The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-07-15

in every time of need
In the address to the graduates III
made an earnest and afectionate APP
peal to them to make personal use o
their knowledge of the truths upo1
which he had been discoursing ana u
live in the nearest intimacy of relation
TO Christ for the purpose of makdlpnTJ II,
most of themselves in this ,'a,d On oc
the life TO come. He,
Wv -. 10 the memory OF j.
fectiona'e Whom God saw fit to take
D. n them in the middle of their course
IComm ting the young men TO the care
of Him who Is able TO keep and grid
with all true manliness, in the names
of his associates and the community
he bio them loving and hopeful fare
well
Anniversary of the Philndelphian So
ciety.
The anniversary exercises Of the Phila.
delphian Society (Religious) were held
in the church on Sunday evening, the
President of the Society, II. NJ. Tenney,
presiding. After voluntary by the
choir, prayer was offered Dy Rev, w. w
Winchester Of Bridport. The choir sung
sacred anthem aud Hev. M. ii. DuoL
ham, ID. D., President Of the University
of Vermont was introduced and addressed
the Society, an abstract OF which we give
below.
PRESIDENT BUcKuAM's ADDRESS.
The speaker gracefully acknowledged
the courtesy of an invitation to address
the Society.
He took for his subject, How does the
purely literary spirit stand related to the
religious spirit.
The spirit of literature is more import.
ant than science, philosophy and art, be.
cause more pervasivc.
Colleges teach letters, not religion.
They teach science, philosophy, relig ion,
incidentally but the main object is let.
tiers. Then this question becomes es.
pecially pertinent
Let me ask your assent to these two
obviously fair propositions.
LIST. In order to judge of the religious
tendencies OF literature you shall make
your appeal to the books, not to the lives
Of the authors.
2. That the religious influence of a
book shall not be judged by the proper.
ton of distinctively and professedly re-
ligious element in it.
He enforced his propositions by com.
pairing the revcrent silence of Shakes.
perc with the irreverent illusions to God
by Milton.
The speaker preferred the reading Of
purely literary works which have an ele.
waiting tendency, to the reading Of relig.
ious books which are so harsh as TO repel
or so weak as to disgust The PROPOSE.
tion upon which he mainly depended il
establishing his cause was that literature
is the expression of the purest and bes
in humanity which he illustrated anG
enforced by references to literary charac
tiers and works. In the course of the dis
cussion he remarked that Homer was the
greatest epic poet and Shakespeare the
RTcdtcSt uTauatlst,
Literature is the rose garden of thu
human race. Man is greater and Doblel
in literature than in nature. All book,
are not literature. But small amour
Of the so called literature is real.
The speaker proceeded to consider som'
Of the characteristics of literature which
show its irendiness to morality and re
ligion.
LIST. Its unworld!y spirit. Its sympa
thies are toward simplicity, frugality
quiet and modest worth.
2. The charity of literature.
B. The humanity and tenderness will
which literature corrects the mistake
and errors Of mankind.
1t is noticeable how those writer's VIII,
are charitable and humane and unworld
ly continue to hold place in the affec
tions Of the people, while the harsh ant
selfish and sneering writers are becoming
less and less attractive and have less ant
less readers.
The great fathers of the church hav
always been favorable to literature as
valuable aid to religion. Nine tenths o
the literary institutions of the world hav
been established by the church.
The best literature is directly commit
ted to religion and morality. Christian
ideas run through all literature Of al
ages, 1t is an admitted fact that Eng
lish literature is largely theological. |
, the bible were lost all theological work
destroyed so thoroughly is lteratur
christianized that no one need be withou
the leading truths of christianity.
He theL proceeded to criticise and re
flute the theories and assertions of job
Foster who claims that literature is un
friendly to religion and Mathew Arnol
whom he alluded to as philosopher,
reformer, the possible founder of school
a sui generis, one who has broad philo
, sophical views, one whom but few ca
5 understand, and perhaps dangerous in hi
f influence.
Since God has placed his sanctio
upon literature who shall presume t
curse it? 1t is a source ofgratitude tina
we may have the aid of such powerfu
ally. If science and art and literatur
,. and philosophy are hostile to religio
then religion is SO beggared of everythiD
that is honorable and graceful to human
+ ty, that the poor remnant is not wort
: saving.
, There was large audience of attontiy
e listeners who admired the Doctors ski
\ and eloquence, and perhaps generally al
quiesced in his conclusions, though SON
felt that his definitions were rather SWEEP
ing and some of his statements extrav
= CANT and his conclusions only possible /
accepting his definitions.
HOWARD UNIvERsITy.-A commit,
= of the trustees OF Howard University