THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF ILLINOIS 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 C 
 HI6FK 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://archive.org/details/inmemoriamabelgrOOhami 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 UHJVEaSlTY OF ILL 
 
CL. e t—y±^~t^ 
 

 3fa jHemortatn 
 
 &M <§rosfomor Hopkins 
 
 15orn Btttmbzv stft, 1844 
 Bit* Juig 27tf), 1899 
 

 ftlffh 
 
 Quis desiderio sit pudor aut modus 
 
 tarn cari capitis % Hoeati Caemina, I., 24 
 
 Heu, quanto minus cum aliis versari, quam 
 tui meminisse ! St. Augustine 
 
 Through such souls alone 
 God stooping shows sufficient of His light 
 For us V the dark to rise by. Browning 
 
 Nor let us weep that our delight is fled — 
 He wakes or sleeps with the enduring dead : 
 Peace, peace, he is not dead, he doth not sleep - 
 He hath awakened from the dream of life — 
 'T is we who, lost in stormy visions, keep 
 With phantoms an unprofitable strife ; 
 He has outsoared the shadow of our night. 
 
 Shelley 
 
 7062,06 
 
strong soul, by what shore 
 
 Tarriest thou now ? For that force 
 
 Surely has not been left vain ! 
 
 Yes, in some far-shining sphere, 
 
 Still thou performest the word 
 
 Of the Spirit in whom thou dost live — 
 
 Prompt, unwearied as here ! 
 
 Servants of God ! — or sons 
 
 Shall I not call you ? because 
 
 Not as servants ye knew 
 
 Your Father's innermost mind. 
 
 Arnold 
 
€p\a Trpo \6 4 ycov 
 
 "We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths ; 
 I71 feelings, not in figures on a dial: 
 We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives 
 Wlio thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best" 
 
Jn Jftemortam 
 
 LET us ever bear in mind that the true idea of human 
 j regeneration, is that of a moral empire, to be estab- 
 lished by moral means, over the hearts of men : and that 
 he who would hasten this consummation, must begin by 
 setting up that empire first in his own breast, and then 
 extend it throughout the sphere of his action, over his 
 fellow-beings. . . . And he who labors for this end with a 
 faithful and true spirit, fulfils the designs of his Creator ; 
 and though he should be cut off in the midst of his days, 
 he will not have lived in vain." 
 
 So said, almost with prophetic vision, at the close of one 
 of his public addresses, that brilliant young lawyer Samuel 
 Eells, so early dead and so deeply mourned. Perhaps it 
 was also with prophetic vision, certainly with clear and 
 true realization of what constitutes success in life, that the 
 latter clause of the quotation had been marked by the sub- 
 ject of this memoir. I think it may fairly be said of him, 
 as was said of Dean Stanley, that he was " different from 
 other people, first of all, because he always looked upon 
 this world in its true light, not as a home, but as a journey. 
 Hence he was never entirely absorbed in the contests and 
 controversies of the day. He had his opinions and con- 
 victions, religious and political, but his horizon was too 
 wide ever to lose himself altogether in our small lanes and 
 valleys." He has died young, and of his life, if we mean 
 by that a succession of great events, there is little to be 
 said. It was free from care : it was filled with congenial 
 work : it could hardly have been happier. " But in the 
 
 7 
 
midst of all his happiness as husband, father, friend, 
 teacher, and preacher, his eyes were always fixed above 
 the earth, towards the Eternal." A few memories of this 
 life, closed in its fifty-fifth year, may not be without inter- 
 est to the friends for whom this little volume is intended. 
 
 Abel Grosvenor Hopkins, the son of Dr. Samuel Miles 
 Hopkins and Mary J. H. Heacock, was born at Avon 
 Springs, N. Y., December 5, 1844, the third in a family of 
 seven children. He came of a goodly ancestry stretching 
 back through eight generations to John Hopkins, who 
 came from England to Massachusetts with the Rev. 
 Thomas Hooker in 1633, and settled in Cambridge in 
 1634. His grandfather, Judge Samuel Miles Hopkins, was 
 one of the early settlers of western New York. Having 
 purchased a large tract of land on the Genesee River, in 
 1811 he removed from New York City where he was en- 
 gaged in the practice of the law, to the village of Geneseo. 
 In 1814 he laid out the village of Moscow and settled 
 there with his family. These pioneer labors however 
 were not continued for a long period. In 1822 we find 
 him living in Albany, and again taking up the practice of 
 the law. 
 
 There his son Dr. Samuel Miles Hopkins grew up. 
 Many distinguished and interesting people came to his 
 father's house. Among others, he mentions Aaron Burr — 
 a shy, silent figure, generally despised, but tolerated and 
 treated kindly by Judge Hopkins on account of early 
 favors shown to him when a struggling young lawyer. 
 Mr. Hopkins' mother was a daughter of Reuben B. Hea- 
 cock, a prominent and wealthy merchant of Buffalo, and 
 Abby Peabody Grosvenor. Her brother was the Rev. 
 Grosvenor Heacock, for thirty-two years the beloved pastor 
 of the Lafayette Avenue church, who died at the age of 
 
 8 
 
fifty-five, mourned by the entire city. His nephew was 
 said to resemble him strongly in form and feature. Dr. 
 Hopkins was educated at Yale College and at Auburn 
 Theological Seminary. In 1847 he was called to the Hyde 
 Professorship of Ecclesiastical History in Auburn Theolog- 
 ical Seminary, and removed the same year to Auburn with 
 his family. 
 
 There the boyhood of Abel Grosvenor Hopkins was passed, 
 — in cultured and scholarly surroundings, in an atmosphere 
 admirably fitted to develop the social and intellectual quali- 
 ties which marked his character, as well as his deep religious 
 nature. His preparation for college was made at the 
 Auburn High School, and he entered Hamilton College at 
 the commencement of 1862, — that semi-centennial anni- 
 versary famous in the annals of the college, and above all 
 commencements thus far in its history inspiring to the 
 incoming student. During his freshman year he united 
 with the college church. He had decided quite early in 
 life to enter the ministry. On being asked once when he 
 first decided to follow that profession, he replied: "I do 
 not know. It seems to me I always expected to be a 
 minister, and the thought of another profession never 
 occurred to me." 
 
 The four years of college life were busy ones. Not only 
 was he an eager student, winning his full share of the col- 
 lege honors, but his love of music, his fondness for athletic 
 sports, and his social nature made him a leading spirit in 
 glee-club, base-ball and coasting, and social life, and kept 
 him in touch with every interest of the college. Foot-ball 
 had not at that time been inaugurated. After seeing his 
 first games, in the fall of 1891, twenty-five years after his 
 own college days, he said, " If I were younger I should 
 have to play foot-ball." 
 
 9 
 
In the fall of 1866 he entered Auburn Theological Semi- 
 nary, graduating from there in the spring of 1869. The 
 following summer he spent at Cortland, N. Y., as stated 
 supply of the Presbyterian Church of that place. His 
 fondness for out-door sports did not leave him, and in his 
 journal of that summer as well as during his Seminary life 
 are found frequent references to ball-games, and walking 
 or rowing trips. We quote here from a letter from the 
 present pastor of the Cortland church, which shows that 
 thirty years have not sufficed entirely to efface the memory 
 of his one summer there. 
 
 " As you so well know, he [Mr. Hopkins] had the call 
 to this church at the same time he went to Clinton. He 
 has ever been cherished in their memory. So many times 
 during my first few months as pastor here in '96, as I would 
 perhaps engage in a ball-game with the boys, or enter into 
 the life of the young people, the remark would honor me, 
 'He makes me think of Mr. Hopkins.' And after the 
 happy Sabbath they had with him a year or so ago, upon 
 my return very many thanked me personally for suggesting 
 to the committee to seek him again as our Sabbath supply. 
 Very many hearts here were touched by his earth leave- 
 taking." 
 
 He was considering a call to become the permanent pas- 
 tor of this church when he was called to the Chair of the 
 Latin Language and Literature in Hamilton College. The 
 latter position was very attractive to him from the first, but 
 he felt some hesitation at leaving the active work of the 
 ministry just as he was entering upon it, feeling that it 
 might seem almost a desertion. He saw, however, the 
 wide influence possible to exert in a collegiate position, and 
 after careful thought and consultation with his most trusted 
 friends he decided to accept the Latin professorship. In 
 
 10 
 
the autumn of 1869 he entered upon his duties as Profes- 
 sor of Latin in Hamilton College, — a position which he 
 filled until his death thirty years later. 
 
 In 1872 he was married, and two years after, in July, 
 1874, he sailed for Europe with his wife, having been 
 granted leave of absence for the first term of the next col- 
 lege year. In preferring the request for this absence to the 
 Trustees of the College he said : " I do not ask this indul- 
 gence on the ground of long or efficient service, but be- 
 cause I hope by it to become of greater use to the college 
 and to my own department." 
 
 The six months of European travel that followed proved 
 a time of rare and unqualified enjoyment. Scotland, Eng- 
 land, Paris, the Rhine, a month in Switzerland, a few weeks 
 of Germany, and then Italy, — and Rome, the Mecca of his 
 pilgrimage. There he found himself as it were at home, 
 and he went eagerly and with unerring instinct from spot 
 to spot made memorable by historic associations. He 
 examined, studied, compared, and by his vivid descrip- 
 tions almost made his companion see in their ancient splen- 
 dor the once gorgeous palaces of the Caesars or the Golden 
 House of Nero. His journal of that time is interesting 
 reading. He writes of hearing Canon Liddon and Dean 
 Stanley preach in Westminster ; of seeing Thiers repeatedly 
 in Italy. Fond as he always was of mountain scenery, 
 the grandeur of the Alps profoundly excited and impressed 
 him. Of a sunrise on the Rigi, he writes : — 
 
 " On going out found a number of people on the Kulm 
 admiring the scene and waiting for the sun to rise. The 
 horn had roused us in good season and we had plenty of 
 time to study out the outline of the Alps. Far to the left 
 we saw the conical peak of the Mythen and the great 
 glacier of the Glarmisch. But most wonderful of all were 
 
 11 
 
the great peaks of the Bernese Oberland. We clearly 
 made out the Finsteraarhorn, the Shreckhorn, and the 
 three peaks of the Wetterhorn — the Monch, Eiger, and 
 Jungfrau. Soon all eyes were turned to the east, where 
 the horizon was growing more and more ruddy with the 
 coming day, and the sun came up bathing the great peaks 
 of the Oberland with purple. The Lakes of Zug and 
 Lucerne were partly covered with a heavy mist or cloud, 
 which had the appearance of huge masses of ice tumbled in 
 endless confusion, — a scene the beauty and grandeur of 
 which one could never exhaust or describe." 
 
 His account of the journey to Rome shows his keen feel- 
 ing for the classical interest of the Italian country : — 
 
 44 The road lay through a beautiful country, with rich 
 gardens and orchards on every side. The tunnels were 
 very numerous, and the road wound about to accommodate 
 itself to the line of the Apennines. Found the ride very 
 interesting. All the towns were on considerable eleva- 
 tions, with here and there old castles or fortresses seated 
 on the summits of hills. A little beyond Cortona we 
 touched upon Lake Trasimenus, the scene of Hannibal's 
 great victory. Tried to make out the geography as well as 
 I could. Toward the lower part of the lake, the cliffs and 
 hills rise abruptly within three hundred feet of the lake, 
 and it is very clear how the Romans were walled in and 
 cut to pieces. Soon after leaving Perugia we had our first 
 view of the Tiber, and crossed it, — a small and pretty 
 stream at that point, but gradually growing larger and re- 
 ceiving additions. Near Narni saw the ruins of what was 
 once a splendid bridge on the Via Flaminia. Two or 
 three of the lofty piers were still standing." 
 
 He returned to Clinton in January, 1875, and took up his 
 work with renewed interest and satisfaction. During this 
 
 12 
 
year and the following he was a good deal out of health 
 and suffered from recurrent attacks of violent pain, which 
 had a prostrating effect. He was not however obliged to 
 interrupt his college work for more than a few days at a 
 time. The summer of 1876 he passed in Saratoga under 
 the care of the celebrated Dr. Gray of New York, who after 
 some months' treatment effected a complete cure. Dr. 
 Gray was at the time a man of advanced years, but he and 
 his patient became great friends. The daily morning 
 medical examination was almost uniformly followed by the 
 reading together of some Latin author, or the discussion of 
 some point of classical interest. 
 
