, Hon. William Hyde, of 
 Ware, Mass., a life-long friend, three thousand, and 
 Mrs. M. S. Percy, of Oakland, through Dr. Eells, one 
 thousand. 
 
 So, also, the money for the beautiful library build- 
 ing, now in process of erection, was secured by Mrs. 
 Mills from a devoted friend in the East. During the 
 twenty years' labor in California, over one hundred 
 pupils have been aided in securing an education, in 
 part, at least, by Dr. Mills. Of these things he never 
 spoke. Nor was this all. Remembering his own 
 struggles for education in his youth, he has helped a 
 number of young men in Eastern colleges. He aided 
 in the erection of the church in Benicia, and the 
 chapel near the Seminary, and was interested in the 
 erection of a church at Pomona, at the time of his 
 death. He has never forgotten his first love — the 
 
 B
 
 i8 
 
 missionaiy work — and has kept up his gifts in this 
 direction, thus literally sowing beside all waters. 
 
 A little more than two years ago, Dr. Mills visited 
 Southern California to look after some landed proper- 
 ty that he owned there. While there his attention was 
 called to a large and valuable tract of land at Pomona. 
 With his quick business insight, he at once saw in it 
 the means for liquidating the indebtedness on the 
 Seminary, and of doing many other things for the 
 school which he desired to do. Although in feeble 
 health, and illy able to add to the already large de- 
 mands upon his strength, he did not hesitate to take 
 hold of the opportunity presented. For two years he 
 has developed these interests with untiring energy and 
 persistence, and with results so reassuring as to lead 
 him to say, only a short time before his blessed transi- 
 tion : " I have a few more things I would like to ac- 
 complish that I have planned for the Seminary, but 
 God knows best. I am content to do His will."' 
 
 About two months ago his right arm began to give 
 him slight trouble. At first he paid very little atten- 
 tion to the matter. His spirit was essentially heroic, 
 and it was his way to say little about himself. He was. 
 always patient and uncomplaining, and those who 
 loved him best were often compelled to minister to 
 him in spite of himself, so averse was he to causing 
 any care or anxiety. But now it became evident that 
 the arm trouble was a serious matter. The best of 
 medical skill was promptly summoned to discover, if 
 possible, the cause of the trouble. It was finally deem- 
 ed imperative to amputate the arm as the last chance 
 for life. The long years of silent, uncomplaining weak-
 
 19 
 
 ness, superinduced by the missionary life in India, now 
 told upi)n this good man. Nature had not sufficient 
 rallying force to withstand the critical test. Just be- 
 fore the operation, when it was told Dr. Mills that 
 amputation was inevitable, lie calmly said : " I am sure 
 it is best." As the preparations were going forward, 
 he was perfectly tranquil and resigned, saying to Dr. 
 Wythe, his physician and warm personal friend : " I 
 cannot thiiik just now, but I can trust. I am simply 
 clingine to the Cross." After it was all over he seem- 
 ed to rally toward recovery. It was but a bright flash 
 before the final going. Just as the critical moment oi 
 departure came, his devoted wife said to him : '' Is it 
 all right .f^ You know where your trust \?>} " He quick- 
 ly responded : "Yes, it is all right'; and gently and 
 calmly as he had lived, so gently and calmly his pa- 
 tient spirit took its heavenly flight, entering into the 
 rest that remaineth. 
 
 The funeral obsequies were most beautiful and im- 
 pressive. There were flowers everywhere. The grounds 
 were radiant with blossoms. The hushed and silent 
 halls were appropriately garnitured with these floral 
 emblems of affection. Loving hands wrought marvels 
 of suggestive beauty in the chapel, and every delicate 
 bud, every fresh green leaf, whispered so sweetly, so 
 harmoniously of the glorious resurrection. There were 
 many exquisite floral designs. One of the most beau- 
 tiful was a field of ripened wheat; half of the golden 
 blades had fallen under the reaper's sickle, and above 
 them was inscribed the one word "Gathered," formed 
 of deep-hued violets. This was a device of one of Dr. 
 Mills' devoted pupils, Miss Mary Bates.
 
 A floral column five feet in height, resting upon a 
 floral pedestal, was made of the choicest white roses, 
 camelias, and lilies, and garlanded with black velvet 
 pansies. This was a fitting tribute from the teachers. 
 The Junior Class contributed a beautiful floral star, 
 over which poised a white dove. An immense floral 
 oillow of roses and camelias was the offerinsf from 
 the Senior Class, with the^touching inscription, " Our 
 Benefactor," in blue violets. A large floral anchor, 
 on a standard of white flowers, was a tribute from 
 the Junior Middle Class. Two of the most elaborate 
 and beautiful pieces were from the Senior and Junior 
 Middle Classes. They were symbols of " The Gates 
 Ajar." A massive arch of flowers was surmounted by 
 a star, with a radiant crown depending from the center 
 of the arch. Symbolic gates, half open, were made of 
 the richest dark pansies. A beautiful cross was pre- 
 sented by the workmen about the place. Many other 
 exquisite floral pieces were disposed about the rich 
 black casket, and on the chapel platform. The organ 
 was almost hidden among a drapery of roses. An ad- 
 mirable portrait of Dr. Mills was draped with black 
 velvet, over which hung sprays of exquisite rose-buds. 
 
 The chapel services were opened at half-past one 
 o'clock. The bell tolled slowly and sadly as the Trus- 
 tees bore the casket into Seminary Hall. The Pres- 
 ident of the Board, Rev. Dr. I. E. Dwinell, now travel- 
 ing in Europe, and the only member of the Board 
 not present, will be greatly pained to hear of the 
 death of Dr. Mills. Rev. Dr. Beckwith offered a 
 tender invocation. The choir, under the leadership 
 of Professor Kelleher, gave some sad, sweet music;
 
 Rev, Mr. Horton read a portion of the fourteenth 
 chapter of John Rev. Mr. Tabor took for his theme, 
 ''God is good," and proceeded to speak at length of 
 the noble work of the departed. It was a worthy 
 tribute to a worthy man. Rev. Dr. Barrows gave 
 an impressive eulogy on the life and work of Dr. 
 Mills, and Rev. Dr. Wythe paid a touching and affec- 
 tionate tribute to his memory, which moved the audi- 
 ence to tears. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, 
 Rev. T. K. Noble read the appropriate set of resolu- 
 tions adopted at its special meeting. Rev. Dr. Bar- 
 rows offered a pleadingly sympathetic prayer, and Rev. 
 Dr. Burrowes pronounced the benediction. The large 
 audience, consisting of the young ladies of the Semin- 
 ary, the teachers, and friends from San Francisco, 
 Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, Haywards, and Fruit- 
 vale, now filed slowly and tearfully out of the chapel, 
 taking a last look at the tranquil, peaceful face of one 
 who had lived only to bless the world. Not a trace 
 of anything but peace was there — nay, more, it was as 
 if bright memories had illumined life's sunset hours, 
 as the sunshine breaks across the sky at the close of a 
 toil-worn day, making the very clouds that partially 
 obscured the sun more resplendently beautiful at its 
 setting. 
 
 In consequence of the inclement weather, the inter- 
 ment was deferred until the following day. It was 
 just before the sun set when the sad and silent cortege 
 wended its way through the beautiful, leaf-embowered 
 " Bryant Path," over the gentle, winding slopes to the 
 lovely spot selected as the place of burial. " Let us 
 carry him to the grave — we can do it,' was the plea of
 
 the loving, devoted pupils, who could hardly be per- 
 suaded that their strength was not equal to the de- 
 mand. But strong, loving hands bore the sacred re- 
 mains to their last resting place. A few friends, in 
 addition to the Semniary household, joined in the last 
 sad rites. The scene was pathetically beautiful. The 
 slope selected for the grave was near the little vine- 
 clad church, whose spire, pointing to the skies, told its 
 own mute lesson. The sun was just sinking below 
 the western hills calmly and sweetly to rest, whisper- 
 ing suggestively as he went : " I do not go out, I only 
 rise in another sphere." "The tender twilight with its 
 tearful cheek leaned oz the breast of evening. ' The 
 lights and shadows softly tinted the crests and sides 
 of the near hills and the distant mountains. The 
 velvety slopes were affluent with bloom, and the flow- 
 er-laden trees added a soft beauty to the sylvan picture. 
 In the distance the stately old monarch of the moun- 
 tains, Tamalpais, loomed up like a mourning sentinel, 
 keeping solemn guard over the faithful soldier who 
 was being borne to the " bivouac of the dead." The 
 birds trilled their sweetest music. The brooks chanted 
 their rythmic requiem. All nature, hushed and tran- 
 quil, was in harmony with the scene. Love had trans- 
 formed the grave into a bower of bloom. It was lined 
 with evergreen and festooned with flowers. The 
 opening was bordered with choice calla lilies, and 
 snow-balls as pure as the sainted dead depended from 
 the margin of the tomb, as far as the eye could reach. 
 The mound of earth was entirely concealed with ver- 
 dure and flowers, and the vast number of exquisite
 
 23 
 
 floral tributes were disposed all about the place of 
 sepulture, until it seemed a wilderness of flowers. 
 
 All this was the loving work of teachers and pupils, 
 who sought some adequate expression for the sorrow- 
 ful affection that filled their hearts. 
 
 The beautiful casket was silently lowered into its 
 flower-decked resting-place. A touching burial service 
 was conducted by Rev. Mr. Tabor. The soft, peace- 
 breathing strains of " Nearer my God to Thee " fell 
 upon the chastened air of evening. The mourning 
 friends, teachers and pupils filed tearfully by, throwing 
 choice flowers into the grave as they passed. And so 
 ended the last beautiful service to the dear departed. 
 Nothing could have been more in keeping with the 
 quiet, unostentatious, retiring spirit of the man. Could 
 he have spoken, there is no doubt but he wou'd have 
 wished to be laid to rest in such an hour, in such 
 an atmosphere, amid such surroundings, with the 
 friends and scenes he loved so well. The beauty, fra- 
 grance, and repose were fit emblems of the Land Im- 
 mortal to which he has g-one — the land of everlastino: 
 rest, where tireless daytime needs no night. 
 
 And so the devoted luisband, the royal-hearted 
 friend, the faithful teacher, the wise counsellor, the 
 patriotic citizen, the devout disciple, the true man, the 
 world's benefactor is no more with us. He heard the 
 welcoming summons " Come up higher," and with glad 
 and ready obedience he went home. Always ready to 
 endure the cross, he was also ready to receive the 
 crown. He has left to the world, not only an educa- 
 tional monument, that shall prove a lasting benedic- 
 tion, but also the richest bequest which a man can leave
 
 24 
 
 to coming generations — a shining, spotless example. 
 His great aim was to teach his pupils the art of living 
 nobly, of laying the foundations of substantial char- 
 acter. Who shall estimate the value of a life like this ? 
 Dr. Mills has but just begun to live. For 
 
 " When a true teacher dies, 
 For years beyond our ken. 
 The light he leaves behind him lies 
 Upon the paths of men." 
 
 A sacred trust has been confided to the people of 
 the Pacific Coast in this gift of Mills Seminary. May 
 they be faithful to the trust ! May generous hearts 
 endow it liberally, so that its educational advantages 
 may be enjoyed by the daughters of the worthy poor, 
 as well as the rich ; and until it realizes the high ideal 
 of its noble founders, and takes its place at the very 
 forefront of the educational institutions of the land. 
 In no better way could a grateful people testify their 
 appreciation of the noble dead. 
 
 From all over the country are coming messages 
 and letters of tender sympathy, dictated by those 
 whom his love and care have blest. May the bereaved 
 one who receives them — his faithful and devoted life- 
 companion and helper — long be spared to perfect the 
 plans which they had mutually formed for the further 
 advancement of the work to which their lives have 
 been consecrated. Their work has only just begun. 
 Such lives and such deeds are never understood until 
 they are finished. Like Oriental languages, to be 
 rightly interpreted, they must be read backwards. 
 The influence of the great and good is never so potent
 
 25 
 
 as when they are gone. Their works do follow them. 
 Blessed, thrice blessed are those who have lived to 
 serve their Master, and to bless mankind! Genera- 
 tions yet unborn shall lay fresh tributes upon their 
 tomb, and thank God that they have lived. 
 
 Mrs. .Sarah B. Cooper. 
 
 In " The Occident."
 
 Funeral Addresses.
 
 eFti-Hera-C Qibbzii<y<Mi^. 
 
 ADDRESS BY REV. R. L. TABOR. 
 
 "God is good." This is the song that faith sings under every 
 circumstance; on wave-crest of prosperity, or down in the trough of 
 the wave, with all the billows and mighty waters threatening to over- 
 whelm; in May's sunshine or in December's storm; in hearts-ease or 
 heart-ache; at the wedding or the weeping; in fellowships or in 
 solitude; with much or with little, — everywhere — always running 
 on, — this sweet sub-vital stream of holy trust, murmuring its confi- 
 dence at life's every turn that "God is good." 
 
