The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1881-07-01
TO THE PRESS.
Genera! s. ID. Lees Address OF Wei
come 20 tic Mississippi Press
Association at the A. and Nj.
College, Friday, June 5, 1881.

SIr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen OF
the Press Association:
AS the Executive OF the Faculty,
| give you a cordial welcome, We
are delighted to have you in or
midst to-day we not only wanted
TO see YOU ourselves, but We desired
onr boys to see you. We do NOT
know YOU all personally, but there
is not member of yonr body win
whom we are not acquainted oy
reputation. We want yon t" see
our college that you may oetlef
understand it, for IS yet nm agrl'
cultural college is a novelty 10 our
state; but when say it is a vorel
* | do not mean it is an expert.
ment. for older States have proved
il TO he "A success and it has been
made A success in the North and IN
Enrope. where agricultural col
leees originated. We enjoy the
privilege today of seeing YOU as a
representative body. A body who
have the destinies OF the State more
completely in their hands than any
other. You mold and control
public opinion, guide aNl direct
pnblic sentiment. II is your pecu'
liar privilege first to give. your
views OF every passing event
your presentation of fact and col
oring is expected and looked for
You are necessarily the leaders o
every public movement. What d'
the newspapers say about It'll is th'
flrst question after every occurrence
of public or private interest. Ih'
power OF the press is now recog
iIszed by every one, Il IS felt q
every fireside in the land ; its 81
| lent influence is intalculable. On
newspapers are as much a necessl
| ~ almost as our dinners. We cal
do without many things but wha
man can pass a week of his litewlth
l =.
ont his paper. He would feel as lol
lorn as Robinson Crusoe on III
island IN the sea. In the whlrl an
excitement of modern progres
w,,enevents are happeiinlug almos
with lightning speed, IN THIS az
of railroads and telegraphs, tn
i newspapers of today have allno'
superceded books; We have ns
time to make scholarly men, I'll
book. worm belongs to the past eel
erution: eyeuts crowd so fast an
thick. that men live in the presel'
They have no time for reading pa
generations or for the clustered 7
tirement which isolated them fro
! their fellow men. Education
now thing of the masses; &
surging, living, shutfilng mass
F" who are making history as tn
n, 70 along, have no time to READ
the deeds OF dead men, but want
fresh. live newspaper to show WI
living men are doing. They wa
daily or weekly to see who ?
made new invention how i
such a railroad progressed III
i, in buildings How is England g
=. ting along without Disrealli' H,'
: the Nihilists assassinated anotl
Czars They 60 not merely v
W TO know OF these events, out
mand and expect more; they
IN, meet the benefit of your bral
What does Barksdale, Coop
= Stands or Jonas say' Before fo'
ID inr their own opinions they VI
the benefit of yours.
W, ,Tis wonderful, the power OF
prrss.the newspapers have chan,
*. The tide Of public affairs and pu'
W ~ thought. People have not ,' llln'
en g, read books, they must Keep
With the world by reading nc
= papers The newspaper tha'
most valued by each man lnul'
W, ually. is his own local paper
NAV be an affair that does not
ok. culate outside of his own cong
i've sionaI district, still it gives hin
Of formation OF what most inter
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