New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-23

Az, When will they learn, if not wisdom,
~ a.st srr;f. from their enemies And the poor
o. old Courier in a terribly damaging de-
fsn,c spidy let out the fact that all the Senstors
we're invited; 20 that we may have to thank death
H., ,xe did not have Butler Of South Carolina Is
well as Mason Of Virginia, dscharging his .'looso
expsctoratons" in our faces Senator TOOmbs
probably could not spare his slaves from the field at
his busy season even 10 call the roll Of them on
Bunker Hill on so tempting an occasion.
Commencement at Cambridge was celebrated last
week falling as usual, on about the hottest day of
the whole year. 1t was a fatal mistske-fhtal to
the brilancy Of the occasion, and almost fatal to
those in Interchangeable alteration OF the time OF
holding Commencement from the end of August to
the middle Of July. The number present was less
this year than usual, and the church by no means
crowded Perhaps, however, this was not entirely
owing to the heat, but partly to the clrcumstancc
that the Tiennal Meeting Of the Alumni was to be
held the next day The Corporation ofthe University
again succeeded in putting Mr.. Summers name into
ali mouths by again emitting to put his image into
the procession of those they love to honor. This
was hard, too, on the gentlemen who we're selected
to receive the honors of the University. Though
no doubt worthy and respectable persons, and quite
as deserving of what they got as the herd OF LII.
DIS, though never so much as heard Of the half
Of them still they were all obscure and insignificant
in comparison with the eminent man 10 resOutely
passed by. 1t was impossible to help making com.
parisOns however CdiOus the custom may be, and
although the SUITE reIs by them were by no means to
blame The next day there was large cOncOurse,
which the reputation of Mr. Everett, who was the
orator is always sure to collect. His discourse was
a very fine and very appropriate one. 1t might be
STYLED A Defense of Academic Learning, in its three
main departments of Classics Mathematics and
Metaphysics. There was no particular originality,
breadth or depth of thought in the performance; bu
the various arguments in behalf of these studies were
most iDgeDiously urged, and most brilliantly illus
trated. The staple was not of great weight, per-
haps but it wac fine gold, and was finely drawn out
and spun into thousand delicate shapes Of grace
and beauty. Mr.. Winthrop presided at the Dinner
extremely well, and it was great success LORD
Napier, who was received with all the honors insao
very clever speech, which was the feature OF the
occasion. Ex-Presdent Quincy, Mr.. Everett,
President King of Columbia College, and many
other gentlemen, also made telling speeches. and the
company WINS kept together to a late hour IN great
contennent. You will be shocked to hear, how
ever, that the Union was not Saved 50 much as once
the whole day. What are we coming to? Do you
think it can standl The earth has "fet coggedy
uLder my feet ever since, as it did under those Of
the Rev Mr.. Balquidder, when he preached before
the Lord High Commissioner and the General AS
sembly at Edinburgh
Your types made rather funny blunder in my
last letter Instead of saying that one who played
at bowls (that was the sense OF it) must look OUT
for ruGJcYs they made it rappers as If were threat
eDing to WELD the thunders OF spiritual artillery AS
/ carefully keep out of the way OF all such mani
festatons, for reasons l have candidly given and
need not repeat, know nothing Of the state OF the
spiritual market from my own observation. The
report Of the eminent SarantS who undertook to de-
eide whether the sprits had earned the 5OO offered
by The Courier, to stimulate their industry, pro-
dueed no effect on believers or unbelevers because,
khap iu1U fbau
what was not before them. 1t is a very significant
fact that the picked mediums of the country were
unable to do any of their sprting in the presence OF
sbreWd scientific observers, like those composing
that Committee, and it is one that must have much
weight with unpreudiced and impartial minds.
But it would have had much more effect, 1t seems
to me- lift had been simply stated with the conclu-
sion that the prize had not been earned When
they proceeded further to infer that all spiritual
manifestations, everywhere, were humbugs, and to
warn men against the whole thing as dcision,
common people could see the gulf which yawned
between the premises and the conclusion. Because
these attempts were failures and these mediums
impostors. ron constat that AL, everywhere, are
either the one or the other. And people were glad
enough TO find themselves match III logic Tor men
so unapproachaby their superiors In other sciences
l understand the Sprituaisis have THIS theory
to account for the failure. AS 1h'
Courier mad offered the prize, of course /
was entitled to be present. Now, am told that
those best versed 10 these reconcile matters attrn
that it were not reasonable to expect that any
amount of spirt-power should Lift table with the
dead weight of that diurnal superintendent upon It,
There is degree of ris inertia which not all the
heavenly host, reinforced by forced levy OF able
bodied devils, could be expected to overcome. II
is very true that great while ago the angels did
"--- turn asksnce
The poles Of the earth vice ten degrees and more
From the suns axle !"
but il must be remembered that The Courier had
not then been established. Still, desire it to be
understood that / express no opinion in question
of such delicacy No theory of this kind should be
| received as certain unless supported by repeated
| observations and well-asCcrtained facts.
/ have variety of other things to say touching
| msttors ,pri,ual md temporal: among them SOME