 "God is good." There's always on this earth, take it all round, 
 more sunshine than cloud, no matter how heavy skies hang over us; 
 more light than shadow; over half the globe is perpetually in daylight 
 — - always, in every night, more stars shining than obscured. There's 
 ever more growing than decaying; more births than deaths ; more mor- 
 tals enjoying the vigor of years under forty than those beyond the 
 age ; more pleasures than pain ; more privileges than deprivations. 
 So it is written everywhere in brightest lines of light, that " God is 
 good." 
 
 Each succeeding age of the world's progress God's goodness shines 
 out more effulgently, and a more regenerated world looks up to the 
 Father of all, in rapturous consciousness, crying : "Thou hast kept the 
 good wine until now." There's hope for the world in the goodness of 
 our God. This is His world ; He is marking out the channels where 
 history shall take its course, and leading humanity with a shepherd's 
 tenderness to greener pastures and stiller waters. 
 
 " God is good " ; every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down 
 from Him — "Him from whom all blessings flow." " The earth is full of
 
 3° 
 
 the goodness of the Lord." In adaptation of numberless creatures to 
 their habitations; in mountain forests, sounding the diapason of the 
 storm ; in grassy hills, where cattle seek their food in meek content; in 
 meadow-grain that bows its head in ripe humility; in streams that hold 
 green pasture secrets ; in ocean pathways for the fleets of commerce — 
 everywhere we hear the earthly echoes of the veritable music of the 
 spheres, this song of trust, that " God is good." " Oh, that men would 
 praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the 
 children of men." 
 
 It is the goodness of God that is leading a lost world to bow in pen- 
 itential tears before its reconciled Lord — His goodness in giving His 
 Only-begotten to die upon the cross that life and immortality might be 
 brought to light, and heaven's locked gate opened by the key of sac- 
 rifice. 
 
 God's goodness moved the pens which wrote the sacred page with 
 promises, and covenants, and consolations, and inspiring counsels, 
 and vital truths that set men free. God's wise, unerring goodness 
 hath pulled aside the veil of the eternal world just far enough to 
 awaken the soul's ardent longings, and assure us of the certainty of 
 eternal blessedness, until it is impossible for us to put ourselves under 
 impulse from the revelation, without feeling that the best is yet to 
 come, and God's goodness never ends. 
 
 Lift prayer against impending disasters, yet faith feels sure 
 
 " 'T is goodness still 
 
 That grants it or denies." 
 
 The goal is bliss, whatever may lead to it ; though it be through 
 great tribulation, is God's way paved with "love divine, all love ex- 
 celling." 
 
 What blessed faith it is that teaches us in deepest troubles to say, 
 "He hath done all things well" — not ^' some things," not '■'■many 
 things," not inost things," but "■all things, well." 
 
 Could we at this moment get the St. Stephen's vision of "heavens 
 opened," how marvelously wide would seem the contrast of here and 
 there ; sorrow here, pleasures evermore up where our beloved has 
 gone ; tears here, there all tears wiped away ; here a body worn out in 
 toil for others' good fallen asleep in Jesus, there a glorified one entered 
 upon eternity's youth and never wearying strength; here the black drap-
 
 31 
 
 eries of mourning, there the white robe of heaven's transfiguration 
 glories ; here the cup of bitterness, there the communion in new wine 
 of the joys of his kingdom ; here, for the hving, more night, and tempta- 
 tion, and conflict, there no more night, temptations all ended, victory 
 forever achieved ; here the cross, there the crown ; the good fight of 
 faith here, yonder the glorious reward ; this the inevitable, that the in- 
 effable ; here the root growing in darkness, yonder the flower bloom- 
 ing in light — but be persuaded that God is as good in this as in that ; 
 good now, and to us, as he is in heaven good to our beloved and our 
 redeemed. For this scene of sorrow is temporal, and passes away ; 
 but that triumphant ideal life in heaven is eternal, and the " well 
 done " of the Master echoes on forevermore. God's hand is leading 
 us through these darkened rooms of earthly trouble out into eternal 
 light ; soon this will be done and that begun ; soon the querulous, 
 dissonant prelude be resolved into the magnificent major symphonies 
 of the new song; another wavering, trembling earth-voice coming clear 
 and full into the choral of the hundred and forty and four thousand 
 of the glorified before the throne of God. In the backward look 
 from heaven, how small these earth-clouds will appear — storms only 
 sent in a Father's love to speed us more swiftly home to Him. 
 
 So the sorrowing soul cries : " I had fainted unless I had believed 
 to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living " ; and the 
 trusting soul sings on, " Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me 
 all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for- 
 ever." 
 
 The life that is finished here, and begun on high, is one that ever 
 was fully persuaded of the goodness of God, and sought, not in vain, 
 as dew-drop flashes the sun-ray, to reflect in this world as much as 
 might be of the divine goodness. How wx'll his heroic life of self- 
 sacrifice for the good of others has succeeded, you know. God chose 
 him as one of the instruments upon whom He should lavish much of 
 His goodness, and through whom He should in one direction show 
 His goodness to the people of this young western commonwealth, 
 where such a man and such a work were most imperatively needed. 
 
 Dr. Cyrus Taggart Mills was born in Paris, New York, in 1819, 
 and would have been sixty-five years of age May 4th. He was con- 
 verted when he was nineteen, and at once consecrated himself to the 
 ministry. He was poor, and was obliged to depend entirely upon
 
 32 
 
 himself for his education both before and after he entered college. 
 Entered Williams College imperfectly fitted ; but so closely did he 
 apply himself, that he graduated seventh in a class of thirty-seven. 
 
 He had been looking forward with great anticipations to the fortieth 
 reunion of his class in July, and had said : " Once more I hope to 
 look upon Dr. Hopkins, and clasp hands with classmates : but that 
 reunion is not to be at WiUiams, but in heaven. 
 
 He did missionary work in the outskirts of Williamstown with 
 Prof. Hopkins, but devoted himself in heart to the foreign field, 
 and with a returned missionary studied Tamil, the language of South- 
 ern India. At his graduation from Williams, he entered Union The- 
 ological Seminary in New York, teaching in the city several hours a 
 day to pay his expenses. Out of his class of thirty-seven in the Theo- 
 logical Seminary, nine devoted themselves to missionary work ; thus 
 was the character of the class indicated. He was married in 1848 to 
 one who had been for six years associated with Mary Lyon of Mount 
 Holyoke as pupil and teacher. They sailed from Boston for Ceylon 
 under the care of the A. B. C. F. M., in October, 1848. Here Dr. 
 Mills was soon put in charge of Batticotta Seminary, founded by Dr. 
 Poor, where one hundred young men were being trained as preachers 
 and teachers. At the end of six years, over-work in that hot climate 
 had so seriously impaired the health of both Dr. and Mrs. Mills 
 that they were obliged to return to America; hoping, however, to 
 return to their field of labor within two years, but were obliged to 
 relinquish this cherished hope, as physicians forbade their return to 
 India. From seeds of disease thus sown in his system he has been 
 an uncomplaining sufferer all his life. To a friend he remarked a 
 few days before his death, that for thirty years he had not been free 
 from pain ; and when the friend replied, " Yet you never complain," 
 he answered : " Why should I trouble others with it." When decided 
 that his chosen work must be given up, he labored for four years 
 in pastoral work and service for the Board in America ; but was obliged 
 to stop from church and all public work, and for two years was in 
 business. At the expiration of that tune, improved somewhat in healthy 
 he was urged by the Mission Board to assume the Presidency of Oahu 
 College, in the Sandwich Islands. There the same financial ability 
 which has remarkably characterized his later life was so perseveringly 
 exerted, that at the expiration of four years the college which had been
 
 33 
 
 a dependent of the American Board was self-supporting, and has 
 remained so ever since. The tidings of his death will bring great 
 sorrow to multitudes of his former pupils in the Islands. His labor 
 was unremitting. Again, a change to a less debilitating climate 
 became necessary, and California seemed the best suited to his needs ; 
 and for twenty years California has been his field of labor. Still 
 unable to preach, he was urged by Miss Atkins, of Benicia, to pur- 
 chase her well-known institution, which she was about leaving. This 
 he did, and there remained for seven years, until the school out- 
 growing their accommodations and desiring to establish on a perma- 
 nent basis a Seminary on this coast for young women, they sought a 
 location better adapted to their purpose. Some time before, however, 
 Dr. Mills had purchased the present beautiful site, and here he 
 built after his own plans, and removed his school from Benicia ; and 
 here his nearly thirteen years of labor speak for themselves. 
 
 At the time the decision was made to take up this more laborious 
 work here, Dr. Mills had been successful in business operations 
 outside of the school at Benicia ; and with a competency for life, Dr. 
 and Mrs. Mills could then have rested from arduous labor. Had 
 Dr. Mills given himself to business, only those who know his real 
 business habits and abilities can well understand that this heavy work 
 here has not been carried forward except at pecuniary loss, and that 
 he might have been what men in California call rich, had that been 
 his aim. 
 
 When considering the question of building here, and assuming all 
 that must come with it of toil and care, he said to Mrs. Mills : "We 
 can rest now, and let others do this work for California ; but I am 
 sure we did not consecrate ourselves to rest when we gave ourselves 
 to Christ and this missionary work, and we will work while we can, 
 and rest in heaven." Those who best know the work accomplished 
 here can but feel that the rest of heaven must be sweet to the patient 
 toiler for others' good. Nor has his work been here alone. He took 
 in the wide world in his sympathies ; the Foreign Missionary work 
 lay very near to his heart ; the home field, too. In California he has 
 helped to build three churches, while in part he has aided more than 
 one hundred of his pupils in their education. 
 
 Remembering his own days of struggle for an education, he has 
 aided several young men here and in Eastern colleges. His last gift, 
 c
 
 34 
 
 only a few days before his death, was fifty dollars to one who is in an 
 Eastern college at his suggestion, and by his aid. His last letter 
 dictated was in regard to a donation of land for a young church in 
 Pomona. 
 
 The beauty of the place is owing to his own exquisite taste, as the 
 abundance of choice shrubs and flowers of which he was so fond 
 bears ample testimony. More than fifty thousand trees have been set 
 out under his direction, and but a few days before his death he gave 
 directions for the setting out of still more upon a new piece of land 
 which he, not long before, had deeded to the Trustees of the Semi- 
 nary. What more fitting than that he should be laid to rest in the 
 spot his love and care has made so beautiful. That he should rest 
 here is the wish of the Trustees, teachers, and other friends. The 
 spot selected is the one upon which he had said he might sometime 
 build a quiet home, when he and Mrs. Mills were through with school 
 work, and had time for rest, and where they could still do for the 
 child of their love. 
 
 The story of such a life as his can never be finished in earthly lan- 
 guage. Results are cumulative ; all that is seen is but the first ripple 
 where the angel touched the waters. Rich rewards are these. Two 
 hundred and eighty-four cultured daughters of this Ahna Mater, from 
 the veritable four quarters of the earth, would deem it honor to be 
 permitted to lay flowers upon his grave to-day ; but in years to come, 
 when all this sad present becomes a holy heritage, a sacred, inspiring 
 memory, the stones that he has toiled to lay will be seen in fairer 
 colors, and his work be esteemed more nearly at its real worth, and 
 countless generations of cultured young women — home-makers, hai> 
 piness-builders — going hence with the touch of God's great grace 
 upon them, shall bless the work and memory of this sainted pioneer 
 in Christian education on this coast, and still repeat his song of trust 
 that "God is good — God is good."
 
 35 
 
 ADDRESS BY REV. J. H. WYTHE, D. D. 
 
 When I was requested to speak a few words during these memorial 
 services respecting our deceased friend, I doubted whether I could 
 sufficiently control my personal sympathy, and I knew that the brevity 
 which is necessary would be insufficient to allow me to say all that I 
 could desire. Yet I would not refuse to lay my wreath of affection 
 upon his casket, although the flowers be hastily culled and but par- 
 tially arranged. 
 
 During the past five or six years I have had frequent opportunities 
 of familiar intercourse with Dr. Mills, as a Trustee, as his medical 
 adviser, and as a personal friend. Day by day his character has 
 grown in my estimation, and its harmonious proportions have become 
 more and more evident. 
 
 The grandest works of nature or art do not at first impress an ob- 
 server with a true sense of their real greatness. It is only after re- 
 peated views, and by comparison with other things, that the cataract 
 of Niagara, or the cliffs of Yosemite, or the sublimest works of art 
 can be properly appreciated. It is so, also, with the human mind and 
 character. The truest and most permanent splendor is the least 
 meteoric. 
 
