'^^4^_ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ///,. A % fc/ '^O U. (/^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 *ffW ilM ^^ 11112 IM 1.4 illllg 1.6 6' ^> ^ em. °m rf -> .%.'^# ^^. ..-' r ^ ^» '^' /; <^" / (? / .'eCi:>I.V OF TIIK UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK,' ir-i^EIDEI^IOTOlSr, IST. B., 33tli »Txiiic, 1««S, BY THE Hon. JOIIX HAMILTON GRAY, D. C. L., Q. C, M. R, ALUMNI ORATOR FOR 1868. [PUBLISHED BY REQUEST.] SAINT JOHN, N. B. PRINTKD AY HAUNKS AND COMPANY, PRINCE WII-r.IAM BTREET. 1868. W- ^ . ■ ** /...,.. / i. '/ 1/^ ■J M > / ■ Y\ AN OEATION, \ »E3L.IVIUI11BI> -A.X THE ElVCCElVl-V OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK, IT-FiEIDEI^IOTOlSr, IST. B., 35th Jiiiic, 18G8, BY THE Hon. JOHN HAMILTON GRAY, D. C. L., Q. C, M. P., ■ALUMNI ORATOR FOR 1868. {PUBLISHED BY REQUEST.] SAINT JOHN, N. B. JPKINTED BY BAllNES AND COMPANY, PMNCB WILLIAM STilEET. 1868. Hi I m. /- SS^J ORATION. \ ana A-lumiil of tho University t Though I can claim no lineage, if such an expression may be permitted, with your Institution, yet I may truly say that ever since entering on public life I have taken a deep interest in its welfare. Eighteen years ago, on first beco- ming a member of the Assembly of this Province, I found the College assailed by some of the public men of the day with a bitterness which it is now difficult to realize : it was saved, but for seven long years it was nurtured in convulsion. The vigorous tree, which now gathers beneath its broad spreading branches many happy hearts, drawing vitality and strength from its precious fruits, was then torn and rent by many a ruthless hand. Dark and cheerless were its prospects : the withering blast and the blinding storm bore down upon it, but its roots were deep and strong : it withstood the tempest, and it now stands forth regenerated and revived. It is well that the trials of this Institution should be known to you. The greatest benefits a country possesses are sometimes jeopardized by those profesocdly acting in its interests — some from ignorance, some from causes or motives even less creditable, a -- -- '■ - The carlv management of this Institution, under its original Charter as King's College, is known not to have given satisfaction. It was complained, and justly, that the large annual subsidy from the public purse for its sup- port produced no corresponding benefit ; and it was pro- posed in the Legislature that that subsidy should be withdrawn, and the amount divided among other Institu- tions, or devoted to other public purposes. The intensity ir If r 'l of feeling wliicli characterized those discussions may be gatliercd from the public jounials and debates of the As seuibly from 1852 to 1800; but it will startle the Alumni to hear that it wag at that time gravely laid down by a member of the Legislature, then high in the ]-»olitical circles of the day, that a superior education, or such as could be obtained at College, was t^uite unnecessary in New Bruns- wick — that in the history of tiie Province, the men who had got on the best were men of no education — and that, therefore, for all practical purposes, Institutions of the character of this University were not required, and their support from the public purse was consequently an im- proper waste of the public funds. In vain, at first, was it pointed out that the mismanagement of an Institution ought not to aifect the principle involved in the main- tenance and encouragement of superior education ; that while it was the duty of the Legislature to reform the In- stitution, it was still more their imperative duty not to permit its mismanagement to operate to the sacrifice of the principle. The strenuous efforts of its friends at length pre /ailed, and in 1854:, under an Act of the Legislature passed for the purpose, a Commission was appointed to '•' enquire into the (then) state of King's College, its " management and utility, with a view of improving the " same, and rendering the Institution more generally useful, " and of suggesting the best mode of effecting that desirable " object ; and should such Commission deem a suspension of " the Charter desirable, then to suggest the best mode of *' applying the endowment, in the mean time, for the edu- " cational purposes of the Province.'' It is due to Sir Edmund Head, then the Lieutenant Go- vernor of this Province — a most accomplished scholar and an untiring friend of education — to say that he took the warmest interest in maintaining the College, and in bring- ing about that reform which would make it acceptable to the people ; and that by his suggestion Dr. Ryerson of To- ronto, and Mr. Dawson, then of Nova Scotia — at present ^•::ttA-<-^i\^\?