I esteem it an exceedingly great privilege, as well as a distinguished honor, to participate in these exercises in honor of the founder of this great institution of learn ing.

The name and fame of Ezra Cornell appeal to me with peculiar significance, because he was one of the creators of, and was long identified with, the great busi ness of telegraphy; and his name was a very familiar one to me in the early seventies, when I was a young telegrapher.

It is usual upon occasions of this character which mark the milestones in the life of an institution, a com munity or an individual, to deal largely in things of the past, to indulge in remarks of retrospective charac ter; but I am going to ask you to consider for a few moments a subject which I regard as of paramount pres ent interest, and which is destined to increase in import ance with startling rapidity.

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