National Republican., 1876-05-26
FORfY. EIGHT DISCIPLES sFBLACKsToEE
Brilliant Affair at Wallis opera House

ferings to cast at the feet OF ther young lrlends
about to be launched upon the sea Of professional
Hfe-the graduating class of the National Law
University. Long before the hour for the com.
mencement OF the exercises every seat in The
building was occupied from gallery TO pit, and
the aisles were crowded with those unable 70 OBJ.
tain seats, while dozens more were turned away
unable even to obtain standing room. Such a
display of rich beautiful and fragrant flowers has
seldom, if ever, been seen upon any one occasion
in the city, Every greenhouse within the Dis.
tTict must have been desPOilsd OF all its treasures
to supply the great number Of eoquets, baskets,
vreaths and anchors of flowers which lined the
front Of the whole stage.
Upon either side of the stage arose pillars OF
evergreen, studded with bright roses and sur
mounted by large baskets OF trailing vines. At
the back was a large wreath of evergreen, with
which in letters of roses was the inscription,
'tClsss of 7o, u with the letters in evergreen IN.
u. upon each side. Rare exOtics were placed in
front Of the boxes while from the upper boxes
hung pendant two large American flags clasped
on one side by "l775n and upon the other ''lSio."
Upon the centre and front of the stage stood a
pyramid Of brilliant flowers, upon which stood
the diplomas Of the class each rolled separately,
and then bound around a battle-ax of eyergreens
and roses with red. white and blue ribbons, the
whole in the form Of the Roman Fasces. This was
both unique and beautiful in design The greatest
credit is due the committee OF arrangements for
the excellent taste displayed in the decorations,
and TO the executive committee, A W. Hart,
chairman. and Messrs. Lamborn Clifford, Brook
ings, Msndenhall- TGlman, Brainard, McNally,
Crook Wooster and Dapray.
The full Marine baud was present, and dis
eouTsed several fine operate selections during the
seating of the audience, which was composed OF
tho cIifc Of society many distinguished in social,
military, political and official life being present.
Upon the stage were seated Vice President Ferry,
Hon. q. Il. Wright, United States Senate; Hon.
Samuel Shellabarger, ex-Chier Justice Casey, of
the Court Of Claims: Hon. J. A. Bentley. Com
missioner Of Pensions: DR.. Rankin and Vice Chan
cellOr W 3. WedgewoOd Ii. D.. of the National
University Law School. and Judge Macarthur.
The Marine band had just finished brilliant
selection during which the graduates entered and
seated themselves in three ruws upon the right of
the stage when President Grant arrived accom-
panied by Colonel Fred. Grant, and the two were
escorted TO seats by Professor Wedgwood amid
Rankin then invoked the Divine blessing, and
Professor WedgwOOd introduced Hon. Il. q.
Wright, of Iowa.
SENATOR wRIGHT-s ADDRESS.
Senator Wright said Said an old practitioner
recently, laying down his books and apparently
wearicd with examination of some questions, .One
need TO know more now, not Of law merely. but of
anything TO be good lawyer than he did one
hundred years ago." This is a selEeYdent prOpo-
eition and yet II suggests the theme for the hour
For the proposition is that professional excellence
or standing must be measured by and advance
with the intelligence and morals Of the age or
nation. 1t is always from the standpoint of ages,
comparative.
Young gentlemen, you come to your proies-
sional life in the Centennial year of the Republic
and ind therein over 4U,O00, 90 Of people, annual
manufactured products reaching s5,501, COZ, ,0J0,
farm lands valued at over Sl5,Oo1 OJO0 90, 170O0j
libraries, containing. $4,000 00J yOlEmes; over
1900 newspapers and periodicals, u, ,OoO churches
$50, 600 schOOls-school-hou wherever Won go:
school system which, If maintained in all its in
tegrity, is the surest safeguard of the Republic
the hope Of the Church and the most efficient aid
TO true Christianity and republican institutions
here and elseWherej uniyersities and colleges Of
the highest order In all the States railroads
stretching into and over all parts of every State
and almost all the Territories; cities where you
can almost hear and feel the
THRoBBISGs OF THE MIGHTY HEART
Of human civilization; municipalities, showing
all the activities of intelligent business art and
trade life commerce, ever the great promoter of
true civilization, bounded only by the remotest
seas and limited only by the most distant nation
alities; intelligence in every department. and all
pursuits every day becoming more general; with
every Industry and all professions ceaselessly
strnggling as never before in the history Of the
eueeess, in a nation where you find thirty seven
States, and now happily reunited, as hope, for
ever, with star for every State, and Sta te for
every star; In which are discussed and determined
each month graTer constitutional and economic
questions than ever before in
THE WORLDS HISTORY.
where We have free press, free schools, a free
Church, free soil and free men; for, thank God,
the footprint Of slave is not to be fOnnd in all
the land. At such a time and with such surround.
ings, in such civilization. with such advantages
and with such responsibilities, you step upon the
stage of professional action. And this very con-
dttlOn of things naturally suggests that e you
would take high rank in the profession and re-
eeiVe and deserve the confidence OF the public
you must keep fully abreast In learning, industry
snd purity Of character with the demands Of this
active, developing. improving, and yet exactinp
and scrutinizing nation and age.
