Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-07-05
DELAWARE COLLEGE.
Annual cOmmenoemor, Exercise,
ADDRESSES BY MEssRs. HANDY, DIoKEY
AND HIGGINS
of t.c Delta Phi
Society.
| Iiporled for NE commerciaI. |

NEWARK, July ID, 1879.
The Oratory Of Delaware College was opened
again this morning, but owing to the intense
heat OF the weather the room was only moder.
atelJ well filled, to li-ten to the commencement
exercises. There being as yet no Senior Glass,
there were no addresses by under graduates
The exercises Of the morning we're opened by
prayer by the Rev. Mr.. Stone, Of the st. Thomas
Episcopal Ohuich of Newark
Prot. Beggs and the College Band then fav-
ored the audience with music, which was excel
lent. Indeed, we should not be true to our duty
II we did not compliment this company OF mu-i-
cans on their proficiency. The character OF
Their music thls morning was excellent, and
would LOT have disgraced professional artists.
Address or REV. W. c. HANDY.
The first address of the occasion was delivered
by Rev. W. Q. Handy, Of New YORK. lie ex-
| pressed his warm interest in the re- established
institution, AID stated its advantageous position
for educational influence. Comparing the
Peninsula, OF which this college il the hope,
with Belgium and Holland, whose natural fea-
| lures are similar, he considered We had greatly
the advantage in many respects. He referred
to the great inland harbors formed by the Chesa-
peake and Delaware Bays to their facilities for
commercial intercourse, their great oyster trade
and to the peculiar adaptation Of their towns
and cities for shipbuildlng and kindred
OccupatiD ms.
Based upon this opportunity Of material pros.
perity lao predicted great future for
| the College which represented the Peninsula
lie urged that instruction should be thoronph.
and Expressed his strong approval of the policy
OF admitting females to the College,
Address OF JESSE c. DIoKEY.
After music by the Band, Hon. Jesse o. Dick
| ey OF Pennsylvania, was introduced. He re.
ferre to his interest in the College, and
his conviction that ii could be made a
| success. 1t had been the endeavor of
| the last forty years of his life to take care of
his moal nature. Because, although he was
second to no man in his regard for intellectual
| culture yet lie considered pure morality far
more essential matter That Education, il not
/ the Education Of the intellect alone, nor of the
moral and intellectual alone, physical training
was also an Indispensable requisite. A sad ex-
ample had been furnished him upon this point
by the experience of young man of his ac.
| quaintance who had been student of this col
| lege. That the moral condition of this, az of
every institution of learning. in this country
had its effect Apon the general tone of morality
| throughout the land. These influences will
not be confined to Delaware, but will diiTuse
| themselves to whatever place the students of
this institution will ever go in after life
Address OF ANTHONY HIddGNs ESQ. OF WILMINGTON
After music by the band Mr.. Higgins was pre-
sented to the audience by the President. lie
said that he confessed to more than a passing
interest in Delaware College having passed in il
and in its worthy mother tie old Academy the
greater part OF tive years, the period from early
the time in which the foundation OF kAowled @
and mental culture is laid the taste formed the
habits matured. He could bear testimony to
conscientious discharge OF duty on the part of
his instructors, some of whom whore still con-
nected with the College and now present.
But whatever may be said of its past, the con-
temptation Of its future brings to mind an in-
terest general and profound What power can
we evoke, to crowd its halls with students
How can it's resources be most completely do
veloped The prosperity of Delaware College,
will be a consequence of the general condition
of education upon the peninsula. II the College
is not thronged to-day il IL because the general
condition of education in the community is not
so high as it should be.
He therefore chose practical subject, rather
than literary theme, and would present few
considerations conc 3rnng
The Educational Condition Of he Stdte.-To
maintain high state of Education in the COM
| munity there must be, first, appreciation and
zeal in the cause of learning, and next, the
maintenance of institutions. by which Educa-
ton may be secured. Neither can be long ne
elected without bad results.
1t cannot be said the people who settled Della
ware were wanting in a sense of the importance
of Education. In this they were not behind the
colOnists of anv other State. They thoroughly
esteemed learning, and our English ancestors
brought with them that pride OF character and
personal dignity for which the English have al
ways been 30 conspicuous and they knew how
knowledge contributed to both.
They were also a deeply religious people, re-
alizing how much professionalism depended upon
the intelligence OF the people.
Yet suffering to-day for what they
failed to do IN this behalf. Realizing for them
selves the value of Edupation they acted az if
they failed to see tnat their advantages could
only be secured to their descendants. by the es-
| tablishment of the machinery OF Education IN
our midst.
Learning depends for its maintenance and
prOpagat!o on, upon institutions. Popular Educa-
tionE depends upon good public schools and
aRaha nd Nuba aNar chi Npifl
the reach of early training, you may expect a
constant supply Of candidates for colleges
Now, while our ancestors understood the i'm
portance of Education, they failed to found ad-
| equate institutions for its spread. Their best
work was the establishment Of the old Academy
and in order to see what effect would have fol-
lowed a thorough system, think of its loss, il we
had never enjoyed its benefit. The noble gift of
| William Penn to to the town Of New Castle to
| the town of New Castle has enabled it to MAIN
| tain an Academy and at Middletown one has
been established for many years. These were
| all. Wilmington to-day, has no Academy, sup
ported by permanent foundation, and has de-
pended, until very recently, for the higher edu-
cation of its boys, upon private grammar schools
Until eighteen hundred and thirty, we had no
system OF public schools Now, we need in-
peratiyely such a system, complete and thorough
both of primary schools and schools of higher
| grade, 30 accessible, that the poorest child may
| have the chance to be thoroughly instructed in
| all the branches which are required for admis- |
sion into our colleges.
The State Possesses most of the elements me-
cessary to the accomplishment of this end aud
| this should make Us eager atO compass the rest
1t is true that we nave system of public
schools, yet while that system is something, yet
it is IN general, far from what il should be. In
Wilmington the system is splendid, and is wholly
under the control Of Board of Education, who
are city officers, and clothed with full power
to raise money for the needs of the schools, by
compulsory taxation, In that city, the, truly
magnificent sum of eighty thousand dollars had
during the last year, been expended upon the
public schools, fifty thousand dollars of which
| had been raised by loan authorized by the
| State and thirty Thousand dollars additional,
| by direct taxation The workings of the system
| are effectuated by means Of Superintendent of
the Schools clothed with full power to examine
| and re-examine, aud to dismiss teachers,--who
| had general oversight of the internal manage
ment of all tho schools and under whose super
vision all of the examinations of pupils are con-
| Quoted. There is also system OF marks show
| ing the progress of the various pupils in their
studies
But beyond this, and the system Of public
schools which exists in the town of New Castle,
| want Of interest has prevented the healthy
| growth of public schools, they depend too much
upon individuals, and there il a lack of gene
| raj system
We want a system which shall provide power
to raise funds adequate for all the wants OF the
system, by compulsory taxation, and in which