The annual address delivered to the graduates of the Atlanta Medical College at the commencement : September 2, 1858 / by Custis B. Nottingham.

  • Nottingham, Custis B. (Custis Bell), -1875.
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The annual address delivered to the graduates of the Atlanta Medical College at the commencement : September 2, 1858 / by Custis B. Nottingham. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    a noble purpose? Nay; the flashing eye, the beaming countenance, the well knit brow, the manly bearing, the high encomiums of your late teachers and oracles, but now peers and co-equals, satisfy me that in addressing the grad- uates of the present commencement, I speak to a body of well informed, intelligent, ambitious men, who will not be content with the empty title of Doctor, nor satisfied to hang as an incubus, or move in humble mediocrity on the out- skirts of the profession of their choice ; that I address gen- tlemen who are possessed of a proper sense of the dignity and usefulness of the time-honored pursuit in which they have resolved to engage, and are determined to Climb the hard ascent Of high Parnassus— Exulting o'er the painful steep to soar High as the summit, And win for themselves a name and reputation that will, in coming years, command for them high position ; fill the full measure of the hope3 ol kindred and friends; verify the flattering and kind predictions of these gentlemen, the faculty, who will watch their progress with almost paternal solicitude; and reflect back upon these halls with increased lustre much of the honors with which they have been this day clothed. Aiming high, gentlemen, the achievement of success will require that your efforts shall be worthy of and commensu- rate with your aspirations. You must, through the powers and energy of mind and body, be the architects of whatever of fame and fortune you shall realize. Success will not re- sult from accident, chance, or the favoring influence of ex- ternal circumstances, but must be looked for in the manner in which you shape your conduct and character—in studi- ous habits, industrious labor, energetic action; observation of the useful, self-control, honorable conduct, and generous benefactions—the highest reward of which is the rich and glowing consciousness of having done good. Your intel- lectual attainments and moral qualities will work out your destinies, and settle your permanent professional position uninfluenced to any considerable extent by the adventitious aids of fortune, family, friends, or social rank. There is probably no error more common or more hurtful