The Portland Gazette

COMMENCEMENT.

On Wednesday last was the return of the annual Commencement at Bowdoin College. The town was filled at an early hour on the preceding day, and a large number of citizens witnessed the performances of the several societies attached to the Institution. On the following morning, a procession was formed; the Governor and officers of the State, and the Government of College were escorted to the Meeting-House, and the academic exercises commenced in the following order.

ORDER OF EXERCISES.

EXERCISES OF CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS.

1. Salutatory Oration, Latin. Isaac W. Wheelwright.

2. Conference—The comparative Advantages of reading and of intercourse with men, as preparing for Usefulness. Rufus K. Cushing and James Larry.

3. Dissertation—Equality of Happiness in the different Conditions of Life. Plummer Chase.

4. Conference—The views of Life, taken by Democritus and Heraclitus. Charles Harding and Winthrop G. Marston.

5. Dissertation—The influence of Enthusiasm in forming distinguished Characters. Ichabod Plaisted.

6. Colloquy—Popular Superstitions. Stephen M'L. Staples and Joseph A. Wood.

7. Poem—The Fall of Warrumba, the Androscoggin Chief. Daniel Clarke.

8. Colloquy—The literary Character of the first Settlers of New-England. George Packard and Charles Soule.

9. Oration—The future Prospects of the United States. Joseph Howard.

10. Discussion—The moral effects of the reading of Shakspeare. John Barrett and Isaac Groton.

11. Philosophical Disquisition—The Destruction of Helvetic Liberty. John P. Cleaveland.

12. Forensic—Whether the preservation of National Honor be a just ground of war. Godfrey J. Grosvenor and Joseph Libby.

13. Philosophical Disquisition—The folly of Hypotheses, unsupported by facts. Lot Jones.

14. Valedictory Oration—The Moral Sublime. William Cutter.

EXERCISES OF CANDIDATES FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS.

1. Oration—The Character and Condition of the North-American Indians. Josiah Pierce, A. B.

2. Poem—The Dream of the Sepulchre. William B. Waller, A. B.

3. Valedictory Oration, in Latin. Benjamin Hale, A. B.

Address by the President.

The galleries and whole house were crowded to excess—and we believe that satisfaction was complete. The performances of the young gentlemen were more solid than brilliant, and certainly won the strict attention of an immense concourse of people. In general they reflected honor on the talents and perseverance of the students, and did great credit to the efforts and knowledge of the officers of instruction.

The Masters' exercises were excellent. The oration pourtrayed in strong colours and energetic language, the character and principles of the Red Men of Yore, and stood independent from the base revilings and unwarranted bitterness against the spirit and right of the aboriginies. The Poem was a powerful and vivid description, and the breathless attention of an overflowing audience, was the best tribute to the genuineness of the poetry, and to the genius of the author.

On this occasion we cannot forbear to mention with a hope that it will never be practised again, a custom which seems peculiar to this institution. As soon as the students are cleverly seated, they commence a general bombardment with compressed catalogues or order of exercises—and they are seen flying like so many shells into every part of the galleries, and falling in showers upon the heads and sometimes upon the eyes of the audience. The appearance of this practice is outrageous—it would seem as though the gentlemen had come there with the determination to see who was the superior marksman, and not with the sober dignity of scholars—besides it is a scene of ill-fitted confusion. Let the orders be laid, as many as possible, in different parts of the galleries, and in each of the pews, and they can easily be distributed without noise, or this well meant, but unhappy way of showering benefits. Friends also can easily obtain them from without, before entering the house, and thus this merriment be saved in a great degree.

The number of students has increased, and the College bids fair to rise to great respectability and eminence. We are glad of this—and only hope that public patronage will advance its interests—for it is that alone that can do it in its infancy; and then the time will come when its friends will be amply repaid in finding that it adds to the literary and scientific character of that part of the country to which they belong.

The degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred on John Barrett, Plummer Chase, Daniel Clarke, John P. Cleaveland, Rufus K. Cushing, William Cutter, Daniel Evans, Godfrey J. Grosvenor, Isaac G. Groton, Charles Harding, Joseph Howard, Lot Jones, James Larry, Joseph Libbey, Winthrop G. Marston, George Packard, Ichabod Plaisted, Charles Soule, Stephen M'L. Staples, Isaac W. Wheelwright and Abiel J. Wood.

The degree of Doctor of Medicine was taken by Phineas Ingalls and [name cut off].

The Honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine was conferred on Dr. Nathaniel Coffin, of Portland.

The following alumni were admitted to the degree of Master of Arts, viz:
Rufus Anderson, Edmund T. Bridge, Benjamin Hale, Frederick B. Page, Josiah Pierce, Jr. George B. Sewall, George Starrett, James P. Vance, Joseph Walker and William B. Walter.
The honorary degree of Master of Arts was conferred on Hon. Erastus Foote, Hon. Couch Lincoln, Rev. Gideon W. Olney of Gardiner, Dr. Moses Shaw of Wiscasset, and Delaney Storer, Esq. of Ohio.

The honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on the Rev. Ichabod Nichols and Rev. Edward Payson, of Portland.

The honorary degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred on His Excellency Samuel Bell, Governor of New Hampshire, and the Hon. William Wirt, Attorney General of the United States.

The commencement at Bowdoin College will in future be held on the Wednesday preceding the last Wednesday in August.

At the late commencement in Cambridge the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon the Hon. Joseph Story, a Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States; the Hon. Ambrose Spencer, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New York, and upon the Hon. Charles Jackson, Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. And the degree of Doctor in Divinity was conferred upon the Rev. William Allen, President of Bowdoin College, and the Rev. Abiel Abbot, of Beverly.

Commencements at Brown University, Providence, and at Williams College, took place last Wednesday; that at Yale is on the 12th inst. (tomorrow.)

At the first there were 40 graduates.

These numerous literary celebrations show how extensively the advantages of education are spread over our country, and though we do not exhibit and cannot boast such instances of profound scholarship as many older countries, we trust that our aggregate stock of literature is fully equal to that of any nation, and the circumstance of its being scattered over the whole community, will not displease the man who regards the happiness, rather than the literary fame of a people.