fytmll Uttirmitg J Sitotg BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND ' THE GIFT OF 1891 ...kMiS'^.. Ml^lJlQ Cornell University Library arV14435 Commencement Darts : 3 1924 031 386 505 olin,anx The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/cletails/cu31924031386505 COMMENCEMENT PARTS VALEDICTORIES, SALUTATORIES ORATIONS, ESSAYS, CLASS POEMS IVY ORATIONS, TOASTS A /so Original Speeches and Addresses for the National Holidays and other occasions COMPILED BY HARRY CASSELL DAVIS, A.M., Ph.D. Compiler of Three-Minuie Declamations for College Men ; and T&ree-Minuia Heading's for College Girls COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY HINDS & NOBLE HINDS & NOBLE, Publishers 4_5_i3_i4 Cooper Institute, New York City Schoolbooks of all' publishers at one store K Of Interest To (You We have a more thoroughly per- fected system and better facilides for furnishing promptly books of all pub- lishers than any other house in the country. Our business is divided into de- partments, each under a superintend- ent, so that every detail is carefully looked after. We deal only in School and College books, of which we carry an immense stock. We are able to supply at re- duced prices any schoolbook published. We issue a complete catalogue of these books, with a classified index. Send for one. " HINDS & NOBLE 4-5-13-14 Cooper Institute^ New York Ctf PREFACE. Several objects have been, kept in mind in the preparation of this book : (i) to preserve in a permanent form the in- teresting records of the commencement season, so that the student who may have been given such duty to perform himself may have the work of others in the same line before him. What has been done on special occasions is of value to him who is called to serve on a similar occasion in a like capacity : not for slavish imi- tation, but to note how minds dwelling upon the same thoughts have expressed their con- clusions. 1 (2) to give suggestive help in the prepara. tion of the various . parts by discussing their purpose, method of arrangement, and effective use, m iv PREFACE. (3) to give a large number of subjects by which the student will be materially aided in that preliminary and difficult task, the choice of a subject. (4) to give a more or less complete picture of the college world of letters by adding ora- tions, addresses, poems and other literary mat- ter delivered by college men on many interest- ing occasions, such as the banquet, the class reunion, the inauguration of a president, the Memorial Day, the Phi Beta Kappa anniver- sary, and at the many other times when the college man because of his training and expe- rience is called upon to act in a public ca- pacity. (5) to promote interest in the mother- tongue by giving specimens of essays and compositions which have won prizes at school and college, which selections students may strive to emulate and even improve upon. It is hoped that the suggestions offered in the different divisions of the book will be valuable. (6) to stimulate careful preparation of all public utterance by giving model addresses PREFACE. V which have stood the test of practical use on varied occasions. It is believed that this book will be helpful and encouraging to the student, and of distinc- tive value to the busy man of affairs. Although for many reasons the names of the authors of the selections are not given, yet their courtesy, kindly interest and valuable assistance will be ever gratefully remembered by the author. Wilkes-Barre, Pa, Nov. 1898. CONTENTS. Introduction The Orator and the Oration: 1. The Orator 2. The Oration 3. The Parts of the Oration . . . . Commencement Parts : 1 . Latin Salutatory : De Nostro Cum Aliis Civitatibus Agendi Modo 2. Orations .... a. American Ideals . b. Culture and Service' . c. Education as Related to Civic Pros- perity d. Hebraism and Culture e. Marc Antony f. Modern Knighthood . g. The Negro and the South h. The Decisive Battle of the Rebellion i. The University and True Patriotism j. The Discipline of Life and Character k. The Liberalistic Temper /. The Reverence Due from the Old to the Young m. The Spirit that should Animate «, Treason of Benedict Arnold vii rAGB I 6 7 9 10 13 13 18 29 37 43 SO SI 62 67 71 76 85 94 105 CONTENTS. * Commencement Parts {continued): PAGE 3- Appropriate Subjects for the Oration . IIO 4- Valedictories .... ii6 a. " Perduret atque Valeat." (Latin) ii6 b. Service .... 119 c. For a Dental College . 121 d. For a College 127 e. For a. School 134 _/; For a College Commencement 136 ^. Good Day .... 141 h. Liberalism .... I4S S- Mixed Valedictory and Oration : Catholicity ISO Class Day Exercises: I. Introduction 161 2. Class Poems .... a. Years, you have Va:nishec 1 . 164 164 b. The Breath of the Spir it . 171 c. Home .... 180 d. A Vision . . . i8s e. Alma Mater 187 3- A President's Address 190 4- Salutatory .... • 199 S- Dux's Speech . 201 6. Ivy Oration . 209 7. Class Song . 214 8. Ivy Oration 21S 9- Class Will . . 219 lo. Ivy Oration 225 II. Ivy Poem . 231 12. Ivy Song . •233 13- Class Oration : T he Old anc lNe\ V 234 CONTENTS. Class Day Exercises {continued): 14. Washington's Birthday Oration . 15. Presentation Oration . 16. Class Oration: Abraham Lincoln 17. Class Mottoes .... 241 248 251 2S9 The Composition and Essay : I. Introductory Suggestions' 261 267 268 268 a. Model Outline of Composition . b. Model Outline of Essay c. Brief Essay . . . . Compositions . . . . . . 271 . 271 ■ 274 . 276 . 280 a. Autumn .... b. What Makes the Sky Blue? c. The Beauties of Nature d. Winter Leaves . . . Essays ....... Beatrice. (Character Study) Independent Character. (Descriptive) Ruskin's " Ethics of the Dust." (Criti- cal) Edward Rowland Sill. (Literary) Intellectual Improvement, an Aid to Works of the Imagination. (Philo- sophical Disputation) . The Survival of tlie Fittest in Litera- ture. (Literary Discussion) . "Una." (Analytical) . . . . Thomas Chatterton. (Prize College Essay) Kipling's Religion. (Literary) . The Reaction against the Classics. (Colloquy) ... ... a. b. c. d. e. /• h. J- 283 283 290 291 309 316 321 326 332 339 348 CONTENTS. The Composition and Essay (continued): p^oa k. Memory's Message. (Dedicatory) . 354 /. Manual Training and Intellectual De- velopment. (Normal School Prize Essay) 364 m. True Nobility. (A College Prize Essay) 371 4. Subjects for Composition . . . .377 a. Narrative 377 b. Descriptive 379 5 Themes for Essays 381 After-Dinner Speaking: 1. Introductory Suggestions .... 384 2. An Address of Welcome at an Alumni Dinner. (In Honor of the College President) 386 3. Response to a Toast, "Yale and Prince- ton" 390 J 4. Response to a Toast, "The Puritan and the Dutchman "..... 392 5. Response to a Toast, " The Plain People " . 398 6. Response to a Toast, " Woman " . . 401 7. Response to a Toast, "A Business Man's Political Obligations " . . . . 408 8. Response to a Toast, " The Sovereignty of the United States " . . . .411 9. Response to a Toast, " Recollection, the Strongest Influence " . . . . 416 10. Response to a Toast, " The Future of the Nation" 419 11. An After-Dinner Story .... 421 13. A List of Toasts 423 CONTENTS. Flag Day: pagb 1. Introduction 427 2. Recitation for a Boy or Girl : The Flag . 428 3. Recitation : Our Country .... 429 4. Recitation: The Stars and Stripes . . 430 5. Address: Old Glory 431 6. Address : The Voice of the Flag . . 436 Words of the National Airs: 1. Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean . . 438 2. Hail Columbia 439 3. America 44i 4. The Star-Spangled Banner .... 442 5. Our Flag is There . . . . . 444 Speeches for National Holidays: 1. Independence Day Address . . . 44S 2. Lift up Your Hearts. (Fourth of July Oration) 447 3. Lincoln the Immortal. (Lincoln's Birthday) 452 4. Washington's Birthday Address . . .455 5. Washington's Birthday .... 457 6. Tree Planting. (A Poem for Arbor Day) . 459 7. Decoration Day Address .... 461 8. Memorial Day Ode : The Nation's Dead . 467 9. Memorial Day Ode: Our Honored Dead . 470 Occasional Addresses : I. Religious 473 a. Growth. An Address before a Chris- tian Endeavor Convention . . 473 b. To be Kings among Men. A Chapel Address by a College President . 478 xii CONTENTS. Occasional Addresses {continued): p^^B c. The Culture of the Imagination. Address before a Young Men's Christian Association . , . 484 2. Political 489 a. The Cross of War. Delivered in the Congress of the United States . 489 b. Heroes of the " Maine Disaster." Delivered to the National House of Representatives . . . 495 3. Social . . 498 a. The Obligations of Wealth. A Wash- ington's Birthday Address . . 498 b. An Address to Northern and Southern Veterans 502 c. An Address before the Order of Elks : Memory ...... 507 d. A- Poem for a Silver Wedding . .514 e. An Address at the Dedication of a Memorial Tablet . . . .517 / Presentation of a Flag to a Regiment Departing for War . . , .520 g. A Presentation Address to a Foreman by a Workman .... 522 4. Educational r24 a. The Higher Education. An Address before a Body of Educators . .524 b. Dedication of a School Building. An Address of Welcome . . . 530 c. Wealth and Progress .... 532 d. Presentation of the Keys of a New School Building by an Architect . 543 CONTENTS. Occasional Addresses {continued): pacb e. An Address to a Graduating Class by a Teacher ..... 545 f. Brief Remarks to a Class of Young Ladies on Graduation Day by a Visitor 546 g. Address to a Graduate Class of Nurses 547 h. Address to a School Graduating Class by a Clergyman . . . -551 i. Dedication of a Public Library . . 553 ;. Address to a Graduating Class by a Financier : Character the Basis of Credit -556 k. Address before an Educational Con- vention: Foreign Influence upon American University Life . . 562 /. An Address before a Business College. Success in Life .... 571 m. Address to a College Graduating Class 579 n. Inaugural Address of a College Presi- dent 584 o. An Address on Receiving the Degree of Doctor of Laws from a University 593 p. The Presiding Officer's Address at a Public Debate . . . .596 q. The Influence of the Great Teacher. An Address before College Alumni 598 r. Response of a College Professor to a Complimentary Resolution . . 602 5. Festival Days 603 a. A Thanksgiving Speech . . . 603 b. The New Englander as ?. Citizen. A Thanksgi^ ing Day Address . . 606 c. Exercise around the Christmas Tree . 616 CONTENTS. Occasional Addresses {continued): p^gb d. A Banquet Menu 621 e. A Thanksgiving Song .... 622 6. Miscellaneous Abstracts .... 623 a. At the Dedication of a Hall of Science and Art 623 b. Response to a Toast, "Noblesse Oblige" (Phi Beta Kappa Banquet) . . 623 e. Grand Army Speech .... 625 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. INTRODUCTION. The time-honored custom of closing the academic year in our colleges and schools with Class Day and Commencement Exercises will probably never be done away with. It is true that some of our institutions have grown to university dimensions, and in them there is something of a tendency to restrict the Com- mencement Exercises to the functions of a university rather than to a college. But the ratio of students in the American college has not greatly changed in the last few decades, for although there are many more college students, there are also many more colleges in which they are distributed. With the exception of a very few, the average yearly attendance 2 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR of students in our colleges does not much exceed three hundred. The interesting liter- ary exercises at the commencement season will, therefore, endure not only because it is a venerable custom, not only because the col- leges are conservative, but because the Ameri- can community is a speech-making and speech- loving one, and the college alumni and friends and the public generally look to this one day in the year when the students appear publicly in a literary capacity as affording an oppor- tunity to judge of what the college is doing for its students. An agreeable innovation in some of our in- stitutions is the commencement address deliv- ered by some_ well-known litterateur or distin- guished alumnus. This adds to the literary and historic interest of the day, and enables the graduate to perceive the results of the literary spirit in the mature and practical man of affairs. Several examples of this form of address are given. One of the objects aimed at in this book is to place before the student such models as will prompt to special effort in the preparation and delivery of his own speeches. The wise in- structor counsels his students, gives suggestive SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 3 help, and above all endeavors to infuse in the seeker after knowledge that fine spirit that cries, "Excelsior." So also it is the aim of every college man who loves his Alma Mater, and desires a worthy share in her honored his- tory, to give her the benefit of his best effort. There can be no valid objection to giving him the results of previous successful effort. " We are what we are by reason of all that has pre- ceded us." " What man has done, man can do," may therefore serve as the motto of him who is called to serve on commencement oc- casions. The specimen commencement and class-day parts have been obtained from the school and college publications, from the authors them- selves, and from a great variety of other sources. Institutions in all sections of the country are represented in the book. The important parts delivered on Com- mencement Day by the student are the Latin Salutatory, the Latin Valedictory, and the English orations. To high-grade members of a graduating class are assigned the writing of essays vari- ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES. ously known as colloquies, disputations, themes, etc. During the last two years of a college course there are also many occasions on which special papers are prepared and prizes offered, such as the Junior Orator's Exhibition and the Prize Debating Contest. This collection in- cludes specimens of all the parts named. THE ORATOR AND THE ORATION. What follows in this chapter on the subject of the orator and his oration will apply gener- ally to all the Commencement Parts, but a few preliminary words may be said about the Latin orations and the English valedictory. In the Latin parts not only must there be excellent Latinity, but brevity. The subject- matter may be varied by reference to the most interesting events of the day not only in the college world, but also in the industrial and political realms. Since many of the hearers cannot follow the thought, special effort should be made by the orator to please an audience by the grace of his delivery, and by the ele- gance and exactness of his pronunciation and by appropriate modulation of voice. The English valedictory may be considered the gem of Commencement. The valedictorian need not confine himself to trite words of fare- well, but may take a theme for elucidation, such i 6 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR as "Catholicity," and weave the thread of his theme into his closing words of farewell. The Orator. It is clearly to the advantage of the orator to seek information about his probable audience. In all probability the commencement orator ■ will never again find a more trying audience : college faculty, friends and perhaps some great literary personage will be there ; and yet he will rarely find another so kind, appreciative and attentive. It is well to imagine such an audience pres- ent when the oration is being composed. The orator's aim is to convince, to change opposi- tion to approval, and to rouse to action. In other words, the orator must have a purpose in view as well as a subject to discuss. Not every one has the orator's gift. Effect- ive delivery is harder to gain than well-ex- pressed thought. It is a gift of nature. And yet, though one does not possess the power, "the applause of hstening Senates to com- mand," the educated speaker can learn to state clearly his thoughts, be deeply impressed with SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 7 his subject and allow his face, eye and manner to speak for him in unmistakable language. Many great speakers have begun their course with a creditable commencement ora- tion. To become an effective orator, one must make notes of reading, distribute material in an orderly way, make clear distinctions, sepa- rate points in the mind, make a plan and learn to fill it in, write a draft of the whole, revise, condense and omit. " E'en copious Dryden, wanted or forgot The last and greatest art, the art to blot." Lincoln never attempted to speak in public before getting the clearest understanding of his subject in his own mind. The result was concise and simple language as in the " Gettys- burg Address," or the "Cooper Union Speech." The Oration. The most difficult thing for the orator is the selection of a theme. Creation may be ran- sacked or, what is a far better course, he may take some topic suggested by college reading or discussion in some of the numerous college 8 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR societies or some topic of every-day interest ; not the "Comparative Advantages of the Civil- ized and Savage State" or "The Superiority of Agriculture to Other Arts," but "The Negro and the South," "The Public Duty of Educated Men," or a similar topic. Too much time cannot be given to suitably wording the topic. It should be brief and striking in its expression as Seward's, "The Irrepressible Conflict," or Sumner's, "True Grandeur of Nations." Subjects which per- mit inspiring thoughts about persons, not too well known, are often attractive. Even the names only of such characters form excellent topics, and permit abstract truths and ethical and metaphysical principles to be attractively clothed and rendered interesting by associa- tion with personal characteristics. The "Marc Antony" and the "Abraham Lincoln," in this collection, will serve for illustration. The chief elements of style to be used in writing the oration, are clearness and force. Nothing mean or trivial is in place. The lan- guage must be elevated and refined. Descrip- tive and dramatic illustrations are effective, and the imagination should be allowed freedom of action. SCHOOL, -COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 9 The Parts of the Oration. The typical oration consists of six parts, namely : 1. The exordium or introduction designed to gain the attention and good-will of the hearers, and render them open to persuasion. 2. A statement of the orator's subject, what he designs to prove or refute, etc. 3. Facts or opinions connected with the subject. 4. Reasoning or argument. 5. An appeal to the feelings or the emo- tional part. 6. The conclusion in which a brief review may be given and inferences dr'awn from argu- ment. Not all of these need appear promi- nently in every oration, but the essentials are that the mind shall be informed, and the rea- soning powers exercised, the imagination aroused and the literary taste of the hearer pleased. There is in every oration oppor- tunity for description, for historical and clas- sical allusion and for noble sentiment. COMMENCEMENT PARTS. Latin Salutatory. De Nostra Cum A His Civitatibus Agendi Mo do. Salvete, omnes, qui ad nostra sollemnia cele- branda hue convenistis. Te primum, praeses ornatissime, salutare decet, cum sociis fidelissi- mis, qui per tot annos semper prosperiores res nostras administratis. Vos deinde, inspecto- res optimi, et vos, professores magistrique omnes, ex animo salvere jubeo. Vobis quoque, rerum divinarum pastores, qui pro moribus nostris vigilatis, vobis salutem plurimam dico. Salve tu quoque, promagistratus praestantis- sime, viri merito amati atque honorati succes- sor "aptissime. Omnibus postremo, patribus, matronis, puellisque pulchris, salutem. Post annum insignem hue eonvenimus, nee alia re insigniorem quam ob multas conten- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. \\ tiones quae inter nos et exteras civitates sunt ortae . . . Quid igitur de his multis variisque rebus fecimus ? Quo modo cum eis populis egimus ? Ottomanos monuimus solum ne cui Americano manus inicerent; Hispaniensibus nullam ope- ram dedimus, minus autern manifeste senatores oratoresque nostri Cubanis favere coeperunt, nee nisi privatim adjuvare ; Anglis contra non nos permissuros esse diximus civitatem Ameri- canam parvam magna a civitate Europaea terra sua spoliari. Quae omnia, mea quidem sententia, bene digneque sunt facta. Non enim nos decet ex- tra hujus Americanae terrae fines aliarum civi- tatium rebus nos immiscere; flagitium sane est, si illi Asiatici barbari provinciales suos im- pune occidunt, sed nisi cives Americanos male tractant, nil nostra publice interest. Hie autem in America, ubi quasi duces et principes ab om- nibus jure habemur, non solum nostris civibus consulere debemus, sed etiam omnibus civita- tium minorum incolis. . . . Volumus sane omnes Americanos liberos esse, sed priusquam ipsi libertatem consequn- tur, nos cum eis publice agere non possumus. Bene igitur, ut dixi, omnia externa adminis- 12 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR trata sunt. E quibus facile est videndum quo pacto cum aliis civitatibus agendum sit nobis. Nam extra banc mundi partem nos in alienas res (nisi ad cives nostros tutandos) non inter- ponere debemus, hie autem ab omni imperio externo civitates jam stabilitas defendere. Haec vero ratio, valde honesta atque moderata, a quoque oratore et magistratu nostro sapientis- simo comprobata est. Quorum, ne longum faciam, duos solos commemorabo, quos in his sedibus institutes, ambo in hac civitate summis honoribus perfunctos immo unum cum mortuus est, quasi clavum civitatis tenentem, nuper om- nes lugebamus. Illi clarissimi magistratus nostri semper eam moderatam rationem quam commemoravi diligebant, quippe cum nos neque nimium bellandi cupidos esse vellent nee injuriarum nimium patientes, sed in hac re, si- cut in aliis, illam tutam mediocritatem tenere, quae ab illo poeta clarissimo aurea nominata est : semper enim recordanda esse ilia ejusdem poetae verba : Rectius vives, Licini, neque altum Semper urguendo, neque dum procellas Cautus horrescis, nimium premendo Litus iniquum. school, college and special occasions. 13 Orations. American Ideals. History is a great romance. Fancy and reality are blended in almost imperceptible gradations. The true and the false play through such mystical lights that the one seems scarcely distinguished from the other. But with all its varying accidents, the record of nations is a story of the triumph of substance over mere shadow ; its one great lesson is that the right must ultimately prevail. Babylon, in her glory, vaunted a lavishness of grandeur of which Athens never dreamed. But while the Oriental power passed away almost to oblivion, the queen city of Greece sprang anew from its ashes, to live throughout all time. A state is true and permanent only as its institu- tions and outward development are the expres- sion of an inner spirit answering to the highest principles of the soul. If a nation lack this deeper life, if it be animated by no nobler senti- ments than mere material ambitions, its glories are as transient as the golden tints of sunset. And this is the verdict rendered against American civilization. In it, the critics tell us, 14 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR materialism has conquered. Our life is one of outward enjoyment, and our desires are of the factory and the counting-house. " Great, avari- cious, sensuous," America has written her fate with that of Babylon. Her sky already glows with the "mene, mene" of impending ruin; her doom is sealed. And no one will gainsay the material greatness of America. Indian dreams have no place in her life. Her history is a miracle of practical progress. The trea- sures of commerce and industry have been bestowed with lavish hand. Prosperity abounds in riches and luxury such as no other people ever knew. But does this mean only a second Nineveh .? Is there nothing deeper than the gilded surface ? Do the eternal principles of love of beauty, and of truth have no part in this civilization .? Let history answer. Was it love of gold that stirred the hearts of the colo- nists to shake off the shackles of tyranny and stand forth in the glory of their free manhood? Was it desire for comfort that caused the na- tion to rise against the curse of slavery, and proclaim all men, by divine right, free and equal ? Is it deification of wealth that has made it possible for poverty to claim the high- est honors of the land, and for every man to SCHOOL; COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS, ij Stand by no other criterion than that of indi- vidual worth ? Is it love of luxury that has founded crusades for temperance and conceived schemes for worldly evangelization ? Is it thoughts of gold that have established free edu- cation and freedom in religion; that have emancipated woman ; that have formed visions of eternal peace ? There are principles in this nation's life deeper than any avarice. And in these we find the true soul, the real ground- work of American civilization. Glimmering bubbles they appear, but eternity has stamped them for her own. They will endure "When seas shall waste, the skies to smoke decay, Rocks fall to dust and mountains melt away." The battle-cry of the Revolution was "Lib- erty." From the old rock of the Pilgrims its full, clear note had sounded long before, and independence was but its necessary outcome. With this nation's birth the individual was first enabled to claim his sovereignty, the principle of freedom found adequate expression. In these governmental institutions, in the whole natural development it found utterance, by peace fostered and war strengthened. As it reached maturity, its influence grew more silent, i6 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR though not less intense. With ringing el- oquence it spoke in the great civil strife. But with advancing years the love of liberty had blossomed and borne a love of native land, till patriotism and loyalty to law were made first principles of the nation's life. One century alone lends its inspiration to its sons, but from many a thrilling battle scene, from many a noble heart there comes to them the cry " Love thou thy land." But, say our opponents, America has lost the soul of beauty, has banished the glories of art. Commerce has solved the mystery of the sea, science has transformed the twinkling orbs of night into planets rolling through infinity, and robbed the heavens of their glory. All dreams of beauty have been swallowed up in the prac- tical realities of modern life. Strange phantasy! Grandeur untold has burst upon man's vision ; God's majesty and the dignity of his own being unfold before his eyes. The wondrous beauty of nature and the soul's true harmony are the deep wells of his poetic inspiration. Never were themes so sublime — surpassing in holi- ness the conceptions of the Hebrew, in gran- deur dwarfing the splendors of Egypt, in beauty excelling the divine ideals of the Greek. True, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 17 for a time, Puritan austerity did check the prog- ress of art, but it has arisen purer and nobler for the refining fire. Already in that old New England home an illustrious school of poets and novelists has appeared and passed away: Longfellow, Emerson, Hawthorne, Whittier, Lowell, Holmes, — what more glorious earnest of a bright future for American art and litera- ture ? Nor has this land reached its highest develop- ment in the production of the patriot and the poet. Faithful to their task, the forefathers planted the germs of true religion, and this is the one sure bulwark against the forces of de- cay. Greece fell when she lost her trust in the humanistic deities of Olympus. Rome fell with her faith, blind superstition though it may have been. The strength of American civiliza- tion is in the high ideals of Christianity. In the. principles of the Nazarene the world had its first complete vision of truth. Within the full sunshine of their glory this nation has developed, and while in the house of worship, in legislative hall, in the life of its people, these eternal verities find utterance it may defy the powers of ruin and stand impregnable. America may well boast of her material 1 8 ouattonS, essays, addresses for glories, of the success that has crowned her in- dustry, and the prosperity of her people. But it is not in this that her mission lies. Like the fire in the opal's heart, there burns in man an inner soul. This fashions his realities. The piles of gold and marble palaces, the jewels and lands and banquets, are all but shadows of his real life. In ideals, pure, lofty, divine, he finds his true being. These must ever be the soul of American civilization. Imperfect now they may be, but slowly they will develop, and with them the nation's life will broaden and deepen, realizing a greatness still more lofty, a grandeur more enduring. Yonder clouds are yet but lined with silver; another hour will reveal them, scarlet and yellow and gold, moun- tains of heavenly glory banked up against the sky. Culture and Service. For four years our little fleet has been riding in harbor ; to-day the anchors are weighed and slowly we drop together down the tide. A few hours more and these clustering sails will be scattered and fading specks each in its own horizon, straining or drifting toward its goal. And now as we still linger in the narrows side SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 19 by side, the purely secular grows foreign, and we turn from specific ills and fallacies to the thought of some worthy life-principle, the vi- sion of some high and comprehensive ideal which may reawaken, as we part, our finest purpose and devotion. Let us then for a little consider the law of service, its peculiar claims upon culture, its penalties and its rewards. The world has ever been slow to recognize the beauty and the power of love. Ancient paganism bowing first to force of arm and, then of brain has enthroned its successive ideals in warring Saturn and intriguing Jupiter ; human- ity progressed indeed beneath its sway ; they fought and built and sang; but selfishness was at its heart ; along the streets of cultured Athens and barbaric Babylon alike, no hospital or asylum ever rose. That genius might philosophize at midnight feasts, the slaves of Greece perished uncounted in her mines. The worth of man as man was unknown ; individ- uals were lost in the moving mass, and if they fell the procession never paused. But paganism was spent, its mission achieved, and at last, heralded by the song of "Peace" and "Good- will," the revelation of love was flashed upon 40 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR the world; supplementing the independent spirit of the Teuton, Christianity has invested the individual with transcendent worth. For centuries the light grown dim at times in un- worthy keeping has been gaining slowly on the darkness; hate has slain, but mercy has soothed; cruel bigotry has been relieved by heroic sacrifice. Catherine de Medici stabs sleeping Protestantism and Vincent de Paul, he who sat in galley-chains that another might go free, founds the order of the Sisters of Charity. At length John Howard gives his life to the imprisoned wretches of Europe, and a century of unparalleled philanthropy begins. It was in 1791 that men carved upon that hero's tomb, "he who devotes his life to the good of mankind treads an open but un- frequented path to immortality." A century has passed and it is an unfre- quented path no longer ; a century of national reforms hardly hoped before, of wide, organized charities, and innumerable private benefactions. Benevolent institutions have been sown broad- cast throughout Christendom, races freed and civilization carried to the remotest seas. A remarkable past, and in this as in other lines our age has thoroughly celebrated its achieve- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 21 ments ; it glories in its philanthropy. Altruism has become popular and on all hands, in fiction if not in life we encounter heroines brought Romola-like through suffering to service. But to a sober mind, the past is only an earnest of the possible ; there is little room for idle gratulation. Modern philanthropy itself has invited many criticisms ; we are told with much justice that she seldom makes great sacrifices ; is often ostentatious ; often in- judicious, defeating her own ends by a false humanity ; and were the instrument not de- fective, there is call enough for effort in the magnitude of the remaining work. It is a personal, practical appeal that comes to us, involving no impossible rosy era of good- feeling, threatening no stoppage of the wheels of commerce. And yet what a common type is Stephenson's Mr. Utterson : " I incline," said he, "to Cain's heresy. I let my brother go to the devil in his own . way." Every- where we find this spirit, from the market- place where greed or hunger jostle, to the ban- quet-hall of the voluptuary, or the cushioned retreat of the dilletante. Brute instinct, cal- culating ambition, proud self-sufficiency, flabby self-indulgence, all are crying ".Am I my 22 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR brother's keeper ?" But nowhere is the query so despicable as on the lips of the man of culture. Too often he to whom much has been given has spent his time in offering thanks, that he was not as other men. The enemies of "cult- ure," as the term has been appropriated by its modern disciples, have brought against it many serious charges. "Perhaps the very silliest cant of the day," says Mr. Frederick Harrison, "is the cant about culture. Culture is a desir- able quality in a critic of new books and sits well on a possessor of belles-lettres, but as ap- plied to politics, it means simply a turn for small fault-finding, love of selfish ease, indecision in action." A criticism too sweeping and severe, but certainly not unprovoked. If, as Mr. Matthew Arnold contends, culture is possessed not only by the "scientific passion," but by the passion as well of "doing good," the latter has been little enough emphasized, and time and again lost sight of, in the self-absorption of conceited or impractical thinking ; there is this unmistak- able tendency of culture to pass by on the other side,' a tendency as culpable, as it is common. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 23 Think you that we, members of the partner- ship of man, who have been permitted to with- draw during unproductive years for sequestered study, to appropriate the best heart and brain of the centuries, to interpret the autobiography of the earth and the message of the stars, to read the present in the light of the past and to forecast the morrow from the trend of to-day, we who have become in the words of Emerson "the favorites of heaven and earth, the excel- lency of our country, the happiest of men," think you we may clutch these gifts without a debt to yonder pallid clerk or grimy dust- choked miner ? Has the accident of station dis- solved the bond of brotherhood or sealed the fountains of sympathy and gratitude within us? Aye, were there no questions of duty, from sheerest gratitude our life should shower into service. But this is not a matter of sentiment; scholarship is a trust and woe to that steward who turns a miser. There are those to whom their college course is a mere handicap in a race of self -advancement ; its gifts of mental grasp and insight of social influence and pres- tige, but so much capital whose investment concern themselves alone. A narrow, blight- ing thought ! Such have entered through 24 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR these years into no higher realm of hope and action, and at the close they have but a finer incense to offer to their former idols. They have never caught the meaning of a liberal education; like their brethren of the "short cut" they have become infected with the spirit of an age of hurrying men, an age to which one might almost fancy the touch of Midas had been granted and that its soul was starving amidst the gold. If our life here has not taught us that the unseen is more than the seen, the spiritual than the material, it has been of little worth. But our privileges here summon us as well to breadth in every calling ; it is an odd appeal, but always pertinent ; we are never to suffer our humanity to be smothered beneath bonds or briefs or diagnoses or homiletical reviews. If the aspirations be the highest, the sympathy will be broad. The proper pursuit of place or fortune is most laudable ; it is the end in view that gives character to the man and to his work ; if place and fortune do not sway him, if they are made the means of wider service, they themselves become holy things. Such is the call to service, but mingled in it is the voice of our highest manhood. Here as SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 25 everywhere in divine law there is perfect har- mony. The good of the many is the good of the one ; selfishness is the direst curse to self. It is needless here to denounce that type of selfish culture which the names of Goethe and Byron at once recall ; were any of us headed on a similar career, the end has pointed too many a moral, to require my indication. But there is a certain proneness of culture to an assertive independence and unlovely self-suf- ficiency, which is peculiarly prevalent in the college world and against which we cannot too strenuously guard ; peculiarly prevalent, I say, for to the pride of intellect is added the pride of youth. Our earliest .ideal is that of strength; acqui- sition seems greater than self-denial, and strife than love. For a time this is well ; we are in the chrysalis state. As one has said, "Egoism is the armor of our growth"; but alas for him to whom the protecting shell becomes a prison. It must be shattered ! To every strong spirit there comes a time when it must burst from the thraldom of self, must rise into the realm of devotion; it is the evolution of true great- ness, the passing from death unto life, and from that moment conquest shrivels into noth- 26 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR ingness before the towering grandeur of sacrifice. Nor is service a matter of glad retrospect alone. Its highest reward is here in the living present. I have said that every worthy am- bition was sanctified by a generous purpose; it is more — it is heightened and intensified. Mr. Ruskin tells us that the feeling that per- vades all the pictures of Turner is "the greatest of all feelings — an utter forgetf ulness of self." Self-forgetfulness — it is that same sublime los- ing of self in the higher which we find in all lofty efforts whether of art or oratory or literature or life ; in Raphael, the Transfigura- tion light streaming upon him ; in Shakespeare " his eye in a fine frenzy rolling." sinking him- self in myriad types; in Webster answering Hayne until, as he said, all that he had ever seen or read or heard seemed floating before him "in one vast panorama," and he had but to " reach up and cull out a thunderbolt and hurl it at him!" and grandest of all in Luther im- movable at Worms with those deathless words thrilling from his soul, "Here I stand; I can do no otherwise ; God help me !" No man can begin to know what is in him until he has given himself to the grappling of SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 27 a mighty thought; until he has been floated out of the shallows of self on the flood-tide of broad and beneficent impulse. In the future now opening, if our highest, finest possibilities are to be realized, if we are to know the glory and exhilaration of full-pulsed, full-statured powers in the swing of their utmost achieve- ment, there must be this lifting out of self; not in the transports of creative genius — these cannot sway the life ; but in that higher exalta- tion of devotion, that which makes possible the sublime self-forgetfulness of the patriot and the martyr and without which the poet's inspiration itself is but an idle ecstacy. It is this which made Luther the moral colossus that he was, while Erasmus, hearing the same call, shrank back into the littleness of his scholastic ease; it is this which alone can save us from the barrenness alike of pride or self-distrust of indolence or cynicism, from the unhappiness of strife and feverish discontent, and bear us into heights of character and achievement to which no man can struggle in unaided strength, from which, indeed, all selfish purpose must eternally drag him down. Man is rising through the ages into light; he shall lift himself into Paradise — worship 28 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR the God within him — the God to be. Behold then instead of an abstraction of Force an ab- straction of Humanity, and this it is that is to conquer the selfishness and brutality within us — to go down into counting-house and quarry, and fill hearts with love and turn service into song! Vain presumption! "Altruism," says Mr. Mallock, "cuts short one wing and bids us soar" — the wing of love to the Su- preme ; without the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man is a theory and a dream. The religion of humanity forgets too that powerful and sublime discipline which for eighteen centuries has been developing the God in man which it would now enthrone ; it plucks the fruits of Christianity and denies the tree. Whatever, my classmates, has been said of the duty of service to which we have given our assent, has appealed to us be- cause of that pure and generous atmosphere in which consciously or unconsciously every gentleman has been bred and which is itself the direct product of this discipline of the centuries. In the spirit of Him who " came not to be ministered unto, but to minister," may we each grow as did Tennyson's vanished friend, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 29 "Not alone in power And knowledge, but by year and hour In reverence and in charity." Education as Related to Civic Prosperity. True education means the drawing out and development of all the human faculties and the preparation of the man or woman for the duties and responsibilities of life. Civic prosperity means prosperity of or pertaining to the state ; but since the state is made up of citizens, the term really means the prosperity of the citizens as parts of the state. What relation does intellectual, industrial and moral education bear to prosperity of the citizens and of the whole state or commonwealth ? The first thing that intellectual education does for a man is to wake him up. After spend- ing a number of years in, or out of school for that matter, in developing the mind, a man suddenly discovers that God Almighty has made him for a purpose, arid that deep down within his being are powers which, when devel- oped will aid him in accomplishing the end for which he has been created. As this truth forces itself upon him, he decides to become an 30 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR important factor in the world's progress. This is the first step towards prosperity, for if you would have a man seek earnestly after pros- perity, you must first convince him that he needs it and that it is a good thing to have. Then, intellectual education awakens in man an intense desire to be prosperous. Intellectual education makes a man intelli- gent. If a man is intelligent, he can and will see what things are aids to prosperity. Cotton has long been king in the South, but within the past few years intelligent farmers have seen that the supply of this staple is far in ex- cess of the demand and hence there could be but little profit in its cultivation ; and so they have turned their attention to truck-farming and to stock-raising ; but the ignorant farmer, who cannot even tell how or why a grain of corn sprouts when planted, is' unable to see the relation of supply to demand, and so he never will get out of the rut of poverty, because he will continue to plant cotton until he dies, and his children after him will plant cotton unless they are more intelligent than their father. Intellectual education makes a man patriotic. For example, when your intelligent American citizen reads the history of this republic and SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 31 thinks of the blood that has been shed, the Hves that have been laid down to secure and per- petuate freedom to the most humble citizen, a feeling of love and pride for this country wells up within his bosom. If a man love his coun- try, he will strive to build it up and protect it ; if a man build up and protect his country, of necessity he must first build up and protect himself and his home. Intellectual education teaches how to econo- mize. Economy is the road to wealth. How- ever large a man's income, if he and those dependent upon him have not learned to make one dollar go almost as far as two, he will never be prosperous. If the husband pay fifteen dollars per month for house rent when his salary is only twenty dollars, if the wife is a regular attendant on balls and a giver of large and expensive dinners, if the father is extra- vagant and the mother cannot use cold meat and bread towards the making of a palatable meal, if the couple were poor when they began life together, they will remain poor all their lives. If we would have prosperity come to us we must see to it that our extravagance does not eat. up our profits and involve us in debt. Intellectual education multiplies man's wants. 