The life of Alice Freeman Palmer . forthe next eight years, was opened in 1875 by HenryFowle Durant. He had graduated at Harvard Col-lege in 1841, entered the law in Boston, and soonwon eminence and a fortune by his masterly conductof difficult cases in the courts. Slight in stature andimperious in will, he took pleasure in contest andeasily made strong friends and strong was about him great personal charm. He hadread much, had an excellent library, wrote withrefinement in prose and verse, and was somethingof a connoisseur in the arts. Near the close of hisbrilliant and contentio
The life of Alice Freeman Palmer . forthe next eight years, was opened in 1875 by HenryFowle Durant. He had graduated at Harvard Col-lege in 1841, entered the law in Boston, and soonwon eminence and a fortune by his masterly conductof difficult cases in the courts. Slight in stature andimperious in will, he took pleasure in contest andeasily made strong friends and strong was about him great personal charm. He hadread much, had an excellent library, wrote withrefinement in prose and verse, and was somethingof a connoisseur in the arts. Near the close of hisbrilliant and contentious life he lost a son of remark-able promise. The shock turned his attention toreligious matters. Into these he threw himself withhis customary ardor, retiring from the law. To ridhimself of self-seeking and to make his property andhis remaining years a benefit to his fellow men becamehis passion. These purposes were warmly secondedby his wife. It was their belief that a communitycould be helped most by education, and they deter-. o O w h4 O OSOS TEACHING AT WELLESLEY 91 mined to express their affection for their son by-founding a college. On examining the provision foreducation already made in our Eastern States, theyconcluded that women were in greater need than had just been opened and was the only con-siderable college for girls, though of colleges fromwhich women were excluded New England had morethan a dozen. By enlarging the opportunities forwomen Mr. and Mrs. Durant thought they couldbest accomplish their generous purpose. Their homewas at Wellesley, fifteen miles west of Boston, wherethev had an estate of more than three hundred acres,made up of plains, hills, woods, and the shores ofLake Waban. This they now deeded to trustees asthe site of the new college, — Mr. Durant directing,however, that neither it nor any of its buildingsshould be called by his name, nor should, any portraitof himself be hung within its walls. It will be seen that there was religio
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