New-York tribune., 1880-06-24
The LAST DAY AT vASSAR.

The LAST DAY AT VASSAR.
A CLASS OF FoRTY.sIx MEMBERS RECEIVES plPLo-
MAs-TIIE COMMENCEMENT ESSAYS.
IyRoM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRTDUNE'l
PoUGuKEEPsIE, June 23.-By half-past 10
O'Clock this morning the Chapel at Vassar College was
well filled with people who had 10 attend the COM
mencement exercises There wcrc 10 floral decorations
piano occupied the centre OF the stage IN 'front.' OF INC
organ At one end Of the piano sat the Rev. Dr. Cu'
we'll clad in scholastic cap aud gown, and Mt the other
end was tho principal. Julia a. Ray. On DR.. Cald'
we'll left was MattheS Vassar jr and his brother JOhn
Guy Vassar Benson Lessing Cyrus swan DR.. Beaile
and otor trustees and the members Of the Faculty also
occupicd places the stage The rear OF the sage WIS
filled with graduates of tho college Directly IN 'front.'
of the stage was tho class OF 1880 fortySx III NUMBER
the largest class that Vnssar has sent out for some
wears Tho other classes occupied the galleries. ana inc
body Of the house filled with relatives ana fehds OF
the graduates.
At about quarter to IL after an organ voluntary DE-
Caldwell opened the exercises with prayer. Tho re-
mainder OF the days programme was as follows:
Orato Saluatoria, C. l.. Dow.
The Growth of Natural Science, Lucy Thppan
Motlpv and Prescott: A Contrast, Jessie Brewster,
Grand Duo TX olknrenncr) Misses Dow and Rustn.
NincaulAy, the Historian, Iya {. Armstrong
America the Loader OF Ciylliz-tIon' Marietta A.
England and Germany tho Leaders of Civilization
P"ionaiSc G. MIenon - Miss ". I. Cooley;
Thc Relation Laws in Physical Science. NJ
The Effect OF Astronomical Discovery on the Imagna-
tlOn G.. NJ. Garfield. - . -, a.,
Uoly Oh Holy SAVIOR OicTcadanirl. Mi's Hartmann.
The Vacdctory Address, Myra Reynolds,
The Comforting OF Degrees
The DoxOOgy.
When Miss DOW delivered tho satin salutatory tho
venerable gentlemen on the stage were seen IN nod
knowingly at each other now and then. Miss Dow was
eutnusically applaudcd by the students.
The delivery OF Miss Tappan's essay unfortunately
marred bv slight attack ~ stage fright She spoke OF
spenccr's Synthetic Philosophy az " tho nohl'st conr"i
ton that has sprung from the brain OF any philosopher
OF the nineteenth century" and urged tho necessity Of
doubt and advscd the application Of honest doubt 10
every system. Her closing scnicnce was: Let nv mp
ply to facts and theories profound thought that there
may DO audible wspcrlngs OF ct rnal truth Miss
Brewstcrs decided in hes that Motley
brilliant aud greater historian than Prescott.
Mis- Armstrong. in her essay on Macauay. showed
tnnt the rancy OF ms style had so captiyaled her IS
IN lead her 10 maintain his absolute accuracy and
partality Sho closed somewhat oddly by suggesting
that something OF the Cdricaurc o fiction necessary
| for a successful history. Miss Barnes nnimu 4
nd graceful delivery an added zrst 20 her spicy
cs ay IN which she sought to prove That America Ia the
loader OF civilization. She said " Whether we mike
| flowers dry apples fruits, Yankee ingenuity
shows us the and shOrtest way She declared that
| America IA first I'm agriculture, education, In.
| yentiOn and democracy. But her opinion com.
bated by Miss suuG IN OF tho best essays Of the
day, Miss Sun spoke or Engllsn capital invested IN
American enterprise. OF English and German industrial
education tcOped later In this oonny OF the fact that
many American inventors have either found their idcns
or the money to develop them abroad. OF English com
merca supremacy aud OF the unworthness Of this eoun-
try TO bo ranked with England AMI Germany In art and
literature She SAID that sclentinc agriculture In
| troduced into America from England. To Eng
| land she also traced the origin OF tho trle-
| graph, the cable, locomotives and steamships.
| Occasionally her statemenls somewhat
| sweepIng az when sho announced forgetting Dr. Ms
Gosh and Professor BOwenl that America has produced
| no metaphy sician to compare with Hamilton, NH,
spenccr and others Hiss sutlin closed her able essay
by predicting the three cOuntrcs-Englnnd. Ger
many and AmericawOuld prove he vanguard Of civil
| iZdtlUn.
| After tho operate selections by Miss Cooley. Mlss
Rusen urged the necessity OF closer bstrvHtUn hnd
IN physical science Tho effect Of Astronomical Dis
| cOycry the Imagination Z" WINS well illustrated by
quotations from Virgil and Tenny son. descriptive o.
sunset Miss Ku,tlu's pleasing manner won for her the
attention OF the audience although she Argued that tho
| individual Is Of no Importance In progressive his
| tory. song by Miss Hartmann followed,
| and Miss Reynolds then delivered the
vaedctOrY which was happily different from the ordl
nary parting address. Miss Reynolds defended college
| sudenta from OF tho charges usually brought
partial test OF ability and urged the importance among
students OF original investguOn rather than nbcct de-
ppndenCe books. She ed h0r
mates upon their mutual Hefrcstraint aud kindness,
expressed the Indebtedness Of the class to them Both
the speaker and many Of the hearers moved to
| tears before the close Uf the valcdicnry.
DR.. Caldwell president OF tho college. then presented
a.. Hll.