32 OR A TIONS, ESSA YS, ADDRESSES FOR In the ignorant state the man is content to know nothing, do nothing, have nothing and consequently to be nothing ; but the man whose every faculty has been developed longs to know all things of God and the universe, longs to own something, is restless when idle, longs to act well his part in all the affairs of life. To the result of these longings we owe the progress, prosperity and grandeur of the centuries. It is a significant fact that thosfi who have solved, and those who are yet solving, great problems in the scientific, mechanical and social worlds have not been, nor are they yet ignorant men, but men whose minds have been so disciplined by intellectual education as to prepare them for those tasks. The mag- netic telegraph, the steam engine, the c(5tton gin, the Atlantic cable, the telephone, the phonograph and the X-rays could not have been possible, had not such master-minds as Morse, Stevenson, Whitney, Field, Bell, Edison and Roentgen attempted the tasks. No igno- rant man could have solved or ever will solve such problems. These inventions and- dis- coveries, these triumphs over physical forces all of which are the results of the labors of intelligent men, have contributed and yet con- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 33 tribute to make men and the nations prosperous in the highest sense. The state must have citizens to manage its affairs. If these are intelligent the interests of the individual citizens and of the state are not likely to suffer. As administrators of the pub- lic affairs, as guardians of the public honor, as preservers of the public peace, these men must be intelligent or else the old ship of state is likely to be driven upon the rocks. It has not been many months since the war-cloud rolled away, it has not been long since a war between England and America seemed inevitable. Be it for those to censure the then administration for its course in the matter who know more of the merits of the Venezuelan case than we, be it for those who are more intimately acquainted with our then chief executive and with his secretary *0f state to say that it was not patri- otism that prompted their action in the matter. We do not know; but of one thing we are glad ; when the opportunity came for this na- tion to stand up for a principle, when visions of grim and destructive war rose up before our eyes, we, the common and humble people of this great republic, we who suffer most from the ravages of war, are glad that standing at 34 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR the helms of state of the two countries were such level-headed and learned men as the - English prime minister and our own Presi- dent and secretary of state. The statesman- ship which enabled us to hold our ground, which brought prominently before the notice of the civilized nations of the world the great principle of arbitration, which turned aside the threatened war, was almost entirely due to intellectual education. War is deadly op- posed to prosperity, but peace is an indispen- sable aid to it. Then intellectual education is a valuable aid to prosperity in that it makes for a condition between nations under which man must labor if he would be pros- perous. Intellectual education will preserve the race of man. As we become acquainted with the laws of health, we become more careful of our bodies. All around us are human being's wast- ing away with diseases, all of which can be traced back to some violation of nature's laws by somebody. Ignorance of the laws govern- ing our own physical well-being has a far- reaching effect upon the national life. Intel- lectual education will teach how important to national prosperity is knowledge of dis- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 35 eases of the people and the existence of sani- tary law. Errors of ignora,nce give to the state an increased number of lunatics and non-progressive men, give to families parents who are physical wrecks, and then not only the prosperity of those families is affected, but that of following generations as well, for saith Almighty God, " I will visit the iniq- uity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." Like par- ent, like child. No argument is needed to prove that if we would have prosperity, we must have strong and healthy men and women to seek after it. Industrial education teaches the dignity of honest labor. When a man has been educated in this direction, he becomes as willing to handle a spade as to handle a pen ; when a man has been educated to the point that he will put brain into the ordinary vocations of life, by the eternal law that intelligence will bring to its possessor its own exceeding great reward, that man cannot but be prosperous. Poor houses are not built for industrious men; policemen are not employed to watch men and women whose hands are busily engaged in honest toil. The men and women who will 36 ORATIOATS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES J!'OR . work are the ones who in the course of time will become wealthy and independent. In proportion as the citizens become wealthy and independent, in the same proportion will the state become wealthy and independent. Moral education has to do with the train- ing of the heart. To whatever extent the other faculties are developed, however strong, wealthy and learned the man, if his heart is not right he cannot be prosperous in the high- est sense. When you educate the heart of a man, you make him recognize his moral obliga- tions, his own rights and the rights of others. If the hearts of men were right, jails, peniten- tiaries, gallows and law-courts would be useless. Every crime committed can be traced back to some violation of the moral laws by somebody. Visit the places of punishment and there you will find intelligent men and others who have been industrious and wealthy, but who have fallen because of some defect in their moral training or in that of others. You have often stood in the court-rooms when men were being tried for their lives; and after the trial you have listened as the judge in his solemn man- ner pronounced sentence of death upon the prisoner before the bar. One more citizen cut SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 37 off from the state and doomed to eternity, one more family somewhere bowed in grief and shame, one more vicious history for the chil- dren of the land to read, a few more hundred dollars for the state to pay as the cost of the prosection. Educate the hearts of the citizens, and these scenes will cease to be enacted. Crime is deadly opposed to prosperity. Pros- perity cannot exist where the horrid monster Crime rears his gigantic head. Developed all these three lines of education, intellectual, industrial and moral, prosperity must come to the citizen, for prosperity has no prejudices, it does not ask the color or condi- tion of the person seeking it ; but to all man- kind it speaks alike, in no uncertain tones, and says, " Develop all the powers of mind, body and heart given you by God, and though you are white as snow, though you are red as crim- son, though your skin be black as midnight, you will firrd me near at hand." Hebraism and Culture. Progress has its deepest root in history. Great forces pour into the present, receiving their first impulse from times and conditions 38 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR more remote. Our civilization, its breadth of culture and wealth of invention, is heir to the genius of the past. Our institutions have been rocked in "the cradle of immemorial mystery," and are grown gray with the lapse of ages. They bear the impress of the struggles and triumphs of the thousand generations that have gone before us. The greatest achieve- ment of our science, the ripest product of our thinking, has been the silent growth of the centuries. Out of the past does thought drink in its deepest inspiration, and action gather its noblest motive. The stream of development has two great currents, the one speculative, the other moral. We trace them to their source in history, and find them springing from two great nationali- ties. The impulse to knowledge is Greek; the impulse to self-sacrifice is Hebraic. " Hel- lenism and Hebraism," Mr. Arnold has said, "the two points of influence between which moves our world." Great forces they are, that divide between them the empire of human life; conceptions that are interwoven with our ideals of art and letters, that determine the whole trend of our social life, and pass into the soul to mold our very thoughts of human destiny and of God. SCHdOL, COLLEGE ANJD SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 3$ Such is our heritage from the past. Both systems move about the common center of human life, both aim at its perfection. Yet in conception and scope how essentially unlike ! The one is intensely spiritual. Its grandest verities are those that transcend the sphere of man's thought and reason. Ultimate truth is grasped by faith. It finds the restless soul of humanity to throb with spiritual emotion, " O that I knew where I might find God, that I might come even unto His seat." Elijah, the stern prophet and seer, stands silent upon a lonely crest of Horeb. It is not the rending mountains about him, nor the earthquake, nor the fire, but the still small voice within, that points his troubled, struggHng spirit beyond itself, that bids it find perfection and com- munion with Jehovah through obedience to a moral law. Hellenism is less intense, less introspective. Man gazes upward into the boundless blue of a southern sky, and his fancy peoples it with gods. The waves surge and recede about the tall white cliffs of Hellas, that rise Hke majestic barriers against the sea, — he feels their rhythm, and his whole being responds ; he catches their tremulous murmur, arid translates it in a poem. 40 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR Life for the Greek is nature. Its highest ideal is natural beauty ; in its perfectness it flows on, an endless harmony. Art and poetry are spontaneous — the simple language of a spirit, keen, yet plastic ; swayed by every tender emotion, susceptible to every subtle influence from without, Thus is Greece a universal learner, and the world's greatest teacher. There is no sphere of culture or of science that does not feel the impulse of her artistic sense, or the keenness of her speculative genius; there has been no great intellectual movement in history, but that her influence has claimed a share in its inception and progress. In this onward sweep of culture, it has been the mission of Hebraism to hold the world bound fast to its spiritual center. When, for a moment, man has seemed to lose his moral balance, and has trembled on the verge of self- destruction, it has drawn him back to God. Progress has been a series of reactions, in which these influences have had their alternate hours of culmination and periods of decline. " Human spirit is wider than the most priceless of the for<:es that bear it onward." Culture alone is insufficient to the needs of human life ; morality, unaided, strives in vain to answer its SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 41 fullest demand. No age has united both ten- dencies in a single current. So, in the making of history, do we mark their ebb and flow. The golden age of art and letters, followed by the period of moral decline, — morality re- stored, — such is the cycle of man's progress. We turn to the first contact of the Hebraic spirit with the life of the West, and witness the seeming regeneration of the world. For centuries has Athens been the seat of the world's culture, the home of its philosophy, the cradle of its science, yet her noble temples are scenes of idolatry and her life is steeped in sensuality. What wonder that the heart of the Great Apostle was stirred within him at sight of splendor so magnificent, yet so hope- less. A simple message his. Still, it fanned into a new flame the world's dying devotion, kindled upon the altar of the human heart the sacrifice of self, inscribing, over the crumbling ruins of the Delphic temple, where had been written the immortal " Know thyself," the new command of God, " Thou shalt serve." Thus, in the hour of its direst need, did Hebraism redeem the world. When culture seemed most unable to resist the onward flow of self- indulgence, it stirred to action humanity's 42 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR slumbering conscience. By its sublime exam- ple of self-surrender it revivified the world's hope, lending inspiration to the whole of man's life, and infusing it with strength. For a time knowledge is lost in this stream of religious thought. Freedom gives way to conscience ; culture is replaced by law. Spon- taneity in art and religion disappears, and everywhere in its stead do we find a slavish devotion to false models and false creeds, until there bursts over the world a great Hellenic revival in a Renaissance. Individualism asserts itself. Literature, and science, and life sprang into new being. But reactions are inevitable, and now there follows this Golden Age, a moral decline, far- reaching in its effect on life and in history. Man revels in his license; God is forgotten. Again is culture helpless, and again must Hebraism furnish the moral ideals, and supply the moral power for man's second redemption. So through the centuries may we trace the ebb and flow of these great tides of influence by which humanity has been borne irresistibly onward. The impulse to know, the spirit of self- sacrifice to a moral ideal, both have left their marks, deep and lasting, on human progress. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 43 And these, too, are the forces dominant in the present. Our own age, more than any that has gone before it, demands their fuller union, in a single movement, that shall be at once intellectual and moral. Modern literature wants Hellenic freedom, and thus may it be- come the truest interpreter of man's thought and the noblest exponent of his life, but let literature be pure and wholesome. Scientific thought in the nineteenth century demands scope, but there is a limit to science, and in the solution of the ultimate problem of the universe must science even, seek the aid of instruments of truth that are mightier than herself. Life needs " sweetness and light," but even more does it require for its perfecting, fire with strength, conscience and God. Marc Antony. The modern process of varnishing over wicked characters of the past cannot be suc- cessfully applied to Marc Antony. The morals of this prince of revellers are not to be defended. But it is not from the lives of saints alone that profit may be derived. Men need warnings as well as models. And the career 44 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR of Antony, notwithstanding its errors, is most valuable as a lesson for this reason, — he was great in spite of, and not through his faults; the results of his good and bad qualities are kept distinct, the former bring fame, the latter ruin. A fitting inscription for Antony's tomb might be " Power undermined and destroyed by lack of self<;ontrol," Antony was a power. He ruled his fellows through a nature-granted sovereignty. He was master of the arts by which the will of man is subdued and led. Words were not the least effective weapons in his arsenal. He was a natural orator. He produced no carefully elaborated essays, models of structure and polish to be admired by the scholar in his closet and parsed by the student in the class-room. But he hurled living, burn- ing words at his hearers, irresistibly moving their passions. Perhaps the most important victory won by his tongue was that fought over the dead body of Caesar. Inaagine the scene which Shakespeare suggests. Brutus has just finished his speech, and the Roman mob is filled with sympathy for the conspirators and with envious hatred towards Caesar. Hardly can they be persuaded to remain and hear the funeral oration. In the midst of the tumult SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 45 Antony appears before them. His tall and powerful frame is slightly bowed, his face is touched with sadness, his expressive eyes are moist. He sees below and around him the surging mob of Rome. All faces are suspicious and threatening. He hears the hoarse mutter- ings of the swaying crowd, " This Caesar was a tyrant," " We are blessed that Rome is rid of him." Gradually the murmurers are hushed. The dignified sorrow of the orator weighs upon them. Antony's opening words fall gently on their ears; words "that rob the Hybla bees and leave them honeyless"^charm away their prejudice. As the orator proceeds, pity expels envy, pity for him whom they once loved, once so powerful, now dead and mourned by none, " none so poor to do him reverence." He excites their gratitude by a reference to Caesar's will; he plays upon their gentler passions until he sees that their sympathy with him is complete and they will follow where he leads. Now he descends into their midst. He. gathers them about the corpse of the mur- dered emperor. He arouses the old Roman war-spirit by thrilling them with the recital of Caesar's victories. He points out the wounds made by each dagger in Caesar's mantle, and 46 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOk denounces in impassioned terms the base ingratitude of Brutus. His hearers respond to every appeal. Now their faces flame with fury, now their eyes fill with tears. " You weep," said he, " at Caesar's vesture wounded, but here is himself, marr'd, as you see, by traitors." Then was the crowd fairly inflamed. "Burn — fire — kill — slay! — let not a traitor hve," burst from every lip, and off they rush to destroy those whose warmest partisans they had so lately been. What a power lay coiled up in this man's brain ! At his words the stones of Rome did " rise and mutiny." Brutus was overthrown and Antony's dominion be- came supreme. He was also a mighty soldier. Egypt and Syria first learned to tremble at his name. Again and again, though opposed by superior forces, his skillful tactics and cunning strata- gems gained him the victory. After uniform and remarkable success in the East, he joined Caesar in Gaul and was considered by that leader his ablest general. At Pharsalia he looms up as the commander of the victorious left wing who helped to turn the doubtful tide of battle in Caesar's favor. And after Caesar had fallen, pierced by many daggers, and when SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 47 the crowning conflict with the conspirators took place, it was his bravery and his skill that crushed " the lean and wrinkled Cassius " and " the mad Brutus ended." But pain and misery and misfortune were necessary to develop all his resources. Only the hottest crucible could free him from his impurities and bring out the gleam of the true metal. In times of suffering and of extreme hazard he seemed almost to mould circumstances. No difficulty overcame him, no distress or danger weakened his sway of men and fate, no perilous emergency found him unprepared. After his defeat at Mutina he fled from Italy with his scattered forces. Famine and disease overtook the army in its flight. Though "daintily brought up," this gay and reckless reveller endured the most terrible privations patiently and cheerfully. He became a companion to his men, lived in their tents, shared their sorrows, and, in turn, was held by them in almost idolatrous affec- tion. After a march, whose horrors no words can paint, in which the army ate the very bark off the trees and drank "the gilded puddle that beasts would cough at," Antony led his ragged and starving troops down the Alps to the camp of Lepidus. Coldly treated by this 48 ORA TIONS, ESSA YS, ADDRESSES FOR general, his honeyed tongue so won the soldiery that Lepidus found himself losing his army ; and in a short time Antony passed in great strength over the Alps which he had lately crossed, beaten and a fugitive. Once, later in life, he broke from his revels and in- vaded Parthia. Compelled at last to retreat by the climate, by famine and by lack of water, he brought off his army in safety, making nothing of suffering, disease and the innumer- able hordes opposing him, and astonishing the world by the display of every quality that distinguishes a great and successful general. But nature does not strain her gifts through a sieve. Good and bad are cast out together from her urn. In the web of Antony's char- acter strong and weak threads are inseparably interwoven. His achievements as a reveller also had their climax. In Cleopatra " the rare Egyptian," "the serpent of old Nile," fierce, tender, passionate, beautiful, "full of poisonous and rapturous enchantment," he found a con- genial spirit. Antony was enslaved ; he " who with half the bulk of the world, played as he pleased " was, like Samson, through a woman's arts shorn of strength and energy. The rest of his life is like a wild dream. Self-control is SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 49 thrown to the winds. This drama finds its catastrophe at Actium, where the East and the West met in decisive conflict, where Octavian, the crafty schemer, and this reckless voluptuary joined in battle. History records how Cleo- patra insisted on fighting by sea against the better judgment of Antony and his generals, and then, when the battle was at its height, fled with her ships; how Antony played the madman and sailed after her, leaving those who were risking their lives for him without a leader; how he betook himself again to his revels abandoning an army, with which ten years before he could have conquered the world ; and how at last, on the approach of Octavian, deserted by the Egyptians and believing Cleopatra dead, he perished by his own hand. What a satire on human frailty is the story of his life ! A mighty ruler who neglected to govern his passions, a monarch and a slave! Self-control is the lesson to be learned. Men were as playthings in this giant's hands; he subdued them by power of will, or persuaded them by the magic of his voice, or crushed them by force of arms; but his own spirit he ruled not, and his life was a failure, his name a blot so ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR on history ; and the world may point to Marc Antony, the orator, soldier and reveller, as one who conquered all things else, but missed the prize because himself he failed to conquer. Modern Knighthood. In the year 1270, Louis the IXth of France, and Edward the 1st of England, at the head of a great army of European knights set out upon the perilous journey to the Holy Land to make one more attempt to wrest the sacred sepulchre from the hands of the Infidel. In 1277, Edward the 1st alone was carried wounded and helpless before the fever-stricken remnant of his army, baffled and defeated from the walls of Jerusalem. It was the last crusade. It was the final manifestation of a spirit which had dominated Europe for more than five hundred years, and had driven men, women and children in countless thousands across Europe to the East to meet death by famine, fever or the sword. No one can fail to see wherein the weakness of chivalry lay, its strange mingling of motives, its gentleness and its ferocity, its performance of far-off duties to the neglect of those near at hand, its childish- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS, tfl. ness and its futility. We must also recognize its moral grandeur and the fact that beneath its many errors lay principles as imperishable as humanity. The spirit of chivalry was a part of the world's blind striving after the ethi- cal ideal, and the knight without fear and without reproach was an image of the Christ, wrought by an untutored and romantic people from a fragmentary knowledge of His life and character. It was an awakening to the real meaning of life, that to attain a spotless character, to live a stainless , life, to fight for the weak and to relieve the oppressed more nearly fulfills the true end of existence than any selfish aim could do. The momentary glimpse of such an ideal was an inestimable boon to the world, and though soon lost its results were wide and beneficent. The ancient chivalry has passed away; the spirit, which for a time startled the world into wakefulness, has departed and become the heritage of myth and poetry. Its pomp and dignity have perished ; its methods of warfare have been superseded, and its chief aim seems now weak and chimerical. Have we then nothing left of this knighthood but its name, which represents the incoherent dream of 52 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR sentimentalists furnishing an ideal of action, poetical and romantic, but vague, remote and inoperative ? This century has been called the age of progress. It has been the period of most rapid advancement in science, in industry and in knowledge, and it has also been the age in which humanitarian ideas have received the widest acceptance and the most practical appli- cation. Upon these achievements we have been content to rest secure in the feeling that all the work of time has been accomplished, and that civilization has at last been fully per- fected. But there have not been lacking vices to warn us that we are cherishing a delusion, from which there will some time be a sudden and bitter awakening. For it is true, while we are raising a hymn to science and civilization, there also rises the discordant but never- ending cry of God's poor. That while we are advancing so rapidly, there are many to whom the path of progress is closed, whose lives are confined in one narrow groove which becomes narrower and narrower until it is lost in the darkness. That against this enlightened and philanthropic age is recorded the cry voiced by the poet : SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. S3 " But why do I talk of death ? That phantom of grisly bone, I hardly fear his terrible shape, It seems so like my own — It seems so like my own, Because of the fasts I keep ; O God, that bread should be so dear, And flesh and blood so cheap. Work — work — work ! my labor never flags, And what are its wages, a bed of straw, A crust of bread — and rags. That shattered roof, and this naked floor, A table — a broken chair — A wall so blank, my shadow I thank For sometimes falling there." Our consciences tell us but too distinctly that these sufferings are due not to errors, but to wrongs ; not entirely to the misfortune or fault of the sufferers, but also to the insatiable greed and besotted carelessness of their fellow-men. The easiest and therefore the favorite method of society in dealing with such a ques- tion is and always has been laissez-faire — \z^ it alone. Such conditions are temporary, and will disappear as man becomes more elevated. Let nature do her work, and all will be well. But unfortunately the elevation of humanity 54 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR seems never to include these miserable mem- bers of it. While knowledge widens, they are plunged into the same dark abyss of ignorance and barbarism, and their lives revolve in the same endless and narrow round. Nor has nature ever been entrusted with the redemp- tion of man or with the performance of a single one of his duties. Upon him alone this ques- tion presses for solution. The weakness and inadequacy of the method of neglect for the solution of social difficulties has in all history given rise to a second method, which is more direct, which goes to the very heart of the problem ; with straight- forward and terrible effectiveness wrong is met by revolution. The burning sense of wrong becomes hotter and hotter, until it bursts into a flame which spares not society's most cherished institutions. France made no an- swer to the cry of her oppressed children, but that of helplessness and indifference, " I cannot help you," until above her prostrate form anarchy raised aloft her bloody hand and answered, " I can." America stands to-day be- tween these two solutions. The inadequacy of the one has again been thoroughly proved, the threatenings of the other may already be heard. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 55 Whither shall we turn ? Between us and destruction stands the probability of an awakening of the old spirit of chivalry. In this the age of science and commerce the most prosaic of all the centuries, this romantic en- thusiasm must be revived, freed from its old errors, but wider and more potent than before. The new knighthood must have no pomp or show for its aim. It is to keep the poor, and whatever glamour of romance surrounds it, must belong to the poetry of good deeds. It must recognize the supremacy of the moral ideal, the brotherhood and interdependence of all mankind and the dignity and glory of service. This knighthood must be the ideal of Christian teaching. To compress Chris- tianity into a system of dogmatics, instead of leaving it a free and living principle to save men, is a fundamental misconception which has so often made Christ's religion destruction to men instead of salvation, and marked its path with the terrors of war when it ought to have been marked with the joys of peace. It must also be the ideal of education, for what we need is not so much principles as men to embody them, not wider knowledge of econo- mic laws, but a more absolute obedience to 5^ ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADbRESSES fiOR - moral laws. Men must be taught their duty to the world as well as its debt to them, what they owe to the weak as well as the fact that the weak must suffer in the struggle for existence. . Until education is directed to eliminating selfishness instead of developing and providing it with weapons, these problems will never be settled but by the sword. Their peaceful solution requires that they be studied not in books, but in the faces of the men whose lives are narrow and whose hopes are dim. In the words of John Ruskin : " We must turn the courage of youth from the toil of war to the toil of mercy; their intellect from dispute of words to discernment of things; and their knighthood from the errantry of adventure to the state and fidelity of a kingly power." When we have attained this end there will be no fear for the future. In the conflict that is surely coming, we shall not lack warriors, we shall not lack heroes, nor, if need be, shall we lack martyrs, and we shall be preserved from the mad folly of attempting the "future's portal with the past's blood-rusted key." SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 57 The Negro and the South. The race problem was launched in the South when the negro was given the ballot. A race scarce a hundred years removed from barbarism, with the bonds of slavery just broken, was given every privilege and every duty of American citizenship. As Ariosto's fairy by some mystery of her nature changed her being from a poisonous reptile to a crea- ture beautiful and celestial, so the negro was expected by some magic power to transform himself into a citizen capable and strong as the Anglo-Saxon. This well-meaning but mistaken policy de- clared that two races, almost equal in number, but of distinct and unassimilable characteristics, one intelligent and experienced, the other ignorant and inexperienced, "should live together on equal terms, in peace." The his- tory of the whole world forbade the policy. Where can be found the record of any two dissimilar races living in peace side by side under one government, and on equal terms ? Where can be found one reason to justify the beUef that a simple constitutional amendment can change a prejudice as old as the world; S8 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR and, reversing the history of the human race, make possible in America, under the most adverse circumstances, what had been im- possible, even under the most favorable circum- stances, in other countries ? The enactment of such a policy was an injustice to the freedman himself. Thrust into a labyrinth of privileges, immunities and duties, without political training or education, he stood, and stands to-day, bewildered — the sub- ject of shameless demagoguery and base deceit. From this policy, in its very inception un- reasonable and unjust, has evolved a problem upon whose proper solution depends the very life of the South. Too long has the North believed that the problem would solve itself. Too long has the South rested in the belief that this country, being a white man's country, would always be ruled by white men. Too long has the whole country indulged in its pet hallucination that no harm can come to America. Let us face the conditions in the South as they are. We should no longer close our eyes to the painful truth that in the South two opposing forces are struggling, the one to maintain supremacy, the other to secure it. Constituting these forces are two races whose SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 59 amalgamation is impossible, as well as abhor- rent. Educated in separate schools, worship- ing in separate churches, traveling in separate cars, each race following its own social inclina- tion which never bring the two together, the races are drifting further and further apart. ( England in all these years has not been able to teach Ireland the English conception of property rights ; would you be willing to place your judiciaries in the hands of men a hundred times less likely to* observe the traditions to which for centuries you have so fondly clung ? Can the world censure the South if she refuses k to accept that solution of the problem which will endanger the safety of the race to which we belong ?\ The South will aid the negro in protecting every right given him by the Con- stitution, save the right of domination ; but when the negro majorities assert their right to control the state governments, as they will some day, the two opposing forces in the South will clash in desperate conflict. The intelligence, experience and wealth ; the bitter prejudice of instinct or centuries of growth in the dominant whites, will rush, irresistibly as the incoming tide, upon the ignorance, tjie inexperience and the poverty of the black^ 6o ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR ( There is a conviction in the breast of every white man that his race must rule. You may read from our Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal, you may fill our statute books to overflowing, the constitution may be amended and amended again, but the whites of the South cannot be ruled by a black majority.) f A few thousand British subjects rule that vast Oriental Empire of India ; in every coun- try, in every clime and in every age where two races of distinct and unassimilable character- istics have met, the stronger has ruled or exter- minated the weaker. And so the white race in the South, with its traditions, its prestige, and its glorious history, must rule/) - Do ^u iiriderstand this as a plea for slavery. The fe^eling of the South was voiced by Grady, when he said : " I thank God as devoutly as do you, that human slavery is gone forever from American soil:^(^ They rejoice with you that Abraham Lincoln broke forever the shackles that bound their states to the debas- ing institution of slavery. In the Southern heart, there is no hostility toward the negro, no evil wish for the black man. He has already suffered enough. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 61 ( I know that the strong men of the South, as GFady said, " wear this problem in their hearts and in their brains, by day and by night." And I know that they reahze the debt of honor and humanity they owe the negro and the world. But I know, too, that- there are times when, almost in despair, strain- ing their eyes for one ray of light to guide them, they see " no rifted cloud, no sunshine, no hope for better things." It is then that there appears that " awful phantom in whose crimson shadow they behold the dishonor and doom of a race conflict."/ The South alone cannot solve the problem. True she has begged that its solution be left to her, but that because the first suspicious, impatient step of the National government caused her to dread and to fear anothe^ If, as representative men, you will give the South your tolerant sympathy, your earnest support, as earnest as Virginia gave Massachusetts when Boston's port was closed, — if you will let her know that you feel her blood coursing in your veins, and your blood in hers, she will no longer strive to make this a Southern ques- tion. Indeed, it more directly concerns the South; but we are all Americans. The ^' 62 OR A TIONS, ESS A VS, ADDRESSES FOR problem should, and does, concern the whole nation, and concerns it deeply Would you lend your efforts toward saving from ruin a great section of your country — the fairest land of all the earth — then deter- mine to take this question from the partisan hawking of the demagogue ; determine to make it a non-partisan work — a question for the whole nation. Once it becomes a' burning American problem — not to be solved by a "victorious North or a defeated South, but by America it will be solved. America, and she alone, must lead us out of the labyrinth and solve the problem in the Eternal right. The. Decisive Battle of the Rebellion. " Pride goeth before destruction." It most assuredly preceded the haughty invasion made by the South which foretold the downfall of the Confederacy. The South had been elated by two great victories, and was made confident of the accession of strength it was receiving. Considering these opportunities favorable for an invasion, the Confederate general deter- mined to transfer the theatre of war into the North, and live off the enemy's country. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 63 Their hopes ran high, their expectations were great. Into this invasion was sent the finest and best equipped army the South had ever raised. It contained the flower and strength of the Confederacy. They were inspired with a sense of invincibiUty. They had come to feel that they could not be conquered, nor had they forgotten the boastful words of their Presi- dent: that the issue would be decided on the wheat-fields of the North. On the other side stood the Northern army. Though disheartened and discouraged by recent defeats, yet it was ever ready to march, to fight, and to be defeated time and again with a never-say-die determination that entitles it to the lasting respect of the nation which it finally saved from destruction. Onward it hurried, day and night, for God and its coun- try, and in a few days peopled the quaint town of Gettysburg with a race of soldiers. They came from the eastern coast, from the lakes and forests of the north and the flowery prairies of the west. They came to bear all, to dare all, and to do all that was possible for heroes to do. They were impelled by some great and unforeseen power, 64 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR Here, then, met the two grandest, the two best equipped, the two most intelligent armies that ever stood face to face on God's earth. On the one hand was a mighty tempest of in- dignation against what was considered to be heaven-defying injustice. On the other hand was the cause of the North which stood by the integrity and sovereignty of the Union and by the honor of the nation, to which motives were added the cries of free- dom and humanity. Each had perfect faith in the heaven-born justice of its cause. Each prayed to the same God for assistance, but one cause must be wrong, and had to be defeated. The stubborn fighting that was exhibited on this field of courage has never been surpassed. It was here, if ever, that Greek met Greek, it was here that might stood up with right, it was here that principle, clashed with principle. Well aware was either side that on the issue of this conflict were staked the future destinies of both governments, and so both put forth their utmost strength. For three days the fate of the Republic hung trembling in the balance over a field which neither side had chosen. But the God of SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS 65 Nations overruled all and gave victory to the right. The dead and dying on that field plainly showed that the Greek fire of patriotism and courage was not extinguished, but was burning as brightly as ever. It is due to this that the battle of Gettysburg has gone down on the same roll with Marathon and Thermopylse. " Return with your shield or upon it" has been held up to the admiration of the world for three thousand years. Well might" Pyrrhus have exclaimed on looking over that field of slaughter: "With such men could I have con- quered the world." Side by side on those hills, ground that seemed to be on fire, lay the patriot and rebel, wounded, dying, dead. God made them to be brothers of the same race, citizens of the same country, disciples of the same Gospel, and followers of the same religion. The battle of Gettysburg was the high-water mark of the Rebellion. It was on this field that the star of the Confederacy reached its zenith and then began to waver ; it was on this field that the Rebellion received its death- blow, and like the tradition of the serpent, this monster of secession dragged along its slimy 66 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR length until the sun set at Appomatox, when it yielded up its life. In the failure, therefore, of this invasion the corner-stone of that fabric which the Rebellion sought to erect on human bondage and the distinction of the races of men, whom God has made of one blood, was crushed out of exist- ence. It was man's greatest battle for man. It was a battle, the contrary event of which would have changed the drama of the western continent and all its subsequent scenes. It is for this reason that the battle of Gettysburg has also been inscribed on the same roll with Saratoga and Waterloo as a decisive factor in the history of nations. It put an end to in- vasions of the North. The Southern veterans that went down before those charges of Gettys- burg could not be replaced. But it was more than a mere battle lost to the Confederacy ; it was more serious than the failure of a cam- paign. Far beyond the Atlantic were powers and principalities waiting for some notable triumph on the part of the South to afford them an excuse to recognize the Confederacy as one of the independent nations. The Southern cause failed, and with its fail- ure the fact was demonstrated that a govern- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 67 ment founded upon oppression and wrong could not exist in the light of the civilization and Christianity of this age ; and above all, it decided in conformity with the saying of that God-given leader whose words have become immortal: "That government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth." The din of battle has rolled away. The wounds of war have healed. Forgotten be the enmity and heart-burnings of the strife, so that when earth shall give back her dead and the sea cast forth the remnant thereof who will dare to sift the dust and pronounce: this is patrician and this is plebeian ; this is the Blue and this is the Gray ? The University and True Patriotism. I know no field in which a wise statesman- ship and an enlightened patriotism can find nobler employ than in the colleges and universi- ties of our land. True as this may have been at all times, it is peculiarly true at the present time. We have been inclined to limit too much the sphere of true patriotism. Not merely on the field of battle or in the combats 68 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR of the political arena is manifested true love of country. " God bless our native land," the lips of childhood sing in simplest prayer, and the same words form the petition of tried man- hood when added years have given them richer and fuller meaning. The mental pictures that lie back of the simple words " our country " is a composite one, made up of various complex elements. There is implied in these words the home of childhood, with woods and hills and stream, the old school-house, with grape- vine swing, and bubbling spring, and teeming play-ground. There, too, is college life, with its memories indelibly fixed and its influences forever potent and permanent. There is the early business or professional career, the days of toil and struggle, the victories and defeats of maturer manhood. They do err exceed- ingly who associate the words " our country " solely with vast extent of territory, with veins of gold and silver, with mines of coal and iron, with teeming fields, with shrieking engines, with sails dotting every lake and filling every port. Such signs and prophecies of material wealth do not constitute our country any more, than fretted ceiling and frescoed walls and rarest furnishings can make home. It was SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 69 Emerson, I believe, who said that "the true test of civihzation is not the census, nor the size of the cities, nor the crops, but the kind of men the country turns out." Realizing this truth, conscious that Americans must prove America's greatness; that the fairest jewels we can exhibit to the wprld are the sons and daughters of our land, it follows that he is the truest patriot who is engaged in the work of improving our civilization and spreading culture. Thomas Jefferson ordered to be engraved on his tombstone the epitaph, "Author of the Declaration of Independence and Father of the University of Virginia." Worthy and just association of ideas; for though we declare our country's independence and greatness with all possible emphasis, still these can be per- manently assured only through the work of education. Nearer to us still stands the example of Virginia's peerless son, the immor- tal Lee, whose name I call in this presence with bowed head and reverent heart, who, after offering to his state every gift within his power, found in the service of this institution the opportunity of supremest consecration to his fellow-man and loyalty to the South that he loved so well. ^o OR A TIONS, ESSA YS, ADDRESSES FOR The present time is a suitable one for colleges to do a great service to our country, not only by fostering indirectly the spirit of patriotism, which colleges always do, but more directly by emphasizing certain studies that play an im- portant part in preparing young men for pub- lic service. The questions now before us are economic ones ; they have to do with the tariff, with financial legislation, with the various questions arising from the wealth and power of corporations. It is not too much to say that these questions are more difficult of solu- tion than even the great slavery question, which our fathers had to consider and settle. These problems demand careful study and ex- pert examination. In most of the countries of Europe the opinion of trained specialists is highly valued and generally followed. In America scholarship counts for little in the management of the affairs of State. Sad it is to relate that we have few poHticians who are experts, though we have many expert poli- ticians. Surely our colleges and universities can do something toward the establishment of sound economic ideas and an intelligent patri- otism. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 71 The Discipline of Life and Character. When we come to consider the features or elements of character, we might select one of several starting-points. We might begin with Justice, or with Good-will (love, charity), or with Courage, or with Truth. Let us begin with this fundamental quality of Truthfulness. It is the condition of all moral excellence ; and perhaps for this very reason it is not generally numbered among the cardinal virtues. Yet it may have been in- cluded in the virtue of wisdom or prudence, the first of the four leading virtues enumerated by Plato. However this* may be, Truth is fundamental. Of whatever quality we may think or speak, unless it is real, it is not good. And by this truthfulness, as indeed is already obvious, we do not mean mere veracity in speech, however valuable that may be, and even indispensable ; but general truthfulness of mind, that simplicity and sincerity which gives a value to all other characteristics, and the absence of which mars every other virtue and grace. In closest connection with truth is Courage. It is indeed its surest and most necessary bul- 72 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES POR wark and defense. It is a quality to which all men are agreed to do homage. There may be men who think lightly of truthfulness, who hold that untruthfulness of speech may some- times be necessary, and who do not attach suf- ficient value to truthfulness of mind. Yet we have no reason to think that, in the whole history of the world, any one has thought well of cowardice, or failed to admire courage or bravery. There is no term which we should regard as more disgraceful when applied to ourselves than the name of coward. There are few words which considerate men will hesitate so long before applying to another. And yet our adrniration of this virtue does not always ensure a true judgment of its nature. Many actions which we are at first inclined to put down to courage are really cowardly ac- tions. Many which we deem cowardly are most brave and courageous. It is not always a sign of courage to return a blow, nor to make a hot, angry retort when one is reviled. Some- times it may need courage to do these things. More commonly it needs courage not to do them. Few names are better known or more famous than that of Sir Philip Sidney. He was a SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 73 great soldier, and distinguished himself in the wars of the Netherlands against the power of Spain. But it is not so much of his bravery as a soldier, or of his skill as a commander that we think, when we recall his courage and mag- nanimity ; it is of his patience under insult. A fool who had quarreled with him tried to provoke him to fight. When he did not suc- ceed, he went so far as to spit in Sidney's face. What was the hero's response } " Young man," he said, " if I could as easily wipe your blood from my conscience as I can wipe this insult from my face, I would this moment take your life." Which was the truly brave man in that case, the insolent fool or the patient hero ? It is an example from which we may learn much of the nature of true courage. This moral courage is a mighty power, because it is the symbol of truth and devotion to duty. " Conscience doth make cowards of us all." A man can hardly be courageous, in the true sense of the word, who is not animated by a high principle of action. Knox, the Scottish reformer, was harsh and intolerant, but he was a man of heroic courage. When he was laid in his grave, it could be said of him that he " never feared the face of man," It is 74 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR ever so with the truest and greatest. There can be nothing great in the. man who is lack- ing in courage. Pre-eminent among the greater quaHties of character stands Justice or Righteousness. It is, so to speak, the practical, the active side of truth, and is inseparable from it. By Justice we mean, first of all, the doing to others as we would that they should do to us. It means the steadfast purpose to wrong no one by thought, word or deed — in person, in possessions or in reputation. It means the willingness, the eager readiness to repair, by every means in our power, any wrong which we may, wittingly or unwittingly, have done them. By Justice we mean also devotion to duty. No man can be just who does not habitually ask himself what relations he sustains to God and to man, and who does not seriously con- sider the obligations which spring out of those relations. The neglect of duty is the robbery of humanity. It is depriving our fellow-men of that portion of work which we are morally bound to perform : not only for our own good, but also for the good of others. Close to justice, and almost as part of it, or SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 75 inseparably connected with it, stands Good- ness or Generosity. We sometimes hear dis- tinctions made between justice and mercy, righteousness and goodness; and there is a distinction in thought. We admit the distinc- tion. Yet it may be doubted whether justice is ever found in men unaccompanied by mercy, whether righteousness can Hve without good- ness for its partner. A justice which knows no mercy is the height of injustice. A mercy which takes no account of equity is apt to become unmerciful. There is no human quality more excellent, more beautiful than Generosity. In the Latin language the Generosus was very much what we mean by the gentleman. He was the man who was broad, liberal, sympathetic in thought, word and deed. May we not say that this is the true meaning of the word Gentleman among ourselves ? What a splendid quality is this generosity of thought, of word and of deed ! The quality which makes us think kindly of our fellow-men, when it is at all possible to do so, the quality which bids us assume as little as possible to ourselves and concede as much as possible to others. It is the finest quality in the most 76 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR beautiful lives ; and it has never been without examples in any period of human history. It is scarcely necessary to add to these qualities the radical virtue of Unselfishness; for this is but the negative aspect of that quality which is universally regarded as the root of all goodness — whether we call it Love, Benevolence or Good-will. Of this quality selfishness is the antagonist, and the parent of falsehood, cowardice, injustice, intemperance and unkindness. That which we chiefly admire in those good qualities which we have men- tioned is the unselfishness, the self-denial which enters into them. Wherever there is love there is sacrifice ; there can be no real, deep good-will which does not express -itself in acts of self-abnegation. Some of the most beauti- ful incidents in human history are illustrations of this principle. We need only refer to King David refusing the water of the well of Beth- lehem, and Sir Philip Sidney passing on the draught of water to the wounded soldier. The Liberalistic Temper. In a time of great mental awakening, of un- paralleled scientific discovery, of enormous in- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 77 crease of wealth, and consequent increased en- joyment of material pleasure, when old faiths necessitate inconvenient deductions and old beliefs impede the readiness with which men embrace new things — it is natural that old beliefs should be held lightly and old faiths sub- ject to convenient change. The unsteadiness of allegiance to any fixed body of principles consequent on such an intellectual condition divorces judgment from emotion, and leaving men with a persuasion of mind without a burn- ing conviction of heart, prepares them for a liberalism of view at which men of conviction a century ago would have stood aghast. And as the various energies of human life become more and more organized and co-ordinated, a spirit of mind which characterizes any large body of respected men spreads rapidly over every sphere of thought and action. It finds issue here in a new development of political or social theory, here in a new attitude toward scientific assertion, here in finer literary judg- ments and artistic sensibilities, and here in a new conception of the religious life. The metaphysical basis of our religious liberalism is unquestionably found in the doubt of the adequacy or validity of generally accepted 78 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR truth. The unconcealed fearlessness of science searching for causes in the phenomenal world and continually discovering that the old posi- tions are insufficient, has naturally led scien- tific men to place less confidence in the old. It has led younger scientific men to assert the new with a confidence unsurpassed. This temper of mind carried over into the religious sphere has produced analogous and inevitable results. New conceptions of culture also have contributed to the growth of religiousliberalism. The chief characteristic of modern culture is that it invites to a " conscious conduct of life where goodness is no longer the final object : another branch of morals is instituted in which the factors are not justice and truth, but a set of artistic sensibilities." No religion is accept- able to a man of this culture, save as it serves as a motive and a field for new subjective ex- pression. It is essential that such religion should be liberal. And yet quite as potent as either erroneous notions of science or false ideals of culture have been wrong conceptions of the religious life by its friends. It was con- ceived of rather as something superadded to the highest life of humanity than as itself the perfect development of that life. It was un- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 79 avoidable, therefore, that philosophy, and no less literature and science and art should be conceived apart from religion, and that so con- ceived religion itself should be largely to blame if the relations developed proved hostile or inharmonious. Since they have indeed turned out so, the true remedy is to correct the evils in our con- ceptions of science, culture and religion. Science must learn that its limits are in phe- nomena, and cease endeavoring to apply its rigid certainty to the moral nature of mankind. Within phenomena it must observe its method • — singleness of purpose, directness of aim, thor- oughness and fearlessness. The difficulty of a false liberalism in science with results extend- ing over religion also will in this manner be avoided. And other fruits will be gathered in the substitution of enthusiasm for indifference, in the conjunction of a self-respecting humility with the fullest charitableness, and in increased sincerity both of purpose and of life. Culture, moreover, must be something more than re- fined sensuousness, or intellectual attainment, or the possession of ethical theories. It must be the holiest development of all the faculties of man, exaggerating none, on no account 8o ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR ignoring the moral aspects of human nature, but patiently cultivating everything sown in it which is capable of growth. And our concep- tions of religion itself must enable us to make for it the claim of the worshipper of humanity that in it human life meets and rests, that by it science and philosophy become human, moral, co-ordinated; devotion becomes rational and practical; art becomes religious, social, crea- tive ; industry, beneficent, unselfish, ennobling ; education, a rational preparation for a true Hfe; and religion itself, the golden bond of spirits within and of multitudes without. If the student in each branch of human re- search would only be natural, would only seek the large and permanent interests of human knowledge, would only obey the simple dictates of common sense, there would be such complete consistency between the various spheres of our life that men would not be driven to-day to a Hberalism with which are associated the gravest evils and weaknesses. As a religious move- ment it is only the remnant of the religious feeling with which its advocates were imbued in their youth, combined* with their own pleas- ure in the fancy that they personally are a great force in the world. It is not creative. School, collbgs and special occasions. 8i It is adaptive. It is not an author. It is a critic. It simply has no patience to let the blossoms of the field ripen into the fruit of harvest-time. The spirit of unrest and uncertainty which has grown into this strong liberal tendency in the very center of human life has naturally crept beyond its strict bounds, and generally pervaded most of human affairs. It is unex- pectedly marked in the rural districts of the land in the tolerance with which offenses against strict moral standards are viewed so long as the evil wrought is not personally ex- perienced by the self-appointed judge. The tendency away from things established is no less clear in the economic thought of the people. The unceasing toil, the squalid home, the dingy street, the wretchedness and gradual deterioration of their children — these things are noted and brooded over by men who are steadily being brought face to face with the disadvantages of their situation, and with whom visionary and mischievous opinions take the place of sober and intelligent councils: while a false liberalism teaches them that the fact that a thing is, is good reason that it ought not to be. Above all, the press not only ac- 82 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR cepts the liberalistic tendency of the day, but accelerates and aggravates it. Journalistic success depends on the readiness of its accept- ance of the temper of the popular mind. That temper to-day is of excessive mobility. The future will bring a reaction, but the future is not yet the present, and it will come bringing stability to popular emotion and popular belief only when the popular mind is anchored once again to a stabte religious faith. Finding its origin then in a weakened re- ligious conviction, exercised and developed in the common affairs of the life of the common people, it would be strange if we could not trace a wilful divergence from sound principles in politics. Under cover of a pretended con- servatism a transformation has been wrought which has left the central government strength- ened at the expense of the states, and the state governments strengthened at the expense of the people. As to the wisdom of these chan- ges there may have been room for difference of opinion. As to the folly of further un- necessary change in the same direction there is little doubt. In no form ought a false liberalism to allure us from those beliefs of the fathers which taught them that the nation was School, college and special occasions. 83 strongest when it most respected the autonomy of the states, and the states were strongest when they least interfered with the immunities and sufficiency of the citizen. And because the most severe strain upon our political system will be felt here, because ignorant men cannot without great difficulty rise to anything like an adequate conception of the importance and permanence of the results of national policy, because selfish men will always be ready to avail themselves of state assistance and inter- vention, the educated should fearlessly, un- flinchingly stand for the historic spirit of the nation which with implicit faith in the true common people insists that they shall do everything and it nothing, except such neces- sary things as it alone can do well. If the man of education has a duty in politics he has a duty in common life as well, and his duty is to stand in opposition to the misdirected and indefinite tendencies of our day away from things that are old because they are old, and toward things that are new because they are new. Such an attitude will not betoken hostility to progress. It is not necessary to believe, because we do not now have all the truth, that therefore what we have 84 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES POR is not the truth. Progress is not secured by groping in the dark, but by sure advancements from positions we have already taken and now hold. The dogmatism of unbelief is no whit preferable to the certitude of faith. A true liberalism loves the past for what it has done and for what it has been. It reaches forth to the future because it holds the promise of things to be. But the liberalism of to-day, by reason of its inherent instability, springing from its lack of permanent principle, is the foe both of progress and of sincere life. For both progress and sincere life demand firm mental apprehension combined with a ■esponsive enthusiasm of heart. This enthu- siasm comes upon us as we are met here to-day, heart to heart with the memories of the past. The voices of departed years bid us in loyalty to them, with openness and frankness of mind, to take up the duties that unfold before us. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 85 The Reverence Due from the Old to the Young. By Charles Russel Lowell, soldier. Born in Boston, 1835; graduated from Harvard, 1855; died near Middleton, Vt., Oct. 20, 1864, from" wounds received at Cedar Creek. (This- oration -was delivered at the commencement exercises at Harvard, j855, where Mr. Lowell took the first honors^ The deference shown by youth to old age has been sometimes proposed as the test of a nation's civiUzation ; I would propose as a better test the reverence shown by the old to the young men. Austrian policy has lately confirmed the old truth, that the best way to ruin a nation is to corrupt its youths; and I might say that our own career proves that regard to the young is what gives a nation its greatest vigor. But if I am an American, I am also a young man, and at least till I cast my first vote, I shall think this position the higher. I know very well that the young do not rightly respect the old here, but this is no proof that the old do rightly respect the young men ; I know very well that the children with us grind down like remorseless young gods the poor mortals, but even the gods, I think, 86 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR were not always properly worshipped. And as a young man, loyal to youth, I assert that our true rights are still not respected, our true value not felt ; and I contend that, tried by the test proposed, we are still a race of semi-barbarians. No nation, of course, can view its young men with indifference ; the nurse of Crichnow, when she looked in the infant's mouth, beheld whole kingdoms; so each nation sees in its young men the means of fulfilling its wishes. Once, when these wishes were gratified less by the head and more by the hand, when courage and strength were highly respected as virtues, some of the favorite gods possessing in fact no others, youth could not but receive some little share of reverence ; youth too charmed by its beauty; and men imagined rightly that those were most like the gods who longest kept their young manhood. But now, when the work of the world is done more by brains than by muscles, since it is hard to prove that the brains of the young are better, since too the beautiful is now crowded out by the useful, men seem to wish to make God's earth a Mahomet's heaven, where sons may be born and grow up in an hour. They seem to SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. &■} forget that in nature " the shortest way to an end is that which lies through a/l the means." They think of education too much as a mere preparation for manhood, as the drawing out of an infant into a man ; they should rather think of it as the development of an infant into a child, of a child into a youth, of a youth into a man. They would then be more willing to leave him in each of the stages as long as nature indicates ; then we should never hear the plea of indulgence that young men will be young men, but that they may be would be the wish of wisdom. Young men, as we said, have always been sought, and never more than at present ; but for what are they sought ? Be- cause they are a "power on the earth," because they bring zeal and vigor which the world is eager to use. Man knows by instinct, what anatomists have learned by search, that the nerves of action are of stouter stuff than the others, and to young men any prospect of labor is welcome. But that they feel keenly the pleasure of labor, this is no proof that labor is their highest function, this is no proof that their elders are right to turn the fresh current of youth into canals to move mill-wheels. We hear nowadays much wholesome truth about 88 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR the dignity of labor ; every stroke, we are told, of the laborer's pickaxe if made with an honest purpose helps the world on in its course ; but when a young man is burning to do the world great service, it is a falsehood to tell him that faithful labor is the best gift the world expects from him. If young men bring mankind noth- ing but their strength and their spirit the world may well spare them ; but they do bring it something better, they bring it a gift which they alone can bestow, they bring it their fresher and purer ideals. Whether because we come to this world from a higher "trailing clouds of glory," or because we pass only slowly under the yoke of matter, certain it is that in youth we love to dwell in ideals; as soon as we find that the world is not what it was at first in our dreams, we form new visions of what it should be and of what we will and can make it ; and as action looks always forward, we have in youth an " instinctive grasp to the future," while in old age we become " sentimentally moored to the past." Now the great works of the world are not shaped by Providence only; each man must help in this also ; he lays his stone well or ill according to the vision which guides SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 89 him. It is not true that good comes often of evil ; good comes only of good, and of evil comes only evil. Every act helps to produce exactly the end which it aimed at, and^ helps to produce no other ; this is true not only of deeds, but also of thoughts and wishes, — ^every wish helps somewhat to secure the result wished for. Thus, the world must always be improving, for in youth we have seen there always exists the earnest wish to improve it. But the instinctive wish of the youth must become the rational aim of the man, and a rational aim must seek and adopt the best means. Now each generation stands in a new position, it gets new views of past faults and failures with new glimpses of future possi- bilities; and in youth when the tendency to form ideals is strong, and each moment is helping to. shape them, silently old errors are dropped and new wisdom adopted. Those, then, who aim to give the world rational help must not neglect the coming generation ; they must respect its ideals even if their own seem to suffer, for here change is indeed the only constancy. This is one reason why the suggestions of youth should be respected, this is not all how- 90 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR ever. While mankind is constantly rising to higher ideals, there is always danger that the man may sink to lower ones. Labor has been blessed as the Lethe of the past and the present ; it may well be cursed as the Lethe of the highest future. Apart from the fact that in changing wishes to wills and wills to deeds, much is always lost that is never missed, the moment a man begins to act out his ideal, each lower faculty finds its special satisfaction. Gratified activity may become a siren to lull him to destruction ; the ideal power may stoop to form pictures of worldly success ; or he may flatter himself that he is still true to his ideal while to every one else it is clear that his " nature is subdued to what it works in, like the dyer's hand." Therefore, the old men, the men of the last generation, caws\o\. teach us of the present what should be, for that we know as well as they or better; they should not teach us what can be, for the world always advances by impossibilities achieved ; and if life has taught them what czxxnot be, such knowl- edge in the world's march is only impedimenta; in short, though men are never too old to learn, they are often too young to be taught. (The men whom we worship as heroes SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS, gi have, in all ages, been the perennially young ; they have been those who retained through life that which is the very essence of youth — uncompromising ideals. The world should derive from its young men the same sort of benefit which it derives from its heroes; young- man-worship should stand by the side of hero- worship; but a hero comes only once in a century, while young men are always at hand, and it is not strange that the worship of the latter should be neglected. The greatest ob- stacle, it has been said, " to being heroic, is the doubt whether one may not be going to prove one's self a fool." This same obstacle too often interferes with youths continuing young; the fear of being fools is always before us ; but the truest manhood on our part is to put away this fear, and the truest wisdom on the part of our elders is to help us put it away. The instinct of self-preservation which should keep young men young men, is not a strong one ; it needs every encouragement, and the more willing the young are to fall into this suicide, the more loudly does the world's welfare demand that the old should seek to prevent them. Nature, in making young men the builders of castles in the air, meant them also to be the architects 92 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR and master-builders in the great edifice which the world is slowly rearing ; out of the thousand fragile chateaux in Spain rises this one Gib- raltar.)* If beauty then, which has been called the promise of function, causes youth to be loved^ the function, which already brings the world its life and its growth, should cause it to be reverenced. A nation that feels this reverence has its golden age before it ; it cannot be wholly undone by unprincipled governments or evil institutions; where this is not felt, though the course may seem rapid and pros- perous, a swift under-current is sweeping it surely to destruction. We claim to be an extremely progressive people, to have a keen eye for possibilities, to make the most of our means, but this reverence, the highest help to progress, is little recognized. Never before in any country was action so much valued ; for men now, as for orators of old, action is thought the first, the second, the third requisi- tion. Far be it from me to say aught against action ; as Bacon has finely said, " in the theatre * The bracketed paragraph appears in the original draft of the oration deposited with Mr. W. G. Brown in charge of Archives, Harvard College Library, by Mrs. Josephine S. Lowell (Mrs. C. R. I-oweU), * SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 93 of the world God and the angels only have a right to be spectators." Still mere action is no proof of progress, and in overvaluing its amount we necessarily undervalue its direc- tion ; we make it our boast how much we do, and thus grow blind to what we do. Action here is the Minotaur which claims and devours our youths ; Athens bewailed the seven who yearly left her shore, with us scarce seven remain and we urge the victims to their fate. Apollonius of Tyana tells us in his Travels that he saw " a youth, one of the blackest of the Indians, who had between his eyebrows a shining moon. Another youth named Mem- non, the pupil of Herodes the sophist, had this moon when he was young, but,' as he approached to man's estate, its light grew fainter and fainter, and finally vanished." The world should see with reverence on each youth's brow, as a shining moon, his fresh ideal. It should remember that he is already in the hands of a sophist more dangerous than Herodes, for that sophist is himself. It should watch lest from too early and exclusive action, the moon on his brow, growing fainter and fainter, should finally vanish ; ancLsadder than all, should leave in vanishing no sense of loss, 94 OkATlOm, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR The Spirit that should Animate. In selecting for our topic, " The Spirit that should accompany our Republican Institu- tions," let it not be anticipated that we are bringing hither a political tirade to fret and rave about ourselves, or that we mean to run mad at the sound of our own voice, as it pro- nounces the word "republic." We have not arrayed ourselves, gladiator-like, to attack or defend public measures, — to despatch in the few moments allotted us all the political ques- tions that now interest us as a people, — or to set right the executive, legislative and judicial departments of the government, in the short period of twenty minutes. We come not to battle with politicians, whoever they may be, and whether they stand on either bank, or in the middle of the Rubicon. We come not to sweep down regiments of them with a sentence, or to blow up the country with a magazine of words. No; we would dwell upon this spirit, without taking the word "politics" upon our lips. These have entered into and con- taminated every other place, — let the house of God, the ^emple of literature, be sacred a little longer. Let there be one spot left, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 93 where rational, thinking man may retreat from poHtical, talking man. We will not be the first to tread it with a sacrilegious step. No ; in the spirit in which the prophet of old put off his shoes on Mount Horeb, "because the ground on which he stood was holy," we would venture in this place to speak of that spirit which should guide and animate us in the en- joyment of our peculiar institutions. And addressing, as we trust, nay, as we know, a republican assembly, both under the influence, surrounded and supported by the spirit of free institutions, what inquiry can be more important than that which opens to them the way in which they can most safely keep, and most perfectly enjoy these institutions ? The work of attaining them is accomplished. The battle is over, the victory is won, and our fathers are at rest. These institutions are now ours. Praise cannot make them more, nor detraction less so. They are ours, bought and paid for. But they are ours under a solemn responsibleness, — under none other than the trust that we will preserve, exalt and extend them. But we shall discharge this high and honorable trust, only as we hold them in a right spirit, and exercise them upon proper 96 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR principles. We speak not extravagantly, then, when we say, that in maintaining and holding sacred that spirit which will adorn and per- petuate these institutions, and give them the only thing they want, their free course, con- sists the whole duty of our generation ; and that when this ceases to be important and interesting in our eyes, we cease to deserve them. Honor and gratitude have been to those who attained, — honor and gratitude shall be to those who preserve them. The spirit, then, in the first place, whose claims we would advocate, is a spirit of national modesty. We use the term in distinction from that national arrogance or vanity which we deem unbecoming and dangerous. We are aware that the history of our coun- try is a peculiar one, — peculiar in its interests and importance, and not to us only, but to the world. We have read, with a thrilling in- terest, the story of our fathers' doings, dwelt upon their glorious anticipations, and hailed the fulfillment of them, as year after year they have been developed. But where, in all this, is the occasion of arrogance to ourselves and denunciation of others, as if we stood on the only elevation, and, what is more, had reached SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECLAL OCCASIONS. 97 that elevation ourselves ? Our duty, we have said, is to adorn our institutions ; ostentation is its very opposite, — to diffuse them abroad; detraction of others vsrill defeat us. But who are they who would thus stride the earth like a colossus ? Where is the history of their toil, and danger, and suffering? Where are the monuments of their personal valor and heroism, and splendid achievement ? Where is the record of their martyrdom ? We have seen the conceited descendant of some rich ancestor, decked in the robes which that an- cestor has toiled that he might wear, — flutter- ing about, the puppet of an hour, yet walking, as he imagines, a god amidst the surrounding pigmies ; talking as if the world were made for him alone, because, forsooth, he really cannot conceive, — as certainly no other can, — how he could have been made for the world. We have seen, I say, this poor imitation of humanity, and looked with contempt on what we could not pity. But what do they more, or better, who, in the costume of national vanity, are stalking about amongst the nations of the earth, vainly declaiming about their institu- tions, — theirs, because they happened to be born where these had been planted, — and 98 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR sweeping down the institutions of others, for the modest yet cogent reason of the Pharisee, that they are not as their own. But we would see amongst us, as a nation, that modesty which we admire so much in domestic Hfe. Individual modesty, — we have all seen her, — is a lovely damsel, with simple mien, retiring manners and chaste array. There is nothing about her to remind one of a flower-garden in distress, or a rainbow be- witched. What is gaudy, she hates, — display is her abomination. The scene of her glory is at home, acting, not speaking her praises. This is individual modesty, and national modesty is the same damsel grown into a dis- creet and stately matron. She has changed her robes, it is true, but not their character nor her own. She is still the same, only more perfect in her principles, as she is more ex- tended in her influence, — seen only in the unassuming deportment of her children, — heard only in the voice of her enterprise; known, as every good tree is, only by her fruits. We should honor the matron, as we courted the damsel. We would hold her fast, for she is our ornament ; we would .love her, for she is altogether lovely. