ormal
department, read their essays and received their certificates of
graduation. The number of the class is supposed to be unfortunate,
but there was nothing amiss in the quality of the essays they read.
They were all good, but the absence of any male voice left the class
somewhat in the condition of a choir without a baas. There was a
noticeable difference in one respect between the essays on this
occasion and those at Hampton. Here there was no local or race
tone. If I had closed my eyes, I might have thought myself at the
anniversary of a Ladies' Seminary at the North. Scarcely a word or
allusion indicated that these girls belonged to the colored race, and
for that matter their faces scarcely showed it, for the white blood
largely preponderated in most of them. I can well understand why these
pupils should prefer to stand forth not as a distinct race, but as
American and Christian girls. Perhaps that is the higher wisdom, but
it makes the anniversary less distinctive, and inspires less sympathy
and enthusiasm. These girls were plainly dressed, and in that respect
would differ greatly from the graduating class in a Northern Female
Seminary, but they would have no occasion to shrink from a comparison
with their Northern sisters, if propriety of deportment, and
excellence and force of writing were considered.

At the Howard University, we had the opportunity of attending only the
exercises of the graduating class in college. This institution has a
good claim to its title as a University, for it has collegiate,
medical, theological, law and normal departments. The anniversaries of
the theological and medical departments had been held a few days
previously in {pg 202} churches down in the city, and were attended,
as we understand, by large audiences. The college anniversary, on the
other hand, was held in the college chapel, which, while it was well
filled, contained a relatively small audience, and this was made up
mostly of colored people. We hardly appreciate this discrimination as
to the places of holding these anniversaries, for the orations in the
chapel were of a high order, and might well have attracted the
attention of members of Congress and of the numerous visitors in the
crowded city. The graduating class consisted of six persons, one being
a lady and she the only one of the class without apparent admixture of
white blood. The addresses were all orations, and resembled somewhat
the essays in the Atlanta sch