^ i^^g^mm^mm&y the President of the McGill College at Montreal — were placed upon the Commission. The lion. Mr. Sannders, Mr. James Brown, of Charlotte County, and myself were the remaining members of the Commission. In the session of 1855 the Commissioners made their report; and it is under the system recommended in that report, and which was after some years further discussion in the Legislature substantially adopted, that the University is now so suc- cessfully conducted. To Dr. Kyerson the Commissioners were particularly indebted, and it is but due to the present President and Professors to say that to their cordial co- operation and judicious management that success is mainly to be attributed. The character of the Institution was en- tirely changed. From a College, limited to one denomina- tion and disliked by all others — because supported from the funds of all — it became a University covering with its broad a3gis all the educational establishments of the country. It takes by the hand the infant child in the Parish school, and points to him that County scholarship which his indus- try may attain. It tells the struggling parent, whose scant means might bid him turn away, that his country will pro- vide for the expanding intellect of his child. It tells the young scholar within its walls who thirsts for knowledge, that the fountains which can supply him are at his com- mand"; that in the practical sciences of chemistry, geology, mechanics, astronomy, as applicable to civil engineering, surveying, agriculture^ commerce or navigation — all that will be useful to him to learn — he can have. To those who desire to try the classic walks of Greece and Rome, to study the records of the great Past, to learn how nations rose and fell, the University affords every opportunity ; and to tliose who wish to become acquainted with modern languages and literature, equal facilities are extended. But above all, it establishes the broad fact that within yonr own country and under your own institutions can be found the means of enabling you to take your place amid the foremost men of :he world, by the attainment of the a2 \ .^fefeM^isiivl- '' .- ■ higlicst education at homo. If there is one thing more than another which tends to foster an attachment to one's own country — to hringbackin after years and wlien wander- ing in foreign cUmes the longing wisli for home, tlie pride of one's nati'.'o h^-nd — it is the recollection of one's' school boy days. Why is it that an Eton boy is always an Eton bo3% whether amid the defiles of Abyssinia or on the burning plains of India? Why is it that an Englishman is so terribly Englisli (if such an expression may be excused), be he where ho may ? It is because his thoughts are associated with all those early scenes where first his youthful sports were held — where his cricketing, his boating, his hunting, his shooting, his fishing, his boxing, were first enjoyed — where his very larki were run; yet where at the same time ho was storing his mind with that learning which was to be the working material of his after life — where he was daily hearing the institutions of his country, her laws, her very faults discussed — where week by week he learns of some great name, or some heroic achievement, or some il- lustrious statesman adding new blazonry to his country's scroll of fame ; and so in time his patriotism becomes in- tensified, and it makes no difference whether she be right or wrong, he stands by his country — and so he ought. When your young men are sent away to foreign lands for education, they are very apt to become more attached to the associations where they are than to those they have left. The impressions first made on the youthful mind are the most lasting, and it is the duty of every parent in New Brunswick to educate, if he can, his children at his own University before sending them abroad, if he desires that in after life those children should be devoted to her interests. It is on account of the broad principles that are laid down in this report, and of their successful application, that I call it to your attention ; but as it covers more than a mere reference to this University — as it takes up the whole question of education in New Brunswick, from the com- mo^ schools upwards — as it advocates direct taxation for schools aiul tliG ostablishment of a Normal school on an enlarged scale, i may bo cxcnscd in quoting some observa- tions by Dr. Wayland (addressed to myself as Chairman of the Commission), after perusing it. Dr. Wayland was regarded as the first educationist in the United States, had been the reformer of the Brown University in Rhode Island, and had, at great length, and with great kindness, explained to the Commissioners his views, on their visiting him at Providence. It is to