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ATFIHOT
DELIVERED BEFORE THE
SOCIETY OF THE AH
fc _ of the
■OTa^MBSnSTO MkbEASEfo
at its
FIRST ANNIVERSARY,
December 17, 1836.
BY ALEX'R B. MEEK, ESQ.
A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY.
tuscaloosa:
PRINTED BY MARMADUKE J. SLADE.
mDcccxxxvii,
CORRESPONDENCE.
University of Alabama, )
December 17, 1836. $
A. B. Meek, Esq.
Dear Sir—The undersigned have been appointed a Committee, by the
Society of the Alumni, of the University of Alabama, to express, to you,
the pleasure with which they listened to your eloquent address, delivered,
by appointment, this day; and to request a copy of the same for publica¬
tion.
With the highest consideration,
Your friends and obedient servants,
JOHN G. DAVENPORT,
JAMES G. SHEPPARD,
CLEMENT C. CLAY, Jr.
Tuscaloosa, December 19, 1836.
Gentlemen:
The address to which you refer, was written for your Society, and is
accordingly placed at its disposal. Having been very hastily written,
amidst the pressure of other duties, and possessing, as I am fully aware,
many imperfections, I should be induced to withhold it from publication,
did not the polite notice of your fellow members, as well as my sincere
desire to contribute my mite, to the promotion of the exalted purpose for
which the Society of the Alumni of the University of Alabama, was in¬
stituted, constrain me to yield to your request.
Be pleased, gentlemen, to tender to your fellow members, assurances
of my highest regard, and accept the same for yourselves.
Yours, respectfully,
ALEXANDER B. MEEK.
Messrs. J. G. Davenport, f
J. G. Sheppard, > Committee.
C. C. Clay, Jr. )
ORATION.
Respected AUDIENCE1:
We have assembled to celebrate the first Anniversary of the So¬
ciety of th& Jilumni of the University of Jllahamti; and it ha^ fallen to the
lot of the hdmble individual who addresses you, through the generous,
hut I fear, misplaced, kindness of his fellow-members, to sustain a pro¬
minent part upon the occasion* In proceeding to the discharge of this
duty—a duty, as Responsible as it is honorable—I shall premise, that the
remarks which I may make, will, ft-om a concurrence q£ circumstances,
be but crude and heterogeneous. It is some time since the voice you
noW listen to, was attuned to the dulce strains of literature; and, if, in
the glowing Carmen Seculare, which has this day, been so eloquently
raised to Science and Virtue, it should not sound melodiously upon your
ears, I trust it wilj be pardoned by an auditory, at once as generous as
it is intelligent.
Fellow Jilumni:—The occasion which has called us together, is one
of momentous and thrilling interest. Regarded, alone as a literary fes¬
tival"—as a gathering together of those who delight to drink the pure wa>*
ters of the streams of Helicon—or as a mere assemblage of individuals,
to witness the annual recurrence of the literary Olympia, of those, who*
have this day, like EuphorioC and Euripides, of old, contested manfully
for the olive crown, which now adotns their brows—it would lose much of
its interest, and of the pleasing importance which properly belongs to it.
Rut the present occasion, whilst'it embraces all those interesting topics,
has yet other association?, which vender it. still more pleasing and impor¬
tant.
Who can stand here, upon this swelling forum, consecrated to Science
and Eloquence, and look round upon these elegant Temples of Learning,
erected upon a spreading plain, where, until recently, the sandalled In¬
dian trod, and not feel his bosom, while it throbs, with pleasing reminis¬
cences of the past, swell with emotions, akin to prophecy? What, then,
must be the sensations of your speaker, when he recollects the almost
pathless forest, that, scarcely three lustra ago, spread its broad arms over
the very spot where we are now assembled? rapid, indeed, has been
the progress of improvement, that memory can scarcely believe her own
testimony. Yesterday, here stood the dark-browe<T Tuscaloosa, With
his tawny warriors—to-day, here are collected the learned and the wise,
the good and the beautiful, of our State, td celebrate the triumphs of
mind! But a few years ago, no human sound^ save the echo of some
6
savage orgy, broke the stillness of this spot—now, the voice ot Science
and of Literature is heard, in the arching dome; and the Alumni of a
flourishing University, are seen to collect around her hallowed shrine, to
join in the celebration of a joyous Commencement, and to revive the re¬
miniscences of their collegiate career! These events,while they fill us with
wonder at their rapid progression, produce corresponding anticipations
of future advancement and splendor.
