A DISCOURSE // DELIVERED BEFORE THE VIRGINIA ALPHA OF THE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY, IN THE CHAPEL OF WILLIAM AND MARY COLLEGE, IN THE CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG, ON THE AFTERNOON OF JULY THE 3RD, 1855. BY HUGH BLAIR GRIGSBY. [PUBLISHED BY A RESOLUTION OF THE SOCIETY.] 3121 J. W. RANDOLPH, 121 MAIN STREET, RICHMOND, VA. 1855. DISCOURSE. MR. PRESIDENT: Before I proceed to the subject which I have selected for the present occasion, I cannot refrain from expressing my grateful acknowledgments to the society in which you preside, for the honor of admission into its ranks, and my delight at its re-establishment. The PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY, instituted more than two-thirds of a century ago within the walls of William and Mary by some of Virginia's noblest sons, and intertwining itself since with the most eminent colleges of the Union, has performed an office of incalculable importance in the history of American literature. The names of JOHN MARSHALL, BUSHROD WASHINGTON, SPENCER ROANE, JOHN NIVISON, the CABELLS, the STUARTS, HARDY, PAGE, COCKE, the BOOKERS, the SHORTS, and others, who laid its foundations, or were among its earliest members, deserve to be held in lasting remembrance.* The most eminent names in war and peace, throughout the Union, have been subsequently inscribed upon its rolls. Its annual gatherings constitute The names of the original members of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, established in Williamsburg on the fifth of December, 1776, are as follows: |