Belmont Chronicle

Commencement Week at Mt. Union College.
The recent commencement exercises of this Institution have been of unusual public interest. The examination of the classes reflected honor upon both the teachers and the taught. On Sabbath, the students and citizens assembled in the capacious College Chapel, and reverently gave audience to an appropriate Baccalaureate Sermon by Dr. Hartsborn, the efficient President of the College. On last Wednesday, the new Board of Trustees held their annual meeting, which was opened by reading the 103d Psalm, and prayer, by Bishop Thompson. Each member of the Conference Committee of supervision of endowment, consisting of Rev. I. N. Baird, D. D.; Rev. John Williams, and Rev. Homer J. Clark, D. D., was present in counsel with the Board of Trustees. In addition to the ordinary business, the Trustees of the College, upon the recommendation of the Conference Committee, made provision for the more efficient prosecution of the endowment, by the sale of Scholarships and donations: also for the erection of additional Boarding Houses, so that there may be accommodations for a much larger number of students, at economical rates; also the Executive Committee was authorized to procure additional pianos, and to secure first-class teachers, by the next term, for Instrumental Music, and also the Board instructed the General Agent of the College to arrange for holding a College Fair, after the manner of Sanitary Fairs, with the special view of securing for the endowment one hundred thousand dollars by donation, of which two members pledged twenty-five Reapers worth two hundred dollars each, in addition to several liberal pledges previously made by others. In the evening the Trustees and citizens of the community met, and were eloquently addressed by Gen. Crowell, of Cleveland, on the "Liberal Education of the Masses."
On Thursday morning a large and appreciative audience assembled in the new College Hall, to listen to the orations of the graduating class, consisting of A. F. Caldwell, Farmington, Ohio; C. D. Chalfant, Upper Middleton, Pa.; M. B. Chapman, Ravenna, Ohio; J. U. Conkle, Black Hawk, Pa.; A. N. Craft, Meoce, Ohio; A. C. Crouch, Bentleysville, Pa.; J. B. Eberly, Smithville, Ohio; J. W. F. Hamilton, New Matamoras, Ohio; J. E. Philips, Mt. Pleasant, Ohio; Mary E. Adams, Nelson, Ohio; Julia A. Highley, Edinburg, Ohio. These exercises were opened with prayer by Rev. Homer J. Clark, D. D., and the orations, which were of superior order, in both the style of thought and manner of delivering, were richly interspersed with vocal music by the College Choirs and Leland's Brass and String Band of Cleveland. After conferring the Bachelor's Degree upon each of the above graduates, the President conferred the Degree of Master of Arts, in course, upon the following Alumni, viz: Rev. Lewis Paine, Rev. C. W. Swartz, Rev. J. B. Uber, Josiah Williams, and Miss Mattie Zimmerman.
In the afternoon, Rev. Bishop Thompson, D. D. delivered an able and eloquent address, on the History of Education in Ohio and the duty of Liberally Endowing and sustaining the Colleges of our country. On motion of Rev. John Williams, sustained by the unanimous vote of the large and intelligent assembly; a copy of the Bishop's Address was requested for publication. In the evening there was held in the College Hall, a Literary Contest, between the Republican and Lennean Literary Societies of the College, consisting of well delivered Orations, Essays, Discussion, and Vocal and Instrumental Music.
On Friday forenoon there was a pleasant re-union of the Students, Teachers, and friends, at the College, closing with a short and spicy speech by Bishop Thompson, and in the afternoon a social meeting of the Alumni, Teachers and others, at the President's, closing with a liberal supply of Strawberries, ice cream, eloquent responses to rich toasts, and racy narrations of College life.

THOMAS STORER.