But, it is unnecessary to anticipate that portion of our subject.—
There are other associations, which, though of a minor character, are
more immediately gratifying and appropriate. They are the Recollections
of College fife! How vividly they rise before us on this occasion!—
Casting the eye of remembrance back,over the interval which has elapsed,
since we were Students of this University, how many scenes and inci-
d<Mits, long forgotten, throng before the mental vision, like the pictures of
a panarama! We revert back to the period, when the doors of this In¬
stitution were first thrown open, for the admission of students. We be¬
hold the young and buoyant forms, which rushed, like the Grecian Pa¬
lestrae, into its intellectual arena. We remember each one's own parti¬
cular countenance, then] and recall, with gratification, the many scenes
in which we mingled. Now we recollect, with pride, the causes of our
early ambition and emulation, and the rewards of our success; and now
serener manhood makes us blush, at some of the wild and fastastie deeds
vof midnight frolic! Distinctly we behold each once-familiar spot; and
vividly we recall the Classic Recitation-room, the silent Study, the peal¬
ing Prayer-bell, the fervent Orison, the joyous bounding, on yonder
plain, and the many grateful and mellow Nodes Ambrosia-nee, that we en¬
joyed together. All these now rise, upon " the tablet of memory," like
the treasured reminiscences of some Eden dream!
But, amidst these joyous and gratifying recollections, a holier, but sad¬
der remembrance glides across my mind. Among the number of t^e
gay and light-hearted associates of my earlier college days, I behold the
manly form of one, the manliest of them all ! *But recently arrived at
the University, his finely moulded person, his noble countenance, his
frank and chivalrous deportment—all conspire to make him a favorite.—
By his assiduous attention to his studies, his gentlemanly manners, and
his.high sense of honor, he wins the respect and applause of his Tutors.
Intellect-—the God-like gift of intellect!—is his; and he has adorned a
mind, naturally vigorous, with the glowing graces of Literature and
Science. Under such circumstances, ail his prospects are bright.—
Rosy Hope waives her wizzard wand before his eyes, and points to " the
steep, where Fame's proud temple shines afar!" But suddenly, amidst
our gladsome number, an unwelcome visitant appears. Haughtily and
fearlessly he strides him into our ranks. That visitant is Death! and
as if anxious tp verify the adage, "Death loves a shining mark," he seiz¬
es the best and most promising of our number. Hard did the young
Student struggle, in his icy embraces. And, though he was far" awav
from his home, and his relatives—from his mother's soothing hand, his
sister's tender kiss—yet anxious friends, and fond associates crowded
aroupd his painful couch, to alleviate his sufferings, and to rescue, if
7
possible, his manly form from the relentless monarch. And even wo-
won—lovely woman, £< the ministering angel when pain and anguish
wring the brow"—urged by the characteristic sensibilities of her sex,—
blest, by .her gentle attentions, his sinking moments, held the cup of
comfort to his fevered lips, and cooled his burning brow! But all could
not avail. The resistless monarch triumphed, and bore the young, the
joyous, the noble-hearted Student away. And then came the sable cof¬
fin, the melancholy hearse, the slow and measured procession, the fer¬
vent supplication, the open grave, the creaking^rope, the clod upon the
coffin, and all is over!
Fellow Alumni—this is not a fancy sketch.—Many of you remember
well the incidents to which I have referred; and many of you, with your
speaker, dropped a tear over the untimely grave of the young and gene¬
rous Jackson.
