The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-11-03
j., Alpha, Tan Omega Fraternity
ANNUAL CONGRESS- OF THE AssocrATToN--AD
. DRESS BY REV. T. T. EATON, &C, &C. ~

Il a. .r. 80 .fLs a.. .f.E II
I That portion OF the exercises in connec-
ton with the Annual Congress OF the Al
tpha Tau Omega Fraternity which is made
public took place in the lecture-room OF the
Second Baptist church last night, and con-
sisted OF an oration by one OF the most hon.
ored and distinguished members Of the Fra
ternitY. the Rev, 7. 7. Eaton. -
!, :, After prayer BY: the Rev. DR.. Jeter. and q
Few appropriate words OF introduction by
Joseph r. Anderson, Jr., Esq, the reverend,
orator addressed the Fraternity. /, he an
fnounced .sIdeals' y, rs his subject. After
arguing that the fixed connection existing
between what people admire and what they
are in character, he went on to consider the
ideals of the nations of history, and to con-
slider what influence they had on the ma
tioBal character and what defects caused
their fall. The ideal Of Greece was perfect
beauty, physical and mental, and in these
respects the Greeks surpassed all other ma
tions. The world never saw. such forms OF
grace and power as walked the streets
Eof Athens. Phidlas and his compeers did
not have imaginations to conceive supernal
beauty, but have left for our admiration not
the cmbodiments Of poets dreams, but the
representation OF the living men and wo-
men they meet on the streets. Give our ar
lists Greek forms and faces to contemplate
all their lives and they will give us Greek
forms and faces to immortalize our country
as Phidias immortaliZed his nation. The
Greeks strove ior mental beauty, too, and
in that was their success. Nowhere
else can we find such constellation
Of stars in the armament OF intellect. The
speaker ridicued the modern notions OF
beauty as shown in the dress. particularly
Of gentlemen. Speakers often refer to'the
dress Of ladies. This one passed the ladies
by, and Tidiculed vigorously the fashions Of
gentlemen-REPoRTER.] Next came the ideal
Of Rome, which was perfect obedience~to
law and discipline. 1t was to their earliest
pursuit OF this' ideal that they owed their
military successes! He said that was a noble
race-those Roman patricians-who welded
all Italy into a sword fer the worlds
conquest. The world never saw better SOL
diers than those Of Rome. The ideals OF
Greece aad Rome being lacking in the elc-
ment OF moral beauty and obedience to
spiritual law, were defective, and to those
defects were due the fall of those nations.
Then came the two ideals OF medieval his
tory-the Abouk and Knight-which lie
discussed, showing wherein they were no.
Bile and wherein they were defective. No
pCOpiC) iiC Sulu, Cf Cl 1lsC hlsHC thaii IiCii
ideal. He bitterly opposed the ideal sug-
gested by Matthew Arnold OF "culture."
He then asked what was the ideal Of the
people of America, and urged his hearers to
establish and pursue a true and perfect
ideal, and he described in what that con-
sisted. Better q base ideal than none at all,
for false ideal could be exalted, but to
have none was to be hopeless and aimlesS
He besought his brethren to guard against
the materialistic tendencies Of this age,
closing as follows:
"Lift your ideal high above the dust OF
the racing and the smoke OF the conflict,
where no foulncss OF sordid interests can
stain its white purity. Lift it high, my
brethren. Let it shine like the face OF an
angel down upon the fierce struggle for
wealth and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT till men shall
learn that there are things higher than gold,
loftier than station, and grander than sue
cess. And when the ages 60 to present
themselves in the temple of the past, among
all the gifts they bring OF athlete and
philosopher, soldier, or monk, or knight,
there shall be none equal to the Offering OF
this nineteenth century, as standing proud
ly among them she shall say to her sister
centuries: fI bring as the result Of my
ife-work among the nations that grandest
OF all the products OF time, perfect Chris
tidn gentleman" The speaker was warmly
congratulated at the close OF his address.