110 
EDITORIAL. 
always so much remaining to be done at the end of a term, so 
many ends to keep up, so many contigencies to be provided 
for, and such unsuspected obstacles to be overcome. If it is 
not the printing of the invitations, then it may be the arrange¬ 
ment of the programme, or the selection of the music, or the 
details of the rehearsals, and so on and so on. Of course the 
work is portioned out among many, but in a majority of col¬ 
leges the principal part of the labor falls upon the students, 
who, under the stimulus of excited anticipation, are willing to 
work like beavers until the instant when they shall mount the 
platform to receive their potential parchment, which converts 
them into wise men. They are rightly and fully resolved that 
nothing in the whole affair shall be less than first class, and in 
any event as good, if not a better conceived and executed 
performance than that of any preceding year. 
There is, however, a part which the officers of the college 
may, and usually do reserve to themselves. This is the selec¬ 
tion of the Orator (capital O) for the occasion. 
At length both the day and the hour have come (the rising 
of the sun on that morning having been unaccountably unat¬ 
tended by any sensible perturbation,) and to the accompani¬ 
ment of delicious and inspiring music, surrounded by their 
friends, and laden with fragrant and blushing bouquets, and 
proud of their valedictorian, who has accomplished his task 
admirably, indeed, just a little better than was expected of him, 
they prepare themselves to listen to the orator of the occasion. 
This, in our mind, is the moment of the evening, and on this 
feature of the programme very often rests the success of one 
of these fetes. 
It has been a part of our professional and perfunctory ex¬ 
perience and duty to listen to various addresses delivered to 
graduates, and many of these have contributed to our enjoy¬ 
ment of an hour of most agreeable and profitable occupation 
while they lasted. Again, however, we have sometimes been 
seriously disappointed in our expectations. But we have re¬ 
cently received a copy of an address which, in our estimation, 
is the most appropriate and well-conceived of any to which we 
have had the pleasure of listening, and was delivered by Prof. 