But why should I sadden your hearts, by a reference to thoughts like
these? It is trye, they are the legitimate suggestions of the occasion,
but there are other associations, more befitting the commemoration of a
literary jubilee, like the present. At this moment many a heart is beam¬
ing high, with fond and unsullied anticipations of the future. Around
us are those who have just ran the race of Academical preparation, and
have this day, with much honor to themselves, and credit to their pre¬
ceptors, bid farewell to College life, and assumed the purple tunick of
maturer age. They are now looking forward to the golden prospect be¬
fore them, with eyes that see no clouds, and to which the future spreads
forth as beautifully as the land of promise did to the vision of the favor¬
ed prophet, when he stood upon the top of Pisgah, and gazed down upon,
its flowery bosom; and they now stand here, upon the superstructure of
knowledge, which they have spent all their past lives in erecting, and
have this day consummated, with minds stored with wise and virtuous pre¬
cepts, and with hearts palpitating with pride, and hope, and ambition, like
' young eagles, upon the summit of some sky-piercing mountain, pluming
their pinions for a sunv/ard flight. As they have thus completed their
Collegiate career, and have this day bid farewell, as we once did, to the
sweet seclusion of College life—to the peaceful walks of the Portico, and
to the fragrant heights of Hymettus—I may, therefore, address them now
as among our number, and hail them as Fellow Alumni.
You, gentlemen, who have this day completed your Collegiate career,
are about entering upon an important arena. All your lives, hitherto,
have been but a preparation for the position you are now about to occupy.
Before you has been spread every advantage which education affords.—
Her ample stores, richer than all the gems of Sarmacand, and more de¬
lightful than the fabled fruit of the Hesperides, have been placed within
your reach, and, if I may judge from the evidences of this day, you have
gathered, in the walks of literature, many a blooming flower, which you
have on this occasion, permit me to say, wreathed in a beautiful garland,
around your brows.
But, gentlemen, as to you much has been given, so from you much will
be required. You have hitherto been drawing upon a capital, Which you
must now, if you are faithful to yourselves, and to the trust reposed in
8
you, refund with interest. Hitherto your friends and relatives have lived
for you—society has4conferred her multitudinous favors upon you—your
country has cherished you, in her bosom, as the wife of Sempronius did
"her jewels,"—and it is now your privilege and your duty, to recom¬
pense their kindness. 1 sav your privilege —because 1 feel proud in
believing that you will discharge the obligations you owe, with pleasure
and alacrity. The chivalrous sentiments, which you have imbibed, from
your commune with the wise and good of other days—the generous prin¬
ciples which have been instilled into your breasts, by the instruction and
example of your preceptors, and the magnanimous views and feelings
you have inherited from a patriotic ancestry—all give assurance that you
will discharge, as far as possible, and with an untiring zeal, the sacred
duty you owe your country. I say your duty; tor sure, if ever the soil
of any land was indebted to'his native country, it is the American stu¬
dent. To her, gentlemen, you owe all that you now afe, and all that you
can hope to be. She has conferred upon you more blessings, than were
ever furnished by Greece or Rome, in their palmiest days, to their
gallant offspring, and she now guarantees to you nobler privileges than
are afforded by any other nation, that the bright eye of day, in his mon¬
arch march, looks upon. Consequently, you owe her reciprocal duties,
proportionate to the benefits conferred.
Those duties, gentlemen, are many and important. I might enumer¬
ate some of them, but they will already have been suggested to your own
intelligent minds. You will pardon me, however, for referring to some
of th,e duties which you owe to the State in which you reside, and of
which some of you are natives. In doing this,! would not wish to.be un¬
derstood as desiring to limit your patriotism, " by lines of latitude or lon¬
gitude." Thank God! I have the pleasing assurance that your btosoms^
swell with a love of country, as. expanded as the atmosphere you breathe,
and as broad as your own green and beautiful land:—
" A land, of every land the pride—
Beloved by Heaven, o'r all the world beside!
