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four hundred and fifty-five pupils, and the genius of the republic favouring competition rather than monopoly. The spirit of the enterprise and the methods being objectionable, the unwise effort proved abortive. With this matter McClellan was not engaged.
Nevertheless, a second school was subsequently formed, and that by McClellan. He formed it in accordance with the expectations of Shippen and Morgan, the founders of the parent school. Pupils clustered about this able alumnus of this school, and filled his office; for when he eyed a pupil, he locked his arm, grasped his hand, and instructed him. McClellan's zeal may be inferred from the following extract of one of his letters to a student of medicine, viz., “It will give me great pleasure to meet you among my small company of fine young fellows in the office where at least you can be happy if you do not improve. As to the terms, I'm on such terms with your excellent brother, that I shall be happy to have an opportunity of showing my good feelings towards him; and if you do not feel satisfied with that, why, we will wait until I get poor and you get rich before you do or say any thing further on the subject.”
In regard to generosity in the character of McClellan, I will add in digression the following short anecdote.
On one occasion, he visited one on whose eye he had recently operated. The case demanded subsequent rest in bed and darkness. He found her at the wash tub. To his rebuke, she replied, that her poverty forced her to disobey the doctor. He instantly walked her back to her bed and dark room, and putting the good prescription of a twenty dollar note in her hand, said:—“Now you don't have to disobey.”
A wealthy army officer, long afflicted with a difficult surgical complaint, on being completely cured and re-