 Always fond of the water, in 1882 Mr. Hopkins bought 
 a point of land among the Thousand Islands, and there the 
 next year built a pleasant summer cottage. From that 
 time most of his summer vacations were spent in this 
 beautiful region with his wife and daughter, — his only 
 child, — and usually as many friends as the little cottage 
 could conveniently accommodate. The summers here were 
 a constantly increasing pleasure, and were looked forward 
 to from year to year with renewed interest. 
 
 While at this summer home he regularly attended the 
 Dutch Reformed Church, and always preached there several 
 times during the summer, hoping in that way to lighten 
 somewhat the labors of the pastor. Some fifty years ago 
 this little church was founded as a mission by Dr. George 
 W. Bethune, and was later enlarged and improved by Dr. J. 
 G. Holland, who felt a keen interest in its prosperity. It 
 is a beautiful proof of the affection in which Mr. Hopkins 
 was held at the River that a number of his friends have 
 placed in this old Stone Church a Hopkins memorial window. 
 
 The summer of 1887 was a memorable one for Clinton 
 people, as during it the village celebrated its one hun- 
 
 13 
 
dredth anniversary, and the presence of President and Mrs. 
 Cleveland gave the occasion a sort of national interest 
 which it could hardly otherwise have inspired. Mr. Hop- 
 kins delivered the historical address on this occasion. 
 
 In the spring of 1888 he attended as Commissioner the 
 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church held at 
 Philadelphia. This was the famous centennial meeting 
 when the Northern and Southern churches united, and Mr. 
 Hopkins felt it an especial privilege to be able to attend a 
 gathering of such unusual interest. 
 
 In the summer of 1890 he again sailed for Europe, 
 accompanied by his family, intending to be absent only for 
 the summer vacation. He had always wished and hoped 
 to be able to spend a year in foreign study, and even on 
 the voyage over the thought came to him that his desire 
 might possibly be carried out at this time. After some 
 correspondence the matter was arranged, and he began to 
 plan for the year of work before him. The first month of 
 the summer was passed in Berlin, where he gained some 
 familiarity with the methods of work at German univer- 
 sities, and enjoyed hearing the lectures of such men as 
 Curtius and Harnack. The remainder of the summer was 
 spent in travel in Germany, visiting among other places the 
 little village of Oberammergau, and seeing under the most 
 favorable conditions the famous Passion Play. In writing 
 of it he says: "I think, taking it all together, it is the 
 most remarkable and impressive spectacle I have ever 
 seen." 
 
 Soon after reaching Germany he was saddened by the 
 news of Dr. Peters' sudden death. He writes of it : " We 
 are overwhelmed by the news. ... I was very much 
 attached to Dr. Peters. I admired him for his simple, 
 modest, and yet profound and genuine scholarship. The 
 
 14 
 
college has suffered a severe blow, and how his loss can 
 even in a measure be made good, I do not see. I deeply 
 regret that I cannot be there at this time. I should like at 
 least the satisfaction of expressing myself in some public 
 way as to my respect for the character of the man, — for 
 his religious as well as his scientific and scholarly char- 
 acter. Our minds were in a whirl all day yesterday over 
 the news, and though we were doing other things, our 
 thoughts came back constantly to Dr. Peters. . . . Doubt- 
 less there will be some suitable memorial service next term 
 after the college opens. He abhorred all display, but the 
 college owes it to itself to honor his memory and his 
 work." 
 
 In October he went to Leipzig, and there settled with his 
 family for the winter, being drawn thither largely by the 
 fame of Ribbeck, the great Plautus scholar. Here he 
 passed the winter advantageously and pleasantly. The 
 intervals of study were filled with pleasant excursions and 
 in hearing the music for which Leipzig is so justly famous. 
 His love for music and his perfect musical taste made this 
 latter feature of the winter a rare treat to him. To be 
 able to hear each week performances by the best classical 
 orchestra in Germany, to hear the great artists who came 
 from all over Europe to take part in the famous Gewand- 
 haus Concerts, to gain familiarity with the Wagner music 
 and some understanding of it, to see the masterpieces of 
 German literature finely presented, all these things were 
 sources of constant pleasure. 
 
 In the spring of 1891 he went to Italy, and there passed 
 two months renewing and extending his acquaintance with 
 scenes and monuments already familiar, and in tracing out 
 the new excavations since his former visit to Rome, seven- 
 teen years earlier. 
 
 15 
 
During the year he had been a good deal troubled with 
 a lame hand, which interfered with his writing very con- 
 siderably. He supposed it was writer's cramp, and felt 
 entirely well in other respects. But the German physician 
 whom he consulted said from the outset, " It is not true 
 writer's cramp," laying, however, great stress upon the abso- 
 lute necessity of giving the hand entire rest. It gradually 
 improved, though for several years he relieved himself from 
 writing as much as possible by using a type- writer. 
 
 In the early fall of 1891 he reached home after an 
 absence of fourteen months. During that time many 
 changes had taken place in the college faculty. The 
 President had died and Professor North was Acting Presi- 
 dent. Mr. Hopkins was appointed Dean of the Faculty by 
 the Trustees, and continued to serve in that capacity until 
 his death. Two summers had been spent in Europe. The 
 next two also he was obliged regretfully to pass away 
 from the St. Lawrence cottage. The vacation of 1892 he 
 gave to steady work on his annotated edition of the 
 " Agricola and Germania " of Tacitus, which was issued 
 in the following year. The next summer was passed with 
 relatives near Chicago, enjoying leisurely the sights of the 
 great Exposition. 
 
 I wish to speak of a few of Mr. Hopkins' characteristics 
 which perhaps have not been especially touched on by 
 others. 
 
 One was his great love and tenderness for little children. 
 Plow they delighted in him! There was never a child 
 that would not stretch out its little hands to go to him and 
 remain wholly contented as long as he held it in his strong 
 arms. He was fond, too, of animals, and rarely passed one 
 of the household pets without the caressing touch which 
 they always seemed to expect from him. 
 
 10 
 
He never outgrew his boyhood's fondness for exercise in 
 the open air, and for games of skill. He loved sport for 
 sport's sake. He said sometimes that he thought the boys 
 of the present day did not love the exercise itself as he 
 used to, but cared too much for the competition involved. 
 He was very fond of rowing, and during the summers spent 
 at the Thousand Islands nothing pleased him more than to 
 start off with friends for a long day on the water. It 
 came to be a recognized feature of the summer to take one 
 day for a row around Wells Island, resting for a picnic 
 dinner at some pleasant spot. This was a row of some 
 twenty-four miles, and needed a strong and untiring arm. 
 
 The singular purity both of his written and spoken 
 language has been referred to by another. His reading 
 was done in the most careful manner, and he made all he 
 read his own. He read with pencil in hand, and there is 
 hardly a book of his in which he has not made notes on the 
 blank leaves at the back. Those notes were often so com- 
 plete as almost to form an index. Every inaccuracy or 
 error was carefully noted, as well as any expression which 
 seemed to him at all slovenly or careless. He often said 
 " I am not a purist," but he could hardly have been more 
 exact if he had made that claim. And yet there was never 
 any visible effort after effect. The best words seemed to 
 be his natural form of expression. 
 
 His religious tolerance was wide and far-reaching. He 
 held that there are few essentials in religious belief ; that 
 man has no right to ask more than Christ asks ; that those 
 who seem far apart are often close together in the things 
 that make for eternal life. On one occasion he was asked 
 by a friend to talk with an elderly person, of saintly life 
 but of somewhat peculiar beliefs, on the subject of personal 
 religion. He replied that when a person had lived such a 
 2 17 
 
life as hers he did not think any of her friends need feel 
 troubled about her eternal welfare. 
 
 Yet this wide tolerance never influenced the strength of 
 his personal convictions. All his life and back in the col- 
 lege days, when sin to so many boys puts on a pleasant 
 and enticing face, he always had the clear vision. For 
 many a one his care and helpful words at exactly the right 
 time opened the dull eyes and showed the better way ; 
 and not only showed the way, but persuaded to walk 
 therein. He seldom spoke to others on the subject of per- 
 sonal religion, but his life was eloquent. Perhaps because 
 he spoke little of such matters he had the greater influ- 
 ence. One said: "I cannot tell you how much he has 
 helped me in my religious life, — not by talking to me, but 
 by showing me by his life how to live." He little knew 
 how great his influence really was, nor how much he was 
 loved. His death revealed both. 
 
 In the spring of 1899 he seemed more than usually tired 
 with the year's work and also somewhat exhausted by the 
 hot weather, which came quite early. Perhaps on that 
 account he, as well as his family, looked forward with un- 
 usual eagerness to the summer's rest, and planned to leave 
 home for the cottage on the St. Lawrence as early as pos- 
 sible after the college commencement. There was not the 
 slightest foreboding, however, of any serious trouble, and 
 when on the 3d of June he mentioned for the first time a 
 strange feeling in his arm, it was thought that the old 
 difficulty of 1891 had attacked him in a more aggravated 
 form, — especially as for some months he had again been 
 troubled with his hand in writing. But in a few days 
 other symptoms developed ; the trouble was recognized as 
 a serious one ; his splendid strength failed. In two weeks 
 he was completely prostrated. For nearly six weeks 
 
 18 
 
longer he stayed with us. There was little pain or dis- 
 tress of any kind, but despite every effort the disease 
 made progress, and there was no return of strength. 
 
 It was a peaceful illness. He slept much, like a tired 
 child, and so the end came. 
 
 " God gave to his beloved sleep. And then an awaking 
 which will require no more restoring slumber.' ' 
 
 Below the college, looking toward the sunrise, that 
 " temple in which he once lived with God " rests on the 
 green hillside, — 
 
 " the sepulchre, 
 Oh, not of him, but of our joy ! " 
 
 19 
 
THE funeral of Professor Hopkins took place at his 
 late residence, on Monday, July 31st, at 4 p.m., 
 and was conducted by Rev. Dr. M. Woolsey Stryker, 
 President of Hamilton College, and Rev. Dr. W. R. Ter- 
 rett. The business places of the village were closed 
 during the hour. 
 
 The bearers were the three brothers of Professor Hop- 
 kins : Rev. Stephen G. Hopkins and Hon. Woolsey R. 
 Hopkins, of Auburn, and John H. Hopkins, Esq., of 
 Rochester ; Chester Huntington, Esq., of Flushing, a class- 
 mate of Professor Hopkins ; Professor Albert H. Chester, 
 of Rutgers College, and Rev. Arthur S. Hoyt, D.D., of 
 Auburn Theological Seminary; the last three formerly 
 members of the Faculty of Hamilton College and colleagues 
 of Professor Hopkins. 
 
 At the opening of the service a quartette from Utica, 
 consisting of Mrs. Winters, Miss Thompson, Mr. E. 
 Stewart, and Mr. H. H. Klock, sang the hymn "All 
 Saints." 
 
 After the reading of the Scriptures by Dr. Terrett, the 
 quartette sang " The Lord is my Shepherd." 
 
 The same arrangement of this hymn had been sung by 
 the College Choir at the last Sunday chapel which Professor 
 Hopkins attended, and was especially enjoyed by him, and 
 repeatedly mentioned during the few following days. The 
 singing was followed by — 
 
 21 
 
l&tfh preaitout Strutter's ^Tfirrem 
 
 Dear friends and neighbors : We are met here this after- 
 noon to mourn with, and if it were possible, to comfort 
 those who are overshadowed by this great loss. This is 
 neither the proper time nor place for elaborate commemora- 
 tion and analysis ; nor for any attempt even with our fond 
 vision to sum and estimate the value of the life that has 
 been torn from us. But we are here to render our tribute 
 of affectionate sympathy ; to thank God and take courage 
 by the tokens of what he was who has gone from us, and 
 who it seems so impossible for us to think has really gone. 
 It is all strange to us, but it is not strange to him. He 
 understands. He is at home, and is no stranger there, 
 where the questions that perplex us here are answered. 
 He is under the tuition of the angels, and face to face with 
 God. We believe we have warrant in the word of Christ 
 to say that he is with those who loved him, and whom 
 he loved, and who went before, and we are assured that 
 tho he shall not return to us, we may go to him. So 
 God grant it. 
 
