The Portland daily press., 1871-08-01
Commencement Mt Colby University.
WATERVITJE Tu1 1871


To the Editor of the Press:
Already visitors have begun to assemble in
the quiet homes OF this beautiful town, to at
tend the graduation exercises of the 5Oth class
sent forth from this thriving college No es-
pecial effort is made to attract friends to the
anniversary this year, but the alumni of Wat
erville never.need any urging to induce them
tolvislt Alma Mater. No college in the land
can boast of alumni more zealousy interested
in the welfare of the institution, or more will.
ling to contribute according to ability to ad
vance its interests
The sermon on Sunday evening before the
boardman Missionary Society of the college, is
the first thing on the programme of Com
mencement week. In passing, let me here
say that two members of the Society who have
received course of theological instruction
and one member who graduates this week, in
tend to labor in the cause of foreign missions
This shows that the society is doing good
work.
The sermon was preached by Rev. George
b. lde, ID. d. of Springfield, Mass, and was
one OF those peculiar, unreportable discourses
about which an audience will have most oppo-
site opinions. The subject was based upon the
miraculous feeding of the five thousand, re-.
corded in John 60, from which the speaker
deduced several principles of divine action
through human instrumentalities.
Ihree-quarters of an hour was given to fe-
lIcltous and highly imaginative portraying of
the gathering of the multitude,-in the course
OF which the speaker INDUCED in several bold
assumptions of circumstantal occurrence, rath.
er startling and sometimes ludicrous to the
unsympathetic nearer. A less forcibe deliv-
cry, or the absence of the doctors rare COM
mand Of choice language would have turned
this portion of the sermon into farce for the
greater part of the audience. In conclusion it
was shown that God accomplished by insgnifi-
cant means the designs of his love, at the same
time combining lavish expenditure with most
careful saving. Salvation is to be fully given,
butwhatever talent men possess must be first
offered to the Lord. II every idle talent of the
church could be brought into action, the bread
OF life would soon reach the remotest heather.
Christ is to be reached by the pathway of ear
nest striving, through the deep valleys of re-
pentance AID up the steep hills of faith. The
young men were urged to bring their loaves to
Jesus, by whom they would be elor'fied and
made effective. in the evangelization Of the
world.
This evening the Junior Glass compete for
excellence in composition. Tomorrow after
noon the Alumni will dedicate their new
Monumental Tablet in the Memorial Hall,
with addresses from Rev. A. X. P. Small of
Portland, others. The orator for the Literary
Societies, on Tuesday evening is Rev. j. D.
Fulton of fremont Temple. There will be no
poem. am sorry to learn that the exercises
of Glass Day, after much preparation and ex-
pense on the part of the class, are at this late
hour announced as broken up, and will not &C.
cur.
A heavy rain this m orning has effectually
laid the dust and cleansed the luxurious foli-
age of the shade trees. WINsLow.