 Dr. Mills was constitutionally sensitive, shy, and reticent. A casual 
 acquaintance would not indicate what a bubbling wellspring of gentle, 
 pleasant humor dwelt within. His intellect was well trained by scho- 
 lastic studies, and was of that masculine strength which delighted in 
 mathematical and metaphysical themes. He was well abreast of the 
 times in natural science, and readily detected the logical weakness 
 and evil tendencies of those speculations which pretend to be scien- 
 tific without having a foundation in real knowledge. He had an in- 
 tuitive knowledge of men, which was improved and strengthened by 
 years of close observation and experience. This was the basis of 
 those rare business qualities which made him financially successful in 
 most of his undertakings. His success was that of plan and labor, 
 not of mere chance and speculation. His keen eye and sound judg- 
 ment prompted him how and when to act. Few men had more 
 capacity of this sort.
 
 36 
 
 He was a truly Christian man. He had not only theological knowl- 
 edge, but, what was better, the experience of divine grace. Religion 
 to him was more than a creed ; it was an influence in all his daily 
 life. His natural reticence prevented him from being very demon- 
 strative in his profession, but his thoroughness of application anchor- 
 ed him to the rock. His was no doubting, vacillating faith, for he 
 knew in whom he believed. 
 
 His wealth of native and acquired endowments he laid upon the 
 altar of Christian education. As a Christian minister and teacher, he 
 was permitted not only to sow the good seed, but also to reap an 
 abundant harvest. In Ceylon, in the Sandwich Islands, and in Cal- 
 ifornia he was uniformly successful, and his works will follow him for 
 many generations to come. 
 
 His unselfish generosity scarcely needs to be referred to in this 
 presence. The establishment of this beautiful home for the Chris- 
 tian education of the daughters of California is a public proof of the 
 ardor of his devotion to the cause he loved so well. 
 
 For some years our brother has had but feeble bodily health. How 
 he could accomplish so much with so little physical strength, has 
 seeqtied a mystery to many of his friends. A few months ago it be- 
 came evident that his health was greatly impaired, but as he partially 
 recovered, he spent a little time in Southern California. After his 
 return his failing vitality was indicated by a carious condition of the 
 elbow joint. His physicians called Prof. Douglass in consultation, 
 and it was decided unless healthy reaction soon appeared, amputa- 
 tion would be required; and that would be but a forlorn hope, as it 
 was feared pyaemia had already begun. All was done that human aid 
 could afford: but our worst fears were realized, and the final stage 
 was very short. 
 
 He was providentially withheld from the intense suffering attend- 
 ant upon such a disease in a robust person, and was conscious to the 
 last. As I had often spoken with him of his inner life and experi- 
 ence, on the morning before his death I referred to it again. He said 
 to me : " The principal thought in my mind is, I am clinging to the 
 cross." A little while after he said : " I have been thinking of what 
 one once said, ' I am too feeble to think, but I am not too feeble to 
 trust.' " I replied : "That is the very essence of faith, and ought to 
 bring peace, since the Psalmist says 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect
 
 37 
 
 peace whose mind is stayed on thee.' "' He answered : " Yes, and I 
 have peace ; perfect peace." An hour after he said : " I should Uke 
 to have Hved a httle longer, to have finished some plans for the Sem- 
 inary, but God knows best." This was the frame of mind in which 
 he passed away. A few minutes before the last, Mrs. Mills said to 
 him : " You know in whom you have trusted." " Yes, yes." A little 
 later she asked "Is it all right with you?" He replied : "Yes, it is 
 all right." 
 
 In the presence of such a Christian character, and such a death, 
 what can we say more? " He, being dead, yet speaketh." " Let me 
 die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." 
 
 To the pupils of this Seminary his example should be a constant 
 inspiration. My dear young friends, learn from your beloved teach- 
 er's career how much better it is to be, than merely seem to be. 
 Learn, also, the value of a true Christian faith. While you get knowl- 
 edge and culture, get also a spiritual experience of divine grace. Dr. 
 Mills was one of those rare men who have made the cause of Chris- 
 tian education illustrious ; but his child-like, simple faith in Jesus was 
 the most illustrious thing in his character. 
 
 These teachers and this Board of Trustees will miss the genial 
 smile, the wisdom, and foresight of our departed friend, and will need 
 increased efforts to maintain the work so nobly begun. May we not 
 pray that a portion of his spirit may rest upon each of us ; and shall 
 we not seek strength for our work where our brother sought and 
 found it? 
 
 To the life-long companion and fellow-worker of our deceased 
 brother, I can only trust myself to say that all here present, and hun- 
 dreds of others, sincerely pray that the Lord will deal very tenderly 
 with her, even in her bereavement. As the earthly prop is removed, 
 may she feel that everlasting arms are under and round about her ; 
 and may she be spared for many a year to reap the reward of her 
 labor ! 
 
 We take the mortal remains of our brother to rest in these beauti- 
 ful grounds which he has adorned with such skillful taste. Amid beau- 
 tiful flowers an<i trees, whose springing life is a mute prophecy of the 
 future resurrection, we will lay him down, trusting in Him who has said 
 "I am the resurrection and the life." For "so He giveth his be- 
 loved sleep." 
 
 293124
 
 Resolutions of Respect.
 
 §^e^oCi^tioi4/i> ol cfieMpect. 
 
 TRUSTEES OF MILLS SEMINARY. 
 
 The following resolutions were adopted by the Board of Trustees 
 of Mills Seminary on the occasion of the death of Rev. C. T. Mills, 
 D. D.: 
 
 The Board of Trustees of Mills Seminary deem it proper on the 
 present occasion to present to the public a summary of the noble 
 benefactions of our deceased friend, Rev. Dr. Mills, respecting this 
 Institution of Christian education. 
 
 In 187 1, Dr. and Mrs. Mills, well known as educators of large 
 experience, were induced to remove to the present location in Ala- 
 meda County. About $30,000 were contributed by friends of the 
 enterprise, independently of the church building. To this, through 
 the business ability and enterprise of the Rev. Dr. Mills, additions 
 have been made of buildings and improvements, until, in the estima- 
 tion of competent judges, the property has increased to the value of 
 $275,000. 
 
 All this, with noble devotion to his life-work, and with unselfish 
 generosity. Dr. Mills has conveyed to the Board of Trustees for the 
 permanent establishment of the Institution, and has made ample pro- 
 vision for the liquidation of its debt. 
 
 Such illustrious benefaction is both rare and praiseworthy, and the 
 Board of Trustees have unanimously adopted the following resolu- 
 tions: 
 
 First — That in the death of Rev. C. T. Mills, D. D., the cause of 
 Christian education has lost a generous benefactor and friend. 
 
 Second — That the Trustees of Mills Seminary realize that an irrep- 
 arable loss has occurred to the Institution in the removal of our 
 fellow-laborer.
 
 42 
 
 Third — That we record our appreciation of the true Christian 
 character and manhness of our deceased friend. Associated with 
 him in our olificial relations, we bear testimony to the wisdom of his 
 counsels, the soundness of his judgment, his financial skill, his clear 
 foresight, his genial manners, his earnest purpose, and his transparent 
 rectitude. 
 
 Fourth — That we realize our sense of increased responsibility under 
 the present bereavement, and pray for divine guidance in the conduct 
 of this Institution, so as to perpetuate its facilities according to the 
 spirit of its now sainted founder. 
 
 Fifth — That we express to Mrs. Mills, the bereaved fellow-laborer 
 of the deceased, upon whom now chiefly rests the conduct of the 
 Seminary, our sincere condolence; and pray that her life and health 
 may be spared for many years, that she may see large results of good 
 from her unselfish labors and example. 
 
 Sixth — That the affairs of Mills Seminary College continue hereafter 
 under the direction of Mrs. Mills, as heretofore under the direction 
 of Dr. and Mrs. Mills. 
 
 Seventh — That a copy of this preamble and resolutions be officially 
 communicated to Mrs. Mills, and be furnished to the Press. 
 
 Signed: Rev. I. E. Dwinell, U. D., Sacramento; Hon. A. J. Bryantj 
 San Francisco; Hon. E. D. Sawyer, San Francisco; Rev. T. K. Noble, 
 San Francisco; Robert Simson, Esq., Seminary Park; David Hewes, 
 Esq., Oakland; James P. Pierce, Esq., Santa Clara; Rev. J. H. 
 Wythe, Oakland; Hon. M. H. Myrick, San Francisco; Rev. R. L. 
 Tabor, Alameda; Rev. C. D. Barrows, D. D., San Francisco; Rev. 
 E. S. Beckwith, D. D., San Francisco; L. H. Briggs, Esq., Oakland; 
 Rev. F. A. Horton, D. D., Oakland. 
 
 PRESBYTERY OF SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 The Presbytery of San Francisco of which Dr. Mills was an honor- 
 ed member passed the following resolutions: 
 
 Whereas, it hath pleased Almighty God to receive to Himself the 
 spirit of our honored and beloved brother. Rev. C. T. Mills, D. D.,
 
 43 
 
 and, whereas, it hath pleased Him to grant his servant a long and 
 useful life in the active work of the ministry, in both the home and 
 mission fields of his glorious church, and an honored career in the 
 grand work of woman's education : 
 
 And, whereas, the Presbytery has been favored with his immediate 
 presence among us, and the immediate fruits of his later educational 
 labors, especially in his great gifts to the churches of the Seminary, 
 which he has been enabled to make so fine a success and so great a 
 factor in the culture of our homes and coast: 
 
 Be it therefore resolved, by the Presbytery of San Francisco in 
 stated meeting assembled, that we render profound gratitude to Him 
 who wrought for and in our brother beloved the great redemption, 
 and prepared him for the glory into which he has now been uplifted, 
 rejoicing in the certainty of his great honors. 
 
 Resolved, that we cherish his example, revere his virtues, and praise 
 the work he was enabled to do. 
 
 Resolved, that we mourn for the School at whose head he stood 
 the loss of its faithful, capable, and beloved president, praying that 
 his life and death may lead to a deep consecration of their lives to 
 the dear Christ and his service; and that we rejoice to believe that 
 the God of all gracious gifts will give to our afflicted sister, Mrs. Mills, 
 wisdom and strength to lead the Seminary to yet higher successes 
 through the years to come. 
 
 Resolved, that this Presbytery and its churches will endeavor to be 
 helpful to her, in sympathy and in every way of practical aid in the 
 great responsibility which is now more than ever devolved upon her. 
 
 Resolved, that we most tenderly and affectionately sympathize with 
 her whose heart is most bowed down by the sorrows of this hour, and 
 do pray God to have her in His most holy keeping, here and after- 
 ward, that these two, so long united in life, and now separated by 
 death, may be together — "forever with the Lord." 
 
 F. E. SHEARER, Secretary.
 
 Extracts from Letters.
 
 ^ootza^t:^ izovn £e^'^:e^^. 
 
 From hundreds of letters received from all parts of the country, the 
 following extracts are made, as typical of the universal sympathy, es- 
 teem, and love expressed in all. 
 
 State Normal School, 
 
 San Jose, Cal., April 24, 1884. 
 Mrs. C. T. Mills, Dmr Madam : 
 
 I am requested by the Faculty of the Normal School 
 to convey to you their sympathy and profound regret in view of the 
 great bereavement which has befallen yourself and your school. We 
 feel that the cause of education and Christian evangelization has suf- 
 fered a heavy loss in the death of Rev. C. T. Mills. 
 I am. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 H. B. NORTON, Actiiig PrincipaL 
 
 FROM REV. JAMES EELLS, D. D. 
 
 Lane Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio 
 
 The sad tidings came without herald, for I had not even known 
 that Dr. Mills was out of health, except that he had not been really 
 well for some time past ; and the surprise added to the sorrow that 
 would have attended the news of his death in any circumstances. 
 Yet how does the quiet beauty of his life throw cheer around the final 
 scene, and how does our imjjlicit confidence in his piety arch the bow
 
 48 
 
 of hope over his grave, on which is written the promise of Him to 
 whom he committed his spirit? 
 
 I do not think of death as I did in my earher years, nor does 
 heaven seem so far away as it once did. I have seen so many loved 
 ones pass behind the veil, that it seems to be a veil only ; and I am so 
 sure that they were prepared for the better home, that it seems no 
 longer a myth and land of myster)^ but a real place into which they 
 have been gathered, and where I shall see them soon, if God wills. 
 The worlds are very near together ; and perhaps those now in the 
 brighter world have more to do with us here than we think. Some 
 spirits come back at times to minister to and help us. Why not 
 those who would most delight in such errands to those they love? 
 
