The Cecil Whig., 1871-07-29

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You remember in the play of Hamlet, -
the country old gentleman, Polonius, who
gives such excellent advice to his daughter,
Ophelia. Nothing can be more pate-nal
advised young woman. Yet see what came
of it. Ophelia went mad and committed
suicide. Her brother, Laertes, got killed
in very base and villainous conspiracy to
assassinate Hamlet; and Polonius himself,
after being laughed at all through the play,
is, in the end, stabbed to death instead of
a rat, and consigned to his mother earth
with total absence of decorum.
This, 1 should have known, is what
comes of advising young ladies'; and,
admonished by this lesson, let mo hasten
to close.
A very few words more, and l shall have
done.
Ladies of the graduating class, let me
adjure you to beware of antemperance.
do not allude to that sort of intemperance
which turks in the flowing bowl-that
"sweet poison of misused wine " the lords
and masters of creation monopolize as their
own special and peculiar road to ruin !; but
there is another kind of intemperance
scarcely less dangerous to society. Intem-
perance of thought and opinion, reckless
intoxication Of the mind, which leads it to
adopt every new-fangled notion, because it
is new and untried an impatience Of the
| md &c foil
for quick results, desire to pull up the
plant to see if it be growing, an intolerance
of all check or control, a taste for sudden
and extreme measures, and a daredevil
can find no filter name than drunkenness
Of the will"
A society which, scarce more than twelve
short months ago, stood in the foremost
rank of civilization and refinement, has
exhibited the hideous spectacle of
people discordant and corrupted-bent,
in it's madness and dispair, on tearing
out its own heart with it's own suici-
dial hands. Every latest invention of sci
ence has been put to effective use, not to
preserve society, but to destroy it, and
knowledge, misused and misdirected, stalks
abroad, like vengeful fury, and waves its
flaming torch over the charred and black
ened ruins of civilization which, through
ages of toll, it helped to raise, and now, in
an hour of phrenzy, conspires to destroy.
"Knowledge is power.''
a dangerous apothegm, and often misap-
piled.
1t is power-a giant that will do mans
bidding for veal or for woe, an obedient
slave that will work out his will either to
construct or to destroy. The tributary
genii of the earth, air and ocean are at it's
command.
Was the poets dream prophetic when he
imagines his Ariel, most delicate Of spirits,
thus make salutation to the magician Pros
pero, the lord of the enchanted isle:
All hail, great master, grave sir, hail,
come.
To answer thy best pleasure, bot to fly
To swim, to dive into the fire to ride
On the curld cloud-to thy strong bidding
task.
Ailel li'i oil LIS 4udliIy.
Fine spirit, quaint apparition, fairest,
gentlest, most winning, last of all fancies
that foated across the summer sky of
Shakespeare's world of thought; creature
of the air, unsubstantial, yet touched by
human sympathes, and whispering to its
master pity for human woe; exquisite type
of true knowledge, put to worthy use of
laboring for worthy ends, obedient to the
behests of noble, generous and enlighten-
ed will. Did Shakespeare dream also of
the future when he set on the stage, in
striking contrast to his benefcent sprite,
this personifcation of the knowledge that
blesses, glorilies and adorns, the other slave
of the magician, the child of demon
brood-the monster caliban-a giant taught
also to labor for the Lord of the Isle, but
always of the earth, earthly and brutish.-
Doomed to toll, but working in sullen spite
and fear and hate, and effectual rebellion
fit type and illustration of that other
knowledge which is power, too, but power
only to degrade, power for mischief, unhap-
piness and ruin.
Let US change, then, tho apothegm
acknowledge is power.' 1t is but half
truth, and half truths are, the poet says,
ever the blackest of lies.
Let us say, rather, knowledge is trust,
A trust placed in mans hands for noble
ends, for the use of which he is held
| always responsible. For knowledge is ever
either an Ariel or a Coliban; a thing either
benefcent or baneful; needing Prosphero
"a pure generous and enlightened will to
guide, control and direct it.
Ladies of the graduating class, is it out
Of place for me to say all this to you now
and here? You are to be the teachers of
the children of this city. Into your hands
it confides much of it's future for good or
for i'll. 1t is most honorable post, so
honorable and SO honored in my thoughts,
that l esteem myself much honored in hav-
ing leave to address you to-day.
The State of New York has assumed
the duty of educating its young. 1t is
grave responsibility. 1t is an experiment
in the success of which citizens have
deep and direct interest. The State has
vested in the chief magistrate of this city
power to select and govern and direct the
education Of its people. He has well and
wisely chosen for commissioners gentlemen
of sagacity, experience of the world, ripe
scholarship, varied accomplishments high
and well-earned reputation.
1t is a little more than a year since they
organized this Normal School-to be a
school for teachers. Under the old system,
the want of such a school had been felt
and acknowledged but still remained unsup-
piled, when our present commissioners
energetically took up the project, which
they have fully and admirably accomplished.
They have opened for you all the sources
and fountains OF useful knowledge within
their reach, and have given you its waters
deep, clear and undetiled. Your education
has comprised all the various branches that
| n University education can reOuire That