The Aberdeen examiner. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1866-current, 1878-07-04

y
young ladies the assurance of my
high appreciation of the kindness be
slowed upon me.
Very respectfully yours,
FRANK JOHNSON.
esteem it not only pleasure, but al
honor to have the privilege of addressing
you on this interesting occasion; not only
because Of the importance and high char
acter of this institution Of learning, which
Aberdeen may so justly regard with
pride, but because of the culture and
refinement that are the characteristics OF
the ladies' and gentlemen of Aberdeen,
who compose the audience this evening.
In all sincerity, l express us my only
regret the consciousness of my incapacity
to give you thoughts and reflections wor-
thy of the occasion, and worthy of your
kind attention; and | trust you will
duly honor the draft that l venture to
draw at the outset, upon your polite
consideration.
The occasion that has brought us to-
gether, and which is certainly an inter
esting one to the friends of the Academy
and to this community generally, and
which marks a distinct event in the lives
of these young lady students, is strongly
suggestive of the thoughts Ishall express
this evening.
The intellectual and moral advance
ment of our youth, especially the proper
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and progress of
the women Of this'country, are subjects
of the fifsisimportance to the thinkers Of
the age and the latter especially of deep
interest not only to the theorists, but to
the practical thinkers and workers of this
decade. That educated men are better
men, not only mentally but morally, are
better members of society than unedu-
Gated and ignorant men; that Ignorance
is one of the prime causes of immortality,
want, crime and human .wretchedness,
and that knowledge lifts men from those
dismal depths to purer intellectual life,
to higher moral plane, and to a more
exalted spiritual existence, are PROPOSE
tions of sociology no longer debated OF
disputed. The objective point of modern
civilization and education is the highest
possible accomplishment theoretically
resting in ideal perfection. The ideal
conception of a perfect state of society
involves profound knowledge of the
Fundamental principles that upderlie hu-
man society; the highest intellectual and
moral perception of To reciprocal rights
and obligations of it's various members,
a scientific knowledge of the material
warldfhtscan supply the most refined
wantg and'n supreme desire in each to
attain the highest good for tha greatest
nhSber. This pe-lect ideal state of ex-
istcuca includes the notion that each
individual would be equal intellectually
to La Places "perfect mind, with Il
moral nature equally us exalted 1t is
accordingly unreal and impossible, but
it is only impossible in the true sense
that absolute perfection is impossible.
This leaves us, however, the immense if
not practically infinite margin that lies
between the starting point Of the lowest
ignorance. and the highest approxima-
ton to the ideal perfection. Aid in the
idea Of the unknown possibilities of this
scheme of progressive development, lies
one of the forces that impels us forward
aud upward to the highest possibilities
OF performance. The grandeur and crown
ing Thought in this idea of development
is that no point known to any theories
can be fixed as the limit of our progress,
as the precise highest attainable point;
and al, L,manner OF possibilities present
themselves unchecked by any known
obstacle, at any exact locality, on the
upward rod. The top of our mountain
road is wrapped in the clouds. Il
There is something exalting in the idea
that there avs no palpable or sensible
lnhamnnp~ on the human intellect, SO far
Nature and her laws are con-
i'his exaltation reaches perhaps
q pitch. Science, stimulated by
1t accomplishments and victories,
nothing in the universe as undis-
verable not yet discovered, and
yig as true that is undemonstrable
scientifc methods. In ono school of
,dern philosophy, evolution and the
npic thery account for all existing
and species, and the new hypoth-
= spontaneous generation, whatever
6gaY mean, entirely dispenses with
rsepal cretpor of the orialnnnuAm.
ese philosophers, for t "a
precise expression, t2X
intangible sore O.
Ier and .ul
N,S I'd Aey 4
~ nature.
<eS,lSs Mature, -