Year: 1871

At the Commencement at Amherst College
Henry Ward Beecher made the following
remarks


Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen: All of m
life long have been moved to take the weak
er side. | have heard the old president.
praised, not bit too much; and have heard
sundry members of the faculty praised, and
not particle too much; and I have heard
Amherst praised almost ad mauseam. But
since appealed to that principle, have not
heard word, as yet, of what we poor fellows
have to say who were in the college, and un-
der these professors and presidents. Cap
plause.) Why, when look to my own mis-
cry, cannot conceive of any other to equal
it, unless it was the teachers that had to do
with me. First came that universal and mys-
terious trembling with which l approached
the hour of examination. What examination
meant, did not know. Uaughter.) But l
thought l would be transtixed or translated,
at any rate, the translation was what most
dreaded-( Laughter That ordeal was safe
ly passed, and l came very speedily under
the hands of Prof. Peck. The name is not a
just and proper expression of the containing
quantities. Laughter.) What suffered in
being made a ripe and ready Latin scholar,
nobody can imagine but him. His health
failed soon after. Laughter.) Since that
time he has improved, and he is here to-day.
looking as young as l am. Iaughter.)
think that nowhere were the steps of ambitious
youth spurred and guided with greater alacrity
than mine. In my study of Greek, under
Prof. Fiske, felt that every special hair of
his head was spur, and had the benefit of
them all. CLaughter.) That has always
seemed to me the reason why I excelled in
that, more than in any other department Of
the college, unless it was in mathematics.-
(Great Laughter.) One thing am certain,
that Prof. Smell never made so many original
demonstrations as l did. Laughter.) He
would only demonstrate Euclid when it was
all in book, liked to do things originally,
and did. There is one thing that can say,
that he strove to be pure and upright man,
but the feeling of envy was not wanting in
those days in his bosom. Laughter.) One
thing know, and that is, toward the close of
my course in his department., whether it was
from jealousy OF not, he very seldom called
me up, and finished my course in manner
that surprised every one. Oaughter.) In
the earlier period of my college life the faculty
never approached me, either to know what my
wishes or thoughts were in respect to an ap-
pointment. and that course which was deemed
| judicious at that time was persistently carried
out to the end, and when left town / was
allowed to leave without any greater weight
than the ordinary sheep skin which nature
and colleges endow men with. Laughter.)
went to the far west, and you may sup
pose i never forgot Amherst. l remember
| those college days and nights which spent
here. No one searched the sides of the
mountains more effectually than l if there
was any one better acquainted with the paths
and ravines of the mountains, should like
to see him or if any one could tell better
where the moss was the greenest, l should
like to see him too. learned much of DR..
Humphrey, for l saw a man, and after all the
sight of manhood wrought out is better than
any theory in a book. His shadow fell upon
me, and have been Drawer and more pa
tient man ever since. l respect him almost
as much as l respect my father. 1 owe a
great deal to DIR. Hitchcock; l cannot say
how much he got from me; boarded in his
family. Uaughter.) l had often noticed
that when l was talking to him sometimes he
looked very sober, , he was thinking about some
thing. | derived much from him, a man most
swift of thought and most slow and hesitating
of speech. But when his lips gave permis-
sion to speak, they were kind words and drop
ped as gold and silver into the minds of those
around him; l received much from him. /
received much from Prof Smell, though he
did not believe it. The fact is, squeezed
the honey out of the honeycomb, and left the
comb behind.


| There was many q morning when the bell
rung in the winter for prayers, that did not
| hear the first bell, and heard the second only
to shoot into part Of my garments and rush
with cloak into the chapel. But in the sum-
mer mornings, often not only heard the first
bell ring, but was in the tower above watch
ing for the sunrise. l have noticed DIR. Storrs
talks about the sunsets, but never about the
sunrises. Iused to sit and see the sun rise,
and more magnificent sight never knew.
/ and trav ,la1 7 slya sl,1
sun came forth out of his sleeping tent while
the valley was silvered over with an ocean of
fog. He rose higher and higher, shedding
his beams gradually around, and illuminating
the hills with his glorious rays. l came down
from my watch tower, on those occasions,
feeling, l suppose, very much as bottle of
champagne when it is very full of sparkle,
but cannot get out Through the mountain,
through the wales, through all things that
grow upon them, through all those living
things in nature, there are influences which
instruct and guide us in the wisdom and pow
er of the Creator. Amherst, to me, has ever
been a model college, because more than
Harvard, more than New Haven, perhaps
more than Williamstown,-I will not say
quite, as it might seem an ungenerous rival
ry,-more than almost another college, God
has planted it where man who has eyes to
see, and ears to hear, and a mind to instruct,
can profit. There is more to be learned out
side of its college doors than outside the
doors of any other college in the land. as a-'


The governor has alluded to another mat
ter which, wish to say one single word about,
and that to discriminate rather than to advo-
cate. There has been an application on the
part of tive young ladies to be admitted TO in
struction in this college, if they are compe-
tent to pass the ordinary examination. That
matter is under advisement at present by the
board of trustees. 1t is very desirable that
vague rumors should not go abroad on this
subject, and that the question now under
consideration has no connection with those
under the general designation of the woman
question or the suffrage question. There is
nothing of that kind in connection with this
matter. 1t may pass, or it may not pass


Many of the most advanced thinkers on the
subject of womans rights would see their
theories practically tried, but however that
may be, we have nothing to do with IL. is


may be best, or il may not be best tnat won-


-.uht N, / m