Year: 1860

no pfacLlcQA Donoubs hut bLeiiB W. sAiSAS ."
the strong, earnest kind, in which is rich
mental food, nourishing as we'll as profitable;
reading, that looks 10 the mastery Of those
sciences toward which we are oil tending. 1t
is not the most books, but the best books, for
which we should seek. Oneman devoted oil
his spare time for two years to Buffers Anal
ogy; Guizot devoted ali his life to physical
geography, and that made himself its mas
Ter. How grand tho opening of science in
all directions 10 the American woman, and
what rich intellectual companionship.


Our educated American women need to
know what they know, that they may ap-
pear the self f-possessed queen in the mental
kingdom. Reading should fertilize the
mental soil that it may yield rich fruit
not idle day dreams and intellectual palaces,
but mighty cathedrals and monuments OF
thought which shall make her fit compap-
ion for her intellectual husband. Another
result of good reading is an eleyationiof
thought and feeling. They rise to the level
of the great authors of thought and princi-
pies. Books nre not dead things, but
preserve, as in a vial, the abstraction Of the
Intellect that bred them. Be assured we
shall not fail in filling out our shriveled men
tai veins, if we pour into them the abstrac-
ton Of living intellect in the great kingdom
of God. Another result of good reading is
the power to broaden, and widen, and con-
firm piety. Man was made to be subjuga-
| tor of brute force, but women was made to
be the trainer of the victor, and so she re-
ceived a greater degree of piety. Woman
needs man to preserve her from effeminacy,
but man needs woman more to preserve him
from arrogance and religious ruin. But this
must be- no base imitation of piety-if 50, it
pushes him on to greater arrogance and inf
delity. There is more true spiritual nutri-
ment in one true book of science than in
reading cart-loads Of much Of the so-called
''religious reading" knowledge Of God urg-
es and leads to piety, and ai$er one has
become a child of God, he needs not so much
to be constantly played upon in his religious
emotions, as to gain more and more kn9wl-
edge Of God and of Gods work. So woma q
should invest her piety with dignity that
shall command respect. We have no war
to wage with a proper amount of reading
that appeals tothe religious sensibility, but
if we are to choose, we take the works of
reverential science for the man or the wo-
man. If we were TO train a girl for the
church or for life of good, she should read
six books like Millions Astronomy, or Cue
Eot's Physical Geography, or Darwin's ori-
gin of Species, and many others we might
name, to one of many so-caIled works of pi-
ETY. and religion.


Reading saturates the mind, and it is most
needful that the mind of woman be not
oUer- soaked and this leads to two other neces-
stiles of the educational life of the Ameri-
can woman-conversation and composition.
There is little or no real conversation among
the American women. We have an endless
amount of idle chit-ehat, but when does she
open her eyes and let bolt fly into the up
per skies and reach the intellectual stars for
a noble heaven born thought? She is CON
tent to drop such thoughts from her conveT-
sation and to accept in their place the less
tasking friyolities of common life. VIII
you, young women, devote all your time to
these questions of Bridget, of baby dresses,or
Of the last or the next fashion or will you
find time to obtain anduse some of those en-
Obling thoughts and topics which will have
some connection with eternal truth and life
The greatest good of such a conversation
Will accrue, not to those with whom you
converse, but yourselves. How often has
mere casual word by an acquaintance or
companion caused all the chaotic ingredients
of an idea in your own mind to crystalize
and assume most beautiful and perfect form.


A regular and Systematic reduction of
thought and feeling to written forms of ex-
preston, how little do we find of this among
the educated American women Reading
without Simultaneous or subsequent redu-
ciDg Of the material gained by such reading,
is Of very little value, As branch which
is left immersed in q salt spring for a time,
will be found to have covered itself with
most beautiful crystals, SO we should COW
er any branch of thought or seienceW with the
crystals which lie dormant and latent in our
minds. Let women practice regular syste-
matte composition all through life. -
Let her add to her readings conversation,
and to her conversation this higher art of
compositions, so shall she stand out before
God or men, perfect as she was made to be.


Mr.. storrs then spoke of the future of the
young ladies, of this Institute, and of the
American women, and spoke with glowing
hopes Of what this Seminary was yet to be.


The entire address was one of the most
practical and ennobling we have ever heard.
1t was earnest, and as from true man to
those who were by him urged to be true
women.


The diplomas were then delivered to the
graduates.


President Hitchcock, of Hudson College,
made short address is the recipients of
these testimonials. As the first graduates Of
the Institution, whose names would stand at
the head of the list which should be a long
one in the coming years, he urged them to
50 live as 50 reflect honor not only to them
selves but to the Seminary, As Mary Lyon
had said, $40 make a woman a good wife,
or good woman, it matters not what there
is a0ih her, but what there is of her." He
addressed to them a few words of good and
kind advice, and bid them GOdspeed in their
future life. ~


The entire school then joined iu beauti-
ful hymn, with charming effect. =-.


President Hitchcock; of the Seminary,
made a few remarks relative to the school,
stating that it had been thought by some
that the standard requisite for admission wsa
too high. He stated that Jor The present ap-
plication could be made for the admission of
those who were not SO fully educated as cali
ed for by the catalogue, but none younger
than 10 years would be admitted.


Rev. Mr.. Phelps pronounced the benedic-
ton, and the procession then returned to the