Where brighter suns dispense serener light,
And milder moons ernparadise the night;—
A land of science, virtue, freedom, truth—
Time-honored age, and patriotic youth ! "
But, gentlemen, Alabama is the particular sphere in which you are to,
'act—and it is to the developement and cultivation of her resources, phys¬
ical, political and intellectual, that you are to devote the energies vou
possess. By so doing, you will elevate her to her appropriate position,
and make her among her sister republics, what Attica Ws amono- the
States of Greece.
Rapid, indeed, has been the progression of population and improve¬
ment, in this State, since its first settlement—so rapid, and so startling,V
that it appears more like the incidents of a fairy tale, than the sober
©vents of history! Only a few years ago, and all this flourishing domain
I'yvas an unbroken wilderness. From the yellow waters of the Chatahoo-
Vchee, to the dark Tonxbeckbee, "the stoic of the woods—the man without
9
a tear." roved in undisputed sovereignty. Here, undisturbed h^ aught,
save his own internal commotions, he kindled his mystic council fire-
erected his humble wigwam—commingled in his wild and fantastic dance
and, when the pale alchemyst of night was weaving her silver and silent
spell, caressed his forest love. Here he wandered, in unrestrained free¬
dom, through forests ancient as the sun—worshipped his unknown God,
in his own legendary style, and cherished a spirit of personal indepen¬
dence, surpassing even thai of Hob Hoy, when he stood upon his native
heath, and proclaimed himself—McGregor!
But the dynasty of the Ked Man is over! The wild yell that once
startled the conscious panther, from his sleep, in yonder lair—the fatal
arrow that once hurtled through this breeze, and brought down from his
lofty flight, the sky-cleaving eagle, or checked, in his timid race, the pal¬
pitating fawn—the feathery craft that once skimmed, like a bird, across
the glassy surface of yonder river—have all gone! and slowly, and sadly
the iEnigma of the western world, has bent his footsteps to the sinking
sun! But a few weeks ago, and we witnessed, through the streets of our
town, the melancholy pilgrimage of the stern, but spirit broken Creek—
the last remnant of a once mighty race—to his occidental home! Gloorh-
ily and mournfully, but with a pride untamed by misfortune-, they left
their native dwelling place—the home of their boyish sports—the scenes of'
their manlier love—the graves of their sires—driven before the progress
of the white man, like a storm-shattered barque, before an ocean wave!
The spectacle was indeed a melancholy one; and constitutes an impor¬
tant era, alike in the history of "the simple children of the forest," and
of our own young and flourishing State. It indicates with what rapidity
events are progressing around us; exhibits the rapid strides that Alaba¬
ma is making in the increase of population, and in the arts and sciences,
consequent thereon; and unfolds to the eye of anticipation, brilliant vi¬
sions of her coming greatness and glory.
In the possession of all the natural resources, which contribute to make
a State great and flourishing, Alabama stands pre-eminent. Her soil
is%as fertile as any portion of the Union! Her hills abound in mineral
wealth! Her atmosphere is as pure as the sky of Italy! Her rivers roll
'in magnificent beauty and grandeur, through every portion of her terri¬
tory stretching their long arms, wherever the wants of agriculture, or
of commerce demand! The natural productions of her soil are such as
best minister to the necessities and comforts of her inhabitants; and the
beauty of her scenery, is of the most pleasing and picturesque charac¬
ter. These resources only want cultivation and developement, to elevate
our State above her surrounding sisters. And it is to you, gentlemen
Alumni, and to those that follow after you, to a great extent, that your
fellow citizens will look for the accomplishment. Others have been the
pioneers, who have rescued Alabama from the savage and the forest—
you are to be her pioneers of science! Coming upon the stage of ac¬
tive life, at the present important juncture, when the minds of the patriot.,1
the statesman and the legislator, are directed to the improvement of our
natural advantages; and coming, as you do, with the implements of know^-r
edge in your hands, it is your special duty, to contribute your energies,
to the promotion of the noble cause. Although nature has blessed our
10
State with almost unparalleled advantages, yet, at this enterprising day,
they may properly be considered but as the materiel, to be used by the
hand of art. If they are suffered to remain dormant, and uncultivated, we
shall be unpardonably negligent and blind. Our sister States are al¬
ready constructing rail roads and canals, far surpassing the noblest of
England or France, in extent, as well as anticipated utility, and Alabama
must not be hindmost, in the march of internal improvement.
