encircling hours will keep their accustomed places; but the male Apollo will be hurled from the central place of honor, and some bright-eyed goddess, typical of woman's future, will seize the reins with no reluctant hand. Love will reign supreme. A new millennium will shed its benignant rays upon the land. Man, shorn of his supremacy, and abnegating even claims to military distinction, will still, we trust, bask in the sunshine of woman's favor, and wish that all the Venuses shall enjoy the rights and privileges of Mars. With such a future, well may a man shrink from responding to-night to such a toast. But I am here with a herald's privileges, though not in a herald's garb. I am in a representative capacity: I speak for my constituents. Four hundred manly hearts, not satisfied with hearing me lecture on woman for five or six months, demand a final word before we part. Ladies, I present these four hundred hearts for your most distinguished consideration. Four hundred, did I say? Just as in that suffrage, soon to be abolished by woman, the male voter deposits a ballot that represents the united wishes and convictions of himself and wife, and daughters, so do these four hundred hearts have each four separate pulsating chambers, throbbing so harmoniously now that methinks you must all be able to hear them. And so, instead of four hundred, 'do I present sixteen hundred palpitating candidates for favor. What aspirations does my feeble advocacy present! What longings for homes and firesides are interlinked with these emotions! What delicious courtships, what rapt elysium of engagements, what calm, enduring matrimonial joys do these longings prefigure! Let us hope that four hundred girlish hearts awaken in hastening rhythm to respond to the tumultuous beatings of my constituents. What matters the language in which these longings are conveyed? What matters the man who presents them? Doremus brings from the mystic arcana of his laboratory a long black wire to meet another long black wire. Who can foretell the wondrous result? At once, on meeting, an intense flame starts into being, in which solid bars of iron melt in fervent heat and illumine the hall with lurid glare and iridescent sparkles. Why may I not do as well as a long piece of black wire-I, who bring into this arena the concentrated heat of four hundred manly hearts? The result will not astonish the world, but will sparkle in separate matrimonial paragraphs in the daily papers, and light up many a happy home. For the enduring comfort of these happy homes, I must say that, although my four hundred have no Tennyson to hymn their praises in stately stanzas, yet, in the simplest and sternest prose do I declare that the immortal six hundred at Balaklava never charged as my four hundred will. At the conclusion of Prof. ELLIOT's witty and classic address, Prof. HAMILTON made his appearance and responded to the first regular toast of the programme, "The Bellevue Hospital Medical College." Prof. HAMILTON remarked that in responding he could not perhaps do better than to speak of what the college had accomplished. It was first organized in 1862, a year after the commencement of the war, at a period of time when literature, art and science generally languished. It was therefore a period unpromising and seemingly unpropitious. To-day, scarcely eight years have passed, you have before you the young stripling of this short age; nearly four hundred students are before me, and one thousand graduates have passed from these halls. This is really a giant progress, and in looking for its causes we shall find that it is not because it is the only college in the city, there are at least two other orthodox schools at no great distance from us; it is not because it is conveniently situated, not because it is the cheapest college, for this college was the first to raise its price to the present amount; not because it has charity students, for it is the only college which has no charity students, we require cash down in every instance; neither would he say it was because of the superiority of its faculty. To be sure the faculty were physically pretty large men, but they are not perhaps correspondingly superior in intellect. The success of this institution he believed to be almost entirely due to the fact that it was the "Bellevue Hospital Medical College "-The union of clinical with didactic instruction. This is no new idea, nor is it true that we have not always appreciated the value of such a course in this country, but the time for its practical realization had not yet fully come, but now being fully established, we have no reason to believe that it will fail. The professor believes that sooner or later all the line of of islands near the city will eventually be used for hospital purposes, and thus a rich and vast fund of material be presented for instruction. He had no fears that the Bellevue Hospital Medical College would fail: on the contrary, it is full of promises for the future. The fourth regular toast, "The O. E. Society," was then responded to by GEO. H. PENNY in a very able manner. His address abounded in well chosen classic allusions, and recalled the pleasing recollections and associations which they had enjoyed together as members of the society. To those who were about to strike out into the untried ocean of the future, he wished God speed, and abundant success