New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-26
SrPTOTS BLOU AT ORATORY.

ri oi,ss ~ 'oO AT Dartmouth has adopted n
liz. ,,bici has only - I've followed by other
colleges 10 play the very mischief with American
.i,ucpce The Dartmouth seniors held 4 meet
,oy recently and resolved that they would ali
stain from holding commencement exercises. ms
means that, Instead of endcaVoring' rs FORMER
classes have DONE 10 witch Hanover with noble
orafory. these young men propose to make their
exit from college and their entrance upon actiVc
life as silently as the Arab IN Mr.. LongicNow
pocm folds up his tent aud steals away II ms
is not rough on clo1ucncc. what is' Lloluchce
j. ono If the fine arts which grows by what it
feeds on and the fact Is generally recognized tha'
T., feeds LARGELY on college commandments. Are
All the classes Of 90 in the United States in TINS
couspiracv against eloqncncc2 Has every man in
All Of them entered into an agreement with all
ms fcllows to make the coming summer mute
and therefore inslorious
II is rough not only on cloQucncc but on pop
ular intelligence. Year after year the American
r-.oplc when they are called upon TO give their
.ninion on n.oncntous questions invariably re
uiv. "I.f's see what the graduating classes
ha,c rot 10 saw about II Is the prop upon which
they have always leaned so hard and so confidently
- fail our c6untrymen now Docs 30 not pro
pose ~ food with light the question. Nhlch
w. tie greater Napoleon or Washington : All
II us were counting upon 80 10 tell MS definitely
what Is 10 De- The FIXTURE of Germany and
may what is 10 become Of the admirers OF Shake
,tcarc who have adjourned over until fall III
order 20 see how 90 settled the point Of Ham
let, Madness Think too. Of tie cmhlTras>-
,ncnt Of the social science associations which were
expecting from go solid chunks OF wisdom relative
~ Lies Real Meaning and True. Greatness.
II Vassar and Smiths College are IN the deadly
plot where shall the land turn for the latest ad-
vices touching The Future OF American Liter
,turc or The Esotcric Influence of the sonnet
on Ethical Progress p" II Dartmouths class OF
go had given such considerations their due
wci.hi u never could have decided In favor OF
A silent commencement Let the other colleges
take warning while yet there is time. The man
who wrote that silence Is golden while speech
was bat silvcrn. perhaps was the proprietor Of
good paying dcafand-dumb asylum, but he Ger
tainly had no conception Of what goes 10 make
a truly popular commencement.
OF course. il is 10 hc expected that Dartmouth's
40 will defend lis course by pointing out that
the shadows murmur while the dccps dumb.
and that still waters run deep. But th, attitude
will not greatly impress the public. since il is
Generally fclt that there is n time 10 speak, as
well as a time 10 keep quiet. and that commence
ucnf is So obviously time 10 speak that the
cias. which keeps quiet then il to be regarded rs
.iupid rather than wise. The human voice was
Given TO man 10 be used. but colcglan who de
clincs to lit mp his voice on commencement Day
might with equal proprety refuse 10 feel patriotic
on Fourth of July or 10 eat plum pudding on
Christmas, or 10 wish a fellow-crcature happy
New Year on the first of January.
We respectfully submit TO Dartmouth's class of
90 that IL ought TO reconsider what il has done
The dumb commencement must not be- inauguraicd.