Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: August 1, 1859

Fine day. Annoyed by being forced to decline several applications for money. My experience leads me to know that the greater part of those who apply for loans or for gifts of money either live more expensively than their means warrant or they are unwilling to fix themselves down to one pursuit. If we should undertake to criticise cases, there would be found very few where hardship does not follow bad management and where relief can be anything but temporary.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 162

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: December 11, 1859

Rainy. No beggars. Quiet day but busy in counting-room.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 162

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: December 12, 1859

Fine day. Beggars plenty.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 162

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: April 27, 1861

The President and exPresidents of Harvard College met at Whipple's by my request, to be photographed together for the college library. Messrs. Quincy, Everett, Sparks, Walker, and Felton. We waited for Mr. Everett, who had forgotten his appointment, and had a great deal of talk. Mr. Quincy was very bright and earnest. He told me he had enjoyed his life since he was seventy-four more than any previous part of it. He is now about ninety.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 161

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: January 21, 1859

Evening to James Lawrence's. Meeting of forty gentlemen about a building for Agassiz collection. Mr. Gray has given $50,000 for increasing and supporting the collection already made. Ex-Governor Clifford in the chair. Those who made remarks were Dr. Walker, Governor Banks, ex-Governor Washburn, E. R. Hoar, Mr. George Ticknor, Dr. Gould, Dr. Jacob Bigelow, and myself. But Agassiz made the speech of the evening, very modest and characteristic; all for the science, nothing for himself. Dr. Bigelow introduced a vote and called the collection the “Agassiz Museum,” etc., but Agassiz interrupted him and declined decidedly. “Personalities,” said he, “must be banished from science.”

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 159-60

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: Wednesday, January 26, 1859

Company to dinner at four. Agassiz, George Ticknor, Professor Felton, Rev. Dr. Huntington, Charles Hale (Speaker of House of Representatives), Lord Radstock, ex - Governor Washburn, and some gentlemen from the legislature whom I wished to become acquainted with Mr. Agassiz. They all seemed to have an agreeable visit, and I hope it will help along the project of establishing the Museum of Zoëlogy at Cambridge. Lord Radstock is a young man, travelling with his wife.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 160

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: Wednesday, February 15, 1859

Subscribed $1,000 to Agassiz's museum in Cambridge. The committee now have $40,000 subscribed, and expect more.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 160

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: April 9 , 1859

President Walker came to see about the Sanders donation. Before he left Mr. Agassiz came to get some money in advance and at the same time Governor Gardner came about something else.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 160-61

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: May 5 , 1859

Meeting at my Court Street office of the committee appointed to be the faculty of the Agassiz Museum: President Walker, Dr. Jacob Bigelow, Dr. O. W. Holmes, and Mr. Agassiz. The latter is so progressive that it requires all the tact of Dr. Walker and Dr. Bigelow to keep him in check.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 161

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: January 21, 1858

Over to Cambridge by arrangement with President Walker. Found him at breakfast (eight o'clock), rode round to the unfinished Appleton Chapel, where he soon met me and took me inside. There is no wood-work yet: nothing but the bare stone walls. He described to me the proposed arrangement of the interior, which I remarked as quite like an Episcopal church. He replied: “There is such a thing as church architecture; and as long as we have undertaken to build a church we may as well have a real one. It shall not belong to any sect. Here all sects must unite.”

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 157-8

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: June 12, 1858

Professor Agassiz came to see me about his additional salary. He says he wishes to create the most complete collection of natural history in the world; so that it shall command students not only from all parts of this country, but from Europe. I said to him, “We shall draw students if we have the right man,” pointing to him. “Yes,” he added, “the man may draw students, but he cannot teach forever. He must go; and then if you have not some other inducement, the students will go. It is such a collection of objects as I will make which will perpetuate the school.” He is a frank, hearty-looking man.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 158

