Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-06-12

heretofore the entry into the Chapel has
| been made in profound silence.
| The subject matter of the Grafton was
the science of Government. This is Meth
er the time nor the place to enter into an
| elaborate criticism of an essay upon such
a subject Is is sufficient, that during the
whole hour of its delivery a pin almost
might have been heard to fall, SO great was
the desire, SO perfect the attention paid to
the distinguished stranger by both old and
young. When it is remembered that a
goodly part of the audience was composed
of the young people, this fact affords the
most convincing proof of the Difference
paid to the speaker and the interest he
threw around a subject ordinarily SO little
attractive to people solely on pleasure bent.
Again, as the Governor retired from the
Hall the audience rose to their feet and
remained standing as he passed out, and
the old walls almost trembled with the re-
verberatious of such shouts as were new
er before heard there. Indeed, wherever
he went his greeting was most unmistaka-
ble
In the afternoon the sermon before the
graduating class was preached by the Rev
r. S. Moran. The subject was difficult,
abstruse and most metaphysical. I have
uo oOupb IL WAS eAceeulHSly c'edr anu 1u-
minous, and suggestive to those who I'M
derstood it. I hear that Gov. Graham
speaks in high terms of it. I have no
doubt the questions discussed were treated
in a most mastery and scholarly manner;
but as [ know nothing in the world about
such things, and never expect to know
anything, L cannot pretend to give any
opinion save that [ expect Gov. Graham
ard Mr.. Moran know all about it.
The competitors from the Sophomore
class spoke as follows:
The Evil Of Infidelity, PHILLIPS.
w. JAMES MCKAY,
Harnett county.
IfmME1r.
HENRY 1T. SHAW,
Currituck county.
Radical Reform, PHI LIPS
WILLIAM BUCHANAN,
Richmond county.
GEORGE t. WINSTON.
Windsor
Union of England and Scotland, BELHAvEN
REUBEN G. SHORTER.
Alabama
Defence of the Irish Church, PHILLIPS.
JOHN W. PHILLIPS,
Edgecombe county.
Clarence's Dream, SHAKESPEARE,
CHARLES E. w FnEscH,
DemOsthenes Denounced, AEsCHINEs
EDGAR LEARY,
Ok ord.
On the Crisis, WILKINSON.
CHARLES A. REYNOLDS,
Leaksvile.
The Men of the Ranks WISE.
NELSON NJ. FEREBEE,
Camden county.
The United States, Brown.
JOSEPH K. RANKIN,
Lenoir.
Andrew Johnson, GRoEsBECK.
JAMES B. YELLowLEY,
Your townsman, Mr.. French, may be
fairly said to have borne off the palm-his
elocution was indeed very fine. OF these
gentlemen the last six acquitted themselves
very handsomely, and constituted the best
division of disclaimers [ have heard this
week. Gov. Seymour says ne has fire.
quently been one Of committee to award
the prize for defamation at Yale and
other colleges, but had never witnessed an
exhibition of equal merit with this. He
remarked that there were no angular jes-
lures nor stiff postures nor false enuncia
ton, and generally no bad cadences. This
high praise from such high authority is
complimentary in view of the
fact that the young gentlemen have re-
ceived only very limited instruction in elo-
cution.
On Thursday the exercises were conduc-
ted as follows:
III. oRATIoN-LArIN sALUTAToRY.
William H. S. Burgwyn, Northampton county
~. oRATIoN.-THE FALL OF FORT FIsH7H.
D. Edwin Purcell, Robson cOun. :.
V. ORATIoN.-PRo PATRIA.
Eugene MOrehead Greensboroueh.
VI OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, NOT SWORDS,
RULE THE WORLD.
Charles Fetter. Chapel Hill.
oRATIoN.-ANDREw JACKSON.
w. Clarence Jones, Alabama.
VIII. ORATION. -PETER THE GREAT
Augustus W. Graham Hillsborough.
TX. neutrality-suspicious. OF THE REFORMATION.
William D. Homer, Granville county.
" CRATIoN.-ORANGE COUNTY.
Ike Il. Strayhorn, Hillsborough.
AFTERNOON.
l.. oRATION.-DIE MATCHT DER musk,
James w. Harper, Lenoir county.
II. ORATION.-POIAND
Paul Barringer Means, Cabarrus county.
III OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES AND THE UNION,
William S. Pearson, Morganton.
". ANNUAL REPORT
" DEGREES CONFERRED.
vi. VALEDICToRY GRAFTON.
Fabius haywood Husbec, Raleigh
In the Junior class the first honor was
awarded to Messrs. Basbee, Burgwyn and
Morehead the second, to Messrs. Harper,
Pearson and Graham the third to the re-
naming speakers. 1t need not be said to
those who know the gentlemen, that the
Salutatory and Valedictory were good
never better. The Latin had q smooth