bo borne in mind, in considering these observa- tion =?, that New Brunswick was pecu'iarly situated in having the power to adopt .these principles and changes without any interference with vested rights. Eminent writers in England strongly advocate them, but the Uni- versities of Oxford and Cambridge were founded long before religious equality was recognized, and on their foundation, privileges and rights were conceded which it is difficult now to assail. Equally so was it with the Univer- sity at Cambridge, in Massachusetts ; though liow far those rights are regarded at present, I am rot prepared to say. Dr. Wayland says : — " I have read the Keport of the " Commission with attentii^n. You will allow me to exclude " from my remarks the kind allusion which you have made " to my poor services. I have labored long, I hope from " public motives, and with small results. This*is all I can " claim — all the rest is owing to your kind partiality. - " As to the Heport itself, I hardly know how to express " my gratitude and satisfaction. As a man, I return to you " my deep felt thankfulness for the generous "^nirit of en- " lightened Christian humanity which it breai tcs in every " sentence. It knows of no party, of no sect, of no rank, " but in an all-embracing public spirit encircles the whole " people of New Brunswick, providing for every individual " the education which he needs, and enabling every one to " carry this education as far and in precisely the direction " he wishes. It moreover takes especial care of the common schools, making every arrangement under them as perfect (( 8 1 1! " as possible, and to carry tkis improved education within " the reach of every man. Should this Bill pass, and its " provisions be thoroughly carried out, it will bo the greatest " boon that has ever been conferred on any people. Othera " have, I doubt not, meant as ^ve\\ ; but they have not en- " joyed the light that has shone on you from all preceding " experiments ; and in no cuse that I have seen has the best " good of the whole people been so thoroughly considered. " Besides, your education is to be a Christian education^ " while it most carefully abstains from interfering with the " religious convictions of any sect whatever. It seems to mo " that youi' whole people must.pass it by acclamation. And *' I must add that I firmly believe that to whatever attain- " ment in virtue and wealth, in arts and civilization, Kew " Brunswick may arrive, after generations will look back " upon this Act as the starting point from which her pro- " gress commenced and the source from which all her bles- *' sings flowed. This, however, cannot be accomplished in a " day. It will take some time to organize your schools ; it '• will take time to prepare for them competent teachers ; it " will take time for these scholars, thus taught, to advance " far enough to enter your higher schools. It may take some " time to convince men of the reality of the blessings yon " offer them. Men are so much accustomed to heartless *' legislation that they are slow to believe that a plan of this " kind is really intended for their good ; and besides, the " flourishing condition of the Province itself presents obsta " cles. Where land can be obtained at so low a rate, where *• taxes arc so low, and the opportuniiics of securing a com- " petence c. abundance are so frequent, some are prone to " undervalue education. "We find t' is the case in the United " States, and this constitutes the great difference between us " and Europe ; but all these difficulties will be removed by " time. In due season you will reap if you faint not ; and " you will have the privilege of inscribing your names on " the list of those who have conferred inestimable blessings ** on humanity," -^-,~ '3)T'»-'T V-- 9 s ; it •8 ; it TliG opinion of Dr. Wayland on this system is, of itself, sufHcicnt autliority for its adoption. We liavc, then, this starting point, that at liome you have an Institution capable of atlbrding to your young men, at a very moderate expense, the liighest elements of educa- tion, a practical v.seful education, or a refined Intellectual education, or both combined. Let us look back for a mo- ment. A centu-'y lias not roiled b^^ since on the spot where wc now stand the wild Indian had Ins home. Cen- turies liad followed upon centuries, and son succeeded sire, without change. The winter's cold and the sum.mer's heat came in their turn, and nature bloomed and withered as the vernal sun or autumn's blasts gave or destroyed life. The Riv3r rolled on its mighty volume to the sea, and rose and fell as it does now with the melting snows or the parching droughts ; but its bankr gave no sign of advanc- ing civilization. What had been, was — 'twas still the