Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-08-03
COMMENCEMENT AT A L

GOMMENGEMEkT Al YALE.
Especial correspondence of the Cleveland LEADER.l
NEW HAVEN, CoNN, July &c, 1866.
I will again write you a few words.
The State of Connecticut, although char
aeterized in her past political record with
some degree of insigni1eance, has been
foremost during her whole history in zeal
in the cause of education. For over n
hundred and sixty years her Yale has been
a power to the land. The sons of this
noble institution have filed the highest
positions of Church and State. The
stranger on entering New Haven will not
be long in finding what part Of the " Elm
City contains the great fountains which
have watered so long the parched places.
Fastening through the streets arched over
with the branches of the Elms, msjestic
with their venerable age, you are on the
College grounds and in full view of the
College buildings. Fourteen buildings are
now used on the College grounds for
school purposes. They stand intwo rows.
The buildings in the front row are old and
are showing in a marked manner the
wear of time. In the other row the build
ings are mostly new and in the posses
sion CT al the taste and elegance of mod
ern architecture. The Library building
contains s~eyenty-iiye thousand volumes.
UNL. n--1.-..-T - ATs--u1,-s- n.lSno4
is one of the finest in the world. The
time was when Prof. Silliman carried all
the specimens Of Yale College 10 Phila-
Gelphia in a candle box for arrangement
and classification. No one should leave
New Haven without visiting Trumbull
Gallery. Under the Gallery repose the
remains of the great artist of the revolu-
ton. Above his grave are his original
paintings. There can be no better arrange
ment to perpetuate the name of Trumbull
than the delineations which his brush has
left.
The exercises OF commencement week
at Yale have been fully described by the
newspapers. But a country lad has the
boldness to give in his mite of testimony.
l attended the concert given by the Yale
Glee Club and Beethoven Society. The
young men sung good pieces and had
fine voices, but 1t wasa4no-t rnpessfble4e
understand the words of their songs.
Most Of the musical people nowadays
might as well sing in Latin or German as
in the language they pretend to use. Per-
haps it is thought by the masters of the
musical art that it makes no difference
whether they are understood or not as
long as they only sing The great beauty
Of the singing of Phillips, the Methodist
singer, consists a great deal in the fact
that what be sings is clearly understood.
His Emission" would not electrlfy au-
diences if he did not pronounce his words
distinctly. The Yale Glee Club starts
soon for the White Mountains to give
concerts. The Hon. A. D. White, of
Syracuse, New York, delivered an adj
dress before the Phi Delta Kappa Society.
His address was made up of historical
proofs collected from the past records of
Spain, Italy, Poland and France to es-
tablish the the thesis that an aristocracy
is the most powerful foe to government.
The corollary was dedueed that the only
wsy TO crush ~sristocraey Is to raise the
lower classes. Although no illusions
were made to our country. yet the hearer
could readily make his own applications.
The homily was indeed appropriate for
ourtimes. The significance ofeommence-
ment week at Yale is made Up of the
gathering of the Alumni of the College.
They come from every part of the land.
These graduates do not come yearly to
Yale to hear the Commencement class
programme. The same old commencement
day tune is sung at Yale as elsewhere.
The graduating class come on to the ros-
trum with the usual style of oratlons.
The gestures are all worked by machinery.
The Alumni come to Yale for the pur-
pose Of holding their grand reunions and
seasons of festivity. They leave the care
of their professional life and pitch their
tents on the College campus, ana feast,
song and conversation and toasts while
away the hours. General Sherman
at, Dartmouth remarked that the
American people did not hold
enough social meetings. He also added
that if our Congress would lay aside often
their fiery debate and have a reunion over
a dinner-table, the people would be the
gamers. On Commencement Day in New
Haven the alumni are the chief actors.
The church's best seats are given to the
alumni. The students of the College may
on after the procession Of the
alumni, and do the best they can in get
ting seats. The ladies who are relatives
and friends of the members Of the gradua-
ting class sit on the rostrum, while the
rest of their sex are seated in the gallery.
l must confess that l have heard as good
commencement addresses at western COM
mencements as l have heard in New Ha-
ven.
l will give the titles of some of the
familiar and highly instructive pieces of
music which graced the exercises IA
vOrita,n "Romanira," ala Muette .di
Portici,n "Donaulieder, "Nachtlager in
Granada" Your uncultivated correspond
ent would rather hear such songs as Rally
around the Flag" Hail Columbia and
+" Yankee Doodle, worn out as they may
appear, than many pieces SO beyond the
comprehension of the common people.
The talk in every part of the East of
course is graced by that delightful sound
of the letter ar.7 They make dictionaries
out this way, and it is a pity that their
authority in pronunciation is so violated.
l neyah can enduah this wah against
propah pronunciation of wohds. I would
rathsh read the papah, or be shut up in
some chambah. Some Of ouah western
people an trying to adopt this ali sound,
thinking the way ouah fathahs and
mothahs talked was sl wrong.
B. ]. Il.
Increasing the Salaries.
4"