The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-02-21
Intermediate Celebration OF the Phil
lologian and Mu Sigma Rho Socie-
ties OF Richmond College.

4
Intermediate Celebration OF the Phi
lOlogiau and @Mu Sigma Rho Socie
ties OF Richmond College.
The committees had happily selected tb
Hail of the Young Mems Christian Associa
| tion as a fitting place for their anniversary
This large, conYenenrly-located. and ever!
| way admirable hall Is coming to be apprecia
| ted as the place for literary entertainment!
| ia Richmond. Last night it was crowded
| to It's utmost capacity with such On array o
YOUTH manliness, beauty, and intelli'
| gence as the interest which Richmond
| ought to take In her noble college and the
young men connected with it rendered
| meet. Fer some time before the appointed
| hour kessnich's band disconrsed very sweet
music on their stringed-ipstruments and 9
pleasant chit-chat, especially among the
| Deiies and beaux, ran around the room. The
poiite ushers, in their pretty rosettes, were
very skillfnl In seating the audience, and
apologiziug to the newcomers when the
seats were all taken, the usual prelminaries
| were gone through with, even to the taking
of most of the preserved seats, and nj ten
| minutes past 8 O'Clock the Faculty. mem
bers of the Board of Trustees, orators, &C.,
were escorted in by the committees. and the
ext rciSes Were opened with prayer by Rev.
T. G. Dasbiell.
Mr.. j. w. Wilmand, president OF the Afu
Sigma Rho Society, then introduced as the
| orator Of the Philologian Society Mr.. j. G.
Hobson, of Richmond, grandson Of Hon.
Henry A. Wise, who announced rs his theme
| "The True Hero"
Abiding to the heroes Of the olden times
and the natural tendency Of men to hero
| worship, the speaker said that he would not
seek his true hero in Cesar, an Alexander,
or even Napoleon, a Calhoun, or Clay.
He insisted that the character of the true
hero must have thrown over it the mellow
light Of Christianity, and that the true hero
is the man who renounceS self, cultlvates
love for his beings, and above all, love
to God.
He brought to the test of his principle the
so called heroes of mems fancy. Taking Ma
poieon as an illustration, he showed that
with all of bis genius and the good traits
which be unquestionably possessed he was
no true hero, but that many of his private
soldiers were much nearer the standard than
g the man Of destiny"
He cited also as true heroes Judson, the
missionary TO Burmab, and the noble women
who shared his labors and sacrifices; Henry
Martin, the youthful and sanity missionary !;
Hedlcy Wears, the hero-captain and noble
Christian of the British army George Wash
iugton, the father of his country; Stonewall
Jackson, the Christian soldier; r. i. Lee
who taught the Christian how to live and
the warrior how to die; Florence Nightiu-
gale, the angel of the hospitals; aud Miss
Matte Stevenson, whose name will ever shine
brightly on the dark page Of the history of
the late plague in Memphis.
Among the true heroes of the earth he
cited Haverlock, who, despite the sneers of
his comrades, illustrated the character of the
Christian soldier and the value of Christian
ity in making good soldiers. When it
was reported to the commander.in chief
that Haverlock had been baptizing some of
his men, he at once retorted, "Present my
compliments TO Colonel Hayerlock, and tell
him that wish he would baptize the WHOLE
army"
He claimed that these examples fully Illus
trated and established the principle he had
enunciuted, and closed with an earnest eX-
hortation to his fellow-Students to let their
course be ever "upwa1d and onward, and
true to the line"
Mr.. Hobson's speech was we'll written,
well delivered, and in very excellent taste in
every respect. He was applauded by the
audience, and rewarded by smiles, cards,
ard bouquets from the fair auditors.
After music from the band, MIR. y. w.
Graves, president of the Phllologian So
c!ety, said that it bad been determined to
give variety to the exercises by having de-
bate on the question, "Which has been the
cause of mUre evil, ignorance and supersti-
tion or pride and ambition 2" He intro
duced as displltant on the affirmative Mr.. T.
I Of E;pt on1 n1oEn pnnptV n
member OF the Mu Sigma Rho Society.
Mr.. Bagby defined the question as pertain
ing to the prevention OF good as we'll as to
the introduction orposi.iVe evil. He did not
pretend to deny the baleful effects Of pride
and ambition, but they arc comparatively
limited and temporary, while the effects OF
ignorance and superstition are deep and
widespread, though harder to trace out.
Adams fall was in consequence of his igno-
rance-tbe lack OF the knowledge of good
and evil. Tyrants always wish to keep their
subjects in ignorance, while the hesven-born
light OF liberty is the child of advancing
knowledge. 10 you who have walked the
paths Of science in our enlightened age 1t
needs no argument to show the pains OF
bondage to ignorance or superstition.
Look again at the religious condition of
all nations for thousands of years and OF
much of the world now, buried in the dark
ness of heathenism-motbers casting even
their babes in the mad waters to propitiate
q block of wood.
IF "ignorance is bliss" why have all en-
Iipbtened nations their school-systems? But
ambition is really blessing, for without it
no noble deed can be done.
He closed with graceful allusion to the
condition of woman in the ignorance OF past
ages and her position here tonight, defying
bis opponent to say that all pride and ambi-
tion could do would compensate him for the
loss of her smiles this evening. ~
Mr.. Baeby's delivery. was easy and grace.
full, and his speech one of more than ordl-
nary merit. He, too, was rewarded with
applause, smiles, and flowers.
The next speaker was Mr. 81. c. Haw-
thorn, of Washington county, Va, q mem.
ber OF the Philologian Society. he very de-
cidedIy brought down the house by saying,
at the beginning of his speech, "It is with
great hesitation that appear to blow my
horn after your ears have been saluted with
the sweet strains of the bagpipe." Ambition,
he insisted, is the fountain of all vice, aud
pride the spring of crime. Satan's pride
Stirred up war in Heaven, as described by
Milton, and in the neither world ambition
was his ruling characteristic. When he ap-
peared to Eve in Eden, he appealed to her
pride and ambition-her desire to be Ii ke |
gods and from then till now these same pas |
sions have been the fruitful source OF =" sin
and sill its woes" The earth has drank the |
blood of millions who have fallen as victims
to the passions arising there. The blood
curdles and the heart sckens In reading the
tale of their carnuls. Ambition scruples at