The political condition and welfare of our State is also a subject,
gentlemen, which will deserve your particular attention, and over which
you will, from your position and standing in society, exercise an impor¬
tant and moulding influence. Many of you will undoubtedly be called
to serve in the halls ofiegislation, or to fulfil important duties, in our ex¬
ecutive and judicial departments. If not, you will have at least the part
of citizens to sustain, which, in a government like ours, where the peo¬
ple are the rulers, is of the most trustworthy and responsible character.
In either of these situations you will find much to demand your con¬
sideration and action. Alabama is yet in her political infancy; and, al¬
though she possesses a constitution and code of laws, as perfect, proba¬
bly, as those of almost any of her confederated sisters, yet there is much
that demands change and amelioration. The science of government is
always a difficult one; but in a country like ours, where it is, to a great
extent, from its peculiar character, a problematical experiment, it is un¬
usually difficult, and requires the most wakeful vigilance, to preserve it
pure and perfect. I trust, gentlemen, that you will ever be among the
foremost to accomplish that patriotic purpose; and will bring to its assis¬
tance all the treasured information you have gathered from the Schools of
antiquity—from the golden lessons of Socrates, and from the instructive
pages of Cicero
But, above all the interests of our State, that will demand and deserve
your assiduous attention, and energetic support—is her Intellectual Ad¬
vancement; for, upon this all her other interests are dependent. "Knowl¬
edge is in every country"—said the immortal sage and hero, who, like a
second Moses, led pur ancestors through the wilderness of the revolu¬
tion, when first called to administer the government he had been mainly
instrumental in erecting—" Knowledge," said he, " is, in every country
the surest basis of happiness and power. In one, in which the mea¬
sures of government, receive their impression so immediately from the
sense of the community, as in ours, it is proportionally essential."
What the unparalleled Washington applied to our National Confederacy,
may, with equal correctness, be applied to our own State. It is a corolla¬
ry, deduced from the experience of ages. Look back to the States of an¬
tiquity, and where do you find a government great, or prosperous, that
did not excel in Intellectual attainments? Egypt, in her proudest days,
knew no greater pride than her schools, and her Philosophers! Israel,
in her palmiest time, when the sun-light of inspiration beamed upon her
altars, and her arms beat back heathen aggression and violence, was
eminent as the peculiar home of science and of letters; and it was not
till the golden urn of literature, as well as the thrilling harp of prophecy
was broken in the hands of Malachi, that she lost all her influence and
her potency. Look arouud you too, and you will find the present age
11
pregnant with the same important lesson! I should but insult your intel-
igence, did I tarry longer upon this theme. You must all be convinced
beyond cavil, that the only true greatness of a nation is her intellectual
excellence; and ail history has taught you that the greatest power ever
wielded over the physical world, has been the power of mind! Then,
gentlemen, let me beseech you to direct your energies to the promotion
ot the intellectual excellence of your own State, Let everv thing be
done to difiuse Knowledge throughout our borders. Sepd the school¬
master into every valley and village—every hall and hamlet of the land!
Light up t he pyre of education, till, like the sun, she shall disseminate
her truclilying beams, int > every nook and corner of the State. And
then Alabama will become truly great and prosperous—her people happy
and tree—her laws just and wholesome—her character pure and enviable
—and her ultimate destiny, such as her most enthusiastic and patriotic
sons can desire.