 We lay a wreath upon the sheathed sword. We gather 
 up a]l the personal affection and tender admiration, in the 
 presence of our stricken hopes and responsibilities to say 
 " God knows as we cannot, and in his sight where he 
 sees now, whom we loved, we shall see." If his voice, so 
 familiar to us could speak, I am sure he would be saying 
 after his Lord : " Let not your heart be troubled ; if it 
 were not so I would have told you." All is well. He 
 now knows the mighty truth that with the Lord one day 
 is as a thousand years. He knows, where we are only 
 
 22 
 
guessing. He knows these things we know but in part 
 and see with eyes darkly shaded. His is the open vision. 
 Blessed be God for another elected to triumph ; for another 
 saint in Paradise ; for another faithful servant hearing the 
 " Well done." 
 
 God forbid that we should attempt in trite and conven- 
 tional words to estimate his life work or to soothe sore 
 hearts. Yet let the nearest and dearest smile thro tears 
 to think what precious legacies are left in the influences of 
 a life such as this was ; a life pure from its beginning ; faith- 
 ful thro all the strenuousness of youth. Here was one 
 who lived a young man's life in soberness, justice, peace, 
 honor, and who came to maturity strengthened by the 
 absolute confidence of all who knew him. The high hopes 
 were justified. In a career that was a true career, if not 
 bruited and blazoned far and wide, a man's work was faith- 
 fully done, and we do not forget that thirty years are 
 reached this summer, — thirty years of fidelity. The stu- 
 dents of the College trusted this man. They believed in his 
 justice, his broad sympathy and his fairness ; in his good- 
 will, affection, disinterestedness, and his zeal to help, — and 
 they believed well. Looking closely upon it we find that 
 he has been doing his work steadily and rightly all his life, 
 and abler and better every passing year. 
 
 Who shall fill his place ; be what he was ; do what he 
 did ? None. It is true that the world must go on ; the 
 machinery cannot stop; but there are lives the loss of 
 which is irreparable, and from our place of view I think 
 this is a loss that we can never mend, yet also a gain and 
 a blessing that memory can never lose. It seems unfor- 
 tunate that a life so sure, so natural, and so calm, should 
 be stricken down with a bolt that might fall on others. 
 We do not know what is the natural or the unnatural. I 
 
 23 
 
remember years ago his saying in a college meeting, as he 
 spoke of a friend then dead, in words I have never ceased 
 to cherish — they are from the Apocrypha : — "He being 
 made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time, for his 
 soul pleased God." 
 
 We tell this household that the community mourns 
 with them. The church has lost a faithful preacher, a 
 good soldier of Jesus Christ. For the College we tell them 
 there shall ever remain the heritage of his life and its endur- 
 ing influence. I suppose there is not one here who does not 
 remember his kindly word, that sweet, fair smile, the grasp 
 of that warm hand. These are grand memories, good 
 friends. Let us try to leave some of them when we go. 
 Let us seek to leave an example of steadfastness, like a 
 tower of rock, like an anchor in the spume of the sea, 
 like a lamp in a dark night. 
 
 4 ' The mourners throng the way, and from the steeple 
 The funeral bell tolls slow; 
 But on the golden streets the holy people 
 Are passing to and fro, 
 
 And saying as they meet, ' Rejoice ! another, 
 
 Long waited for, is come.' 
 The Saviour's heart is glad ; a younger brother 
 
 Hath reached the Father's home." 
 
 The speaker closed with prayer. The quartette sang 
 " Lead, kindly Light." 
 Dr. Stryker closed the service with the benediction. 
 
 The chapel bell tolled as the long procession wound its 
 way up College Hill. The grave is in the centre of the 
 college cemetery. The hymn " There is a land of pure 
 delight " was sung at the grave. The committal service 
 was conducted by Dr. Stryker. 
 
 24 
 
Mtnwvixl gfrtrbitt. 
 
 AMEMORIAL service was held in the College Chapel, 
 October 10, at 3 p. m. The account of the service 
 which follows is taken from the Utica Daily Press of Oct. 
 11, 1899: — 
 
 The Hamilton College chapel was well filled yesterday after- 
 noon by those who had come to pay their tribute of respect to 
 the memory of Dr. Abel Grosvenor Hopkins, late Professor of 
 Latin in Hamilton College. Dr. Hopkins died during the sum- 
 mer vacation, and the services yesterday afternoon were a 
 memorial conducted by his one time colleagues of the faculty, 
 and were open to the students of the college and friends of the 
 deceased professor. The service was a most impressive one, 
 one whose influence was visible in the countenances of the 
 students as they gathered in groups about the campus, one not 
 soon to be forgotten by any of the many who were present. 
 The faculty occupied the faculty seats facing the audience, and 
 the various classes were in their respective rows of seats. Back 
 of the student body, and in the galleries, were the friends, 
 for the most part Clinton people. Upon the platform sat 
 President Stryker and Dr. William R. Terrett. As the clock 
 struck three President Stryker rose and made a brief address, 
 calling to mind the many lovable characteristics of him who 
 is gone. 
 
 " Dear friends," he said, " we are met here to honor the 
 memory of one whom we ail loved. This beautiful October 
 day is particularly fitting for this occasion. Our friend had 
 not yet reached the sere of old age. The winter of life had not 
 yet stricken him. He was in the early autumn of life. He was 
 taken from us when at the very climax of his usefulness. So 
 
 25 
 
this day, almost untouched as yet by the decay of the coming 
 winter, is a most harmonious one on which to formally revere 
 his memory." 
 
 In closing, Dr. Stryker said that Dr. Terrett had been 
 selected by the faculty to deliver the memorial address. The 
 president then read appropriate selections of Scripture and 
 offered a brief prayer. After a hymn sung by the congrega- 
 tion, Dr. Terrett delivered the following address. To those 
 who knew Dr. Hopkins, the absolute fitness and lack of exag- 
 geration of every sentence came home forcibly, and the words 
 of the speaker were heard with the closest attention. 
 
 When Dr. Terrett ceased speaking there was an impressive 
 pause, lasting nearly a minute. The audience then rose and 
 sang " Nearer, My God, to Thee," after which they were dis- 
 missed with a word of prayer by President Stryker. The ser- 
 vice was a splendid tribute to the memory of a noble man. 
 
 fUih Bv. KtttttVn ®ttoxtnn. 
 
 I shall attempt this afternoon only what I shall ven- 
 ture to describe as a loving appreciation of Dr. Hopkins' 
 character and career. 
 
 I do not feel competent to speak adequately of Dr. 
 Hopkins as a scholar or as a teacher. This I will say, 
 however, that among other highest qualifications for suc- 
 cess as a teacher he possessed this, that he always gathered 
 that he might give. He thought no scholarship too fine 
 and rare to be put at the service of his pupils. He thought 
 no research too difficult to pursue which was necessary to 
 make completer his equipment for his work as a teacher in 
 the college, as an interpreter to young minds of the noble 
 language and literature to whose study he had devoted 
 his life. 
 
 26 
 
Dr. Mark Hopkins, of Williams College, used to say that 
 when he was called in early life to a professorship in the 
 institution of which he was for many years the president, 
 he settled it with himself decisively that he would subordi- 
 nate all other aims and ambitions to that of becoming a 
 successful teacher. He thought that one who was called 
 to the career which he had chosen must decide whether he 
 would be a teacher first, or something else first, perhaps 
 an author. It seemed to him that teachers sometimes 
 sacrificed the interests of their pupils to the interests 
 of their fame as investigators or writers of books. He 
 resolved that he would be a teacher first, that he would 
 make the attainment of success in teaching the aim of all 
 his study, research, investigation, of the enlargement and 
 enrichment of his stores of knowledge, of the finer develop- 
 ment of his moral and intellectual powers. He lived to 
 teach, and that was the reason why he became, perhaps, 
 the most illustrious pure teacher which this country has 
 produced. 
 
 We may say with confidence concerning our Dr. Hop- 
 kins, as we love to call him, that he magnified his office as 
 a teacher, not in claiming for it perquisite or privilege or 
 prerogative, but by dedicating to it unreservedly all the 
 large and rich resources of his scholarship and intellectual 
 power. The ample results of studies pursued in different 
 lands and languages and literatures were all put freely at 
 the use and service of his students, and were gathered and 
 garnered with that end in view. It is a vast enrichment 
 for a college when a man like Dr. Hopkins, so endowed 
 with native powers, so equipped with learning and culture, 
 is willing to give himself for thirty years, his heart, his 
 mind, his manhood, with absolute completeness of devotion 
 and surrender to her teaching work. 
 
 27 
 
Then he taught so much, — so much, I mean, beside 
 Latin. Perfectly unconsciously, the chief lesson of his 
 teaching was himself. Edward Everett Hale has said 
 about Longfellow as a teacher : " All poor teachers let the 
 book come between them and the pupil. Great teachers 
 never do. Longfellow never did." We have the amplest 
 evidence that Dr. Hopkins' pupils felt profoundly the 
 influence of his strong and noble personality. One writes 
 of him since his death : " Not only did I look upon him as 
 my instructor in college, but as my instructor in all that is 
 manly and Christlike. To me his life was an inspiration 
 not only to think but to act, not only to know but to do." 
 So many tell us that they were inspired by him, that he 
 was for them a creator of ideals. One writes, " To me he 
 was an ideal man," and another, " He was my ideal of the 
 honest, earnest, manly man." One who knew him long 
 and was among the earliest students in his college classes 
 writes : " He was one of the ideals of my boyhood. I re- 
 member as though but yesterday the thrill his manly pres- 
 ence gave me as he came into the old Sophomore room in 
 South College. The years of fellowship with him were 
 unbroken privilege. The ideal of youth was never shat- 
 tered.''' This is the highest, the divinest mission and 
 ministry of a teacher, to inspire ennobling admirations, to 
 fill with pure and fine ideals the atmosphere of the college 
 world, where young men are, generation after generation, 
 learning hero worship, making their life choices, slowly 
 acquiring the abiding self and soul which shall determine 
 career and character and destiny forever. 
 
 He did so much more than teach, — so much more for 
 the college. He never thought that he had done his full 
 duty to the college when he finished his work in the class 
 room or in the examination hall. In him the social con- 
 
 28 
 
sciousness and the social conscience had reached high evo- 
 lution. He knew that a college is a brotherhood, that 
 there are brotherhood duties which some one must perform, 
 brotherhood responsibilities which some one must assume 
 and bear. It is probable that we underestimate the educa- 
 tional value of the corporate life of the college. At any 
 rate the vigor and beauty of that life will depend upon the 
 number of students and instructors who find thought and 
 time for public use and service. Dr. Hopkins always did 
 his part. One writes of him, speaking of the services 
 which he rendered to the village community: "I write 
 with a vivid recollection of his spontaneous sympathy with 
 every effort to sweeten and inspire our common social life 
 with the love of the highest which he felt." No call to 
 public duty ever met refusal from his large and gracious 
 nature, to which everything that was human was a matter 
 of deepest interest and concern. 
 
 I wish to express my appreciation of the singularly fine 
 qualities of literary style which distinguished Dr. Hopkins' 
 writings. I have thought that his speeches and sermons 
 were seldom equalled for facility and felicity of expres- 
 sion. I have sometimes described the circumstances under 
 which I first heard Dr. Hopkins make a public address. 
 Soon after I came to Clinton to reside I attended the 
 funeral of one of your leading citizens. As soon as the 
 clergyman who conducted the service began his address I 
 was impressed by its beauty and dignity. It seemed to 
 possess perfectly the qualities which should distinguish 
 words spoken on such an occasion. I asked one who sat 
 by me who the speaker was, and was told it was Professor 
 Hopkins of the college. It always seemed to me that his 
 sermons were remarkable for the completeness and ade- 
 quacy with which they treated large and worthy themes. 
 
 29 
 
They were fine in forms of expression, as his writings 
 always were. There was a marshalling and movement of 
 cogent reasonings toward just conclusions. There was no 
 lack of color, the play of the imagination, and of illuminat- 
 ing illustrations which his familiarity with histories and 
 literatures supplied. He was a facile and finished writer, 
 a sane and vigorous thinker, a preacher in whose sermons 
 the lights of culture and of character shone together, upon 
 paths that climb toward high and honorable achievement 
 in the ideal and heroic life. 
 
 In speaking of Dr. Hopkins' character I want specially 
 to avoid analysis. We seldom analyze what we love. 
 What the picture means, what the poem means, what the 
 landscape means, what the life means as a whole, in its 
 entirety, is the measure of its worth and wealth to the 
 world. And there is in each of us a core of character that 
 dominates details. We found in him a certain sweet 
 serenity and sanity of soul, like sunshine, a character most 
 rare, most beautiful, compounded of the intellectual, the 
 physical, the spiritual, of the whole mind and man. 
 
