COMMENCEMENT AT YALE.

[For Frederick Douglass' Paper]

NEW HAVEN, Conn., July [30], 1858.

The sleepiest, [clumsiest?] Commencement, Yale College has seen for many a year, has just closed. Parts of the exercises were deeply interesting and instructive; as a whole, however, they were decidedly inferior. The Baccalaureate discourse of President Woolsey drew a tremendous audience on Sunday afternoon. It was, of course, an able production—classic, grand, eloquent—through whose pellucid deep seas the pearl showed large and near, as if within the arm's reach.

The annual humbuggery of the "Concio ad Clerum" was gone through with on Tuesday evening, by Rev. R. C. Learned. We are not disposed to look very deferentially upon this performance, when we remember the reception given to the Rev. Dr. G. W. Perkins in 1854, by reason of his lashing of the clerical fraternity for their shortcomings in reference to national sins. We recollect that when Mr. Perkins bro't out a scathing period on Mr. Webster's course in 1850, ending with the words, "For this Mr. Webster was justly sent home to Marshfield, and turned out to die"—a whole phalanx of Reverends arose and left the house, deeply disgusted, no doubt, at the heresy of Dr. Perkins. The man, or set of men who can rave and beat the air over abstract sin, and the wickedness of the ancients, and at the same time turn a deaf ear to the most gigantic [illegible] wrong, right before the eyes, shall have no respect at our hands. We want no Concio ad Clerum," or "ad [Populum?]," got up to suit [illegible] of injustice.

Wednesday morning the most interesting meeting of Commencement—that of the Alumni—came off. We sat there several hours on a rough pine board, with no back to it, expecting to get some of those [illegible], brilliant [illegible] of

eloquence which often crown these annual festivities. Many good things were said--many good [illegible] made. But Rev. N. W. Taylor, and his great theological rival, Rev. Dr. B. Tyler, both deceased, were made the burden of the many set [speeches] [from] [ponderous], [heavy] D.D.'s, to give spirit to the [occasion]. Those having in a [illegible] [paned] [over], Prof. Silliman called out Mr. Wm. Taylor, of the class of 1787. Every body pressed forward in silent attention to the old gentleman, to catch the words of another century as they fell from the lips of a graduate of 71 years' standing. Mr. Taylor has followed agriculture for three [score] years and ten, and speaks as slowly and distinctly as a man of 50, [bearing] himself [erect] with a [robust] dignity which many a young man might well envy.--He had not visiting New Haven for 65 years, and said nobody could imagine the changes here in that time. The old man bowed his head, and a tear started in everybody's eye, as he said, "I am now [98] years of age--have always been healthy ; but I [see] [none] of my old acquaintances around me ; all the men of my time have gone. At my [illegible], I cannot expect to last much longer. When you meet again, I may not be with you." These words are not so particularly eloquent; but the manner in which they were spoken [illegible].

"Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth."

Prof. Silliman, Sr., was himself now called out, and he made one of his lovely speeches.--We have to look upon the noble form and [nobler] [illegible] of this [venerable] Master of Science, so [illegible][that] though the [illegible] of [80] [winters] here [whitened] his [illegible-est] [locks], he yet stands as erect, speaks as energetically as an [illegible] of 35. He always in public and private speaks from a head overflowing with knowledge and good will toward all mankind. Prof. Silliman said in [1853] he had occasion to prepare an address for the Alumni: and in [something] about [saving] the records for the history of each class, he found documentary and statistical evidence to demonstrate what he had always [cherished]

as a cheering truth, that scientific and literary
pursuits conducive to long life and a vigorous
old age.

A ponderous, hugely-bearded Dr. now arose,
and [stunned?] us by quoting incidents of everyday
life among the Chinese in the Chinese
tongue! which was, of course, deeply [interesting?]
to us. Dr Parker said he had spent a quarter of a
century among the Chinese, as a physician
and missionary, during which time he
had treated [53,000?] persons, and he hoped and
believed that but few of them had gone
away from his treatment without improvement, physically
and spiritually.

