three candidates, to accept, the Board in August, 1868, chose Professor Dodge. Eaton continued as President of the Seminary, a position he had held since its creation in 1861. In commenting on Dodge, one local observer described him as “one unexcitable, cool, and dispassionate, who could administer the required discipline of the school, with a determined hand.”
If Dr. Eaton had never taken the presidency of the University, his career would have been an unqualified success. He was a good teacher, popular with his students and well-regarded in the village and in the Baptist denomination. He liked human contacts and he and Mrs. Eaton dispensed generous hospitality at “Woodland Height,”
which was one of the most attractive spots on the Hill, set as it was among beeches and hemlocks. A cedar hedge, sweet briar on the walls, a lilac path, and a “Lovers’ lane”
of snowball bushes added to its charm. The Eatons entertained extensively, particularly at commencement, when visitors filled faculty and village homes, and their receptions at this season were gala occasions. In 1866 Mrs. Eaton prepared sponge cake and lemonade for a crowd of over 300 which gathered in the brilliantly lighted house and wandered about in the yard decorated with Chinese lanterns; the last guest departed at 2:00 a.m.
The University profited from the social leadership which the President and his wife provided. Its distinguished visitors were assured a warm welcome at their home and callow students, whether they came to court the attractive Eaton daughters or on more serious business, found an environment which taught them manners and poise. The University also profited from the cordial town and gown relations which the Eatons fostered as they moved in village society. The citizens remembered gratefully that the President and Professor Spear had been the two most stalwart defenders of the Hamilton location in the Removal Controversy.
With the inauguration of President Dodge in 1868, old memories had dimmed. When he had come to the campus fifteen years before, the University was already well on the way to recovering from the effects of the troublesome ’40’s. Soon a highly valued member of the faculty, Dodge had quietly built a reputation for original teaching but it was the Presidency, especially after 1869, however, which was to disclose his full stature. Eaton, alone of his colleagues, had publicly opposed the appointment on the ground that Dodge lacked administrative