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 99 We would not, — for it is the spirit that, in the second place, we would advocate, — we would not, for we dare not, decry that national pride, honest, open, high-minded pride, which originates in self-respect, is nurtured by all the generous sympathies that gather round the name of our native land, and which brings forth as its fruits national enterprise and •strength, and what is more, national virtue. National pride in this sense is patriotism, and who shall decry patriotism ? But the vanity that we condemn is opposite in its every look, feature and gesture, to^ this honorable virtue, and it is because we think it so, that we do condemn it. Vanity is mean, — patriotism is noble. Vanity is dangerous, — patriotism is our bulwark. Vanity is weakness, — patriot- ism is power. The organ of the one is the tongue ; that of the other the heart. Is it asked, then, who is the friend, the firm, true-hearted, ever-to-be-trusted friend of our institutions ? We would answer, not he who is perched upon the house-top, shouting ho- sannas to the four corners of the earth, and proclaiming to the world, " Lo, here, and here alone, p^fection has taken up her abode " ; but rather he who has placed himself at the 100 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR bottom, in the most honorable of all attitudes, that of strenuous yet unassuming exertion; not he who talks, but he who does the most. Is it asked again, where, then, are we to look for the praise of these institutions at home, and their acceptance and diffusion abroad ? We would answer again, not to the dangerous -sweeping panegyrics of us and ours, or the more dangerous sweeping denunciations of all ' others and all things, else, but to the good they have done, the evil they have prevented, the happiness they have diffused, the misery they have healed or mitigated. Ask of honest in- dustry, why she labors with a strong hand and a smiling face. Ask of commerce, why she dances, like a sailor-boy, in the breeze, joyous and impatient. Listen to the busy, gladsome hum of art mingling with the voice of nature on every stream, and the song of contentment blending with and perfecting the melody. Behold education, the inmate of the humblest dwelling, — man enlightened, thinking for him- self, and worshipping his Maker in the only acceptable way, his own way. Look at your- selves, your children, your homes. And if you see not, hear not, feel not, the praises of these institutions in all these, eloquence cannot SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. loi varnish them. Let them be gone, they are not what they seem to be. The spirit, again, whose claims we would advocate as an accompaniment of our institu- tions, is a spirit of national moderation. The theory, and may it ever be the practical effect of these institutions, is this, that every mem- ber of the community, be he high or low, rich or poor, has a right, equal and unquestion- able, to think, speak and act upon every measure originating among and interesting us as a people. And, still further, the full de- velopment of these institutions demands the fair and unshackled exertion of this right. Take this single fact in connection with the history of man. What is the history of man, we mean political man, as he is a member of the community and the subject of govern- ment 1 It is but a history of parties, — of this side and that side of some undefinable line, the direction of which no earthly philosophy can trace. Yes ; strange as it may seem, men have divided themselves into parties, at the name of- which the human tongiae falters, and the human understanding shrinks aghast. And this has been the case, while, instead of a gen- eral freedom of speech and action, a few only of I02 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR men, a very few, have been acknowledged to be human beings, and all the rest have been left to make themselves out so. What is to be the consequence now, when all are admitted to be so ? Jarring and confusion, and consequent destruction, have made up the story of man- kind, while tyranny bridled their tongues, and despotism hung like a dead weight upon their spirits. Bxit the spirit which, if they can, must put an end to this hitherto close alliance between freedom and contention, — the spirit which, Hke our liberties, is nowhere to be found in history, but which must spring up with and protect them, in a spirit of national modera- tion, — that generous. Christian spirit, which is cool while it thinks, and charitable while it speaks and acts, — that spirit which, if experi- ence does not sanction, reason does, and which, if it be found in no other record, is yet found and enforced in that pattern of all in- stitutions — Christianity. Yes ; the single con- sideration, — and we need no other, — the single consideration of the broad extent of our liberties, is in itself the most eloquent advocate of moderation. Perfect freedom must take her for its handmaid, for wherever it has SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 103 started without her, it has failed. That which, if anything can, must distinguish the history of the present from that of all past time, is the operation of the true republican principle, that the full enjoyment of liberty by all depends upon the moderate use of it by each. Opposed also to this spirit of moderation, is that desire of controversial distinction in the younger members of the community, which, when it has well spiced their tongue and em- bittered their pen, produces what is called a young politician. I know not a more amusing, were it not so dangerous a specimen of our race, as this class of inexperienced yet fiery combatants. They come into the world, and the first cry you hear is, "We must fight. Our fathers and our grandfathers fought, and why should not we ? True, we have nothing very special to fight about, but still we must fight." We would trust our institutions to , cooler heads and safer, hands. Experience, — ■ that gray-headed old gentleman, who followed time into the world, and who was contemporary with wisdom, ere the foundations of the world were laid, is altogether the safest guardian of such precious treasures. True, he may not harangue with quite so much rapidity and 104 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR fierceness as these fluent usurpers of his place; but the words which drop slowly from his honored lips are full as wise and full as worthy of preservation as theirs. And though he stand leaning upon his staff, and looking with straining eyes, we would trust to his vision quite as implicitly, as to that of the stately, elastic youth, who, with younger and brighter eyes, does not always see. We would call back this venerable seer from his obscurity. He is growing old-fashioned. We would array him in a modern costume, and set him in our high places. The free air of our country will renew his youth, and he, in return, will build up our in- stitutions in the spirit of wisdom and moderation. We would banish from amongst us, then, these and all other dispositions which stand in the way of that national moderation which we deem so essential. It is to the young men of our times that the call of our institutions on this subject is the loudest. Be it theirs, then, to cultivate and diffuse this spirit. And then, what if no trumpet-tongued orator shall rise up to pro- claim their praises, — what if eloquence be dumb, — the tongue of man silent? They have a heaven-born eloquence, sweeter than SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. loj music, yet louder than thunder, — the eloquence of truth. They have an argument, which, though it speaks not, is heard through the universe, — the argument of a good cause, on a sound bottom. Let the spirit that should accompany them be abroad, — let national modesty, moderation, charity, independence, and, above all, the spirit of Christianity, be their guard, and then, like Christianity, the powers of nature may strive against them, but they are founded upon a rock. Man cannot overthrow them, and the Almighty will not. Treason of Benedict Arnold. Americans the world over have been proud of their country. They look with pride upon its geographical advances; its numerical, its financial and, greater and more glorious than all these, its historical progress. Let any man of any other nation turn back the pages of its history for two hundred years and see if he can show us as brilliant and glorious a record towards the moral and intel- lectual uplifting of the masses as this young nation can which has but recently entered the manhood of national existence. /o6 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR He may show us greater men and grander wars. He may show us kings and emperors throned and dethroned; but he cannot show us in a better degree the steady march of its people toward that goal which is the highest and purest object of all nations: a perfect civilization. But if the patriot's heart swell as he reads these pages, there comes a chapter ; (and thankful we are that there is only one ; ) there comes a chapter which chills that pride, and fills the heart with indignation mixed with shame and regret, and teaches him that the history of a nation is but a composite history of its citizens. It has its lights and shadows, its splendor, its rage, its Austerlitz, its Water- loo, its complacent pride, its biting shame, and surely this last sensation must arrive within every American as he looks back upon that great and eternal blot upon our national his- tory, the treason of Benedict Arnold. Like all great crimes, this crime was not committed by a man of ordinary ability. It seems to us that in the projection and execu- tion of some great wickedness it requires as great a mind and strength of character as does the projection and execution of some SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. lo; great financial or war-like plan, only that one differs from the other as did Thersites from Achilles. In Benedict Arnold's public life up to his treason, we see prominently before us all the characteristics that go to make up an accom- plished gentleman and singularly brave and judicious general. We look with wonder and admiration at that brave figure on horseback charging down along the lines at Saratoga, and teaching the Hessians the true weight and value of American bullets. We commend these qualities, as manly as they seemed to us, which only could have made him the trusted lieutenant and adviser of Washington, and we stand aghast at the art which concealed his baser traits from that accurate and just mind. Then came that awful crime than which one only is greater : Treason to God. It may seem strange to us that a man born amid patriotic surroundings having as liberal an education as the times afforded and having such a keen insight into the relation of cause and effect, could have been so foolish as to have changed the respect and admiration of the whole world to horror and detestation, in return for a few paltry pounds, a patent of io8 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR nobility, a brigadier in generalship and the appeasing of the pangs of wounded pride. But I think the cause of this ruined career can be found in the habits of his youth. We find there a total want of moral character. He had no appreciation of right or wrong; no idea of the soundness of justice. We see this exemplified in him when a youth, in placing tacks and broken glass in the street that small barefoot boys might cut their feet. We see it in his leaving valuable articles where they might tempt the cupidity of some unlucky urchin and then thrashing him and more cruel than all in robbing bird's-nests and tearing the little nestlings limb from limb.' A man with such a heart is perfectly invulnerable to any moral feeling, and when you add to this an almost perfect physique, a strong mind and a total lack of fear, you have the most important elements that made up the character of Bene- dict Arnold. While his environments were patriotic and associations noble, while the goal of his ambi- tion lay along the path of rectitude and duty, as was the case ii^ his earlier military career, then Benedict Arnold was the idolized com- mander, the trusted Heutenant and the re- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 109 spected gentleman ; but when the path of his ambition became dark and cloudy, when the bright star of Washington was steadily eclips- ing his own ; when his jealous heart, con- tinually goaded on by a Tory wife, brooded within itself over fancied wrongs and insults ; with poverty, caused by an extravagant wife, standing at his door and dishonor staring him in the face, then did the true character of Benedict Arnold show itself to the world. Children, country, honor, God, all were for- gotten. And did that treason pay ? Look into the bare, chilly room of a deserted tenement-house on a back street in London. Upon that heap of rags lies the emaciated form of America's former idol. He Ues there forgotten, except in hate ; deserted by all, except his conscience ; emaciated by the pangs of hunger, such as bread even if he had it could not appease, the hunger of human sympathy. He raises his trembling arm and looks at his tattered sleeve where still can be seen the cordon of an English brigadier. The cold wind shrieks around the building and through the cracks and crannies it enters and sweeps over that scantily clad form. He shivers, but not from 110 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR cold, and then in his own mind comes that question, Did it pay? He sighs and turns over and is then quiet. His soul has gone before its Maker. There will that question be answered, and Benedict Arnold will receive his just reward. Appropriate Subjects for the Oration. 1. Cuba Libre. 2. Democracy. 3. Bismarck and German Unity. 4. The Leadership of Educated Men. 5. The Relation of the National Representa- tive to his Constituency. 6. Characteristics of our Age. 7. Public Opinion. 8. The Orator and the Press. 9. The Influence of Positive Conviction on Character. 10. The Spirit of Modern Education. 11. Heroes of Science. 12. The Stability of Literary Fame. 13. The Heroic Element in Character. 14. Nihilism. 15. Martyrdom. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS, in 1 6. Rebellions and Leaders. 17. Silent Influences. 18. The Self-made Man in Politics. 19. The Individual Citizen in Municipal Poli- tics. 20. The Enfranchisement of Woman. 21. The Universal Law of Evolution. 22. The Student in American Politics. 23. The Great Teacher. 24. Progress and Poverty. 25. Invention the Fruit of Civilization. 26. Spain in the New World. 27. A Twentieth Century Fever. 28. The Pursuit of Culture. 29. Censorship of the Press. 30. Civic Immorality and the Political Boss. 31. Immortality of True Patriotism. 32. The Modern College: its Traditions and Tendencies. 33. Immigration and the Perpetuity of Re- publican Principle. 34. The Puritans and Practical Liberty.' 35. The Spirit of Conquest. 36. The Philosophy of Reform. 37. The Negro and the Nation. 38. Great Deeds of Great Men. 39. National Honor. 112 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR 40. The Songs of a People. 41. The Voice and the Spirit. 42. The Career of Gordon. 43. The Spirit of Chivalry. 44. The Man for the Crisis. 45. The Place of Athletics in College Life. 46. Home Rule for Ireland. 47. Piety and Civic Virtue. 48. The Sovereignty of Ideas. 49. International Jealousy. 50. The Turk and the Balance of Power. 51. Fortune's Flood. 52. Individual Responsibility. 53. The Bible and the School. 54. Night Brings out the Stars. 55. The Perfections of Nature. 56. The Struggles of Labor. 57. Determination or Genius. 58. Know Thyself. 59. American Ideals. 60. Tennyson, an Earnest of the Future. 61. National Greatness. 62. The Lyric and the Epic. 63. American Contributions to Civilization. 64. Philology and Life. 65. France, Russia and the Triple Alliance. 66. Conquests of Christianity. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 113 67. The Mission of Research. 68. The Greatness of Obedience. 69. The Heroism of Nelson. 70. Homes of the People. 71. Law and Humanity. 72. Moral Courage. 73. The Negro in American History. 74. The New Englander in History. 75. The Orator's Cause. 76. A Plea for Enthusiasm. 77. Savonarola. 78. The Sun of Liberty. 79. War and Peace. 80. Unrestricted Immigration. 81. The Lawyer and Free Institutions. 82. The Legacy of Grant. 83. The University; the Training Camp of the Future. 84. The Pulpit and Politics. 85. Prohibition and License. 86. The Permanence of Grant's Fame. 87. The Elements of National Wealth. 88. The Age of Young Men., 89. Abraham Lincoln. 90. Compromise of Principle. 91. Idols. 92. America's Ultimatum to Spain. 114 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR 93. The Church and Theology. 94. Frances E. Willard and her Work. 95. Agnosticism. 96. Science as an Instrument of Education. 97. Labor and Politics. 98. Possibilities of Mysticism in Modern Thought. 99. Paul at Athens. 100. Woman's Place in Literature and Art. loi. Woman Suffrage and Education. 102. The Making of the Nation. 103. The Problem of Universal Peace. 104. The Mystery of Evil. 105. The Child Problem in Great Cities. 106. Oliver Cromwell and English Liberty. 107. Social Unrest. 108. The Drama and Morals. 109. The United States as a Colonizing Na- tion. 1 10. Why I Am Not an Agnostic, 111. Our Foreign Policy. 112. The American College in American Life. 113. The College Woman. 1 14. The Idea of a University. 1 1 5. The New Education. 116. The Noble Impulses of an Educated Manhood. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. lij 117. The Greek Drama. 118. The Crusades. 119. Alexander Hamilton. 120. God in Science. 121. Greatest Happiness Philosophy. 122. Relations of the Study of Jurisprudence to the Baconian Philosophy. 123. A Rift in the Clouds. 124. Caste in the United States. 125. The Little Laborers of a Great City. 126. The Literature of the Prison House. 127. Signal Lights. 128. The Lights of the Centuries. 129. "For Value Received I Promise to Pay, 130. A Golden Inheritance. 131. Victory from Defeat. '132. The \Vinning Quality. 133. " Hitch your Wagon to a Star." 134. The Missionary Age. 135. Whitewash Morally Considered. 136. Pro Patria. no mirations, essays, addresses for Valedictories. Perduret atque Valeat. Omnibus nunc rite et feliciter peractis, restat, auditores spectatissimi, ut vobis pro hac bene- volentia gratias agamus, omnia fausta prece- mur, et pace decedere et valere vos jubeamus. Si spectandi et audiendi vos taedet, ut citissime abeatis praestabimus. Sed primum, omnibus qui adestis, quod tarn frequentes convenistis, tarn attente audistis tarn benigne plausistis, gratias bene meritas agimus; — vobis praecipue, virgines dilectae, matronesque honoratae, juvenibus virisque spes et soliatum. Quid nostra comitia sine vobis ? Quid nos disertos, eloquentes denique • efficeret, si non ut auribus oculisque vestris nos commenderernus ? Etsi nonnullae " Spectatum veniunt, veniunt spectentur ut ipse," et ignoscimus et probamus. Cur venimus nos juvenes, nos viri, nisi ut spectemur, audiamur et ipsi ? Sed plures, nimirum, ut audiatis, ut oculis, Unguis, votis faveatis. Igitur grates, sed " Grates persolvares dignas Non opis est nostrae." SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 117 Vir excellentissime, nostrae rei publicae princeps, te ex animo salutamus, ac virum tantum, bonisque omnibus tarn probatum, nos- tris adesse comitiis gaudemus. Virum tibi conjunctissimum, patriaeque et virtutis fautoribus carissimum ac, dum vixerit, integritatis, prudentiae, omnisque virtutis ex- emplum, in sedes altiores arcessitum, tecum lugemus. Sed bonorum animis, omnium desi- derio, " Manet mansurumque est quidquid in eo amavimus, quidquid admirati sumus. Pla- cide quiescat." Praeclara quidem nostrae rei publicae feli- citas vitetur, quum inter tam multos virtute eximios nemo ob amorem erga illam insignem se reddere potest ; quum omnia prospere pul- chreque eveniunt. Florentibus rebus, summa hujus rei publicae tranquillitate, summa Con- cordia, res publica mihi quidem et aliis multis ut confido carissima tuis auspiciis evasit nova ; olim quidem terris nunc re et legibus a vobis disjuncta; ut aliam sese libertatis vindicem exhibeat, alium amicitiae vinculum adjiciat. Perduret atque valeat. Vale, vir excellentis- sime. Et tu, honoratissime, cui verticem aetate provectQ albentem civiles usque ambiunt ho- Ii8 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR nores; et vos, Conciliarii, Curatoresque hono- randi, quibus faventibus et adjuvantibus, vigent res summa nostraque Academia, valete. Vale et tu, Praeses reverendae et, si mihi liceat, carissime, cujus praesidio lumen verita- tis, patrum auspiciis in nostrae Academiae penetralibus olim accensum, fulsit fulgetque novo semper purioreque splendore. Esto sem- piternum. Valete Professores eruditissimi ac praestan- tissimi ! Quibus eloquemur verbis quanta ob- servantia vos habemus, quam gratis animis vestrum in nos assiduorum laborum, curaeque vigilantis recordamur ? Sit vobis hoc excel- sum et pene divinum manus et praemium. Omnibus qui merentur certissime eveniet. Amici sodalesque carissimi, iterum denique, post aliquod temporis intervallum, convenimus, ut his sedibus ' amatis, quas veluti beatorum insulas dolentes reliquimus, nostrae custodibus juventutis merito honoratis, nobis invicem et aliis valedicemus. Quis enim, quum temporis inter camaenas et cum amicis acti reminiscitur, dolorem non sentiat quod his omnibus nimium cito sese eripere, marique incerto ac tumultuoso se commitmere oporteat, nunquam rediturum, nunquam sodalium ora jucunda aspecturum! SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS, iig Interjecto jam nunc brevi tantum triennio, multos optime dilectos oculis animoque frustra requirimus. Quid ego non audio tantum ? Eorum quos inter lectissimos habuimus, alter morti occu- buit, alter in terris externis abest. Quid illos aut alios quos amavimus a me nominari ne- cesse sit ? Quisque vestrum eos requirit, quis- que desiderat. Valeant omnes qui absunt, et vos, amici fratresque, valete ! Vos quoque valete, omnes qui adestis, — sanes atque juvenes, quibus fortuna fida et quibus perfida, — matronae virginesque, quibus sit decor quibusque desit ; — vobis adsint ante virtus, " Lis nunquam, toga rara, mens quieta, Vires ingenuae, salubre corpus ; Quod sitis esse velitis, nihilque malitis." Service. To THE President. — I esteem it among the rarest of my present privileges, honored sir, that I am permitted to address a few words to one so eminent as yourself in the life of cul- ture and the life of service. Nor is it in mere compliance with custom that, in behalf of our ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR class, I tender you our sincere gratitude for your helpful and sympathetic relations with us in the years now closing. In a University of these numbers, it is impossible that there should be frequent personal contact between the Presi- dent and the individual student. But, sir, ever since your warm words of welcome and counsel addressed to us on that well-remembered Sab- bath morning, when for the first time we assembled in this place, down to the present moment with your final message yet ringing in our ears, there is not a man of us but has been made constantly to feel that in you he had an accessible friend and adviser whose interest in his highest welfare was deep and vital. You have devoted yourself, sir, to years of arduous toil, but with them comes the rare recompense of the life of ministry, and I can leave with you no higher hope than that with the same faithfulness which you have exercised toward us, you may long continue to touch the springs of the unnumbered days to be. My Classmates. — We have been dwelling upon the duty and power of self-forgetfulness ; its strengthening and exalting of personal motive. But there is a richer reality in the generous life than even the consciousness of SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 121 high achievement — a reaHty which the past years of friendship have been steadily reveaUng and to which these final days are bearing ten- derest testimony. In those frequent meetings, above which the elms have lately whispered, when the hand has lingered in another's, and the voice has strange- ly trembled and the eye grown dim, — meetings which description almost desecrates, we have learned, as never before, the deep blessedness of unselfishness, and have felt that to be truly loved, is more than all that heartless brilliancy or power may gain or know. May the years of the rougher schooling that await us be as rich in the treasures of affection, as these have been ; their story as well will soon be told, the morrows be memories and the very rays that leap to-night from many a star be gleaming on the cypress trees above us all. When that hour comes, may some tears like those of Jean Valjean tell of a life in which our own is living. God bless you and farewell. For a Dental College. The honor has been conferred upon me of addressing you at this the final meeting of the 122 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR class. It brings with it a commingled feeling of joy and sadness — joy because we have reached the goal for which we have so long been striving ; sadness because of the sever- ing of long and intimate companionships. Yet there is an end to all things, " to the short- est path and to the longest lane there comes an end." In every varied tongue of earth we find one word, that word that draws down the cur- tain upon the brightest scenes of earthly life — that word to give utterance to which we have assembled here to-night — that sad, sweet word, "farewell." We breathe it tenderly, we breathe it earnestly, for it bears in its accent a blessing and a prayer. To you, people of this fair city, we extend the parting hand with emotions of especial regret ; we came into your midst quietly, but we celebrate our departure ; we came untried, unlearned, but we go bearing the marks of dis- cipline ; we came with our careers scarcely yet opened, but we go with our careers as students finished. It was to you that we came as stran- gers seeking knowledge, friends and home. It is in your midst we have tarried thus long with pleasure and profit. It is from your midst that we shall, on the morrow, depart to pursue SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 123 the mission we have chosen in the great outer world. Farewell, fair city. Farewell, friends tried and true. Farewell, scenes and places grown familiar to our view, which time never can efface from our hearts' fond recollections. When the brows that now flush high with youthful ambition shall become withered by the advance of age, perchance we shall look back as to a bright sunbeam amid the shadows of the past, to this dear place, to these well- remembered faces to which now we say, fare- well. There are those before us to-night who hold especial claims upon our gratitude. Mr. Pres- ident and Gentlemen of the Board of Trus- tees: We thank you for your care and for the interest you have taken in the welfare of those who come thither each year to your kind oversight, and as we bid you adieu, be- lieve that we will ever cherish in our hearts the thought that to a great extent it is to you we owe the privileges we have enjoyed — the privilege of fitting ourselves for the noble and honored profession which we are about to enter. If it be a joy to know that " Labors of love are not all in vain," if it be a pleasure to know that " Seeds of kindness are bearing rich 124 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR and abundant fruit," may that joy and that pleasure be yours in fullest portion. May you ever be able to look with feelings of heartfelt satisfaction upon all your efforts for the ad- vancement of those who are enrolled upon the register of your staunch and noble institution and especially upon this band whose lot it is now to bid you a long farewell. Gentlemen of the Faculty. — Most Hon- ored Instructors: To you has been given the task of impressing directly upon our minds those truths that shall develop the truest man- hood of each nature, and of implanting in each brain and heart the germs of knowledge, whose perfect growth shall form lives of success, and whose fruitage be the crowning of well-spent lives. How well you have discharged this res- ponsibility, the present but faintly shows, the future alone can tell how well, how faithfully you have labored in our behalf. We tremble as we leave you, for here we have relied upon your wisdom, your guidance ; here we have sought counsel and assistance from you who have ever been so able and so willing to bestow it. Now we launch our little craft away, away from the ship-yard, off the stocks, away from the master-builder's hands. We go to battle SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 125 with the waves where there shall be none to guide or assist. Our own eyes must now watdh the compass and scan the chart. Our own hands must hold the rudder. Farewell, kind, faithful teachers, farewell. If ever hours of dark defeat and failure come, bitterly will we rue the neglect with which we have met, alas, too many of your monitions, and when the banner waves high and" the welkin echoes with glad shout of triumph, we will think of you and say, that to you, to your wisdom and instruc- tion we owe it all. "The King is dead, long live the King!" Thus cried the royal courtiers. We too are inclined to "welcome the coming, speed the parting guest." As we move off this stage of duty, our places are quickly to be filled by others. We welcome you, our fellow-students of the advancing, class. You are to enjoy the opportunities we have enjoyed. May you im- prove them better. You will fill the place which we now fill. May you fill it more worthi- ly. We leave you, too, and extend the hand of parting. What can we say more than fare- well, except, to wish you well for the time to come. Together we have pursued our way through Academic shades, we step out of them 126 CiRATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR a little in advance, leaving you yet to linger there a few months longer and then to follow us, giving place to those who in their time shall follow you. In all the mazes of the future, in all that awaits you in the life to come, we bid you Godspeed and fare you well. Fellow Classmates. — Our college days are ended. Here our friendship has grown into mu- tual affection. Here we drink from the same fountains, have the same brave thoughts and high aspirations for the future, but as I have already said, there is an end to all, " To pleas- ure and to pain^ to idleness and to toil." It behooves us well to step cautiously as we cross the threshold and emerge upon the dazzling sunlight and the deafening din and tumultuous whirl of the busy world. Think not that all is sunshine nor that fame will wait upon your bidding, " He who would win must labor for the prize." If the thought arises, are we ade- quate to the task of so shaping our course in life's dark maze as to reach the goal, the haven of success which we seek, let the success of others 'be our stimulus. But I will not dwell upon this theme; the usual hackneyed plati- tudes concerning this great problem of life are already familiar to every ear, their echoes lin- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 127 ger in every mind. We would fain linger here, but the words we might utter are too sacred. The solemn thought that this may be the last time our dear old class shall meet unbroken, chills and awes every heart. Forgetting as we do all the heart wounds of class rivalry, let us bear away from this place the precious casket of our strong, true love. Comrades, farewell. God be with each one, and if our next meeting be in the great Hereafter, may an unclouded path of glorious labor, toil and triumph lead back and back amid and beyond the scenes of time's life to this time and this spot where now we say farewell. For a College. Gentlemen of the Board of Trustees. — We meet you with our greeting and our fare- well. Greeting the more warm because in this hour when college seems most grand and dear to us, we first meet the silent men who have founded and fostered her greatness. Each of those years you have been hearing the good- bye from a band of boys who for four years had been plucking the fruits of your fatherly labors and forethought. They lived their 128 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR happy college life. They stood before you for a brief moment and then went away over the wide, wide world. And so we come before you to-day, a band of brothers we separate. May we have your blessing .? You will have our living remembrance. College boys may seem reckless, thoughtless of the sources of their good things. But beneath the surface gayety, as has often been said, they are the most earn- est of men. And many a time the young en- gineer, musing beside his transit on the grassy terrace, the young toiler at Cicero or Calculus, has been moved to higher effort by remember- ing that all about him were monuments of your generous planning. You have personified your- selves in all the influences thrown about us here, and our cheers and our loyalty to Alma Mater are largely cheers and loyalty to what you have done and are doing. With loving appreciation of your kindness, farewell. Mr. President. — You have taught us the lessons of a life devoted to a noble purpose, and allowing nothing to prevent its fulfillment. Perhaps the most helpful study for man is the study of individual lives, both in their failures and successes. It is there that we find the great lessons of inspiration and of warning. And in SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 129 these years in which we have looked upon the actual process of building a strong and useful life you have been helping to kindle aspirations which may move the world forward farther than you had ever dreamed. We appreciate your kindly interest in our welfare, and leave you with sincere regret. Farewell. Gentlemen of the Faculty. — Professors at whose feet we have so often sat, whose patience wejiave so often tried, whose best- laid plans we have often foiled by our heedless- ness, yet whose labors have been impressing powerful influences on our lives — ■ how can we voice our farewell to you ? There has been the silent good-bye for many of you as we were to- gether for the last time in your class-room. And in those last hours the little commonplaces of question and answer, the quaint situations, the familiar twinkle of the eye, the handling of the name slips, the endearing peculiarity of accent — all had a strange fascination for us. We dwelt on them as on the little trinkets of a de- parted friend.' And as we turned away never more to be called up, never more to listen, to laugh, to think with you and the boys, the good- bye which we voice to you now went then from heart to heart. We thank you for the sacrifices 130 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR you have made for us ; for the Hfe-labor that you have embodied in your teaching. We cannot re- pay you, and promises are empty forms. But we trust, we know, that our Hves, that every one of our Hves will be centers of greater influences for good for having sat at your feet. Good-bye. Fellows of the Undergraduate Classes. — To-day we leave you, and we leave the old college in your care. You are to walk these halls and paths when we have wandered away. You will still make these groves and buildings ring with the cheers in which our voices have so often joined. You are to have the many little incidents, the quaint experiences in class- room and campus such as we have had. And these things make us the more interested in you. We don't expect to be long remembered by each of you. Our places will be taken. But we are glad that we leave here strong-hearted, manly boys who love their college and will stand up stoutly for her when we have gone — glad that we leave men who will still appreciate the work of these, our much-loved professors. And in the next two or three years, as one and another of us may straggle back to this old home, it will be cheering to find some of these familiar faces amusing the boys. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 131 We would hide some of your sorrow in these thoughts. But we shall be lonely many times when we think of the brotherly companionship which we had here with you. And for most of you, for most of us, this is our farewell for- ever. Good-bye. Classmates. — We stand together for the last time. Our farewell must be spoken. We knew this must come, but we tried to place it so far ahead. It would be next year, next term, two weeks away. It couldn't be so soon. We weren't ready to part with the boys. Oh, we are not ready yet, and good-bye seems such. a strange word. We have been trying to say it during these last days. To accustom ourselves to the thoughts of parting that this last hour might not be so sad. And we had thought we had done it partly. But the end has come and the good-bye has not been said. We are nearer together than ever before. Somehow every- thing in college life tends to make classmates love each other. We haven't been such per- fect fellows. There have been things in our natures that might have kept us apart out in the world. But together here day by day, as the weeks and months and years went by, as the conventionalities of living were thrown •32 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR aside and we came in touch with the different sides of each fellow's nature, we found manli- ness and earnestness and reality, when the world with its colder gaze would see nothing but sham. Even our little disagreements have brought out the generous and frank side of natures, and we have been drawn together until we seem parts of each other's Hves. Our little band has strolled along a pleasant way together. We have been learning as we strolled. But we have had time to listen to the singing of the birds, to pluck a flower here and there, to loiter a little with jest and banter and sing — Oh ! yes, there were sorrows sometimes, but there were cheering words to make us forget them. And we have been wandering along in this careless, happy way so many years that we had almost forgotten the forking of the road. That it did not run clear through. To- day we have reached a dell where the road stops. The scenery appears strange, and there is no way to go on but by little narrow foot- paths that wind over the hills and up the val- leys, some bright, some dark, but all lonely so far as we can see. And each must take his path alone and push on his own journey till death sooner or later overtakes each traveler. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 133 Some of the paths lead at once into the thick forest, some familiar faces will be seen no more. Some of our paths may be near together for awhile, and we can call to each other and re- new old memories. But the voices will grow fainter and become silent one by one. White-haired college boys sit about us here. We wonder " Did they stand as we and bid farewell to young classmates? " Will we stand as they so near the end of the journey, and think back over the years to this summer day when we said farewell and left each other ? Oh, fellows, our lives must be cheery, happy lives. We want to carry sunshine out into the big world. And even at this time we don't want to darken life by sad thoughts. And we know the memories of these old college days will brighten all the way. But it is well that we have this meeting, the last look into each other's faces before we go. We can keep the picture as a final memory of the old boys together. Boys, we can't stay longer. The moment of parting has come. Good-bye, and from heart to heart, as we wait this moment, let there be breathed a silent, a last good-bye. Good- bye. 134 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR For a School. Fellow Scholars. — Another year of our school life is finished, and many of us have come to-day for the last time. But whether we go or stay we shall all find abundant cause to remember our school with gratitude. Day after day we have assembled here, and the associa- tions which cluster round this place — more vivid in our minds to-day than ever before — can never be forgotten. They will go with us through life, and form an important part in the individual experience of each one of us. The events of this day and of the past school days are to be remembered and recalled with pleasure, perhaps with pride, when we have passed far down into the vale of years. As we hear the aged of to-day rehearse the scenes of their youth, so shall we revive the memories of our school when the battle of life has been fought, and we sit down to repose after the burden and heat of the day are passed. Then little incidents, which seem now hardly worth the telling, will possess a deeper interest, and will linger longer and fondly in the imagina- tion. To-day with its trials and its triumphs will be regarded as an epoch in the career of SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 135 some of us ; as a day worth rememberii,ig by all of us. We cannot take leave of these familiar walls, and sunder the pleasant associations which have bound us together here, without acknowledg- ing the debt of gratitude we owe to our school and to our teachers for their fostering care. We have too little experience of the duties and responsibilities of active life fully to understand and appreciate the value of the intellectual and moral training we have received in this place ; but we know that we are the wiser and the better now for it. We know that without it we could achieve neither a moral nor a busi- ness success. To many of us the education we have ob- tained here will be our only capital in begin- ning life ; and, whatever of wealth and honor we may hereafter win in the world, we shall be largely indebted to our school for the means of success. Let us, then, ever remember our school with affection and gratitude. We shall ever feel a noble pride in those who have so wisely and so generously placed the means of education within the reach of all. To the school officers of the present year, and to our teachers, we 136 ORATIONS, RSSAVS, ADDRESSES FOR return our sincere thanks for their hearty and continued interest in our welfare. And now, fellow-scholars, the class of this year will soon separate, never again to be united in the school-room. May prosperity and happiness attend both teachers and scholars in their future career 1 For a College Commencement. To you, sir, the President of this College, our first words of parting are due. Our asso- ciation with you, as instructor and students, has been confined to this year, but, short as it has been, it has been long enough to teach us to regard you with respect as a scholar, and with affection as a Christian gentleman. We thank you for the benefits derived from your teaching, for your uniform gentlemanly courtesy, for your interest in us and for your kind wishes for our future welfare, expressing the hope that you may long be spared in full strength to direct the affairs of our Alma Mater. In the name of the class of '92, I bid you farewell. Gentlemen of the Faculty: The time has come for us to take leave of you. And as we SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 135 address you this morning, we cannot refrain from expressing the deep sense of obligation which rests upon us. We have spent four im- portant years of our lives under your care and have received the training, which forms a large part of the equipment for life, under your direc- tion, and we appreciate, in some measure, how much the value of that which we have received has depended upon your care and faithfulness. This is no time for personal tribute ; but we may assure you that we have passed through this course with a growing respect for your scholarship, and with a deepening conviction that each department is presided over by one worthy to represent its higher life and culture. Let me assure you, also, that we leave you with a deep love for our Alma Mater, with a profound respect for her history and tradition, and with the firm purpose to live so as to add new honor to her name. And now, in the name of my class, whose representative I am proud to be, I bid you farewell, with the hope that your memory of us may be as pleasant as ours shall always be of you. To you, my classmates, the final words of farewell must be addressed. Our minds to-day 138 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR are under the spell of two great forces : mem- ory and hope. Of memory, as we look back over the years now ended, which have given us a portion in that student's life, which is like no other, and have furnished experiences from the power of which this life is too brief to free us. Of hope, as each one stands questioning his own future like that of the others in noth- ing save its unanswering inscrutability. With what words may I best gather up the whole meaning of this moment .? Many have objected to our English phrase, "good-bye," on the ground that it is too hope- less; that it contains no attempt to disguise or to remove the feeling which a writer has ex- pressed, " in every parting there is an image of death." But, after all, it is the most appro- priate word, for in a deep sense our parting is real and final. We met yesterday for the last time as undergraduates, to-day we meet for the last time as college students. From this day on, we occupy a different p6sition and live a different life. Difference of thought and opinion, which now lie on the outer ^dges of our lives, and separate us but slightly, will di- vide us more and more deeply, and, as time passes, the years of separation will flow be- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 139 tween us as an ever-widening flood, spanned only by a common memory and a mutual regard. But whether or not we are saying good-bye to each other, we are saying good-bye to the old college days. They, at least, will never come back. We have promised ourselves a re-union and look forward to it with hope of renewing the college memories and awakening the old college spirit; but we know well that they will not be the same, for memory, when she comes, comes " sad-eyed with folded annals of our youth." Such attempts remind us of Scott's minstrel, who endeavored, in the pres- ence of his chieftain's daughter, to wake his harp to the old notes of triumph and defiance, but mingled with them wailed a lament for an age whose glory had departed. So I prefer the unadorned English phrase, which makes no delusive promises, but contains pleasant memories of a past spent together and kind wishes for a future to be spent apart. And now, with what wish may we express the highest evidence of the friendship and in- terest we feel for each other. Shall we desire unbroken success and immunity from sorrow ? We might ; but it would be a vain and foolish 140 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR wish. We are to live in the world and among men, and we may be sure that somewhere across our path lies the inevitable shadow. But what does it matter ? This does not make life ignoble. The responsibilities and oppor- tunities of these four years have passed by for- ever ; but the issue of the future, for honor or for shame, rests in no accidents of position or circumstances, but in our own hands. The man with high aim and firm purpose, with unselfish ambition, and longing for the ideal, knows no failure or defeat. For him and for him alone, all the experiences of life combine to pave the way to further achieve- ment. I can wish nothing higher or happier for us than that through our lives, in joy and sorrow, in brightest sunshine and deepest shadow, there may remain with us the conciousness of duty well performed, of suffering nobly en- dured, all of life faithfully lived. In the hope of such a future, with many pleasant memories of our fellowship and with the assurance of an unfailing affectionate remembrance, I bid you all good-bye. