Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-06-08
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
tnterestIur and successful Exercises
OF the Third commencement
Large Number OF Graduates-
sermons and Addresses
by Prominent DIvlnes
and Teachers.
sIona; Correspondence OF the Apr cal !

Occasiona. Correspondence OF the Appeal
NASHVILLE, June The Vanderbilt uni
yersity Is Commodore Vanderbilt = gift 20 the
Southern Methodist church, and through that
church to the south. But It is peculiarly the
property of Tennessee. because II ~ located
within her borders, and because the State
authorities have exempted It's property from
taxation. And Tennessee has so tar shown
disposition to make good use OF her property.
Of the four hundred and FIVE students on the
register of the Vanderbilt, two hundred and
eight are from the State of Tennessee. But
we believe this to be only the beginning. We
dare to predict that the Vanderbilt, at no
distant day, will have thousand students,
and of these Tennessee ought to send at
least between four and five hundred.
This institution has just closed its third and
most successful scholastic year. The recent
commencement exercises, though extending.
through six days, attracted large and inter-
ested audiences throughout the entire pro-
gramme The commencement sermon was
preached on Sunday, May 26th, by Rev. DIR.
C.. X. Marshall, OF Mississippi, and on the
afternoon of the same day Rev. Bishop kava-
naugh, of Kentucky, delivered glowlngly
eloquent sermon before the students OF the
theological department. The bishop narrated
many experiences of his own early ministry,
and depicted with a master hand st. Paul as
a minister of the gospel of the grace OF God.
He then turned from the preacher to his mes
sage, 81 ne Gospel of the Grace of God.
Man was once under a covenant of works,
but he, by rebellion, forfeited all his rights.
After the fall whatever he receives must be
upon some other basis than that OF his
own merit. The second Adam comes and
restores all the privileges that were forfeited
in the first. Among the novel features of
this commencement was series OF
lectures delivered from day to day
by the various professors as a sam
pie Of the kind of instruction impaired IN the
university. One of the most interesting of
these was the lecture by DR.. n. L. Lupton on
The Chemical Constitution of Matter" IL
lustrated by many popular experiments. The
learned professor began by telling US that
chemistry was an experimental science; 1t IN
vesti gates the property of matter, and the
laws which govern its particles in the forma-
ton of compounds. Matter exists IN three
states of ggregation-solid, liquid and gas
eous-and all matter is capable of passing
from one of these states to that of the others.
Matter has two invariabe properties-exten-
sion and impenetraoihty. At this point the
doctor gave US many amusing Illustrations.
He then went rapidly over the theories Of the
ultimate constitution OF matter, and, after
some experimental illustrations, passed on to
the distinction between chemical and physi
cal forces. The professor, in concluding his
lecture, gave US many demonstrations of the
modes of chemical action by direct union, by
| separation of molecules, by substitution, etc.
| The laws of combination are established by
studying the chemical relations of atoms and
molecules. After the lecture DR.. Marshall
| returned the thanks of the audience to DR..
| Lupton, and as on the day before they
! had listened to DR.. Winchel lecture on
MAN in the Light of Geology" he hoped
| they should one day have the pleasure Of list
ening to DR.: Lupton on 'God in the Light Of
| Chemistry" The memory of Mr.. Vanderbilt
is ever kept fresh by the annual celebration
| OF Founders day. His portrait, which hangs
in the chapel, was handsomely garlanded
with magnolias and evergreens, and other
floral decorations frightened up the chapel
In the evening was the competitive speaking
for the Founders oratorical prize. Mr.. G. c..
JOKES, of Tennessee, delivered an Grafton on
MAN as He Was and As He Isl Mr.W R.
Richardson. of South Carolina, on mot Sci
ence Only" Mr.. Granville Goodloe, of Ten
nessee, on "Athanasius Against the World; :"
and Mr.. A. K. Ward, of Tennessee, on The
| characteristics of our Age" All these sub
was of high order. After very long alb
sence, which may indicate the difficulty they
mad in making up their minds, the committee
returned their decision in favor of Mr. w. r.
| Richardson, of South Carolina. On Tuesday
evening, May 18th, Rev. DR.. q. w. F.
Price, of Huntsville, Alabama, delivered
before the members of the dialectic
|
address at once brilliant and profound. On
| Wednesday evening the oratorical contest
| for the Young prize medal resulted In the
success of Mr.. J. NJ. Grow, of Kentucky. At
the commence proper, Friday, May 3lst, the
degree of bachelor of philosophy was confer
| red upon four graduates; of bachelor of SCI
ence upon one, of bachelor of law upon nine.
| The closing exercises of the medical depart
ment were held July and February. The
degree of doctor of medicine was then con-
| ferred on ninty-twO graduates. The univer-
sity does not confer any degree in the theo-
| logical department, but six young men were
sent out to the conferences with its diploma
of graduation. Of the bachelors of law. J..
! B. Cambell, P. w. Gardner, M. K. Harris, J.
| u Rust and A. X. Ward are Tennessee men.
| Thomas G. Holmes. a rising young minister
! of the Memphis conference of the Methodist
| Episcopal church, south, was among the theo-
| logical graduates, and received both the
Founder and 1.-THE Owen theological medals.
| He also represented his class On commence
ment day, delivering an address on 1.-The
Ministry Required by Our Times" Mr.. J.
| l.. Whitworth, of Tennessee was the class
| representative of the academic gradu-
ates, and gave the audience a fine
| WV Moore, Of Mississippi" on "Charles l.
But the gem of commencement day, of which
all else was but the setting, was the address
of Hon. John S. Preston, of South Carolina.
Mr.. Preston is a southern gentleman of the
last generation, of elegant culture, and rare
and ripe scholarship. His address was upon
THE Intellect, Considered as the Handmaiden
of the Soul" and ably did he show how the
study of mathematics, of languages, Of the
natural and the moral sciences served to
develop the capacious powers of the mind
Many brilliant passages were cheered most
enthusiastically by the students. Thus closed
commencement week. In another day the
students had scattered to the four winds
College and campus were deserted. But Sep
TENDER will bring them again. J.J.T.