same. Yet in all that constitutes a man the Indian was as perfect as ourselves — as lithe of frame, as subtle of in- tellect, as keen in the pursuit of pleasure, as enduring, as courageous, more temperate, more chaste, in council as wise, in war as daring. Look now along the banks of this same River. Towns and villages, and cities, and farms, and institutions of learning, and trade and commerce, — all speak of an advancing and permanent civilization, tend- ing to promote the happiness and elevation of your race ; and the chimes of vour Christian churches, as on the Sab- bath eve they echo from your hills and are borne along your valleys and your plains, speak of a civilization whoso benefits are not to be limited by time. Wiience, tlien, this change? What makes tliis dift'erence? Need I say it simply results .from that education of v/hich you have the opportunity of availing yourseH-es— from that education which, since the discovery of printing, has enabled our forefathers and ourselves to start with all the advantages of a knowledge of the Past, and to draw from the store- houses of the Dead the means of sustaining and extending >■!!•;;:.', 10 9 the matorial progress of the living. I have told you that it was said on the floors of the Assembly, that a superior education was of no advantage in New Brunswick. Let us try it out. The rude bar of iron in its raw state is a powerful weapon. It crushes and mangles, and in the hands of a strong man may be made subservient to the worst or best of purposes ; but when moulded and welded and refined into the polished steel, does it lose its strength, or is it less dangerous or less useful) when, directed by the same powerful hand, it flashes as the falchion's blade, or drives the great steam engine to its work ? So with the strong iritellect : it does not lose its strength because it is educated. -:- - . -: ^ ^ ;,' :■;,,.' - ■;:< t; ■-, •. ■ ;^^. ■, " ; It is not my duty, as it certainly is not my intention, to enter into a disquisition of the best systems of Education, or the mode by which you will acquire the greatest amount of useful information. That emphatically falls within the purview of those who are professors and tutors in the Q■ ■ 13 Let lis look at it as a matter unchangeable— ;/b)' it will not be changed — and let us urge our 3'^oung men, in their studies at this University, to prepare themselves to go on and win the first prizes of the Dominion, and by their abilities and character to extend the power and the influence of their Province. Knowledge is Power. In Science — in Trade — in War — in Peace — in movements by land or by water, in all that pertains to the influence, the improvement, the happi- ness, the progress of men or nations — Knowledge is Power. Our first knowledge should be a thorough acquaintance with the extent, character and resources of our own coun- try — not simply of those parts of which it is now consti- tuted, but of those other parts which, within a few short years, will be embraced vv'itliin its limits, and which will bring under one control the vast domains of British North America, spreading from the Atlantic to the Pacific — domains, teeming with exhaustless wealth, and waiting but our enterprise and energy to beconn the happy homes of many of our countrymen. Of Xova Scotia, of Xew Brunswick, of old Canada, wo have many authentic records, anopulation— but a population advanced in refinement and architectural knowledge. But what history tells who those people were, or when they lived? The tiger roams through the sculptured halls ; the civilization is effete ; no mental power characterises the people of those lands. In the family of nations they hold the lov/est place, and the strong hand of European power crumples them to its will as ambition or policy dictates. There is not a man in this crowded Hall, who can call back tlic teaching of his school thirty years ago, who was not tanght that tlie great interior of Africa was a barren waste — a s.'mdy desert, where no life, no vegetation thrived. Yet what do we now learn 'i That it abounds with mag- nificent plains of great verdure ; with noble rivers and lake&;^ with lofty mountains, whose summits, covered with perpetual snow, supply an unceasing iiTigation ; that its table lands are clothed with dense forests ; that tropical fruits , and cereals abound. Knowledge is power. The happinesri of millions may yet depend upon that knowledge. The ti'Vi'ljzation of the East, engrafted on the sterner cha- racteristics of the European races, moved Westward over to America: but even there, in some parts, thO; exis :enco of aprior civilization was found. In Mexico and Peiu the organizatiiin of strong and powerlid governments secured the h'fl.ppiness and well-being of