Evening journal., 1889-06-19


boat
"There was never so rare an epic poem
as the poetry of mechanism therefore
have chosen for my theme The Mar 7els
of Mechanism The ancients honored
not legislators, or rulers, but inventors.
The statesman benefits one or two coun.
tries, but the inventor is for all time and
all countries. Wherever there Is
mechanism, you win find poetry there
fore my theme is The Poetry Of
Mechanism, The Tenth Muse. The
most sublime things in litera-
ture, are the expressions Of our
old Bible We can trace all OF our
forces to the sun. All of the elements
which you have harnessed in Wilmington
can be traced to the luminary above us.
There is time and music in sound, light
and water. | saw some three years ago,
far up the Nile, the old monument Of
Memnon, which the ancients say, sang
when the sun cast Its rising beams upon
1t. Whether some ingenious artifce of
the priests or some subtle influence of the
sun caused it / cannot say, perhaps the
rising sun shining on the night dampness
on the monument, expanded it and thus
made the sound.
Mr. Cox showed how there was music
in colors. which was brought to the ear
of man by his inventions George
Stevenson, the locomotive builder, once
stood on an eminence overlooking New
castle, with a friend. A pennon Of
steam appeared above the trees below,
and then the engine. What moves the
engine asked his friend. 1t Is the sun
light through the carbon that long ages
90 ~
may think that the earth Is
burning up, 1t is not but II has been.
The outer crust gets thicker but deep
down are bubbling, boiling fires Of which
the volcanoes are the remaining vents
left. Drive down-but, If we 60 deeper
II will become question Of theology and
not mechanism. My subject divides it
self into the original forces that man
did not create and the forces created by
mans inventive genius. The inventor Is
rough, radical oyerturning established
institutions.
The speaker enlarged on the wonders
of magnetism, telephone communica-
tion and sound waves In speaking of
the revolutions natural gas had wrought.
He said
81 thought we used to monopolize
that In Congress, but it has got out of
the earth since that time" He dis.
coursed eloquently on the wonderful de.
velopment Of the telegraph, on ocean
cables, on the effect on theory and medi
cine that the discovery of parasites and
microbes had brought about. He spoke
Of the poetry in the Bessemer steel pro.
cess, which made the atoms Of the metal
so perfect that they once came apart
transversly IN the shaft OF steamer and
kept them sixteen days at sea. The atoms
were too perfect for their daily work
Some men, not to say women. are too
perfect for their daily work The deli.
cacy of adjustment Of the steam hammer
was alluded to.
There is nothing too small we should
not despise the mechanism of small
things Even a small Congressman may
be useful" Mr.. Cox then alluded to the
waste Of power caused by flies from the
time Of the plague in Egypt to the pres
ent day. He mentioned the power de
veloped in fly time by the swishing of this
tails of cattle, horses and other four
footed animals. That of swine could bs
deducted because it was small. But tn,
Embarrassed power developed by the flies
of America which caused swishing o
tails for ten hours day three months il
year, ten times minute, lifting
pound each time he left for some mathe
matician to compute.
Man had always been barbarian unit
the iron age Then the Smiths devel
oped. After a witty comment on thei
names and number, Mr.. Cox disposed o
them by saying, when / look in th
New York directory and find 2 00
Smiths, | never will as long as / run TO
Congress, speak iii OF the Smith family
Mr.. Cox spoke of the power going Il
waste in the embarrassed motions of th
human jaw Speaking Of the amount 0
iron In the blood he said Il never under
stood why they tax iron imports, bu
allow people to come in free at Castl
Garden with iron in their body"
In closing his address Mr.. Cox said
eve may not know the origin OF al
these movements in matter, although
these changes take place perpetually. al
teach affinity, and that our system is tn
effect of an intelligent cause.
Professor Goldey presented the diplo
mas to the graduates with few remarks
recommending them to the favorable
consideration of the business community
AS the names Of the graduates wer
called they took their places in line ol
the stage After the diplomas wer
passed Job II. jackson was introduced
He delivered the address to the gradu
ates, speaking in part as follows:
''ln speaking of success do not wisl
to be understood as advancing the ide
that the only success in life to be covete,
is to make money and gain wealth. A vas
army Of good men and women are bless
ing this earth to-day by their lives, VIII
have but little of this worlds goods
What is success2 II is holding the throt
tie as the locomotive plunges on to de
structien. 1t is the throwing overboari
q valuable cargo to save strangers. 1t j
refusing to catch the outstretched hani
of succor, preferring to remain on tn
frail support with wife and children AM
be swept on by the floods Of the Cone
maugh to certain death. Over ever,
door may be seen the sign, Good Me-
Wanted Enter, seek. And now may
venture few suggestions after yoI
enter2
Don't ask what are the hours. or hoy
many holidays You are to have and wha
will be the length Of your summer vaca
tion.
Don't ask If your salary will be in
creased at the end Of the first six month
or the end of the year. Do not even asl
what the salary will be-rather let tn
question be met by the other side.
Resolve to be faithful in everything
Be on hand among the first and anon
the last to leave. Be prompt to answe
any demand and to execute any task
Make yourself guardian OF your employ
er's property Avoid waste and discoul