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[
LAFAYETTE
, Gilbert du Motier, marquis de]
Lettre autographe de John T. Kirkland, Président de Harvard, et document signé par
J. T. Kirkland (3)
Harvard College, 21 août 1824
EXEMPLAIRE DE LAFAYETTE : INVITATION DU PRÉSIDENT DE HARVARD JOINTE
À LA DÉCISION DE LA CORPORATION DE L’UNIVERSITÉ, SIGNÉE PAR LE
PRÉSIDENT, RECONNAISSANT AU GÉNÉRAL LE MÉRITE D’AVOIR APPORTÉ AUX
ÉTATS-UNIS : “THE BLESSING OF EDUCATION IN A LAND OF FREEDOM.”
LAFAYETTE’S COPY : INVITATION FROM THE DEAN OF HARVARD, ATTACHED
TO THE DECISION OF THE HARVARD CORPORATION SIGNED BY THE DEAN,
PRAISING THE GENERAL FOR BRINGING TO THE UNITED STATES “THE BLESSING
OF EDUCATION IN A LAND OF FREEDOM”
Lettre autographe à la troisième personne écrite par le Président de Harvard à Lafayette : “The
President of the University has the honor of transmitting to Genl Lafayette the official copy of the
Vote of the Corporation inviting him to Commencement, & begs leave to add to it the expression
of personal gratification in the duty” ; il lui demande s’il accepterait d’être à Harvard “by nine
oClock nearly”, adressant son compliment à Georges Washington Lafayette,
1 p. in-4, avec
l’adresse au verso (“Major Genl Lafayette”)
2. Document signé par John Thornton Kirkland, Président de Harvard : promulgation officielle et
certifiée, jointe à la lettre précédente, du vote par la “Corporation of Harvard” invitant Lafayette
au moment de la rentrée universitaire “the approaching commencement (...) and thereby favour
the University with his company on that occasion ; and thereby afford to the members of the
University, & to those, who are candidates for it’s honors, the opportunity of seeing & honoring
the distinguished patriot & Soldier, whose willing sacrifices & valuable services were devoted
to the cause, which has secured to the successful races of American youth the blessings of
education in a land of freedom ; & whose virtuous & glorious career holds forth to the rising
generation a bright example of the qualities, which ought to adorn those, who aspire to aid in the
councils, or maintain the rights & interests of a free people”, signé “John T. Kirkland President”,
1 p. in-4
3. [Imprimé ; texte latin].
Illustrissimo Gulielmo Eustis... Honoratissimo Marco Morton...
Caeterisque Universitatis Harvardianae Curatoribus... Johanni Thornton Kirkland praesidi...
exexercitationes hasce Juvenes in Artibus initiati...
, Cambridge, 25 août 1824,
4 pp. in-4
The unnamed author of this letter is John Thornton Kirkland (1770-1840), who
served as fifteenth President of Harvard from 1810 to 1828. A period seen as the
Augustan Age of Harvard during which its influence was felt throughout the nation
and could be said to have attained the pre-eminent reputation that it holds to this
day. Lafayette’s son, Georges Washington Lafayette, was a graduate of Harvard ;
while Lafayette had received an honorary degree during his earlier return visit of 1784.
Miss Quincy followed Lafayette to Harvard and records that : “He paid the strictest
attention to each of the speakers and whenever the tenor of an oration showed that
a complement was about to be paid to himself, he has a conscious apprehensive,
yet pleased expression of countenance which seemed to say, “now it is coming”’
(cf. Klamkin,
Return of Lafayette
, p. 34).
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