 I think often of the life-work of yourself and husband as a kind of 
 unit ; and of its consummation in what will be left behind you to do 
 good, long after you are both gone. He has not lost his interest in 
 that work simply because he is no longer in the body, but it may be 
 that in unseen ways he may now be able to do for the result what 
 was impossible while in the body. At any rate, his sympathy and 
 pleasure in so grand a service of his Lord and of his fellows are no 
 doubt greater, far, than when you conferred together in the flesh. 
 You will greatly miss him in many ways ; but you will not be widely 
 separated in purpose and aim even while you remain ; and it will not 
 be long before your conferences together will be concerning results, 
 rather than plans. 
 
 May the Lord comfort you, and sustain you, as I know He will. 
 For your husband, none of us can mourn. May the blessings possi- 
 ble from his death abound to all who knew and loved him ! 
 
 FROM REV. GEORGE MOOAR, D. D. 
 
 Oakland, Cal. 
 
 The men of college days whom he admired are my admiration also. 
 The principles in philosophy and faith which wrought within him, in 
 the strength of which he lived, and in the repose of which he has fin- 
 ished his course, were the same that I drank in among the Williams- 
 town mountains. In the wonderful way his Father led him, and tne
 
 49 
 
 marked success He was pleased to give to his plans, I have rejoiced. 
 Few men are able to leave behind so clear a monument of devotion 
 and wisdom. In the loss which you must feel there are yet rare mem- 
 ories and satisfactions which few are privileged to possess. I think 
 how many tributes of gratitude and admiration will have come and 
 will be coming to you from so wide a circle in many lands. Death, 
 in his case, after all, seems not to be death. It must be that you will 
 be more uplifted than depressed by this "going home." 
 
 It has been a somewhat cherished thought that I may be able to be 
 at Williams at the approaching commencement. If so, it may fall to 
 me to pay some slight tribute at the Alumni meeting, to one whom 
 his Alma Mater will be sure to honor. 
 
 FROM REV. A. L. STONE, D. D. 
 
 San Francisco. 
 
 The hearts of all in our household circle are wounded and sad- 
 dened by the tidings of your great and sudden bereavement, and the 
 departure of our beloved friend from these scenes of earthly fellow- 
 ship. Ah, how deep must be your sense of loneliness, in the absence 
 of one so near and dear! No tenderness of human sympathy can 
 fill that vacant place. We may, and we do, weep with you, but we 
 can do nothing to repair your loss. 
 
 And yet, we would suggest to you how many hearts, in how many 
 homes, will throb with a great sorrow over the removal of one asso- 
 ciated so closely and tenderly with so many happy and profitable 
 hours of the past. Ah, he lives still in the life and character, in the 
 happiness and usefulness, as well as in the grateful recollections of 
 those with whose culture and training in their intellectual and spirit- 
 ual growth he has been so fruitfully and efificiently connected. Such 
 a life cannot become extinct on the earth. It is a fountain, whose 
 vital streams flow on, and will flow continuously down the veins of 
 present and coming generations. Let this conviction, even in the 
 freshness of your grief, come to occupy and to cheer your wounded 
 heart. 
 
 And, oh, do not fail to remember what a new and marvelous tie 
 
 D
 
 5° 
 
 there is in this peculiar sorrow between yourself and the Life divine. 
 That Supreme One, whose name is Love, is the Husband and Judge 
 of the Widow. This is no empty figure of speech. It is a great and 
 blessed reality. It is for you a new bridal of highest privilege and 
 holiest joy. Lay your head on that sustaining bosom ! Let those 
 everlasting arms enfold and embrace you ! Look up into those pity- 
 ing eyes! Let those gracious lips whisper peace, and bid you tell 
 all your grief and all your wants to that unwearied Comforter and 
 bountiful Provider! 
 
 Forgive me for coming in upon your desolation and mourning with 
 these words of mine; and accept from us all, in this home circle, the 
 assurance of our tenderest love and sympathy, and our earnest inter- 
 cession heavenward in vour behalf. 
 
 FROM REV. HENRY M. SCUDDER, D. D. 
 
 Chicago, III. 
 
 We have just heard of the death of your dear husband. One after 
 another all are going. I loved and honored him, and feel the loss in 
 his departure. May God, in the fullness of his grace, comfort you. 
 Dr. Mills has left a good name. I know few who have been as use- 
 ful as he, and all who knew him will, like me, grieve that he has gone. 
 He ever seemed to me a Christ-like man, and I am glad that I en- 
 joyed his acquaintance and fellowship. 
 
 Our hearts are with you in this deep sorrow. 
 
 FROM D. L. BOARDMAN, ESQ., 
 
 Class Secretary. 
 
 Troy, N. Y. 
 
 I have been so unwilling to credit the report of the death of my 
 old classmate. Dr. Mills, that I can hardly forgive myself for delay- 
 ing so long an expression of our sympathy with you in your bereav- 
 ment. Even yet, I find myself hoping that there is some mistake
 
 51 
 
 in the news which the wires have brought, and eagerly looking to 
 see if confirmed. 
 
 He was very dear to his class, and there were many of us who 
 loved him for his consistent Christian character and life-long devotion 
 to his Master's work, and the prospect of meeting him at our class 
 meeting on ist of July had given us a great deal of pleasure. I 
 had mentioned it in so many letters after I had received his assur- 
 ance to me, " I shall be very much disappointed if I am not able 
 to meet you all again," that now my heart almost fails me as I 
 am compelled to write that he has been called to the home 
 towards which, with his thoughts and his heart, he has bent his 
 whole energies for so many years. I have thought of his happy 
 re-union with other noble classmates whom he loved — Ford, Silcox, 
 Pixley, etc. To me, as I look at his life, there were two great epochs, 
 embraced in the words missionary, public benefactor. His epitaph 
 would be complete with them. 
 
 He was our presiding officer, and, as Dr. Hawkes wrote me a few 
 days since, his death just at this period of joyful anticipations will 
 make us all sad and mournful. 
 
 It is a very strange providence, which has thus unexpectedly 
 thwarted all his and our plans, ^nd has made sincere mourners on 
 each side of the mountains ; but we should rejoice rather than weep, 
 his work was so well done. 
 
 I pray, my dear Madam, that you may have grace given you to 
 sustain you, and strength from above to continue the noble work 
 which you both inaugurated so successfully. 
 
 FROM REV. D. W. POOR, D. D., 
 
 Secretary Presbyterian Board of Education. 
 
 Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 We were all sadly surprised and shocked to read in the Evangelist 
 
 of last week, through Dr. Field's letter, an account of the death of 
 
 your dear husband and of the manner of it. Since then a letter 
 
 from Kate Stone to Annie gave us fuller particulars both of it and
 
 52 
 
 of the large gathering at the funeral, and the great mourning of old 
 friends and pupils over their great loss. Hovv painful the bereave- 
 ment for you we can somewhat imagine, and we deeply sympathize 
 with you in it. Dr. Mills was a quiet, noiseless man, but there was 
 in him a mighty power for planning and achieving great things such 
 as is possessed by very few in this world. He lived to purpose, and 
 has left behind him a monument of labor which will last. It is a mat- 
 ter for congratulation that he lived long enough to see it completed, 
 and have so many continually gathering around him to call him bless- 
 ed. I, too, am among his debtors, and I wish I could have borne 
 some testimony to my many obligations as my tribute to his memory. 
 And now I feel not a little compunction, that I did not more fully 
 testify of it while he was alive. All I can do is to avow to you my 
 gratitude for what he did for me and mine. When I visit Califor- 
 nia, I shall miss the fan:iiliar form of Dr. Mills. How far back the 
 recollections of him and you go, and how many changes since those 
 first interviews in Newark and New York ! Gone, gone, the Spauld- 
 ings, and the Harringtons, and the Winslows, and the Doremuses, 
 and how many more ! And I must be going before long. I am al- 
 ready older than father was when he left. Wish that I were as ready 
 to say "Joy, joy, joy," as he was. 
 
 I am writing at the office in the midst of much business Other- 
 wise I would have messages from wife and children. 
 
 FROM HON. WM. HYDE. 
 
 Ware, Mass. 
 
 When the news came on the Sabbath that your husband had gone 
 to his heavenly rest, we could joy for him while feeling that a heavy 
 burden had fallen upon you. The Lord comfort you, and give you 
 every needful grace, and give you strength to carry the load of care 
 and responsibility that now falls upon you. The news of Dr. Mills' 
 death came before our evening service, and Dr. Perkins gave notice of 
 it before the prayer, in which you were earnestly commended to the 
 God of all grace. * * Your husband has left a noble rec- 
 ord, and his work remains and will go on now he is gone. With such
 
 53 
 
 a slender physique it is wonderful how much he has accomphshed. 
 His work was done, and he was worn out in the service of the Mas- 
 ter, and has gone to receive his crown. 
 
 I have seen much of your School, and have never seen one more 
 thoroughly Christian in its influence, though Jews, Gentiles and Cath- 
 olics were among the pupils. 
 
 The Lord give you grace to do his will. May He guide you, and 
 send just the help you need to carry on his work. We are all in 
 sound health, and our hearts full of sympathy for you. 
 
 FROM REV. T. H. HAWKS, D. D. 
 
 Northampton, Mass. 
 
 I have read, with great sorrow, a brief telegraphic statement of the 
 particulars of Dr. Mills' death. At any time the tidings would 
 have been most painful : but just now, when we are looking forward 
 to our Class reunion, at which I have hoped to see again my cherished 
 and honored friend, they have caused peculiar grief. We shall meet 
 under the pressure of a great bereavement. 
 
 Dr. Mills was dear to us all, and was held in highest esteem for 
 his virtues and good deeds. While we were in College, he command- 
 ed the regard and confidence of all who knew him by his scholarship, 
 courtesy, sweet charity, and high Christian manhood. And since we 
 left College, we have watched his course with admiration of his self- 
 sacrificing spirit ; the success of his plans and labors, and the large 
 benevolence that moved him to devote his wealth and the Institute 
 that bears his name to Christ, and the Christian education of young 
 women on the Pacific coast. Permit me to say here, as I have often 
 said to friends, that no one of our Class seems to me to have done so 
 noble a work in life as your husband. And I do not doubt that he 
 was removed while executing plans for other benefactions, and a 
 larger usefulness. 
 
 But if we mourn his removal from earth, how deej) must he your 
 sorrow ! Accept, I pray you, the assurance of my profound sympa- 
 thy. In this time of bereavement and sorrow, may the grace of God 
 be exceeding abundant, and vou be comforted and strengthened.
 
 54 
 
 I do not need to speak ot" the sources of consolation and hope 
 which the Christian rehgion furnishes, for you know them. And I 
 am sure that you accept with sweet submission what God, who knows 
 when his children should be called home, has been pleased to lay 
 upon you. 
 
 Once more permit me to express my warmest sympathy. 
 
 FROM REV. L. H. HALLECK. 
 
 Portland, Me. 
 
 The tidings has just reached us that our dear friend and benefac- 
 tor has been called up higher. We cannot realize that he has already 
 gone from his most important work unto his well-earned rest. How 
 glad the meetings there must be, as he joins the increasing circle of 
 old friends and new whom his life of active benevolence had multi- 
 plied to so unusual an extent. 
 
 " My particular friend " — about the very first that I recall outside 
 my own tamily — whom I loved as a mere child ; — he proved an un- 
 failing friend in later years, when tokens of his love were something 
 more than gentle words and smiles. 1 do not forget them all ; and 
 his memory will always be associated in my mind, as in the minds of 
 very many, with a deep sense of gratitude for his manifold and un- 
 deserved kindnesses. 
 
 I hope we may hear more fully regarding the circumstances of his 
 home-going in due time. 
 
 Meanwhile, be assured of our sincerest sympathy, as we take our 
 place alongside, true mourners all, pained at our great loss, comfort- 
 ed by thoughts of his great "gain." 
 
 FROM SAMUEL M. DAMON, ESQ. 
 
 Honolulu. 
 
 How I wish that on this bright Sabbath morning the pleasure 
 could be afforded us of seeing you, and giving you our heartfelt sym-
 
 55 
 
 pathy over your loss and ours. You have lost a dear husband, and 
 we have parted with a real friend, and one whom we have learned to 
 love from his own innate goodness ; and especially is he endeared to 
 our family for the love he always manifested for Eddie and May. 
 
 Personally, I shall cherish his memory for the good advice he 
 gave me, and so quietly that it was never taken at the time in the 
 light of advice but of a friendly conversation. 
 
 The last meeting we had together was on a walk one afternoon 
 on the hill that faces the Seminary, where, seated under the trees, 
 he talked of his Pomona plans, and then of the needs of the Semi- 
 nary, and especially his desire for means to do still greater things for 
 the Institution. 
 
