The New York herald., 1872-07-13
Closing Day of the Fifty-frst
Commencement Week.
GRAFTON BY RALPH WALDO EMERSON.
The Great New England Ora
tor on Greatness"
EXERCISES OF THE DAY.
Conferring Diplomas on the Sue
cessful Graduates.

C0SSIul GTdOudCSS.
AMHERST, Mass, July IL, 1872.
Alumni day has come and gone. Last year 1.-The
tribes came up from every land, from the East and
the West, to join In the semicentennial jubilee and
rejoice together In the prosperity OF their Alma
Mater. AS was expected, the attendance OF alumni
this year was small. A meeting however, was held
in College Hall at halfpast nine in the morning,
whereat the customary speeches were made ana
the recollectons of happy college days were
quickened. Rev. Henry NJ Storrs, 1s4o, was chosen
President. vote OF thanks was returned to Mr..
Samuel A. Hitchcock for the gift of 100000, and
also to Mr. A. b. Ely for his efforts before the Leg
lsature last winter In behalf Of the college, Steps
were taken to comply with an act Of the Legisla-
ture whereby the alumni are allowed to appoint
the five trustees now appointed by the Leg
islature. The college treasurer resigned, and was
requested to continue in office until another should
be elected. 1t was voted to transfer the bonds and
securities Of the college to Boston for safe keeping
There was social gathering OF the trustees
In the evening. The most attractive thing OF the
day was the address by Ralph Waldo Emerson in
the afternoon. Mr.. Emerson, believe has natu-
raj antpathy for newspaper reporters. The
HERALD reporter called at the Presidents house IN
the morning. Mr.. Beecher, Mr. Emerson and two
reporter inquired for the President, when Mr..
Beecher replied that he was to be found in the
study. Entering the study he asked II Mr.. Emer-
son was In. eyes," said the President; 'I will
speak to him." Mr.. Emerson soon walked In, and
suffered" an introduction but found 1t impossi-
BILE to get what sought in the way Of 40 nrst
copy" of his intended address.
Mr.. Emerson objects, as a general rule, to have
his name in print, and he 30 stated, though he
made the provso that on the present occasion his
address would be OF no uncommon character, and
that mere mention Of its delivery in connection
with the proceedings In the college would be all 1t
merited. His subject, selected for the instruction
OF the Social Union, was "Greatness," and your
readers after perusal OF the grafton will probably
form their own opinions as to the extreme modesty
RALPH WALDO EMBRsoN ON GREATNESS"
GENTLEMEN OF THE SOCIAL UNioN-There s a
prize which We are all aiming for. The more
energy. Every human being has right to 1t, and
In the pursuit no man stands 1, IN an9,hers way.
pursuit, not hlnders, but helps. success is
might call 1t character. prefer to call 1t great
ness-the fuhlment of natural tendency In each
master d hs 1 e H tn
moral nature have. the preference. This Is the
worthiest history OF the world. Not the soldier
not the governor, not strong hands, represent the
highest force OF mankind but wisdom, civiiy, laws,
letters and art. We call these the humanities. No
man stands unrelated, and we admire eminent
men not for themselves but for their relation
The Intellect and the moral sentiment which are in
the last analysis cannot be separated. There are
many men that say thought rules the world. Who
can doubt the potency OF an individual mind ? 1t
is this that fires the ambition of every man. 1t
gives them moral character. We count as the
worlds great masters Alaric Mohammed, Mira
beau, Napoleon; even Henry VIII. But am to say
that no way has been found TO make heroism
easy. The key note of the true man is greatness
that which belongs TO us ALL to which we
are sometimes faithess, but of which we never
quite despair, but hope to make our monitor
through the eternities. 1t is only the best anec-
dotes OF mind that we wish to hear know that men
of character think that they must 30 to Africa, to
Rome to China. We have learned that the college,
parlor and counting room demand as much courage
as the or the camp. 1t Is very certain that we
are not, nor should be, contented by any glory we
have reached. Every man comes one day to be
supernuous. How soon we become sick of the play
things OF the nursery, and the time win come wnen
Homer's poetry will sound like tin pans. The
praise we give to the true hero we shall unsay
The very word greatness" provokes feeling Of
hostility. Greatness Is there not something un-
feeling in the word There are points alike be-
tween the old way and the new way of the road to
the stars.
To use a homey Illustration, we are at once
drawn to that man In tavern that maintains his
know his selfrespect. The common labOrer re-
fuses money for saving your life and makes himself
your equal 10y the act, aud asserts his seLrespect
What a bttter-sweet sensation we have after pour
ing out our praises on one to find him quite indf-
ferent to our good opinion One sometimes meets
O gentleman who, II good manners had not existed,
would have invented them, showing what man
originally was to man. Self-respect, then, is the
following OF an inward leader and Is one OF the
main elements OF greatness. There are functions
OF nature supplementary to the bent OF indlvid-
uals thus far geology. There viii be men born for
an eye to viewing mountains and marking the
differences OF strata Such man will have a desire
for chemistry for natural physics, for fishes and for
plants Men OF the present 1nd q stimulus
through the wonders laid open by means Of the
solar spectroscope, finding the same or similar
elements in the sun and distant planets In the
earth. Again, one boy longs for the sea,
another for foreign lands another TO be an archi-
tect. Thus there is not a man born but, as his
genius opens, turns In that line to his pursuit.
There is the poet the orator, the schoomaster, the
college man, the physician and the jurist. II Is
and every part of 1t. remember that Sir Hum.
phrey Davy said my best discovery was Michael
faraday." In 1s4s had the pleasure OF listening
to Faraday ecturng on diamagnetism, or cross
magnetism. lie showed the force, by experiment
with several gases, that when ordinary magnetism
Is from north to SOUTH In gases II may be from east
10 west. Further experiments led him to say that
every chemical substance had Its own polarity. Is
not there similar attribute In the soulS The mind
OF man differs from every other mind as IL opens.
There Is teaching from within leading him In
new path, which signalizes him and makes him
more Important to society. We call this his bias.
No one will ever accomplish ANYTHING commanding
unless he listens to this sOcalled bias In his mind.
EVERY INDIVIDUAL HAS PR0PRIUM.
Swedenborg calls IL passion. The individual
must obey this as 1t becomes developed, and only
as he develops this does he gain true power In the
world IL Is his magnetic needle that leads him
through the world, In morals this Ia called con-
sciences In the intellect IL Is called genius; In prac
tce II is called talent. ! remember a critic at
college commencement cared more for how much
OF the boy was left In each speaker than how much
Improvement they had made. He looked for the
pfoprtum OF each. This self IL often overlooked.
Let ten men be set to keeping Journal and nine
forget their own experiences In describing the ex.
periencss or others. Others ia to mark the SELF
Ia AsslI MAJ IAaU al