The standard of true excellence advances with
Increased and a more general and n higher intel
ligenee. The LAWYER ranking high
IN COMMUNITY OF LITTLE AVERAGE INTELLI-
GENCE
would probably cut but a sorry figure in society
more cultivated or highly educated An age'full
enterprise and active intellect ever calls to the
forefront stout and able hands, and surrenders
leadership as rule alone TO those entitled to IT
by right Of true eminence and superiority. As
Intelligence becomes more general, wealth more
equally distributed, the people more comfortable
in homes and means; as the inventive genius re-
as the snirtt Of adventure leads
.::io new and untried feids, rnc people And
nation approach nearer realization OF tkeir true
relation TO each other; as the w"-n OF subduing
the earth by the use Of al pgencies which a ripper
civilization furnishes progresses and becomes
more manifest, ten it is that new problems are
evolved, ott things and theories pass measurably
away and the student finds his work broader and
deeper, demanding keener intellect, larger brain
and wider experience.
Not that the Old-especially as to principles-is
TO be ignored or forgotten but that these princi-
pies find new fields for their application and re-
auire more general intelligence and perceptions
more accurate to utilize and Apply them: II the
retired beyond the Tiber TO his corn land because
Of his bitter hatred of the commons, where he
lived frugaly cultiyaung the sou VIII ms Own Sii
century we can we'll imagine how diff
ferent HIS methods of sOil-culture, and how
strangely different the agencies employed there,
would see what experience is every day demon
stratng, that success in tillsge depends upon the
use of the machinery Of THIS inventive age rather
than in many acres, or the mere muscular strength
that It is the man who fails if failure comes,
and not the pursuit or profession.
Neptune, the sea divinity, the especial ruler Of
the Mediterranean, with his implacable hatred
Of the Trojans, encouraging the Greeks with the
power over storms and clouds over ships and
marines-if this old divinity could walk the
waters now with the ships Of our merchant
princes or our iron war vessels Of many thousand
ions burden covered and filled with tho
MAMMOTH PARTICIPATING
see that not even the brother Of Jupiter or Juno,
though the son Of Saturn, could, without prior
study and patient training and long experience,
utilize and make effective these terrible and con
stantly improving agencies.
For a moment makes like comparison In the
fields Of legal science Take the law of municipal
corporations, the many statutes and all the learn
ing touching those local self governments now, as
compared with the early part of the twelfth cen
tury, when the original charter was given to Lon
don, or a century afterwards when, in the days OF
King John, these rights of Internal and subOrdi-
nate administrations were conferred upon towns
and borOughs. Turn back TO the case Of Lynch
VS. DalZell, decided in the House Of Lords, in l79
touching hre insurance, and now attempt to trace
the decisions upon this vast important and rapidly
growing interesting subject, scattered through
many thousand volumes and many more thousand
cases. Glance over Angel Reynolds, Bunyon,
BOnney's compilation, BigeloW's collection OF
cases. Bliss and many other authors and the
numberless cases in our reports and begin to get
q slight glimpse o. the growth Of life Insurance
and vast sums of money annually and perma.
nently invested therein.
Recreate for a short time in the perplexing and
rapidly widening fields of tax titles, which you
will find was not discussed by Mr.. Kent In his
valuable Commentaries, in all that be has so well
said Of the law Of real property nor is the subject
scarcely touched upon or considered from thu
standpoint of the principles involved by any 9
the earlier real estate authors. But now, will
the power to sell lands for the non-payment o
taxes in all the States, the courts are burdenet
with more questions. and questions more difhcult
statutory and constitutional and otherwise on thl!
SUBJECT, than century since arose in the widt
domain OF bills, notes and contracts including
bailments and the whole law
OF COMMON CARRIERS -
Oh, If you would prefer the intangible in theory
take corporations, (Other than municipal which
according to Lord Coke, as you remember are
described as ''inyisible, immortal having no con
science or soul. and therefore no subpoena would