in their chosen profession. The fifth regular toast, "The medical profession,” was set down for Prof. WM. H. VAN BUREN; and the Sixth, "American Surgery," was to have been answered by Prof. JAMES R. WOOD. Both these eminent lights being unfortunately absent, loud calls were made for Prof. HAMMOND, who came forward and gracefully declined to answer three different toasts at one time. As this was a matter altogether out of the question, he concluded that it would be best for him to say nothing at all. Nothing daunted, the audience having caught sight of Prof. DUNSTER of the Vermont Medical College, unanimously and uproariously signified their desire to hear from him. Professor DUNSTER came reluctantly forward and faced the music, literally and metaphorically. He could not see the slightest propriety in calling upon him to address this college, seeing that he belonged to a different institution, but if they insisted upon having the Vermont College represented, why, here was Professor CROSBY, who would no doubt be delighted to take his place. Loud calls were immediately made for the unfortunate Professor, until he made his appearance at the rostrum. He said "he considered that suggestion of Professor DUNSTER the unkindest cut of all; he was astounded, amazed, he might almost say with deference, and in a good sense of the word, disgusted. He felt very much like Professor HOLMES, of Boston, when he was called upon to fill the place of Mr. EVERETT; or somewhat in the condition of a celebrated sea captain, who had failed to return a salute on his entry into port; when asked by the commander why he failed to return the salute, he said there were some hundred good and sufficient reasons first, he had no powder! "If," said the genial Vermont professor, "I had the eloquence of my friend Professor SAYRE, I might possibly make up for the lack of powder." He felt convinced while listening to the remarks of Professor SAYRE that the latter was designed for a Methodist minister, and that somehow he had naturally drifted into the chair of orthopedics, not only to straighten crooked legs and backs, but also the morals of the community, which were certainly very loose and out of joint. While listening to the classic remarks of ELLIOT upon the ladies, he was reminded of the remarks of one of the ancient philosophers, who said that woman's true ballot-box was the cradle, in which she should deposit not votes but voters. The good-humored professor here complained of feeling very much embarassed, and took a drink of water. He then proceeded to remark that he felt himself very much in the position of ARTEMUS WARD, when he went to visit the Mormon widows; there were seventeen of them, he told them that he was far away from home, and that he hoped their intentions were honorable. The Professor then gave a humorous description of the origin of the O. Æ. Society. He had looked the matter up, and learned that these mystic letters stood for "Occulus Esculapii." The eye of Esculapius. The Society had been originally founded in Egypt or some other foreign country, and had only been recently resuscitated. No report can do justice to the impromptu effect of the Vermont Professor, it was the decided hit of the evening, and like a glass of champagne, it ought to be taken when delivered, to be fully appreciated. The seventh regular toast "The Graduating Class," was appropriately responded to by R. CARNEY, after which the audience dispersed. The exercises were agreeably interspersed with selections from the "Grand Duchesse," and other favorite operas, by WALLACE's band, contributing very much to the enjoyment of the evening. ORDER OF ESCULAPIUS. Address delivered at the Sixth Annual Re-Union of the Society, Ladies and Gentlemen, and Fellows of the Order of Esculapius: Time in its hurried flight, upon the one hand, scatters in its path those who are bound by the ties of nature; and in his ceaseless current, on the other, brings together those who are endeared by the ties of association. It is with no ordinary degree of self-congratulation that we find ourselves on this, the sixth anniversary of our existence as a Society, surrounded by so large and intelligent an audience, especially when every glance of the eye, and every throb of the heart tells us more potently than words, that we have your sympathy and your approbation in our laudable efforts to elevate the standard of the noble profession of our choice. To the distinguished guests present, to the Commissioners of Public Charities and Correction, to our fellow citizens, and especially to the ladies who lend enchantment to the hour-to all who have come to meet with us to adorn the occasion with their presence, and cheer us with their countenances, we tender a respectful and grateful welcome. We meet not to drain the bowl of intemperance, nor to indulge the excesses of gluttony-but to celebrate the increased reputation and usefulness of the medical profession; and to pay the tribute of affectionate remembrance to its departed patrons and brethren, and renew the cordialities of friendship and resolutions of good will. We assemble not to disturb the peace of mankind by the busier plans of ambition, nor to fabricate those arts of luxury which but augment the miseries of life: our object is to enliven the kindly sensibilities of human nature, and all the sweet civilities of social intercourse. |