The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-06-23
comnencemcns Of Richmond college.
ADDRESS BEFORE THE NIssroEARY SOCIETY.

ADbnhes DEF UnE THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
] Commencement Week. was most aus
pIclously fnaugurated on Sunday evening b,
the delivery, in the College chapel, OF th,
animal address before the Students Mis-
sionary Society. -, ali 2. 'j'%'tt7t
Rev. DR.. W. E. Hatcher, Of Petersburg
had been selected for the service, but be
having been detained by sickness, the So
ciety was exceedingly fortunate in securing g
keY. DR.: u. a. Tupper, corresponding sec
retary Of the Foreign Mission Board South.
ern Baptist Convention. - J2"&" "a
The beautiful chapel was we'll filled With
an tappreciatlve audience, and the doctor
made one of his happiest efforts, in the
course'of:mhieh be made a stirring appeal
to the young men on the personal duty OF
going to the beathen. o s7'.>.'3i" ~
| y GATHERING Of THE ALUMNI.
The commencement exercises of Rich.
mond College are now in full progress, and
arelattracting unusual interest. =. ".
Yesterday afternoon at O'Clock there WAS
quite full meeting of the Society of Alum
nj held in the college chapel. .. -s...r
| A number of matters pertaining to the So
ciety and of the College were discussed, and
some plans ofimportance put in motion. IT. s.
o.. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. uNpD i! ~
The President for The past year Is. Fl. Pull
liam, Esq, of Rchmond,) having declined
reelection, the Society elected the following
officers for the coming year . "..
| Charles Y. Meredith, president; E. G. Ca
vice. president; J. T.. Whitley, third vice
president; Professor Fl. Fl. Harris, secre--
tary Josiah Ryland, treasurer.
| TpIra ncror Stavopsop IF D,p13s
Mimi, was elected to deliver the next an-
nual address.
The reputation of this gentleman givesas-
surance that the Society has been very fortu-
nate in its selection. .'. '.'..''
| At ST O'Clock last evening there gathered
in the beautiful chapel of the College a good
audience, composed of some of the most in.
tellisent people Of the city, attracted by the
anniversary address before the Society of
Alumni. . =-'
| The president Of the Society OR. C. V.
incredibly introduced Rev. DR.. Tupper, who
offered an appropriate prayer, after which
Mr. Meredith expressed the qualification
felt at the privilege of meeting for the first
| time on this anniversary occasion, within
the walls Of the college itSclf-in the beaut-
| full chapel but recently pleted-and fe-
licitated the audience on the treat in store
| in the address Of Professor j. A. Turner, of
| HolIius Institute, whom he thus introduced
| to their attention.
ADDRESS OF PROFESSOR TURNER.
| Professor Turner begun by al appropri-
ate allusiOn to the occasion, spoke of the
difficulty Of choosing subject, and au-
nounccd as his theme: " The object Of edu-
| cation and the spirit ariM rhich that OBJ
| jpc{ ehoHM he TccOW DllSHPI,S
lie quoted Sir William HamiltOn's views
OF education, 10 the effect that considered as
ends mental exercise is superior to truth, or
| that The pursuit of truth is more valuable
| than the attainment of truth, and proceeded
to combat this position.
! He was disposed to take the negative Of
| this eyer-rccurrinS theme Of debating So
cietes," and insisted that the unsuccessful
pursuit of truth is not plcasant--thaL it was
the finding and not the pursuing that elected
the eureka of Archimedes. ...
He urged that Just as the pleasure Of eat
| ing is valuable only us it induces men 10
take food Tor the nutrition OF the body, go
| the pleasure of pursuing truth is chiefly
| valuable for the mental nutrition which it
| induces.
He Insisted that if the faculties are culti-
| waited for their own sake, or for the sake of
| their poSsesSor alone, they may become Il
curse Instead Of blessing, and that the
grand object of their cultivation should be
| the attainment OF truth and the good OF So
ciaty.
From these premises he argued that men
tai development should be simply mean for
| the noble end of being an active, useful. vi.
| tai factor in society.
He insisted that IIamilton'S division Of
studies into "liberl' and "profrS>i0nai
was in some respects narrow-tlat pro
tcs$ional" education might be broad i'll spirit
and Useful in results, and that "llberal "
education might be narrow in spirit, and in
| results useless.
| He urged that all education should he as
far us possible practical in aim and results.
| He remarked that the practical utility OF sc:-
ence does not always appear to The unlnlil-
aed, and beautifully illustrated his position
| by reference to the history Of the spectre.
scope, the science OF language, and p>lchol-
ogy. J.,
| He diSrIamed the cold u!ilitarianSm that
| would make the pursuit OF knowledge de.
generate into mere selfish money -lnaklhg,
| but cloqueptly defended the utlliarianlsm
of Lord Bacon that makes knowledge ";l
rich storchouSe for the glory OF the Creator
and The relief Of mans estate"
lie did not believe that all that is taught IL
our schools is valuable. nor that there Is III
very general use really profound theory ol
education, but that success is often attained
in spite OF college training, or even without
it, citing Buckle, Grote, John Stuart Mil,
and Spencer as examples OF what men ol
genius and thought can accomplish without
going TO a college at ALL. ..g.,-..
He rejoiced that Bacon had freed ouI
schools from the trumpery and cobwebeIey
of intellect in which "the school-men' de.
lighted, and cited Il number of, amusing eN'
Iamples of questions which they discussed
But he insisted that there is still much
rubbish taught i'll ours chools, and gave ex'
amples Oft.
lie then spoke more briefly of the <piri
in which we should seek knowledge, and
urged that it should be with view 10 The
GLORY of the Creator-that knowledge should
be the haudmaid of religion.
He uttered an earnest warning against the
tendency, if not the aim, OF much moaetn
thought to make religion subsidiary to
knowledge, or even TO reject 1t entirely as
unworthy of a seat ut the ground table, OF
thought and science.
He concluded by saying: " Brother Alum
nj, God has given us each our talent ID tnis
life. May those to whom be has given that
talent in the form Of knowledge and ol
trained intelects remember that their re-
sponsibiity exceeds that Of all other classes
Of men and may they SEE to it that they
use that knowledge and those intellects i'll
building up rich storehouse for the glory
If the Creator and the relief or mans es-
tate!" .,,.u 90
MIR. Turner'S address was only thlrty'hve