The Oxford falcon. [volume] (Oxford, Miss.) 1865-18??, 1866-08-09

when be Is summoned into tho pre-.
sence Of the Omniscient Judge.
The time may soon come when my
official connection with This u niversi-
" shall cease, and when 1 shall be
mo longer the citizen Of State
amongst whose people / have lived
for a quarter Of century, and the
remarks that lam row making NAV
perhaps be regarded as valedictory.
But should this view occur, --ceLuyn,
nou Gninsuns, nsutdbo: and never shall
] cease to cherish an earnest and affec-
Tomato interest in your welfare. my
young friends. and in the welfare of
an institution with which l have been
so long and SO Intimately con-
neCted; and never, till life's last
pulses beat, shall Z or can I forget
the tender associations and strong at
tachments which bind me to a State
10 which SO much Of my youth and
manhood have been passed.
Gentlemen of the Board of Trus-
tees, sad indeed will be the. hour
that shall separate me from you with
whom l have been so long officially
associated. That official life, ex-
tending through period Of perhaps
some fifteen years, has been TO me-
and believe to all of US. one of un-
alleged satisfaction. and is, and ever
will be, fragrant with the most pleas
ant memories. In all of our delib-
erations, differing as we often did in
opinion, | remember not q solitary
departure from an elevated and
chlyalrous courtesy in debate, nor a
single incident to mar our fraternal
fellowship. Of the mesure of sue.
cess that resulted from those deliber-
atoms, it becomes not US TO speak.
We have each of US, however, with.
IN our own breast, the assurance that
we have been animated by an affec-
tiOnate devotion to the interests of this
institution, and have labored with an
eye single to its welfare, and il is
no mean tribute to our zeal and per,
severance that 1t stands to-day the
pride and boast of the State, second
to none with reference to its equip
ments and its capacity for useful,
ness, which were of SO rare a char.
acter as to excite the wonder and ad.
miralion Of the invading foe, and t.
stay the uplifted hand of war whose
fury spared but little else. Those
happy reunions which we have beer
accustomed to look forward in pleas
ing anticipation as golden hours
snatched from the jarring scenes o.
life, will occur to some of US perhaps
no more-but the recollection of then
will survive, and ties that have beer
there cemented will be severed only
by death.
IL Upon you, gentlemen of the FacuI
: ty, it must for the most part depend
as to the extent to which the capaci
ty for usefulness possessed by thi
University shall be made available il
the instruction Of our youth. TIL
position which you occupy here is on
of pre-eminent dignity and response
bility, for whilst the shallow and con
ceited pedagogue may properly con
tinue to DO an object of derision an
merriment, the vocation of The teach
er, in the proper accepta,ion of III
J word, has gained largely upon til
public favor, and is justly regarded a
one alike honorable and beneficien
To be entrusted with the cuItur
) and development of an immorts
: mind-to inscribe characters upo
the blank page of nature tharcan ney
or be efaced,-to be Instrumental
: the formation of habits that mu,
: make or mar the destiny for time an
T for eternity,-Io be placed in a pos
J. ton 10 shape the future of those al
}; on whom the welfare of ccmmunitit
g or the fate of nations may depen
; surely this IS mission grand al
e holy, requiring rare endowments
n head and heart.
P TO show that you are capable
J. governing others by FIRST governir
le yourselves,-tO administer discipIir
g. with frmness and yet without harsl
l. ness,-to blend suaviiy of name
I" with dignity of department, so as
II invite confidence and freedom of i
~ tercourses and yet to repress fami
lie arity,-to inspire youth with r
IS spect for your capacity to impart il
1t struction, and with confidence id Me
Is capacity to receive ito disciplil
the moral as well as the intellect
a faculties by fostering q love Of tho
~ manly virtues that exaIt and enob
D. our nature,-to teach the Gre
le Author of our being,-in short,
is point to brighter worlds, and lei
IN the way"-lhese are some of Il
a. qualities and qualifications, the d
as ties and responsibilities, pertaining
ii the Office of instructor of youth.
e Il was because of your suppos
8 fitness for the positions you occup
that you, gentlemen, were select
by the Board for your respect
chairs. Il is due, however, both
re yourselves and the Board to sta
ut that although producing the mt
lg honorable testimonials Of charact
~ and scholarship, some Of you we kne
Ct were comparatively inexperienced
le the particular department TO viii
nr von v,aro 'assionad and vua Rnau e.,