About the Book
Excerpt from An Address Delivered Before the Two Literary Societies, of the University of North Carolina in Gerard Hall, on the Day Preceding the Annual Commencement in June, 1845: Under the Appointment of the Dialectic Society Your annual festival has returned, with its appropriate-so lemnities. Willing guests have visited you. Here are assembled, spectators, friends, parents - the eye of curiosity, the interest of kindness, the heart of anxious affection. At your request, I, too, have come, to re-visit the theatre of early life, and to discharge the duty, your kindness has as signed me. Around me are the scenes of other days within, their memory. Thoughts, too long, perhaps, snfiered to sink into forgetfulness, come thronging back - bearing with them vivid realities. The past rises up - mingles with the present, and imparts to it, its own aspect. The occasion is full of pleasing, yet chastened emotion. The mind is brightened with this reviviscence of youth, but saddened as it reverts to what time and mortality have done. The ex tremes of life meet here. Into the view, come both the morning and the evening twilight. I come to endeavor to do for you, what, more than twenty years ago, older friends and wise monitors did for me and my companions - to assure you of fraternal regard-to cheer you on, in the Opening career of life - and to offer you the bene fits of counsel sanctioned by maturity - the lessons of expen ricuce, that hard, but wholesome teacher. But, upon what subject, and with what words, shall I address you? In looking back upon the history of these annual commemorations, I find little to encourage me. This is no new task. None that has, iiherto, been unskilfully performed. Before me, have trod the sons of genius and ofscience. In this place, have stood your first men - men not: unknown to fame - whose very names, were both incitement and authority. They have given you the ripe fruits of their understanding, and poured out before you, the treasures of their learning. Every subject of taste, interest and excel lence, they have adorned and exhausted. What is there left for me? Believe me, I feel the difficulties of my position. Nor is this all. To say truth - some of us, who come here from the world to address you, find ourselves poorly fitted to the office. Common life, with its homely duties, and stern demands, has too much debased and hardened us. Ne cessity has driven away recreation; utility usurped the seat of pleasure, and reality, impaired imagination. We have ceased to listen to the whispers of fancy, or to follow the phantoms of h0pe. Because of these things, in the lit erary tournament, we are unworthy knights. Our armour is rusted-our lances turn aside. Our skill has forsaken us. And shall I confess it, our valour is blenched. The days of chivalry are o'er with us, and, if you knew all, you would have to write, craven, upon our crests. Our apology is, that we are not volunteers in the lists. We enter at your behest, and rely upon your forbearance. For our puissance, we claim not guerdon of your clemency; we solicit indulgence. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
