The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-24
VASSAR COLLEGE.
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES -FoRTY-Two FEMALE
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. BY THE LADIES

4 COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES -FoRTY-Two FEMALE
neutrality-suspicious. BIZ THE LADIES
PoUoHKEEPsIR June 20, 1875.
To-day again the weather has been propiuous
for the vassar girls. The cloudy threat OF morn
ing gave place to the sunny assurance OF MONDAY
and Just before the opening OF the Commence
ment exercises the SKY became clear ana the
air sum merry. In every way the day was
fitting one for what the valedlc-
torian called stepping across the threshold OF tho
future" To witness tins suspicious ceremony
there came TO town. during the last few days, no
less than 1000 people from ali parts or the Union.
Some TO see the last collegiate Efforts OF their chill
dren; others attracted by love or novelty. came
to be astonlshed at the heights 90 watch the female
mind attains on the Mount ParnAssas. The essays
read to-day were 10 every way equal 10 those gen.
orally read at the Commencements OF male instl-
buttons.
THE vALEDIcToRY
OF Miss Florence Clinton Perkins, OF Cooperstown,
was no ordinary effort 1t showed q depth OF
feeling and q grace OF expression which few men
could nope to rival. Its feeling illusions 20 the
cong eniai friends and int ectua aflnites OF the
old college were discussed In q gossamer OF
rhetoric, and appealed more TO the heart than
10 the ear. 1t was an Oriental farewell,
long and lingering, but when nnisned, "twas
only FAREWELL IL baf1es ANALYSIS: no partlcu-
lar point remains in the mind, but the whole has
lett deep impression. the tone OF all the GRAFTON
was universal ana progressive. showing that the
minds OF the students have not been ham,
pered with the obsolete coDven tionaIitles
vita which some deem It lndlspensa-
bio to surround the budding female mind.
Masculinlty OF thought seems 20 be more
o matter OF training than OF sex, for the essays OF
to-day-many OF them from feeble Rlrls-were as
strong In thought and as bold In conception az
any OF The youth OF Harvard or Yale could pro-
nounce. From the programme published below Il
will be seen that the themes which claim the at
teniIon OF vas5ar girls ars light
or idle ones Politics, religion, science and art
all claim q prominent place In their thought.
These topics are not thought rom text books, but
are treated as each individual cho ,ses. A proof
OF this Is to be found 10 the rival essays OF MISS
Kate Louise MaItby and Miss Kate McBan. Al.
though MISS Maltny m de ont strong case Tor
science. Miss McBAin's Tor the nne arts was
A notable feature OF the celebration was the
scarcity OF music, watch at most seminary com
mencements Is very plentiful rms lac3 OF effort
on the part OF fingers was perhaps compensated
for by extra activity Of brains.
THR ExERClsRs.
The exercises were neld IN the chapel, where
Yesterday the ''cass dayn celebration was InitI-
OF the college. incudns Matthew vassar, nepnss
Providence; Cornelius Robinson Rev. Ed ward
Lotnrop, u. D.; Charles ". swifk Stephen
III.
PADDOCK. Corneius Dubois John II. Raw.
mond, IL D.; Cyrus Swami, George George IL
augustus aus eorgs limits Ea among ne
guests VINO were nonored WITH seats among the
faculty on the STAGE we're Ex-Governor Pease, u
fame In the body OF tn. cha Gu
tue graduating class, tnelr parents and immediate
stand she was greeted with applause, wnlcn, wnen
she was popular was prolonged oy the sopno-
mores aud Juniors who occupied The galleries.
IAN hour ike this Is worth thousand passed
In pomp an ease-tls present 70 tue last
As fresa, as islr. as on the day IL came"
Many OF the older graduates we're present 10 see
The class OF rs acquired the name or "uewn ron
the TACT that when 1t entered the collegiate course
new system OF framing was introduced INTO
catuna standard o the house and make the dis
cipIine more severe or course. like all college
reforms, TINS one was unpopular, aud during the
nrst years OF the course muca beugerency was
shown BY the girls. During the later years tney
and set themselves to work 10 make
the best OF IL. Ihat standards nave been I'M
proved We nave the word OF President Raymond.
wno Ia bidding the class good oy,n spoke OF
how successful All ths new experiments had been
the Ass was q naturally progressive one, FOR
once IL rsDeled against compulsory BiDie ciass.
and the good BOOK vas Only kept IN respect ~ q
nat OF MIR. Vassar, woo sain that the Bl0le should
be a text book at Vassar
The exercises opened with prayer Dy Rev. Or.
Robinson OF Brown University wao was intro
oucsd 0y President Raymond. lie duplicated me
benedicton Of God Oh toe Efforts OF tue young
ladies, ana prayed that all tner lives might b ~
bright az tho dag which was nov srantcd them.
lie pctitioned the Providence winch dad seen
them safely through college % guide them through
| life.
When the reverend gen tleman was seated, Miss
Frances Goldsmith SWIM came forward and pro-
n0unced the or0tt0 Sditltdt0rfd. Her remarks In
Latin TO the trustees we're evidently appreciated
By most OF the members Of that august 0oiy.
THE ESSAYS.
The sautatory finished, Mlsa Florence curry
Wheat came forward 20 discuss tne "lndeDen-
dence or Cnurch and State.u None Of her ideas
were new, but soc showed Ia her treatment OF
the subject mucn research. In the passage, "ken-
der unto Cesar the Things tnat are C8sar's, aud
unto God the things that are Cod, "s1e tound the
divine mandate which declared b0tn INSTITUTIONS
dependent The one, sne SAID, was the govern
ing Instrument Of man a. a member o. society,
the other hts governing instrument az an indi.
vIdual. she did not venture on the merits Of
the case considered in potico economic
view, but CAREFULLY avoided any altusion
10 tho same. After having declared
herself omnently In iavOr o. the
Independence OF both institutions sue retired, and
MISS Mary Frances Burlington came forward 20
dissertaie on the "Acneycments Of Theoretical
Unemlsuy.n This paper was, though very
lao0red stfD very learned ono, ana
STAMPED "a author az thinker. Caemsta