Itsgoodresultstotheuniversityhavebeenacknowledgedbyallwhohavewatcheditsprogress。Farmers’
boys，——slouchy，careless，notaccustomedtoobeyanywordofcommand;cityboys，sometimespampered，oftenwayward，havethusbeeninashorttimetransformed:theystanderect;theylooktheworldsquarelyintheface;theintensityoftheirAmericanindividualismishappilymodified;theycantakethewordofcommandandtheycangiveit。IdoubtwhetheranyfeatureofinstructionatCornellUniversityhasproducedmoreexcellentresultsuponCHARACTERthanthetrainingthusgiven。Andthisisnotall。TheeffectontheStatehasbeenvaluable。IthasalreadybeenfeltintheorganizationandmaintenanceoftheStatemilitia;andduringthewarwithSpain，Cornellians，trainedintheuniversitybattalion，renderednobleservice。
Amongthematterswhichourboardoftrusteesandfacultyhadtodecideuponatanearlydaywastheconferringofdegrees。Ithadbecome，andindeedhasremainedinmanyofourcollegesdowntothepresentday，anabuse，andacomicalabuse。Almostmorethananyotherthing，ittendstolowerrespectformanyAmericancollegesanduniversitiesamongthinkingmen。Theolderandstrongeruniversitiesarefreefromit;butmanyofthenewerones，especiallyvariouslittlesectariancolleges，someofthemcallingthemselves``universities，’’
haveabusedandareabusingbeyondmeasuretheirprivilegeofconferringdegrees。Everyoneknowsindividualsinthecommunitywhosedegrees，sofarfromadorningthem，reallyrenderthemridiculous;andeveryoneknowscollegesand``universities’’maderidiculousbytheconferringofsuchpretendedhonors。
AttheoutsetIproposedtoourtrusteesthatCornellUniversityshouldconfernohonorarydegreesofanysort，andalawwaspassedtothateffect。Thiswasobservedfaithfullyduringmyentirepresidency;thenthepolicywastemporarilychanged，andtwohonorarydoctorateswereconferred;butthiswasimmediatelyfollowedbyarenewaloftheoldlaw，andCornellhasconferrednohonorarydegreessince。