The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1859-06-14
For the Festern Democrat.

Mr. McRae's Address- College Erercises-Re-
ccptiom of the President Of tile U.S-Speeches
of En- Coz S.cain and Wr Buchandm-Dr.
UooDer's Ado1rcss, etc, etc:
UNIVERSITY, N. c., June 1, 1859.
This was the day set apart for the Anniversary
Address before the two Literary Societies, and
for the Address before the Association of Alumni
of the College-the former of which was delivered
by ID. K. McRae, Esq, Of Newbern, and the
latter by the Rev Dr. Hooper.
Mr. McRaes Grafton, if we consider the power
and force of the thoughts which it contained, its
beauties Of description, and its refined and polish
ed language, has never been surpassed by any SINH
lar Grafton heretofore delivered at the University.
Young Gentlemen, said he, now in the very
elysium of youthful manhood, hope spreads out
her attractions before you, but while you listen to
the melody of her song, do not yield to her spccous
Establishments; you must look at the dark noun
tains with their craggy cliffs lest you stumble and
fall, and be irretreyably lost. Full many noble
Argosy leaves the harbor with prosperous gales,
and favorable prospect of highly favorable voy-
age, but in a short time returns into port shape
less mass of ruins. lie then alluded to the grafton
of Judge Castor, delivered on an occasion similar
to that on which we were assembled, in which he
endeavored to weaken the Shakesperian dogma,
that There is tide in the affairs Of men, which,
taken at the flow, leads on to fortune" and to es-
tablish the great truth, that "every man is the
architect of his own fortune" NV object in ad-
dressing you at this time, said ne, is to prove and
illustrate the truth, that men Of talents, or, in
other words, Of perseverance, have accomplished
nearly all that is great and good, and therefore
useful to the country, while men Of genius have
done very little. Take, for example, Demosthenes
and the Corsican, Il mean the great Napoleon
neither of whom were men of genius; but they
wera Of and,
OF the Corsican, he said, the same feet that
pressed the bridge at Lodi, walked on the bloody
field at Austerlitz, and trod upon the barren soil of
ST. Helena. Who, he asked was Homer?
know, said he, run contrary to the received opin
ion, when | say Homer was not a genus-I mean
earth-born genius, which, like the brain of Jupi-
ter sends forth its conceptions full grown into the
world but by application and study. What Shak-
speare and Dante were combined, Michael Angelo
was alone; all that was necessary to rouse the
lion couchant into the lion rampant. Raphael was
the pupil of Michael Angelo, but the connosseur
will prefer the works of the former to those of the
latter. Amid the looms of Genoa, in the 18th
century, sat youth who, while employed at his
daily task was, in thought, weaving the web of his
own destiny This youth was CHRISTOPHER Column
bus, who, at the early age Of fourteen had already
prosecuted and accomplished many stormy but
successful voyages at sea- When Columbus ad-
vanced his theories to prove that the world is
round, St. Augustine, and the other most eminent
ltcrati of the age, rdculed the idea that West
ern Continent could be discovered by sailing East;
Father Augustine declared the assertion an I'M
pious one, and many others said it was not true:
for if the world were round the inhabitants would
be rolling off, and would all be destroyed But
Columbus, who gave to mankind new world, was
of talents, not of genius On certain night
in the remote history of the past rotous COM
pany of young men in Germany were engaged in
copiously imbibing wine, and consequently in rev.
ery and its attending vices, when suddenly one of
them arose in the midst of his jovial companions,
abjured secular life forever, and expressed his de-
termination to become a monk. That young man
was Martin Luther, who Immediately after an
nouncing his fixed purpose, knocked at and was
received in the monastery; and that night was
admitted into what was called the "Hoy Order of
Monks, the masterspirit who was afterwards called
"The great Reformer," and who shook the Pope
dom to its centre throughout the civilized world
Yet Luther was not genius but he could COM
mand genius; for this son of an humble miner, in
extreme poverty, to the enviable position in
which the civilized world conferred upon him the
name of 1.-The great Reformer."
On another great occasion in the history of the
past, the embattled hosts of Rome and Carthage
were assembled, front to front, to engage in a
deadly conflict, the result of which would subject
one GIleSG TWO powers OF the earth
dominion of the other. The Roman General.
Scpio, is described by the historian as possessing
manly beauty; but, also, having spirit of lndonl-
liable energy and frmness. The General of the
forces Of Carthage was Hannibal who was sturdy,
noble, bold, covered with wounds which he had
received in many well-fought battle. They were
opposed to each other Talents triumphed and
the Romans were victorious, Africa was conquered
and Carthage destroyed. | might here refer
to Sheridan and Fox, to Pitt and Burke; all of
whom are noble examples illustrating the truth of
my proposition, and especially Burke, who had less
genius but more talents, and was more useful to
his country than any ofthem. But coming near
er home, | mi ght refer to and enlarge upon the
great services rendered to his country by our noble
Washington And last in the order of time but
neither last least in the usefulness of the great
and important services which he rendered to his
country, was Lieut.. Gen. Winfield Scott Wash
ington and Scott were not men of genius; but men
of such great talents that they could command
genius. But time would fall and might weary
your patience in attempting to mention ALL
A few words with regard to internal improve
ments: Gas-lights should be hung all around the
walls of Congress, except on the seats of members
Roads should be made every where free of stumps
and runners; and Railroads should be constructed
promiscuously across and through them With the
permission of my auditory and especially the fair
part of it, would Ike to make a remark or two on
politics. Let US not take land upon the Rob-Roy
principle that "migh makes right" and hear it
tauntingly saidapfus nation:
''The good old rule suficeth them the plan