 He had a remarkably clear head for business, and if his life had 
 been that of a merchant or banker, he would have certainly taken 
 the lead among the men of wealth ; but he has left a beautiful monu- 
 ment to complete his life, and we feel very thankful that his life has 
 been spared to that point when he could, with mortal eyes, see his 
 cherished plans so nearly completed. 
 
 It may seem like an oft-repeated request, but it is none the less the 
 wish of each member of this family, that when you can be spared, 
 we shall feel it a privilege that you come to us, and make our home 
 your own. 
 
 FROM REV. C. M. HYDE, D. D. 
 
 Honolulu. 
 
 The Gazette to-day gives us the news of Dr. Mills' death. It 
 comes with a shock to me, for I have heard of no illness that fore- 
 boded a fatal termination. We were hoping to see you both here 
 again, to rejoice with us over the improvements at Punahou. But 
 Dr. Mills is rejoicing in something higher than these changes of 
 earth, which we vaunt so highly as marks of progress. One view of 
 Jesus as He is, one glimpse of heaven, would eclipse all earth's high- 
 est glories. What he now enjoys we cannot conceive, but we can be- 
 lieve his nature, heart, and soul, his whole capacity for the life above, 
 fitted for fullest fruition. What he longed for here served as a fore- 
 taste for the heavenly blessedness, for what he loved to admire and
 
 56 
 
 enjoy here was of a kind with that prepared for Christ's redeemed 
 people in the glory that is to come. How blessed that he could 
 round out his life-plan to such fullness of completion, and leave such 
 an enduring life-work as the Seminary, and its assured prospects as 
 an institution for the higher education of woman, so long as woman 
 may need, or man can give the facilities for it. Kow much you will 
 miss him in your planning and counselling for the future of the Sem- 
 inary. Aloha ino i keia hoahana! 
 
 Mrs. Hyde joins me in assurances of our sympathy with you in 
 this time of bereavement, and the hope that it will not prove a bur- 
 den beyond your strength to bear. 
 
 FROM REV. HENRY M. FIELD, D. D. 
 
 office of the 
 New York Evangelist, Nassau Street, New York. 
 
 I have read this morning the touching memorial of your husband 
 in the Occident. How blessed is the memory of the righteous! What 
 a benediction the life of Dr. Mills has been, and still is, to all who 
 bear his name. 
 
 It was very pleasant to us to meet you and Mrs. Cooper together. 
 May our Heavenly Father keep and bless you both, and preserve 
 you for many years of usefulness and happiness before you go to 
 join those who have gone before. 
 
 Yours in tender sympathy. 
 
 TRIBUTES FROM TEACHERS, PUPILS, AND 
 OTHER FRIENDS. 
 
 East Oakland, Cal. 
 We feel in such a time of trouble as this through which you are 
 passing, that our poor words of sympathy are so feeble, and that all 
 human strength is but weakness. We can only look up to Him "who
 
 57 
 
 hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows," humbly praying that 
 in Christ you may find refuge and consolation, and that the Holy 
 Spirit may ever abide with and comfort you. 
 
 We sadly realize that in the death of Dr. Mills another true friend 
 has departed — one whose integrity, generosity, and kindness will 
 always be remembered with gratitude. 
 
 "Behold, the house 
 Is dark, but there is brightness where the sons 
 Of God are singing: and behold, the heart 
 Is troubled, yet the nations walk in white ; 
 They have forgotten how to weep : and thou 
 Shalt also come, and I will foster thee 
 And satisfy thy soul ; and thou shalt warm 
 Thy trembling life beneath the smile of God. 
 A little while — it is a little while — 
 A little while, and I will comfort thee ; 
 I go away, but I will come again." 
 
 San Jose, Cal. 
 
 How shall we express to you our deep sympathy in your over- 
 whelming sorrow, the news of which reached us last evening ? 
 
 May our Father comfort you as He only can, in your great loss; a 
 loss shared by a multitude to whom the life of your dear husband has 
 been so rich a blessing. 
 
 The blessed assurance of his glorious rest and reward, and the 
 fruitage which such a finished life leaves to you, and to other gen- 
 erations, must be in part your solace. 
 
 May the blessing of God be with you and your noble Institution, 
 in this time of bereavement and darkness. 
 
 Grass Valley, Cal. 
 
 Words fail me when I attempt to give expression to the feelings 
 which have crowded upon me since the sad, sad news of Mr. Mills' 
 death reached me. Never did I appreciate so deeply the kindness 
 which I could never forget; never did my loved Seminary home,
 
 • 58 
 
 with which there is associated only happiness, seem more near to me 
 than now; and it was my first impulse to go to you, as one of your 
 grateful children, and to offer the sympathy which is so truly heart- 
 felt, and upon which you have every claim. 
 
 Oh, if it could but be our privilege now to lift from your heart the 
 burden of this great sorrow ; but I know too well how powerless 
 is human sympathy at such a time, and I can only unite my prayers 
 with the many which shall commend you to God's support. May 
 He give you strength through all these dark days of trial. 
 
 Oakland, Cal. 
 
 While I sorrow for Mr. Mills, the sorrow for his loss is mingled 
 with rejoicing for the reward of heavenly rest which has come to one 
 who lived so grandly and simply an unselfish, noble life for others; 
 one who was so blessedly prepared to enter this rest ; and the example 
 of whose beautiful life will live on in the purpose and lives of the 
 many he has benefited. 
 
 With him I can but feel " It is well." 
 
 But for those who are left, and most of all for you, Mrs. Mills, who, 
 with him labored for others so many years — one in life, love, and 
 purpose — and who, with him, have achieved such a grandeur of suc- 
 cess, for you I lift the most earnest prayers to our Heavenly Father. 
 
 The " Peace of God " fill all your heart. 
 
 HuENEME, Cal. 
 
 What sorrow fills hundreds of hearts on this Coast! Where, before, 
 hundreds rose up and called him blessed, and rejoiced with him in 
 his life-work, now their heads are bowed with woe, and they beat 
 responsive with sympathy to your sorrowing heart, so desolate, in this 
 heavy bereavement. 
 
 "The good man has perished from the earth," but leaving behind 
 him " The Seminary " as an endearing monument, to speak to the 
 coming generations of his beneficent purposes to provide a thorough 
 Christian education for the daughters of this young and grov.lng State. 
 He cooperated with God in this benevolent enterprise and was spared
 
 59 
 
 long enough to see his fond anticipations reaUzed, and his toils sig- 
 nally blessed; and now from these labors he rests, and his works do 
 follow him. Rest, sweet, sweet rest in heaven ! Oh, what a welcome 
 from the great Captain of our salvation has greeted the faithful soldier, 
 as the last battle has been fought, and the victory gained. " Well 
 done, good and faithful servant"! 
 
 The crowning desire of his heart is reached in the Everlasting home, 
 " where the tears are all wiped away ; where there shall be no more 
 death, neither sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be any more 
 pain, for the former things are passed away." 
 
 The shadows that darken earth are there unknown ; the strifes that 
 agitate earth are far beneath it; the storms that desolate earth never 
 ascend to it ; there, all is bright, pure, and tranquil. 
 
 Here is the legacy which Jesus bequeaths to thee in thy loneli- 
 ness : "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as 
 the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, 
 neither let it be afraid." 
 
 East Berkeley, Cal. 
 
 The memory of dear Mr. Mills is so closely woven into the 
 memory of my school-days, that I can never think of those happy 
 years without remembering him affectionately; and I know my feeling 
 is that of hundreds of others, in all parts of the world. 
 
 It must comfort you somewhat in your deep sorrow, to feel that 
 many hearts are grieving with you. 
 
 HoLLisTER, Cal. 
 
 So one and another passes away, leaving a void in some hearts that 
 cannot be filled in this life. Yet the void is more than filled, when 
 the departed leave a monument that will speak in all coming time, 
 and to future generations, of their interest in the intellectual and 
 spiritual good of the youth of our land, and of the world. We love 
 to think of the dead as yet s])eaking, when their voice is in harmony 
 with the sweet and gracious utterances of our Heavenly Father. You
 
 6o 
 
 have stood beside your husband in those countries, among widely 
 different nationaUties, sowing the seed, the word of God in the minds 
 and hearts of the young; a soil most susceptible to the reception of 
 the seed, and which has, and will continue to bring forth fruit to the 
 glory of God. Yes, my dear friend, you have much, very much, to 
 comfort you in this hour of your great sorrow; and while the memory 
 of the past will crowd your heart with many events and scenes that 
 you would not " willingly let die," you have an infinitely sweeter 
 and more glorious vision opening before you, as the eye of the soul, 
 by faith in Jesus Christ, catches a glimpse of the veiled glories of the 
 home of the redeemed in the city of the New Jerusalem. The Sem- 
 inary, simply in itself, is a glorious monument to the memory of Dr. 
 Mills; but when existing in the spirit of the love of Jesus Christ, 
 bending all its energies and resources to save souls, and fit them for 
 glory in God's kingdom above, the grandest and noblest achievements 
 of earth are but as a taper to the brightness of the sun at noonday. 
 May the kind, humble, and loving spirit of your husband abide with 
 the work he was permitted to do for the girls and young ladies of 
 (California. You will find your greatest comfort, and purest joy, not 
 in contemplating the virtues and Christian graces of your dead ; not 
 in pushing your thoughts into eternity, and dwelling upon the peace- 
 ful and beautiful home of the departed ; but in striving to draw the 
 dear ones under your charge to the cross of Christ, that their lives 
 may be hid with Christ in God. May the good Lord be with you, 
 and comfort you, and bless you in your affliction, that this great 
 sorrow may work out for you a far more and exceeding weight of glory. 
 
 Great Barrington, Mass. 
 
 Outside of your own family no one more than myself appreciates 
 the noble character, the large usefulness, and true consecration to 
 " good works " of your husband. Few men enter upon life with such 
 serious views of duty ; fewer still with steady, persistent aim pursue 
 such generous schemes for the well-being of society, and rarely with 
 such disinterestedness. Most men revolve in a narrow circle, around 
 that center which we name " self" — not so, Dr. Mills. He lived 
 not alone for the present, but for all time; and thus his usefulness.
 
 6i 
 
 will not end with his days. Long after you, his true help-meet, are 
 in the dust, his work and your work will go on, each decade swelling 
 its proportions. 
 
 Ceylon, Hawaii, California, Williams College, Mt. Holyoke, are so 
 many altars upon which he has laid offerings of pure benevolence. 
 In the " Last Day," how many shall rise up to call him blessed! To- 
 day, heathen men and women, Christianized through his faithful la- 
 bors—his own countrymen, to whom he has been a blessing — above 
 all, a multitude of America's daughters — mourn for him. Their tears 
 and prayers mingle with yours for him that has "gone home," for you 
 who are left. We all loved him. 
 
 Last night, in a talk to our young ladies, I sketched his career. 
 They were deeply moved, and I trust that they will never forget the 
 lesson of his unselfish life. 
 
 I have had no particulars of his last hours, of his burial. Do not 
 forget me in the "In Memoriams" of Dr. Mills. 
 
 The announcement of his death was a great shock to me: instead, 
 I was anticipating a visit from him in a few weeks. We shall meet 
 there — not here ! 
 
 You have many to console your lonely hours. It is so little that 
 I can say — / weep with you. God is yours, and you are not afraid. 
 
 Springfield, Ohio. 
 
 The news of ]^R. Mills' death was very unexpected, because I 
 had not heard of his illness. It filled me with sadness, and I feel 
 that a great personal loss has come to me. 
 
 The four years passed under your roof were, at the time, very 
 enjoyable, and have ever been to me pleasant in the retrospect. 
 Amid all the recollections crowded into those years, dear Dr. Mills 
 mingles amid them all. Are they of school life? his presence and 
 plans prevade all; of the charming grounds? his skill and munificence 
 has adorned and beautified all; of social and home life? his teachers 
 ever felt his kindliness and tender sympathy exerted for their pleasure 
 and comfort; of vacation delights? many can see his hand in plan- 
 ning and his liberality in their execution. Yes, Mills Seminary, to 
 the teachers now and once there, is ineffaceably associated with him
 
 62 
 
 He stands out before me tonight as the good, kind, hberal Christian 
 man that he seemed to me ten years ago. 
 
 But how must it seem to you, my dear friend? Surely we can 
 imagine it, but you only can know and feel it, as in your loneliness 
 you find so much gone in your life. 
 
 If it were not for God's support and the assurance that the separa- 
 tion is not final, your situation would be desolation indeed. 
 
 If I could come in at this quiet evening hour and sit down at your 
 side, we would talk of the departed and mingle together our tears. 
 Would that I might; but across the vast expanse that separates us, I 
 send my loving sympathy. The world will move on forgetful of your 
 loss, your sorrow, and your loneliness; but here and there, be assured, 
 are many who will remember you prayerfully and lovingly. 
 