But, gentlemen, knowledge is not only power—it is pleasure! It not
only confers vigor and dignity upon a nation, but it makes its inhabitants
prosperous and happy. To the individual, it not only gives strength
and induence, but it affords a perpetual solace and delight. Though its
possessor should have spent years of study and of toil, for its attainment
—though he should have even exhausted health, and strength, in its pur¬
suit—and, after all, meet, as is too frequently the lot of genius, with the
scorn and indifference of the world—he has yet a consolation, that nothing
can destroy; for, as Colridge says of Poetry, Knowledge is its own ex¬
ceeding great reward! Unlike ambition, it knows nothing of the vulture,
or the chain! It chafes not, nor maddens the mind.—It sickens not the
heart, nor feeds its high yearnings with bitterness and tears! But its
presence is a meek and soothing one! With wings like the halcyon, it
flutters over the lake of life, and stills its stormy heavings, to tranquility
and repose! Cicero has beautifully compressed its delights and advan¬
tages in one sentence: "Hcec studia adoloscenliam alunt, senectutem oblec-
tanl, secundas res ornant, adversis perfugium ac solatium prcebent, delec-
tant do mi, non impediunt foris, pernoetant nobiscum, perigrinantur, et rus-
tieantur !
Of the truth of these noble sentiments—the sentiments of one, who
combined, in himself, more fully the dignifying qualities of the Patriot,
the Statesman, the Orator, and the Scholar, than any other worthy
of ancient times, you are, no doubt, thoroughly satisfied; and they
will incite you to continued and increased cultivation of your minds.—
Although you have completed your collegiate education, you are not
now to stop. You have but constructed the basis, upon which you are
to erect the edifice of your future fame and usefulness. If you lie down
now, it will be of little worth, that you have run your academical career,
that you burned the midnight taper,
" What time the stars
. Were holding their high festival in Heaven !"
or that you now hold in your hands, the trophies of your scholastic suc¬
cess! But, if you press on, in the acquisition of knowledge, and the
culture of your minds—if you improve the talents confided to your keep-
12
ing, and do not permit them to canker in thpir coffers—ttnd, inline, if you
discharge, as you should, the duties you owe to yourselves, to your
friends, and to society—posterity will honor your efforts, and probably
inscribe your names upon thd" architrrave of Immortality. Or, even
should the world deceive your hopes—should friends desert, and enemies
abuse and falsity you—you will yet, like Bdingbrokr, in his banishment,
find a sweet consolation, in the remembrance of a well-spent life, and in
the delights of intellectual excellence!
There is one theme, fellow Alumni, which I should be grossly culpa¬
ble in passing over, unnoticed, on this occasion. It is the condition,
welfurg and prospects of our JiUnn Mtiler. If the son who has been fond¬
ly cherished, through the hours of infantile helplessness, by the tender
hand of maternal solicitude, through the guileful scenes of boyhood's
morning—and even in manhood's rnaturer time, should love and revere
his mother, with an affection that knows no waning, or abatement, surely
the student, \yho has been favored in a similar manner, should regard,
with a kindred feeling, his intellectual parent; and it should ever be his
darling object, to increase her weal, and promote her prosperity. You
are all the intellectual sons of the University of Alabama. She guided
your footsteps through the paths of science and virtue. She spread be¬
fore you, in all their most fascinating shapes, the golden fruits of litera¬
ry enjoyment, and allured you to partake of their ambrosial repast; and
she*has, at different periods, like the Macedonian mother, sent you into
the world, armed with a shield and spear, of her own manufacture, to do
battle for yourselves. Certainly then you should exercise every energy
of your nature, to elevate her character, and to advance her interests.
It is but little better than five years since this University first went in¬
to operation, and she has, during that period, preserved an average num¬
ber of near one hundred students, and has already seat out, into the
world, thirty-six regular Alumni, and many more,who graduated in seve¬
ral of her departments. This number, although comparatively small, is
yet larger, I believe, than was graduated at the University of any of our
neighboring States, in the same period, from iheir institution.
