A leading lawyer of Cleveland, Ohio, Hon. J. H. Rhodes, referring to his connection with the school, at the time James was studying and teaching, in a public assembly, said:

“I remember a circumstance that had much to do with my remaining at Hiram. I was little home-sick and one day I went into the large hall of the college building, and the tall, muscular, tow-headed man in charge there, who was teaching algebra, came up to me, and, seeing a cloud over my face, threw his arms about me in an ardent way. Immediately the home-sickness disappeared. The tow-headed man has not so much hair to-day as he had then. Hard knocks in public life have uprooted a heap of his hair.”

“Going to Bethany College, I suppose?” remarked the principal to him. That was the college established by Alexander Campbell, founder of the sect called Disciples.

“I had intended to go there until recently,” James answered.

“What has changed your purpose? That college is of our denomination, you know.”

“Yes, I know; but I have been thinking that it might be better for me to enlarge my observation by going beyond our sect.”

“That may be; you want more room, do you?”

I know the Disciples’ Church pretty well. Perhaps I had better know something outside of it. It seems narrow to me to tie myself down to the limits of my own denomination. Besides, will it not be of real value to me to connect myself with a New England college?”

“Perhaps so; I agree with you in the main; too contracted a sphere will not be well for you. That idea is well worth considering. You will be qualified to enter college two years in advance; at least, you can enter some colleges two years in advance. What college have you in mind?”

“I have not decided upon any particular one yet. I am going to write to Yale College, Williams College, and Brown University, stating the ground I have been over, and inquiring whether I can enter Junior, learning the expense, and other things.”

“That is a good plan. Then you will know definitely where to go, and you can prepare accordingly.”

James did write to the presidents of Yale College, New Haven, Ct., Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., and to the president of Brown University, Providence, R. I., also; and each one of the presidents replied to his inquiries. The substance of the answers, together with his decision, may be learned from a letter James wrote to a friend one week before he started for college, as follows:—

“There are three reasons why I have decided not to go to Bethany: First, the course of study is not so extensive or thorough as in eastern colleges; second, Bethany leans too heavily toward slavery; third, I am the son of Disciple parents, and one myself, and have had but little acquaintance with people of other views, and having always lived in the west, I think it will make me more liberal, both in my religious and general views and sentiments, to go into a new circle, where I shall be under new influences. These considerations led me to conclude to go to some New England college. I therefore wrote to the presidents of Brown University, Yale, and Williams, setting forth the amount of study I had done, and asking how long it would take me to finish their course.

“Their answers are now before me. All tell me I can graduate in two years. They are all brief, business notes, but President Hopkins concludes with this sentence: ‘If you come here, we shall be glad to do what we can for you.’ Other things being so nearly equal, this sentence, which seems to be a kind of friendly grasp of the hand, has settled the question for me. I shall start for Williams next week.”