The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-06-08
OAK RIDGE INSTITUTE.
L COmmc mciicement--SenatOr II Rnns:;m Adj
dresses Over 5000 People.
Especial Cor STATE CnRoN,cLEl

Especial Cor. STATE CHRONICLE.l
Ge' Greedy smiled auspiciously on Oak
ltdg' Institute this year, and sent it the
finest "f fine weather-in fact about the
only three consecutive clear days in the
latter half of May. For this the authorities
were quite thankful, and improved the
opportunity to their utmost. Everybody
was in good humor. Rev. Jesse Cunning
GIN, of the NJ. e Church, preached fl ne
sermon Sunday at II a. m, on the sub
ject, "Sef sacrifice for Christ the one ne
cessity for beautiful and desirable immor-
tality," basing his lesson on the Amounting
of Christ by Mary. He spoke with his az
customed ea'nestness and power, and left
deep Impression. He pronounced Glad
stone the grandest statesman living, be
cause he is essentially a Christian states
man.
Monday night, 2sth May, occurred the
Concert, Recitations and Debate, the first
under the guidance of the ccomplished
Miss Farnesworth, teacher of music. In
the ,eciters' contest, Miss Ora Knight, of
Rockingham county, won the medal
Messrs Barker of Virginia, keels of S.
c., Spence of Palmersville, aud Johnson of
Alamance county, discussed the subject,
"Shall Fortunes he Limited by Law %
The award of the medal was to Mr. U. l..
Spence of the Athenian Society. All the
speeches were gems, and the judges had
much difficulty to decide.
Tuesday was commencement day, and
by 10 o'clock the whole country seemed to
have assembled. The spacious chapel,
which seats nearly 1000, was crowded to
its capacity.
Fourteen young men delivered orations ::
Messrs. Anderson, of AlamaEce Hussey,
of Washington, d. G. !; Williams. of Rock
ingham county; Morrisey, of Richmond,
and Frazier, of Oxford, especially distin-
guished themselves, while. of course, Mr..
". N. Rush, of Randolph, who won the
orators medal, was supposed to have done
better than the best.
In the afternoon, after the distribution
of the medals and the presentation of the
diplomas, which was done by Mr.. I. E.
Whitaker, of Durham, in very graceful
speech, Prof. J. A. Holt presented General
Matt. w. Ransom, 'Senior Senator of
North Carolina, whom it would be q blum
der for any one to offer to INTRODUCE to
an audience of North Caroinians,' AS he
said. The Senator was greeted with tre
mendous applause which was again and
again taken up as proceeded in his elo
quent tribute to the schools OF the State.
His subject was, Right, Truth and Hon
or" and as he proceeded i'll his compari-
son of Napoleon and Washington. Caesar
and Virgil, Lee and others, the applause
was deafening. Such oratory has rarely
been listened to here. The Senator was
at his best. 1t was said, by those who
heard both, that his effort here was far
beyond that at Chapel Hill a few years
ago. His tribute to the patriotic women
of the State in his peroration reached the
high water mark Of true eloquence.
Thus ended with the party at night the
most successful year of Oak Ridge Insti
tute. Over 225 students have been in at
tendance, representing five States and one
Territory. The course of study has been
enlarged. and yet the class Of 'SS is the
largest the Institute has turned out, con-
slsting of seven young men and three
young ladies'.