The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 1, December, 1835Various
General
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 1, December, 1835
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
It was only within the last few days that we met with the above
oration, in a pamphlet form--and we cannot refrain from expressing the
very great pleasure its perusal has afforded us. Dr. Caldwell was
unquestionably a great and good man--and certain are we that the task
of paying tribute to his manifold qualifications and virtues, now that
he is gone, could not have been committed to abler hands, than those
of Professor Anderson. The tone of feeling pervading the oration is
quite characteristic of its author--ardent--affectionate--consistent.
"We come," says he, near the beginning, "we come as a band of
brothers, to do homage to that parental love, of which all of us, the
old as well as the young, have been the objects; and by communing with
the spirit of our departed father, to enkindle those hallowed emotions
which are the fittest offering to his memory. But why needs the living
speaker recall to your remembrance the venerated and beloved being
whose loss is fresh in the memories of all who hear me? We stand not,
it is true, over his grave, as the Spartan over the sepulchre of his
king, but his memorials present themselves to the eye on every side
and are felt in every throbbing bosom. The shady retreats of this
consecrated grove--the oft frequented halls of this seat of
learning--the sacred edifice in which we are assembled--and the very
spot on which I stand, are memorials to awaken the busy and thronging
recollections of many a full heart! _Quocumque ingredimur in aliquam
historiam vestigium ponimus._ I look around this assembly and see
monuments of his love and of his labors, such as can never grace the
memory of the warrior, and which throw contempt on all the sculptured
memorials of kings. I look at the eyes beaming with intelligence; I
contemplate the refined intellects; I see their rich fruits in public
and honorable employment; I recall the memory of others who are far
distant, but whose thoughts are mingling with ours upon this occasion;
who have carried with them the seeds of virtue and wisdom which they
gathered here, and in other lands, have brought forth the noblest
results of usefulness and honorable consideration. I revert, too, to
those whose bright career is ended, and who preceded their guide and
instructor to the abodes of the blessed. I think of all this, and feel
that you need not the voice of the speaker to arouse your grateful
recollections." p. 4.
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