206 
COGGESHALl/s  TALEDICTORY  ADDRESS. 
would  be  regarded  with  wonder  at  its  audacity,  with  execration  at 
its  reckless  tampering  with  the  best  temporal  interests  of  humanity. 
We  hope  better  things  of  our  graduates,  (though  we  must  con- 
fess we  are  sometimes  disappointed,)  than  that  they  should  degrade 
their  profession  and  deprave  themselves  by  such  prostitution  of 
their  talents  and  position.  It  is  pitch  that  you  cannot  touch  with- 
out being  defiled.  Its  temptations  are  often  great  it  is  true,  its  suc- 
cess in  one  sense,  and  one  only,  sometimes  astonishing ;  yet  it  often, 
probably  in  a  large  majority  of  cases,  fails  to  secure  even  pecu- 
niary success,  always  unsatisfying  at  best  when  gained  at  the  cost 
of  honor,  of  self  respect,  and  the  respect  of  the  intelligent  part  of 
society,  perhaps  coupled  with  some  nickname  of  derision ;  and  poor 
indeed  is  he,  who  having  staked  all  of  principle  and  good  repute 
upon  such  a  cast,  has  not  won  even  that. 
Gentlemen,  in  the  honest  and  honorable  pursuit  of  your  profes- 
sion, you  will  find  with  many  cares  and  much  tedious  labor  many 
sources  of  interest  that  will  improve  and  elevate  your  minds,  the 
frequent  association  with  the  learned  .and  intelligent,  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  those  who  require  your  professional  services,  and 
the  unfailing  reward  of  duty  well  done.    Your  path  will  not  be 
one  of  roses  altogether — do  not  hope  for  it.  Act  faithfully  and  hon- 
orably as  you  may,  your  best  motives  will  be  misconstrued,  your  best 
actions  misrepresented,  your  best  efforts  underrated  by  the  weak- 
minded  and  unworthy  ;  but  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  better 
part  of  those  who  know  you,  will  overbalance  such  annoyances; 
and  in  proportion  to  the  consciousness  of  doing  right,  is  the  com- 
fort of  self  approval.    In  the  practice  of  your  profession  you  will 
find  scope  enough  for  the  exercise  of  all  the  cardinal  virtues,  if 
you  have  them,  and  need  enough  for  the  cultivation  of  those  in 
which  you  may  be  deficient.    You  must  not  only  be  scrupulously 
honest  in  what  you  do,  you  must  be  equally  conscientious  in 
making  sure  that  nothing  is  left  undone  which  ought  to  be  done. 
You  are  required  to  be  careful,  as  much  as  you  are  to  be  honest  in 
the  dispensing  of  medicine.    You  have  no  right  to  indulge  in  ab- 
sence of  mind,  when  the  safety  of  a  fellow  creature  depends  upon 
your  undivided  attention,  and  you  may  be  roused  from  such  abstrac- 
tion by  consequences  of  your  criminal  inadvertence  alike  frightful 
and  irretrievable.    Your  profession  demands  from  you  constant  un- 
remitting devotion  to  duty,  duty  in  little  things  which  are  unknown 
