who may have attended the course of lectures one, two, three, or four years, and who also may have devoted some time to sacred literature before their attendance here. A premium volume is given only to one person in each class. Where two are named, the parties were nearly equal; but the first named only obtained the premium. First class of those in attendance who had devoted some time to sacred literature before--the premium was awarded to M. E. Lard, of Missouri. Second class of those in attendance three years, not having devoted themselves to sacred literature before-to Joseph D. Pickett, of Kentucky. Third class of those in attendance two years-to Charles A. Caroland, of New Brunswick; H. Henderson, Scotland. Fourth class of those in attendance the present session only-to C. Carlton, of England; Arnold Fenner, of Ohio. The degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred by the President, under order of the Board of Trustees, upon the following young gentlemen: J. H. Armstrong, Wheeling, Va. J. A. Black, Bourbon county, Ky. H. B. Littlepage, King William county, Va. T. L. Ricks, La Grange, Ala. B. R. Sulgrove, Indianapolis, Ia. J. F. Whitelaw, Champagnole, Ark. E. D. Williams, Louisville, Ky. The first honor in this class of Baccalaureates, based upon the examinations through their entire collegiate course, was awarded to Mr. B. R. Sulgrove, of Indiana; and the second to H. M. Fowlkes, of Virginia. Mr. Sulgrove delivered a Salutatory address in the Greek language, and Mr. Fowlkes in the Latin. The order of exercises on the day of commencement was as follows: MUSIC-PRAYER-MUSIC American Eras; an oration by Montgomery Pickett, of Kentucky, (representative of the Neotrophian Fociety.)-MUSIC. The Progress of Society; an oration by John H Neville, of Illino s; (representative of the American Literary Institute)-Music. Greek Salutatory by B R Sulgrove, of Indiana.-MUSIC. Latin Salutatory: hy H M. Fowlkes, of Virginia - Music. The True Path of Honor; an oration by T. L Ricks, of Alabama; (a representative of the Graduating Class.)-MUSIC. The Influence of the Mexican War on American Literature; an oration by C A. Caroland, of New Brunswick; (a representative of the Graduating Class) MUSIC INTERMISSION-MUSIC. Report of Examinations--MUSIC. Valedictory Oration; by Alexander Proctor, of Missouri.-Music Conferring of Degrees. Baccalaureate Address, by the President. MUSIC-BENEDICTION. For the character of these performances we refer the reader to the preceding notice, which has been kindly furnished us by a spectator. In presenting this report, however, we cannot but congratulate ourselves and the friends of education generally, upon the very fair prospects still opening before our institution. Its course is still onward and its promises more and more cheering. We expect a much fuller attendance of students the coming session, and feel assured, by the increasing confidence of the public, that our labors will not be unappreciated either by the church or the world. A. C. ENDOWMENT OF THE CHAIR OF SACRED HISTORY IN BETHANY COLLEGE. THE first and chief peculiarity of Bethany College, is its constituting Sacred History, or the TRUTHS OF THE BIBLE,-Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian, a fundamental and all pervading element of college education. For this reason, lectures of an entirely original character, so far as college lectures are established and ordained by universal usage, are daily delivered in this institution. The Baconian system of observation, comparison and deduction is, in these lectures, with logical severity applied to the facts of Divine Revelation. The verity, or entire moral certainty of these facts and events, is first considered, argued and illustrated. They are then classified in the form of dispensations;-the first extending from Adam to Moses-the second, from Moses to the coming of the Saviour of the world-the third, from the coronation of Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and Christ, to the end of his reign. In this form the evidences of revealed religion and moral science in general-including piety and humanity-are more rationally, that is, more convincingly, authoritatively, and satisfactorily developed and taught than in any other method extant, so far as known to us. It is not presumed by dint of history, logic or moral suasion, to impart either religion or morality to youth; but simply to cultivate the understanding, the conscience, and the moral feelings of our nature, by these means. These lectures are, indeed, not strictly confined to these topics. They necessarily connect themselves with geography, chronology, ancient manners and customs, language-both of words and symbols-symbolic writing, orthography, orthoepy, and other minute matters, either totally neglected or superficially taught in almost every college in the country. But these are rather the accidental and ephemeral matters of this course, logically