thriving and populous natioii^,' rivalling those of the East in numbeis and ad- van(,0inent. Temples were there of solid build, and even three i centuries of ruthless modern occupation have not 15 obliterated the traces of former greatness. Bnt in the in- terior of British North America — in the far North Wfest, are great regions of undeveloped wealth, whore no prior civilization has placed its mark ; where no mined monu- ments tell of bygone times ; where nature alone remains the undispi ted master of the broad domain ; where seasons fol- low seasons rich with all their varied beauties, and rivers and inland seas rise and fall untrammelled by the hand of man. This country of undeveloped wealth, where there is no effete civilization to revive — whose history is to be written in the future — where every niche in the Temple of Fame is yet unoccupied — this country of vast extent it will be for ycu, in a short time, to bring into States and Territories, and reduce into organized governments. You will find, wlien you have studied the subject, that it is a country of wonderful fertility, of a climate exactly similar to that of Fredericton ; that its very seasons are the same, and that ill consequence of the peculiar formation of the great American Desert, which commences about 98° of west longitude, extending westwardly to the base of the Rocky Mountains, and northwardly almost from Texas to the 49th parallel of latitude, or our boundary — -the only passage to the Pacific through a fertile region, and in a salubrious climate, lies within our Territory — and through our Terri- tory the great North Wcot Road must p«^ES. The Ameri- cans would- gladly have this Territory, aiid willingly pay for it enough to wipe away the whole, debt. of the Domi- nion. Cut this must not be. A nation's fate is trembling in the scale, and our own young men must be the founders of our "Western Empire. We cannot give up our own flag and our own nationality, and the traditions of a tliousand - years, and the Sovereign we revere, and the Institutions under which we are free. We nmst extend to this Terri- i tory the blessings we enjoy, and you must prepare your- . selves, by your present studies — ^by your present industry ,, — to be the wise Statesmen and Legislators through whose "means these results shall be achieved.- ! iv/ J ■ J kA 1^ Stf i i :i t ai6 An American poet (George Whittier) lias so bcautifnlly expressed the future of the West that, witli the alteration •of a single verse to make it applicable to ourselves, I shall .take tlio liberty of quoting his wordis : — -.^ nol]i.:iiiv/h ill 1 )'. '..fi ?■': 'yi I. .;;!:'/■ *' I hear the tread of Pioneers, ■ '■• ■ Of nations yet to be, "' '•' The first low wash of waves, vhere soon Shall roll a human sea. i'j i''-..ii)nu j(o:-... J'. 7/0! t 1 J'. "i'j .1 i It!' "The rudiments of Empire hero - ' Are plastic yet, and warm, The chaos of a mighty world , • Is rounding into form. " Each rude and jostling fragment soon Its fitting place shall find ; The raw materials of a State, Its muscle and its mind. , , , .■:.,! r.-. i/ii/!ln: J'^iij' .'I 1 ■ i',ii ,i. " And westering still, the star which leads Tue new world in its train — ■• . ^ , ■ H-as tipped with fire the icy speara ' ' • ■ - ' '"''•' . Of many a mountain chain. ,, ;; ^ i<■.'^•)l■^■>u■;^J I. ( " Young Columbia's snowy cones, Are kindling on its way. And long Saskatx;hawan's golden sands, Gleam brighter in its ray. , - . • i " - " I hear the tread of Pioneers, Of nations yet to be, The first low wash of waves, where soon. Shall roll a human sea." , . ., J ■»,, ■''(•,) .j.i;;t But this great West will only be a part of the scene of your labors. You have not only to develope the resources of a part, but of the whole country. You have to con- solidate a people ; you have to merge the jealousies of ex- isting sections, and bind them by a common interest to each other — not to regard a commercial Tariff or a par- ticular Law as it may operate upon a part, bnt as it may result in a healthy benefit to the whole. If a public ex- penditure is to be incurred, it must be regarded from its effect upon the United Provinces, and not from its omission to pour exhaustless wealth into a particular locality or a favorite constituency. ,>»4,,_.