The weekly sun. (New York [N.Y.]) 1851-1869, 1861-07-13
CITY NEWS.

ST. Francis XAvIER'G CoLLKGK.-ELK-
vKSTH ANNUAL CoMMES CEMENT.-St. Fran
els Xavisr's College, situated at No. 40 West
Fifteenth street, held its eleventh annual COM
msnosment yesterday, at the institution. This
10 th, first year Of St. Xavier's as University.
Its pupns this year numbsr 26s, sixty o, VIII ON
Ars in the university course, and the others in
the preparatory and classical cl asses. Rev. j.
DuRTHAILKR is President and Pref,c. Of
Studies, and the Rev ii. GLAcKMErER Ia Vice.
President Cbisf DisciplinariAn, Professor of
Logic, Metaphysics aud Ethics. The other
members q the faculty arc eminent In their
several rtfessiors. With but a fsw sxcsp-
dons the faculty are mombSrs Of the Society Of
Jesw.
The enhancement exercises were hhd In
the play ground Of ihs college. Seas ware
placed for ab, u a thousand spectators, but be-
fore ths exercises began thsse were crowded,
ard even the aislss between then AID the yard
beyond, were filed with spectators. Facing
the spectators, large slopns platform had
bean erected for tina speakers, q portion Of the
classes ar d the faculty, at this back Of which,
en- the wall OF the building, crinson hanging
were arranged in the form OF an arch. Over
the centre OF the arch appeared the coat OF
trns Of the Pope, on one side those Of the
Archbishop and the ether the eyphsr, l. II.
8 while In the centre, on 4 white shield,
bound with wreath Of leaves, was emblazon-
cd the seal OF the college, cross supported
by scroll and pen and surrounded by laur-
a wreath. Eost Raw. Archbishop HUaHEs,
Raw. Bishop SPNosA, Rev. Fathers STARR
and CUMMINGS, and a number Of other i'm
portant functIonAriss In the Catholic Church,
occupied seats before the platform.
At hslf-paSt three O'Clock, exercises COM
msnc,d with tss performance by Knowles
Band of the overture to ''SemlrAmidA
Mr.. JAMES J. MoBIAKrr then delivered an
able discourse on 'Ths iAautnSe Of the PIpAsy
on Civil Liberty"
At the Close Of the discourse, singing elass
Of tho college gave, very effectively, the
chorus 'IJunO della Vittoia," from Bsllza-
rio, Mr.. BFBoK singing the solo.
Mr.. d. Z. McSwsHsEY nsx, spoke, on "Ths
Indsbtedn.ss Of the Orator 10 History" A
second chOrss from "LucrsziI Borgis" was
even better p,rfoimsd than the frat.
Mr.. JAMhs IL. McGEAS delivered the vale
dlCtOty address, taking for his subject, Gre
ligion the Safeguard Of Nation" This
was decidedly the best of the day. He as
sumed the greatest age Of any nation to be
that in which religion was most firmly
fixed in the hearts Of its people aud
as proof he cited the nations Of an
tiquity, which, having risen to great seeming
power aud wealth rapidly declined until now
they exit only in mans, simply because they
were without the elements OF psrmAnen %,
virtue, morality and religion. At later day
the French revolution Is another instance. In
IL, nation was In few years from being in
the first rank Of European powers, plunged
into civil war and rain whtr, the innocent and
noble we're doomed and msrtyrsd by thou
sands ard the ration degraded, because they
hAd no religion, no faith In ought higher than
political expectancy. Tho closing portion OF
tho address Wss directed to the graduating