Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-07-01
And here the lazy vessels swing
And sway upon the rising tide
While through the waves in quivering disks,
The ielly.fshes glide.


Life's ocean rounds into the sky,
Unknown, but wondrous fair
Our ship lies waiting for the word
And from the headlands of the bay
The blithe sea-wind is piping shrill,
"Sail out and far away"
The ship is staunch, our hearts beat high
Wen steer straight out with steadfast eyes
Wen sail across to lands of gold,
Beneath whatever skies.
What care we though the clouds hang low :;
What care we though the waves dash high?
Wen find more fair in sunset glow,
The harbor bye and bye.
BY sun or star, on land or sea;
When skies are blue OF clouds are drear,
Our thoughts shall turn to this calm bay,
Where friends and life were dear.
For memory recks not winds and waves,
But, stretching out across the sea,
Makes then seem now and far seem near,
In magic mystery.
The breezes sweep from summer hills
Across the bay and out to sea;
The fiuttering pennants flash and flow,
In mute expectancy.
The anchors up the cables loosed;
The restless sails are swelling free,
The good ship leaps adown the bay,
And we are of to sea.
If class historian never underesti-
mates the deeds of the past, much less
does a class proprietor prophecies, as
in this instance-look through the large
end of the microscope when viewing the
deeds of the future. Miss Verder, the
sibvl of '9S, it is true, did not make
presidents of quite all of the young men
of the class-far from it In most cases
but that was their fault. The exercises
closed with the singing of the class ode,
written by Miss Allen, the music being
composed by J. A. Peck.
Tuesday was set apart for the alumni,
large number being present. In the
morning preliminary meeting was
held in the chapel of the college. Vice
Pres. w. |. Twitchell, -, of Hartford,
Conn, presided in the absence of Pres.
f. w. Howe, 80, of Boston. After the
reading of the minutes of the last meet
ing by Secretary Z. f. Boyce, &c, Mid
dlebury, a committee on nominations
was appointed, comprising the follow
| ing-named gentlemen: Prof. E. H.
Higley of Groton, Mass, Prof. j. w.
Abernethy of Brooklyn, and Prof. w. E.
Howard of Middlebury. Adjournment
was then taken to the Congregational
church, where the public program was
carried out. Nice-President Twitchell
presided at this meeting. The exercises
were opened with prayer by Rev. DR..
Smart of Brandon and music by Relies
orchestra of Rutland. The address of
the meeting was delivered by Rev. Law
renee Phelps, 10, Boston, president of
Berkeley Temple School of applied
Christianity, and his subject was "The
Culture That This Age Demands He
said:
Nearly a century has elapsed since our
alma mater first opened her doors to en-
courage the youth OF the Green Mountain
State to become cultivated as we'll as edu-
Gated men. This college has always stood
for scholastic accuracy from the root of a
Greek verb, that makes our heads ache to
discover, adjust and apply to the grand moral
and ethical principles Of the true philosophy
found in the new ethics of the new age r
which we live. Culture may be called ar
aristocratic idea. The letters are both gentle
in the very intonaton, and general in the
vocal impression necessary to pronounce the
word. Culture is seen in the daily event i
not the hourly incident. A newspaper
bulletin becomes the worlds text book fol
topics of conversation, and the food fo
thought.
The danger of error must be apparent
Culture to be effective must be powerful il
its attractiveness
Culture is not to be laughed down. The
dime museum stage may caricature It, thu
penny magazine comment upon it, the back
woodsman laugh at it, the heated orator ma,
deride it and some of our uneducated clerg,
misconstrue the words of our Lord, until b,
the wrong use of term masses are arrayeC
against classes.
Culture is still an almost omnipotent force
easily defined, readily acquired, and peculiarly
adapted to all gentle-folk, possessing a beautl
like to the beauty Of the setting sun. Culture
becomes beautiful to-day by the strength Of it
literary influence. The need is apparent of
higher literary standard. if the educated are tC
become strong in the cultivated force that al
Of us should exert.
\ college president, well acquainted witt
the members Of the bar, is reported to hay,
said, "No eminent lawyer reads a book.
Such an assertion seems akin to Senate
Chandlers recent caustic criticism Of the anti
imperialists, that was both illogical in form
and far from cultivated in rhetorical expires
sion.
Professional life is intensely practical in it
activity. The studious thought that become
powerful in its expression or action may b.
endangered, The remedy is a simple one
Make the thought attractive,
The literary world Of to-day is in danger o
neglecting the old writer's. The newspape
syndicates and story tellers monopolie
purchase, print and publish the production
Of our best artists. The thoughtful is to
frequently subservient to the tragic. Tn
useful seems to give way to the comic. Tn
grand ideal fingers by the editors chair or a
the telephone to ask, "Wll it pay?" Cultur
is education, and if the realm of literature
to be cheapened rather than deepened, become
frivolous rather than serious, mechanical an
mercenary rather than meritorious and mer
ciful, then culture will break loose from custor
/ and assert its own digni6ed rights. Tn
, strength of literature both refined and re
timing will be felt
The culture Of to-day must be artistic
The art of the beautiful as seen in true cultur