Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-08-17
Commencement AT Middlebury.
MIpLLERuRy, Aug, 9, 1863

ciety occurred yesterday afternoon IN the
Congregational Church, and were as lol-
lows
Music by the Band.
Prayer by the Rev. DIR. Stone, OF Con-
cord, N. II.
Music again by the Band. /
Address by the Rev. Dr. Adams oil
Philadelphia.
The speaker announced as his SUBJECT
"Man and his Relations"
To define man would exhaust history.
In one view he is a helpless infant,
frail, shadowy, sickly, dying creature
but in his better nature he is Intellect
capable of indefinite improvement.
Some Of the distinguishing character
istics of man are his erect position,
facial angle cerebral deyelopment,power
of speech, voice, reason, benevolence
and religion. Some one had said that
the great difference between monkey
and a man was that the latter could
strike a light, meaning probably that he
could bring the element Of fire under
his control, and make it contribute to
his comfort and convenience. But the
Grand distinction is to be found in his
religious nature. His hands are most
appropriately employed in presenting
oblations his lips in uttering words
of prayer, and his Bonded knees and
closed ewes in attitudes Of devotion.
Man sits at the apex Of the living
pyramid, and more servants wait on
him than he will take notice Of. These
things being so, he is under the highest
obligations to attain to his full stature
of excellence-and the speaker proceed
ed to consider some Of the requisites to
a complete manhood. The first is
healthy frame. The lower must be in
harmony with the higher But perfect
manhood demands mind. 1t is this
which allies him to divinity, Mind
rules matter. Other requisites insisted
on were q good conscience, iargeness OF
desire to be good,-a man may be as
good as he desires to be,-a great heart
', and noble and holy affections firm and
sanctifed will. No greatness was ever
, attained without antagonism, and full
= faith in the final reward ,and the Re-
warder
=, The speaker maintained that what NJ
> had shawdowed forth was not mert
u ideal humanity; but it was, or might b.
. made, fact. Our true greatness, how
=, Il ever, lies in this, that we can work.
Il From the fact that man is a reasoning
and religious being, we conclude tina
Il the development theory, as taught b
'o Darwin and others, is untenable. In
= deed we might reasonably conclud
> that if, according to that theory, l
y would require a good many hundre
:. thousand years for perfect man to b
~ developed from an oyster the Create
&c vould dauiea snne more expeditions an
- philosophical process.
~ It is evident. however, that man q
- present is fallen being. He is belo'
=, both what the record shows him ono
II to have been and what our ideal cor
}, ceptions require him TO be. He cannC
VI now be said to be every good
- If we were to contemplate the run
az, IT of magnificent temple, its broke
III arches, crumbling columns and capita
q resting upon pedestals or a dome upc
r the foundation, we should at once CO.
VI clude that the scene before us did NJ
fulfill the record of the ancient buildin
or answer our ideal conception Of
~, faultless structure.
~ The subject teaches that that chur'
- cannot be best for man which narroH
~ the intellect and cultivates only b
+or Msthetical nature.
w. When and where has the Catho
$3.50 Church developed humanity symmet
al cally and fully
NM The subject also teaches the unity
-, the race Anatomy does indeed pro
49, that God made of one blood all the
tons of the earth. Perhaps the regal
more conspicuous in the descendants
CHI Japhet, and the slavic in those Of Hal
inf but we are taught from our subject Il
the all are to be elevated by one and
nm. same process irrespective Of nation
wo color, and admitted to the same rig
lies of manhood. If even the Indian, "
the is inclined to turn his back upon civ
ort cation, is allowed to exercise the ri!
ort of suffrage, who shall say that
nth African who yearns after civilizat
shall be deprived Of the same rigl
(Applause.)
ellis Your work, young men,lis not only
ing, impart collegiate culture to others,
ms, to give your whole life to the cause
human improvement.
% The address was an elaborate
sity scholarly production, and was liste
d at to with marked appreciation by a Ia
|. of and appreciative audience.
)uth PARKRRIAN PRIZE SPEAKING,
sup In the evening the "Parkerian P.
SER Speaking" took place. Long before
appointed hour the Westinghouse
| a crowded tn its utmost capacity. no