 The number on the other shore are greater than on this side. I 
 am thinking of the reunion over there — as I am writing — and I say 
 to myself, how much richer some of our lives have been because of 
 their friendships. 
 
 Hawaiian Legation, Washington, D. C. 
 
 The news of your great sorrow has reached us, and I hasten 
 to try and express the real sympathy we all feel for you now. How 
 many years in joy and sorrow you have walked together, and how useful 
 but quiet a life has closed. I confess that I feel a deep and real grati- 
 tude for all you have done together for me and mine, and for the great 
 number of young people who have come under your influence beside. 
 May "the Comforter" come and help you bear your loneliness. 
 
 Accept from us all our aloha niii. 
 
 Portland, Oregon. 
 
 The saddest telegram I ever received in my life came to me this 
 morning, bearing the terrible news that our beloved Dr. Mills had 
 passed away. 
 
 Well may I weep for him, for no scholar, I am sure, ever had 
 better reason to know of his great kindness of heart than I.
 
 63 
 
 Every hour of this day some fresh expression of his kindness has 
 risen up before me; the watch he gave me is to me sacred now; my 
 graduating ring he bought me, and the roses I wore when I graduated 
 he picked with his own dear hands; how I wish I could have seen 
 him once more. 
 
 How I wish it was in my power to speak even one word that would 
 carry comfort with it; but I can only commend you to the care of our 
 blessed Lord and Master, who was Himself a man of sorrows and 
 acquainted with grief May He send down upon your sorrowing 
 heart his perfect peace. 
 
 Pomona, Cal. 
 
 The melancholy and unexpected news of your husband's death has 
 grieved us more than we can by words express, and we beg, although 
 cornparative strangers to yourself, to tender to you our heartfelt sym- 
 pathies. 
 
 Permit us to say, that in his life-time, in all of our social and bus- 
 iness relations, we evep found in Doctor Mills a kind friend, and 
 a man whom we delighted to honor — one whose loss is deeply felt in 
 this community by all to whom he was personally known. Again, as 
 earnest friends, we tender our sympathies. May God comfort you ! 
 
 Portland, Me. 
 
 It seems as if one of my best friends had gone. Outside of our 
 immediate family I have never had a dearer friend, or one who has 
 done more for me, or one to whom I have been more truly grateful, 
 or one whom I have more loved and honored, than my dear, kind, 
 generous Dr. Mills. I loved him very much. 
 
 You know I am not one of many words, but my heart is true. To 
 think of the dear Seminary, one of my real homes, without Dr. 
 Mills, I cannot ! 
 
 There is not a day in the year that my thoughts do not go back to 
 you and the Seminary, and all my happy life there; and to think of 
 you without him. Oh, Mrs. Mills, it seems so lonely I 
 
 But he isn't so very far away, is he ? Isn't his spirit with us ? .\nd 
 doesn't he know all about us, just as if he were here?
 
 64 
 
 And then, how happy he must be in heaven with Christ, and all his 
 friends who have gone before. I shall look for him among the very 
 first when I get there. 
 
 I who have seen so little trouble can say nothing which can be a 
 comfort to you who have seen so much, except that you have, and 
 ever will have, the deepest sympathy and warmest love of every mem- 
 ber of our family. 
 
 Uncle Leavitt just said, " I guess father was glad to see Dr. Mills." 
 AVe have no doubt of it, and to think of them in this pleasant way 
 makes it less hard for us, and the separation not so trying. 
 
 Pomona, Cal. 
 
 No one knows how highly I appreciate the trust that Dr. Mills 
 placed in me, when he was with us. No one can know how sorely I 
 feel his loss. While I had a chance to know so many of his great 
 plans, I had a chance to see how unselfish was his every action, and 
 how wholly he had the good of this little community at heart. While 
 the people may not notice any great change in the affairs of this 
 Company, Pomona and we, the employees of this Company, can nev- 
 er replace the friend we have lost. 
 
 Napa, Cal. 
 
 Our state, our country, has lost one of its noblest men ; one who 
 has left such a memory that ages cannot obliterate his record. As 
 I grow older, the fact of the unlimited effect of influence is impressed 
 more strongly upon my mind, and I know there is no one who ap- 
 preciates the power more than you. Under these circumstances, what 
 an enviable happiness must be yours in contemplation of his life. 
 The moment is sad, but I pray you may rise to the grandeur of his 
 career. The welfare of so many, many souls — his crown is dazzling 
 with these jewels, and he is honored forever. 
 
 When the supreme moment is upon us it is not riches, it is not 
 this world's glory, that counts ; it is such as he had to offer which 
 finds favor with his God.
 
 65 
 
 Please accept my tender sympathy, my dear Mrs. Mills, and I beg 
 that you will, whenever you are disposed, renew the little visit you 
 made some time ago. 
 
 San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 I cannot speak fittingly of the public loss in Dr. Mills' death. 
 Few men could be known as intimately to so great a number, because 
 his professional and private life were inseparably connected. God 
 gave him a mission in teaching the young women of California, and 
 founding a Seminary destined to perpetuate his name and influence. 
 How worthily and nobly and generously he fulfilled it will be attested 
 by the gratitude, esteem, and sincere regret of the many, many hun- 
 dreds who have been educated under his and your care and methods, 
 according to the ideas and principles of your high standard. 
 
 Believe me, I feel for you in every pang which agonizes you, and 
 every tear you shed. 
 
 Pasadena, Cal. 
 
 I am sure no friend can more truly and deeply share your grief 
 I cannot say how pained I am not to be able to go to you. 
 
 There was so much that I was coming to say to Dr. Mills and 
 yourself I have hoped that once more you were called to plant a 
 noble school in the South : not to labor, but to enjoy the fruits of past 
 labor, while seeing another child born in your age. I feel that so 
 much is buried with your husband, besides the friend we loved, that 
 the public loss will be felt after you are reunited. He had so much 
 insight, and such rare ability to carry out his unselfish aims, without 
 friction. I have felt the pangs of separation too often not to know 
 how hard it is to be asked to live on under the double burden. 
 
 Angel Island, Cal. 
 
 I want to thank you for your kind thought in sending me a 
 copy of the Occident. Had it not been for the unpleasant weather, 
 I should have been with you on Tuesday of last week. Noth- 
 
 E
 
 66 
 
 ing that I can write you can, in the smallest measure, comfort 
 you in your terrible affliction. Words are so poor at these times to 
 express what is in one's heart. I can only assure you of a great sym- 
 pathy. There are many things connected with the life and death of 
 dear Dr. Mills which must be to you great consolation in your 
 trial. He was so noble, so pure, so trustful, and so generous; and 
 the one who wrote his tribute in the journal you sent to me deserves 
 the heartfelt thanks of all who knew and loved him best. There is 
 a world of tender pathos running through it, truly touching. To 
 those he has left, there is the certainty that he has entered into that 
 blessed joy which is promised to those who love Him, and his peace 
 is that which " passeth all understanding." Commending you to 
 Him who doeth all things well, believe me, dear Mrs. Mills, yours 
 with love. 
 
 San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 After an extended absence from home, almost the first news I heard 
 was sad news of the great and irreparable loss you had sustained, and 
 with you each of your old pupils, in the death of our beloved Prin- 
 cipal, Dr. Mills. 
 
 Dr. Mills' goodness and ability, and the hold he had upon the 
 affection of all with whom he came in contact, make his loss a per- 
 sonal one to each of us ; and I am sure that I, like all the old pupils, 
 feel that in Dr. Mills we have lost a dear and true friend, almost a 
 father; and that as children we mourn his loss with you, our dear 
 friend and almost mother. 
 
 I feel that the great work which Dr. Mills and yourself have 
 jointly brought to so happy a completion is his fitting monument; 
 and while I feel that no words of sympathy, however sincere, can 
 tend to soften your terrible loss, I still know that in your good work 
 in carrying on his large and benevolent ideas you will find your 
 greatest consolation; and that you will also appreciate the fact that 
 every one of us is with you, heart and soul, in its perfect accomplish- 
 ment. Dear Mrs. Mills, accept my profoundest sympathy and love.
 
 67 
 
 Pomona, Cal. 
 
 In our Missionary Society yesterday, we were talking over the sad 
 news that came to us from your home. The desire was expressed that 
 we, as a Society, send you some words of sympathy in this your hour 
 of bereavement. 
 
 I was appointed to write to you in the name of our Society, and I 
 do so also for myself. 
 
 Nothing we can say can be of any comfort to you, for you know 
 the only One who can give comfort at such a time. Still, you might 
 like to know that we held in the highest esteem him whom you 
 mourn, and deeply feel our loss. 
 
 We, as a Society, looked up to him, trusted him, and appreciated 
 him too, if I may judge from the sentiments uniformly expressed at 
 our meetings. We realize that we should not have a church of our 
 denomination here, if it had not been for the encouragement and 
 support of Dr. Mills during the first year of its existence. We shall 
 always remember him with gratitude for the good he has done our 
 town and church, and for the kindness he has always shown us. 
 
 May a Father's hand sustain you in your affliction, is our prayer. 
 
 Dallas, Texas. 
 
 On Saturday morning last I received the postal inviting me to the 
 Alumnae. On reading the opening lines I was made aware for the 
 first time that I was again deprived of a dear friend. How can I 
 tell you my sorrow for you, or how my heart goes out to you in your 
 great bereavement. I can truly sympathize with you. 
 
 When the Occident you were so good to send me reached me, 
 I felt that I had lost a second father, for Dr. Mills' last words to 
 me, when I left my happy school home, were: "Nellie, I want you 
 to look upon me as another father, and this as your second home" ; 
 and so I have. Dear Mrs. Mills, if I could but put my arms about 
 your neck, and tell you how thoroughly I loved and respected him, 
 and how my heart aches for you, I could feel better ; and yet I could 
 not give comfort or consolation ; that can only come from Him at 
 whose feet both you and Dr. Mills taught me to kneel in the full 
 desire to live for Him.
 
 68 
 
 My mother has sent me papers containing obituary notices of my 
 more than friend. She wrote me she felt so truly sorry for you. 
 
 I can hardly see what I have written, for my eyes are full of tears, 
 but I feel that I must write this now. It is the third time I have 
 tried to write you. 
 
 My husband and little boy send their sympathy and love to you. 
 God bless and comfort you, is all I can say. 
 
 Walla Walla, Washington Territory. 
 
 Words are powerless to express our sorrow on the receipt of such 
 sad tidings as came last week. Yet, though the beneficent influ- 
 ence of the actual presence of our revered friend may not be felt, 
 the good he has done will live after him, and the influence of his life 
 work will be found in many generations yet to come, for he was a true 
 man — and what more can be said? 
 
 To me, he seemed the embodiment of patience, kindness, and gen- 
 tleness; and to you, dear friend, who knew him so much better than 
 his pupils possibly could, he must have seemed to combine all vir- 
 tues. If any are to be rewarded with golden crowns and spotless 
 raiment, then surely his crown will be filled with stars. 
 
 What a happy thought it is, that though our friends slip away be- 
 fore us, it is only that they may be ready to welcome us when we too 
 reach the shining gates. 
 
 Honolulu. 
 
 How our hearts have gone out to you these past three days in 
 deepest sympathy for the great loss which has come to you ! It has 
 come so suddenly with you, we can hardly realize it. Can it be so, 
 we ask ourselves again and again — dear Dr. Mills has really gone 
 from us ? To you, dearest friend, comes the greater grief — the great- 
 er loss — but to us comes a great loss, and with you we are sorrowing. 
 It seems as if in Dr. Mills' death, death had entered our own house- 
 hold — had cast a gloom over each member. We all loved Dr.
 
 69 
 
 Mills ; he was a kind friend, and to many of us more — a father. In 
 thinking of him I am so beautifully reminded of the many times and 
 ways when we have met his dear face, his kindly manner, and pleas- 
 ant words — how all come back to mind ; and what a record his to 
 leave behind — a blessed memory for our keeping. It was so kind of 
 you, dearest friend, to write us in the midst of the first shock of keen 
 suffering, and to send us the papers. Miss Ward, who is spending the 
 week with us, and was anxious to learn all particulars, shared with us 
 papers and letters, and after first tidings, which came to us by the 
 Dimond, it was so gratifying to receive such full accounts. Were 
 not love and esteem truly shown in the rare decorations of flowers so 
 appropriate — these last gifts to honor the dead, who in life was so 
 fond of flowers? 
 
 How I wish I was near you, dear Mrs. Mills; could put my arms 
 about you, and tell you of my love and sympathy. I know you have 
 numerous friends about you, who with tender love are doing every- 
 thing, for your comfort, and that you have a divine power to sustain 
 and comfort you, which is all in all: but such must be our wish, and 
 the wish of every distant friend, to be near you at this time of your 
 sreat sorrow.
 
