Therewasnoespecialtemptationtoactivityinthepoliticalcampaignofthatyear;fortheelectionofGeneralGrantwassure，andmymainmemoryoftheperiodisavisittoAuburntohearMr。Seward。
Ithadbeenhiswontformanyyears，whenhecamehometocasthisvote，tomeethisneighborsontheeveoftheelectionandgivehisviewsofthesituationandofitsresultantduties。Theseoccasionshadcometobeanticipatedwiththedeepestinterestbythewholeregionroundabout，andwhathadbegunasalittlegatheringofneighorshadnowbecomesuchanassemblythatthelargesthallintheplacewascrowdedwithvotersofallparties。
Butthisyearcameadisappointment。AlthoughthecontestwasbetweenGeneralGrant，——whoonvariousdecisivebattle—fieldshaddoneeverythingtosavetheadministrationofwhichMr。Sewardhadbeenaleadingmember，——andontheotherside，GovernorHoratioSeymour，whohaddoneallinhispowertowreckit，Mr。Sewarddevotedhisspeechtooptimisticgeneralities，hardlyalludingtothecandidates，andleavingthegeneralimpressionthatonesidewasjustasworthyofsupportastheother。
ThespeechwasanunfortunateendingofMr。Seward’scareer。Itwasnotsurprisingthatsomeofhisoldadmirersbitterlyresentedit，andaremarkbyMr。Cornellsometimeafterwardindicatedmuch。WewerearrangingtogetheraprogramfortheapproachingannualcommencementwhenIsuggestedforthemainaddressMr。
Seward。Mr。CornellhadbeenoneofMr。Seward’slifelongsupporters，buthereceivedthisproposalcoldly，pondereditforafewmomentssilently，andthensaiddryly，``Perhapsyouareright，butifyoucallhimyouwillshowtoourstudentsthedeadestmanthatain’tburiedintheStateofNewYork。’’So，tomyregret，waslostthelastchancetobringtheoldstatesmantoCornell。Ihavealwaysregrettedthisloss;hispresencewouldhavegivenatrueconsecrationtothenewinstitution。Acareerlikehisshouldnotbejudgedbyitslittledefectsandlapses，andthisIfeltevenmoredeeplyonreceiving，sometimeafterhisdeath，thefifthvolumeofhispublishedworks，whichwaslargelymadeupofhisdespatchesandotherpaperswrittenduringthewar。Whentheywerefirstpublishedinthenewspapers，Ioftenthoughtthemlongandwasimpatientattheiroptimism，butnow，whenIreadthemalltogether，sawinthemtheeffortsmadebytheheroicoldmantokeepthehandsofEuropeanpowersoffuswhilewewererestoringtheUnion，andnotedthedesperationwithwhichhefought，theencouragementwhichheinfusedintoourdiplomaticrepresentativesabroad，andhisstruggle，almostagainstfate，inthetimeofourreverses，Iwasfascinated。Thebookhadarrivedearlyintheevening，andnextmorningfoundmestillseatedinmylibrarychaircompletelyabsorbedinit。