The Removalists, whose perspective was distorted by optimism for their projected university at Rochester, underestimated the recuperative powers of Madison. Professor Richardson, writing from Hamilton after the endowment drive had begun stated “I think the sober minded business men of this vicinity have scarcely any hope of the success of the effort to sustain an institution here,”
and added that he knew of no one who had much confidence except Professor Eaton. Professors Raymond, Conant, and A. C. Kendrick were already at work drawing up a “Plan of Instruction”
for the University of Rochester and its agents were making a special effort to collect sufficient funds to insure its opening in the fall. The Removalist professors strongly urged students at Madison to transfer to Rochester and many decided to do so. Professor Richardson doubted that five would be left in Hamilton to open the new academic year.
Many commencement-week visitors came to the village in August 1850, expecting the exercises to be the last on the campus. Professor Eaton recalled that “The anti-removalist alumni, to the surprise of both sides, came up in unusual numbers, with sad and heavy hearts, to attend the funeral of their cherished Alma Mater, and see her decently buried.”
At their meeting in the Baptist Church, John Newton Brown, Class of 1823, recalling her history and associations and acknowledging with unrestrained emotion his debt to the institution, turned the tide and inspired his listeners to rally to her support. Catching the spirit of the occasion, Orrin B. Judd, Class of 1841, offered a resolution, which was passed unanimously, that “The manifestations of this day remove all reasonable ground, if any such ground has ever existed, for representing our Alma Mater, the Madison University, as being in a hopeless decline.”
This demonstration of affection must have cheered Eaton, Spear, Hascall and the others who had fought removal so tirelessly.
During the past three years alumni had followed the course of events with interest and often with anxiety. Some, of course, favored removal but the prevailing sentiment seems to have been against it. One graduate asserted that the richest endowment an institution could have was the “affection of a numerous alumni.”
Such feelings closely identified with Hamilton could not be easily transferred to Rochester and any attempt to do so would have meant a loss of this intangible