But we should not rest content with merely excelling the Colleges of
our sister Tepublics. The University of Alabama possesses advantages
far superior to any other Literary Institution of the South. Her charter
is of the most liberal and beneficial character. Her resources are un¬
surpassed by those of any University in the Uuion; and her location—
surrounded by all the bounties and beauties of nature; blessed by health and
comfort; and accompanied by the advantages of cultivated and refined so¬
ciety; holds out unparalleled inducements, of the most inviting kind, not on¬
ly to the parent and youth of Alabama, but of all the adjacent States. If
these Resources are properly developed and applied; if they who are entrust¬
ed with the management of her finances, and the regulation of her govern¬
ment and Jaws, shall bo influenced by a highminded and liberal spirit, for
the public weal—a spirit that can know nothing of party or sectarian
views—and by a laudable disposition to promote the great cause of sci¬
ence, of virtde, and of truth; and more than all, if the various professor¬
ships within the institution, shall be filled by wise, learned and eminent
/pen—men who yvill zealously devote their time end their talents, to the
13
discharge of the honorable and responsible duties of their several stations
—then indeed will this institution flourish—then will students flock to
her sacred shrine from every direction, and from every neighboring State
—from Louisiana and from Georgia, from Tennessee and from Missis¬
sippi, and even, perhaps, from our sister republic of Texas, when she
shall have secured the glorious boon, for which she is now so nobly bat¬
tling and then the University of Alabama will become to the South,
what Harvard and A ale are to New England—what Nassau and the Uni¬
versity of Virginia are to the middle States, and what Transylvania once
was, and Miami now is, to the West.
When that period, fellow Alumni, shall arrive—and it is my fond ex¬
pectation that it is not far remote—the Society, whose flrst anniversary
we are this day celebrating, will be proportionally enlarged and prosper-'
ous. Instituted for the laudable purpose it has been, it, too, cannot be
entirely devoid of interest or usefulness. " To retain and perpetuate the
associations and affections of College life5 to increase and preserve uni¬
ty and fellowship of feeling; to promote the prosperity of our Jllma Ma-
ter\ and to advance at large the cause of learning and morality;"—sufch
are the objects for which it was established, as expressed in its constitu- >
tion—and they are such as merit, and will accordingly wjn the approba¬
tion and support of all future graduates of this University. To us,,J#h®
are as yet lingering, as it were, under the arch of college life, it can not
now afford all the advantages^and delights that it it will, in future years.
When many another annual commencement shall have rolled by, and we
shall have mingled much in the fever and strife of the world—when time
shall have touched with gray, the spotlessdocks that now adorn your brows,
and your hearts shall have grown heavy and sick with the ixionic cares
of life—you will turn your footsteps hither, like the pilgrims of old, to the
Well of Kanathos; and as you'commingle with other Alumni in the cele¬
bration of other anniversaries, the scenes and incidents of your collegi¬
ate career, will rise in your hearts, and pass before your memories—
" Like Adam's recollections of his fall! "
May you long live to experience their gratifying sensation, is my sincere
wish.
Fellow Alumni—I have thus imperfectly discharged the duty you have
confided to me. I have briefly adverted to some of the associations I
have deemed appropriate to the day. Your own sympathetic hearts, and
intelligent minds will know how to appreciate those I have mentioned, and
to suggest others more befitting the moment. We are now to separate,
from each other, each to pursue his own peculiar path in life. I shall not
attempt to pourtray the emotions produced by the occasion. But I trust
that we part from each other, with the kindest feelings of friendship and
esteem; with the fullest' determination to practice the noble precepts
tau(rht us here; to advance, as we have pledged ouiselves to each other,
as far as we can, the cause of intelllctual and moral improvement;
and in fine to adopt, and to pursue, through life, and through all its
circumstances, the Grecian philosopher's parting advice to his son—
Jlctsi a, xPivsuf sivut JC«V- xav iroiwv aSo^rjtfsiv. ^
——
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