The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-09-15
ADDRESS
j. p r B O YD
Superintendent La. State Seminary,

p r B o I'd
Superintendent La, 4 State Seminary
10 e'-'sa eia TO THE 20 a
GRAD UdZZJlrG acZaS,s,
| DELIVERED JUNE 3orn, 1869.
Young Gentlemen Of the Graduating
Glass: ~ fF'e .i
Before you receive your diplomas,
wish to say a few words regarding TIL,
Institution and yourselves. -,
The Seminary has had a nominal cx.
lstence for long time, having been
opened for the reception of students in
January, 1860. For two years it had
progressed with signal success, when
the late unfortunate, war, so disastrous
to the best interests of, the country
came near destroying the Institution
is exercises We're suspended, and its
officers and cadets generally took part,
on the one side or the other, of the
mighty contest. The first, Superinten-
dent become, one of the great captains
OF the age, and, as u reward for his
brilliant services, now commands the
armies of the Union; while the accom-
plished tcommandant and several ca
diets fill the bloody graves of brave
Contederates. ga fii a4 5 r .sT =
During the war a few devoted
professors tried, under great disadvar-
tages,H to revive the school ;ebut it's
doors were again soon closed; and
then you would have thought that in
the surging to and fro of the terrible
conflict along the valley of the Red
River, the Institution first within tho
lines of Que army and thenof the other.
its buildings and material pillaged
alike by BOTH tho vital spark of the
Seminary had been extingnishcd for
ever. Not so, however. At the close
OF hostiiities, another attempt was
made at organization, when you, young
gentlemen, enrolled yourselves as ca
diets. But the trials of the Institution
did not end with the war;. You have
seen it pass through the severe ordeal
of poverty and neglect, dpe in part to
tho destruction of the agricultural re-
sources ofthe South, partly to the po.
litical excitement of the times, but
chiefly, regret to say, to the little in
terest felt in education by our people.
You have seen an entire change
through resignation and lea tn, of your
corps of professors, with but Il single
exception. AS before the war, so
since, some. of the instructors have
been men of no ordinary Character
For Il time the Admiral of the late Com
federacy WAS here, rs able in letters as
he was daring and skillful in arms
and he, in whose scientific hands was
placed, ut Vicksburg, the last hope of
the South for the supremacy over the
Mississippi, is now Your Professor of
Engineering. 1t rarely falls to the lot
of any institution of learning to have
been honored with so much talent-a a.
Sherman and Semmes, a Locl1ett and
IL Vallas! lsitj Z. I .IiJ3ai
With those distinguished mon and
scholars, it has been the good fortune
ofthe present Superintendent to have
been associated. Although absent for.
a while, his name has been on the rolls
of the Seminary continuously from the
first organization to the present. He
may claim, therefore, to feel a deep in
terest III you and in the welfare of the
Institution. For four years he has
witnessed your hard and patient study,
and he rejoices that you are now about
to receive your reward. We have as
sembled here to-day to do you ard the
Seminary the honor to declare you it's
first graduates. Yes, you are the first
alumni, the first born Of its scholars;
and it welcomes you into the world of
literature and science with more than
parental affection. In graduating you,
it gives BIRTH to itself; for until it had
sent forth it's first graduates, it could
hardly aspire to the title and dignity
of a eoilcge. To-day is the commence
ment of your course in life as men aud
citizens, and from this day dates the
existence of the Seminary as one of the
great schools of America 5H8
The history of the Institution may
then be briefly summed mp as follows:
In 1906, the General Government Of
The United States made the donation
Of land, on which to found the Semin-
ary in 1856 the Legislature of Louis
lana directed tho building to bc erect
ed; it was pronounced ready for the
Of students in 1860, but not
until this day has it begun to fillful its
lestiny in sending forth young mon
fitted to become, through further exer-
ion, among the wisest and best of
American citizens.
1t would seem to speak badly for our
spirit of enterprise and our progress us
/ people, that we have been more than
lalf a century in reaping the fruits of