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 14I Good Day. To the friends gathered here, to the pro- fessors who have been our guides, and to our fellow-students and classmates it is my privi- lege to give a last greeting. The occasion is both sad and glad. It were easy to fall into the melancholy manner of Ophelia "loaded with sweet flowers," and to murmur, " Here's rosemary, that's for remembrance ; and there's pansies, that's for thoughts " ; " Here's a daisy, the class to follow ; I would give you some violets, but they withered all when Ninety- seven passed from her college life." But I would not in these few words bring " the eternal note of sadness " in. Rather I would talk of the better part, the better, brighter part which is not slight but vital and strong and blithe. We cannot but see as we leave these halls how we go to a fuller life. It is, moreover, the active life to which we must make and betake ourselves. Above all, it is the real life for which this was but the preparation. In these four years of work and play we have been free from that which gives. 142 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR " To all the thousand nothings of the hour Their stupefying power." We have been as he of whom Matthew Arnold said : " In the day's life whose iron round Hems us all in, he is not bound." Sheltered as in " Magic Casements " we have had a chance to learn " the best that has been thought and known in the world." For what have we wrestled with science if not to learn the wonders of the earth, on which we live, and must prove while here we have our being .? It is no small thing to find there is no thing small ; that even the scum of the gutter is a teeming world in itself. As we study how the poUiwog grows to be a frog by gradually absorbing its finny conceits, we may learn at need that even those wiggling tad- poles, as Ruskin called them, may yet grow to be men. Again, it is not useless to clutch the law of adaptation to environment as a condition of growth, but few will apply it to the much- talked-of question : "Will the college girl fit into her home when she returns to it ? " SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 143 To start the broader life, then, — " As the bird wings and sings, Let us cry good things Are ours, nor soul helps flesh More now than flesh helps soul." For what have our studies in ethical and mental laws tended, if not to show how inex- tricably matter and soul are woven. We shall not easily forget rhe glimpses we have all but snatched of the reality that underlies all seem- ing, the hints of the wondrous rhythm that throbs throughout the universe. We have found that there is in each of us the something beyond knowing, which, using the materials brought it, molds them according to its willing, neither free will nor determinism, but " the law of its own being," and makes us what we are. How suggestive the simple words, " We are. " What a vista they open to possibiHties of heights and depths as yet un- known. And so in giving you Godspeed, it is pos- sible to subdue all notes except of gladness to a feeling best expressed by Robert Louis Stevenson : " This world is full of interesting things, We all ought to be as happy as kings." 144 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR Let us rejoice in this kingship of ours, to make of the future days what each most wishes. With no evil meaning, let us say the good-day may be " All things to all men. " For some will call it good-day when its pleasure begins at midnight, while for others this would be a "quick step to destruction." Some as lec- turers will look forward to scores of auditors, others to the attention of one rapt listener. Some will put into practice our Ward Mc- Allister's precepts, and pour on the troubled waters of society the " oil of tact" They may even use the " dark sayings of the wise " as court-plasters for sensitive feelings. They will not be confused by its apparent inconsisten- cies; nay, in the Dean's manner of treating vexed problems, they may even come to look on these inconsistencies as only different as- pects of the self-same thing. With the wish, then, that the goodly days be brim-full of what each nature craves and the trust that each one of you «'Be to the last the lord Of all that man can call his own," I bid not merely good-day, but good-morrow. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 145 Liberalism. As we feel upon our brows the fresh breath of a new life and the widening future, we turn to you, the Trustees of this Institution, with the full confidence that the thoughts that are press- ing themselves upon us are your thoughts also. We sincerely thank you that the college has been kept faithful to its historic antece- dents and to the historic dead. And in the same breath with which we speak our parting words we express our gratitude to you for the choice of the President under whom you have enabled. us, his first-born, to go out to-day. The farewell word we would speak to you, the President, is full of deeper meaning than we can now express. It bears the fragrant memories of deep obligations to you, for in- struction that was catholic but uncompromis- ing, generous but unflinching, liberal but de- cided, and this we believe all those who come after us will receive. May we ask that they shall be led also, as we have been led, person- ally to love you, individually to be influenced by you, to learn from you the true attitude of an educated man toward accepted things and «46 ORATtOtfS, MSSAVS, ADDRESSES FOR toward false liberalism. May we who go out this day never to return again in like manner as we go, conceive that we now clasp hands with you and with the dead, and pledge our- selves to be true to the faiths we have received of the fathers, to believe what we believe with all the earnestness of a developed life, to cherish with a conviction unalterable save by the new conviction that what we believed is not true, and then we pledge ourselves to hate the false with the same spirit with which we loved it when we believed it to be true. In this spirit which you have so largely given to us, we go out to-day, and as we go we say farewell to you with feelings which shall often lead us in the days to come, in the midst of the struggle, to lift our eyes to you for inspiration, for confi- dence and for hope. That you, as the Faculty, have done for us ' the holiest service possible in this world, we have never so appreciated as at this hour. A new spirit of mind, a new mode of thought, a new standard of life, a new vision of light, these you have given us, and we propose to be worthy of them. We have only to beg of you now that as the college grows, and its field of influence widens, the professionalism of teaching may not SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 147 divorce the instruction of the class-room from the instruction of daily Ufe. But may the years as they come make the new university Hfe, whose precursors we already see, a center at once of intelligence, of illumination and of faith, potent throughout the land. We must take our last formal leave of you also who have been fellow-students with us here. The duties which were once ours have largely become yours. The machinery of col- lege life of which we were once masters is your servant now.' May you take it as a solemn trust ! May you remember that the college is in a true sense a moral personality depending for its health and soundness on every member of it. May you make it what it may be made — a power for good among the colleges of the country, lifting every branch of inter-collegiate intercourse with the high-minded and generous purpose of mutual helpfulness. And as you do the work that we have failed to do, may it help you to know that you have with you in it the heartiest sympathy of those who to-day bid you farewell. Classmates ! This hallowed place holds us as its own for the last time to-day. 'Never again will it see us met as we are met now. Un- 148 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR speakable memories fill our hearts. The sweet scenes which are fast fading behind us pause to hold our view once more. The message which they send us falls richly upon each heart. If it be true that every one, " who has made the acquisition of a judicious and sympathizing friend, has doubled his mental resources," we are henceforth an invincible company. We have long been fellow-students together. Let us not cease to be fellow-students together as we go out to our work. If we be true men we shall together study the problems which con- front us ; and shoulder to shoulder, nay, heart to heart, we will work them out unto perfec- tion. The tendency of our times in every de- partment of life is a liberalism as rash as it is unprecedented. The emotional element of belief has been driven out by the incessant changes in intellectual assent so that convic- tion has become rare and enthusiasm repro- bate. And this gospel of liberalism i^ offered us as the proper faith for an educated man — a faith here ! say rather a torch flashing over the gulf of despair. The clear duty of the ed- ucated man and of every man is to form intelli- gible judgments, so far as possible, from in- dependent thought, elsewhere, on the .best SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 149 authority, and to adhere to them with an emotion born of conviction and proportioned to the intellectual evidence on which they rest. And as long as that basis stands secure, so long will the cries of a false liberalism sound for us in vain. We go, therefore, into a field white to the harvest. We are to go with earn- est feeling. Let us not part with any false sentiment. But neither let us underestimate the sacredness of the hour. Ties beyond all measure of value are being severed forever. They may not concern others. But they are ours. Each life of us bears the impress of every other life, and the union of such influences is indissoluble forever. The day when these ties were formed has drawn on to evening. The twilight deepens into shadows. Every thought and impulse is a memory and an anticipation. I think I catch now a glimpse of the long streamers which mark the dawn of the new day. I catch the voices of a louder turmoil. Farewell ! And as the word of severance parts us, let us go out to our labor resolved each one to play the part of the scholar and the man. iso orations, essays, addresses for Mixed Valedictory and Oration. Catholicity. " For a' that," sang Burns, " a man 's a man." Yes, and always has been ; but how modern his recognition. The boundaries of race and class, and even of belief, have too often the limits of respect for person or opinion, and the accident of power has proved superior to liberty. The ancient world knew nothing universal. China's non-intercourse, of which her Great Wall is but a feeble symbol ; Brahmin castes in India ; the impassable barrier of Jew and Gen- tile ; Rome, to whom " stranger " and " enemy " were one word ; Mohamedanism, universal only as universal intolerance — these have no hint of the brotherhood of man. It was Christ who laid the first foundations of catholicity, and the religion of love is the only universal religion. Yet, how slowly the principle has taken root in men's hearts. Let the Inquisition, let Louis XIV., let Salem, nay, even within the memory of a generation, let American slavery bear witness. Little by little society has unfettered us, and SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 151 yet our opinions have but begun to be free. Men are not always fair even now to those with whom they disagree, abuse and scorn are not ■altogether silenced, there is still the tyranny of custom. Not only is such intolerance at variance with every principle of liberty and every teaching of the gospel of love ; it is open, as Mill has shown, to pertinent objections from a purely utilitarian standpoint. There is too great a risk of rooting up the wheat of truth with the tares of error. Progress, too, is born of struggle, the conflict of all views develops the right, and it is the love issue which affects character and conduct. Finally, the perfection of individual- ity is the well-being of society, and individuality depends on freedom. Theory and practice agree. It is not only right, but it pays to have a broad mind and a liberal heart. There is a breadth, to be sure, which is shal- lowness, and one may conceive himself catholic, because, having no foundation for belief and no concern what he believes, he is " carried about by every wind of doctrine." But the true cath- olic recognition of others' opinions does not mean that we have none of our own. Tolerance, again, is not indifference. We 1 52 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR must care whether right or wrong prevails. Catholicity is not stifling conviction for fear of offense, nor is it subservience to the will and thought of those who happen to possess the greater power. Those who in deference to others' opinions deceive themselves as to their own, simulate in public what they do not be- lieve in private, and take no step towards the reahzation of what they are convinced is truth, are cowardly, not cathohc. Many delude themselves with such compromises, but catholicity is none of these. There is a sacred obligation to think independently, to think deep and clear, and to stand firmly by the outcome of one's thinking. Honest convic- tion and fearless speech and action when need is, will still bear preaching. But on the other hand, and perfectly consist- ent with this clear-sighted earnestness, is the broader universal sympathy, the true tolerance, that springs from the realization at once of all men's worth and our own fallibility. Nay, rather, belief is the very foundation. He who has not thought deeply and thoroughly, and reached a conclusion, is in no position to be catholic, however wide his interests. But to have convictions is not necessarily to SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 153 suppose that we have the monopoly of truth or to conceive ourselves incapable of error. The first element of catholicity is the honest recognition of the fact that truth and error are so distributed that every man has his share of both. When one has modestly realized with- out pique or passion that he may be wrong and others at least partly right, he has taken a long step forward. Akin to this is the receptive spirit. It is hard to be corrected by the enemy or those we deemed unworthy our contending. But truth is the object of our search wherever found, the priceless stone whatever the setting. To that mind which is most ready to receive shall most be given. The catholic spirit is one of gener- ous sympathy. It is human, and " counts no human interest foreign." With justice, it ac- cords to each his due, but it does more. It con- cerns itself with his thoughts, it tries to see from his standpoint, it recognizes brotherhood. This is the leaven which is transforming and yet to transform, this is the goal of philoso- pher's and the dream of poets, for it is the very essence of that great commandment, " that ye love one another." Catholicity is tolerant; not for the sake of 1 54 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR ease, or because error is ever useful, but the more surely to reclaim the wanderer. Paul was "all things to all men" — why? That he " might save some." Catholicity is democratic. With it is liberty, for it denies the right of any to impose his beliefs on any other. With it is equality. The pomp of power does not distort its vision; position and worldly circumstance do not dis- turb the balance of its scales. Class and rank, race and nation, give way to the one supreme fact of manhood, for catholicity is all-inclu- sive. It asserts at once the dignity of every individual and the unity of mankind. In the face of pride and prejudice, narrow thought and selfish action, it cries, " A man 's a man." Justice and sympathy, breadth and depth, the recognition of individuality and the love of truth — this is catholicity. It is this which should be one of the first characteristics of the college man. He is not generally accused of lack of opinions, and if he has not taken the next step and realized the host of other opinions in the world, he has made poor use of what we rightly call a liberal education. What in the same space of time can give a wider outlook than a college train- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 155 ing? We have studied history to learn what other men have done, literature for what other men have said, philosophy for what other men have thought. Our faces have been turned to other races, other times, other callings than our own. We have had contact with a wide circle of teachers and learners, with all their diversity of interests. We have breathed some- thing of the atmosphere of democracy, in which opinions stand or fall according to their worth. Yet with all this, college life has also its narrowing influence. Living in an ideal world of our own, the actual, present world outside we lose sight of. The man of culture when he comes once more in contact with those who have none is so prone to surround himself and look down. His very breadth is narrowness because he finds so few on the same plane. But in these days when the whole world is coming nearer together, these days of cosmo- politan cities and world-markets, these days when democracy is in the ascendant and bar- rier after barrier which has kept men separate crumbles away, there is a special need of men who will not hold themselves aloof, men at once earnest and catholic. To what end have we been here .'' Have we learned of books and of IS6 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR each other in vain ? Is it for naught that they of old time and they of now have united to show us truth and stir our zeal ? Nay, let us read the lesson aright : — Go deeper ; go wider. Make the most of yourself but not for yourself. "Freely ye have received; freely give." {To the President^ To you, sir, on behalf of the graduating class, let me offer our congratulations on the growth and increasing influence of the college to whose jjrosperity you have so zealously devoted your energies. And not for her sake only, but for our own as individuals, shall we remember you with honor and regard, for we have felt the impulse of the keen insight and the fine candor in which we have delighted, and know that you send us away with both clearer understanding and higher ideals. {To the Trustees.^ Gentlemen of the Board of Trustees — we know that you have been back of this college, faithfully guarding her material interests and guiding her with undiminished prosperity through these trying seasons, and that in the same liberal spirit which has so transformed SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 157 her in the last twenty-five you now enter upon a richer trust and multiplied opportunities. We, your debtors, invoke the same success for your administration. (To the Faculty:) Gentlemen of the Faculty and beloved Dean — now that we realize that we are to sit as learners at your feet no longer we begin more justly to appreciate the worth of that daily in- tercourse. We have learned to honor you, not vaguely, because of your authority, but heartily, because, having met you face to face, we* have seen your learning and ability, have found insight and uplift, and have known you to be sterling men. We have felt, too, your genuine sympathy with all our student interests, and the wisdom and consideration with which you have met a class of men so hard to please is witnessed by the rare degree of harmony which prevails between the faculty and student body of our Alma Mater. (To the Undergraduates^) Members of the Undergraduate Body — to you we commend the interests we have hitherto cherished together, knowing that your enthu- 158 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDHRSSES POk siastic loyalty is no less than ours. But let us remind you that democracy is no less an ele- ment of our success, and our democracy, if anything, is in danger. To us, the last class to graduate from the College of New Jersey, henceforth to bear a prouder title and exert a wider influence, may be permitted the parting hope that the spirit of the Princeton we have known may be the spirit of the Princeton that is to be. An en- thusiasm that never can be silenced, a loyalty unchanged in victory or defeat, and a democ- racy truly catholic, which leaves each to stand on his own merits, and makes all one — that is the making of men. Whatever change there is in form and whatever expansion in equip- ment, we cannot insist too strongly that it is the same Princeton. This is no time for di- vision or relaxed effort. In every great de- partment of our college interest, our Halls, our sports, our daily work, and our religion, let the enthusiasm extend to every part. If any of these activities seem to be flagging, be assured that their vitality is undiminished ; it waits only for the renewal of that undivided interest which has always characterized our best endeavors. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 159 {To the Class.) Fellow-members of the Graduating Class — How large these four years of privilege seem as we look back upon them ! Much we have lost, which it is now vain to regret. Much we have won, and henceforth we must render account of our stewardship. Do we realize that the meas- ure of privilege is the measure of responsibility? What that privilege has been comes to. us with amazing force in these last moments, and yet one word of warning. It is just possible that the two best influences of college life should be each other's undoing. The very mul- tiplicity of influences which broadens us makes it impossible to do justice to them all, class work sometimes becomes veneer, and we are satisfied with less than we are worth. On the other hand, the earnestness of thought, whose contact makes for depth may also narrow us. The college student is proverbially the harsh- est of critics ; he is so used to the best that he has little patience with more ordinary thinkers. Shall this be ? Is that which should make us catholic only to make us superficial, while that which should make us thorough and in earnest makes us only narrow and intolerant .? Surely our response shall be to the best in our envi- i6o ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES. ronment, the hundred things noble, not the one thing low. In these four years we have learned to know and value one another, we have formed the unrivaled friendships of college life, we have shared our pleasures beneath these elms, and together we have read to the end of the long chapter of opportunities. And now there re- main but the last brief words of farewell, the words we may have heard so often here, the words we have seen spoken through tears over yonder. Commonplace ? Yes ; but always with a new sadness- No amount of experience can make parting painless, nor yet give us words for what we feel. How much of memory and how much of hope is bound up in those two syllables "fare-well"! How faithfully shall we cherish the remembrance of our college and our class; and what is there of good that we do not heartily invoke for them both .? We are drawn together now as we have never been before, and the last hand-shake has a new thrill in it. But the last hour has struck. With changeless love for our Alma Mater, with steadfast loyalty to one another, with a heart bent on high things and broad enough for all — so go we forth, and Godspeed I CLASS DAY EXERCISES. Introduction. As early as possible in the graduating year at school and college a meeting of the class is held, at which officers are selected to serve on Class Day. This is one of the most delightful days of all the college life. There is less of restraint than on Commencement Day, and there is an element of good-natured fun and raillery of special interest to all class members and enjoyed by the large audiences which gather on Class Day. The exercises are usually held in the open air, on some spot hallowed by college tradition, and in most institutions consist of a varied pro- gramme of addresses and poems. The Master of Ceremonies, sometimes called The Dux, will introduce in turn the Salutatorian, Historian, Prophet, Poet, Orator, Censor, Presentation Orator, Mantle Orator, and Valedictorian. If l6! 1 62 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR the class plants a sprig of ivy there will be given an ivy oration, poem and song. It is the duty of the Salutatorian in a few well-chosen and graceful words to welcome all to the exercises of the day. The Historian will recall the amusing memories of the past and paint in glowing colors the career of the class as a whole on the athletic field and in college halls ; perhaps call to mind victories in intercollegiate contests in debate, oratory, or in athletics. He will also, if time allow, give a short sketch, fanciful and humorous, of the in- dividuals of his class. It is the office of the Poet to give in tuneful line a picture of the scenes of college life with much local coloring and to describe with lively fancy the aims of scholastic training as they bear upon the future. The Prophet, wittily prognosticating the future, will find a bow of promise more or less com- plete in the career of his classmates. To the Presentation Orator is given the task of finding some suitable object which upon being duly presented to the different members of the class will be generally thought appropriate to their various peculiarities of manner and taste. The Mantle Orator will take occasion as he hands down to a representative of the next graduat- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 163 ing class the robe of extended wisdom and ex- perience, to say a few words of unasked-for advice to them as well as more extended re- marks in laudation of his own class. The exercises will be brought to a close by the Valedictorian whose cheery little speech, full of bright thought and sentiment, will form a pleasing climax to the proceedings of the day. An attractive novelty may be introduced by the reading of a Class Will. It is believed that the Class Day Parts that follow will render ex- tended comment unnecessary. It might well be added, however, that the composition of all Class Day work should be in lighter vein than that of Commencement, but not the less well- written in any particular. " The better the day the better the deed " ; hence the need of well- executed papers for whetting the appetite for the more' solid repast of Commencement Day. In some illustrations given.those references which could be only of purely local interest and significance, have been omitted, but enough will be found of general interest to illustrate the Part. i64 orations, essays, addresses for Class Poems. {Class ^gi, Yale University.) " O Years, you have Vanished^ O years, you have vanished like shadows, Like ghosts you have glided away, And the light that was yours has faded And darkened before the day. You have faded and fled and left us, And only now and then In the weird wild night of memory Your faces glimmer again. We follow you will-o'-the-wisp like Across the meadow of time ; But your homes are hid from the eye of heaven. And you're gone e'er the sun 'gins climb. Oh, tell us, where is your dwelling And safe abiding-place, When your life in the world is over. And run is your mortal race ? Are you buried in shadowy caverns Where the thought of struggle and pain Comes only in far-spent thunder Like the ripple of pattering rain, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 165 Or the roar of a river in flood-time To a villager far away, Who remembers the dire destruction And his dread on a former day. And thanks God for the lives of his loved ones And his safe unravaged home. — O years, in your hearts is a bliss like this At the woes that to mortals come "i Oh, carry us into your dreamland. Oh, soothe us to such a sleep, ♦ And the wrangling sounds and the rankling wounds Of the world in your silence steep ! Such words, united to melodious sound. Rang through this hall of high emblazonries And, floating upward, wrapped the windows round And kissed the broad blue ceiling, and calm seas Of soft June air made yibrate, bringing ease To sadness by the gentle ministry Of ever-gladdening heavenly harmony. As in a dream I heard the music swell. As in a dream I heard it die away ; And all the hall was vacant, and the bell Above tolled out the parting day. Then I arose alone, and wound my way Among the buildings known for four long years, And loved and left at last with lingering tears. l66 ORA TIONS, ESSA YS, ADDRESSES FOR And passing these, then out into the town Beneath the over-arching elms I went, Full little looking either up or down, With straggling step and pondering head low-bent, Considering the varied seasons spent. And all held treasured in them, and how fast The gay-decked future fadeth into the past; When suddenly there rose, before my sight That rugged storm-seamed Rock whereon doth stand The bronze-crowned monument of granite white. Memorial of sSrvice done this Land By patriot blood ; the Rock towered up, a grand Gray ragged wall, but colder for the green That wove o'er top and edge its dainty sheen. Then up I climbed the slowly winding road, And on each side were trees of many kinds, Light maples, long-leaved chestnuts with a load Of baby-buds just peeping, oaks whose rinds Were toughened by innumerable winds. And flowering dog-wood white, and hemlock groves Where all day long Night moans her lonely loves. And when I reached the summit, whence a view Of broad extent is opened, it so chanced That on a jutting cliff were seated two Old men in conversation so entranced, That neither at my coming once up-glanced ; And thus I rested near them and thus heard While still I watched the landscape, each wise word. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 167 The one who spake as first I lingered there Had borne hard buffets at the hand of time, And much was bent and wrinkled, and his hair In sparse locks floated, hoary as the rime That gathers on the grass when Dawn 'gins climb The autumn arch to drive away dull Night ; And thus in slow sad words he mourned his plight. "Ah, wretched is our lot now life is past!" Said he, " Oh, hard to bear, the old man's fate ! Our joys are ended, all our strength is waste, Alone and feeble, we live on too late, To all a burden, aye, the earth lays wait, The earth that nursed us, like a beast of prey Grows hungry for our bodies day by day. "And what avail the joys that have been ours ? Has not the very crown of life its pain, Exceeding pleasure ? for we win the towers Of mighty place with many a crimson stain. Our blood or others', and mount upon the slain — ■ The dead, the weak, the wounded, form the stairs Whereby we rise above the crowd's low cares. " But howsoever hard the lot of age, And dreary as I know this life to be, 'Tis sweet, when once we look upon the stage To follow, oh, 'tis hardest thus to see Ourselves so near to black eternity ; For life though grimy, broken, bruised and torn, Is bright before that blackness all forlorn. i68 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR " Ay, light itself is joyous, life is sweet — 'Tis sweet to hear the leaves sigh overhead, To watch the shining silver cloud-craft fleet O'er the blue sky, to see around outspread The elm-roofed City, framed by that bright thread That winds 'tween lake and harbor, and the high Far purple hills that melt into the sky. " Yes, sweet are e'en the tumult and the toil, The wounds, the cruelty, the wickedness. To that cold grave in the damp wormy soil ! There, brother, is our mournfulest distress ; For who would not let every ill oppress His soul right gladly, hoping still relief ? Our hope is death ; what have we left but grief." He ceased, and still more wrinkled seemed his face, And still more bent his form ; the other turned ; He too was old, and yet a kindly grace Shone round his brow as though an altar burned Within his heart, and his high spirit yearned To scatter gentleness among mankind ; And smiling, patriarch-like, he spake his mind : "O brother, well thou sayest. Life is sweet, , And well thou say'st, It swiftly glideth by ; The years seem moments, so their silent feet Have passed and left us higher and more dry On the bare beach of age ; and yet to die, Is that so dreadful ? Since 'tis sweet to live, Art sure the future may not like sweets give ? SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 169 " For are we not like children in the dark, Who, seeing nothing, picture terrors strange. Dim, awful forms some in wild dance, some stark, In stony horror staring ? We exchange The present for a world beyond the range Of all but fancy, and are sadly wrought By things that have no being, save in thought. "And if thou grieve^t that the end is near, All things have end ; the old gives place to new ; Fresh buds are born from flowers of yester year. And young trees grow where fell the old ; would hue Of spring be half so lovely if we knew No drear gray winter ? Where were our great joy In pleasure, if we ne'er felt pain's annoy ? " And if it profit little, what may come When we are gone or good or bad, to know — Our journey hence may be a journey home, For God's sweet grace has given us here below In each state happiness, and why not so Hereafter ? Ay, who knows, the dark drawn veil May hide a light at which our sun will pale. « But whether sad or glad may be our lot, Our lot it is, and neither with despair Let us confront it, nor yet mindful not, That only what we are we will be there, And have in Heaven's happiness a share As we were happy in our present state, Take heart ; go forth ; obedience conquers fate I " 170 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR E'en as he paused, the round red sun went down Behind the purple hills, and all the sky Was clothed in crimson splendor, and the town Slept in still twilight stillness ; from so high The world looked strange and little ; much more nigh Those bright cherubic clouds that softly flew, Like angels, to a far sweet home they knew. And I arose and wound my homeward way Again among the buildings known so well, And each dear spot had some still words to say That told a tale as spoken words can tell. And many memories wakened — as a bell Oft brings to mind some distant country place, Long left and long forgotten, every trace ; But at the bell-note, we behold again The shingled church with simple cots around, And from each gate are issuing sober men In well-worn black, and plain neat women, wound In fleckless shawls, and. every sight and sound Comes back, by memory made more sad and dear ; So to my mind thronged each now-buried year. And sorrow o'er my heart won mastery, That I should see no more as then I saw The campus full of faces dear to me. And so familiar, and a kind of awe Possessed me pondering, " If again I draw Near this loved place, 'twill be a stranger's home, And I as from a different world will come." SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 171 Then suddenly I thought of those old men, "And sure," said I, "their lot like ours must be. Yet sadder, for they come not back again But cross the black stream for eternity ; And yet they yield not to despondency. But one says gladly, " Good is any state ; Take heart ; go forth ; obedience conquers fate." Classmates, to you I need not say farewell ; We bid farewell to pleasant years now past, Of light-souled College life we toll the knell, But not of friendship ; let us still hold fast To Ninety-one, though scattered by time's blast, In love united — Good is every state ; Take heart ; go forth ; obedience conquers fate ! The Breath of the Spirit. Prelude, Call me, if you will, religion. Call me life or call me love ; Name me what to your soul's vision, Towers in worth all else above. For the forms I take are many ; . Different shapes to each I wear ; And few men who see me near them Know my home is everywhere. 172 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR "The Spirit Moved on the Face of the Waters." Dead, unconscious of the ages as in blankness they sweep by Whirls this earth, all bleak and blasted, through a joy- less unseen sky. Fierce the sun, with rays relentless, burning, scorching where they fall. Strives to rend the dense dank vapors, wrapping earth within their pall. What can mean this fierce contention ? Why prepared this monster ball, That from out the darkened vastness glides in answer to God's call ? Lo, the breath of life moves o'er it! Forests rise to give it shade. 'Mong the branches sing live creatures, all "in rainbow tints arrayed. Summer now has lost its fierceness, tamed for life to labor long, While beneath its bright beams dancing earth responds in joyous song. As of old from lyre music gated Thebes its beauty drew, So this earth its order, meaning, at the touch of Spirit knew. "Became a Quickening Spirit." The savage lived wretched and lonely, Cruel hatred in his heart, A prey to all superstitions, At shadows ready to start. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 173 With the brand of slave upon him, Loathing himself and his kind ; He had eyes when an appetite clamored, But to all else was blind. Even thus through the brutal ages A beast among beasts was he, And no vision was caught of the spirit Which dimly he struggled to be. But at last in one grand crisis. Fire and flood and war. Which stirred him to depths of his being He had never known before. Which nerved him to fight like a hero For wife and home and child. Then something grand and awful He found in his bosom wild; Something that called for worship ; His own and yet divine. Which revealed by its very presence Man's brotherhood sublime. No less a transformation In his whole world took place : And the beauty he found about him Was reflected in his face. A rapture he felt within him Of love and peace and might In seeing a God, he had grown a man And found his guiding light. 