&ij,Mi; i.i>a,r;*«x;^r^J^,K,^ ^ ;. ^^ wavi m-t '^^-f-— ■ The tendency of modern politics, both in Europe and 1 ! I 17 • ; • I . : :. ( and America, is to fuse many small communities into one large one. Russia, Prussia and Italy are daily absorbing \ he smaller nations that are around them ; and the UnitKl States has just passed through the most gigantic war of modern times rather than have a division of her cxtcnde-i empire. The effect of this policy is materially to advance the progress of the human race. If the United States had not owned California and Oregon, and her Territories on the Pacific, how long would it have been before, — nay, who could have named the time when — a Railroad would have crossed the boundless wastes of the Interior of the Continent, or scaled the Rocky Mountains ? The consolidation of countries— th 'ibolition of interior restrictions and tariffs — must increase trade and open wide fields for labor ; and as trade advances, civilization ad- vances, and all that contributes to the material and intel- lectual improvement or man goes on pari passu. ; ^ As the future States,-ien of the Country, considerations of this nature must force themselves upon you ; and it is while you are young,— nay, while you are even yet at Col- lege, — you must prepare your minds — you must lay the foundations for this your future work. Again, the charac- teristics of nations and of races must be studied. New Countries gather in the surplus populations of the Old. More than one third of our countrymen in the Dominion are descendants of another race — the first great founders of Empire in that part of America over which Her Majesty now reigns. The matchless daring of Champlain — the heroic hardihood of his companions — the unfaltering cou- rage with which, alone, they penetrated and explored then unknown regions, peopled by fierce and savage tribes- the chivalry of Montcalm — have thrown around the history of New France a romantic interest that can never fade. Their descendants still cherish their old institutions — still speak their old language ; but are as loyal and true as any people in the British Empire, Can you legislate fairly for these men without knowing their language or their history? lU ii Certainly not. Then while at College make yourselves fa- miliar with both. You have every opportunity ; and the justice you ask' from them, you must be prepared to give. Something, also, must be learned of International Law — of the conflict of Laws, and of the Rights of Nations. Your extended interests entail upon you extended respon- sibilities, and necessitate a corresponding care in the admi- nistration of public affairs. A conflict might arise from your indiscretion. But, even were there no such risk, the study of the broader subject expands the mind, and thus materially contributes to its education. You cannot have too broad a field for study or for action. Little countries make litile men. One thing that has materially contributed to the splendid development of the United States is that their public men of all kinds, — their young men, — their very women, think there is no- thing too great for their country to undertake, or for their people to achieve. The daring which this self-reliance creates is the cause of more than one half of their success. To young men, educated at a British University and brought up under British Institutions, it need not be said there is but one form of government which it is both their duty and their interest to maintain. Nearly eighteen hun- dred years ago Tacitus observed : — " Nam cunctas nationes " et urbes, populus, aut primores, aut singuli, regunt ; de- " lecta ex his et consociata reipublicse forma laudari facilius, " quam evenire — vel si evenit, baud diuturna esse potest."* A more valuable tribute to the excellence of our Con- stitution could not have been conceived or expressed. However broad may be the foundation, the keystone of the arch must bind the whole together. Without an efficient controlling central authority, there can be no effectual use of great national power ; and we find in coimtries where the Constitution does not suflSciently give that authority, that in times of emergency the authority itself is boldly Mil lii- * Lib. 4, Chap. 38. 19 ftSBiimed in direct defiance of the Law and the Constitution, by those who are administering the public affairs. But there is yet another quotation I would make, and c ne that must be equally appreciated and acted upon ; a id which lays down the correct principle, that, after all, in go- vernments, the authority is but delegated, and it must be wielded for the benefit of those from whom it is derived. This passage is from an old Puritan Poet (of the name of George Wither), and was in part quoted by Mr. Bright, on a late occasion, in one of his most celebrated speeches : — :j;..r ' i' ■■ ■> ■••■'■, •'Let not your King anil Parliament in one, " ' "''' • :' : ' " •• Much less apart, mistake themselves for that t ; . '- , : *' Which is most worthy to bo thought upon, " Nor think they arc essentially the State. ■ ' ' ■ •\-- ^ ..r; I ' ''^Bvi\,\eiX\\Qm\moyf there is a deeper life •, i f ;[-;. - .• •) , ' " Which they but reprei^ent. . , . ^. •'That there's on earth a yet auguster thing, ' "Veiled though it bo, than Parliament and King." /. .