Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-06-28


forgetful service. Hear the weary cry
of your brother-men for help. Make
yourselves felt in the struggles of the
aye for clearer light, for purer morals,
for cleaner politics, for kindller sympa-
thies. Think not of happiness; strive
not for reputation; be not anxious for
sef-improyement. Leave all these
things to the care of your Heavenly |
Father, knowing that these are the
blessings that he is pleased in his own
time and in his own way to give to his
beloved
The ~ members of the graduating
class, who had seats Immediately in
front of the platform, stood while the
president addressed them. y brief
prayer bv the president, the singing of
hymn 1868 and the benedictiOn brought
the service to close.
THE Y. VI. c. A. ANNIVERSARY.
The anniversary of the college Y. NJ.
C. A. was observed Sunday evening at
o'clock at the Congregational church.
Luther \. Brown of the sophmore class
presided; and seated with him on the
platform were Rev. DR.. Charles VI.
Mead, professor in Hartford Iheologi-
cal seminary, one of the class of 90, and
the speaker OF the evening, Rev. DR.. j.
/ +. Rankin, president of Howard univer-
/ sity, Washington, ID. c., and a member
of the class of Is. Mrs. Miner was at
the organ and the singers were the same
as at the morning service. The voluntary
was followed by the rendering of Bucks
"Festiva Hymn by the choir. Prof.
Mead read the third chapter of Second
Timothy; the choir sang hymn 5G3,
"lIOw firm foundation; Prof. Mead
offered prayer; DR.. w. II. sheldon gave
] Il ali Dn1paV'- skFDL, nd
| President Brown introduced Dr. Rankin.
He spoke on the topic, Popular Educa-
tion-and Free Thought. DR.. Rankin
is "A forcefu, interesting and able talker.
The substance of his address is printed
on an inside page. The service came to
an end with the singing of hymn 093,
paradise, Q Paradise" and the bene-
diction.
TUESDAY-ALIMNI DAY.
The preliminary meeting of the asso-
cated alumni was held in the college
chapel at 10 80 o'clock Tuesday morning,
with the president, II. ;. PerrigO. 1870,
of POtsdam, n. Y. in the CT air. There
was quite good representation of the
alumni present. Secretary T. +. Boyce
read the minutes of the last annual meet
ing. The only other business done was
the appointment of the following COM
mittee on nominations, who were to report
Wednesday morning: f. G. Buttertield
of Derby Line, class of 1861; Prof.
Walter +. Howard of Middlebury,
class of 1871, and Charles f. Hesselgrave
of Sidney. n. Y, class of 1893.
THE GRAFTON AND POEM.
The annual celebration of the associat-
ed alumni was held in the Congregations
al church at IL o'clock. There was
.-.N i
townspeople. H. >. Perrigo of Potsdam,
orchestra of Rutland furnished music.
\ selection by the orchestra was follow
ed by prayer by Rev. w. n. Bacon Of
Bridport, class of SO. Then came
another orchestral selection, and the
orator of the occasion, Rev. DR.. James
l.. Barton of Boston, class of 81, and
secretary of the American board of COM
missioners for foreign missions, was
introduced. DR.. Barton's topic was,
1.-The Ruling Force in the World-Mor-
al Force" He handled it ably and eff
fectively, holding the close attention of
his audience to the end. An abstract of
the address is gwen elsewhere in this
issue.
After more music the poet, Frederick
ID. Mussey of Middlebury, class of 90,
was introduced. He gave bright, pointed
and taking poem, one of the finest things
of the sort that has been heard here in
years. An extract is appended, though
such disconnected fragment can convey
but an inadequate notion of the produc-
tion as a whole:
1t Is ordained in plain dispensaton
Both to pray and to answer to prayer
And to give and receive compensation
In the plan of to share. an Ito share.
The breeze that revives the faint roses
With largess OF perfume goes on;
Tn arDutus the sunshine unclOses
Smiles up to the lite giving sun.
The hand-clasp of brother to brother
The heart-touch OF lovers confessed
The desire to the child of the mother
When she first feels its head on her breast.
Who asks not, the chambers are darkened
Where his soul sits in silence alone;
Who gives not, his ear never hearkened
To the loVe-call of zone unto zone
Who prays not exists, but he lives not,
A blot and discord is he.
, Who asks not, receives not and gives not
Were better drowned in the sea.
All. the asking, receiving and giving
Is the soul OF the lite that we live,
All the beauty and sweetness OF living
Is to ask, to receive and to give.
Unless from the heart the mouth speaketh
1t Were best we sat silent ana dumb,
To the ears of him only who seeketh
With full heart the answer shall come.
An, shitty pretender low Rneeling,
With thanl1ess hands clasped DER hard eyes
That never were moist with kind feeling,
Think you your words soar to the skies:
Such prayer is like loud voices calling
To an echo lost on the wide plain;
Like watcrjets rising and falling
To the earth and the fountain again.
We may not with attitudes Halter
r There are moments that every man sees
When the pose of the bOdy's no matter,
On its knees is the SOUL on its knees
The poet was heartily applauded as he
closed. Announcements regarding the
remainder of the days programme were
made by Thad Nj. Chapman, the marshal
/, and the audience was dismissed.
p THE ALUMNI DINNER.
4 The alumni and their friends had theiI
! usual dinner at the Addison House at !
D O'Clock. There were few vacant seats al
I the long tables. Grace was said by Rev
e G. N. Thomas of New Haven, class of '6l
Y The dinner was everything that could
/. have been asked in variety and quality
q and the service WAS DrOmDt