 This character showed itself in many noble qualities, in 
 modesty and courtesy, in kindliness and courage, in a large 
 and gracious tolerance of judgment, in incapacity for little- 
 nesses of ambition and rivalry, in abhorrence of ostentation 
 and display, in freedom from fantasies, vagaries, and fever- 
 ish fanaticisms of transient excitement, in quiet, tranquil 
 devotion to duty and acquiescence in the will of God. 
 The movement of his nature was not like the tempest gust 
 that beats the ocean into sudden fury, but like the trade 
 winds, tireless, resistless, half heaven in motion, that bear 
 the sea's travel and traffic toward the desired havens. 
 
 His was a finely balanced character, without eccen- 
 tricities or exaggerations. All who knew him well ad- 
 
 30 
 
mired the symmetry of his character, its harmony of parts, 
 its equilibrium of powers. The Rev. Dr. Francis Brown, 
 of Union Seminary, writes of him : " A life of rare and 
 exquisite symmetry has gone out of our sight." And this 
 involved the combination of qualities which are sometimes 
 regarded as inconsistent with each other, which we do not, 
 at least often, find together. One writes : " I never knew 
 him to be other than the perfect gentleman, strong and 
 courageous as a lion, considerate and sympathetic as a 
 woman." Another writes : " Since my college days I 
 have always admired his character, and have remembered 
 his combining impartial justice with kindly interest and all 
 with courteous manliness." Chancellor Upson writes: 
 " That God should take out of this life so much culture, 
 such strength of mind, such breadth of view, such warmth 
 of heart, shows that He means to use the culture, the 
 strength, the breadth, the warmth, elsewhere." How 
 seldom do we find these qualities combined in any char- 
 acter. We found them all in him, the strength and tender- 
 ness, the justness and graciousness, the breadth of view, the 
 warmth of heart. And God will use them all hereafter. 
 
 He was one who by a divine necessity and nobility of 
 his nature became a burden-bearer for others, and for 
 society. Most of us, perhaps, bind burdens for other 
 people to bear. But there are a few whose strength and 
 sympathy are like — I may say it without irreverence — 
 the everlasting arms of divine love and power beneath the 
 weakness and the weariness of the world. There are 
 those to whom the words of Revelation seem to apply 
 most aptly : " Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in 
 the temple of my God," — those who in the various asso- 
 ciations and affiliations of the social life of man, the home, 
 the church, the college, the state, are like pillars, massive 
 
 31 
 
and stately columns, upon which the roof rests, upon 
 which the walls lean, upon whose strength the structure 
 stands secure, safe for use and habitation. To this class 
 Dr. Hopkins belonged. How we all learned to lean upon 
 him, half unconscious of the strength that his support 
 supplied ! 
 
 " With what sublime repression of himself " he offered 
 help to others. Who ever heard him complain or even 
 speak of the burdens which he carried ? He never asked, 
 but offered, sympathy and succor. And how worthy he 
 proved himself of large trusts. It is said that after Mira- 
 beau died — Mirabeau, the one man who seemed to have 
 the wisdom and power that would suffice to save France 
 from the desolations of a popular revolution — when any 
 question of grave difficulty was being debated in the 
 National Assembly, all eyes turned instinctively to the 
 empty chair where Mirabeau had been wont to sit. How 
 often shall we look in vain to that place of counsel and 
 conduct so long filled with perfect fidelity and competency 
 by him whom we miss and mourn. 
 
 We are grateful for the memory of his beautiful and 
 beneficent happiness. T say beneficent, for it seems to me 
 that there is no benigner influence than that which is 
 exerted by the happiness of those who have a right to be 
 happy because they are the trustful and obedient children 
 of God. An hour's companionship with Dr. Hopkins made 
 this seem a brighter world. 
 
 The circumstances and conditions of his life were singu- 
 larly fortunate. He was the distinguished son of a dis- 
 tinguished father. His boyhood's home was full of the 
 beneficences of scholarly culture and Christian grace and 
 sweetness. We do not wonder that such a man came 
 forth from such a home. Later, and yet in early life, he 
 
 32 
 
came to walk in closest companionship with one in wliose 
 mind and heart his nature as it grew in breadth and rich- 
 ness found sure and perfect response and appreciation, one 
 who, while she leaned upon his strength, supported him in 
 all the labors of the years by the inspirations of loving 
 sympathy and tenderest admiration. From boyhood he was 
 permitted to live the life of a student, which was the life 
 he loved. As soon as his professional studies were finished, 
 inviting careers opened before his feet. I have been per- 
 mitted to see the letter which he wrote thirty years ago 
 when called upon to choose between the career of a pastor 
 and that of an instructor in this college. He gives as one 
 of the reasons for the choice he made : " The department 
 to which I have been appointed has always interested me. 
 Its opportunities for research and culture have presented 
 great attractions." He loved to study, and he loved to 
 teach. He lived the life he loved. " I cannot give it up," 
 he used to say of his work here, when in later life he was 
 called to other fields and spheres of labor. All these felici- 
 ties of fortune wrought in him a serene summer of the 
 soul, whose light shone for others and for all. 
 
 He was simply above many of the distresses which tor- 
 ment less noble natures. I have heard my mother say that 
 when a child she was taken to the Catskills, and from a 
 mountain's summit saw beneath her a thunder storm, a sum- 
 mer shower. Beneath her were the clouds and the light- 
 nings and the rain, above her were the clear sky and the sun. 
 I have thought of Dr. Hopkins as one who had reached an 
 altitude of faith and hope, of absorption in large interests, of 
 incapacity for small and poor ambitions, where he was safe 
 from distractions and annoyances which most men feel. 
 His was a noble happiness. It was the happiness of a 
 scholar. He took delight in acquiring and imparting learn- 
 3 33 
 
ing and culture. It was the happiness of a Christian. He 
 knew " the peace which passeth understanding, which the 
 world can neither give nor take away." To him was ful- 
 filled the Master's prophecy and promise : " These words 
 have I spoken unto you, that my joy may remain in you, and 
 that your joy may be full." 
 
 He was an ideal Christian. His faith was so intelligent 
 and rational that it was itself persuasive, evidential. It 
 could be said of him as was said of Phillips Brooks : " His 
 faith was proof to doubters. We can walk blindly where 
 he walked seeing, till we see." The fact that such men 
 have heartily accepted the doctrines of Christianity is strong 
 evidence of their credibility and rationality. Our intel- 
 lectual insight may be less keen, our sweep of spiritual 
 vision less wide than theirs, but we may absolve our doubts 
 by the authority of their faith, and " walk blindly where 
 they walked seeing, till we see." 
 
 He lived the faith he loved. He leaves a spotless name. 
 He was -one 
 
 " Who reverenced his conscience as his king. 
 He spoke no slander ; no, nor listened to it ; " 
 He wore c ' the white flower of a blameless life. 
 Who dares foreshadow for an only son 
 A lovelier life, a more unstained than his? " 
 
 And things that are " dear to God were dear to him : " 
 the welfare of mankind, the ethical interests of society, the 
 progress of Christ's kingdom in the world. He recognized 
 the fact that, as the Psalmist says, " God's commandment 
 is exceeding broad." He believed in the redemption of the 
 world. He sought to subject all departments and all de- 
 tails of human life to the divine authority of Christ's laws 
 of love and righteousness. He was a champion of right* 
 
 U 
 
eousness. He was so gentle, so genial, such a friend of 
 peace, so incapable of being intoxicated by the wine of war, 
 that it is hard to believe what is still unquestionable, that 
 when thoroughly aroused in defence of any imperilled 
 principle of justice or public order, he was a most fearless 
 and formidable foe of the foes of humanity. He was in- 
 domitable, unconquerable. He knew no such word as sur- 
 render or retreat. From him we may learn the heroism of 
 civic duty. He was a Christian citizen. He was a Chris- 
 tian patriot. He put his conscience into his vote and the 
 voice of his influence among men. He had learned that 
 the duty which he owed to his country was a part of the 
 duty which he owed to God. 
 
 It is impossible to measure the influence of such a char- 
 acter and life. I have thought that there was something 
 in Dr. Hopkins' life and character which allied them to the 
 elemental beneficences of nature, to the green earth, to the 
 air we breathe, to the sunshine and the love of parents. 
 These are blessings for which we forget to be grateful. 
 His influence was so quiet, so gentle. Through him the 
 " kingdom of heaven came without observation " into so 
 many lives. 
 
 There are dear graves upon that sweet hillside. The 
 young sleep there who left no large place vacant, except in 
 a few loving hearts. But there are graves there about whi ch 
 men gather, and will gather for long years to be, with 
 reverence and affection too deep for words. Men will 
 come hither from the storm and stress of busy life, bent by 
 the burden-bearing and weary with the warfare of the 
 world, successful men, useful men, men whose names are 
 known to nations, who have served well their country and 
 their time, and they will stand about this grave and say : 
 " There lies the one to whom I owe my soul. He taught 
 
 35 
 
me what it is to be a scholar. He taught me what it is to be 
 a Christian. He taught me what it is to be a man." In 
 how many lives, enriched, ennobled by his influence, will 
 he live on. 
 
 Farewell, dear doctor, kind friend, true scholar, devoted 
 teacher, courteous gentleman, stainless Christian, farewell. 
 We will remember and we will follow, until in the cloud- 
 less morning of God's presence we see thy face again. 
 
[From the Utica Daily Press of July 28, 1899.] 
 
 By the death of Prof. A. G. Hopkins, Hamilton College loses 
 one of its best instructors and the village of Clinton one of its 
 most respected residents. A little while before the last com- 
 mencement he was stricken, and up to that time was regarded 
 as one of the most robust, rugged members of the faculty. In 
 his earlier days he was an athlete, and he retained his interest 
 in athletic sports. He walked more often than he rode up and 
 down the hill to his daily recitations, and was looked upon as a 
 person in the best of health. The whole community was not 
 less surprised than shocked to hear of his sudden and serious 
 illness. The attack was one of those unaccountable instances 
 which medical skill is able neither to foresee nor to fathom. 
 All that science could suggest was done for him, but it was 
 hoping against hope almost from the first. For some weeks 
 the end has been anticipated, though hundreds fondly hoped 
 it might be otherwise. 
 
 Prof. A. G. Hopkins was born amid scholastic surroundings 
 and was himself a scholar of no ordinary attainments. His 
 work as a student in Hamilton College was of such a high 
 order that he took second place in his class. He went thence 
 to the Auburn Theological Seminary, where he was graduated 
 with honor, and shortly after was offered the professorship of 
 Latin at Hamilton College. He accepted and in the fall of 
 1869 commenced his labors, which were continued till the 
 time of his death. He was a very careful, conscientious, and 
 painstaking instructor. He had that force of character which 
 commanded attention. The rollicking and fun-loving members 
 of more than one class tried their hand at what in college par- 
 lance is called " shaking up," but none ever succeeded, and 
 many regretted the undertaking. His relations with the under- 
 
 37 
 
graduates were always pleasant and affable. He was a very 
 approachable man, always ready to give a courteous hearing, 
 and as prompt with an answer which, when given, was decisive. 
 For a long time he served as Dean of the Faculty, and the right 
 man to take his place it will be very hard to find. His asso- 
 ciates among the instructors held him in high esteem, and 
 deferred to his opinions as to government and discipline in 
 a large degree. 
 
 The class of '70 was the first to leave the college after his 
 coming as an instructor, and that of '99 the last to leave. 
 During that time scores upon scores of young men have been 
 under his instruction, have gone in and out from his class 
 room, and enjoyed the good fortune of personal acquaintance 
 and friendship with him. His influence was always salutary 
 and his voice on the right side. He found time not only for 
 studious research along the lines of his particular depart- 
 ment, but also for sermonizing and for the preparation of 
 many articles for publication which proved permanent and 
 acceptable contributions to current literature. He frequently 
 preached in the college chapel, and his services were much in 
 demand in many pulpits and on numerous special occasions. 
 Had he elected to follow the calling of a clergyman, there is 
 every reason to believe that he would have been eminently 
 successful. The field he chose was equally useful, and in it 
 he made a record of which his family and friends may well be 
 proud. To a good many of the alumni when they return, the 
 old college will not seem quite the same without Professor Hop- 
 kins. A graceful expression of the confidence felt for him by 
 the Board of Trustees was that embodied in the degree of D.D. 
 conferred upon him at the last commencement. He was very 
 ill at the time, and it may be that he died without realizing how 
 much of honest regard and tender affection was embodied in 
 tins preferment. Professor Hopkins was in every sense a Chris- 
 tian gentleman, an upright citizen, and a splendid instructor. 
 The men who will mourn because he is dead are scattered all 
 
 38 
 
over this country, but so long as they live they will cherish of 
 him none but the kindest recollections. 
 