•-.; •»: These two quotations contain the germ of all sound con- stitutional government — the principle and the mode. Books may be written — sj^stems may be promulgated — experiments may be tried — but reduce all down to a sim- ple proposition, and in these two quotations that proposi- tion will be found. I do not press these observations without serious reflec- tion. One of the objects of education is to prepare for successful operation in the practical affairs of life. Reli- gious and moral training, it must be assumed, may well be left to parents and tutors. In America, the great mass of the public take a deeper interest in, and exert a more powerful influence upon the aflfairs of their country than in England. The ancient traditions of England — the great wealth of England — enable her to have a class of men who almost exclusively take charge of the public service ; and it is no uncommon thing to trace the same name in ono continuous line of light from generation to generation. It is not so in America, and Canada is no exception to the rule. As your influence is therefore more extended here, 80 it is of consequence that your preparation should be i. 20 greater. Though yon may not chooso to become the Parli- amentary leaders, yet as the moulderB of public opinion> it is ess cntial that your views should be broad and liberal, and they cannot be broad and liberal if you are ignorant, Among educated men you will often, undoubtedly, find many whose prejudices and interests override their sense; but as a general rule educated men will be found the most liberal in their own views, and the most tolerant of the views of others. And of this character will the legislation and ])olicy of your country partake, if you who arc to direct and form it, properly prepare yourselves. You must not suppose that education will ever bring about a state of Buperhnman excellence. Burke has said, " That the states- *' man who lays the foundation of his country's greatness " in the possession of extraordinary virtues, will find its " superstructure reared in folly and extravagance." You must expect to find men as they are — witli vices, with follies, and with passions. No Utopian theory will alter nature ; but the higher the degree of intelligence which is found among your people, the greater will be their comfort and their happiness, and the higher their status. Tliere is another tiling you have to bear in mind. Am- bition, properly directed, is the highest incentive to noblo deeds. Character is not made in a day ; notoriety may bo obtained, not character. The latter is of slow growth ; but when once obtained, affords to its possessor immense power. Few men in British America have illustrated this position more than Joseph Ilowe and the late Thomas D'Arcy Magee. Of the former I may not speak, because he still lives ; of the latter I may. There are clouds some- times which for a period obscure the brightest day. We should judge of life by its utility, not by its passing errors. His influence in Canada was great, and the public demon- strations at his death were not more in detestation of the atrocious crime by which his life was taken, than as an acknowledgment of the great services that that life had rendered to his adopted country. He wielded a power mi he Parli- opiniou) 1 liberal, gnorant, Jly, find ir sense; the most it of the gislation arc to .^ou must fi state of le statcs- jreatncss find its ." You ics, with •ill alter which is comfort 1. Am- ;o noble may be i^th ; but mmenso ited this Thomas because dssome- ly. We g errors. deraon- n of the m as an ife had power 21 which, had it Ijccm directed to evil, would have dcliigod Canada with bloud — made her soil tbc battle-field of 'jon- tending factions — and perhaps have led to her ultiu'ate disruption from tlic Eni])ire. A.s it was, instead of fos.er- ing the eml)ittcrcd elements which were at his command, his whole energies were bent to their removal ; and it is not too much to say that the iinaniimity which now exists is greatly owing to his counsels and his exertions. But what gave him this power 2 What brought it about, thatamjiii barely past the meridian of life — who had led no great army — who had guided no revolution — who had discovered no world — who had made no startling invention — should yet have received the tribute of profound respect, from the sovereign on her throne to the humblest municipality of his country — whose death should have caused an ex- pression of universal regret '( You will find it was the simple result of a good education well directed — of con- tinued industry well applied — of noble sentiments nobly expressed — and of a broad generous philanthropy — the consequent result