 Press Notices.
 
 !Bt;ei^^ St-o-tice^, 
 
 (The Pacific, San Francisco.) 
 
 The death of Cyrus T. Mills, Sunday morning last, removes a 
 man who has done notable work for education in our State. He has 
 done it so quietly, too. We are reminded of that temple in the erec" 
 tion of which was not heard the sound of hammer or axe. It would 
 be difficult to name the man who had less ostentation or pretension. 
 To meet him, passing to and fro, you would not have thought of him 
 as great or prominent. He made no figure in conventions : his con- 
 tributions to the press were few ; his speeches were not many, and 
 those he did make were brief and simple. Yet where is the man of 
 our State who has left behind him, or seems likely to leave behind him, 
 so substantial an educational work as he? Substantial in more than 
 one sense ; for the bare item of money invested by him in education 
 runs up to a sum which has not yet been equalled, that we know of, by 
 any of our millionaires. But he gave more, for he put all his life into 
 it for these twenty years of his residence among us. 
 
 Cyrus Taggart Mills was born in Paris, New York, and if he 
 had lived to the 4th of May, would have completed sixty-five years. 
 Of his Eastern life and circumstances before entering college we are 
 not informed. But he always deemed himself fortunate in having 
 pursued his collegiate studies at Williams, and at the feet of Mark 
 Hopkins, for whom he felt the warmest admiration and gratitude. 
 That rare teacher's methods left upon Dr. Mills a deep and fruitful 
 impress. After graduating in 1844, he pursued and completed his 
 theological studies at Union Seminary in New York City. He was 
 married at Ware, Mass., to Susan L. Tolman, in 1848, and in October 
 of that year sailed for Madras as missionary of the American Board. 
 He was stationed in Ceylon. There for five years he was Principal 
 of the Batticotta Seminary. Broken in health he was obliged to
 
 74 
 
 return to America. For some two years he made himself useful to 
 the cause he loved by addresses to the contributing churches in 
 various parts of our country. He was settled, also, over the church in 
 Berkshire, N. Y., for two years. He spent two years more in busi- 
 ness at Ware, Mass. In i860 he became president of Oahu College, 
 near Honolulu, succeeding the Rev. Dr. Beckwith of this city in that 
 position. Of his efficiency in this, as well as the other occupations, 
 doubtless others will fitly speak. The climate of the islands was not 
 vitalizing enough for a constitution which had already been under- 
 mined in Ceylon, and he came to California. After a temporary ser- 
 vice in the Oakland Seminary, in October, 1865, he became the suc- 
 cessor of Miss Atkins, at Benicia, and the owner of that pioneer 
 institution for young ladies. It was reopened under his care with thir- 
 ty-eight boarding scholars, and grew steadily till it became impossible 
 to accommodate, within those narrow limits, the young women who 
 applied for admission. Dr. Mills meanwhile prospered financially, 
 and had acquired the beautiful landed property in Brooklyn township 
 which seemed so choice a site for a permanent seat of learning. 
 With the cooperation of some energetic and liberal friends, he was 
 enabled to erect the noble building now known as the home of the 
 Seminary which bears his name. One hundred and sixty-five thous- 
 and dollars were invested at first in this venture. The property was 
 in his own nanie, and largely, predominantly, his own creation. In 
 187 1 the School was transferred to the new place. We need not 
 state the familiar fact of its continued progress. During these nearly 
 twenty years, as many as three hundred young women have received 
 diplomas, of graduation at his hands, and they can and do speak for 
 him better than any of us. This institution, so fitly situated and so well 
 furnished, Dr. Mills deeded to a Board of Trustees some years ago 
 — a noble dedication in trustworthy hands. For a few years since he 
 has conducted it in their interest, and in such a way as to free it from 
 the $50,000 debt which rested upon it at the time of the transfer of 
 the property. He had in hand other plans which he deemed hope- 
 ful, by which he fondly wished to do still greater things for the i)ur- 
 pose which has crowned his years. " Some things more I wanted to 
 finish." But his little strength was nearly all exhausted ; so when the 
 bruised arm developed into an unhealed sore, and amputation became 
 necessary, there was no rallying power to sustain the shock and
 
 75 
 
 'expel the poison. In a few hours after the skill of the surgeons had 
 given not a little expectation of relief, he began to sink as quietly and 
 undemonstratively away as he had quietly and undemonstratively 
 Jived. "I cannot think," he said, "but I trust." In his case, trust 
 had been long placed in Him who is the resurrection and the life. 
 
 Rev. George Mooar, D. D. 
 
 (Daily Evening Bulletin, San Francisco.) 
 A few days ago the funeral of a man was attended near this city 
 who had done more for education in California than any other indi- 
 vidual in the history of the State. He was not a millionaire, not 
 even a rich man as the world counts wealth. He probably never had 
 a hundred thousand dollars at his command at any one time in his 
 life. Yet he founded an institute of learning, gave to it the greater 
 part of his fortune, and then put it in the hands of trustees for the 
 benefit of the public. It is impossible to estimate the gift in dollars 
 and cents. It is true that he asked the public to help him, and the 
 response was, on the whole, liberal. Yet Mills Seminary was found- 
 ed through the influence of one man, who gave his name to the in- 
 :stitution. That has become his monument. When he died, he left 
 something behind him. He unconsciously built his own monument. 
 Money, in his view, was desirable as a means of doing good. He 
 had good executive ability, and he turned this to account to free, as 
 far as possible, the institution which he had founded from debt. 
 When this man came to the State he had nearly or quite reached 
 middle life. He had devoted the best years of his life to missionary 
 and educational work in foreign lands. Perhaps he brought $20,- 
 000 with him, hardly more, and this the result of a life of toil and 
 ;savings in a small way. He devoted all he had for the promotion of 
 education in this State. His small savings grew, and he was finally 
 able to buy the site now occupied by the Seminary which he founded. 
 He embarked to some extent in outside business, declaring always 
 that it was for the purpose of putting the institution on a better foun- 
 dation. When this man died and his will was published, it was seen 
 that he had kept the faith. After making a moderate provision for 
 his widow, he turned over his remaining property to the trustees of 
 the Seminary.
 
 76 
 
 CvRUS T. Mills was in a broad sense a founder. He lived long 
 enough to see the institution which he had founded in a j^rosperous 
 condition. Perhaps his ideal was not entirely reached. Had he 
 lived longer the Seminary might, by a natural process of evolution, 
 have developed into a female college, the seminary department be- 
 ing only preparatory to the still higher educational work. The Di- 
 vine Teacher once said of a woman who had cast a mite into the 
 treasury, that she had given more than all the rich who had cast in 
 their gifts, because she had given all that she had. Dr. Mills gave 
 nearly all that he had. He was never rich ; but he has enriched the 
 public. When such a man dies, it is fitting to take some account of 
 his work. It is time to forget his idiosyncracies, the mere foibles 
 and excrescences, whatever they may be, which do not go to the 
 making up of any essential thing in his character, and to remember 
 in what way he wrought best for the public good. And so to-day this 
 man, whose life was so unobtrusive, is entitled to a place at the head 
 of the educational benefactors of the State. 
 
 Perhaps he never claimed as much. But after all, that is a most 
 successful life when one goes on his way with his best work upon an 
 institution which he has founded, and which has in it the promise of 
 abiding for many generations. The thousands of young women who 
 may be educated there will, in some large sense, participate in the 
 benefits which this one man secured in his busy, planning, and in- 
 dustrious life. And since there are so few educational founders in 
 California, it is well to take a faithful account of their work. Dr. 
 Mills now does not stand alone, by any means, in the work of build- 
 ing up educational institutions in this State. But it is fitting to say 
 of him that he was prominent in consecrating his modest fortune to 
 such uses, and that devoting his life to the same grand purpose he 
 became preeminently the leading educational founder in California. 
 What he did with his moderate means, it would be possible for many 
 another to do with the great fortunes which have been accumulated 
 in this State. Not that every rich man is called upon to found a 
 new educational institution. Only he might well consider his rela- 
 tions to a State which has enabled him to make his fortune. He 
 might, at least, become a founder to the extent of fellowship, scholar- 
 shi]), or chair of instruction. The State in this respect needs more 
 founders. The number is surprisingly small, and it appears the
 
 77 
 
 ■smaller in view of the wealth which has been acquired here. The ac- 
 counts of wrecked fortunes multiply of late. It is not pleasant read- 
 ing. Looking over the accounts of the disappearance of five or six 
 millions, the vanishing fortune of single individuals, one is led to 
 exclaim — So much and yet so little ! Nothing for the public, nothing 
 for a single institution of education or charity; but all for self! Why 
 should the memory of any man who has grand opportunities go into 
 utter oblivion ? 
 
 The key of Ezra Cornell's life is disclosed in the words in which 
 he declared his purpose to found a great institution of learning: "I 
 would found an institution where any person can find instruction in 
 any study." He lives to-day as the founder of one of the largest 
 and most important educational institutions in the country. Had 
 Ezra Cornell wrecked his fortune in rash and foolish speculations, it 
 would have been little to the world. The whole account would have 
 been included in one of the brief news paragraphs of the day. He 
 anchored his fortune for the benefit of posterity. The three or more 
 millions which he gave first and last was, with a single exception, the 
 largest gift ever made by an American citizen for the cause of public 
 education. The founder builds upon the rock. The Divine Teach- 
 er draws attention to the two classes of founders, one of which built 
 upon the sand and the other upon the rock. The unfounded for- 
 tune disappears. It is three millions to-day and ten millions to-mor- 
 row, all passing the vanishing point. Nothing has been founded. 
 The list of founders increases, only the increase is very slow. Not 
 every man of wealth is called to found a new institution ; but he has 
 a call to consider what work of his is to abide. In his way, Cyru.s 
 Mills wrought as well as Cornell. Both wrought, according to the 
 means which they could command. Men die, but institutions and 
 the memory of their founders survive. 
 
 (Daily Tribune, Oakland, Cal.) 
 " He is not dead but sleepeth." Such were the words with which a 
 representative of this paper was ushered yesterday morning into a lit- 
 tle room at Mills Seminary, where in his narrow couch lay the dead 
 body of its founder. Calm and ])eaceful was the expression on the be-
 
 78 
 
 nignant face. No trace of pain or of care, but a look of resignation ; a 
 look that said to the beholder more emphatically than could any 
 eulog}', "That man was a good man." In the presence of the august 
 dead the spacious building was hushed. Sombre figures flitted noise- 
 lessly back and forth through the darkened rooms and long corridors. 
 Here and there were congregated a group of the earlier arrivals, whis- 
 pering quietly of the loss which had been sustained by that commun- 
 ity, among which the dead educator had wrought such a widespread 
 and such a healthful influence. Within the chapel, sympathetic hands 
 were putting the final touches to the beautiful tributes of affection and 
 gratitude that everywhere spoke of the joys and glories of the resur- 
 rection. The chapel was filled with flowers, and the disposition of 
 the designs, as well as the composition of many of them, was the work 
 of one of Mr. Mills' oldest pupils, Miss Mary Bates. One of the 
 most beautiful and touching tributes was a field of ripened wheat, 
 half of which was standing, and half had fallen before the reaper's 
 scythe. Amid the golden blades, cut down in the fruition of their vig- 
 or, was inscribed in letters formed of violets the one word " Gathered." 
 Many friends stopped to meditate before this beautiful thought, and 
 as they stood there, a dew, but not from heaven, fell and glistened 
 upon the golden grain. 
 