 Abel Grosvenor Hopkins was born at Avon Springs, N. Y., 
 December 5, 1844. He was a son of Prof. Samuel Miles Hop- 
 kins, who graduated from Auburn Theological Seminary in 1837. 
 His mother was Mary J. H. Heacock, a sister of Dr. Grosve- 
 nor W. Heacock, for thirty-two years pastor of the Lafayette 
 Street Presbyterian Church in Buffalo. She died at Auburn, 
 January 23, 1885. In 1847 Professor Hopkins' father was 
 called to the chair of Church History in Auburn Theological 
 Seminary. Here Abel Grosvenor Hopkins was surrounded by 
 daily influences most favorable to intellectual growth. His 
 preparation for college was completed in 1862 at Auburn High 
 School. The historic and festive exercises of the half-century 
 celebration gave peculiar interest and eclat to commencement 
 week at Hamilton College in 1862, and Mr. Hopkins was 
 there with all the warm enthusiasm of a new student to make 
 the acquaintance of his coming classmates and to gather life- 
 long inspiration for a scholarly career. Of the eleven in the 
 faculty at that time but two are now in the college, — Professor 
 North and Professor Oren Root. Mr. Hopkins graduated in 
 1866 with the Latin salutatory, and after three years of study 
 at Auburn Theological Seminary entered on the duties of stated 
 supply in the Presbyterian Church at Cortland. While con- 
 sidering the acceptance of a call to the pastorate of this church 
 he was offered a Latin professorship in Hamilton College, and 
 in September, 1869, began the work which he has since fol- 
 lowed and which has kept him in genial intimacy with the 
 records of Latin literature. Twice he visited Rome as a 
 student in archaeology, first in 1874 and again in 1891, during 
 the year of his study at the university at Leipzig. 
 
 Opportunities for preaching were not neglected by him. He 
 was ordained by the Presbytery April 16, 1874, was commis- 
 sioner to the Presbyterian Synod of New York in 1886 at its 
 
 39 
 
meeting in Elmira, moderator of the Presbytery of Utica in 1887, 
 and commissioner to the General Assembly at Philadelphia 
 in 1888. In 1887 he received the degree of Ph. D. from the Trus- 
 tees of Lafayette College. Hamilton gave him the degree of 
 D.D. in June, 1899. Dr. Hopkins was appointed Dean of the 
 Faculty of Hamilton College by the Trustees in June, 1891. 
 Professor Hopkins has given indications of some favorite lines 
 of research in his contributions to our periodical literature. His 
 carefully prepared papers on "The Reform in Pronouncing 
 Latin" and "Tiberius Resartus " were published in the Inter- 
 national Review, and " The Histories of Early Rome since Nie- 
 buhr " and ' ' The Preservation of the Latin Texts " in the New 
 Englander. Of a more popular character were his addresses be- 
 fore the Oneida Historical Society on i ' The Early Protestant 
 Missions to the Iroquois," and his historical address at the 
 centennial celebration in 1887 of the settlement of the town of 
 Kirkland. He also wrote a biographical sketch of Hon. O. S. 
 Williams in 1881, a sketch in memory of Theodore W. D wight, 
 LL.D., in 1893, and a book, u The Agricola and Germania of 
 Tacitus," in 1894. 
 
 Professor Hopkins has endeared himself to many hearts by 
 his touching, thoughtful sympathy in conducting funeral ser- 
 vices. On such occasions his tender response to the silent 
 appeal of a life released from mortal fetters might suggest 
 an addition to Solon's farewell to Croesus. It might be made 
 to read that no man should be pronounced happy until his 
 death and funeral had brought fitting memorials to an upright 
 life. Professor Hopkins has given well remembered examples 
 of this rare gift of his appropriate blending of narrative, anal- 
 ysis, sympathy, and comforting exhortation in his funeral 
 tributes to the memory of Dr. Charles Avery and Mrs. Avery, 
 Dr. Oren Root, President Samuel G. Brown, Prof. Norman J. 
 Wright, Dr. Benjamin W. Dwight, and his son, Dr. Francis 
 E. Dwight. ... In the class room, as an instructor, he was 
 very industrious and diligent. As Professor North once 
 
 40 
 
said, "He was worth two ordinary teachers." Professor 
 Hopkins was a well developed and all-around man. He 
 was fond of physical exercise, and in his younger days was 
 quite an athlete. In his college days he was catcher of the 
 college base-ball nine, and Sidney A. Sherman, '67, of Batavia, 
 avers that he was the first man who ever threw a curved ball. 
 He says in 1864 Hopkins could throw a curve as wide and as 
 true as the best players did thirty years later, and that if he 
 had followed ball playing as a pitcher he would have been 
 famous among the ball players of the world. 
 
 [From the Utica Morning Herald of July 28, 1899.] 
 
 Rev. Abel Grosvenor Hopkins, D.D., Professor of Latin in 
 Hamilton College, died at his home in Clinton yesterday. This 
 announcement will carry sadness to many hearts, for Professor 
 Hopkins' friends were all who knew him ; and those who knew 
 and loved him are scattered throughout the earth. For four years 
 he was a student in Hamilton College, and for thirty was therein 
 an instructor. The college mates, classmates, and students 
 with whom in these years he came into close contact learned 
 to know him as one of nature's noblemen. He was a genial 
 companion, a cordial co-worker, a manly man. He was a de- 
 voted husband and father. He was true as steel in every rela- 
 tion and walk of life. He was helpful to the student. He was 
 constant and enthusiastic in his duties, to the college, the 
 church, and society. His was a healthful mind, buoyant, 
 cheery, wholesome. Physically Professor Hopkins seemed as 
 strong as mentally he was known to be. Hence the surprise, 
 the shock, the sorrow, that at fifty-five he lives only in the fruits 
 of his labor and the affections of all who knew him in life ! 
 
 Not only the college that he loved so well and served so ably, 
 but the broader educational field, the church, and the commun- 
 ity at large suffer a loss in the death of Abel G. Hopkins that 
 will be deeply felt and sincerely mourned. 
 
 41 
 
From the first he was a popular pulpit orator. His style was 
 forcible, impressive, and convincing, and for the past twenty-five 
 years he had been in almost constant demand as a pulpit sup- 
 ply in all the prominent cities and villages in the State, not 
 only being called by his own denomination, but very frequently 
 by the other evangelical denominations. Dr. Hopkins was 
 united in marriage with Sophie Louisa, the youngest daughter 
 of the late Judge and Mrs. O. S. Williams, on July 25, 1872, 
 and has since resided at the Williams homestead, West Park 
 Row, in this village. Besides his widow and one daughter, Dr. 
 Hopkins is survived by his aged father, one sister, Mrs. Myron 
 Adams of Rochester, and three brothers: Rev. Stephen G. 
 Hopkins, '63 Hamilton College, of Auburn; Hon. Woolsey R. 
 Hopkins, '71 Hamilton College, attorney at law, Auburn; and 
 John H. Hopkins, '72, attorney at law, Rochester. Dr. Hop- 
 kins' death just in the prime of life is peculiarly sad in many 
 respects. Up to the day that disease seized upon him, he was 
 the embodiment to all outward appearance of a perfect physi- 
 cal development. During his college life and for years after- 
 ward, he was an athlete who had few superiors, and this is the 
 first year that he has not had some position in the commence- 
 ment ball game between the visiting alumni and the college 
 nine. His was a busy life. His college and pulpit work left 
 him but little time for rest and recreation. He was a constant 
 student and a great reader. His ambition was to keep his de- 
 partment of instruction abreast with the day and times. In 
 this he succeeded, and his class room at the college was one 
 toward which every student went with willing step. Busy as 
 Dr. Hopkins was, he still found time to take an active interest 
 in all the great moral questions of the day. He was partic- 
 ularly active in every movement to restrict and keep within the 
 bounds of the law the liquor traffic in town. He was naturally 
 a democrat in politics, but was independent enough to vote and 
 work for the best man, regardless of his political affiliation. 
 - . . The death of Dr. Hopkins is a public calamity. He was 
 
 42 
 
widely known as one of the college faculty upon whom all leaned, 
 and as a pulpit orator of great ability. He was a useful man 
 in all the walks of life. 
 
 [From the Rome Daily Sentinel of July 28, 1899.] 
 By the death of Professor Abel G. Hopkins, Hamilton College 
 suffers a loss which cannot be readily described. Professor 
 Hopkins was all of several things that go to make a man. He 
 was a well rounded scholar, a thorough gentleman, a man of 
 force and character ; he possessed a rare physical development, 
 enjoyed sports, and was the most companionable of companions. 
 Reared in an intellectual atmosphere and under intellectual in- 
 fluences, his scholarship was but the broadening of an innate 
 characteristic. Strict thoroughness marked all he did. He 
 always knew where he stood, and why. He commanded uni- 
 versal respect and esteem ; not one of the hundreds of college 
 students who studied under his direction ever the second time 
 thought it worth while questioning his authority. He possessed 
 the faculty of governing by mere force of personality, without 
 outside assistance. Every student liked him, honored him, and 
 counted it a pleasure to work in his department. By the Faculty 
 and the Trustees of the college he was held in equally high regard. 
 All respected his ability and all knew his remarkable capacity 
 for that sort of work which brings results. His habits of care- 
 ful, conscientious, painstaking industry made him an authority, 
 and what he said or did was looked upon as deeply based upon 
 logic and reason. He was an adviser whose counsel was sought 
 because of its recognized value, an instructor whose work was 
 described as equal to that of two men, a friend whose sincerity 
 never could come under a cloud of suspicion. Withal he was 
 modest, becomingly so. 
 
 Aside from his college work Professor Hopkins found time 
 for literary work. His writings on classical and religious sub- 
 jects were real additions to modern literature. His sermons 
 were scholarly, pointed, and convincing. Many a pulpit has 
 
 43 
 
been pleased to have him again and again as its occupant. 
 The death of such a man, coming at a time of life when all his 
 experience and acquirements of past years were at their best 
 and his usefulness was at its greatest, is a loss which Hamilton 
 College will feel keenly. Every friend of the institution will 
 mourn for her and also with her, for they all were friends and 
 admirers of Professor Hopkins. 
 
 . [From the Clinton Courier of August 2, 1899.] 
 
 Clinton and this entire community, together with the college 
 world and the Christian church, mourns the death of a good 
 man. Rev. Prof. A. G. Hopkins finished his earthly career 
 about three o'clock on Thursday afternoon last, July 27, 1899. 
 He died at the beautiful home of Mrs. O. S. Williams, where 
 he had resided since his marriage to Mrs. Williams' youngest 
 daughter in 1872. Death came upon him gradually and almost 
 painlessly. About two months ago he was stricken with a form 
 of paralysis which was thought to be writer's cramp, but which 
 soon developed into a more general form of paralysis, affecting 
 the brain and nerve centres, and which was beyond medical re- 
 lief, although the most eminent specialists were called in con- 
 sultation. He failed slowly but steadily, in spite of all that 
 could be done by devoted friends and faithful physicians. For 
 some time toward the closing days he was apparently but slightly 
 conscious of his surroundings, and the end came as a restful 
 falling asleep. 
 
 The deep sorrow of a devoted wife and daughter, an aged 
 father, brothers, and family friends, is shared in a sense by the 
 entire community, and by countless friends and admirers of 
 Dr. Hopkins scattered all over the country. Hamilton College 
 has lost an able instructor and a wise counsellor, whose place it 
 will be hard to fill. The pulpit has lost an exceptionally ear- 
 nest and convincing preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ as in- 
 terpreted by one who had received the reward of the pure in 
 heart. The village of his home has lost a faithful exemplar of 
 
 44 
 
Christian citizenship, and a man whom all classes and condi- 
 tions of men could admire and be glad to count as a friend. 
 He had a genial smile and a warm and sympathetic greeting 
 for all whom he met. In his home life he was especially gra- 
 cious, and those who met him there were impressed by his 
 kindly courtesy and consideration for those about him. He 
 was an ideal husband and father, the memory of whose tender 
 love and care will be fondly cherished. 
 