of all combined. His was not the meteor mind which startled by its irregular brilliancy — it was the steady burning light which gave proof of the most careful attention. Deeply versed in all the knowledge of the past, watchful of all the mo> ements of the present, philosophical in his reflectioUs, practical in his suggestions* cosmopolitan in his views, and careful in his preparation, , it was truly said of liim : — •. -, • r. . i- ; ::, .i ,, r ■ " Nihil tetigit quod noa oruavit." , •. , As an essayist, as a political writer, as ever ready to give his services to any good cause, without reference to creed or race, he leaves a name which few will equal ; and as an orator he realized, more than any one I ever heard, Homer's description of that great man, if it may be ap- plied to one so young, ,,,, ;,,. -,',:;,; .;;,. .:,, .;; iit.i ** Toi xai arto yXwcraijj fieXitoi y^.vxi.uv piev avfij;. ., ^,.v> ... His case has been prominently brought before you, because diis success was the result of industry. Go and do likewise* !1 1!f mm ■n mmmi 22 • I have jupt returned from the asscni1)led Parliament of the country — and I tell you if yon want to maintain the influence of New Bnmewick in the councils of the nation, you must educate your young men to be itB fitting repre- fientativGs. Talk of uneducated men beside Macdonald and ilowe, and Cartier and Rose, and Gait and Holton, and >)orion and Cheauveau, and Dunkin and Chamber- Jin, and a host of others who might be named — men ac- customed to deal witli large subjects — ^jnen who are equally familiar with the languages and literature of France and England — and who, with n thorough knoM'ledge of Consti- tutional History and tlie principles of Trade and Com- merce, can enforce their «, guments by ready references to the incidents of past and modern History, and by touches of human nature not the less dangerous because they are subtle. There are men in that Parliament, who, by means of their strong intellect or great industry, can make their ma»'k, and advance the interests of their constituencies and their country, even without the early advantages of a good education ; but those are the very men who appreciate it the most, and give their strenuous efforts to its encourage- ment, and who, if they were present this day, would tell you not an hour is to be lost. In addressing yon as men who arc to be the future states- men of your country, and directing your attention to stu- dies and r flections which may prepare you for such a position, I earnestly desire that you will not understand me as lightly appreciating the classical and mathematical studies which are particularly embraced in your course. 'A "double first" will carrj'^ its weight 'anywhere; and among the first statesmen of England are found those who have thus distinguished themselves. Pitt and Mansfield, and Lyndhurst and Brougham, and Derby and Peel, and Ivussell and Canning, and liomilly and D'Israeli, and others equally well known, were remarkable for their ap- preciation and use of the beauties of classic literature ; and Gladstone, whose position at the present day as a financier ament of itain the e nation, pg repre- acdonald 1 Holton, Dhamber- -inen ac- 'e equally ince and )f Consti- nd Com- srcnces to Y tonches they are by means ake their ncies and of a good reciate it icourage- oilld tell ire states- )n to stu- .)r such a iderstand lematical r course, ere ; and hose who fansfield, Peel, and aeli, and their ap- are ; and tinancier stands unrivalled, and who is admitted to be the most re- fined and accomplished orator in England, adds additional lustre to his unrivalled eloquence by rich quotations fiom the Latin poets. v " I. "Usee studia adoleseentiam alunt, soiiectutemoblectaKt, secundas res ornant, adversis perfugium ac solatium prfB- bent ; delectaiit domi — non impediunt foris — penioctant nobiscum — perigrinantur — rusticantur." Alumni of tlie University, I congratulate you upon -he advantages you possess. 1 congratulate you upon tlie glo- rious future that is before you. I congratulate you upon the rising destinies of your country. When the gallant soldier who now presides over tlie affairs of ISew Eruiis- wick shall have passed away — when your Professors and Tutors in their turn have passed away — when those who are now active in public life in a few short years shall have also passed away — let us hope that you, drawing your knowledge from this University, and your inspiration from the noblest source— your country's welfare — will go forth l>repared to advocate her interests and maintain her rights — and that when in your turn you sha^l have passed away, it may be found that many of you will liave left upon tlie pages of her history a lofty record and a noble name. m