Class Gives Ovation As Morison Retires

For the 80-odd who packed Harvard 4 to hear historian Samuel Eliot Morison '08 deliver his final lecture yesterday, there were no farewell theatrics.

Instead, Morison wound up his History 160c in whirlwind style with a few comments on the American Revolution; that educated people cannot call it inevitable, and a note or two on history, that historical causes are never simple.

In a general coverage of the newly-born American nation he mentioned the quotation from Virgil that is on the Great Seal, and added one from the Eclogues that he thought especially appropriate: "A great cycle of centuries is born anew, and from heaven a new generation descends."

He closed by wishing the class luck on exams. In the applause that ensued, fellow historian Mason Hammond jumped to his feet to lead the standing ovation that escorted Morison out of the room. The former Rear Admiral paused only to accept the handshake of Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. '38, and then retired into Widener.