 As a citizen Professor Hopkins was interested and active in 
 all that concerned the good order and well-being of the com- 
 munity. This was abundantly demonstrated some years ago 
 when, as president of the Law and Order League of the town, 
 he labored earnestly with other good citizens to compel the ob- 
 servance of the excise law, and especially when, in the betrayal 
 of trusted advisers, the League was prevented from reaping the 
 full benefit of its successful crusade, and its members were com- 
 pelled to face litigation for an unconscionable sum for legal 
 services, and there was a general disposition manifested to dis- 
 claim connection with the movement or to compromise with 
 wrong, the firm stand taken by President Hopkins and a few 
 men of similar courage and wisdom succeeded in defeating the 
 unscrupulous scheme, and securing from the Court of Appeals a 
 unanimous decision in support of the League, and establishing 
 a valuable precedent for the guidance and protection of all sim- 
 ilar organizations for promoting the public good. The voice 
 and vote of Dr. Hopkins could always be counted in favor of 
 temperance and good citizenship, and his assistance was never 
 asked in vain for any worthy cause of morality or of charity. 
 
 Professor Hopkins had a summer cottage on the St. Law- 
 rence, near Alexandria Bay, and here he was accustomed to 
 spend his summer vacations with his family and their friends. 
 Here he became acquainted with many of the regular summer 
 sojourners on the river. All who met him were charmed with 
 
 45 
 
his character and personality. Writing from his summer home, 
 " Nobby Island," H. R. Heath, of Brooklyn, says of Professor 
 Hopkins : " He was * one of God's noblemen.' He visited us 
 in 1882, here at Nobby Island, and got the island inspiration. 
 Next year he bought and built a pretty summer home. He and 
 his family have since been the centre of Christian and literary 
 hospitality, loved by all, rich and poor alike ; and when the 
 news came of his death there were many tears that could not 
 be repressed. We all mourn his loss. To us the islands will 
 never seem the same, for Professor Hopkins and Dr. J. Gr. Hol- 
 land did more to give this resort a good reputation and make it 
 known, by the articles they wrote and allowed to be printed, 
 than all other persons who have come here during the twenty- 
 nine years that I have spent my summers here." 
 
 THE MEMORY OF DR. HOPKINS. 
 
 To the Editor of the Courier: 
 
 Dear Sir, — Whether or not it was expected that the village 
 folk should attend the services in the College Chapel for Pro- 
 fessor Hopkins, they surely with one heart and one voice would 
 have offered by their sympathetic presence their own tribute, 
 which the hour of the service yesterday utterly prohibited. We 
 all knew him to be almost the one man among us who maintained 
 a moral equipoise, so that, distinguished as he was in his own high 
 vocation, he still kept his place gladly among his neighbors, who 
 could not tread those uplands of knowledge so familiar to him. 
 We knew him to be a scholar, but we knew better that he was 
 also a citizen; and that his devotion to the common weal did 
 not take a merely spectacular and rhetorical form. We shall 
 never forget how he looked a few years ago, when one election 
 day he stood all day long on the sidewalk before the polling- 
 place, distributing ballots to voters, in the interest of public 
 morality. He was just as courageous and laborious in a good 
 cause upon town-meeting or charter-election day as he was to 
 defend the worth of poor young men in a small college like 
 
 46 
 
Hamilton against the assumptions and arrogance of Harvard's 
 president. 
 
 Let me, therefore, for the community of which I am a mem- 
 ber, make this grateful offering to his memory. He needs not 
 eulogy ; that is already imperishably written upon the hearts of 
 those who lived nearest to him. 
 
 Oliver Owen. 
 St. James Rectory, Clinton, 
 Oct. 11, 1899. 
 
 [From the Neiv York Evangelist of Aug. 17, 1899, by Rev. Charles W. 
 
 E. Chapin.] 
 
 Prof. A. G. Hopkins, for thirty years Professor of Latin Lan- 
 guage and Literature in Hamilton College, died at his home in 
 Clinton, N. Y., Thursday, July 27. The funeral service was 
 held at his late home the following Monday, and he was buried 
 in the College Cemetery on College Hill. It is very difficult for 
 Hamilton's sons of the last quarter of a century to realize this 
 announcement as true, for Professor Hopkins had such abun- 
 dance of life ; he has always seemed the type of perfect 
 manhood, physical, intellectual, and spiritual. An estimate of 
 his character must reach this conclusion : " The length and the 
 breadth and the height of it are equal." 
 
 To friends and students widely scattered come reminiscences 
 of particular traits and distinct elements in his character, show- 
 ing how symmetrical and complete his life was. One thinks of 
 the robust, vigorous figure, the responsive, alert eye, the vibrant, 
 confident voice, the quick, strong step, recalling the college 
 athlete back in the sixties who made triumphs in the field and 
 on the ball ground. Others have class-room memories, and 
 think of the pages of JDe Senectute and De Amicitia, made 
 luminous under his exposition ; of Horace and their first revela- 
 tion of the beauty of Latin poetry ; by such the professor's life 
 will be told. Some have listened to Professor Hopkins' pulpit 
 ministrations and remember the earnest messages backed by ail 
 the power of that true life which gave them utterance. Others 
 
 47 
 
think of him in social relations, the courtliness of manner, the 
 gracious thoughtfulness of others, the rare conversational 
 powers which were his. 
 
 This life so gifted had that power of reserve which is found 
 in lives of balance and symmetry. His associates and colleagues 
 who shared his hopes and aims and work, bear testimony to 
 that calm judicial mind and spirit which with keen insight 
 reached conclusions fair and just and counselled wisely and well. 
 It was no little tribute that the traditional epithet, " The manly 
 Hops," never became obsolete on College Hill. Many a young 
 man has received inspiration for time and eternity from him, 
 and many a one has been pointed by his life to the fountain of 
 strength " in quietness and in confidence." His life cannot be 
 measured by the years he lived. The words which he applied 
 some years ago to another are true of himself : ' c He being made 
 perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time, for his soul pleased 
 God." . . . 
 
 [From the New York Evangelist of Sept. 14, 1899. 
 From an article by Rev. R. S. Holmes, D.D.] 
 
 The Evangelist has followed us, and we learn that Dr. Abel 
 Grosvenor Hopkins is no longer one of us. We read the tribute 
 his friend paid him. It was just. You must tramp, and row, 
 and sail, and sing, and play with a man to know him. We 
 have done all these with Prof. A. G. Hopkins. In the summer 
 that he was elected Professor at Hamilton, five of us, and he 
 one, tramped from Auburn to the Thousand Islands. It was 
 on that tramp he received the news of his election. A hard- 
 looking, dust-stained party, we drew up one Saturday night 
 before the Hubbard House in Clayton, and sent him in to ask 
 reception. The landlord had seen us all ; but he did not hesi- 
 tate. Grove's face won. The Hubbard House took us in. 
 After access to our pre-forwarded baggage, after restoration to 
 civilized form, we asked Host Hubbard how he came to receive 
 such a party among his summer guests. His answer was a 
 
 43 
 
great tribute to our departed friend. Said he, " Do you think 
 I do not know a gentleman when I see one? " That was just 
 also. Grosvenor Hopkins was a Christian gentleman always. 
 We can say nothing greater. This to his memory, from one 
 who loved to call him friend ; and so farewell. 
 
 [From the Utica Daily Press of Sept 21, 1899.] 
 HAMILTON COLLEGE REOPENS. 
 
 After the brief devotional exercises Dr. Stryker said: " The 
 announcements are so many and must necessarily consume so 
 much time that it is not my purpose further to burden you. 
 But there is just a word which I feel I must say before we 
 separate to our various duties. Since last we assembled in 
 this room one whom many of you knew, and knowing loved, 
 has gone from our midst and his place here shall know him 
 no more. Abel Grosvenor Hopkins entered upon his work in 
 Hamilton College in the fall of 1869. It never fell to my lot to 
 be in his classes. I was a junior when he came. But through- 
 out these thirty years I have known him and looked up to him 
 with the utmost respect and affection. It was my privilege to 
 speak at his funeral services, and when we had laid him away 
 in his final resting-place on that bright hillside not three hun- 
 dred feet from those doors, I felt that we had lost a great part 
 of our strength. He was such a virile man, so strong in charac- 
 ter and yet so gentle and so lovable. He might truly be called 
 a perpendicular man, a duty man. He won all our hearts by 
 his devoutness. His thirty years of service in this college are 
 a record of conscientious striving. His work was well done 
 and will stand. " 
 
 Dr. Stryker's voice betrayed his deep feeling in the few words 
 he spoke concerning Dr. Hopkins, and the hush throughout the 
 room gave evidence that the student body feels keenly its great 
 loss. 
 
 The October issue of the Hamilton Literary Magazine, 
 was a Memorial number. The addresses of Dr. Stryker 
 4 49 
 
and Dr. Terrett were printed in full, together with several 
 Press notices. The editors write as follows : — 
 
 As we who have been here one, two, or three years take our 
 seats in chapel each morning, something seems to be wrong. 
 We miss a familiar figure, a strong, kindly face, rarely absent 
 from those morning gatherings. No one can ever usurp the 
 place of Dr. Hopkins in the memories and affections of those 
 who knew him. We cannot become reconciled to the change. 
 It does not seem right. This hath God wrought, and to Him 
 he loved so well we must leave the mystery. 
 
 [From the Hamilton Review of Nov. 1899.] 
 
 Abel Grosvenor Hopkins, Professor of Latin in Hamilton 
 College, a manly man, a beloved teacher, an unflinching Chris- 
 tian, passed away, July 27, after a lingering illness. Few, 
 indeed, of the men who knew him thought, as they separated 
 last June, that College Hill would know him no more, and to 
 every student of old Hamilton the news of his demise was a 
 personal affliction. He was a man in whom nature had harmo- 
 nized her choicest attributes ; a sturdy figure, rugged and sound, 
 a buoyant disposition, scorning pessimism and melancholy, a 
 world of sunshine and love was in his face and his geuial smile 
 was a feature of the curriculum. A Christian, not in profes- 
 sion or confession merely, but in every path of life, he was a 
 follower of the precepts of Jesus Christ as far as frail humanity 
 can be, and every man with whom he came in contact uncon- 
 sciously set him up as an example of godliness and sterling 
 manhood. Scholarship and sympathy are ofttimes incongruous. 
 Too frequently the intellect is cultivated at the expense of the 
 heart, and the pursuit of knowledge precludes that warming 
 cordiality and friendship so precious in the scholar. 
 
 Dr. Hopkins was a remarkable instance of intelligence and 
 sympathy united in one man. His personality was the life of 
 the recitation, and so imbued was he with enthusiasm for his 
 
 50 
 
subject that he truly seemed an old Roman interpreting Latin 
 life and literature. He was every man's friend, one to whom a 
 student could confide his doubts and troubles, sure of an almost 
 motherly solicitude and comfort. Kind, patient, helpful, ear- 
 nest, he lived a life which can stand a model, inspiring the 
 student with emulation, admiration, and esteem. 
 
 Stricken down in the vigor of robust manhood, when life 
 seemed happiest and best, with past secure and future golden 
 with promise, he endured with Christian fortitude his wearisome 
 illness, and died a man who, all felt, had lived the life his 
 Master approved. Old Hamilton loses a loyal son and a revered 
 professor whose place it will be impossible to fill, but the numer- 
 ous alumni who came in touch with him will remember dear old 
 u Hops," whose life was in his face and whose smile made col- 
 lege trials easier and existence happier. To-day he sleeps upon 
 the hillside he loved so well, in the arms of Alma Mater, whom 
 he so zealously served; another member of the noble little com- 
 pany who have fought the good fight and rest 'neath the shadows 
 of the college walls. 
 
 [From the Hamilton Life, Oct. 7, 1899.] 
 No news could more have shocked and saddened the students 
 of Hamilton College, the faculty, the alumni, the innumerable 
 friends who admired and adored him than the announcement of 
 the death of our beloved Professor of Latin, Dr. Grosvenor A. 
 Hopkins. 
 
 We had left him with every confidence in his ultimate re- 
 covery, with heartfelt prayers for the return of his health and 
 strength, fondly cherishing the hope to meet him again. But 
 fate decreed otherwise, and almost in the prime of his years, in 
 the waxing vigor of his powers, in the blessedness of a strong 
 body and a healthy mind, he was snatched away. 
 
