Comes a still voice-Yet a few days, and thee Thy image. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim To mix for ever with the elements, To be a brother to the insensible rock And to the sluggish clod, which the rude swain Shalt thou retire alone; nor couldst thou wish Of the great tomb of man. The golden sun, Will share thy destiny. The gay will laugh The youth in life's green spring, and he who goes To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night LVI. Burial of a College Classmate.-N. P. WILLIS. Your ranks are full, your mates all there- He was the proudest in his strength, Why lies he at that fearful length, And ye around his pall? Ye reckon it in days, since he Whose was the sinewy arm, which flung Whose laugh of victory loudest rung- Whose heart, in generous deed and thought, On now-his requiem is done, Slow-for our thoughts dwell wearily Tread lightly, comrades!-we have laid Rest now!-his journeying is done- For the grave of earth's best nobleness PART V. EXERCISE IN ARGUMENTATIVE DECLAMATION. A DEBATE ON THE CHARACTER OF JULIUS CESAR. Chairman: ROBERT ARCHER. Debaters: James Gibson, Francis M'Cracken, Robert Patterson, Robert Gamble, Ben. jamin Gamble, Francis Archer, Robert Vance, William M'Cleery, Robert Templeton, William Simms, Henry Herbert, Francis Ward. CHAIRMAN.-Gentlemen, I am happy to see you. Agreeably to the notice of your late worthy chairman, you have assembled to discuss the propriety of calling Cæsar a Great Man. I promise myself much satisfaction from your debate. I promise myself the pleasure of hearing many ingenious arguments on each side of the question. I promise myself the gratification of witnessing a contest, maintained with animation, good humour and courtesy. You are my sureties, and I shall not be disappointed. The avocations of your late chairman have not allowed him to resume his seat-a seat honourable in itself, but *See Introduction, ante, page 33. more honourable from the dignity with which he filled it. I have been appointed to succeed him. My first duty is, to bear testimony to the accomplishments of my predecessor; to his eloquence, his disinterestedness, his address-to all which, I know no other way of doing justice, than by acknowledging my total inability to describe their excellence. My next duty regards myself; and calls upon me to declare my sense of the honour I enjoy, in having been appointed to this station. My last duty-and one that I discharge with great diffidence-is, to present you with a few observations that have reference to the occasion of your being assembled. You are assembled, gentlemen, to discuss the merits of a man, whose actions are connected with some of the most interesting events in Roman story. You have given the subject due consideration-You come prepared for the contest; and I shall not presume to offer any opinion, respecting the ground which either side ought to take. My remarks shall be confined to the study of Oratoryand, allow me to say, I consider Oratory to be the second end of our academic labours, of which the first end is, to render us enlightened, useful and virtuous. The principal means of communicating our ideas are two-speech and writing. The former is the parent of the latter; it is the more important, and its highest efforts are called Oratory. If we consider the very early period at which we begin to exercise the faculty of speech, and the frequency with which we exercise it, it must be a subject of surprise that so few excel in Oratory. In any enlightened community, you will find numbers who are highly skilled in some particular art or science, to the study of which they did not apply themselves till they had almost arrived at the stage of manhood. Yet, with regard to the powers of speech-those powers which the very second year of our existence generally calls into action, the exercise of which goes on at our sports, our studies, our walks, our very meals; and which is never long suspended, except at the hour of refreshing sleep-with regard to those powers, how few surpass their fellow-creatures of common information and moderate attainments! how very few deserve distinction!-how rarely does one attain to eminence ! |