Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-07-03


summer vacation, of Delaware College.
Last week was principally occupied by exam.
ination, and now the public literary entertain.
ments are in progress, we'll as the business
meetings Of the Board Of Trustees.
Concerning the examinations, have been iu-
formed that they were highly satisfactory to all
parties, aud reflect credit upon the thorough
work of the faculty, and speak well for the ap-
plication Of the students.
Yesterday. the Board OF Trustees were in se,
session, and besides the regular routine business
passed, by an almost unanimous vote a ssolu-
tion introduced six months since, and thoroughly
discussed, admitting females to participate ia
| the benefits Of the College course, equally with
males. We are exceedingly happy to be able to
know, that Of State institutions, is the first
which has taken this progressive aud highly ex-
emplary step. We hail this movement with joy.
And We wish the College abundant success in
| this behalf
The following officers of the Board Of Trustees
| were elected to serve the ensuing year Presi-
dent, Col. II. s. McComb, OF Wilmington Vice
| President John f. Williamson, Of Newark, and
Secretary and Treasurer, Geo. G.. Evans, also Of
| Newark.
The report of the faculty was highly encour-
| aging, and hattering to the prospects Of the
| institution Not only have internal matters pro-
gressed finely during the year, but the prospect
| Of large increase In attendance for the next
| year is we'll assured, a considerable number hav-
ing been already examined and regularly
| admitted.
The Board conferred no academic degrees, at its
meeting this year, since there was no gradua-
| ting class, and since they have not as yet felt
| free to degrade academic honors by an inds-
| oriminate and promiscuous manufacture Of doc
/ tors.
The first OF the public literary entertainments,
/ the anniversary of the AthenWan Literary Soci-
| ETY., occurred last evening.
| This Society claims 70 be the senior literary
I [Ha.Il. a. II
| an strenously denied by the other society, the
| Delta Phi, and wordy war OF some years dura-
| tion has been carried on, with varying success,
| by tue various parties in interest," to settle this
greatly vexed and highly important question,
your readers will, we doubt not, graciously par
| don your reporter for not raising the banner of
| either " nip" or tuck, OF welding his pen to
protect either flag.
The exercises were held in the college oratory
| before an audience which completely fUed but
| did not crowd the building. The hall was hand
/ somely but not profusely decorated with ever
| greens and flowers, in addition to several fine
paintings which were brought in to adorn the
walls, and spoke we'll Of the taste OF those who
| had the arrangements under their care.
| The meeting was opened by prayer, by the
/ Rev. James Y. Mitchell, Of Philadelphia. The
College Band under the leadership OF Prof Jos.
| Beggs performed the "Tans Jubal Polka, in
highly artistic manner, as is their wont.
We noticed upon the platform several distin-
| gpished parsons, among whom were Hon. j.
/ AlbAbuubf HultDn uuu JOnn ID GonnlnBtOn, ESu.,
of Dover Rev. Mr.. Mitchell, of Phladelphia, and
Hon VIM. q. Whiteley, DIR. II. F. Askew, and
others.
An opening address was then made by Thomas
Lumb, Of Newark, whose performances, he will
pardon uA for saying, are somewhat marred by
| an undue amount OF difhience. He welcomed
| the audencs and introduced Ge )rge W. Mar
shall, of Milford, All undergraduate, who gave a
very high tribute. to the memory of Robert
Burns. The last half OF this gentleman's ad-
| dress was given though something had caused
| him to lose confidence in himself.
Next followed music, the band performing
''The Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz" of Strauss.
The next speaker, George Morgan, of Della
ware, also an undergraduate gave an address
| up the subject of Ambition, Well, and lily D-
rected 1t was very creditable effort.
After the band had performed the "Oongenial
/ Hearts Mazurka, " the Hon. William G. Whiteley,
the orator of the evening was introduced.
COL. wHITRLEY's ADDRESS.
| He said that probably it would not be out Of
| place for him to preface his remarks with
| short history Of the foundation Of the College
and of the Athenaean Society. Delaware College
was organized in 1884 with an improvised faculty
and about forty students, including the speaker,
| who was then a lad. The institution was
| the offspring Of Newark Academy, which had
/ for the previous eighty years been favsrably
| known in the district now comprising the States
| of Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland, and
had educated many of the best men who claim
| ed that district as the place of their nativity.
| The College question had then been mooted for
| long while, but the scarcity of funds had been
| heretofore an insuperable obstacle At this
| time a plan was proposed and adopted, which
| was then quite common and almost universally
| regarded as honest and honorable, that is a lot
| teiy grant-without the use OF this means Della
ware College never would have bad an exist
ence. And further, our ancestors in that day
seem to have believed that "the end justihed
the means" Nor should we too harshly con-
demn them, for religious men, as well as others,
| .aarfaaflv ina tHahla ia
| evidenced by the fact that four Of the managers
named in the original lottery grant were minis
ters OF the Gospel. Under a new grant
the College was built and in May, 1884,
was opened as Delaware College, the name
| having thus been made by the Act of 1888,
which act changed it from its former prospective
name OF Newark Colleges OF the forty or fifty
who applied for admission at the opening of the
College, two were found capable of entering, and
were admitted to the Sophomore class. The
faculty for that year consisted of Prof. Monroe,
(who acted as Vice. PRESIDENT Profs. Agnew
and Graves A full faculty was afterwards made
and the next year the College numbered in all
about seventy students. The Delta Phi society
was the first of the societies organized, but was
originally organized in Newark Academy and Of
the exect time OF its transplanting nothing couid
be positively asserted by the speaker since the
| proceedings of the two societies were kept as
profound secrets. This he does know, that in
September 1884, the Athenean Society was full ly
organized and attending TO important business.
nal history of the members of his GLASS; and a
eulogy of the character Of William 8. Graham,
late President Of the College, and member of
the speakers class He spoke Of him the
man who "was the most intelligent student he
hal ever known, in an experience of upwards Of
forty years." that when he left subject he had
ompletely mastered 1t, and had no more to
learn.
He then proceeded to the discussion of his
theme for the evening, The Defects of American
EduCdtiOn He thought that the great defect
| at the present day was want of thorough
ness. That this was a common want, however,
that the majority of men were engaged in occu-
pations for which they were by their lack Of
intelligence untitled That men expected to be
. masters Of their profession and their business
without having ever been apprentices therein.
He believed this very lack had been the
I cause Of the troubles arising out Of the labor
= question which has agitated the country for the
past six months. He looked upon the causes OF
this defect as being numerous. Among these he
might mention, LIST. The anxiety Of parents to
q have their children out Of the schools and into
business before they were prepared to be there.
They appear to think life too short for the pur-
poses OF thorough preparation. He thought that
u. with the average youth, up to the age of twenty
II was only as the breaking up of the sod, while
in the next three or four years the perfecting of
the work could be best accomplished. To illus
trate, the speaker said that he had been crammed
with Latin for two or three years before he knew
h whst people spoke the Language, or in what part