 The tribute of the Teachers of the institution also drew forth whis- 
 pered admiration from many. It was a floral column, about five feet 
 in height, resting upon a massive pedestal of the choicest blossoms. 
 The column itself was composed of camellias, white roses, lilies of 
 the annunciation, and was surmounted by a garland of black velvet 
 pansies. The Junior Class contributed a beautiful floral star, its five 
 points bordered with black pansies, enclosing within its sombre lines 
 hundreds of snowy camellias and roses. The star was surmounted 
 by a white dove. The off'ering of the Senior Class was an immense 
 floral pillow, with the words, "Our Benefactor," inscribed in violets, 
 across its face. Above the platform one of the objects that first 
 struck the eye was an admirable portrait of the honored dead, draped 
 with heavy black velvet, over which hung several sprays of luxuriant 
 white roses. On one side of the jjulpit, which was also draped in 
 black, was a beautiful cross, offered by the working-men employed 
 at the institution. By its side was a design representing an anchor 
 and cross. At another point on the platform was a white dove, rest-
 
 79 
 
 ing with pinions outstretched upon a bed of dark green. Against 
 the dark drapery of the pulpit, already spoken of, were placed 
 bunches of white snowballs, gracefully drooping over a pillow of dark 
 pansies at the base. At the left of the pulpit was the offering of the 
 Junior Middle Class, a large anchor on a standard of white flowers. 
 Still further to the left was one of the most beautiful of the floral 
 pieces, " The Gates Ajar," offered by the Senior Middle Class in loving 
 memory of their dead friend and instructor. It was a massive arch of 
 flowers, five feet in height, surmounted by a white star, while from 
 the center of the arch was suspended a crown, breathing a pathetic 
 message through its blue forget-me-nots and white daisies. The 
 arch itself was composed mainly of white camellias, roses, azaleas, 
 and lilies of the annunciation. At the base, and between the sides 
 of the arch, were the symbolic gates, made of dark pansies, and swung 
 half open. A design of a similar character was given by the Junior 
 Class, though differing somewhat in its materials, the gates being of 
 white saffron roses, swung wide open. Prof. Louis Lisser sent a beau- 
 tiful wreath of white roses and camellias, in the center of which was a 
 cross of heliotrope. Prof Kelleher, and others from far and near, 
 sent lovely floral offerings. The organ at the back of the platform 
 was almost hidden by a veil of tea roses and other delicate blooms. 
 Indeed, it was a noticeable feature of the floral decorations, that col- 
 ored flowers were present in perhaps greater profusion than were 
 white. 
 
 Mrs. Mills is bearing her great grief with Christian resignation, and 
 is as well as could, under the circumstances, be expected. It has 
 been no small comfort to her in this, the darkest hour of her life, to 
 receive so many messages of loving condolence as have arrived dur- 
 ing the last few hours. From nearly every State in the Union have 
 come affectionate expressions of sympathy, mainly from pupils of 
 former days. 
 
 The rain, which began to descend at about 11.30 o'clock, did not 
 deter the many friends of the family and the Institution from being 
 present, and at one o'clock they began to assemble in the Chapel 
 where the services were held. At the beginning of the services it was 
 announced that, owing to the storm, the burial would not take place 
 to-day, but would be private. 
 
 At 1.30 o'clock the bell of the Seminary tolled slowly, and announced
 
 8o 
 
 that the hour of the last sad rites had arrived, the casket being borne 
 by the following trustees: Hon. A. J. Bryant, of San Francisco; the 
 Rev. Doctors F. A. Horton and J. H. Wythe, of Oakland; Rev. C. 
 D. Barrows, of San Francisco; the Rev. Dr. E. S. Beckwith, of San 
 Francisco; the Rev. R. L. Tabor, of Alameda; the Rev. T. K. 
 Noble, of San Francisco; Judges E. D. Sawyer and Hon. M. H. My- 
 rick, of San Francisco ; David Hewes, of Oakland; and Robert Sim- 
 son, of Seminary Park. After the pall-bearers had taken their places 
 on the platform the services were begun by a prayer offered by the 
 Rev. E. S. Beckwith, which was followed by an anthem by the choir, 
 under the direction of Mr. Alfred Kelleher. The Rev. Mr. Horton 
 then read a very appropriate passage from the Gospel of St. John. A 
 most impressive address was then delivered by the Rev. Mr. Tabor, 
 of Alameda, who took for his th'eme the words " God is good," and 
 after an eloquent introduction spoke at length of Dr. Mills' life and 
 of the foundation of the Seminary. The choir then sang a chant 
 which was a favorite one with Dr. Mills in his earlier years, and 
 which he had not heard since the time when he was admitted to the 
 ministry, until a month before his death. Addresses of great impres- 
 siveness were then made by Rev. Chas. Dana Barrows, and by the 
 Rev. Dr. Wythe, who paid an affectionate tribute to the worth of Dr. 
 Mills as a man, a scholar, and a Christian. The Rev. T. K. Noble, 
 on behalf of the Board of Trustees, offered a series of resolutions of 
 respect and sympathy, after which the choir sang an anthem. The 
 Rev. Dr. Patterson, Moderator of the Presbytery of San Francisco, 
 paid in behalf of that body a high tribute to the great work of Dr. 
 Mills. After the benediction the congregation dispersed. 
 
 The inclemency of the weather prevented the interment from tak- 
 ing place to-day, and marred, to a great extent, the decorations of 
 the grave, which were seen by the wTiter before the rain began. Not 
 a clod of earth was visible. All had been carefully hid from sight by 
 white cloth, over which were lavishly strewed flowers of the same color. 
 The four sides of the grave were lined with this floral curtain, while 
 the bottom was filled with the purest lilies. All that youthful hearts, 
 quickened by ardent sympathy, could do to heal the bitter sting of death 
 and to rob the grave of its horrors was done. And perhaps this trib- 
 ute, rather than the many tributes of sympathy already described, are 
 Dr. Mills' best memorials. On each side of the grave was a heap 
 of lilies, completely screening the earth from sight.
 
 8i 
 
 (The Argonaut, San Francisco.) 
 
 The Rev. Cyrus T. Mills, D. D., who recently died, was a bene- 
 factor to the State. Since his first advent here as principal of the 
 Benicia Seminary, 1865, to the day of his death, he continually stud- 
 ied the welfare of the people of California. In 187 1, aided by the inad- 
 equate pecuniary assistance of friends, he started Mills Seminary. By 
 his noble efforts and wise business management the institution is now 
 worth more than a quarter of a million dollars. This magnificent proper- 
 tv he turned over to the State for the future benefit of its womanhood. 
 The scholarships for the education of young women possessing scanty 
 means amount to twenty thousand dollars. Throughout the Union 
 are scattered nearly two thousand of Dr. Mills' former pupils, exert- 
 ing mighty influence as mothers, wives and daughters. The numerous 
 business enterprises which Dr. Mills conducted to successful issues 
 all tended to the improvement of the seminary property. ()n the 
 eighty-five acres surrounding the large building are forests of young 
 trees, large orchards of rare fruit, and produce of every kind needed 
 for the support of the institution. The funeral obsequies were ex- 
 ceedingly impressive. Pupils came from all over the State, and hun- 
 dreds sent letters of sympathy. Dr. Mills' remains are buried on 
 the hill near the little Seminary chapel. 
 
 (The Occident, San Francisco.) 
 
 1 did not get the news of his death until too late to go to the fu- 
 neral. I knew him first in Union Seminary, New York, in 1846. He 
 was one of a band of students who had given themselves to the work 
 of foreign missions, and who met every Saturday morning in a room 
 in the fourth story of the old seminary building on University i'lace. 
 These Saturday morning meetings were the most tender and si)iritual 
 that I ever attended. The twenty-five young men who met together 
 expected soon to be scattered all over the heathen world, and they 
 sought to strengthen each other by Christian converse and prayer. 
 Some of that band of men are still laboring in the foreign fields. 
 Many of them have died on missionary ground ; a few returned on 
 account of failing health, and are doing good service at home. 
 
 F
 
 82 
 
 Among this latter class is our excellent Publication Secretary, Rev. 
 J. W. Dulles, D. D. 
 
 Cyrus Mills, though a very modest and quiet man, was so earnest, 
 warm-hearted and pious that he was a leading spirit in the associa- 
 tion. He had a personal magnetism which drew his fellow students 
 to him, and gave him great influence over them. He was not bril- 
 liant as a writer or speaker, but he was an excellent scholar, and had 
 a great deal of sanctified common sense and executive ability. These 
 qualities have given him success in India, in the Sandwich Islands, 
 and in California. His life and work on this coast are so well known 
 that I need not write them. But of his student life and early mis- 
 sionary spirit I write, because there is, I believe, no other fellow stu- 
 dent of his on this side of the mountains. He never sought great 
 things for himself. He toiled only to do good : and what a monu- 
 ment he has erected to transmit the memory of his energy and of his 
 benevolence to coming generations ! C. E. Babb. 
 
 Laurel Ranch, April 24, 1884. 
 
 (The Times, Pomona, Cal.) 
 
 This community was pained to learn of the death, on last Sunday 
 morning, of Rev. C. T. Mills, D. D. He had been for some months 
 suffering with a disease of the elbow joint, caused by a low state of 
 the system, and on Saturday last it was thought necessary to ampu- 
 tate the arm near the shoulder, as the only chance of saving his life. 
 The physicians feared that the pus generated by the caries would pen- 
 etrate the veins or arteries and produce blood poisoning, and the am- 
 putation was performed to avert that consummation. The shock of 
 the amputation did not seem to affect him seriously. Shortly after he 
 rallied, and appeared improving until up. m. Saturday, when a chill 
 occurred that lasted half an hour. From that time he rapidly sank. 
 He retained consciousness until a half hour before his death. Mr. 
 Mills was at one time a missionary in the Sandwich Islands and in 
 India. He came to California in 1858, and soon thereafter took 
 charge of the Benicia Seminary. In 187 1 he established an Edu- 
 cational Institution at Seminary Park, and laid the foundation of 
 Mills Seminary, and through his untiring labors, that now ranks as
 
 83 
 
 one of the finest educational institutions in the land. But he is 
 best known to our people through his connection with the Pomona 
 Land and Water Company, and his active efforts in developing the 
 water supply and other material resources of our valley. Early in 
 1882, in company with Mr. M. L. Wicks, of Los Angeles, he pur- 
 chased the Pomona tract from Mr. Louis Phillip, as well as other 
 large tracts of land in the valley, and immediately commenced the 
 development of the water sup]jly. From the time of his commencing 
 active operations Pomona dates its era of settlement and growth. In 
 the fall of 1882 the Pomona Land and Water Company was organ- 
 ized, and succeeded the firm of Mills & Wicks in the owners-hip of 
 the lands which had been acquired by the latter. Mr. Mills became 
 the President of the new corporation, and held that position at the 
 time of his decease. He at all times manifested a lively interest in 
 the welfare and upbuilding of our town and valley. Although the 
 work which he inaugurated here will be carried on by the Company 
 of which he was the active and honored President, this community 
 can but feel that it has lost an active friend, an earnest worker for its 
 well being; and will cherish his memory even while rejoicing in the 
 prosperity which has been in great part achieved through his instru- 
 mentality. 
 
 (The Times, Pomona, Cal.) 
 
 Last Sabbath evening, before the sermon, Rev. O. C. Weller spoke 
 as follows with reference to the death of Dr. Mills: 
 
 The sad, and to most of us unexpected news of the death of Dr. 
 C. T. Mills, reached us this morning just at the close of service. 
 
 This is a blow that we of this community must all feel. Dr. Mills 
 was the widely known and much loved President of Mills Seminary ; 
 the active and efficient President of the Pomona Land and Water 
 Company, and the generous and magnanimous President of our 
 Church Board of Trustees. But this people knows him best as the 
 frail, nervous, tireless, genial, generous, and large-hearted planner and 
 organizer, who has made the sleepy, unknown town of Pomona waken, 
 and grow, and bloom, and blossom, and waft the perfume of its 
 orange blossoms throughout all the States.
 
 84 
 
 Few men ever prosecuted a business enterprise with a better and 
 more unselfish purpose than Dr. Mills prosecuted the business 
 which has marked the development of Pomona. Not all of us know, 
 though some of us do, of his liberal and generous plans for the 
 future — how he had in his mind and heart large things and benefi- 
 cent things for this child of his love and old age. 
 
 This is not the time for a full and complete obituary of our de- 
 ceased benefactor. I only pause a moment to voice the sentiment of 
 all our people in the community, and in the town, and in the church, 
 expressive of our loss, our sorrow, and our sympathy. 
 
 Not soon again will Pomona find so generous and so large-hearted 
 a benefactor. Not soon again will this church find another so liberal 
 and so unselfish a supporter. 
 
 We bow our hearts in humble recognition of God's chastening hand. 
 The Doctor's personal work is over. His example, his influence and 
 his gifts are still ours. Let us cherish them with grateful thanks to 
 God for having given us such a friend. Let our prayers and sympa- 
 thies go out in behalf of the bereaved wife, who is also our friend and 
 benefactress; and let us cherish the memory of so good and magnani- 
 mous a man, and take up the work where he has left it, and carry it 
 on in the fear of God and for the glory of his cause. 
 
 " He giveth his Beloved sleep."
 
 B 4 £» ^
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below 
 
 L-9 
 
 ;, '43(5203) 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 AT 
 LOO ANGKhES 
 
 IJBR.ARY
 
 LD 
 
 7251 In meiTiOria.' 
 
 C2513Li6i Rev. Cyriu 
 
 Ta^ ^ai- 1 — 
 
 IvSLlls, D,D. 
 
 UCLA You,,g Rr.s,.^„^| l t 
 
 LD7251. 02313' MSi" 
 
 LD 
 
 7251 
 
 02313L'6i 
 
 DEMCO 234N
 
 &