Excerpt from Hiram College and Her Pupils: An Address Delivered to the Graduating Class, June 21, 1877 A preacher becomes so dependent upon his text that he scarcely knows how, on any occasion, to get on without one. To-day I shall take for mine the most conspicuous word on our programme, commence ment. The word is used at the University' of Cambridge to designate the time when the Masters of Arts and Doctors receive degrees; but I have failed to find that it is used outside of the United States as the time when Bachelors make their graduating speeches, receive their degrees, and say good -bye to Alma Mater. A Commencement such as we hold to -day appears to be both an American idea and an American thing. Where the word took on this special meaning, when and 'at whose suggestion, I am quite unable to say. Such inquiries as I have made, not carried far I confess, have failed to throw any light on these questions. On a, related question, however, I seem to have been more successful; that is, in dis covering the point of view from. Which such an occasion was named Commencement. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.