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: November 17, 1858

President Walker, Chief Justice Shaw, Judge G. T. Bigelow, Rev. Dr. Putnam, Professors Agassiz and Longfellow, Messrs. David Sears, W. Appleton, E. Rockwood Hoar, Jared Sparks, and J. A. Lowell dined here at four o'clock. They had an agreeable meeting. Chief Justice Shaw took Mrs. Lawrence in to dinner, though I asked Dr. Walker to do so; the former (who is seventy-eight) being more active than Dr. Walker, who is lame. The dinner was cooked by our own cook, Marion, and they all were cheerful and even gay; nor did they leave the dining-room until they went away. Mr. Agassiz sat next to me and talked all the time. I asked him whether some anecdotes about him in the newspapers to-day were true, but he had not seen them. Then I repeated one about his replying to a person who offered him a large sum for some lectures, “that he was too busy to waste his time in making money;” and this he pronounced to be true.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 158-9

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: August 29, 1860

President Felton came after his return from Canada. He speaks well of the Prince of Wales; says he should think he might rank number twenty in a class of eighty if he should study for it; thinks he has been well trained.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 155-6

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: October 8, 1860

Two thousand citizens with torches and bands of music assembled from Boston and the neighboring towns and made me a visit in the evening. I stood in the doorway and received their salutes with my wife and children. I hope that the members of my family will not think more of this kind of applause than it is worth.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 156

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: October 26, 1860

A panic at the South about Lincoln's election. There is no cause for alarm from Mr. Lincoln, even if he had not against him both houses of Congress. The effort at the South for secession may produce anxiety, and they will not cease immediately after the election, if Lincoln should be chosen.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 156

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: November 7, 1860

Lincoln chosen president by immense majorities in almost all the free States. Breckinridge comes next in electoral votes; then Bell, and Douglas last. Andrew chosen governor of Massachusetts by an immense majority.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 156

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: November 29, 1860

Thanksgiving. Received notice to meet a town committee on Bradley's Hill, about buying it. Then went to church. Afterwards to see Henry Upham, who is unwell. The children went to James Amory's in the evening. The reminiscences grow too numerous to make such days cheerful ones, except as we should be cheerful in approaching the end of our journey.

God bless my dear ones, and give them all grace to serve Thee all their days. Grant that we may all meet, when this life is over, in heaven.

God bless my distracted country. Turn the hearts of the people toward each other again. Save us from disunion, and save us from shedding fraternal blood.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 156-7

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: July 18, 1860

Commencement. At Cambridge at 8 in president's room. Corporation there. We tried on the President's new cap. At ten we went to the library. Soon the Governor came with his aids, the overseers, etc.; also Mr. Douglas, United States Senator. Procession moved to church with a band of music. On the platform were Messrs. Sumner, Wilson, Banks, Douglas, all men of mark. My class mustered sixteen; twenty-five years out of college. Met in a room near the church; pleasing but sad remembrances.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 154

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: July 19, 1860

Inauguration of president at Cambridge. Heavy rain in morning. Went to Cambridge in the saddle; got to Boston from there at half past nine, wet through. Home at two and changed dress, then to Cambridge again. Went up in the pulpit where Mr. Felton was delivering his address with great earnestness. The Governor and all the dignitaries of church and state, including ex-Presidents Everett, Quincy, and Sparks. Mr. Quincy is quite feeble. I spoke to him afterwards and asked him if he was going to dinner with us, and he said “No,” he was too feeble. I fear the old gentleman has taken part for the last time in the celebration of his Alma Mater.

After the exercises in the church, we had the grand dinner in Harvard Hall; Henry Lee with his twenty marshals managing everything. I sat at the official table, next to Dr. Walton, the oldest graduate after Mr. Quincy; he is nearly ninety years old. Governor Banks spoke exceedingly well; so did Rev. Dr. Osgood. After satisfying my appetite, I went down and sat with my class.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 154-5

Diary of to Amos A. Lawrence: August 14, 1860

Up at five. Exercise with dumb-bells and in other ways. In afternoon went with Sarah and the two boys to Marion near Wareham, about two hours on the Old Colony Railroad. Found a good hotel. In the evening I danced a hornpipe with Judge Joel Parker, very much to the amusement of my good wife.

SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence: With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 155