But，whilehethusleftthegeneraleducationalfeaturestome，heuttered，duringoneofourconversations，wordswhichshowedthathehadarrivedatthetrueconceptionofauniversity。Heexpressedthehopethatintheproposedinstitutioneverystudentmightfindinstructioninwhateverstudyinterestedhim。Hencecamethelegendnowsurroundinghismedallionportraitupontheuniversityseal:``Iwouldfoundaninstitutionwhereanypersoncanfindinstructioninanystudy。’’
Theintroductionofthisnewbillintothelegislaturewasasignalforwar。Nearlyallthedenominationalcollegesgirdedthemselvesforthefray，andsenttheiragentstofightusatAlbany;theyalsostirredupthesecularpress，withoutdistinctionofparty，intheregionswheretheyweresituated，andthereligiousorgansoftheirvarioussectsinthegreatcities。
AtthecenterofthemovementagainstuswasthePeople’sCollege;ithadralliedinforceandwonoverthechairmanoftheeducationalcommitteeintheAssembly，sothatundervariouspretextshedelayedconsideringthebill。Worstofall，thereappearedagainstus，lateinthesession，aprofessorfromtheGeneseeCollege——amanofhighcharacterandgreatability;andhedidhisworkmostvigorously。Hebroughtthewholeforceofhissecttobearuponthelegislature，andinsistedthateveryothercollegeintheStatehadreceivedsomethingfromthepublicfunds，whilehishadreceivednone。
Asafirstresultcameaproposalfromsomeofhisassociatesthattwenty—fivethousanddollarsoftheland—grantfundbepaidtoGeneseeCollege;butthisthefriendsoftheCornellbillresisted，onthegroundthat，ifthefundwerebrokenintoinonecase，itwouldbeinothers。
ItwasnextproposedthatMr。Cornellshouldagreetogivetwenty—fivethousanddollarstoGeneseeCollegeonthepassageofthebill。ThisMr。Cornellutterlyrefused，sayingthatnotforthepassageofanybillwouldhemakeanyprivateofferorhaveanyprivateunderstanding;thateveryconditionmustbeputintothebill，whereallmencouldseeit;andthathewouldthenacceptorrejectitashemightthinkbest。Theresultwasthatouropponentsforcedintothebillaclauserequiringhimtogivetwenty—