Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1866-08-03

martyrs. The church will do its part. Woe
to the scholars if they fail to discharge their
duty in a time like this
Tie Discourse closed with the following
address to the graduating class, who rose to
receive it.
GESTLENiX OF THE GRADUATING CLASS
Called upon TO address to You, IN behalf
Of your in Tractors, few words suitable to
this occasion, / cannot resist the inclination,
first Of all, to congratulate you that kind
Providence. srpcrintending your plans, and
blessing your fidelity, has brought you TO
this day. The retrospect Of the tour years Of
CDilcgs life. must, IL your case, be very
pecliIar one. While it brings up before
You many scenes to which you mus always
look lack with delight and enthusiasm, It
must always c-oss many dark lines Of private
aud public sorrow woven inseparably into
your memories lf this eventful period You
entered Coll e az the close OF that mcmor-
able sumner Of '62-the deepest lriTfer OF
our ci.c5ni,nt ard dismay a. a Veuple-iew-
or IA Humh,r than aEy class which had en-
tered Tor thirty YEAR,. Some of even that
small uurn'Cr hurried Immediately away to
I'll up the hanks that had been 80 fearfullY
tHI2u,d hy disease and battle during that
i-tai campaign around Richmond others
stIil followed them At a later period OF your
course. The tninness Of your own ranks
speaks of the great need Of the country al
thar critical time, and the responsive patrI-
otsm OF the young men o. Vermont 9th
er mlsiortuEes also have bciallei YOU n
class. TIE Cmharrassmeuts to which the
University has been subjected, have had their
d prt-siEs effect upon You as upon u all
Men Oi lee consistency than you might have
been induced 10 abandon post boset with
80 many discouragcments. That You did not
yield 10 these dlshearteBing circumstances,
that you went bravely on, and kept the sue
oc-sion Of classes upbroken, entities you to
tie thanks OF every friend the University.
iTe trust that it has not been to your own
l.ss that you Aaye done 50. None the less
have you deserved well OF your Alma Mater.
And now | congratulate you that you 90 not
leave the institution without seeing it again
in the way to prosperity-or without having
earned the right to rejoice in that pros
ptrity.
Gentlemen, have chosen az the theme on
which 10 base few closing words of coun-
eel, one which know Is old and trite, but
one whose tritcnCss cinnOt detract from his
exceedins importance. Christian scholar
ship has work to DO IN this and the COM
! ing generation such as it never had before.
The general diffusion of partial and super
/ ficlal knowledge in our times, has tended to
multiply smatterors and sciOlists-tO foster
| plausible fallacies, and to discourage the
enumeration of such truths as are too lofty
and too severe to suit the public taste. To
/ You, and such as you, society mist look for
the only corrective of this tendency-sOund
scholarship deyoting itself patiently and
| kindly t. the work Of unmasking plausible
errors and Of recommending truth. i large
| part OF the work of the scholar among men
/ consists in making intilligible to the gener-
al mind. truths that are not obevIOus and
! do not commend Themselves 10 the superficial
| thinker There is also, at this time,
| strong tendency toward Speaahies in schol-
arship. Led on by enthusiastic love for some
! particular branch Of learning. men are
/ eagerly pushing their inquiries far and deep
into every department OF the realms Of ma
ture and spirit. This style Of scholarship
has enriched, to q wonderful degree. our
knowledge in those several departments, but
It has also Ontailed upon Us a vast amount
OF oxtraiudicial doglnatism resulting from
an inability or an unwilllngness 10 recoe-
nize the true limits and relations of the va
rI0us sections and sub-sections of knowledge
Il Is 10 uncommon thing 10 ses those who
are cautious and logical within the proper
limits of their specially, suddenly become
dogmatic on the one side. and crodulous on
the other, while pushing their deductions
INTO other and remote fields Of inquiry.
Great mischief may result from this per
verse tendency It il be not counteracted by
those who, like yOu, have surveyed, even
though 1t be 81 a distance and imperiectly,
the whole circle Of tie sciences, and before
whose minds they all lie mapped out, each
within Its own limits, and in its true rela-
tons TO all the rest.
Such Is a meugre outline Of the work 10
which you are called as scholars in society.
Ii matters not SO much by what profession
you determine to glorify God and serve men:
your work as scholars Will be much the Same
IN all. From that work You may not ex-
cue yourselves. TO become absorbed in some
selfish pursuit Of gain or POSITION. That
YOU must leave TO men to do If they will
who have not contracted your Obligations.
by accepting the responsibility OF a liberal
education at the hands of society and Of the
church, you have pledged yours, Ives to serve
God m and through them. The five talents
are now IN your hands. You have accepted
them with all the high duties and tae
weighty obligations which they involve.
W hen lie whose servants you are, c0meth TO
reckon with you, may you all be able to say,
''LJrd, thou deliyeredst unto me lvetalents:
behold have camel b siO, : them five talents
more / have ADDED 10 the sum of human
knowledge: | have disseminated truth !
have overcome error ! have defended the
church against hsr enemies | have glorIfed
thee On the earth ; | have finished the work
Thou gayest me to do
The fine sermon Of which We have indi-
Gated the .eadIpg points. was marked by the
lucid thought, clear expression, high and
scholarly tone, anu earnest spirit which arc
wont to characterize Prot. Buckhsm's dis
courses-and was one of his best efforts.
Owing nothing TO rhetorical display or the
arts of oratory, it impress cd deeply by its
power OF thought and simple felicity Of
expression. And the address to the class.
simple and unadoTned. as our readers see.
was yet one Of the most touching and efcc-
tive ones that We remember.
The fine music Of the occasion was furn-
isbed by the combined choirs Of the First
Congregational and Unitarian churches, Mr..
Proctor PRECEDING at the organ. The church
was crowded with an intelligent and inter
ostcd audience.
The Society of Religious Inquiry.
The annual celebration of the Society for
Religious Inquiry was held as usual on Sun
10 ,r,v--rr a..