The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-07-02
II From Our Special Repotser. u
LETTER FROM THE UEIvERs1Tx Y.
FEW, MORE WORDS ABOUT THE PUB
Lie nAY-ALUMNI DINNFrs-
OCCASION.

count of Commencement Day" that but
| little remains save more details concerning
| the Alumni dinner, which many evidently
regarded as The eacnt Of the week.
We were deeply touched by an incident
Of the day. 0ne OF the graduates was Cap,
tain ---. who lost his eyes by wound
received while calamity fighting for native
soil. lie has been good deal AIDED dtirins
! The session BY the kindness Of 1elloW-sIu,
| dent. IN reading the textbooks TO Eli,. hhu
he was frequently escorted to his iectu Hvs
by a one-,eesed Confederate soldier. We
also noted on crutchcs gallant soh y VI h,t-
bama. who has borne off hummer oi uipio-
mas, and will very certainly get his degree
| of NJ. A. next session. "
| At the Alumni meeting yesterday AFTER
| noon n number Of propositions looking 10
! tie Increased efficiency OF the Assocla.lon
, wore discussed and referred to appropriate
committees. The most prominent OF these
| we're to provide some place where the
| Alumni on coming to the University can DC
| received and their names registered-to pro-
vide means of entertaining visiting Alumni,
and to confer wish the authorities IN REFER
ence to beginning the session the lsC OF
! September and having the annual "C0m.
mencement" Day LIST Of June.
But we promised a full account OF tne ~-.
ALUMNI DINNER.
| In looking around the room we were
struck with the bright array OF genlusto De
| seen on every side. Besides the distinguish
| ed men who occupied the platform, and
whose names we have already sent you, we
noticed Judge William J. Robertson, Judge
Hunter Marshall, Judge S. r. Watts, Mayor
William 7. Sutherlin, president Hlrgnia
Agricultural Society," Professor Mallet, 90
lionel Venable, james &. Southall, esq, ,.
Gorara1 n ID IJIjpy-
Colonel II. =. Jones, (Beauregard>s Chlet OIL
Artillery at Petersburg,) and large number
of other men of mark too numerous to men
ton.
After the bill of fare had been pretty well
discussed. Hon. j. Randolph Tucker intro
duced the regular toasts in witty ana clo-
auent strain, which he maintained all the
evening. Indeed, for such an occasion ne
has scarcely peer in Virginia if we except
the gentleman who sat at his elbow Is.
Johnson Barbour, Esq.
The first toast was alma Mater. She
Leads her Sons to all the CASUALTIES, and
Feeds them with the Milk of every Muse.
Professor S. O. Southall made an eloquent
and appropriate response. He would seek
to forget his present connection with the
University and recall the memories OF his
college DAYS, when he bowed not to pay
for the debt that had rendered him hope
lcssIy bankrupt, but ever to bear In mind
what he owed Alma Mater.
He eloquently alluded to the fact that our
grand Old Mother has survived the calami-
ties through which we have passed, spoke
of the influence the University had eXerted
on other institutions, and gave a beautiful
and thrilling illustration Of the coming
glory of the University.
He was enthusiastically applauded, and
when the band struck up "DiNic" the
company rose to their feet and chccred.
2. In Introducing the next toast Mr..
Tucker said that he knew no one more tit
ted to respond than the worthy representa-
tive of the illustrious line OF Barbours. He
offered: /
Virginia: She has graced her fall and
made her ruin glorious.
The band, struck up "Carry me Back to
Old Nirginy," which was greeted with |
deafeninS cheers.
In RESPONDING to the toast to Virginia, |
Mr.. Barbour commenced by saying play
fully that he had hoped to have been al
lowed to enjoy one Alumni dinner without
being called upon to reproduce his veteran
tests and time. honored SMILES. Indeed,
when called upon by the President, he had
been disposed to claim the same privilege
as the intrepid bridegroom who, on the
occasion Of his fourth marriage, had taken
his seat with his bride on the front bench,
and when requested by the minister to
rise, replied very coolly - nsuatty SIT on
had the wit to connect the name of Mr..
Barbour with theme which admitted of
no recusancy and as the French say
:. Noblesse obhge," so he freely admitted that
Virginia constrd,ns-and this much at least
he could claim for himself: that whatever
might be his other faults and short-comine
he was not conscious that for a moment had
he ever been delinquent to his noble mo-
ther. Mary Queen of Scots had once de-
clared that when she died the word France
would be found engraven on her heart.
He knew not what might be inscribed on
his, but he trusted it might cease to beat
when it gave one pulsatiOn untrue to Vir-
.inia. lie would say, with all proper re- |
<pect, that whilst he cordially endorsed one |
half of the toast he utterly repudiated the
other.
"Virginia has graced her fall, and made
her ruin glorious! He repudiated the
"fall" and "ruin," he heartily endorsed
the " grace" and "glory" of his native
State. But even If she had fallen, let every
true son come forward to lift her up-lf she
was in ruin, let every faithful chlld swear
in his heart Of hearts, that removing Inc
debris and bringing what fresh materials
MIGHT be required, let us determine that we
will never grow weary until Il newer aud
erantler temple shall be built on the old
Foundation, and that for a supcrscriptiop we
might write M Pericles did for Athens re-
stored, that ''The children proved that the
glory of the Mother was not an idle legend"
1t was u joy to him to see what recupera-
tive power Virginia had already exhibited.
TO think of her as she was five years ago,
when the fiery tide Of war had swept over
her again and again, making her cities soli-
tary and her country desolate, and to see
now the manifold evidences of returning
prosperity, was glorious consolation.
Though swept by fire and sword. tie germ
of her glory still lived in her soil though
divided on the map, she was indiyisablc in
our hearts-though poor in worldly goods,
she was still rich in the affections of all her
children-aye, of all her chlldren-for he
reioiced to sec that those children, however
separated and divided by arbitrary and ttu-
lar divisions, that whatever might he the
text of cold and formal statutes, that atfec-
ton at least acknowledged no right Of eX-
patriation Ohio, with flow of eloquence
rs bright and resistesS as her own beautiful
river kentucky, with the strength of her
native oaks and the vividneSs OF her peren-
NAL pastures, come to acknowledge their
filial duty aud affection 4; and so Virginia
regainS all that she has lost, and finds that
she subtracted only that she might add
she divided only that she might multiply.
/ And so he wished to return the theme
Invested of dependency and clothed anew
with Il bright and lasting hope; and as he
looked I'D once more to the banner of our
hearts he could but recall the stirring
words with which Macaulay commence
ro tod tho cnmino forth sf fhat yirpiu OY,anp