Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-07-03
USEFUL MEN
runxxp our At VIRGINIA. AaRrcuLru'
rAr AND MECHANICAL coLLHGx.
Commencement Exsrcises-saccala
Address BY President conrad-ueoaSs
and 0rations-A Military BAH.
rnenorted for Che pispatch.l


The commencement exercises OF the
fourteenth year in the history OF the
Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical
College opened on Sunday last. De-
spite the lowering clouds and occasional
spripklines Of rain, which may have
served to keep many at home, the com.
modious commencement hall was well
filled With highly-sppreciatiye and At
tentive audience to hear the bsccalau-
reate address--to be delivered by the
president Of the college, Captain I. N.
Conrad.
Before proceeding with the subject
matter" Development or Restless
Action the Law Of Gods Universe y
the Professor directed few words to
the graduating class and the students
generally, He said that in serving
them he simply put his heart in his
hand and his hand in their hands, aud
before entering upon the active duties
of life, full Of coramotion and conflict
and contest, he would ask them to re-
ceive the note Of warning, to receive
tie advice from father as well as an
officer Of the college. He compared
the student to the sleeping infant, with
three guardian angels standing by.
One the meek.eyed angel Of Home; an
other the angel of the Church the
third the large-brained angel of the
State. The angel Of Home says to
the sleeping babe: "Honor thy
father and thy mother" be loving
son, respect parental authority, be
faithful to father, faithful to mother,
love home, photograph it in your
heart. The angel Of the Church says,
BE good, love God and your neighbor,
develop character, "be truthful aud
slow to act." The angel representing
the State says, Be good citizen, love
justice, maintain the honor of the State,
honor her traditions, respect her laws,
defend her flag. To the graduating
class he put the question, To face the
stern realities of life what is your
equipment Are you armed cap-a-pie?
Have you o proper conception of the
great contest into which you are enter
ipeP Let us look inward and outward,
upward and onward, understand our
surroundings, appreciate our environ
ments. He pictured the widows cabin
down by the sea, the light in the win
dow to guide storm-berated mariners,
and the lonely pyramids standing upon
Africa's sandy plain-the wonder Of the
eyes in their solitary grandeur. Give
me, said be, the light in the window in
preference to the pyramids, the mighty
monitors of the East.
In taking up the subject Develop
ment, the Law Of Gods Universe" the
orator dwelt at length upon the an
tsgonism between scientists and re-
ligion--the difference between Church
anity and Christianity. Christianity,
be said, is my manhood; and if have
no manhood l have no Christianity,
| have no religion. In the contest of
science and religion look at Hugh
Miller, the Scotch skeptic, who, IN the
paroxysm Of joy at the discovery or
revelation ofhis God, took his own life.
In the development Of the law Of God
the beautiful little rivulet rising in
yonder mountain is taken as an illus
tration-fnding its way to the New
River and on and on to the Kanawha,
to the Ohio, and thence to the Missis-
sippi and the Gulf. The field Of ripen-
ing grain from one little seed to a thou
sand.fold, all the law Of development
and evolution.
The law of development, the mental
law, and law of history, the mind, il
Illustrated by the student, his incapable
ty TO seize, to grapple with the pro-
blems without that gradual develop
ment of the mind-how when young men
20 into the abstract studies they begin to
quake. The history of the world is
but the life of some half dozen of men.
What is the Revolution but the life of
WashiDgton-ths rebellion but the life
of Lee--the military of Europe but the
military of Napoleon? The orator in
closing his address again advised the stu
dents of their duties. Go into the world,
he said, with keen sense of justice. Do
not be Observation-Disclosures all, do
not be narrow-minded.
The address was delivered in the
Presidents usual brilliant style. 1t
was solid and full of sound advice.
On Monday night the Maury Literary
Society exercises took place, with an
address by President R. L. L. Aylor, of
Culpeper county, Va. Orators: Mr..
d. o. Mathews, of Shenandoah county,
Va.-subject, " Virginia's Offering;
and Mr.. F. Z. Scanland, Of Loudoun
county, Va.--subject, " Advantages Of
Mental Education"
A debate on the question " Resolved,
That the United States Will Decay rs
the Nations of the Past Have Done"
was decided by the judges in favor Of
the negative, by Mr.. w. j. Hardwick,
of Montgomery county, Va, MIR. j. D.
Link handling the affirmative Il an
unusually brilliant style.
The final orator Of the evening was
Mr.. II. G. Guerrant, Of Montgomery
county, Va.-subject, "Braye in Adj
vtrsity."
Medals were awarded by DR.. NJ. p.
Scott to Mr.. W. j. Hardwick for de-
bate and to Mr.. f. E. Scanland for ora
tory, and by Mr.. John Hampton Hoge
to Mr.. j. W. Hardwick, of Montgome-
ry county, Va, for improvement in ora
tory, and to Mr.. j. I. Bryant, Of York
county, Va, for improvement in de-
bate.
On Tuesday at IL o'clock Professor
Spooner delivered the Alumni ora
tion-subject, "The Education Of the
Masses" Mr.. SpoOner is quite q young
man, was born at Charlottesville, and
educated at this COLLEGE. His speech
was q great success. For breadth OF
thought, strength of expression, and
force Of delivery, it was far beyond his
years.
The Hon. @. T. 0'Ferrall, of Harri-
sonburg, Va, was to have delivered an
address to the students, but commu-
nication was received from that gentle
man stating that he had been i'll for a
week or more, and his physician ad-
yised him not to undertake the journey.
| This was much to be regretted, as much
uso axractad fro,, NJ O,Ear~.,i