Year: 1876

1
| must come through prevention rather thar
! suppression. Third, men now look forward
! rather than backward, and find their ideals
| in the future. Fourth, man has now q
| knowledge of forces and control over them
| such as has never existed before. Fifth, we
have come to the opening of an era of uni
versal education, with better facilities for
| it in schools, colleges and the press than
have before existed. But if education is to
| prevent an abuse of leisure and q perverslOn
of Intelligence and comforts that would make
| them curse, it must be the education OF the
whole man. And here comes in the relation of
| college culture to national progress. Men
hitherto have been educated as instruments
rather than as men having their end in
themselves. This must be reversed, and
tho American college is the best institution
possible to be at the head of system Of
education that shall do this. Manhood is
what we want, and if we ask for Christian
ity in our colleges it ia because completed
Christianity in man and complete manhood
are the same. Sixth, We now know the
globe as it has not been known before; and
seventh, the globe, thus known, is practi-
casly reduced in it's dimensions, and the
former relations of space aud time are
changed through steam and electricity. Old
customs, prejudices and superstitiOns
fade, and men recognize the bond and
brotherhood of q common humanity.


In view of these particulars it must be
conceded that We enter upon the second
century of self-government and of free
dom-ior self-gOvernmenti is sfreedom-under
different and far more favorable conditions
than have been known hitherto. Since the
conditions are so favorable, if we fail it can
only be from the quality of the material
with which we work. Hitherto the cause
of failure has been in man himself, and if
there is still to be failure it will be more
cOnspicuously in him. 1t will show that in
the associated action OF such being as man
there is an inherent proclivity to abuses and
corruption that will make free government
hopeless. We have thus in the quality of
our material the one source of sOlicitude,
and in the improvement of man in all that
constitutes his manhood we have the field
Of our work.


Our work. Yes, brethren alumni, rs
educated men, it is emphatically our work
to understand the conditions of success in the
great experiment which 100 years have but
inaugursted, and to see that those condi-
tiOns are met. We do so far understand
them as to see the one point where the step
now comes, and are to grid ourselves to
work in every practicable way for the ele-
vatiOn of man. 1t is for this that our be-
loved college stands, and We are to see to it
that it is fitted to do better work in the
time to come. 1t may be that free govern
ment is not to be permanent. 1t may be
that the present order Of disorder is to con-
tinue and wax worse till the final audit and
the restitution of all things. So some sup
pose. Yet none the lees are we to work on,
knowing that our work must involve pro-
gress in the highest sphere, and can not fail
to tell on that ultimate and permanent go
cial state for which We hope, and which is
the only solution of the enigma Of the
present state.


But we hope for intermediate results.
With Us the dreams Of poets and the pre-
dictiOns OF prophets, as they have been
generally understood, do not 20 for nothing.
We hope to see the three spheres Of pro-
gress spoken of fall into line in their
natural order. Then will free governments
by the people. for the people, be ultimately
everywhere established. The dead weights
on the wheels of progress from incidence
and selt-indulgence aud vice will be dimir
ished and fall of. General enlightenment
and the arts of peace will 60 forward hand
in hand. Through new discoveries and
higher attainments each generation will
transcend that which went before it till the
earth shall be fully replenished and sub
dued, and shall be covered by people that
shall be symbolized by the ocean, in its
unity, in the freedom and might of its
movements, and in the readiness with which
it's returns to its rest and reflects from its
lctcI SuEldCc tuo Aludpo VI uo6Nou


Then will the first two spheres of progress
be complete and will conspire in bringing
forward the o0nsummation of the third.
Then, till the end shall come, the genera
tions will flow on. in one unbroken tide, to
increase the numbers of that multitude
which no man can number, and to add to the
honors and swell the triumphs of that name
which is above every name.


beeeech the colored leaders of the eman-
cipated race to ponder well these words Of
wisdom. They reflect truly New England
sentiment; they reflect also q great truth.
The emancipated people must now show q
capacity for self help-for individual, moral
self the leaders of the
race must become the exemplars of those
virtues which adorn character, beautify
society and make people or nation truly
great.


New England may or may not be the
"stone cut out of the mountain" which will
60 on crushing ont of existence the reign of
lust, licentiousness. sloth and ignoronce.
Be this as it may, it will be we'll for the
negro race in America if it takes on the
high moral fibre which has produced the
same result which Williams College this
year celebrates before the world.


The secret of all life consists in under
standing the special need of given condi-
tions and organisms, whether these be in
dividual or communistic. The negro race,
placed as it is in this country, needs, there
fore, supremely the qualities which will
enable it to bear hercically as the Jews
have for go many centuries borne the prose-
cution born of race prejudice and race
caste. To New England the negro can
look for help, for sympathy, for example
and for hope. What mere handful of men
and women have accomplished in this bar
rem seagirt land, the emancipated race can
accomplish at the South. Let the stone
cut out of tho mountain then roll and do
it's appointed work. Let Louisiana become
the corner stone of this self asserting civili-
zation. Let the negro in Louisiana prove
that he belongs to race of men, and that
he is indeed worthy of freedom, and is fit
to bear the burdens and responsibilities Of
a cultured and civilized life. B.


American Union Club.


At meeting of the American Union Club
held last evening at their rooms on Camp
street, the following resolutions were
adopted:


Resolred, That the American Union Club
reaftirm their a1hersiOn to the principles
and policy of the national Republican party
as made manifest in the convention recently
held in Cincinnati.