Six Hundred Ninety-two

Last Thursday was the great day of commencement week. Early in the morninu; the campus was astir, and by half past eight the graduates were gathering at the various departmenta to niako ready for the triumpbal niarch to university hall for the last time. The procession formed about the various department buildings aud after considerable marching and counter-marehing finally arrived safely in the hall, and took their appropriate seats, under the direction of Major Soule and Secretary Wade. The hall was, as usual, packed to the doors with the people anxious to see the last act of the drama of the classes of '95. On the platform were the mernbers of the university senate, together with the speaker of the day, James Hulme Canfleld, chancellor of the University of Xebraska, and president-elect of Ohio State University. Shortly after ten o'clock the crowd was in its place and the exercises began. Presidentelect Canfield spoke at length on "The Tuit of Power." His address was a scholarly effort. He spoke in substance as follows : Self goyernment as an experiment in the United States is little more than a gigantic co-operative scheme. The national capitol is nothing more than a general office of a great company, the place where the board of directora and the various officers meet. The states are special work shops, each under its own local government, though wisely and properly subordinated to the general control. This is neither socialism pure and simple, nor communism, nor nihilism. It is, however, a magniíicent example of the best socialism - not vet perfect, being in all respects human - . but with sufficientdivinity stamped upon it to render true the scornful remark of the oíd French abbe, "A sort of special providence watches over old women, little children and the people of the l'nited States of America." Tl:e speaker held it to be at least questiouable whether there is any other civilized nation in which the problem of self government presents as many difficulties as are found in the United States. Our immense territory, einbracing as it does, a vast variety of interests, constantly threatens, at least, to f all to pieces by reason of its own weight. This territory is crossed and recrossed by what bas been long considered natural boundaries. Moreover we have great diversity of climate, by wliich it has come to pass that there are two races here, almost distinct in temperament and in general characteristics. Of our population there is scarcely a single block that can be pointed out as disünctively national and American. In addition to all these factors, there is a general want and restraint in personal and local affairs, and a more or less wise confldence in the mutual inter-independence of both sections and states. These are a few of the dimculties and dangers ot our national problem ; all to be augmented and multiplied when we have not, as we have now, more room than we need, but a population of say 200 to the square mile, with innumerable great cities - those plague-spots on the body politie. Now what liave we as a nation with which to oppose these anarchical teudencies? What eau we regard as the power preservative ? What is the Unit of Power? The speaker then stated that there are some thoughts, theories or principies that seetn coramon to man. which couie, we hardly know whether by instinct or by environment or out of the depth of experience, and always seemto come late. One of these is the priuciple of individualism ; which was defined to be the idea of life other tlian life in herds, of an existance other than mass existence, of moveinent other than following the crowd, by a present not wholly dominated by the past, of a future which each man may largely determine for himself. The discussion of the rise and growth of this thought or principie formed the barden of the address. Chanceller Canfield discussed this principie or rather its lack in the old governments. The Hebrew theocratic republic was of divine origin, and relied but little upon individual man. In the Greek state there was a recognition of man, but that which was foreinost ■was the state and not the citizen. In the Roman republic and in the Roman empire we have the state again, municipal power, even more sharply developed in some respects than in Greece. It was the city ruling the entire world. The speaker then turned to the "barbarians," orthe Teutons, on the north Roman frontier. These so-called "barbarians" had within their grasp thoughtsand purposes and principies germs of future belief and future nat ional life, that were worth far more than anythiug Greece orRome ever pro duced. The speaker then took up the rise of the different forms of government after the form of Rome, deflning mostclearly what he called legitímate democracy. In this the old Teutonic element was well at tlie front again. The speaker could not conceivc of the Reforination as beginning in a Latin race. Indiyidualism' gnulnally percolated into institutions, but it was not to win so easily. The people were mistreated, then ignored- and then came the Freneh Revolution, It was an explosión- destructive, disastrous ; ■ vet very few movements in the history of the world have brought more or greater blessings to the world than cauie with tliat. It was the last blow at feudalism. Turning to our own couutry, th speaker said that our struggle had been marked by the cool and conservative temper of the Anglo-Saxon and of the Puritan. Our civil