174 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR "What God hath Joined." Within a cold and dismal cell On the side of a mountain wild The anchorite strove to reverse the fate That made him nature's child. His body he starved by slow degrees Or tortured with scourge and knife, Thinking by such unholy means To quell his spirit's strife. So he waged the war with his body, Which he swore the devil had made, Till contact with that which he thought was base Began his soul to degrade. And bft in his eye the consuming fire Would start with a fitful glare Which threatened with further penance To give place to the madman's stare. From the midst of a gorgeous sunrise There descended an angel of light, Whose tones of power and pity Stirred the heart of the' anchorite. "Your house, poor man, through all these years Against itself dividing, The little light God gave you Close under a bushel hiding." SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 173 " You've starved and dwarfed its home of flesh Till at death your soul is lying : In the temple so desecrated The sacred fire is dying." " Arise and leave this gloomy cell ; Begin your life anew, Thanking the God who lit the fire For building the temple too." " Think not there are two creators Of heaven and of earth ; For Earth and Heaven, spirit and flesh Are twins of one glorious birth." " So let them now in friendship close And mutual reverence live In order that God to body and mind Your manhood back may give." Like a breath the angel of light was gone But a man was left in the cell. "The Letter Killeth." Within a costly church of stone A withered man was wont to drone Dry articles of pious lore Quite dead two centuries before. His audience, select and small. Appeared to hear him scarce at all. 176 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR The fierce damnation, which he preached Did scarce beyond the pulpit reach. The god he talked of seemed insane, The listeners were there to gain Respectability, at best to buy Cheap passage to Elisium, should they die. Dead falsehood in religion's name Did so this holy place profane. The people soon had lost all sight Of the living God of truth and light. A man of life came there at last ' With words not quarried from the past. With truths so fresh and grand and whole They might possess a prophet's soul. He cared not if 'twas old or new Provided in life he found 'twas true. For to him religion and life were one And through more truth must more life come. •A dawn seemed on the church to break Which called the sleepers to awake And rise, and live in the earthly Heaven Which already, to those who ask, is given. The church arose from the narrow tomb Where it had slept in coffined gloom ; As Lazarus from death awoke When to his soul life's Master spoke. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 177 "The Light of the World." Why does the rain now fall so kindly That always used to find me sad ? Why does the wind among the branches Rejoice my heart and make it glad ? All creatures lately smile upon me : There's not a flower, shrub or tree That does not dance and nod and beckon As with some conscious sympathy. What stirs the morning air so freshly ? Why should the dew-drops at my feet, And the rippling brook among the willows Shine with splendor so complete ? Friends have not always been so pleasing : Now, even that little beggar boy Runs by me with a grace of motion That strangely fills my heart with joy. Pray what can be the unseen power From whence the new-found blessings flow, That with such eager kindness meet me To follow me where'er I go ? The riches of such golden harvests, Within, around, beneath, above. Must one then look, 'ere he can see them, Through the opened eyes, of love ? 178 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR "Let him First Become Servant of All." Here then it ends. What meaning had it all ? The senseless toil and strife through tedious years For wealth which, once 'twas had, was scarce possessed. Success you say ? Ah yes, riches, power, . Even friends, a few, at least they seemed as much : But, oh the dull monotony, to see How stale and useless was the paltry stuff, Yet ever like a dog to slave for more ! Again those factory faces ! Why should they haunt Me thus ? Did they not make their bargain, worthless Wretches ; and when did they miss their monthly wage ? To be sure, they were ignorant, brutal, wretched enough ! But being so by birth, why think of them ! Why let their haggard faces, till now scarce noted. Come as a nightmare at my dying hour ? And can I not forget that brainsick fellow Whose fortunes came so near to equal mine ? What nonsense he believed ! His business A "sacred trust"; as if he heard from Heaven A call to serve society by making shirts ; Absurd ! For if he made his prices lower, Did he not ever grow in wealth thereby ? And what a childish interest he would take In this dull round, whose objects I so long Ago had learned were dead as whitened bones. The man had scarce a baby's intellect 1 Yet how much happier he seemed than I ! Did men then really take his pious cant, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 179 Think he was serving them, aiming at other Than to enlarge his own good bank-account ? What patient gulls his foolish workmen were 1 How pleased the stupid fellows looked if he But spoke to them ; and yet his pay, 'tis said. Was often in bad times less prompt than mine ! Would I have gone through life more happy then, If my men too had smiled as his were wont ? What thoughts ! My mind, I see, is giving away. Those sentences of his ! They sound on my ear As if I heard in them my epitaph. "By obedience to Nature," so it ran, " Has Science done her work. Not otherwise Than by obedience to man's true nature Can Industry and Business do theirs." Again : " Wealth is still a sacred power Which none but the greatest can ever fully use, Which in reaching its fullest, highest power. Becomes co-worker with the church of God In bringing to Earth's Kingdom higher life." Must I act out this wretched farce of life ? I will not do't, but rather die intestate ! Without one wish, how can I make a will ? I care not who may get the accursed stuff. So it be not these whose sudden deep affection Appeared when the doctor said that all was lost. Curse them, the hungry vultures ! they hover here In jealousy of every breath I draw ; in a ghastly Alliance with those hideous factory faces ! What hells of torture lurk in their sad eyes ! 'Tis going, my breath ! The mass of all the factories i8o ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR Now presses in deadly weight upon my chest ! All creatures dead and living struggle to snuff My smoldering wick !' What, then ? I've played and lost, And to forget the game would sleep forever 1 POSTLUDE. The pulse am I, of the -throbbing life That leaps from the heart of the world. Wherever I go — I banish woe ; If I breathe on the desert bare Behold, the roses grow. At my presence among God's creatures There's an end of all tumult and strife : On the wings of the light I scatter the night, As I soar, — as I sing In the sheer delight Of bearing to man the joy that thrills, The hope that guides, the love that fills My being, for I am spirit And where I come, is life. Home. With free and airy grace our youthful days In wonderment were ever passing by, Light songs upon their lips, yet sad would gaze Into the veil of mist that dims the sky And faintly wakens vain desires to die Amid the fading purples of the hills. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. i8i ■ Though life was fair of face, they oft would sigh From overflow of joy, that tide-like fills The veins with pulsing blood, the heart with burning thrills. Our days passed by like famous folk-lore kings, Whom gods have favored well with gifts untold, And who, as 'neath the weight of fated things Stood 'neath the weight of massive crowns of gold. So, we, across the woodland and the wold. Went stepping slow, head bowed down to the ground. From overweight of joys too manifold. Seeking the land where strays no human sound. Beneath whose lucent sky we stand at last uncrowned For all men, over sea or over land. Have sought in dream or deed the sky Peace, The phantom-ships from Musing's magic strand, As did of old the galley-fleets of Greece, Oft spread full sails to seek the Golden Fleece. And all men striven, hearts forlorn and sore. To reach the Home, where toil and turmoil cease, Where, far away from tumult and from war. The soul may find a well-won rest forevermore. The thousand towers of another Troy, Beyond the splendor of the sunrise flame. And rise like heralds of the victory's joy Amid the host of heroes' loud acclaim. But soon they turn, accursed by thirst of fame, And, e'er beset by deep Circean wiles, 1 82 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR They rove forlorn through seas without a name, Where, though they wander many weary miles, They ne'er shall find the haven of the Fortunate Isles. While we by the dawning sun of fleeting years, We dwelt besides the shore of halcyon seas ; We loved, forgetful of bewildering fears, To lie in opulent and youthful ease Like god-like heroes in some Pheidian frieze. And 'neath the arch of marble porticoes. Sweet-sounding with the hum of swarming bees, In dream to listen to the lulling gloze Far down below of murmurous waves in summer doze. But not forever could we idly lie Upon the pleasant shore of Arcady. The sun shone higher up the fervid sky, The morn matured to noon, and suddenly There rose and swept across the grassy lea, Heavy with waftures from the azure bay, A wind prophetic of the things to be, Which swiftly drove our empty dreams away. And loud proclaimed the coming of a greater day. But we had all, and yet were we content ? We were enfolded by a larger light ; Our days by friendship's fragrant skies were spent, Yet all but paved the way for manhood might That would reveal to men by manhood right The "Dawn- Evangels" deemed by us divine, The dear Redemption of the world from night, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 183 The soul's uplifting from earth's darksome shrine To Heavenly Homes that fair with promise far off shine. And now we turn our faces from the past, From golden idleness we proudly rise As though the summons of a bugle-blast, Awakening startling thrills of strange surmise, Were blown adown the stillness of the skies. Standing upon the sunny flowery verge. Where clamors cease and din of battle dies, We dimly hear from distant lands emerge A murmur as of men, a rumor as of surge. There are unearthly swayings of the soul That blindly strives against its Destiny, As, tempest-driven; tidal waters roll Now hither and now thither, meaningly, When blows the blast across an open sea. There are outreachings of beseeching hands. Vain yearnings, fruitless struggles to be free. But all is dark, and no man understands What strange things may befall among the future lands. For who can read the signs of heaven aright ? Who dare lift up the veil of coming days ? Their faces are as skies bereft of light, Their forms fantasmal as the sundown haze. Slowly unravelling the bewildered maze Of foot-prints stamped by days of long ago, Lo, through the dark they steal by doubtful ways i84 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADjDRESSMS FO'R And, pilgrim-like, string out with murmur low, The wondrous rosaries of human weal and woe. What is the ending no man may divine. Whither the days are stealing none may tell. Whether amid the realms of Proserpine, Treading the fields of golden asphodel Our souls shall live for aye beneath the spell. Or whether, weary of the few, faint gleamings, Weary of wandering through the songless dell. They shall sink down beside the sobbing streams And close at last in dreamless death a life of dreams. But ah ! I dreamt I saw the harvest moon. And heard again the tread of muffled feet , And murmuring songs of dancers slowly swoon Away in waves of music madly sweet. 'Mid fields where broods the soul of noonday heat. The men and maidens pass with dreaming eyes And thrill with unknown raptures when they meet, While further off beneath the open skies The mighty silhouettes of reapers darkly rise. O drowsy fumes of poppies and field-flowers, You cast, meseems, a deep Lethean still And sweet forgetfulness of swift-paced hours Upon this troop that wends adown the hill With deepening gaze. But yet sad memories fill My soul with melodies that weirdly ring With all the grief of nightingales' rich trill. "Why reap on earth? Soon must you fall," they sing, " Before the tireless scythe of Death, the Harvest-King.' SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 185 But Death is not the Lord of Harvest-Fields, And not for deatii are reaped the golden grain, The maize, the fruit, and all the earth's fair yields, Rich burdens of the homeward creeping wain. For them all labor under the sun were vain. A mightier Lord awaits 'mid hills that gloam. With hand upraised in benediction, fain To comfort us white far afield we roam Singing with failing hearts the Heavenly Harvest-Home. The full-orbed moon shall sink behind the steep, The noon of night shall steal on us apace And there, 'mid nodding poppies, fragrant sleep, Clasping us closely in a last embrace, Shall close our weary eyelids for a space. But soon the stars shall pale, the night take wing And by the portals of His Dwelling-Place, Around which all the dawns their glory fling. Shall stand revealed in light divine the Harvest-King. A Vision. When the low breath of the midnight. Deepens the sleep of the land. And over mountain and valley The stars by the breezes are fanned. And from them the spirit of fragrance, As if it were sent from God To lighten earth's cares and sorrows, Steals softly sandaled abroad. l86 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR Going forth you stand in the midnight, To gather its deep tender glow, And seek the beauty and myst'ry Of the night in its mufHed flow. Alas, how faint seems the vision, Though the stars are shining bright, And earth is full of a solemn Beauty — it is night, fair night. And the darkness tinges your thoughts, With its own deep hue of sadness ; 'Til you anxiously look and long For some bright robed angel of gladness. While standing there you wonder What needs this world, alas. That will raise our country higher And bury the mournful past. See there flashes her crimson torch, Aurora the East adorning With light of day, and gladly now You cry, a glimpse of the morning. Only a glimpse, but better far Than the starlit midnight's way A pledge of light which shineth more And more to a perfect day. Fair as the summer's sunset, Sweet as the robin's lay, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 187 Dear as their own lives shall seem The memories of these days. Their future lives ; no tongue can tell What thoughts within there be, Whose listening ears detect the swell Of the immortal sea. They part to-day with sails unfurl'd And start on life's broad stream ; Whose currents surging round the world Shall bear them like a dream. , They know they shall have trials And mountains in their way, While hard they'll often struggle Throughout the twilight gray. But never shall they cease. Nor shall they e'er be free, «« Till their scars of battle blend With the stars of victory." Alma Mater. Here summoned by traditions sweet Once more on village green we meet, A band of forty, tried and true, And one asleep beneath the dew. i88 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR Beneath the dew, but not forgot, He slumbers in his lowly bed — Let every sweet forget-me-not Bloom o'er the still remembered dead. Long, long the way our feet have come, And thorny, too, and rough to some ; But now the goal salutes the gaze, The last of many college days. But ere we leave the grove and hall And field of sport and ivied wall, We crave the grace to plant a tree And sing the psalm of memory. And as we view the fading past And dream on days that fled so fast. Full many a thorn which once was ours Seems all a-blossom now with flowers I O sweet the days of auld lang syne ! As dear as love, as strong to bind ! Come memory, from thy haunted cave And make thy loving heart their grave ! A grave which buries naught that's fair, But only wrong, and grief, and care ; And hides away from mortal sight The shadow only, not the light ! But let the strain of music cease Which pleads of days and hours like these. School, college ai^£) spmCiaL Occasions, li Another note peals loud and clear! Exulting Hope leaps up to hear The bugle call of life to men, Who must the battle now begin 1 How sternly sweet that lofty song — Defend the right, redress the wrong/ We come, O duty, forty strong, Of right the thralls, the foes of wrong I O Alma Mater ! while we bow. Thy hand of blessing on each brow ! Nay, nay ! thy blessing ever rests On him who doeth God's behests : Hail and farewell ! we go to prove Ourselves are worthy of the love ! And when in distant years we turn Our footsteps where thine altars burn, Still true to honor and to thee We'll pledge undying fealty ! A louder summons now doth swell, Hail to thee, mother, and farewell ! Thou pointest proudly to the fields "Return upon or with thy shield !" We understand thee and we go Where the tides of battle flow ; Yet bless us, mother, as we kneel With consecrated sword and shield. 1 90 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR A President's Address. (Delivered at the Commencement of the Wom.an's College, Baltimore, June, iSg^.) Faculty, Students and Friends : I have al- most the temerity to say, " Kind Friends," but memory of the crushing fate of an attempted preface of mine last year beginning " Gentle Reader " restrains such amiable intention, and as precedent prescribes " Faculty, Students and Friends " : The class of '97 greets yoii all, and welcomes you this morning to the exer- cises of its own great day, the fourteenth of June, in the year of our Lord eighteen hun- dred and ninety-seven. It is our year, our day. It is the last time we can sit in the sometimes not too popular chapel as undergraduates. To-morrow we go to the alumnae banquet. Bachelors of Art. It is the first time that we can stand here on the platform in our Dean's own place, with the Dean's own prerogative of saying anything that occurs to us, or that has been carefully planned beforehand, with the pleasant consciousness that that same Dean will not arise and reprove this same Senior Class for unbecoming levity SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 191 in chapel. It is hard to realize. The historian must go back and the prophet must project herself into the future, but the realization of my time is harder : that this can be to-day, the day for which we have longed and planned, and have dreaded finally — a few of us. I can almost believe that it is simply one of those illusions with which we have been known to amuse ourselves when we met on the street corner, pretended it was years after college, and, in the style of the elder Booth, were so seized with the truth of our own acting that we wept tears of joy when we knew one an- other. You look real enough. You have about the same tolerance that I have pictured in the faces of the audience at this time. But we might be practising for this occasion. We have done it — some of us. There is a bureau in the corner of my room which in no way resembles our professors, and yet which has grown almost sympathetic when I have looked steadfastly at it and said helplessly for the hun- dredth time, " Faculty " ; and in my mind's eye I have gazed earnestly at the " Students and Friends " seated in another corner of the room " --the whole body of them — on a single chair, 192 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR until I have been oppressed by the crowd and gone out for fresh air. There have been other classes which have come and gone before our reign, and there will be still others to succeed us ; but Ninety-seven is different, " just a little different," as a haan said to me not long ago when we were discuss- ing the charms of two sisters. He had been very much in love with one of them, but it was over then, and he was drilling himself in indif- ferent remarks about her. "Well," he said, "they are both fine girls, but do you know, there was always just a little something that made Miss Mary different from Miss Maude." Perhaps it is because we love Ninety-seven so, but there is certainly this " little something " that makes her different, her works and her ways. There was nothing this morning that an- nounced the dawn of a fateful day. The sun crept up with its same steady beams. The President and the Dean sit there below, quite calm and unperturbed ; nothing in their coun- tenances betrays that this is the exit time of their dear and only class. However, notwithstanding the unmoved en- vironment, this is the day — Ninety-seven's SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 193 last day of college life. A swelling of pride and a sinking of heart tells me so. And now, what have I to say ? Very little, I am afraid, and having very little, I am afraid I shall say more than I have ever said at one time before. But if I stand here like a tiresome preface, I have one advantage from my point of view over a written introduction — I cannot be skipped nor laid aside to be read at leisure. I may ramble through a whole maze of pos- sible commencement subjects, and there is no way of escaping me. I shall not venture into the province of the historian or the prophet ; the poet, too, is safe. Even at this late day they might retaliate with some extemporaneous thrust. You know, fel- low sufferers of the class of '97, how all of us, who had any concern for ourselves as others would see us, have endured from them ; how we would let Josephine tell us we " sang like wood," and undergo the ignominy of pulling off our back curls in the lecture room, when Evalina demanded them to try on. I dare not offend these ever-ready powers. And the Fac- ulty ? We can always talk more fluently upon the faculty when they are not present. Be- sides, there are only nice things to say about 194 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR them, and they are uninteresting — not the faculty, but the " nice things." And our Baltimore friends — I would love to talk about you, but here again there are only nice things to be said. How good you have been, how very good ! The sweet, cordial in- fluence of the old town will spread with Ninety- seven far over the land. The map of the city will be for us a number of streets, near or remote from some houses we know ; the car lines but convenient connections that would take us al- ways to the same warm welcome that met us in the blue days of Freshman and Sophmore examinations. I am not sure but that there is a " little something " that makes our facility and Baltimore different from all other faculties and all other places — - to us. I might talk about ourselves as we are now. It were natural here to explain ourselves in the abstract. A college girl ! What is she ? For what does she stand ? We are so tired. Why should we be set aside as a curious species, to be studied and discussed as one of the end-of- the-century phenomena ? Newspaper writers at a loss for a subject never weary in their en- deavor to classify us by our peculiarities ; to account for us even, to find our cause in the SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS, igj conditions of the age, to ask why is a college girl ? What is there queer about us ? If I could recall my Sophomoric lack of respect — indeed I am almost tempted now to respond as they do in the trite old conundrum: "Why is a pig ? " " The higher the fewer " is a sufficiently sensible reply for the questions. Hear some of the headings to articles written upon us : "How the College Girl Walks; How She Talks ; How She Writes." " Freaks from College." " Academic Violets." Another lectures : " A College Girl's Duty to Her Brother." And discussions : "The College Woman versus The Society Woman." Wherein are the two incompatible ? The queries are amusing too : "Is a College Woman always Amenable to Reason ? " " Is a College Girl Susceptible?" 196 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR " Do College Women Marry ?" "Does a Higher Education Unfit a Woman for Cooking ? " "Will a College Girl Flirt?" "Will a College Woman Rule her Husband ?" Don't ask such questions. We are college women, and of that we are proud. College does not change — it develops us. It is not the new woman we emulate, but the true woman. We shall not set to work to twist you and the rest of the world into har- mony with ourselves. We do not expect to return home to poison our families slowly with theoretically prepared dinners. We are not going to spend our lives in the kitchen, to make our dispositions crusty and keep our tempers at red heat over the bake-ovens. We are not going to marry, either, just to marry, though a man with heart and brains, and man- hood — but that may be left to Ruth Ash- more's " Side-Talks." What I mean is — we are not a Greek verb, not yet a Latin proverb. Some of us in our early youth may have evinced a desire to play with the spheres, but there are occasions now when we are equally contented to toy with our fans. It must be SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 197 inspiring to be addressed as " Saccharine Con- summation of Protoplasm," but 'tis not the en- dearing term we would be wooed by. " There are others," more old-fashioned and sweeter. Because we have confessed to an ambition to be alive — to feel and think what is best — do not conclude, therefore, that we have felt and thought until, Hke our grandmothers' bro- cades, we are able to "stand alone"; that we do not need help, and contact, and sunshine, and even foolish pleasures, too. Do not turn us in upon ourselves. You will talk about us and write about us, until the whole universe is filled with us, and, from sheer self-conciousness, we will be forced into that narrowness of mind of which we are accused. These four years have been a meager prepa- ration. We are younger — many of us — in the world's wisdom than others of fewer years and less knowledge of triangles and other ob- tuse instruments. To-morrow Alma Mater sends us forth. Take us to yourselves, and if we are so, let us forget that we are " queer." ■ But I have said I would not explain, and here I am, explaining, yea, even preaching. You can see us as we are now. " Some of us are pretty and some of us are not." The poet 1 98 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR has kindly omitted to say which of us are which. I would not describe Ninety-seven to you if I could. You can easily see how we may have changed since the glorious days that history records, and there is time for develop- ment ere the truth of the prophecy can be tested. But the stubborn facts are before me, for, though we look fine, we cannot look as fine as we are, and you would think, "Surely this is Ninety-seven as Ninety-seven sees herself." You will pardon a little egotism, though. Remember, this is our year, our day, and you are ours, too, — our guests. We give you an interest in our conceit in so far as we can ; we hope you will take an interest. We feel that the good things of the year ' 97 belong to us ; we are not sure but you have owed this cool, bracing Springtime to the season's favoritism for its protegee class ; and have you not seen how the violets have bloomed sweeter and bluer, and have lingered longer, out of love for us. Though it is June, and not New Year's Day, it is more to us — it is our New Life's Eve, and we may with propriety wish you happiness for always, but first, with us to-day. To insure the fulfillment of that wish I can see no speedier means than for me to create you honorary SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 199 members of Ninety-seven, not pausing to hear from some of my parliamentary classmates that I am " out of order," but only reminding you that the duty of an honorary member is : first, be appreciative ; second, be appreciative ; and ever, be appreciative. Salutatory. {Delivered June 14, iSg'j, at Princeton University:^ Ladies and Gentlemen : The class of Ninety- seven extends to you a most cordial welcome. Within two days we will have reached that goal towards which we have been striving for four long, yet seemingly short, years. We must now enter upon the greater field of life which lies stretched out before us; we must cast away our college privileges and pleasures, only to hold them with the firm grasp of our memories, and assume those graver burden's which beset us as we leave the threshold of college so dear to us. Our equipment is good, our armor strong, so let us meet our worldly battles face to face, remembering that a nation looks to her colleges for men of brains. Both nature and destiny are honest. To the victor they grant the spoils. 200 Orations, essays, addresses for On Wednesday we leave as undergraduates, to return in future years as alumni, in an attempt to review in only a few short days those never- to-be-forgotten lessons acquired beneath these lofty elms, on the athletic field and in the class- room. The time is now at hand when it is necessary for us, as a class, to part ; but we can defy those circumstances to arise which can weaken these ties of friendship so dearly formed by us during our college course. In future years, in both prosperity and disaster, they can be but a source of the greatest pleasure and comfort to us. Let confidence and truth abide with us forevermore. We go forth as members of a large family, to meet again when occasion offers, always ready to help one another, and never forgetting to honor our Alma Mater. Let to-day be the brightest and happiest of our college course, and although Ninety-seven has but one more day to live, we will be of good cheer and enjoy these last few hours while we still have them with us. During the exercises of to-day, I bid you listen to our chosen representatives as they pro- ject before us the various pictures of our college life, as they prophesy into the far-distant future, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 201 as they pay tribute to those dear classmates who have passed from our midst to the world beyond. We must not and cannot forget them to-day. And this afternoon as we gather around our historic cannon, to be entertained with joke and satire, to chide one another, you must remem- ber that good friendship and kindly feelings are the motives. We'll sacrifice our own mis- takes and follies to enjoy those of others. To such scenes the class of Ninety-seven bids its friends welcome. Dux's Speech. {Delivered at the Class Tree Exercises, Emory College, March, l8g8. From the "Phoenix:^ Mr. President, Classmates, Ladies and Gen- tlemen: Solon once compared audiences to the sea and orators to the wind. For, said he, the sea lies calm and quiet, unless the wind dis- turbs it. In the truth of the figure lies my own peril Other speakers in this place have stirred you with words of eloquence, and lashed the sea into rolling waves. Realizing that my own 202 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR efforts must result in mere ripples, I fear to entrust me to those waves of expectation which others have created. In selecting a theme upon which to address you, I have been in great doubt as to what would be appropriate to the occasion and ac- ceptable to my hearers. No winter's frosts have gathered o'er my head — pointing to which I might give you words of wisdom born of experience. ' Twere a burlesque to speak of "woman's rights" in so modest a village as ours. My search brought to mind the story of the boy for whose benefit an anxious father had been reading of recent African explora- tions. The boy grew listless. The cause being inquired into, the little fellow replied — " You'll excuse me, sir, but to my notion we have geography enough." I bespeak your pardon, gracious hearers, if ere this you have had enough of my subject, but I come to-day, a young man of the South, with a modest message to Southern young men. I do not wish to fan into flame that ha- tred which a score and a half of years have well-nigh extinguished. Such is not my pur- pose. I bear no trace of sectionalism in my SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 203 heart, save a love for my native heath. But while I shall speak mainly of the " New South," so called, and her problems, I do not come to make apology for the "Old South" and her civilization, for I believe that all that is best in the South to-day is " native and to the manor born." The influences that are at work in our times are but copies of forces that operated under the old regime. Our own is but the, super- structure of which the " Old South's " civiliz- ation is the foundation. That civilization, says Page, "partook of the philosophic tone of the Grecians, of the dominant spirit of the Ro- mans, and of the love and freedom of the Sax- ons. Over all brooded a softness and beauty, the joint product of chivalry and Christianity." Such has been her legacy to the " New South." More than thirty years ago the structure of that civilization was razed to the ground. It was a blow than which nations have sustained no harder. Is it a wonder that men looked far and wide over territory laid waste by the iron- shod heel of war and saw the end of Southern life .? Not so. But the memory of a past rich in patriotism, in intellect, and in statesmanship hushed forever the voice that would bid her 204 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR despair, and inspired the South to true life and noble endeavor. Under the stimulus of free institutions and a Christian civilization new possibilities are being opened to the people of the South. Influences are abroad in our land which are slowly but surely restoring the South to her former glori- ous estate. Chief among these influences is the great activity in educational matters prevalent in the South. Reforms are being introduced into our public-school system, which will eventually place a common-school education in reach of all. Upon a hundred hills stand institutions of learning like our own, where Southern youth may slake the thirst for knowledge. 'Tis true that our colleges are small and " lacking in funds, but at least they are free from the plutocratic tendencies that obtain in the larger colleges at the North. Democratic to the core, the South does not demand a full purse as the necessary passport to the gate of learning. To make use of the words of our honored president, it is from the smaller col- leges that the nation must look for true great- ness. The colleges of the South are furnishing to SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 205 State and Church young men in whose hands our future is safe. Theirs and yours, my fel- lows, it is to restore the South to her true po- sition in the foundation and history of our na- tion. In the past the record of the South in poli- tics, in war, in jurisprudence, in statesmanship and in manhood, has been glorious. That rec- ord is yours. A grand and patriotic duty rests upon you each to preserve it to future gener- ations. This duty discharged .will harmonize with the ancient glory of our section. The examples that are before you are inspiring. That civilization must not count for naught that gave to freedom Washington and Jeffer- son; to the ermine Marshall and Taney; to the state Madison, Clay and Calhoun ; to war Lee and Jackson; and to chivalry splendid ex- amples of true manhood and noble woman- hood. The South has made splendid contributions to civilization and to liberty. Southern thought has molded policies. Southern genius formed parties, Southern valor acquired territory. Two controlling reasons have led the South to conservatism : principle and necessity. Com- parative freedom from immigration has fostered 2o6 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR that conservative spirit. The South has es- caped in large part that flood of immigration that has poured into other sections from out the cesspools of Europe and Asia. Hence religion in the South has not been affected by the subvertive schools of philosophy which fol- low in the wake of these immigrants. No- where in the world than in the South is relig- ion purer, or social life freer from corruption. Atheism, infidelity, anarchy are plants which do not find in Southern soil the filth upon which they feed. It is no mere accident that none of our "latter day vagaries," of which woman's suffrage is the most conspicuous rep- resentative, have fastened themselves on South- ern life. Here, too, conservatism has been our salvation. Materialism in all its forms has tainted the blood of other sections ; to the South alone must the nation look for the pres- ervation of the true American spirit. By as much as the South is free from foreign ele- ments, by so much is her patriotism unalloyed. In sections and in nations, history teaches that ritualistic religions have always breeded here- sies which eventually undermine morals and prey upon the social life. Such conditions do not and cannot obtain in the South. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 207 Unless all indications are misleading, the South is destined to become the leading sec- tion in our nation. Boundless in her natural resources, conservative in her social institu- tions, the South is drawing to her untilled bosom a class of immigrants that are not mere adventurers. They come to reclaim the des- ert places and make them blossom with plenty. ■Judging from past and present, with her wonderful resources developed and her splendid opportunities improved, will not the South re- gain in our nation that place of pre-eminence from which adversity expelled her? In the few remarks that I shall address to you, I am fully concious that I am one of your number, therefore believe in my sincerity. This occasion marks an epoch in the life of each of you. You stand to-day at the threshold. Your graduation will usher you into the midst of that active life for which you have been preparing. The Rubicon passed, you come this way no more. Your advantages have been above that which is average. I do not wish to sermonize on this occasion, but I would have you hold in mind the parable of the talents. State, church and society will look to you, not without reason, for deeds commensurate with your advantages. 2o8 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR At this period of its history our country needs men with well-trained minds ; men of the highest patriotism; men of the sternest virtue to leaven the lump of shallow learning and political misconception among the masses, and to counteract the degrading influence of bounty- seekers and office-hunters. As each winter's frost leaves the locks of your father whiter still, so each will find you nearer that point in your lives when you must become the pillars of state and church. Every reformation, every noble enterprise, every invention has had its source in deep- thinking, consecrated mind. Thought rules the world. Go forth, then, to your rule, for if you have acquired the power to think, you are true sovereigns. Only let your reign be tem- pered with mercy, and guided by justice. You plant a tree to-day which shall stand as a landmark indicating the end of your labor as a body. As you go forth to your individual labors, I would have you ever mindful of the allegiance, you owe to the common country, yet as you trust your tree to the elements of a Southern clime, may you attach your hopes to the South and direct your efforts toward her development. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 209 Ivy Oration. Classmates: We stand with sublime con- nections with the Past and with the Future. Although the one is irrevocable and the other is unknown to us, we hold the former by his- tory : the latter we possess by anticipation and by hope. As we pause to-day upon the dividing-ground between two eras in our lives, and look back over the varied experiences of our college life, with its buoyancy and its pleasures, its rivalries and ambitions, its duties and generous friend- ships, we cannot avoid a feeling of sadness that comes with the thought of parting. There is, however, one thought which should be upper- most in our minds, dispelling the gloom of pres- ent sadness, and suffusing with a golden glow the morning sky of the future. The influence of our college days has left a lasting impress upon our minds and hearts. It pervades the inmost recesses of our natures. It has become a guiding principle in our lives. It molds our characters. It shapes our destinies. Our life-work lies before us. A life of the highest endeavor can alone repay the debt we 210 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR owe to our Alma Mater. As we go from these halls into the battle-tumult of the world, where our mission is to be achieved and our rank among men decided, she bids us take up the line of advance into the future, and press with earnest purpose to noblest aims. The oppor- tunities for a liberal culture that have been ex- tended to us in the four short years that are past, are the seeds that are to germinate and ripen into deeds. Our mental and moral pos- sibilities are just blooming and coming to first- fruits. Spiritual life, the regulative, harmoniz- ing, enriching power of the whole character, is to know no goal short of perfection. As the future beckons us on, let us follow with un- daunted courage. An earnest devotion to a fixed and lofty purpose will develop an in- tenser vitality, a broader sympathy, a richer grace and holiness. There is no effort of science or of art that may not be excelled ; no depth of philosophy that cannot be deeper sounded ; no flight of the imagination that may not be passed by strong and soaring wings. All nature is full of unknown things. What has hitherto given prosperity and distinction has not been more open to others than to us. But the influence of our Alma- Mater has be- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AUD SPECIAL OCCASION'S. 2II come a living power within us that shall quicken us to lofty endeavor, uplift our souls and urge us on like an inspiration. There are no greater duties facing us to-day than the demands of our national life. Our country needs a new enthusiasm. To whom but to us, her young men from shrines of learning, with pent-up life seeking to manifest itself in outward action, shall she look to give it to her ? She calls upon us to wake the deep slumber of careless opinions ; to kindle burning aspirations ; to set noble examples ; to shame false ideals of life ; and to make the aims of society more earnest. The life-giving power of education was in- tended to fit us, not for cultivated leisure, but for manly work. A liberal culture binds men together by intensifying each one with in- terests beyond himself. It incorporates the power and nobility of the individual into the strength and grandeur of that larger individual, — society. The talents we possess are for the service of all ; the truth we hold is truth for all ; our activity and progress go into the general social condition ; our failure "abstracts from the common good. As men in the ranks of hu- manity we are under a law of duty that allows us no stopping-place short of the utmost capa- 212 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR bilities and the best use of the opportunities God has given us. We cannot only trace our powers, but guide them and impel them. A vigorous purpose makes much out of little, breathes power into weakness, disarms diffi- culties and even turns them into assailants. A true faith, looking up to something better, catching glimpses of a distant future perfection, prophesying to ourselves a greatness, gives energy of purpose, gives wings to the soul, and this faith will continually grow and increase. In the words of Disraeli, I bid you, " Keep your standard of knowledge high ; attempt great things, expect great things, and you will accom- plish great things." We turn with grateful hearts to the kind " mother of us all," under whose guardianship our minds have expanded and matured, and under whose benignant care we have been pre- pared to discharge the mission to which edu- cated men are called in this wonderful age. She stands with vivid personality, in all the fullness of intelligence, affection and will. So long as these walls re-echo the footsteps of the ambitious pressing on toward the future, she will be_ as she has ever been, a true person, a very Alma Mater to her children. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECLAL OCCASIONS. 213 It is out of the infinite human experience and pathos of this place, it is out of the way in which these buildings and these grounds have been the scenes of so much human life for more than a century; of struggles and hopes and fears and aspirations ; of doubts and dreads ; of men's conflicts with themselves, and of men's coming to a knowledge of themselves ; of soli- tudes and associations ; of gainings of faith and losing of faith ; of triumphs and despairs ; of temptations and of ecstasies, — it is out of all this, hovering like a great cloud over, rising like an exhalation from, the long history of our college and its generations of men, that slowly, mysteriously, but at last very clearly, there shapes itself as we look, as the great outcome of the whole,' a majestic being which we call the college, with human features and capacities, with eyes to smile or frown on us, with a mouth to praise us or rebuke us, with a will to rule us and to fix standards for our lives. We go tearfully from these venerable walls and these familiar scenes. We are severing, perhaps forever, the sacred ties that bind us to one another and to the college that has guarded and guided us. We regret most keenly now that many duties have been ill-performed, and 214 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR that great opportunities have gone unheeded into the irrevocable Past. But the hours of the Present are golden, and the recollection of the happy days that we have spent together will ever brighten our pathway as we press with confident and hopeful promise into the Future. Will we not go on from strength to strength, ever onward and upward, and aspire to noble acts, heroic deeds } By the Ivy which we plant to-day as an emblem of our love for the college a;nd of loyalty to her cause, we , pledge it alU And so, parting beneath the elms, with a cordial welcome for those who shall come after us, let us say : God bless our Alma Mater and our Class. Class Song. Good-bye, God bless you, God bless you each day. Guide and direct you tho' far away : Soon we shall part, our paths must divide, The sunny paths we'll cherish still While climbing up life's rUgged hill Never forgetting the days gone by, Whose hours did all too quickly fly. Good-bye, God bless you, bless thro' the years That may await you; few be your tears, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 215 May Heaven's rich gifts your portion still be Your hopes not vain, your friends all true, Life hold but peace and love for you. Bright be your pathway with life's fair flowers Joy laden be life's golden hours. Good-bye, God bless you, tho' on life's sea Swift glides our bark so fearlessly and free, Still we may ride, no dangers we'll fear. With hope that shineth like a star. And nought of doubt our joys to mar. Glad be our voyage till day is past Heaven be the port we gain at last. Ivy Oration. In a gallery in the city of Brussels is a por- trait, more striking than famous, " The Man of the Future and the Things of the Past." The conception of the artist embodies in fascinating simplicity more than a century of human prog- ress. The man of the future, holding in his right hand some toy marshals, guns and battle- flags, is examining with care and thought these symbols of by-gone warfare. Far removed from contact with military forces, he is a type of Christian manhood at peace with the world. In him we behold the heritage of the past. In 2i6 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR him we find our ideal of a perfect man, an ideal which even enlightened humanity has not yet attained; He is the embodiment of love, beauty and power. And so this painting, it seems to me, typifies in many ways the memories and aspirations we wish to dwell upon here this morning. But there is more for us in the thoughts of that Belgian artist. He portrayed not alone the past and the distant future ; between these vanishing points of human perspective stands the present in the form of "a child. He, too, has handled those symbolic toys, but has never felt their meaning; and he gazes "in silent awe upon that typical man who thus busies himself with the playthings of children. How many times in the past four years have we, children in experience, stood in questioning wonder upon the acts of our superiors .? How do we stand to-day ? Has not this period of prepa- ration taken us beyond the visions of childhood and dreams of youth, so that the feeling of reality may share with sentiment the tributes of this parting hour ? Let us see. The man of the future, I have said, must have power : power to know himself and under- stand others ; power that means will in applica- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 217 tion, promptness in action and thoroughness in execution. This power is the inevitable result of college training for every man who does his duty. But I need not dwell upon this thought. The time invites us to speak of beauty as one of the contributions of Nature. Our conception of College embodies more than walls of brick and stone ; more than con- tact with professors, invaluable as such associa- tion is ; more than these very hill-tops so often eulogized by orators and poets of the past; all these are only parts in this University of Nature, where silent voices teach the willing heart the grandeur of God and the nobility of man. Need I speak to you, my classmates, of the uncon- scious influence of such environment .? No, your own lives must tell the story. The ryth- mic cadences of oratory, the voice of poetic in- spiration, the matchless touch of the painter's brush would bring discord to the receptive soul once rapt in this symphony of Nature. No wonder in the past man joined with Na- ture in making this the center of historic land- marks. No wonder that loyal alumni in rem- iniscent mood recall the sublimity of her moun- tain barriers, the gently sloping hills and low- lying valleys, and the gorgeous blending of 2i8 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR colors under the last rays of the setting sun. Truly has one of them said, " This is God's own country." The painting and this occasion suggest an- other thought. The man of the future must know the meaning of friendship. It must be a part of his very nature. Have we learned its value ? Indeed, we have. Coming in as an ag- gregation, we go out as a unit. The classroom, the table, the campus and friendly rivalry have brought us together until "like kindred drops we've mingled into one." The attachments formed here no man can forget; nor can any one overestimate the worth of such friendship as a preparation for the duties of life. Fellow Classmates: The Ivy our President has planted is symbolic of the past, the pres- ent and the future of our class. For the past it is like in kind to that which has been planted before. Nor are we different from the thousands who have gone through similar phases of de- velopment in this College. For the present it humbly takes its place beside that closely woven wreajh which is symbolic of undying love; a wreath whose attachment increasing with age serves as protection and ornament to that stately SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS, zig edifice to which it cHngs. Its future, like ours, is uncertain but hopeful. Grounded in this hallowed soil, nourished and encouraged by the memories and achievements of the past, may this Ivy be a symbol of development for us and for you. Old College ; may its growth be deeper, broader, higher; and may its associations be- come closer and stronger. And now, dear College, we cannot say farewell ; our relations with you are not severed. Looking to you as a source of inspiration, we shall as men of the future embody in our lives friendship, beauty and power in accordance with the artist in the picture, with the Ivy in Nature and with your teachings in the realities of life. Class Will. Mr. President, Friends : Ninety-seven, about to die, salutes you ! Contrary to the custom in such cases, and loath as are all members of my conservative profession to establish precedents, only at the behest of my noble client, Ninety-seven, have I called you together, before her death, to hear her will and to receive her gifts. I was persuaded to this action by the unusual circumstances of my client. 220 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR I dread to tell you, but be calm : The Doctor is here ready to revive all fainting ones, but he cannot attend too many. Here is my secret, keep it well ! A consultation of doctors was called together on Monday, May the thirty-first, doctors never known to fail in their prognostications. They have announced that on Tuesday, June the fifteenth, Ninety-seven must die. Had I known what a commotion you would raise, and how badly you would feel, the Presi- dent himself could not have dragged this secret from me. My client wishes me to state that, owing to a lightness in the head, caused by its gradual swelling during the last four years, and a heaviness in the heart and other organs, caused by thoughts of parting and over-feast- ing, respectively, she may have been mistaken in her inventory, but such as she thinks she has she gives to you, praying that you may not believe that it is only because she cannot keep her goods that she is generous. The Will. We the Class of Ninety-seven being about to leave this sphere, in full possession of a sound SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 221 mind, memory and vmderstanding, do make and publish this our last will and testament, hereby revoking and making void all former wills by us at any time heretofore made. And first we do direct that our funeral ser- vices shall be conducted by our friends and well-wishers, the faculty, only enjoining that the funeral be carried on with all the dignity and pomp our situation in the college scale has merited. As to such estate as it has pleased the fates and our own strong arms to give us, we do dis- pose of the same as follows, viz. : Item : We give and bequeath to the Board of Control restful nights and peaceful dreams. We promise them a rest from Ninety-seven's petitions. No more will we be called upon to bend our haughty knee to supplicate ; no more will they be pained to refuse. It has been hard to have our fondest wishes thwarted ; it must have been hard for them to refuse so fair a pleader. They have done their duty, and they have their reward. But oh ! how much easier it would have been for them and for us if they had said " Yes," especially to Senior play and seats at the Lyceum. Ninety-seven has al- ways been modest and retiring, and she does ::?2 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR not want to be so prominent at — a theatre ; to have it said that she has actually ap- peared upon the Lyceum stage. How are the mighty fallen, and the Methodists have been laid low. Item : We give and bequeath to the College as a whole the two songs entitled respectively : " Come, All Ye Loyal Classmates," and " Mary- land, My Maryland." These songs to become the possession of the College on condition that she holds them in trust as a nucleus to which each year shall be added others, until we have a collection to be proud of. May Alma Mater be the theme of far better songs in the future. Item : We give and bequeath to our best be- loved and cherished sister. Ninety-nine, all the wealth of love and blessings she may want. She seems to be able to get everything else unaided. The basket-ball and tennis cham- pionships are hers. She guards Ninety- seven's tennis trophy. May our mantle fall completely on her shoulders. We will waste no time in giving to one who seems very able to get. Item: We give to the Freshman Class the following advice, accepting which will lead SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 223 them to glory; copy Ninety-eight; learn to work if not to win ; development comes sooner through bearing failures than successes. It isn't fun, but still, look at Ninety-eight and be encouraged. Item : The subjoined list will be recognized as entailed estates, to which we do declare the Class of Ninety-eight the real and rightful suc- cessors : I St. The Senior seats in chapel to which as Juniors Ninety-eight has not been unknown. May she be as fond of the front row next year as she has been this. Let every member show her gratitude for the gift by being promptly in her seat each morning. 2d. The Kalends is in a very unusual finan- cial condition, $ioo in the bank. The work, the worry and the glory are now in other hands. Perhaps the most valuable of all this list will be found to be the Senior Dramatics. Ninety- seven has enjoyed the excitement on the boards, at least two of our members have enjoyed the Board of Control on its account. How the list lengthens ; next come Senior privileges — with the Dean's permission — too well understood to be detailed. 224 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR Senior dignity is always handed over to the new-made lords of the college world. We are afraid that this will be a strain upon the nerves and muscles of the gay and debonair Juniors, but all hope they will rise to the occasion, as they sometimes can. Last comes the one thing hard for us to part with. To our successors we must give our course in Senior Ethics — and let me say that Ethics is a study where you learn that lots of things that you once knew are not so. My note-book is packed, or I could tell you many interesting facts about moral law — the consensus of our moral nature and conscience, that makes cow- ards of us all when we are quizzed about it. But I must not tell you all we learned from the course in the next five minutes. We will leave it a sealed book until next year. If Ninety- eight gains half the profit and the inspirations we have found in room 1 1 with the Dean, this will be their most precious possession, as it has been ours, as it is the one we are most loath to leave. Beside these enforced gifts we leave, not of necessity but of our own free will, our blessing and a pledge of friendship from henceforth. All the rest and residue of our property. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 225 whatsoever and wheresoever, of what nature, kind and quaUty soever it may be, and not here- in before disposed of (after paying our debts and funeral expenses), we give and- bequeath to our Dean, for his use and benefit absolutely. If he see fit, he may use the knowledge and startling information we have given him at whatsoever times we may have had written quizzes and examinations, in the education of our younger sisters. This latter matter is, however, entirely at his discretion. And we do hereby constitute and appoint the said Dean sole executor of this, our last will and testament. In Witness Whereof, We the Class of Ninety- seven, the testators, have to this our will, written on one sheet of parchment, set our hand and seal, this fourteenth day of June, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred ninety-seven. Ivy Oration. In the twihght hour of this memorable day in the history of the class we meet to plant the ivy, which shall keep alive our memory long after the class has departed. 426 ORATIONS, £SSAYS, At) DRESSES FOR The year has been an eventful one — not only in our college world, but in the world at large. " There have been wars and rumors of wars"; there have also been interesting events of a peaceful nkture. " We the heirs of all the ages, in the fore- most ranks of time," start forth after our fare- wells here are said to construct history on our own account. We not only inherit the polit- ical and social traditions of the past, but also the intellectual, and it is worth while that we should consider what this heritage brings us. The perfection of the educational system of to-day, and its evolution in such an institution as our own College, can only be appreciated by contrasting it with the early beginnings of similar intellectual enterprises. As we exam- ine the chronicles of the past, we discover from what meager opportunities and super- ficial scholarships the old cloister schools de- veloped into the Continental universities. So eager was the thirst for knowledge that there evolved, even from such limited equip- ment, an educational scheme which has been the incentive of all later mind-building forces. The seeds of education produced in Europe SCHOOL, COLLEGE AN-D SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 227 were transported to the new land, where they promise a harvest of liberal thought and inde- pendent research unrivalled even in the Old World. The processes which Europeans had elaborated during nine centuries of effort were set in motion sixteen years after the Pilgrim Fathers disembarked from the Mayflower. Though their resources . were miserably lim- ited, and they were handicapped on all sides, yet they made constant sacrifices toward their cherished ends. On the 28th of October, 1636, a set of rustic legislators, with a few learned men among them, met upon the penin- sula now known as Boston. They were very poor, and in the midst of savages, but they were in need of godly ministers, and without waiting for a better prospect they laid the cor- ner-stone of education for a continent, endow- ing the institution with a sum equal to the expenses of the colonial government for a year. One farmer contributed some sheep, a woman contributed nine shillings' worth of cloth. Even the tables were stripped of their ornaments. Farmers were urged to contrib- ute one peck of wheat for each college stu- dent — "a most comfortable provision for diet," says the quaint old appeal. A subscription of 228 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR one shilling from each family in the colony was earnestly solicited. The splendid success and prestige of Har- vard are apparent, but her early struggles for life are almost forgotten.. Somewhat later the neighboring colony of Connecticut was inspired with a like ambition, and we find ten ministers assembled together for the purpose of founding the institution which we know to-day as Yale. Each one laid upon the table the best volumes which his scant library contained, saying as h» did so, " I give these books for the founding of a col- lege in this colony." In the establishment of Mt. Holyoke, the pioneer institution for the higher education of women, there was no en- dowment or apparent resource : even public sympathy was lacking. The students had to sacrifice time from their studies in order that the domestic machinery might run smoothly. The North had been rich in educational advantages for its women. The reverses of the South had delayed a like progress within its borders. With the return of prosperity, its daughters sought the most favorable advan- tages open to them, and here, on this border- land between North and South, found this the SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 229 Mecca of their hopes and ambitions. As be- fore intimated, the students have come from every section of the country and every state in the Union. Diverse has been our environ- ment, varied our political faith. The friction of contact with these different elements in this cosmopolitan city dissipates our provincial- isms and makes us, too, cosmopolitan. Four years ago, with unformed thought, we came to these halls, ignorant of, or ^indifferent to, the traditions of other sections, save for a passing humorous criticism of idiosyncrasies other than our own. Here in the beneficent influences of broad-minded thinking and awakened sympa- thies, our cherished prejudices have disap- peared. However much in class-room we may differ on constitutional grounds, we honor the con- victions of those who differ from us, and rec- ognize the personal worth and exalted aim of those who are one with us in aspiration. The newer, broader outlook which has come to us in these days in our mutual interchange of thought and study will prevent the widen- ing of the breaches for which women in the past have been held so largely responsible. May there never again be occasion for the 230 ORA TIONS, ESSA YS, ADDRESSES FOR observation of a noted visitant to our shores — not from Jupiter, however, but from the canny Scotch land — Ian Maclaren, "that the women of America entertained rancor much longer than the men." Being a bird of pas- sage, he had hardly sufficient time to become acquainted with what we have done to dissi- pate such prejudices. Instead of fostering dif- ferences, may our inspiration be " whatsoever things are true, lovely, and of good report, think on these things." It has been frequently said that we have no tradition, hence no inspiration. But this is, in fact, a blessing in disguise. We are blessed with no traditions, hence we have no limita- tions. We are not cursed with precedent. We are largely the creatures of our own college desti- nies. Our college prestige rests with us. Unhampered by burdensome traditions we have created our own, and now leave them as a benediction to those who come after us. In this ivy, transplanted from the hoary tra- ditions and classic shades of Oxford, we have a fitting symbol of the unity and larger liberty which have been inspired in us by our Alma Mater. SCHOOL, COLLEGE. AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 231 Ivy Poem. Beginning and the end, first following last, Twilight and dawn fast pressing on the night, Such is each day that slips in silence by If lost in idle waste, or glorified. At even comes the reckoning. A time When we look back and say of hours spent, "This have we done! here conquered!" or "here failed, To-morrow may we do as much," — or "slip Not so again," and then are lost in sleep. Meetings and partings punctuate the time. " Hail " and " Farewell " we say ; come and are gone. A thousand suns have crossed the zenith since We first set foot upon this pleasant spot. Summers and Winters, Springs and Autumns passed. Festival seasons and still hours of peace All blended in a single memory now. And now ? — we pause. A thousand days have gone. Arabian nights compared to them were naught. And now ? — so short ! a sunset, a night's fall, A day is done, and with the morrow's dawn Commencement o'er again. No time for tears 1 "The King is dead! long live the King!" we cry With mind on-reaching toward the infinite. Scarce is a moment for a backward glance But that we may direct our steps aright. The unlived hours have fretted, slow to come. 232 • ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR And moments passed have left sometime a sting Of rancor and remorse. Sometimes the hopes Have been in part attained, the laurel grasped, Sometimes ambition's spurs not felt in vain, " Thus have we done, thus conquered ! and thus failed ! To-morrow may we do yet more, and slip Not so again." An ivy here we plant. At once memorial of college days. And inspiration true for the unknown. At fountain's brink, in forest depths it grows, Green mantling grave cathedrals, stern and cold, On classic halls of learning it enwreathes Huge pillars, mighty arches, casements dark, And loves the beautiful, the good, the true. An ivy here we plant before we go. When other days and other faces come, Upon these stones 't will nestle in repose. And overlook the vista yet unchanged. This scene, these walls and buttresses will stand. And, circling round the windows it will hear, The preacher's voice, the solemn organ tones, The melody of prayer, the songs of praise. Then we'll return, and, seeing it on high, Shall read of life a living history. Strong tendrils and bright foliage above, Below, torn branches and the fading leaf. Thus shall we do ! thus conquer ! and thus fail ! We — comnvon branches of one vine arise Sprung from this hill and nurtured 'neath these skies. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 233 Ivy Song. Fare thee well, dear Alma Mater, Parting's hour is drawing nigh, And with loving thoughts we crown thee As we say our last good-bye. We would wreathe thy walls with ivy, Which, when we are parted far. Still will flourish as an emblem That thy hope may be our star. As our ivy climbeth upward, Strengthening with the lengthening years, So our memories cling more firmly. Brighter still thy name appears To our hearts, which hold thee ever With a reverence tender, warm, Be the ways that lie between us Bright with sunshine, dark with storm. We would wreathe thy walls with ivy. We would crown with praise thy name, Though the garlands we may bring thee May not all be plucked by fame. We would mingle with the laurel Rose and myrtle bright with bloom, And with glory's flame we'd mingle \ The mild radiance of home. 234 OR A TIONS, ESSA YS, ADDRESSES FOR Oh ! how short seem now the seasons, Fruitful years, and blithely sped. Here within thy lov'd cloisters, Bright with dreams that hope has bred. In the real world we enter, May we guard thy ideal well ; As our ivy be our memory, — Alma Mater, dear, farewell. Class Oration. The Old and New. In the opening scene of Aristophanes' Com- edy of the " Clouds," old Strepsiades, the debtor, lies sleepless on his couch, bemoaning the near approach of the day on which his creditors will summon him to court. With all his money foolishly squandered, how can he hope to es- cape a judgment ? A brilliant thought strikes him. Why not send his son to Socrates to learn the trick of argumentation by which one can prove anything one pleases ? Armed with such a weapon as this, his creditors can whistle for their money. After sundry threats from his father the young man takes his lessons at the " thinking SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 235 shop," and returns before the dreaded day of reckoning. But alas, for the old man's song of triumph. The new tool has an unsuspected edge. With kicks and cuffs the young rascal drives his father from the house, and then calmly proves to him that such conduct is quite the proper thing. Thus the great Greek satirist laughs at the world, which must needs add to the measure of ill which life inevitably brings, punishment for foolish sophistry and evasion. The old and the new — just what was this day at the thought of which Strepsiades trem- bled and sought for arguments to escape its is- sues ? It was the day when the old moon had faded, and the new had not yet risen, — a day which thus belonged, according to the Greek fancy, to both the old month and the new — a good time for bringing debtors to account and for clearing the books for the coming month. We stand even now in the presence of such a day of reckoning. Graduation — Commence- ment. These days certainly partake of the past. The four years gone are here in evidence in each individual character, in the corporate Hfe of the Class. The future fills our hearts 236 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR with high expectation — we feel that it is al- ready beginning. It is also the day on which to count up our gains and losses. Each heart is a veritable court of judgment — though the world be not admitted to the spectacle. But note this one thing; it by no means follows that those men, whom the College or the world counts successful, are really the ones who have been making the best use of their time. Idleness is a danger, — but the rush of college work, sharpened as it is to touch up the stragglers, is a danger too. In the zest for books, thinking may be at a discount. By ill-judged effort and simulation in study a man may lose his elasticity, and, like an overstrained spring, become useless forever. How far this is true each man must determine for him- self. Idlers and " grinds " ; popular and unpopular ; approved and disapproved — we must stand on our own attainments. And if, like Strepsiades, we try by any clever shift to avoid facing, this fact, we shall in the end be kicked and cuffed for our pains. Just as the graceless son was the clever instrument of his mishaps, so it is our very sophistry and cleverness in cheating ourselves that will surely punish us. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 237 But the analogy of the Old and New goes even deeper. It stands as the type of the present moment, the time when every crisis in life must meet us. Yesterday is the old, and its sum total of results is in the present. To-morrow is the new, and before it arrives it must needs have become to-day. The day when we stand arraigned to render account to ourselves for debts incurred, — the day, at once, of awful crisis and splendid opportunity — the reality of realities, is ever the present. All that we are, all that we have the promise of being, is crowded into that. And yet it is from this very point in life, that we are being constantly drawn away. We love to dream, be it of the past or future. One man lingering among the records of the past conceives that the best has been already accomplished ; the art of the past, the literature of the past, the heroism of the past are his ideals. This is perhaps the special danger of the student. He forgets that all past attain- ment is of worth only as the vantage-ground for a present achievement. Another man is always making preparations for the future ; he dreams of what shall be. By and by when he has learned more, when he has 838 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR made more money, when he has won such and such a position, he will begin to live and reap the joys of his endeavors. But it generally happens that either he never arrives at the objective goal, or if he reaches it, he has, through long disuse, lost the trick of living, and starves amid the plenty which his own toil has produced. Now is the proper time to live ; it is the only time indeed, that we possess. Thoreau used to say that he never travelled, because he had never yet exhausted the novel sights of the spot where his hut stood on the shores of Walden Pond. It is an old saying, that the man who is not happy where he is, will not be happy anywhere. One might broaden the statement and say that the man who is not living now, the man who does not apprehend the abundant riches of the present moment, will never live, and that because he is not a man but a dreamer — that is, a dreary ghost dwelling in a world of shadows. We are always wondering at the imagination of the poet, which paints for us a world so much fuller of beauty and significance than the work- a-day environment which our eyes behold. In the poet's hands Nature in her humblest guise SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 239 is the mother of mysteries — "the meanest flower that blows can give thoughts that do often Ue too deep for tears." Perhaps we have sometimes regarded poets as dreamers ; rather, they are seers. Imaginative grasp is only a phase of insight. The poet, like the little child, opens his eyes and looks about him — and the world is full of wonder and beauty. If we, too, desire that, like the poet's, our lives should be beautiful, there are all the elements of beauty close at hand, — we have but to behold it and reflect it day by day, moment by moment. The trouble with most of us is that our heads are so full of schemes, our hearts are wandering so far afield, that we miss the real beauty in fol- lowing a will-o'-the-wisp which we hope to catch at some future day. As with the poet so with the hero. Out of what material did he fashion so grand and ma- jestic a life-work ? Out of the same material that is offered us — the only difference is, he used it. You cannot manufacture a moral fact out of memories and forecasts. The present movement is the one point of leverage offered to the free will of man by means of which to shape his moral destiny. To neglect or waste it, to esteem it lightly in view of opportunities 240 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR offered by the vista of coming years — is moral defeat. True wisdom is to revere it, to account it the most precious of possessions, — to direct it aright is victory, and of the essence of hero- ism. Fellow Classmates : Such a theme, as the " Present," naturally suggests to us the present age with all its vast opportunities, its scientific achievements, its high social ideals, its ever-ad- vancing civilization. These are problems that each man of us must work out for himself. The great question for us to-day is whether we are prepared to face them. If we have learned, in our little world of individual interests and inti- mate personal relations, the secret of living in the present, then, alone, are we ready for the greater world beyond ? Had we indulged in speculations on world- problems, it would at best have been but doc- trinaire treatment. But if we are not even now able to think out and reach conclusions con- cerning what a man must be and do to solve any problem whatsoever, it must be because we have not yet begun to live, and have thus been dreaming away our time under the spe- cious excuse of seeking an education. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 241 / Washington's Birthday Oration. Fellow-citizens, I congratulate you. Fellow towns-people, I rejoice with you. Fellow-stu- dents, you have my sympathy. Boys, how are you? It becomes my painful duty to-day to be as humorous as in me lies, and still to speak of George Washington. The incongruity must be apparent. George Washington presents few humorous sides in his character. Like , his briUiant, entertaining and delicate characteristics shine forth with such a dazzling lustre as to rather dim any minor quality. Besides being funny in the short time I am here, I want to do as much good as possible. I want to ediicate you in regard to George Washington. I have consulted several of my class who are taking a course of pedagogics, and they tell me that in all cases of extreme youth or concentrated ignorance the best method of education is by object-lessons. By object lessons, then, will I atffimpt to drill some knowledge of George Washington into your 242 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR heads. I propose to go through the epochs of Washington's life, illustrating them by such — I can't call them engravings — but by such chromos as I can obtain from my classmates. One hundred and fifty-seven years ago to- day, George Washington was ushered into the world, a chubby, red-faced boy. At that pe- riod who could have foretold the grand career before him. At the same age, George was just such another youth. Since then Wash- ington has become the father of his country — what may not become .'' Washington was a precocious youth. You have all at some time or other been children, though I rather have my doubts .about in this respect, and no doubt remember that little tree episode, how George in a moment of frenzy rushes forth and cruelly maltreats the poor old cherry tree, how his father discovers him, and George being caught in the act, makes a virtue of necessity and says bravely, " I did it with my little hatchet." Now, George has been highly praised for his forbearance in this matter. The father, too, has been lauded to the skies, and even the hatchet has come in for no small share %f the excitement; but I tell you plainly, all my sympathy is for the SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 243 poor old tree, cut off in the prime of its man- hood, its work still incomplete. Never again will it hurl from its limbs some too advent- urous boy. No more will it dispense doses of cholera morbus to the neighboring urchins. We have seen the expression, " Butchered to make a Roman holiday," and we might say of this tree, slaughtered to make a reputation for George Washington. Ah! 'tis sad to be cut down in the spring-time of youth, either by the blows of an axe or the keener pangs of love. Some of my class have been hit in the latter manner, and if they escape the former at the hands of some long-suffering friend, it will be a miracle. It must not be overlooked that in ' later years Washington seemed to deeply repent his uncalled-for cruelty to this tree. In fact, a very demon of remorse took possession of him, and he spent a large por- tion of his time wandering around the country estabUshing headquarters and planting trees. If there is a single old tree in Virginia that Washington did not plant, you will find upon inquiry that Thomas Jefferson did. The depth of my feeling on this matter is expressed by the following touching poem : 244 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR Little George, he took his hatchet, Drove it in a poor old tree ; Now did George or hatchet catch it ? No, alas ! it was the tree. Then here's to George, and here's to the axe. And here's to the father, that's three ; And now we know the inside facts. We'll drink to the victim, the tree. George Washington, in this first stage of his life, is well worth intense study. The boy was father to the man. His childhood was short. His youth served merely as a training- school for his future career. At twelve years of age left fatherless, at fifteen his school edu- cation finished, he ever showed the same rec- titude and virtue, which in later years made him>able to turn his back on the vain glitter of the throne, refuse a crown held out to him, and strive only for the prosperity and freedom of his country. Washington was a soldier. Who can think of him, encouraging his worn and weary army at Valley Forge, bravely crossing the Dela- ware in the face of fearful odds, or compelling the British to surrender at Yorktown, without a thrill of patriotic reverence. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 245 In looking at Washington as a statesman, we see the purest, if not the most dazzling ra- diations. This phase of his character is not confined to any one period, but stretches over his entire career. During his youth, a mem- ber of the councils of his state, later on taking a leading part in the great events marking the birth-throes of a nation, and at length unan- imously elected President of the republic cre- ated by his energy and patriotism, he ever shines with the same calm, clear and unfailing brilliancy. During George's life he had several misad- ventures in love, though history does not state that he was ever unfortunate enough to have the police force swoop down upon him as he was peacefully strolling in the neighborhood of Lover's Lane. could give the General points in this respect. It is even stated that George proposed to two different young ladies, and was in each case rejected. , we under- stand, was accepted by a young lady, but her father said, " Nay, nay, William, tarry thee in Jericho, and learn to ride a bicycle." Washington was a thorough business man ; he was able to grasp the huge problems of statecraft and at the same time take charge of 246 OR A TIONS, ESSA YS, ADDRESSES FOR the minor details of the domestic circle. has this same faculty. is a business man also. once sent the Lacrosse Association into convulsions by presenting them with a two-dollar bill. It is thought that he did this with the expectation of getting on the team. The Lacrosse Association has had that two- dollar bill framed, and are going to present it, as a valuable relic, to the museum. Washing- ton, being a thorough business man, was a hard worker. Rising early in the morning, he spent a long day in toil. also has this mania for work. during one of his slack moments thought it would be a good scheme to hire out as a telegraph messenger. So en- tering an office he inquired the pay. The manager informed him that the salary was four dollars a week and find yourself. re- marked that the wages were very acceptable, but that he was so thoroughly lost that he despaired of ever finding himself again. By looking at the programme you will see that the title of this oration is " G. Washington, His Views on Base Ball," etc., and you will probably wonder why I have not kept myself more closely to the subject. I give you the same reason that a well-known author gave on SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 247 his book on Iceland for writing a chapter on snakes. " There were no snakes, in Iceland." Base ball wasn't invented and George knew nothing about it. And now, in closing, let us say a few words of George Washington, the story of whose life affords not only food for our admiration, but acts as a guiding hand pointing out the way to high deeds and noble manhood. In his youth, treading his way through the trackless wilds of a wilderness ; a little later virtual leader of an army, fighting over the same ground, surrounded on all sides by a hidden and treacherous foe ; at fifty, peacefully tilling the soil and helping the councils of his state ; and then again the leader of an army, showing rare generalship and meeting every misfortune with fortitude and bravery; at length President of the Republic he had created, wielding his power with dignity and sagacity ; in his grave to-day, beloved by all, his birthday commemorated in every hamlet of this wide land, — where will you find his equal .? Unhappy that man whose future fame rests in cold marble. The pyramids of Egypt were built in memory of — whom ? Washington, on the other hand, lies buried in the hearts of his 248 ORATIONS, ESSAYS. ADDRkSSMS h'OK countrymen, his monument a great nation stretching from ocean to ocean. Presentation Oration. Ladies and Gentlemen ; Members of the Faculty — Classmates — Any Pas and Mas here present, and Fellow Sisters: Greeting: Well, 'tis certainly laughable to stand here and look your organization straight in the eye, I never saw such a mess. Every one looks scared. Don't look so down-hearted. I'll go easy with your checkered careers. Now, fellows, I have a real jolly Christmas- tree back here and no proctors to interfere, and there will be pop-corn and candy, and cheese and pretzels, and lots and lots of nice things for the dear little boys who have been good all these long four years. But remem- ber, I am no Santa Claus. I wouldn't bargain to fill 's stockings for a dollar a day, working by the week. I want it to be understood by all that I can- not help being here to-day. I tried once to get away from that crew down there, and it cost me a whole suit of clothes and a pair of SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 249 suspenders. Hence not being able to be any- where else, I am here, and I want to say just this: Remember, dear parents, any gifts I may bestow upon your sons have nothing to do with their characters or any events that have happened to them. I have merely put certain episodes into a hat, certain gifts and certain names ; I have drawn them out one at a time, and made a chow-chow of the whole business ; so don^t believe all you hear in this speech. Now, fellows — that we may be understood, I don't want any man to think I have been severe with his frailties or made stuff up about him for personal reasons. It is simply this: I have a duty to perform, and I am going through with it, even if some look six- shooters, and there are tears in the eyes of others. Somebody has to be scared, and somebody has to do it, and I am now at the bat. I dis- avow any personal malice, any personal feel- ing, and can but hope that all will be taken as it is meant — in simple jest and no earnest. May the spirit of fun rule all this afternoon, and may the good old class-love bind us to- gether in one irresolvable unit that cannot be 2SO OR A TIONS, ESSA YS, ADDRESSES FOR shaken by any passing word. First, last, and all the time, I would say to all : Don't believe it. It isn't so. If you want truth don't listen to me. (After preliminary remarks like those above, the orator calls the members of the class be- fore him, and presents to them various objects, such as a porous plaster, a remedy for sickness caused by hard study ; a bag of marbles as a device to keep one out of mischief, and a leather medal as a prize for hard study. Two examples of this form of presentation follow.) Ben, I wish I had a picture of the room you had in Freshman year. The only property in it was a chair, a desk and a picture of yourself. But you have changed, and the days of sweat- ers and borrowed clothes lie far behind you. Since that trip abroad what a change ! When he came back he burned his clothes and returned that pair of borrowed ducks. He certainly was changed. He had an accent, and wore gloves at all his meals. He said " Bah Jove, fellahs ! A trip across does show a fellah how to dwess, ye know." He talked of 'is Royal 'ighness and the styles at " Lunnon," and there was but one thing lacking to complete his out- fit. Here it is — always wear it. It looks well with a checked suit. {Presents a monocle^ SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 251 Then, there is Will who knows the light- ning's play. He will never make a photogra- pher, he is too positive, and positive people never make good negatives. In electricity a positive and a negative make a shock, and no one wants shocking pictures. He will be at the top of his profession, that is, at the top of the telegraph poles fixing wires. He ought to have an electric plant of his own, and we would like to set him up in business, but this is the best that can be done for him. Plant this seed in good soil, and in a few months you will have some electric plants of your own, at least plants that will produce more shocks to the acre than any electric plant on earth. {Presents an ear of corn.) Class Oration. Alraham Lincoln. It was a wise custom among the Roman people to erect statues of their heroes iji public places, that their youth, in contemplating these statues, might be inspired to emulate the noble examples thus placed before them. Indeed, how can we be better fitted for the stern and 252 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR important duties of life than by the study of those lives which have illumined the dark places of history, and by their struggles and sacrifices have lifted the race nearer to God? What lover of liberty does not feel his country nearer and dearer to him as he thinks of the noble sacrifice of Arnold von Winkelried, William of Orange, or any of those great lives whose de- votion to the cause of liberty laid the founda- tions of our own country ? Or what friend of the oppressed and down-trodden of the earth does not feel his heart throb with emotion at the contemplation of that other name, the only one which the muse of history has thought worthy to stand side by side with the name of Washington, that of the hero and the states- man, Abraham Lincoln. Look for a few moments at the inner life of this great man. He was born in the backwoods of Kentucky, amid the hardships and poverty of rough pioneers. His home was a simple hut, made of logs and limbs of trees ; no windows, no doors adorned it. There, in that hut, he passed the greater part of his youth. By day, working hard in the forest, felling trees and splitting rails ; at night, for hours after every one else was fast asleep, he would ponder over SCHOOL, COLLEGE ANJD SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 253 his few books by the Ught of the blazing logs, and then rest his weary body on bags of dry leaves. The making of a man, although often greatly influenced by his surroundings, depends upon the man himself. Look at Lincoln in his youth, and compare him with Lincoln in his later life. The common rail-splitter of the backwoods is transformed into the hero and the statesman. Is not this a wonderful transformation ? Did his education lead to it ? Could a few months' training in a common village school fit out a man for the mental struggles and labors through which he afterwards passed? No! there is evidence of untiring diligence and perseverance throughout the man's entire life. With his eyes always open, he learned the lessons which nature is ever teaching. With no one around to help him, he soon learned to rely on himself ; and that self-reliance was one of the greatest things which sustained him in the years of trial through which he afterwards passed. As a boy he was honest and faithful — not only honest in his dealings with others, but honest in his thoughts, his words and his deeds. Faithful in every duty, even though it were of the least importance. 254 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR These traits soon won for him the familiar name of " Honest Abe " ; and, as he passed from boyhood into manhood, they gradually de- veloped until, in his later life, he stood forth a model of character for his countrymen, and oc- cupied the highest place, not only in the gift, but in the affections of his people. Abraham Lincoln was a good man. Through- out his entire life his one aim was to bring his acts into harmony with the principles of religion. He was a tender-hearted and forgiving man; no one ever received an unkind word from him. Even the rebels, many of whom were continually plotting against his life, received no words of anger and reproach from him. But as he said to his people, " We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have "strained, it must not break our bonds of affection." In the legislature he devoted his labors to the interests of the common people. In fact, one of the most striking features of his whole nature was his sympathy with the people. It was here that he first voiced his Sentiments against the fast-growing evil of slavery. But the people could not see its dangers as he saw them. It had settled itself in the South, and SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 255 had taken a firm root in her fertile soil. Gradual- ly it encroached upon the rights of the North, until it threatened to spread over all the land. 'Twas, then that the people of the North opened their eyes. They saw that its power must be checked ; they said, " So far, and no farther." The struggle, once begun, was carried on with increased fury. With such a question con- fronting them, every one saw that civil war could not be averted. Yet both parties were wiUing to sacrifice their lives for their cause. Such was the condition of affairs when Abraham Lincoln was called from his peaceful home in Illinois to assume the role of chieftain of his country. Around him the people of the North gathered as their leader, and in but six weeks after his ina:uguration the country was plunged into civil war. Lincoln set about to defend his cause, and called for volunteers. In response to his call, thousands willingly rushed forward to protect their country. All business was set aside ; the sturdy laborer ceased his toil ; " the sunburnt, farmer stayed his plow in the unfinished furrow." No thirst for gold, no desire for fame, gathered these rough, untrained heroes to one common spot. They came to fight for the Republic, for the Union, and for human freedom. 256 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR What was the conduct of Mr. Lincoln throughout the war ? That of a hero — a true, just, conscientious hero. His one object was to save the Union. He said, " I will save the Union, if I can, with slavery. If not, slavery must perish, for the Union must be preserved." But in a short time he saw that, to accomplish his purpose, slavery must be destroyed ; and, true to his word, he set about to destroy it. What are the results of his efforts 1 Look at the Emancipation Proclamation, that writing which will stand forever in history as one of the proudest monuments of true American patriot- ism. Tearing the shackles from the limbs of the abused negro, it bade him arise, free from bondage. This step found many strong opposers, but through all his trials he maintained that same sweet disposition ; no bitter feelings, no desire for vengeance, arose in his bosom. Through these four long years of dark and dreary strife he sat faithfully at the helm of government, and steered the old ship, of state through narrows and straits. Now, far in the distance, on the calm surface of the sea of the future, he saw brighter and more prosperous times awaiting him and his peoplq. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 257 What a glorious day to the North when the news spread that the rebellion was at an end. The people were overwhelmed with joy. Now, after that long and bloody war, their peace was assured and the old Union still remained firm. The dark cloud that had hovered so long a time over the American land had poured forth its fury, and was now disappearing from sight. " Slavery was fast dying ; its life-blood was ebbing out of a thousand mortal wounds." But as the serpent, that has been trodden on and mortally wounded in the highway, rises to strike a last desperate blow at its enemy, slavery, with all its hatred, in the very throes of death, rises to strike a final blow at liberty. In the midst of the great rejoicing came the news that the President had been assassinated. The people were stunned. " The nation stood still." The intense feelings of joy were changed to those of the deepest sorrow. Even the greater part of the people of the South wept, for the assassin, by his cruel blow, had slain the only sincere friend they had among their conquerors. His feelings toward the South were kind and sympathetic ; he bore its people no malice, for the South was part of his country, and no one 2S8 OkATlONS, MSSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR ever loved his country more loyally than Abra- ham Lincoln loved his. Who can imagine his trials and labors from the November of. i860 until the end of the war. Day after day he struggled onward, ever having at heart the welfare of a country which was dearer to him than his life. No heart bore more sorrow, no mind was oppressed with more anxiety than his. He had guided his people safely through the toils of civil war ; he had freed the poor negro from bondage, and now death came to him in the hour of his triumph and his glory. But although he himself has passed away, his works on earth shall never perish. No ! as long as earthly works shall be remembered, when all other deeds shall be forgotten, the deeds of Abraham Lincoln will be conspicuous on the pages of history, and enshrined in the hearts of his countrymen. " And let us not only hope that his name and renown will serve as a bond of union to the country which he loved with an affection so partial, and which he served with such entire devotion " ; but may the contempla- tion of his character by the youth of our age lead them to nobler, loftier, and more patriotic aspirations. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND iPSClAL OCCASIONS. 259 Class Mottoes. 1. Absit invidia — Let there be no ill feeling. 2. Haec olim meminisse juvabit — It will delight us hereafter to remember these things. 3. Acti labor es jucundi — Finished labors are pleasant. 4. Ich kann — I can. 5. A corps perdu — With might and main. 6. Age quod agis — Finish what you attempt. 7. By our efforts we hope to rise. 8. Seek wisdoih. 9. Climb though the rocks be rugged. 10. Ad major em del gloriam, — To the greater glory of God. 1 1 . Prepared for better things. 12. Non palma sine labor e — No victory without labor. 13. Take no footsteps backward. 14. More beyond. 15. Winds and waves favor the ablest navigators. 16. Da mihi scire quod sciendum est — Give me to know what ought to be known. 17. Thus ends our first lesson. 1 8. Finis coronat opus — The end crowns the work 19. Fortune aids the good. 20. Life without letters is dead. 26o ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES. 2 1 . Festina lente — Make haste slowly. 22. Nobilitas sola virtus — Nobility is the only virtue. 23. In tenui labor — There is work in small things. 24. Jussis mentis educatae parendum est — When the mind urges it is ready for training. 25. Live not to thyself alone. 26. Omnia autem probate — But prove all things. 27. Non incautus futuri — Not heedless of the future. 28. Virtus sola cassis — Virtue is the only shield. 29. Hammer it out. 30. Non scholae, sed vitae — Not for school but for life. 3 1 . The gods sell all things to those that labor. 32. Animis opibusque parati — Prepared in mind and resources. 33. Astra castra, Numen lumen — The stars my camp, the Deity my light. 34. Audaces fortuna juvat — Fortune favors the brave. 35. Esse quam videri — To be rather than to seem._ 36. Fama semper vivat — May its fame endure for- ever. 37. Gradatim — Step by step. 38. In medias res — Into the midst of things. 39- Non nobis solum — Not only for ourselves. 40. Conquering and still to conquer. 41. Vestigia nulla retrorsum — No steps backward THE COMPOSITION AND ESSAY. Introductory Suggestions. In this section of our book are given direc- tions and helps in composition and essay writ- ing, together with some helpful models for the use of students in higher grades of school and college, and a list of subjects. It must be remembered in the first place that the sentence expresses a thought, that several thoughts put together in a natural order of reasoning form the paragraph, and that an essay is merely a number of para- graphs properly arranged and connected. First the sentence, then the paragraph, after that the full discourse in the paragraphs. The difificulty of composition and essay work lies not so much in the inabihty to express thoughts in suitable language as in the lack of thought. Two important questions must be asked and answered in writing an essay or composition. 261 262 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR First — What am I to say ? Second — How can I best say it ? Difficulties vanish away into thin air when the source of knowledge overflows. Therefore with all thy getting get thoughts. Now, no one, not even a genius, could write anything worthy of reading upon a subject in which he had no vital interest. " Thoughts that breathe and words that burn" must have the inspiring touch of interest. The first step towards securing desired in- formation is to arouse interest. There are several methods of acquiring this preparatory interest. We may take an interesting walk, we may read an interesting book, we may converse with an interesting person. For the first, the eye may be quickened to curious in- quiry ; a strangely shaped or brightly colored insect may cross our path and start into play an investigation of a portion of the insect world. This may be the beginning of as in- teresting essays as delight us in the pages of a Burroughs or a Lubbock. For the second, animated description such as that of Irving when he depicts the face of old Baltus Van Tassel, " round and jolly as the harvest moon," may incite to a historical study of colonial times. For the third, making free with the SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 263 language and thought of Sir Richard Steele, to enjoy the opportunities of listening to brill- iant conversation is in itself a liberal educa- tion. And there is no limit to the sugges- tions, literary, historical, scientific and political, which may be aroused by the words of bright and intelligent persons. It is a good practice to make notes as one reads or reflects or thinks of a good idea upon some subject, and also to make the matter a subject of discussion with others ; to ask one's self questions and answer them, or go to others or to books for the answers if we ourselves cannot answer them. The reading of news- papers and magazines upon the current mat- ters of interest of the day, locally and gener- ally, and ever vying with " the chiel amang ye takin' notes," are thoroughly good preparatory steps to the gaining of information. Students frequently are discouraged at the prospect of writing interestingly when they have not had the opportunities of much travel from their homes, but let them remember that the exercise of close and accurate observation is the first step towards success as a writer. It does not require that one should travel in a strange land and scour the earth for novelties 264 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR in order to write entertainingly. The delight- ful charm of writers and essayists like Addi- son, Hawthorne and Irving lies in the keen- ness of eyesight and the splendid power to paint in simple and graceful words the chang- ing scenes of every-day life. Charles Dickens, whose eyes never seemed to miss anything, possessed an observing power nine times greater than that of the average man. The following advice is well worth quoting : " It is not given to every one to transmute, by magic touches, the dust of the highway into gold and gems. I would place next in order to a close and acute observation, as an essential aid in the formation of a good style the practice of descriptive writing. To any one who would improve in the art of English composition, I would say, describe as faithfully as you can some scene or incident of which you are a part. Seat yourself on a summer day un- der a native pine, or some height commanding a varied landscape ; and with pencil and note- book in hand try to reproduce in words the picture which nature spreads before you. Be- gin by describing the pine which shelters you. You look up into its dark, dense mass of green with a new scrutiny. You are to sketch its por- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 265 trait. In its stern, grim aspect it seems to say to you as Cromwell said to Sir Peter Lely, ' Paint me as I am.' Your eye fastens upon it with a strange sense of wonder. You measure with your glance the height of the giant trunk ; you trace the dark, rough outlines of the huge outspreading branches ; and as you seek for the secret of its unlikeness to all other growths of the forest, you discover as if for the first time that it is a leafless tree, thick set at every point, with bristling needles of polished green, tipped perhaps with dewdrops or raindrops like dia- mond points, and throwing back the sunbeams as from an emerald wall. This 'tree, if you study it, is a revelation, and perhaps when you have written down its true description, and from it, as a central point, have traced all the familiar but ever-varying objects which make up the landscape, a new power will be revealed to yourself of using, in the description of natural objects, the words you have often striven in vain to combine for the expression of thought and feeling." In narrative and descriptive writing the lan- guage should be simple as though the writer were talking. The writer should not dwell with equal detail upon all features of the des- 266 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR cription. Incident and action may be intro- duced to enliven the work. When the subject is chosen and the informa- tion from all sources is at hand, and note-book and all things are ready, a written outline may be prepared, giving briefly the important thoughts and the order in which they should be taken up. Nearly all outlines can be brought under three convenient divisions: i. Introduc- tion. 2. Discussion. 3. Conclusion. We should be as natural as possible, in the arrangement of our thoughts upon a topic or a theme. If we were called upon to decide any line of action or'to secure our own way in doing things, we would think of all possible objections and answer them in our minds. An outline is simply writing down our thoughts as the lawyer prepares his brief or the clergyman his sermon. When our interest has been aroused and in- formation gained, then a convenient and natural arrangement of material, amplificated and put in the simplest language that can be used to ex- press clearly and exactly the meaning we desire, will give us a more or less successful composi- tion or essay. Let us take the theme — A Visit to Wash- ington. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 267 Model Outline of Composition. Introduction: (i) Where. (2) When. (3) With whom. Discussion : What we Did each Day. (i) A Visit to Congress. Incident — The Speech of Senator Mason on Cuba. (2) A Bicycle Ride. Incident — An Accident to Two Members of the Party. (3) Arlington. Incident — The Drill of a Crack Cavalry Regiment. Conclusion : The Pleasure and Profit of the Trip. The essay is a more elaborate form of com- position. It does not pretend to be complete, but in a simple manner designs to give the writer's thoughts upon a given theme in an in- telligent form. In narrative and descriptive writing the acquirement of information depends on the use of the five senses, but in essay writ- ing the reasoning faculty is brought more into play. Treatises, editorials, reviews, and criti- cisms are different kinds of essays. 268 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR Let US take for the theme of our brief model essay — Amusements. Collecting our material we may make the following outline : Theme: Amusements. Model Outline of Essay. (i) Introduction: Amusements should not be considered the great object of life. (2) Discussion: 1. What amusements are for: (a) Relaxation. (<5) Diversion. (c) Recreation. 2. How are they best enjoyed ? {a) By previous labor. Illustrations. (B) In a rational manner. Examples. (3) Conclusion: There must be proper ex- ercise of mind and body in preparation for the right use and true estimation of amusement in our lives. Upon such an outline the following brief essay may be written : It is generally taken for granted, by most young people, that diversion is the principal ob- ject of life ; and this opinion is often carried to SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 269 such an excess, that pleasure seems to be the great ruUng principle which directs all their thoughts, words and actions, and which makes all the serious duties of life heavy and disgust- ing. This opinion, however, is no less absurd than unhappy, as may be shown by taking the other side of the question, and proving that there is no pleasure and enjoyment of life with- out labor. The words commonly used to signify diver- sion are these three, namely, relaxation, amuse- ment and recreation ; and the precise mean- ing of these words may lead us to very useful instruction. The idea of relaxation is taken from a bow, which must be unbent when it is not wanted for use, that its elasticity may be preserved. Amusement literally means an oc- casional forsaking of the Muses, or the laying aside our books when we are weary with study ; and recreation is the refreshing or recreating of our spirits when they are exhausted with labor, that they may be ready, in due time, to resume it again. From these considerations it follows that the idle man who has no work can have no play ; for, how can he be relaxed who is never bent ? How can he leave the Muses who is never with 270 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR them ? How can play refresh him who is never exhausted with business ? When diversion becomes the business of life, its nature is. changed; all rest presupposes la- bor. He that has no variety can have no enjoy- ment ; he is surfeited with pleasure, and in the better hours of reflection would find a refuge in labor itself. And, indeed, it may be observed, that there is not a more miserable, as well as a more worthless being, than a young person of fortune, who has nothing to do but find out some new way of doing nothing. A sentence is passed upon all poor men, that if they will not work, they shall not eat ; and a similar sentence seems passed upon the rich, who, if they are not in some respect useful to the public, are almost sure to become burden- some to themselves. This blessing goes along with every useful employment ; it keeps a man on good terms with himself, and consequently in good spirits, and in a capacity of pleasing and being pleased with every innocent gratifi- cation. As labor is necessary to procure an appetite to the body, there must also be some previous exercise of the mind to prepare it for enjoyment; indulgence on any other terms is false in itself, SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 271 and ruinous in its consequences. Mirth de- generates into senseless riot, and gratification soon terminates in satiety and disgust. Compositions. Autumn. These brilliant October days, when there is one glory of luminous blue in the heavens and many splendors of bronze, crimson and purple in the autumnal foliage, are radiant indeed; but there is something lacking in the rich mists of sunlight and the balmy air. The temper- ature is not markedly different from that of springtime, and if anything it is more equable. There is the same soil in garden and field, but nothing will grow in it even with the requisite conditions of heat and moisture. The chem- ical elements are there, but power is lacking for their assimilation, so that the subtle pro- cesses of growth cannot be promoted. The late-flowering chrysanthemums blossom by vir- tue of the accumulated store of sunshine and vitaHty hoarded during the long summer days, but their burned and rusty foliage attests the suspension of the laws of growth. The oaks 272 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR in the woodlands obstinately resist the change of season, and display the verdant leaves of early spring until the sharp frosts of Novem- ber strike them ; but even these hardy veter- ans show signs of exhaustion. There may be highly enriched garden soil with every ele- ment needed for the perfection of vegetation, and there may be dew and rain, sunlight and heat, but there will not be growth. Something is wanting, some chemical properties of sun- light, or some other condition of Nature's re- fined alchemy ; and that mysterious something marks the difference between October and May. Nature seems to exhaust herself every year in working her miracles of creative power. In the early spring the breath of life sweeps over the world, and every inorganic element seems to be vitalized with energy. Every sunbeam is a touch of life ; every seed and rootlet feels the thrill of vital energy ; the very atoms of soil seem to be in motion as the processes of growth are begun and continued. The work of orderly combination in the laboratory of earth and air goes on without pause until there is a completed and consistent creation. Toward the end Nature seems to labor feebly and pain- SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS, 273 fully, as a painter who has begun his work with ardor and strength of purpose lingers with abated force over the finishing touches of dots of light and lines of shade. Then the creative impulse seems to lapse altogether. The sunlight loses its chemical properties; atoms are no longer dissolved and assimilated ; gases required for the breath of tree and shrub are not released ; and the rnysterious law of life and growth is arrested. October marks this temporary collapse of creative power. There has been perfect order and proportion in the work, but it has been finished. Nature has her lessons for those who will read and heed them. She is no novice ; her hand never loses its skill; she never forgets the secrets of her combinations ; but there are times when the power passes out of her def<- fingers. Exhaustion follows ceaseless activity and her force is spent. If Nature must needs lie fallow for a season before the creative im- pulse can return and the old miracles, of life and growth can be wrought anew, so must there be periods of inactivity and rest in man's creative work. The great works of architecture, painting, music and literjiture, which bear testimony to i74 OkATtOffS, ESSAYS, AbDkESSES FOR the creative genius of the race, are not prod- ucts of continuous and exhausting activity. An artist can turn out pot-boilers all the year round and year after year, but when he puts all that there is in him into his canvas, he ex- hausts his force, and, like Nature, ought to lie fallow until the power returns. The modern novelist, who makes a lucrative trade of book- writing, may produce two or three volumes a year, but he is degrading his art, paralyzing his powers and cheapening his work. Com- plete and consistent creation involves the fol- lowing effects of rest and quietude. Then the brain teems again with images, and the work is instinct with creative energy. What Makes the Sky Blue? Did you ever stop to think or ask what causes the color in the sky ? It is dust, the every-day dust that annoys the good house- keeper. So you see how the most despised things contribute toward making the world beautiful. Without dust there would be no blue firmament. The heaven would be blacker than we see it on moonless nights. On this black background the glowing sun would shine ^CaOOLy COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCAStOM. 275 out sharply. The same sharp contrast of in- tense light and deep shadow would character- ize the surface of the earth, and the moon and the stars would remain visible by day. To the presence of dust in the air is due our soft, uniformly diffused daylight, for which our eyes are specially adapted. Each infinitesimal particle of dust catches up a particle of sun- light and breaks it up, scattering it into every nook and corner of our houses. The moon has no atmosphere, and no dust in suspension, the result being that on that satellite there is no diffused light, but only intense sunlight and intense darkness. But why is it that while sunlight is white the sky is blue, and less often yellow and red I It all depends on the size of the dust particles. It is only the very finest particles that ascend to the upper regions. The coarser ones float near the earth. The finer particles reflect the blue rays, but allow the longer-waved yellow and red rays to pass. It is only the coarser particles that interrupt the yellow and red waves. So, on the mountains, where the air is too rare to support the coarse particles, the sky is intensely blue, while the lower and heavier strata, which sustains the coarse par- 276 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR tides, range through all the colors to a deep red. Investigations at Paris have shown that in a cubic centimeter of air, which would be, say, half a thimbleful, there are a quarter of a mill- ion dust particles. The air at the level of the top of the Eiffel tower contains about half as many, while in the high Alps there are no more than 200 particles to the cubic centime- ter. The Beauties of Nature. " Talk not of temples — there is one Built without hands, to mankind given ; Its lamps are the meridian sun, And all the stars of heaven. Its walks are the cerulean sky, Its floor the earth so green and fair, The dome is vast immensity — All nature worships there ! " Poets have well described and artists have vividly painted the beautiful scenery of this world, but if we would enjoy life fully, we must seek out these grandeurs for ourselves. A per- son, having a mind susceptible to the beautiful, cannot look up into the summer sky, gaze upon the mountain tops, linger by the gentle rill, or SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 277 lose himself among the woodland flowers, with- out acknowledging that creation is full of beauty. If our minds are shrouded in sadness, and we become the victims of gloomy thoughts, all out- ward objects lose their beauty ; the rose sends forth her fragrance in vain, the nodding daisies are passed by unnoticed, and the good-morning songs of the birds are unheard. But who "can fail to appreciate the beauties in nature's temple? The ornaments of nature, the sunshine and shadows, the fruits and flowers, the forests and seas, the lakes and sparkling brooks, are the gifts of a merciful Giver, and are calling upon us to learn their lessons, and to linger beneath their bowers until our spirits shall break forth in adoration and praise to their great Author. We, who have spent our vacation in the country or by the shore, and have seen the sun rise over the mountains, or "out of the sea," can appreciate the glories of the sunrise. As the grand inspirer of life lifts his head above the eastern horizon, the clouds are tinged with gor- geous colors. Troops of merry sunbeams go dancing o'er the earth, carrying joy and glad- ness to many a sorrowful heart and darkened home. Even the birds feel the charm of the rising sun, and fill the fresh morning air with 278 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR songs of thanksgiving and praise. The flowers open, and send forth their sweetest fragrance, and all nature puts on a lovely gown. Soon this great source of heat and light mounts higher and higher ; the heat becomes more and more intense, until, at noon, all nature confesses the power of that great, fiery globe. Onward and ever on rolls the earth, less and less is the heat from the sun, and soon we see his glorious face sinking below the western hills, bidding us a cheerful good-night. Our old friend does not leave us suddenly, for, even after he is lost to view, his glory is reflected back to us, and we enjoy the calm and peaceful twilight. Tired nature, exhausted by the heat and work of the day, reposes on dewy beds of slumber. Birds fly home to their nests. The curtains of night are drawn, and the world is at rest. Scarcely has nature put on her shadowy robe, when, turning our eyes to the east, we behold the smiHng moon as it emerges from behind the mountains. How calm and beautiful is the scene of a moonlight night. It brings to our remembrance touching scenes of the past, ele- vates our thoughts above earthly things, and carries us back to the time when that same moon shone upon the first lovers in the verdant SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 279 garden of Eden, and its glory shall be the same until time shall be no more. Let us look up- ward again and gaze upon the " floor of heaven, thick inlaid with patines of bright gold." How strange to think that these stars are centers of other systems of worlds as the sun is the center of the solar system, and that our dark earth is as a glittering star to the other planets ! When we look upon nature's lamps, we are filled with wonder, and rapid questions crowd upon us. Are these planets inhabited ? Are they worlds like our own ? Are they simply floating about in space, destined for no especial use ? These questions can never be fully answered, but it does seem probable that the planets are inhab- ited, for we know that utility characterizes all of God's works. That same divine hand that prepared our earth for us could just as easily prepare other races for other planets. One by one the lights of heaven are extinguished. We are now at the threshold of another day, and light, that wonderful element, is again revealed to us. It is light that beautifies our earth ; it is light that gives us the beautiful colors of the rainbow, and paints the evening clouds. ^ This strange element may not appear attractive to us in its compound state, but as soon as a ray 28o ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR of light passes through the spectrum, and is separated into its prismatic colors, we cannot but wonder at the infinite wisdom of its great Giver, who, when He called forth the light, not only brought the world out of darkness, but painted the flowers, trees and grasses in their various colors. Winter Leaves. The leaves are dead, you say ? All summer they danced in the sunshine, and we rested 'neath their grateful shade, at autumn they blushed in the breezes, and veiled every tree-top in crimson and gold ; but now, oh, now, they are dead and buried under the snow. We saw their bright tints fade when winter winds began to blow, we watched them as they fluttered away from the home bough, one by one, and we know the shroud kind winter has woven, flake by flake, to cover their bleakness and desolation. The trees are shorn of all their glory, and the leaves, alas, are dead ! Winter reigns, and the world is white, dreary, desolate. Under the snow lie dead leaves, dead hopes, dead lives. And will there be no new leaves, no new hopes, no new life } SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 281 On each of the bare, slender twigs, count- less numbers of them stretching imploringly toward the sky, there are myriads of little buds, tiny knots, scarce visible, where last year's leaves had been. The leaf fluttered away long ago, and took with it no sign or seal by which to claim its former place, but it has left a mark of hope and promise on the parent tree, just as the dead dreams of last year's hope leave upon our lives the signs of joy to come. And in these tiny buds, so small and scarcely seen, lie the germs of life for next year's leav^. Through all the dreariness of winter the tiny life lies still. Cold winds may blow, and chilling flakes may fall, but hid safe under its scaly covering the hope lies warm and snug. No storm disturbs its sweet repose; it is only waiting for the soft breeze and golden sunshine of the April-time to push forth into life and beautify anew the grand old tree. So in our hearts lie seeds of promise, hopes of better thifigs to come ; so we grope blindly toward the light and long for the winter of sorrow to pass and the summer of gladness to come, when our lives shall burst forth into new beauty, new hope, new joy. 282 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR At last it comes. Slowly the snows melt, the sunshine becomes softer. Can this be the eventful moment .? The thrill of hope awakes the dormant life within the bud, the scaly fet- ters fall away, and the new leaf presses for- ward. Forgotten now is the long dark dream of winter, the fears, and dread of final failure, the long, weary watching for the morning, and in the glow of perfect sunshine that greets the new, frail leaf is remembered only joy. So let us, " forgetting the things which are behind, press forward," forgetting the care and trials of the winter of sorrow, press on into the hope and promise of a new spring and a new life. Soon our lives, like the grand old trees, shall receive " the oil of joy for mourning, the gar- ment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." So each year the transformation goes on. The trees put forth leaves and are beautiful, the leaves must die but the buds remain, and will in time bring forth new beauty. So joy will always follow sadness. So let us find in the bud-life a type of the higher life, and in the new leaf a symbol of life eternal. SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 283 Essays. Beatrice. Before all this " much ado about nothing " there was doubtless many a night when a sigh- ing swain carried from the halls of Leonato his hopeless heart and wounded vanity. And who of the happy family' group within would ever think twice of his woes ? Not " gentle Hero," " too brown for a fair praise, too little for a great praise," and as yet too unsophisticated to look beyond her father's face. Nor "white- bearded " Leonato, who shielded with tenderest care his only child, and observed with an amused admiration the caprices of his lively niece Most surely not the saucy Beatrice herself, en- dowed with a heart that " keeps on the windy side of care," and a sharp little tongue ; doubt- less only too delighted to relate the discomfi- tures of the departed youth. Between Beatrice and Hero existed the closest relations of con- fidence and affection, as between an older and a younger sister ; Hero, however, hardly under- standing the mocking laugh and ready retorts with which Beatrice ever greeted her suitors. 284 ORATIONS, ESSAYS, ADDRESSES FOR To Leonato, Beatrice seemed like another daughter, and of her he said: "She is never sad but when she sleeps " ; hardly realizing him- self how often he found cheer from the cares of state in her quick repartee and lively sallies. At the first glimpse of Beatrice, we are at- tracted by her unduUed girlishness. She has such high fun in twisting the words of others with tantalizing contrariness; in seeing and relentlessly exposing the ridiculous in those around her. Thoughtlessly unsympathetic fun it may have been, but all the more girlish for that. She pierces with unfailing effect the petty pride and favorite weaknesses of her ad mirers, with quick sarcastic speeches whose sharpness she is far from realizing. She loves to declare her ideals, especially that of her Prince Charming (what girl does not ?). And he is not the absolutely perfect, perfectly im- possible man of a very young girl's imagination, but a sound, healthy ideal : "Half signior Bene- dick's tongue in count John's mouth, and half count John's melancholy in signior Benedick's face," says her uncle, and she adds : " With a good leg, and a good foot, uncle, and money enough in his purse, such a man would win any woman in the world, — if he SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 285 could get her good-will." This is not altogether a worldly ideal, as might appear, if we catch the significance of the last clause. Beatrice is free from the cares of the serious and unconcerned with their judgments. Still young and girlish in thought and speech, she is as gay as a dainty butterfly, and as evasive. This is Beatrice as the play opens. And must we believe that Cupid's skill in arms is lost.? Miss Beatrice may herself support the charge. In the first scene the praises of the valiant Claudio fail to interest her, and she turns her attention very composedly to the clever and antagonistic Benedick. Under cover of a light raillery of the old bachelor's fondness for material good things and of his confirmed fickleness, she plies the messenger with quiet questions, learning much of Benedick's brave conduct in the war and of his noble friends ; perhaps trying to discover if his heart has yet been conquered. When Benedick himself ap- pears, she immediately picks a quarrel with him on no grounds at all, covering all possible feel- ing under a suspiciously bold assertion that her heart is still untouched, and playing her wit so neatly that he is obliged to give way in an un- mistakable retreat. When she overhears that 286 Orations, mssays, addp asses fion Benedick lo