ni, to read a poem, which had been furnished
for the occasion by George Kent, Esq., of the Class of 1814. He had
read but a few stanzas when the rumbling of distant thunder was heard.
Then came a few scattering drops of water pattering upon the roof of
the tent, but soon the winds blew, and the rain descended and fell
upon the roof, as if the very windows of heaven had been opened. There
followed such a scene as no tongue, nor pen, nor pencil can
describe,--it baffles all description. Judge Barrett, with the true
pluck of an Ethan Allen, stood by his colors, and the more the wind
blew and the storm raged, the louder he read his poetry. But he was
obliged at length to cease, and with his slouched hat and dripping
garments left the stage.

"But he was not alone in his misery. The manly and stately form of the
Chief Justice, the president of the college, reverend doctors of
divinity, were all in the same condition--they all stood drenched and
dripping, like fountains, in the rain. Even General Sherman had to
succumb, once in his life, and seek the protection of an umbrella.
Some huddled under umbrellas, some held benches over their heads, and
some crept beneath the platform.

"The storm passed over, and Judge Barrett came forward and finished
reading the poem.

"Hon. James W. Patterson, of the Class of 1848, was then called upon,
and spoke with force and eloquence, receiving the greatest compliment
that could be paid him,--the undivided attention of the audience."

Addresses were also made by Dr. Jabez B. Upham, Samuel H. Taylor, LL.
D., Rev. Samuel C. Bartlett, D.D., and others.

We quote some of the closing passages of the "Historical Address" by
President Brown, of Hamilton College.

"There is not much time to speak of the general policy of the
college through these hundred years of its life, but I may say in
brief, that it has been sound and earnest, conservative and
aggressive at the same time. As the motto on its seal,--_vox clamantis
in deserto_,--indicated and expressed the religious purpose of its
founders, so this purpose has never been lost sight of. Through
lustrum after lustrum, and generation after generation, while classes
have succeeded classes, while one corps of instructors have passed
away and others have taken their places, this high purpose of
presenting and enforcing the vital and essential truths of the
Christian religion, has never been forgotten or neglected. The power
of Christianity in mo