The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-07-03
President Hamlin'S Baccalaureate

The text of the sermon preached on
Sunday by Rev. Cyrus Hamlin, ID. ID. &,
president of Midllebury college, was
from Isaiah xxxiii, G-"And wisdom
and knowledge shall be the stability of
thy times and strength of salvation.'
The object of a college education, he
said, is to open the paths of knowledge
and wisdom to Young men so that they
shall make stable, strong, secure the
great interests of humanity. lie would
discuss the American college with re-
gard to what it is and what it ought to
be; with regard to its faults and their
remedies, introducing some side ques-
tons that could not we'll be omitted.
lis reason for choosing this subject
was that the vital interests of church
and State, the most precious concerns
of religion and humanity are so closely
allied to our systems of education that
their right understanding is one of our
most sacred duties.
BY the American college he meant
one which maintains the course in
vogue before the system of electives
was introduced. Tne college is of
English origin, though some OF the feq-
lures peculiar to English Institutions
such aS are tagging and haZing-nave
happily been abolished. But the gen
eral courses Of study, consisting of the
classics, philosophy, ethics, rhetoric,
logic, history, political and natural
sciences and the evidences of Christian
itv have stood the test of many genera
lions and received the approval of the
great educators of successive centuries.
II is not claimed for them that they d.
rectIy fit men for this or that profession
that is the province of the post
graduate course, which is the proper
place for elective studies. The object
of the college course itself is to train,
so far as may be the faculties of the hu-
man soul for vigorous and successful
action. The studies mentioned above
were passed in brief review, with the
object of seeing whether any of them
could safely be omitted from the
course. In the opinion of the speaker
none of them could be left out of the
curriculum. With regard to the CLASH
cal tongues it is maintained that they
should give place to the modern Europ-
eau languages. This question had been
ably discussed: but there was one fact
to which sufficient prominence had not
modern world, i'm religion, philosophy
and law, rests upon one and the same
foundation of Greek and Latin thought.
Europe derived its legislation, its ideas,
principles and forms of law, indeed
everything that constitutes urisprud-
ence, philosophy and religion, from the
same sources. The Greek and Latin
fathers laid deep the foundations of
theology. In law the Pandects of JUS
tinian have been pronounced by able
jurists to be the most precious treasure
law ever presented to the nations.
That, together with the Institutes, was
published in the Greek as well as the
Latin for the East and the West, and
thus the two languages were married
at the fountain of legislative wisdom.
Those who wish to 20 back to the foun-
tains of life, 10 the impulses that have
pushed forward tn race must 90 to the
Greece aud Rome Of centuries gone bv.
a man NAV be an able and successful
lawyer and know nothing of the class.
les; but the fact remains that those
who have been most eminent i'm the
profession were imbued with the spirit
of the Greek and Latin sources of law.
A minister may succeed and know
nothing of Greek and Hebrew; but in
telligent congregations will rarely call
such man to the pastorate; and they
act in the light of long experience,
The elective studies now in vogue in
Harvard and other colleges are without
authority of example and experiment
III the whole history of education. The
German universities grant the choice
OF a wide range of studies; but previ-
GUS to entering upon them a student
must complete a classical course that
carries him far in advance of even our
own college studies. 1t was not elec.
tves to which the speaker objected,
but to the time of their Introduction.
1t was claimed that the medical profes.
sion was exempted from the necessity
of classical study and as a matter of
TACT not more than one in twenty med
ical students had previously taken de-
grees. But it might fairly be question
ed whether this was not serious loss
TO the profession. The speaker claim
ed that the omission of the long classic
drill and culture and the adoption of
the narrow, direct, hasty course of pre-.
paratlon is too early application of
the doctrine of electives. 1t is the Bud
denseik mode of building, sure to in
volve loss of life. And the American
college is TO provide men not only for
the learned professions, but for bust
ness life. For such, also, the college
course outlined Is the best. The
theory of the New England college is
not to produce specialists, but to Law
firm and broad foundation for special
lists to build upon. 1t trains the student
to no profession, but prepares him to
make an intelligent choice of profess
sion and to marshal his forces when he
enters upon it.
There is another question that
must be faced-lIas the New Eng
land college lost to some extent the
sympathy, confidence and patron
age Of the surrounding communi.