 Dr. Hopkins was the Arnold of Hamilton College. He was 
 a fond admirer and devotee of athletic sports, and in his early 
 clays had attained renown, and laid the foundations of a splen- 
 
 51 
 
did and powerful physique by his devotion to this sphere of 
 legitimate college work. 
 
 He was a scholar, a lover of learning to the tips of his fingers. 
 He was saturated with culture. No teacher ever inspired in his 
 pupils greater enthusiasm in the love and pursuit of knowledge. 
 His culture, far from making him cold and distant, only ren- 
 dered him the more approachable, the more benign, the more 
 winning. His large and expansive sympathies were the expres- 
 sion of a sweet and loving soul, responsive to every touch of 
 suffering and distress. He was never brusque, icy, ill-tempered, 
 or impatient. Age had given him that stability of character 
 and learning, that moderation of judgment, which reminded one 
 strongly of those ancient Romans whose characters he greatly 
 admired, and whose virtues he possessed without any of their 
 sternness. The man so overshadowed the scholar that it is as 
 the former that he will live longest in the affections of student 
 and friend. To know him was to love him, and to love him 
 was better than a course in ethics. His influence was strongest 
 where character is most often weakest, on the moral side. With 
 the strength and virility of a man he combined the simplicity 
 and frankness of a child, and the gentleness, the sweetness, 
 the sympathy of a woman. He was always happy, open, opti- 
 mistic; always tolerant, indulgent, liberal, large-viewed, with 
 a mind never warped by prejudice, and a heart never seared by 
 bitterness or narrowness. He taught men tolerance by his own 
 example, and the impression of his personality was greater than 
 the expression of his principles. No man was ever more de- 
 votedly beloved ; no teacher more firmly and thoroughly engaged 
 the affections of his pupils, or has left a larger and more lasting 
 impression upon their characters and ambitions. 
 
 Future students of Hamilton will not know what potentialities 
 of college life they have lost in missing the influence of his 
 splendid personality, the sweetness of his smile, the charm of 
 his manners, the kindness, benignancy, and beauty of his char- 
 acter, the sympathy, the culture, the purity that lived in every 
 
 52 
 
word and look, and radiated from every inch of his being. They 
 are graved deep in the hearts, and speak loud in the lives of 
 those whom during thirty years he knew and taught. The 
 Hamilton undergraduate of to-clay will rise to manhood with 
 the ideal of his stainless life ever present to his eye, and with 
 the ambition to become as great and good as our departed friend. 
 Fortunate indeed the man who, emulating his virtues, shall 
 attain to his greatness, his nobility of character, his lofty, 
 patriotic citizenship, his heroic, matchless life. 
 
 53 
 
ACTION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 
 
 The Board of Trustees of Hamilton College, in session at 
 Utica, November 21, 1899, appointed Hon. Charles A. 
 Hawley, LL.D., to prepare a Memorial of the late Pro- 
 fessor A. G. Hopkins, to be entered upon the Records of 
 the Board. Mr. Hawley subsequently presented the fol- 
 lowing, which was adopted : — 
 
 Since the last meeting of this board, Professor Abel G-rosve- 
 nor Hopkins, D.D., having but lately received the deserved 
 honors of the college, has been taken from us by death ; and 
 we place upon our Records our deep sense of the great loss the 
 college has sustained, and our high appreciation of the value 
 of his long-continued devotion and service. For a period of 
 thirty years he has given himself, his time, his strength, his 
 culture, his learning, his life, to the diligent and conscientious 
 discharge of the duties of his Professorship, the Bates and 
 Benjamin Chair of Latin. To be a successful College Pro- 
 fessor and Instructor, to so conduct himself in his daily 
 intercourse with the student body as to win their respect and 
 confidence, and even their affection, and to retain such con- 
 fidence and affection in the administration of discipline in- 
 separable from the position of Dean of the College, require a 
 combination of rare qualities of both mind and heart. Dr. 
 Hopkins met this requirement in a remarkable degree. As his 
 associate in the Faculty, Dr. W. R. Terrett, in his Memorial 
 Address of October 10, so happily said, "His was a finely 
 balanced character, without eccentricities or exaggerations. 
 All who knew him were impressed by its marked symmetry, 
 its singular harmony of parts, its fine equilibrium of powers." 
 As a scholar, as a teacher, as a preacher, as a Christian, as 
 
 54 
 
a man, he was pre-eminent. He wore " the white flower of a 
 blameless life." 
 
 There is a great vacancy in the teaching force of Hamilton 
 College, which it will be no easy task to fill. With his afflicted 
 family we deeply mourn his departure. To them we extend 
 our warmest sympathies. " The memory of the just," the pure, 
 the good, the noble, " is blessed." That legacy is theirs and 
 ours, and we will not cease to cherish it with gratitude to 
 Him who has called His servant to a richer reward and 
 nobler service in heaven. 
 
 ACTION OF THE FACULTY. 
 
 At a meeting of the Faculty of Hamilton College held 
 October 26th, 1899, the following tribute to Dr. Hopkins 
 was adopted and voted spread upon the Faculty Records : 
 Abel Grosvenor Hopkins, in his fifty-fifth year, passed to his 
 rest on Thursday, July 27th, 1899. For about two months a 
 steadily advancing paralysis, which medical skill and the ten- 
 derest household care could not delay, had foreshadowed the 
 end. On the afternoon of the last day of July his form was 
 laid in the College Cemetery. 
 
 Exactly thirty years of service in the chair of Latin had 
 endeared this steadfast, painstaking, and true-hearted teacher 
 to all the younger generation of our graduates, and by them 
 all this loss will be felt as personal and peculiar. A man so 
 sturdy, so guileless, so kindly, so diligent, so competent, abso- 
 lutely so faithful to every charge, and so ready to every duty — 
 when shall we look upon his like again? The Christian pulpit 
 has lost a manly witness, the Church a good soldier of Jesus 
 Christ, the community a fearlessly upright citizen, the Faculty 
 a genial comrade and tireless bearer of burdens, the Students 
 an example of just and gentle manhood, the Chair an exact 
 and broad-minded scholar, the Class room a patient and careful 
 instructor, — all of us have lost a friend. He was the pride 
 
 55 
 
and ornament of the class of '66, and was its Salutatorian. He 
 graduated from Auburn Seminary in 1869. From Lafayette 
 College he received the degree of Ph.D. in 1887, and (tho' 
 never known to him) from Hamilton the Doctorate of Divinity 
 in 1899. 
 
 The College is immutably rich in the memories of the strong, 
 tender, and noble life, identified with all her hopes and toils for 
 now nigh to forty years. His dust lies toward the sunrise and 
 his soul is with Him with whom always he walked, " adorning 
 the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. " 
 
 ACTION OF THE PEESBYTERY OF UTICA. 
 
 [Minute adopted September 26, 1899.] 
 
 Whereas Rev. A. Grosvenor Hopkins, Ph.D., D.D., a mem- 
 ber of this presbytery since 1871, and for more than twenty- 
 five years Professor of Latin in Hamilton College, died at his 
 home in Clinton in his 55th year, on July 27th, 1899 ; and 
 
 Whereas he was a man of rare Christian character, of ripe 
 scholarship, and was a most successful teacher, and a strong, 
 faithful preacher of the gospel of Christ; 
 
 Resolved, That we hereby express and put on record our 
 appreciation of his character and life work, which have availed 
 for the advancement of many churches, and for the benefit of a 
 multitude of young men ; and 
 
 Resolved, That we extend to the family our sympathy with 
 them in their sudden and very great bereavement, and that we 
 commend them to the God of all consolation who will prove to 
 them his love and faithfulness. 
 
 iFrom professor lEtrtoartr ttfortf), ILlL.m., 
 of Hamilton GtoUtQt. 
 
 To have been associated for thirty years as a fellow-teacher 
 with Dr. Abel G. Hopkins means more than can be fully 
 
 56 
 
expressed in mere words. To lose such a genial comrade in 
 study and official action, such a ready companion in all 
 generous endeavor, such an uncomplaining bearer of heavy 
 burdens, such a rare example of what is best in Christian 
 character, is to feel that life has lost much of its every-day 
 inspiration, save as that may survive in cherished memories. 
 To call a man two-sided is sometimes a dispraise. To say 
 that one is many-sided may be the highest eulogy. This would 
 be true in the case of Professor Hopkins. Meet him on his 
 morning walk to the college chapel, and he was a merry com- 
 panion, with his bright jest and gay laugh. In the chapel he 
 was a reverent worshipper, with a voice sweet in song and 
 earnest in prayer. Meet him in the class room, and his stu- 
 dents basked with him in the sunshine of Roman life and 
 literature. Meet him in society, and all hearts were gladdened 
 by his cheery converse. Hear him in the pulpit, and it is as 
 if listening to another Thomas Arnold. Meet him in the 
 council of reform, and the boldest enemy of good order quails 
 before his righteous wrath. Meet him on his vacation outing, 
 and a stranger would say that his life must have been devoted 
 to fishing and yachting. Meet him in his quiet home, and all 
 the amenities of refined and gracious hospitality are yours to 
 enjoy. To say that such a man is many-sided is to make the 
 adjective expressive of what is best in character and achieve- 
 ment; it is to deepen our sorrow at what seems to mortal 
 vision an untimely death, and to quicken our sympathy with 
 the devoted memory that makes its daily pilgrimage to his 
 peaceful grave in the College Cemetery. 
 
 [Extract from a sermon preached in Amherst, Mass., by the Rev. C. W. 
 
 Hawley.] 
 
 . . . a man with whom but few of you were acquainted, though 
 well known and honored in Central New York, — Professor 
 Hopkins, of Hamilton College, whom to know was to love. He 
 was my neighbor and friend for years, a strong, vigorous man 
 
 57 
 
in the prime of life, noble in countenance, manly in spirit, 
 doing year after year the work of his college professorship 
 and implanting in many a ^oung man's mind high ideals of 
 character and life, a close thinker, a master in expression, a 
 trenchant preacher, a passionate lover of purity and truth, and 
 a courageous upholder of the same. The aim of his life has 
 been to be a faithful disciple of Christ, and lead others to a 
 knowledge of the high things won by thorough intellectual 
 culture and the higher things attained by faith. Such a life 
 robs death of its gloom and checks the wailings of grief. 
 There flow from it far down the years to come wholesome, life- 
 giving streams of influence, while the sainted soul enters into 
 the "joy unspeakable." 
 
 On Sunday, September 10th, 1899, the Rev. I. J. Van 
 Hee, pastor of the Reformed Church of the Thousand Isles, 
 closed his morning sermon on Heb. xii. 11 with the follow- 
 ing tribute to Dr. Hopkins : — 
 
 Now, where do we so often meet with these mysteries of 
 Providence as in the presence of death? How often have we 
 not felt that the bolt by which a friend or loved one was 
 stricken down might better have fallen on some one else ! And 
 often, in the very prime of life, those most loved by God and 
 man, those most useful to God and humanity, are suffered 
 to die. We cannot understand why this is so, but we know 
 that lie understands and it must be right. 
 
 To have to part with a man like the late Prof. A. G. Hopkins, 
 Dean of Hamilton College, in the midst of life, a man foremost 
 in the religious and educational world, in fact, a man who had 
 but to hear of a noble, worthy project, to enlist his heart and 
 hand in that cause, — to have to part with such a man is not 
 joyous, but grievous. And what fruits of righteousness such 
 an experience can cause us to bring forth, none can surmise, 
 except it be to stir us up to nobler, more divine purposes, 
 such as occupied his life. 
 
 58 
 
Wherever he was, in college or in the pulpit, at home or 
 abroad, his presence was felt — his influence remained. For 
 seventeen years he had been coming with his family to his 
 summer home here on the St. Lawrence River, and to many of his 
 neighbors and associates the seasons on the St. Lawrence will 
 never seem the same. I was acquainted with Professor Hop- 
 kins during one summer, and I never had a more interested 
 and inspiring listener than he. Neither he nor his wife ever 
 seemed like strangers to me. Having been young himself 
 and had much experience with young men, he entered into 
 my trials as a young pastor, with brotherly sympathy and 
 fatherly counsel. Would that I could have had the living 
 influence of his life longer. What he has been to this church, 
 you know, — how frequently he has ministered to this people 
 in the absence of the pastor or when your pulpit was vacant ; 
 and he did it as a service of love to God and to you. The 
 loss that we feel, having seen but glimpses of his life, and 
 had but touches of his character, is doubly felt by those who 
 knew him better. 
 