extraneous of it, a sort of succedaneum for a proper elementary and primary education pretermitted too generally in common schools and academies. They are the accidents, and not the essentials of the course. They are such items of learning, as were we to print and publish a synopsis of our course of lectures, would be left out of it. They are, however, a portion of the advantages which the student of our college course would have from personal attendance, which he cannot have from reading our synopsis, or any other one extant, or from attending every other department in the college. The utility of this course of instruction, is not with us now what it once was a matter of theory. It is now a matter of experimental certainty. The constant and progressive advancement in moral taste and moral demeanor evinced in the growing ratios of youths reformed and improved during their attendance here in a full course of instruction, is one of the best proofs of its necessity and importance. We do not, indeed, imagine that it is a sovereign and infallible specific-like most of our quack medicines-for all moral diseases and distempers. There are cases, and alas! not a few of them, which are incurable under any system or dispensation of law or gospel. Still these are no disparagement either of our theory or of our experiments upon it. The Gospel saves multitudes, though it does not save all who ever profess it. But those saved by it that could not have been saved without it are a glorious demonstration of its infinite value and importance. Such, indeed, have been the proofs, to both the Faculty of the College and to the Trustees, of the value of this course of instruction, that, without any hint or motion on my part first commending it, a proposition was made by the other members of the Faculty, and at their request, submitted by me to the Board at its last session, and concurred in by the Board, of presenting to the particular friends of this College, or a select few of them, the honor and satisfaction of endowing the chair of Sacred history, as a perpetual chair in this Seminary, by subscribing a sum of money to be invested in some stock or funds (yielding say five or six per cent per annum) adequate to the support of such a chair; and in farther aid of the College endowments, by enabling the scholarship scheme to provide for another professorship, or an increase of tutors, according to anticipated emergencies in the increased growth of the number of students in attendance. The resolution runs in the following words: "On motion of W. White, it was unanimously resolved, That an effort should be made to procure by donations, the sum of $20,000, as an endowment of the chair of Sacred History; and that when that sum is raised, it shall be put to interest, and the interest forever appropriated to sustain said chair in this College; and that the President be and he is hereby authorized and requested to solicit and procure said endowment in such a mode as he may deem proper.” This is a medium sum; rather indeed below a medium sum for endowing chairs in perpetuo, in colleges end seminaries of learning.— Three Presbyterian gentlemen of somewhat liberal means and of a liberal heart, a few years ago agreed among themselves to endow a school for Biblical literature, at Andover, Massachusetts, each paying $10,000. The thing was commenced at once, and has much accumulated since, in its means and professors. One gentleman of the cold North lately gave $50,000 for endowing a new chair in a New England school. Are the children of this world yet wiser than the children of light? Or are they only more liberal? Or is their conscientiousness more acute on the subject of human responsibility? Or are their hearts more warm with the love of man? Not so. Not so. Our brethren are only more fearful of doing wrong. They are fearful of the abuse of their liberality. They are liberal and would give liberally if they had a full guarantee that their liberality would not be abused, or that it would redound to great public good, and to their eternal honor. Well, on these premises, I ask, what object is more promising of good to mankind? Suppose only one man of good talents and of good education per annum, or one in seven years, was to be raised up under such instrumentality, and were to consecrate his whole life, talents, and learning, to the enlightenment and conversion of the world, who could compute the gain from such an investment? But suppose there should be several such persons annually sent out into the world as public men; and also suppose, what is very probable, that many persons destined to fill private stations in life, should, in their own immediate family circle, and neighborhood, carrying with them the light, the convictions, the moral and spiritual result of such an education, and act within that sphere in harmony with these principles, who could calculate the wide spreading and long enduring results of such