The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-08-19
Commencement.


remarked upon the stage on Wednesday;
our fellow citizen, Lieut.. Gov. SLADE
had also his place there Senator Foor,
several distinguished literary guests, and
Of course the venerable gentlemen of the
Corporation. Sheriff Church had OBJ.
tanned the aid Of Gen. F. W. HOPKINS,
as his substitute as Marshal Of the day.
President LABAREE presided the gal.
lery and side seats we're filled with bean.
ty and courtesy gravity shaded more
deeply upon the centre, rising into a
lighter aspect towards the door, to quite
the look of sun-lit cloud of witnesses;
and the band piping, not quite thunder
ing above
The exercises of members of the class
were quite uniformly good. Their ami.
mated and earnest manner Of speaking is
highly commended, and instances were
not rare Of original trains of thinking
and of force of thought. The spirit of
the first English piece was quite agreea.
BILE to us, illustrating personal character
in the light of the generous virtues,
cast Of attainment not made by intrigue
or conceded to mere pretension. The
vein of the first scientific Grafton fol.
lowed the forces of nature with rare
affinity for their force and beauty the
topic Of the conference, political litera.
ture, was very well hit, and several 9th.
er pieces, in our casual hearing, f,llowed
Of superior composition. The wrcn,hs
aud boquets in general were very we'll
deserved. We presume the personal
qualities Of the recipients were not in
tended to be overlooked. The Masters
Grafton of Mr.. DEMlNG did him great
honor, both in handsome, engaging de.
livery, and precise, classical style; in
the latter respect, surpassed by but one
public effort of the occasion, and that
not an older one.
The dinner followed the conferment of
the degrees, to which the most liberal
invitations were announced as usual. 1t
is q poor excuse for the discomforts of
such an interlude, that SO many are to
partakc of them; and the Corporation-or
their hosts, ought to provide that the
time allowed to this division shall afford
qualification, and recreate while it pur.
ports to be treat. 1t is doubtful
whether dinner with tickets, at the
proper time, would not be better thing
The Representatives of the Alumni,
in the closing exercises, were Rev. Ed
WIN HALL, D. D., (class Of ls26.) now
Professor of Theology at Auburn Semi.
mary, as Orator, and BAXTER f. Perry,
Esq, Of Boston, Mass, (class of ls49)
as Poet Senator Foor presided, Pro.
fessor JAMES D. BUTLER, being invited
to open the exercises with prayer DR..
HALL presented discourse of great la.
Dor and of importance certainly in its
aims, but falling iD at disadvantage be-
fore AN audience already severely taxed
by performances of more variety, and
lily prepared for close aud protracted
attention upon topics quite abstract.
Only council Of metapbysicians after
LenteI interval, to say nothing of o
hasty dinner, could have done proper
Justice to the extinction of the Kantoan
philosophy in its relation to the eternal
life. Individuals doubtless appreciated
the effort, but 10 hearing the audience is
first TO be consulted, then the demands
of the subject. Mr. PERRY followed in
q lively, harmonious style of versifca.
ton, presenting the associations of the
occasion in a manner to enlist, in no
small degree, the sympathy and attention
of the audience. No attempt was made
at humor, but too little of special illus
tratiou was apparent, to give particular
point 10 the trains Of thought, and i'm
press them as distinctly as might have
been, upon the memory. .D
The exercises Of Tuesday included an
grafton by +, P. WHlPpLE, Esq, of
Boston, and discourse, on the higher
law principles, by Rev. GEORGE B.
CHEEvsR, D. D, of New York Mr..
WHPpLR left with US a very favorable
personal as well as literary impression, in
return for the important favor he had
conferred in supplying the place Of Mr.
CuRrIss, Of New York, the orator an
uounCed by the PhilOmsthesian Society
Mr.. CHEEvER deserves, doubtless, the
distinction be enjoys for talents and for