Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-06-11
HE North CAROLINA STANDARD: WEDNESDAY, ii 1856.

livery One thing young msn ought to recollect,
thsten hos ard shoxt mghts short speeches are
most re1feahing.
On "Wednesday morning. the Annual Address be
fore the two Literary Societies was delivered at the
request Of the Phianthropic Society, by Matt. W.
Ransom, Esq, lately Attorney General of North
Carolina. His subject was s. The union-the inn
portance Of its preservation" The matter of the
address was good and it is but seldom that an aud
fence is gratified by more graceful manner. Our
public speakers do not in general attend to this lat
ter point with sufficient care The old rule of ac-
tiou action action ' seems to be in danger of be-
coming obsolete, and they whose peculiar province
it is to excite the enotons-to arouse the heart
through the senses, content themselves too much
with . calm appeal to the intellect. If man were
only an intellectual animal, they who discuss mat
tiers of interest for the public might content them
selves with writing and printing their thoughts, and
the public might be spared the trouble of assemb
ling to hear, and see, and feel Mr.. Ransom most
wisely judged that listening people demanded
different repast from reading people, and that .
felcitous delivery should ever attend public orator.
and he deserves what he has secured the hearty ad
miration of his audience The material of the Par
thenon was Parian marble; but it is the faultless
symmetry and exquisite grace of its manner that
fills the soul of every beholdcr with such intense
delight
Aue Sev. 0osePn M. Atklnsons blshoP OF the freS-
byterian Church in Raleigh, appeared before the
Historical Society of the University in theaernoon.
His subject was the life and times of Sir William
Berkeley, Royal Governor of the Colony of Virginia:
The subject of this interesting address was new to
most Of the audience, and this direction of public
attention to it will doubtless result in many valuable
discoveries. Gov Berkeey's administration
long, vigorous, and eventful. During its period
many seeds were sown whose fruits in matters So
cia political and religious we every day enjoy and
rejoice over But the seeding and the harvest were
both contrary to the Governors intent The histo.
ry of State is calculated at several interest
ing points by considering the connections between
these neghborng colonies that existed at this time
We hope to this address in print because of its
own merits in matter and composition, and because
it contaiLs much that will suggest and direct future
enquiries. By the way, cannot some arrangement
be effected by which there shall not be any after
Moons during Commencement week. or that they
shall not be hot that the luxurious dinners of
the kind.hearted and skillful ladies of Chapel Hill
shall not be SO heavy! We have been repeatedly
grieved to notice the thinness of the house We'd
nesday afternoon during the delivery of essays from
some OF our ripest scholars fully freighted
with the richest thoughts and most pregnant sug-
gestons But when lamb and green peas, ice creams
and fruits abundant within and the thermometer
is at so without, the spirit may be very willing, but
the flesh is wofully weak.
At night the following declaimers from the Sophie.
more Glass delighted the crowded house with some
very choice specimens of their art:
WINTER d. GooDLoE, Mississippi
2. Mississippi Contested Election, s. s. Prentiss.
KEUEL NJ. STANcILL, Mississippi.
8. Our Great National Festival, Bethune,
WILLIAM c. Down, Wake Go.
Sparacus to the Roman ENJOYS in Etrura Sargant.
JESSE S. BARNES, Wilson Co.
1. Ballad of Bunker HiI Harper
JOHN A. G1LNER Greensboro.
2. Hiawatha, Longfellow.
julius W. WRIGHT, Wilmington.
8. Osmond's Dream, Lewis.
JOSEPH NJ WHITE, Florida. '''
LEROY NJ McAFEE Cleveland Co.
S. Extract from Richard ILL., Shakespeare.
WILLIAM NJ. CoLExAN, Concord
Where there was so much to commend it may be
invidious we'll as difficult to draw distinctions {;
but it only fair to that better speaking than tn
Of Messrs. Stanci Glmer and Wright is seldom heard
from the College stage while that of Mr.. Coleman's
was perfect gem. The spirit of the part was we'll
conceived, and it was manifested in very fine style.
For such exhibitions the teacher and the taught de-
serve high praise. During the session just closed,
members of the Sophomore Glass have been compel.
ing for prize for excellence in English composition,
which was proposed by DR.. Wheat the Professor
of Rhetoric. The judges could not distinguish be-
tween the merits of Mr.. Coleman and Mr.. Thomas
w. Mason, Of Brunswick Co., Va. So the prize
Putnam's edition Of Irving's works0 was divided
between these two gentlemen, and its delivery
pied the interval between the two sets of declamers
on Wednesday night. In what we heard of the ef.
feet of offering this prize we are glad to obtain
confirmation Of the suggestions we have already
made as to the general effect to be expected from
such special and public recognition of diligence and
success in study.
Immediately after the delivery of Mr.. Ransom's
address, the Alumni of the University formed pro-
cession in the Chapel to go to the Library, and
there hold their annual meeting. The Oldest stu
dent present was Mr.. James Mebane, who left Col
lege in 1897. The oldest graduate present was the
Hon. John Branch, of the class of 1901. There vas
no public meeting of the Alumni Association this
year. Some business transacted at the private
meeting, but not much of interest to the public AS
the state of the fund collecting for that purpose is
now sufficiently large, 1t was ordered that the mon
ument to DR.. Caldwell-whose praise is in all the
land-be erected forthwith 10
We were glad to see very large and brilliant as
sembly in the College Chapel on Thursday morn
ing The graduating class was, according to all &C.
counts, unusually worthy of this honor; and their
speeches confirmed the good report that had gone
abroad concerning them. We give the names OF
the graduates (4O in the usual academical style:
Guelmus-Franklin Alderman, Thomas-Ruf Long, ia
Leondas Avert Archbadus Mcanchlin Robertus-
Graham Barrett Dugald-Patterson McNair, Guilelmus
Bingham Abram- Merritt Jacobus Bruce Geor-
gus. Thomas Morgan Gulelmus-Baard Bruce. ElasGra
ham Morrow, HenrcusRavenscroft Bryan, Angus Mum,
Joannes-Ricardus Burney Guemus-A Allison Owens, Gull
s!nps-Hen,sgs Burwe R Ro%s TSnss
Chrstnphorus Clark Glbertus Robinson Thomas
Steele Crump GulielmusJ Saunders Clement Dowd,
Ssde JoannesB ratton Erwin, Samuel Perry Smith, joan
nes-Tsylor Gilmore Josephus Stevenson, solomon;
Hines Iudovicus- Thompson Alexander Martinus
Hogan, Joannes-Cooper Waddi, DanielWhi johnson,
Stuart White Caynus Jones' snhns
Buckner Klebrew, NeillSmith Marlborough, Adolphus-