an education? I will not attempt to compute, because I cannot even conjecture the mighty, the glorious results of such an education. But I will ask, On what principles do men take stock in any temporal institution? On what promise of certain rates per cent., and on what guarantee of success? Nay, I should have said, I will ask those who are wont to invest, of their property not needed for their present wants, certain sums in stocks, what assurance have they that the investment will yield five, six, or ten per cent.; or that the whole may not be an absolute loss? I will not reason the point farther. I will only say that there is as much, and as good security, and as high rates of interest, in such an investment, as any man of this world can shew for any stock he has on earth; provided, only, he prefers gold and silver, that will never corrupt, and true riches that will endure forever, to those which rust may consume, and which thieves and peculators may abstract from him, and what, at best, and in the longest run, can only yield him transient bodily comfort. It has been a question with me, which I am not yet able to decide, whether to confine to a single State, Virginia or Kentucky, for example, or to extend to all the brotherhood, and friends of this institution and project, in all the American States. And, also, it has been a question, whether to limit it to twenty persons, $1,000 each, or forty, at $500 each, or to one hundred persons, at $200 each. I confess I am inclined to the first sum, $1,000 each, but I will not decide any one of these points, lest any one should say that I am partial, in conferring honors and emoluments upon Virginia, Kentucky, or any one state or person. I wait for propositions from the brethren. I will hear from individuals, or from a committee, in any city, state, or territory in the country. A. C VALUE OF EDUCATION. THERE is no trade, no kind of manual labor-indeed, no employment in life, for which, other things being equal, a man is not better fitted, and in which he may not do a better service to society, if he be educated, than if he is not; and this, too, independently of the great increase of happiness to himself, arising from the manly exercise of all that is manly in him. The laboring man cannot too soon learn, that if he secures for his children a good education, it will be far better for them than well cultivated acres—a good understanding will be better than great riches. The truth ought early to be impressed on the minds of the young, that all real excellence and manliness have their beginning in moral and intellectual education. It is this which makes the man; it is the natural unfolding and growth of man made in God's image; it fits him for usefulness, and lays an immoveable foundation for the most enduring and refined pleasure. With such an education, he may become an ornament and a blessing to society; and then, whatever place he may occupybe he farmer or trader, fisherman or tinker, no one can rob him of his manhood. There is no interest of society which will not receive a most needfal and better impulse from the better education of the people. It has been thoroughly tested, that all judicious and liberal expenditure of money for giving a more thorough education to the people, will be returned to them with double interest, in the increasing thrift and wealth and virtue of the community. There is no way to permanent prosperity so sure or so natural, as that which begins in education-in the proper cultivation of the mind, the waking up of its creative energy. It is the very worst economy that can be practised, to neglect the improvement of our schools, and suffer ignorance and its legion of evils to continue and increase upon us. And the farmer or mechanic, or any one else, who suffers his children to go forth into the world with no other than an apology for an education which our common schools now afford, will do them an irreparable injury. If their minds have not received a stimulus-if a strong desire for mental improvement has not been awakened, they are not fitted to enter on the duties of a manly life. Because they have strong limbs and well turned frames, and are six feet high, they are not therefore men. They are men indeed in outward form, but they are dwarfs in mind: and yet with the mind, men most usefully and happily serve both God and the world. The spring of all healthful prosperity is in the cultivation of the mind, and the vigorous exercise of its faculties. In our manufacturing towns, the power which gives life and motion and prosperity, proceeds from the busy brains of educated men. And the world over, we shall find it to be true, that the greater the amount of general education, the greater will be the power and wealth and prosperity of the people. Connecticut School Manual. EDUCATION. THE multitude think that to educate a child, is to crowd into his mind a given amount of knowledge, to load the memory with words. |