The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-17
A Big Class Graduates at
Brown Today.
March Down the Hill and
Exercises at Church.
ConferriDg Of Degrees--Enthusiastic
Speaking at the Dinner.

one nundred and thirteen young men
and young women received their degrees
today from Brown University, and the
alumni.
1t is the 12Sth annual commencement,
on the glorious record OF the University
and the undergraduates and alumni and
officers oil realize one fact in common
the name Of Brown was never before SO
widely known, and never before has it
stood for 80 much in the university life
of the country.
The yearly increase in the number of
the graduates, the development OF the
curriculum, the growth of the broad uni
versity idea and also the footing up of
the baseball scores all show 1t. 1t is in
the very atmosphere of the campus, and
commencement is q day OF rejoicing for
thousands OF old men and young men
who love Alma Mater.
The exercises commenced this forenoon
with the time honoreo procession down
the hill TO the meeting house TO the
music of the familiar "Conmencement
March,"
Captain Murray, u. s. A., was chief
marshal in charge of the line. and bis
adjutant was Colonel Henry b. Rose, OF
the class of 81.
The formation OF that long line Yves
suggestive OF the historical catalogue of
the university. There were men there
who are famous in the nation, and there
were men there who are hardly known
out of the small circles of personal and
business acquaintances, but they marched
shoulder TO shoulder, and talked aoout
the days together in college, which in
af k,tf
century back.
The exercises at the church were Of the
regular order, consisting OF good ora
tions, good music, tue Presidents ad-
dress in Latin and the coierring OF de-
grees.
: Abstracts OF the orations in the order
in which they were given are as follows:
"rhc Danger of the Peace Spirit"
cuAMPLIN BURRAoE.
July 4, 1si5, Charles Summer delivered
his celebrated Grafton on "The True
Grandeur of Nations ais main thought
was that there can be no peace that IL
not honorable, no war that is not dishon-
orablc. lie spoke of war as crime who'll
ly contrary to Christianity, and utterly
inconsistent with the true greatness. At
the opening of the civil war, however,
Mr.. Sumner was forced TO admit that at
least one war wns justifiable. In 1851 he
even urged ss duty that which sixteen
years before he had disdainiully called a
crime.
at the present day in our earnest sdvo-
cacy OF the peace spirit are NO not liable
10 forget that there Is something worse
than war? Namely, unwillingness to use
the SWORD to maintain national honori
In other words, has not the justification
of the peace spirit limitation?
Certainly, war may bs Just liable, and
even honorable In a Christian ma
tion. In the Revolution the Ameri-
can colonies in the Judgment of our
fathers and In the judgment OF history,
were justified In declaring war against
.ireat Britain. Even those most desiring
peace said, sour liberties must be main
tained." Again, the results OF war are not
always and altogether evil; indeed, war
has often proved an efficient means OF pro-
noting a country's welfare. Our terrible
civil war wrought an iGca,cuIaple benefit
in those United states by the overthrow
OF slavery and the establishment OF true
national unity. Likewise throughout
history are found Instances OF good effect
ed by war. The conflicts OF the world
have been the means OF bringing infinite
betterment to humanity. the expulsion
OF tie tanaaniies from the land of their
birth by the children OF Israel, the over
throw OF Rome by the barbarian hordes,
the Crusades. all brought untold bene-
hts. In Gods greet plan the world n
certain TO grow better and war must nc
complish what peace will not, as the
ilizatIon, ana possibly the termination OF
the Armenian prosecutions.
Again, war has done much 20 enrich
and strengthen cfarscter. Many OF the
greatest and noblest of men in history
have been soldiers, such wcro Gustavus