The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-07-04
COLBY COMMENCEMENT.


resignation Of Prof Moses Lyford was received
and accepted. A committee was appointed to
secure successor Prof. Lyford has been in
structor at this institution for the past twenty
seven years, and all bear witness to his faith
fulness and conscientious discharge of his du-
ties.
The trustees voted to change tho name of the
fitting school at Waterville from Waterville
Classical Institute to Coburn Institute, in hon.
or of ex-Gov. Coburn, its munifioent patron,
who is causing new building to be erected for
the school at an expenseto himself OF $4,000.
Bright skies and cool breezes fell to the lot OF
the tSeniors to-day, and made much more
ENJOYABLE to themselves and friends the OBJ
servance of class day At 1890 a. m, the
class of 'SS, headed by Glovers band, marched
from the campus TO the Baptist church, where
part Of the exercises were held.
The grafton was delivered by w. G. Chap
man, of Portland, who had for his subject
college Students and the Times. 1t was o
thoughtful discussion Of the position of the
educated man in the world, of the patent facts
10 our present society, and the consequent
need of tho educated man to rightly interpret
the meaning of things and boldly take upon
himself the delicate trust of arbiter in the try
ing and pressing political and social problems
The grafton occupied about thirty minutes In
delivery, and the eloquent rendering provoked
very hearty applause. The poem was BY CIV.
Smith Of Waterville, and its subject was
Life" Rich In thought, graceful and easy
in style. it attracted and interested the hearer'
and was considered fine production.
The Grafton and poem, with the singing of
class ode, completed the exercises at the
church.
ON THE CAMPUS.
AT three o'clock in the afternoon, the pro-
ceedings of the day were continued with the
campus exercises. The college green never
seemed brighter than to-day, nor the surround
ings more pleasant and familiar. A large au-
dience greeted the class, and we're en- rapport
with the exercises, and pronounced them sue
cessful.
The history OF the class was good, the address
to undergraduates enjoyable, the parting ad-
dress pleasant, the odes we'll sung, while the
observance of old college customs made many
an alumnus present recall the incidents of
class days past.
The rooms of the graduating class were quite
generally thrown open to visitors, and num-
bers of the friends of the members improved
tue opportunity for an inside look of college
walls
EVENING.
I An audience which fairly packed the place.
! met at the Baptist church in the evening, to
( hear the address of ex-Gov. Long, of Massa-
chusetts, before the literary societies of the
college. The expectation OF heari ng a worthy
effort was amply verified by the sequel. The
speaker said:
You are are at once charged with the high
responsibilities to which your college is de-
dicated and are also linked to the cause of the
people whose welfare it serves So far from
being separated from their level and work you
are only more identified with them. There is
no conflict or balancing of accounts between
scholar and people. Rather it may be said
there is no distinctively educated class in our
country or more truly all are one educated
GLASS, educated far beyond the nice Athenian
standard by the marvellous diffusion OF knowl-
edge. Where the Athenian drone criticised
quantity or accent the American laborer
discusses tbs question Of philosophy and states
manship. Two years ago the greatest of Ameri-
scholars addressing his fellow alumni at
Harvard arragned the scholars of America for
their failure and timidity in responding to the
great causes OF the people. A year
later an Grafton hardly less brilliant
defended the scholar and the college But dis
tnction is unsubstantial. Wendell Phillips
and George William Curtis are indeed edu-
Gated men but is their education more of the
school or of the people? More from the book
or from contact with the living needs and in
terests OF humanity? Does Emerson VIII en-
you walk at his side tell you more of the clois-
ter OF the academy or of nature? Can you
seperate the burrows OF Cromwell and John
Millions ploughshares of civil liberty? Will
you array franklin and Lincoln on one side of
the line Of useful, patriotic scholarship and
Jefferson and Andrew on the ether? You
may as well draw any other artificial line of
birth race or wealth. Truer lives are inter-
woven not apart. Scholarship and education
are of no place or limitation. They come
from no favored spring. They blossom what
ever the soil and whatever the culture, where
ever there is a soul that hungers and thirsts
Tor them. The newspaper itself is curricu-
lum. The unlimited diffusion of good litera-
ture, the familiarity of industrial labor with
industrial science, the public library without
which no village is longer creditabe, the live
ly interest and agitation OF popular debate are
richer school than the Greek academy or
some modern universities 1t is indeed lev
cling time but it levels up and not down. We
lose of course the special instances of great
intellectual efforts now that they are the rule
and not the exception. There will be no more
matchless orations presented in tradition and
school books when oratioDs as brilliant as
Ev9etts are the forgotten utterances Of
last years platform. And yet we have this
gain, that cheapness of rhetoric raises the
value OF plain speaking and truth.
There will never be another FedeYaist
when our daily press teens with
political essays that rival its arguments
Do then belttle college education? By no
means. only define it as not distinctive
and exclusive education in itself, but rather a
help and means to education, pathway the
fairest of all in which the student may go to
usefulness and service. He IS LOT apart
from but one among the people, The distinc-
ton OF future eminenceS will therefore be not
80 much one of an intellectual range. it W Ill be
one of character. There is not O question tc-
legislation, in business or in recreation, iu liter
ature or art that does not turn the moral
pivot. England cannot deal With the Irish or
any other question and preserve herself ex-
cept upon the basis Of Justice
The problem of freedom and slavery cock
istentz under our federal union eluded the wit
dom Of craftsmanship and grew like cancer at
the vitals of the Republic until the straightfor-
ward stroke of moral right solved the whole
intricacy as wedge riyes the heart Of an oak.
The eloquence of Webster's 7th OF March
( speech faded like dew, but forever eDdures the
/ despised aboliticnst's, simple affirmation,
Slavery is wrong. All the more is this true OF
! the individual. Fashions change, the solid
earth disintegrates, scence continually shifts
the adjustment OF the laws OF truth, theologies
crumble but the simple elements of personal
character are eternal springs either OF moral
happiness or misery. The distinction Of tho
future is the moral djstinction. But in pursu-
ance OF founders Of this college let us hayelDo
exclusion or retirement from the body and IN
\ terebtS Oh the peopI6.HIt IS from them lHat lbe
great reforms have stheirmovement. 1t Is a
/ mighty power, this whelming tide Of
/ sthe people, this no longer blind but Argus
/ eyed Samson gathering in his arms
/ the pillars Of state and destined to raise or
4 crash you. 1t is a staggering problem, this
/ government of the people IN which the ma
| chinery of law and administration is fragile
and the toy windmill OF a child compared with
1 the essential and real element OF its stability
| the moral sentiment. This power and this
! problem henceforth charge you with the re-
! sponsbility for their exercise and solution.
| Let the scholar not shrk but meet 1t Let
him bring to his ork reinforcement and not
trammel it with his added weakness. Let
him be no Endymion lulled to endless slumber,
| bat an Alexander burning for'new worlds to
conquer, Sydney waving the cup from his
/ own dying lip to some fainter brothers, Puri-
tan forerunner laying the foundation OF larger
and pnrer liberty.
/ The class of 1863, which graduated ID, OF
whom II now living, hold re-uDon this
year. Among the number present are j. Il.
Baldwin, of Cincinnati; William Pitt Bartlett
Eau Clair, Wis; Rev. George Bullen, Paw
tucket r. T.; Alfred Owen, Granville, Ohio
Ii. w. Richardson, Portland; ex-Gov. II. M