revolutiou vas bloodless. TVhen we completed a government, it was a federal government and not a pure deuaocracy. But at the end of the first twenty-five years, we had practically thrown aside our extreme federalism and were rapidly becomiug the democratie republic of clav. The speaker then referred to the faet that this growth in individualism had been accompanied by tlie recognition of women, although such recognition was tardy indeed. Men doubtless luid always drawn half their inspiration and all their moral courage and strength from their wives. The moment, however, that a great moral question like slavery arose iu the United States, woman eame at once to the front. Her first coming was not a pleasant event to any of us, and it was certainly not an enjoyable experience to her. Women are instinctively right and righteous. Men is geuerally and persistently and sullenly wrong. Like the old weather cocks in New Amsterdam, man has to be set by force of arms every morning to agree at all with the governor. The development of individualism in all classes and both sexes moved on rapidly after 1835. The most marvellous proof of the very highest forms of individualism in thought and action uudoubtedly came in tlie attempt to make us all see what a horrible thing human slavery was. "Where there is no visión the people perish - and there were prophets in those days." The speaker paid a strong tribute to John Brown as one of those men. Tlie greatest lesson of th war was the lesson of the responsibility of every man and every woman for the status of society. The air is full of a marvellous moral and mental activity which has grown out of this struggle. This is seen in all forms of life. No one denies that there is danger in freedom. Freedom unchains all forces of society, tlie bad as well as the good. There is no such thing as partial dom if we are to secure the best results. The frivolous minds and the ill-balanced minds and the merely inquisitive minds, are put upon the same footing and given precisely the same liberty as the strongest, the best and the wisest minds. It is better that all men should go free and alone, even though some fall, never to rise again, than that all men should go in leading-strings. The speaker closed with an earnest exhortation to the students of the university and especially to those who are leaving its halls to remember that individual accountability compels us to to seek the truth without regard to the results to ourselves. The time has passed when the world is to be fed on truth in homeopathie doses, because some over wise people think it is not stroug enough to bear f uil diet. It is. the truth m all things that will make you free in all things. One might be very glad to belong to a church in whlch the priest carries all the sins of the people or to live under agovernment where the monarch alone is responsible, and the greatest care placed on any citizen is to see that cfeam rises for liis own coffee the next morning. But this today does not mean life. It is a hard thing to grow. It is uncomfortable to yourself and to everybody about you. But you should never consent to be one of the human flints that never by any accident strike fire. You must labor to succeed and all labor is painful. It is not all truth but the truth, your truth, the truth you have learned by patiënt effort, the truth which you are ready to ïold against all corners, the truth vhich has won your devotion for its own dear sake. This is the trnth that uiakes you free. And "to he free" says John Milton, "to be free is the same thing as to be pious, to be wise, to be températe and just, to be frugal and abstinent, to be magnanimous and brave." Wlio clares not follovv truth where Her footsteps lead, But says, 'O, guide not tliere. I have notstrength to follow wbere My ieet n-ould bleed ; But show me worn ways, irodden fair By feet more brave ;" Who fears to stand where truth broad glare, What others dared not will not dare, - Is but a slave. After the comniencement oration, came the conferring of degrees upon the 692graduates of the various departments and in the various courses. The slow process of calling the degrees by sections was abolished last year, and following the custom instituted then, the work was done today in a veryshort time. The array of presents in room A was elabórate. All the graduates seemed to have been remembered in some way or other by their friends. The procession reformed immediately after the adjaurnment from the hall anJ under the command of Major Sonle marched to Waterman gymnasium wherethe conimencenient d inner was served. After the dinner there were speeches by souie of the prominent men present and one or two by the membera of the graduating elass. HONORAKY DEGREES. After tlie conferrlng of degrees npon tilie graduatee tlils moirning the Preeldeo.t nmioimced the follawing Jionorairy degrees ae belng a-uthorized by the boaird oí regente : MJasfaer of Laws- upon Bobert H. McMurdy, lifc '80, of CMoago, president of tli( Alumni Associaition of rliat city. Mastecr of Arte - upoa Ma] "VVyllis f'. Ií;in om, lit, '48, oí Jjfiiisiníí. Mi--: r:" ■ i ' ■::! !il '75, nt present Professor of Greek ia Wellesley College. Hon. Amdirew J. Poppleton, of Oma' ha, 3STclraka. Rev. Wm. Frackelfcon, lit '67, oí Sidney, Australia. UIj. I.- upon Alfred NoWO, lit -70, TJ. S. Oommissioner to Nicnraugua. Henry Mills HujüJ, lit '63, superint cndeiit o! Jolms Hopkiiis University. Haspitels and deán of faculty.