Rev. Dr. Rowland, of N. J. discharged one
or two [banalities?] at the stiffness and old fogyism
of [?] speeches and melancholy redemptions,
and proceeded to give the liveliest speech
of the day. He said he never fully comprehended
the [text?[, "rollin under the tongue as
a sweet morsel" till be saw his

Rev. J.P. Thompson, of Broadway Tabernacle [memory], made a [pathetic?] and eloquent speech. Hon. J.R.Vann of N.Y. followed; and the meeting was closed with the [dullest?], most uninterestig speech of the day, from Maj. Barnard, U.S.A.

The annual address before the Alumni was
given in the afternoon by F. A. P. Bernard, LL.D. "The Responsibilities of Educated Men" was [slyly?] handled. One or two points we [unreadable]

sider so truthful and applicable to our [illegible], as
colored men, that we quote:—"All mankind
perceives that education has a value for the ma
terial advantages which it brings; but as to its
enabling effect upon the spirit of its possessor,
the [multitude?] know but little, or have very vague
notions. They are therefore disposed to dis
parage those studies which have not an imme
diate bearing upon the employment of the indi
vidual, and the design of which is rather to op
erate upon the mind itself than to contribute to
the amount of knowledge and information. To
form a correct public opinion upon this point is
a duty of educated [men]. It belongs to educat
ed men to show the utility of the learning thus
disparaged, and to keep it before the public,
that without the higher, disciplinary education,
the lower, practical can hardly exist."

Numerous class meetings were held during
the day; and in the evening, the author of
"Nothing to Wear," Wm. A. Butler, gave a fine
poem before the Phi Beta Kappa. For some
unaccountable reason, no oration was delivered
before this society this year. Perhaps Wendell
Phillips gave last year enough eloquence to last
them two years.

Yesterday came Commencement, &c. There
were 23 orators in all. The class numbered [99?].
Eleven of these were from the slave States.—
But, contrary to what we have always seen and
expected, no Southern student spoke at Com
mencement. Some of the orations were of a
high order. J. W. Gibbs, a son of Prof. Gibbs,
spoke the Latin salutatory as if he thought peo
ple ought to understand it. A. Matthewson
made the best speech of the morning. In the
afternoon, the crowd was enormous. At 1
o'clock, 600 persons marched into Alumni Hall
to a sumptuous dinner. We were pleased to see
that white and colored waiters served this learn
ed throng in perfect harmony. This is much
in advance of affairs in Philadelphia. When
the procession reached the Church at 2 o'clock,
we guess there were over 2,000 ladies, dressed
in the [amplitude?] of fashion. "New Haveners boast

of their 80 acre green. We thought there was
a prospect of their seeing it occupied for once.
We slipped under a neighboring elm, and
laughed [outright?] to see the poor [musicians]
sweltering under 4 lb. [beavers], and gold and
broadcloth to the weight of 90 lbs. more. About
two-thirds of the throng got inside the Church.
Mr. Samuel H. Lee, of Lisbon, made the best
speech. He made the heavy walls of [Centre]
Church, accustomed to the thunders of Dr [Bacon]
as they are, tremble under his majestic eloquence.
The Valedictory was a brilliant affair. [Illegible]
flew in [fairy] [profusion] during the [entire] afternoon. The degree of A. B. was conferred on
99; A. M. on 48; P.M. on 12: LL. B. on S:
M. D. on 6: in all, 168. Honorary degrees
were settled quite liberally for Yale. One
got the honorary A.B.: two, the P.B.: eight,
the M.A.: and [unreadable] Hon. M.S. Bidwell, of
New York: Wm. E. [Hearst?] of the University
of Mississippi, and Hon. Senator Trumbull, of
Illinois, received the LL. D.

It delighted us henceforth to hear [unreadable]
from our friend Dr. Beck. The manner in
which you attended to these presumptous
friends of ours, the Colonizationists, struck a [unreadable]
cord in the hearts of your readers
here and in Philadelphia, where ninety-nine
hundredts of our (colored) people are right
on this emigration business. No Colonizationist
can feed them with such mild words as emigration
and the like. More soon.
NORMAL.