 And now that his neighbors on the islands wish to place 
 a memorial window in our little church, here on the banks 
 of the St. Lawrence, among the people whose welfare he 
 ever cherished, what an added inspiration it will afford us 
 to have his memory, along with the others who proved 
 themselves so worthy in the higher walks of earthly life, per- 
 petuated here. 
 
 They have fought the " good fight," they have "finished 
 their course," they have "kept the faith." And as we wor- 
 ship God in the presence of these memorials to our honored 
 dead, — Dr. Bethune, Dr. Holland, Elder Rockwell, Mrs. Corn- 
 wall, Mrs. Holland, and Dr. Hopkins, — they will continue to 
 speak to us and to influence our lives. " The memory of the 
 just is blessed." 
 
 59 
 
dBrtvatte farm 3Letttr& 
 
 From many letters of sympathy and appreciation a few ex- 
 tracts are here given. 
 
 [From Chancellor Upson, of Glens Falls, N. Y.] 
 
 I have just read in The Utica Herald the inexpressibly sad 
 announcement of the departure from this life of your noble 
 husband. What can I say that will comfort you under this 
 overwhelming sorrow? Nothing, words are vain. "Be still, 
 and know that I am God." " The Lord gave, and the Lord 
 hath taken away." " God is love." God's power, God's 
 knowledge is infinite; and His love is as infinite. He has 
 thought it all out from the beginning to the end. He knows 
 what is best for us, and He will do what is best. 
 
 Such words are vain, and yet they are true. Such a sorrow 
 gives them reality and force. . . . Your husband's death is 
 an overwhelming mystery to me. As I knew him, he never 
 ceased to grow. He has grown broader, more generous, more 
 liberal, as well as stronger and more practical, daily. That 
 God should take out of this life so much culture and 
 strength of mind and breadth of view and warmth of heart 
 shows that He means to use the culture, the strength, the 
 breadth, the warmth elsewhere. The better I knew your 
 husband, the more I loved him. As a student, a member of 
 the Faculty, a friend, with common tastes and sympathies, we 
 grew together. And this is not the end. We shall meet again 
 and worship together our dear Lord. . . . 
 
 [From the Rev. Oliver Owen, of Clinton, N. Y.] 
 
 ... I would like, with the deepest sympathy for you, to offer 
 my tribute to the rare worth of him whom you have lost. 
 
 60 
 
If the man were to be named who in my time easily stood 
 first in our village, that distinction would be more likely to fall 
 upon Dr. Hopkins than upon any other man. Identified with the 
 college that none loved better than he, he was still a Clintonian 
 and loved his village and sought for its welfare. I write from 
 a vivid recollection of his spontaneous sympathy with efforts to 
 sweeten and inspire our common social life with the love of the 
 highest which he felt. 
 
 I have lived seventeen years in Clinton, but to no one else, 
 outside of my own parochial family, have I the feeling so much 
 that he at least was not a stranger to me. 
 
 To us all he leaves the blessing of his name and memory. 
 The heritage is precious and a resource for years to come. 
 
 To you he leaves more, so much more ; for even your sorrow 
 will ever be the happiness of saying, Vixit. But he still lives. 
 Requiescat in pace et lux perpetua el luceat. 
 
 [From Professor George L. Raymond, of Princeton University.] 
 
 . . . Three years ago, we renewed acquaintance with the Pro- 
 fessor in three enjoyable days here in Princeton. I had learned 
 to esteem him as a boy, and it was not only interesting but 
 stimulating to notice how his well balanced, earnest, scholarly 
 traits had developed and ripened into the manhood that we had 
 all anticipated. To be brought face to face with the fact that 
 such a character, so trained by experience, and so fitted in 
 every way to be helpful to his kind, has been removed so early 
 in life, is a sad experience for any of us. . . . 
 
 (From Professor Arthur Jones, D.D., of Colgate University.] 
 
 . . . Professor Hopkins began his work in Hamilton College 
 with our class. He was liked from the very first, and to the very 
 last. That itself is a high tribute. I have never forgotten his 
 pleasant smile, his cordial greetings, his manly bearing. We 
 admired him for his attainments, his industry, and his down- 
 right genuineness of character. The passing years have only 
 
 61 
 
deepened niy admiration and affection for my old teacher. We 
 arc all poorer in your loss. May the Master whom he so con- 
 stantly followed, whose gospel he so loved to preach, be a 
 present help to his loved ones. 
 
 [From Geo. E. Dunham, Esq., of Utica, N. J.] 
 
 I have just finished an editorial article giving an all-inad- 
 equate estimate of your husband's character and career. Let 
 me in this letter say to you how wholly unable I am to express 
 my sorrow and sympathy to you and your daughter. It was 
 my good fortune to have been one of his pupils. Since then, as 
 one of the Trustees, I have been able to continue the friendship 
 there formed. He was a noble man and his life has been a use- 
 ful one. . . . 
 
 The college sustains a heavy blow ; there is a vacant place 
 that can never be quite filled. 
 
 [From Benjamin H. Sanborn, Esq., of Boston, Mass.] 
 
 On my return from the woods I am pained to learn of the death 
 of your husband, and our editor, Dr. Hopkins. He was re- 
 garded as one of the most scholarly men. on our list, and a suc- 
 cessful editor. I did not know him personally, but learned 
 to love him from the many good words I have heard from a for- 
 mer partner, and one of our agents who has often called upon 
 him. . . . 
 
 Permit me to express my deep sympathy for you and your 
 family in this supreme hour. 
 
 [From Thomas A. Abbott, Esq., of St. Paul, Minn.] 
 It is with the deepest sorrow that I have heard of your hus- 
 band's illness, and now of his death, and I beg you to count 
 me as one of that great company of mourners who deplore his 
 sudden and untimely end. 
 
 To me he was an ideal man in all that was highest and best, 
 whom it was an honor as well as a pleasure to know; and I had 
 
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hoped that he might be spared for many years of happiness and 
 usefulness. 
 
 It is very sad to know that his life has closed so early, when 
 apparently so much remained for him to do and gain. 
 
 [From Rev. Cabl W. Scovel, of St. Paul, Minn.] 
 
 Will you accept a little note expressing the sincere sympathy 
 of one who admired and loved your husband, — admired him 
 as the strong " Roman," as we college boys named him; loved 
 him for his genial, cheery way. 
 
 I am glad my last sight of him was just a day or two before 
 he was stricken, as he was going on the hill — the picture of 
 health. 
 
 He is stronger to-day. He has passed under his Arch of 
 Triumph, having trod the Appian Way of daily faithful service, 
 and has entered the city of the Caesar of Caesars, the Christ. 
 
 [ From Professor Francis Brown, D.D., of Union Seminary.] 
 
 I have but just heard of the grief that the last month has brought 
 to you and to so many with you. I do not even now know whether 
 the shock was as sudden for you as it was terrible. To me the 
 news came with absolute and startling suddenness. A life of 
 rare and exquisite symmetry has gone out of our sight. I have 
 not seen him often in recent years, but I have felt him. I re- 
 call how my father loved him and what reason he had, and how 
 the debt was increased when my father himself left us so sud- 
 denly, fourteen years ago. 
 
 [From Professor Francis M. Burdick, of Columbia College.] 
 
 ... I cannot appreciate yet that this strong and vigorous man 
 has fallen ; that this noble soul has left the earth forever. For 
 no one with whom I have been associated in college work have 
 I entertained a warmer affection or a higher regard than for 
 Professor Hopkins; and although we have seen but little of 
 each other for some years, I feel his untimely death as a keen 
 personal loss. 
 
 63 
 
[From B. Dwight Holbrook, Ph.D., of Sing Sing, N.Y.] 
 
 A good man has gone, but his gracious influence will long 
 abide, an inspiration and a benison to all who came under his 
 genial sway. 
 
 I knew Mr. Hopkins as a student his professor, and I never 
 knew him to be other than a perfect gentleman — strong and 
 courageous as a lion, considerate and sympathetic as a woman. 
 
 All the students I have ever met, and first and last 1 have 
 met a goodly number, have invariably expressed the highest 
 respect and gratitude when his name was mentioned. 
 
 The last time I saw him was when I called last February and 
 his look of vigorous, manly beauty has ever since dwelt in my 
 memory. . . . Personally I shall ever retain a sense of great 
 obligation to him for his big-hearted kindness to me. 
 
 [From a friend.] 
 
 . . . For ourselves too we feel that one of the pleasantest asso- 
 ciations with our summer home is now turned to sadness, though 
 we are thankful to have known your husband, to have enjoyed 
 some measure of his friendship. We can never forget his simple, 
 friendly ways, his invariable cordiality and courtesy, his gentle- 
 ness and kindness to everybody. . . . showed us what a noble 
 and tender heart he had. His mind we knew something about 
 from his preaching, and perhaps more from his conversation, 
 so that we honored him wholly and saw how he enriched every 
 circle into which he entered. 
 
 [From a friend.] 
 
 . . . With his splendid physique, wonderful muscular develop- 
 ment, poise of character, deliberation of manner, marked self- 
 control, and symmetry of mind and body, he was the last of all 
 our friends whom we should have associated with an early death. 
 Just in his prime, — the prime of his noble, generous manhood, 
 — with apparent vigor of mind and body that promised years 
 of usefulness and blessedness, his being taken from earth seems 
 
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a mystery that baffles all human reasoning. As in Phillips 
 Brooks's case, so in your husband's, — the world can ill afford 
 to give up such natures. Is it because they have ripened beyond 
 all need of the earth-life that God calls them home — their vic- 
 tory and triumph won ? 
 
 The following letters were written to Dr. Stryker, who 
 has kindly allowed their insertion here. 
 
 [From Rev. W. S. Nelson, of Tripoli, Syria.] 
 
 . . . The last mail brought papers announcing the death of 
 Professor Hopkins. His figure, his manly personality, remains 
 with me as one of the clearest and most valuable impressions 
 received by me in the one year I spent at Clinton. ... I have 
 never ceased to remember with gratitude the kind manner of 
 Professor Hopkins, and I always admired his wonderful ability 
 to control his classes, because of his admirable control of him- 
 self, and his commanding the thorough respect of all by his 
 thorough manliness. I am sorry the coming classes are not to 
 have his example and influence. 
 
 [From Professor Wm. H. Squijres, Leipzig, Germany.] 
 
 As another year of college work begins, my thoughts turn loyally 
 to the dear old College, but not without sadness. That noble 
 good man, friend and helper of all, Dr. Hopkins, will not answer 
 the call to duty this time. What a rare, sincere soul he was : 
 always approachable, sympathetic, and kind, — sensitive to 
 everything right and fair. He lived in perpetual sunshine and 
 lovingly shared his happiness with others. 
 
 He always impressed upon me the fact that he passed his 
 daily life in very intimate and loving communion with God. 
 From his pure and genuine soul went out influences to bless all 
 that came in contact with him. We will miss this generous 
 friend and brother, and something will remind us constantly 
 that he has gone. 
 
 5 65 
 
When I was student, Dr. Hopkins kindled within me deep 
 reverence for his ideal character and manhood. No teacher 
 ever appealed more earnestly to my sense of fairness and impar- 
 tiality. These early impressions have never been changed. 
 Nearer association as colleague led me to admire and love him. 
 
 May the dear old college find as noble a man and as genuine 
 and impartial a scholar to take up his holy work in class room 
 and in the world outside. 
 
 Dr. Hopkins was a master of many things. He had a broad 
 and an enlightened mind with a responsive conscience. The 
 narrow, self-destructive scholarship of the so-called specialist 
 never cramped and dimmed his open-visioned soul. He was 
 the noblest of scholars, — all soul, all appreciation, — truly an 
 all-sided man. He was a living teacher, because he taught 
 lessons by his every-day life that promised immediate returns 
 and afforded true benedictions to the responsive student. 
 
 Dr. Hopkins lives in the hearts and characters of his pupils. 
 Though gone, his work has not ceased. Such men are immor- 
 tal here, for they have first lived themselves and then have 
 taught others to live also. No nobler, no more lasting work 
 can be done than this. What a successful life he had ! How 
 valuable every bit of it ! 
 
 As student, as colleague, I offer loving tribute to his work, 
 his character, his memory, and the success that lives on after 
 him in the hearts and minds of his loyal pupils. We all loved 
 him, we mourn his sad death. 
 
 66 
 
Vivit vivetque semper atque etiam latius in 
 memoria hominum et sermone versabitur, 
 postquam ab oculis recessit. 
 
 Plin. Epp. II. 1. 11. 
 
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