Cornell University

 Professor Hiram Corson in his study

The study of English at Cornell came into its own with the arrival in 1870 of Hiram Corson (1828-1911), one of the more colorful figures of Cornell’s early history. Corson soon gained notoriety for his insistence that the only proper way to teach literature was by reading it aloud, with all the “vocal cultivation” at one’s command. Accordingly, Corson’s classes consisted mainly of his own recitations to an audience that, by varying accounts, was sometimes rapt and sometimes rowdy. [Cornell University English Department]

  

 Students and dog on a toboggan post-slide

  

 Swimming, Beebe Lake, 1920

  

 The first field day at the Sanctuary, May 7, 1915

  

Three women with Puzzle of Progress poster, October 1961