The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-07-04
ADDRESS OF
Hon. Stewart L. WOOdfOrd,
he fore the Literary Societies Of
Ghe University of mississippi, at
Oxford, June "a. 1877.
OF NV YoRI

YOUNG GENTLEMEN OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF MIssIssIPPI:-As we meet to-dav w
cannot but recall the past. All effort to shu
it from our thought is idle But Tor tina
past you would not, could LOT greet an en-
tire stranger with such marked heartines
of welcome. But for that past, it ould no
have been nv duty to take your call as
comm md, which l was greatly honored il
receiving, and which it was positive duty t.
obey.
AS the memory of that past comes thu
unbidden. with all its struggle, sorrow anC
loss. with all its detail of mutual miSunder
standing. with all its sharply defined differ
ences of opinion and with all its long linger
ing, slowly dying prejudice, 1 appreciat,
the courage of your invitation and thu
courtesy of your welcome. (Applause.)
Let me make the only return, poor though
it be- that is in my power. Let me NEE
you with the frank, direct words of faithful
friendship. Your hearts were in the hand.
you so brAvely offered: and here is mine
| General applause.)
You students. Yet lot of student
| themes, nor of books would l speak to you
this day. Very peaceful is the harbor OF
this college lite, free l-Om storm and full OF
rest But not here can you finger and
dream. just beyond is the ocean. You can
hear the beating of its surf upon the bar
! Its dang RS you must brave. The prizes OF
| its commerce you may wi 2. Upon lis reef
! and rocks you may be wrecked.
! To very practical, very hard, but very
noble and very hopeful duty you are called
| You are to help build again the fortunes Of
thps e States wherein your lot il cast. You
are to do what your ancestors did at James
| River and in the Carolnas, what mine did
| at Massachusetts and in the Providence
| nlantationS. Harder in some things is your
| iask than was theirs who built new States
| from the rock and the soil. Believe me, |
| have deepest interest in your effort, hearth
| est sympathy in your struggle and the most
| abiding faith in the certainty of your final
| success (AppIause.) Still doubt if even
| vet. after all these sad years since the au-
| tumn of 1850, the wisest and most tar-see-
| inc among us fully know how hard is the
| task, how long the way, how pressing the
| duty. Upon you, young men, because you
| are so strong, this duty pres es most of
all Knowledge is power" and this
mower is the measure of your personal re-
sponsibility. What man can do, that he
- bpvond all peradVanture, bound to do.
| You will either selfishly follow the passion
aud prejudice of the mob, while yon seem
70 lead : or YOU will bravely, wisely, and
often at great loss and with pain, lead where
the star of conscience shall guide. Leaders
in seeming or in fact you must be. Forget
not then, that to whom much Is given, OF
him shall much be required.
| would speak to you of public needs and
public duty. But l have not come to talk
much with you OF the recent past in our
National history over that past L seek
NOT To draw an i'm possible vail of thought
less and heartless torgettulness. 1t meant
TOO much to you and yours; to me and
mine. Nay, let me rather say, it meant
and means too much to us and ours. Nor
vet would [ reopen with careless hand
| wounds that are already closing from the
bone in lasting healing. Not of the past.
| Int of the present and the future; not of
Yesterday, but of to-day and tomorrow, let
| us reason as thus we meet. Beside the
grave of a buried past let those sit in sack
| cloth and ashes who sorrow without hope,
among crumbling ruins, where HITS alone
| the bat aud grows alone the ivy; let those
| linger who teel not the inspiration OF build
| ING anew with willing hands and brave
| hearts and stout faith. No taunC for the
| cause that was lost; no boast for the victory
| won: but with manly acceptance by each
and all of that result which God gave to the
| nation let us consider the common needs OF
our Republic and the common duties of our
| young men.
| have used these words, common needs
| and common duties, with careful intent
For we are one. (Applause) No lasting
hurt can come to you, TO your State and TO
what Won have called your section, without
answering pathy Ofhurt falling upon s
! No lasting hurt can come to us, but that the
| wro:g shall react with suffering upon you
These rivers and mountain ranges and lakes
these bands of railway and telegraph
these common needs of commerce, of indus
trv. of all material development; these re-
suits of battle and the faith and honor which
our soldiers pledged each to the other when
the strife vas ended-all these things have
bound us together in the holy wedlock of an
| Al (prnnerad mil
Those whom God hath Joined together let
no man put asunder. (Applause.)
Not as a New Yorker, nor yet to you as
Mississippians, do l speak to-day. But as
the citizen OF our one Repuolie, TO young
men, who equally with your fellows or each
section and every State are to feel the need,
and discharge the duties of common citi-
| zenship.
Hear me then for my cause, 1t is yours
! as much as mine, but no more than mine
n is our common cause as citizens and men
: The first essential need Of the Republic
seems to be the general, Systematic and
thorough education of ali Cur people.
believe that at the very least the opportu-
mites of education should be as broad as is
the right of Suffrage. The ideal theory OF
purely popular government is that every
citizen shall hold and use the right of voting
and thus have that relative snare In select
ing rulers and framing laws, which ms IN
dividual vote bears to the aggregate ballots
| of his fellows. Practically this is impossi-
ble and so the rule Ofmaj orities has Away;
obtained in all popular systems. TO guarc
| the rights of the individual ana OF mlnorl-
J ties certain fundamental guarantees of fun
damentaI personal rights have been by com
mon consent placed in the constitutions OF
the organic law OF all tree states. " ithlI
these limits, thus self-imposed, individuals
vote and maiorties rule. The individual
NAV be deficient in the knowledge essential
to the correct discharge of his duty of sut-
frage He may be warped by prejudice OF
blinded by seltsiuterest. But so long as the
voting majority are Intelligent, u>t and lib
| eral, good government Is assured. But /
the majority be ignorant, unjust and intol-
| Grant then there comes the most deadly oil
tyrannies, the tyranny OF the mob. Such
| rule has at the last but two alternatives
Either civilization itself is imperiiled By
the brutality of the many; or the liberty o
| the many is at last in sheer necessity of self
defence torn from them by the superior
| brain power and EFPalth OF the few. Where
| ignorance has through force OF Numbers lie
yeloped the Reign of Terror, the needs o
property the safety of personal rights, th'
! good order of society, the very preservation
of civilization itself have always conspiret
to replace the Empire. In such dreadful
| stru0gl e brains, education and wealth have
ALWAYS at the last gone to the top. In sucf
| StruGrle they always will. For educated
! brain is always and at the last mightie
force than mere braun ana muscle. Blu
such alterns tive is terrible. 1t involve
lone steps backward from liberty towards
| absOlutiSm. There Is no inherent need tha
the many should be serfs in order that tn
teg NAV be free. Better and higher is tina
ideal WHICH fluids expression i'll constitutions
al popular government where the absolute
and self-evident rights of each are recog
nized and implanted in the organic law
where every citizen may vote; where with
in ahe limits of the organic law the majority
bear rule.
Rut the very statement OF this problem
seems to be full demonstration that the first
the essential, the absolute need of our Re
public is the general, systematic and thor
ouoh education of all our people Ih
school house is the only cornerstone upoi
| l. -, m be safalI