The Portland daily press., 1862-08-07
Grafton before the Literary Societies,
BOvdOin College.

BOWdOin COlieges
Tuesday afternoon, in the Congregational
Church at Brunswick, the annual Grafton was
delivered before the College Literary Socie-
ties by HENRY F. DURANT, Esq, of Boston,
the former law partner of Hon. Rufus Choate.
Mr.. ID. is one of the finest looking men that
the occasion has brought out, and he speaks
with remarkable fluency, in a clear, ringing
voice, uses language of most exquisite beauty,
and illustrates his points by figures and SMILES
of surprising taste and elegance. His subject
was "The Mission of the American Scholar
kindred to'the Grafton of Mr.. Manning, in the
morning, in perfect harmony with it, and yet
the orator travelled in an entirely different
path. Mr.. ID. referred to the sneers of English
writers of the Sidney Smith school, that
America has no scholars, and the sarcasm
with which he hurled back the ineffably mean
and bombastic taunt, was a caution to all John
most uproarous applause.
The Grafton was an argument for the educa-
ton OF the masses; noble vindication of the
honest poor; and every poor boy before him
must have felt inspired with feelings of noble
purpose and resolves Of high aim to realize all
that the brilliant speaker contended was pos
sible for the American boy. As every child is
a possible angel, so, he contended, every
American boy is possible scholar, statesman,
philosopher and man OF distinction. II we
are correctly informed this fine specimen of
the Boston Lawyer, with a practice worth
$4,000 a year, Is a noble illustration Of his
own argument, having himself, by his own in
domitable viii and energies, battled down all
opposition, and risen from obscurity to emf
nence. This. at any rate, is one Of New Eng
lands peculiar" institutions. The Grafton
was marked by an Intensified feeling, border
ing closely upon hate, against all English i'm
portations, whether intellectual or material,
and he commended taai the scholar should la
Dor TO achieve for our country new declara-
ton Of Independence from the dominating
control Of English idea and modes Of thought,
which recognize only the aristocracy and no.
bility. while the poor are overlooked and for
gotten.
CONCERT BY THE GERMASIASs.
The annual evening concert, given by the
Germania Band, under the auspices OF the
Graduating Class. was a perfect success in all
respects. OF the first importance in its telling
effect upon the receipts of the occasion, was
the site Of the audience, which crowded the
spacious house in every part,-nave. transepts,
galleries and even the aisles, which were filed
up with temporary seats.
While all the ~ tvara wall suStainad II
may seem invidious TO particularize, but at the
risk of being thought invidious we cannot
avoid mentioning few of the pieces which
were received with peculiar satisfaction by the
audience, and called forth the most generous
applause. Song without words was of this
character, so, too, Concert Waltz-"Dream
on the Ocean, by Gungl The German song,
"The two Grenadiers," by Mrs. Jenny Kemp
ton-formerly Miss Jenny Twitchell-took the
audience by storm, and was encored with the
greatest earnestness. The Solo on the Flute
by Zohler, was particularly fine in its tones
and wonderful in its execution. The Evening
Serenade was not without merit That which
carried all by storm, however, was the closing
piece" National Potpourrin-a medley
made up from all our best national airs, by the
whole Band. We are told that it was deemed
prudent, after the close of the concert, to ex-
anime the rafters and roof of the church gem
orally, to see that no damage had been sus-
tanned by the wild and uproarous cheers and
applause with which the closing piece was
greeted. We do not avouch for the truth of
this report, but we do aver that the architect
ural strength Of the edifce was found adequate
to the occasion.