New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-07
the DUTY or THE AMERICAN SS"oA""
POLITICS AND THE TINES
AN GRAFTON:
r,..dsy. Aug. 8, 1865, before the Lite
0s'vs,es ,s,r so.t.. Of Wesleyan University Middle
tovp, Conn.
ny GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.

- no, . scholarly people, but we devote u the
~, ot literature some of our loveheft days. "nen
a.. leaves are ereepest and the mowers scy'he sing
.>.ooh the ersss; when plenty Is On The earth snd
- a., IN the heavens gather from th"ustn1
=, ,.n,, to celebrate the jubilee ofthe Scholar.
No man who loves literature, or who can N any way
.lam the scholars privilege, but is siad 70 aa+o-
;.,e the beauty Of the season with the ooJet OF 'he
...o..;on and grace with flowers, and sunshln-, snd
,,,v.rsal summer the hom.ge which is thus p,id 10
,hs eternal inteIess OF the human mind
are clad of It as scho olsrs because the season y
e symbol Of the character and influence OF sch'sriy
puruits. Like SUNSHINE spirit OF generous 'h'usn'
llnmir stes the world. Like trees OF golden 'rut IN
the landscape are the philosophers and p'et' IN Ms
tsry. Hoppy ,he da, Happy the place Inc r''es
AID the stars wreathe our lest, al with an inu onai
garland.
Too yourg TO be your guide and philosopher, am
vs, old erouph to be your friend. Too little IN ad
Of vou IL the great battle Of life 20 teach you from
.,ner.pce am yet I'D enough to sha-e with yod the
pr, 6 Of the experience Of o'her men ana Oi history
: ao no, come 10 day mounted general. hurry
nt ,our call to place myself beside you, shoulder 10
sh.nher. a private in the ranks. We are all young
mss we are al young Americans; we are al
xoupg American scholars. Our interests and du-
tsss are TIE same. I speak TO you as to comrades.
Let us rest q moh,pt that We may the better hght
Here in tbs beautiful valley, under these spreading
trets. we bvOuac for a Summer honr. Our knap'acS7
are unsluDg and our arms are stacked We give
Ali. TRANQUIL hour TO the consideration OF our position
and dates.
IL. occasion prescribe. my theme, the times deter
mine its treatment.
That theme is the Scholar; the lesson OF the day
the duty Of the American scholar to poll'ice
l would gladly speak to you of the charms OF pure
scholarship; of the dignity and worth OF tue hoiAr
of the abstract relation Of the scholar t. the State
The sweet air we breathe aud the r-poss OF mid
snmmer invite a calm ethical or in'eec' u hi@c11r.e.
But oud you have cOuned him mahieDd o. Greece VINO
quietly ticused the aosJac' nature OF pit'io'l4m
that eek summer day ibIOugh whose hop. less and IN
hour L. ouidax and his three hunjTeO stood al
.rn opyla for liberty! And 10 day. as the scnol1r
med ates that deed the air that steals IN a. his wa-
dow daikens his stuoy aid suiOcAtes bi a. he is
DrfiI z ACROSS continent AID bighting the harye"s
that gid il with plenty from the Atlantic to 'be III 8
sissppi black coud Obscures the page that records
old crime, and compels bis to know thai 'fee1on
always las LII Thermt pya and th4, his Thermopye
u called Kansas.
Becsu.e we are scholars of to-day, shall we shrink
from touching the iDtere,ts Of to-day B cl1Se we
are scbOars shall ase to be citizens BecdI y
We are scholars shall we cease TO be men
GeDtlemen, | am glod that, speaking Oi the duty OF
the American scholar to the times, / can p 'lnt 70
who fully unc er-tands those duties ana
has illustrated them as Milton did. Among fellow
county, men that -cbolsr falls deienons the name aud
rights Of HE couutrymen, ana one OF thOe counlIy-
stsrts at BIN as he lies lnseosibe' ana wal nor
raie him lest his motives he mIsundcrstOOd; aud
Another biz back upon his bleedog colleague, be-
cause for two years he has not been upon speaking
terms with him. Gentlemen, the human heat Is just,
and no traitor humanity escapes his proper DOOM
Sacred history bands down 70 enoess nfany Priest
and the Leve who passed by on the other lie.
Among gen tlemen this scholar pleads the cause dear
to every g.nteusR IN history, aud odly stukes hi n
down. In Republic of tree men, tbis scho!lr sp AXIS
for FRI edOm and bis blood saiDs the Senze door.
There 1t will blush through all our history. That
danneo spot will ncvtrout from memory, from tradition
or from Oe hearts Every soho ar degrad.s his Odef,
ana G. urts tie Pity of all generous men, who can see
iust te,ty threater ed without cescrtDg every other
cause 10 ctfend ibeity OF what use are your books
OF What use is your scbolarehipf Without ireeoom
of thought there civilization or human progress;
and without freedom of ech, liberty OF thought
mOekcyy.
luow well that conventional prejudice con.
socrates this occasion TO dull distractions and tlmd
IL not treacberous geperalities 1t woud allow nae to
s>eak of the scholar, aod Of the American scholar,
10 his relation Greek roots and PARTICLES bu' would
forbid me TO bton bis duties to Anne ican topics aud
times. might speak Of him as profes or dIaecti-
sisp, dictionary grarsmrr but must not speak Of
him ss man. I know that literary orator s held
70 be bound By the same Seeeneies that regulate
pseacher to n buke the sDs o. Jerusalem or OF Pha-
delphis2 Is he to say in general good, when lie
eses in what particulars we are ead, ana counsel
sence peace when Al epce and peace are treason
10 God ana Are the ars To cry To the preacher,
i not your business TO denounce Slng we pay you
70 preach against Elm ?" Bot the preachers astef
erieo "Wee unto you Scrioes and Pharsees, bypo-
sciites for We .voui widows houses. He spsch d
sins and classified sinners. III our day the hot ad-
juI alton to clergyman not to soi his pulpit with poll
hcs merely the way in which the nineteenth century
Offers HIM the thirty pieces OF silver
What are politics but the Divine law applied to hu-
man government Politics the scierce of the rela-
lion OF in human society; aud rs the founder OF
Christianity taught peace and good will TO meo, how
can the ChIrtan preacher better fulfill his office than
by showing tow peace aud good viii may be iLtro.
duced among men, and 10y exposing IN all tpe terror ot
Truth thos- whose policy iosters and hstred among
meni Why does the pulpit command 80 little com.
parave respect, but because does not apply truth
to life When the American people has great siDs to
account for the preacher ouchss with the duh
edge of his reproof the sins of the Jewish people:
Therefore with the lecture.roOm Is more throngcd
than the Church. btcsuse the lecturer addresses the
moral sense of the people upon heu moral Interests,
md the most popular lecturers the preachers VITO
are mo.t faithful in their pupit 10 God and man. for
their cause one.
What is true of the preacher IL true of the orator.
should insult your manhood should forget my owB,
4, in addressing you to-day, did not 50, what con-
ctive TO be the duty of the scholar TO day aud here
l. OF the Scholar-Tbs popular idea of the
scholar makes him pale stuoent of books,
recluse, a vattudlDarisn au impractical and i'm
practicable man He is a being WITH an endless
He s only consumer, not producer; or, If 50,
only PROD ucer OF useless results. Learning is sup
posed to be put into hun, net vegetables into the
ground, wbeuce, as they spring AGAIN, covering the
esrth with be auiy and feeding the FACE, learning s
10 flower into heroic deeds and cDnsoliIg thoughts
but il IL absorbed by him, as vegetables are thro~n
uto ctsy, where they lie buried, not planted pro-
ducDg only some poor, psnd, useless SHOOT as his
leaning only germinates with some treatise upon the
Rblhfiye Atsolufe