Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1891-02-05
"I'HE BETTER WAY"
AN ESSAY READ BEFORE THE ALUMNI
@F 1. N. l., 1890 BY MISS
MATTE GIsr

4
/ Mr.. President, kind friends and
members aof the Alumni: 1t is with
high appreciation Of the honor be-
slowed upon me by the members OF
the Alumni that / appear before you
this evening.
Another year has passed away since
our last meeting, and is now u part OF
a never-ending eternity.
| / look around tonight and miss
many familiar faces that are members
of the Alumni. Some are far away in
other states teaching. many are teach
| ing in our dear old state. and some
| nave been so fortunate as to wreathe
about their sunny brows tho beautiful
| wreath of orange blossoms, and step
ping out from the halls OF the /. N. L.,
we see them filing many Of the various
| positions in life; aad alas. it is sad but
| true that some, at least, have crossed
over tho dark river and gone to try
the realities of world unknown to
them. But we have q sweet hope that
IN all things. in their short walk from
the stcradle to the grave they pur-
sued this "better way that am now
going to speak OF. and. are safe in a
boundless, endless. sinless summer
land.
In allsof oar undertakings in life we
neod toAobserve this '.better way" of
doing tAings. and to help us to do this
we caeHha within us what we might
call ouf "good angel" but what is
generally called conscience, that will
always Assist us if we but listen to its
dictates, One. whisper of an approx
ing competence is sweeter music than
| all The. thunders of applause. One
pang Of remorse is sharper than the
hisses of a Thousand opponents. Then
how important it is that we take a
| full-hedged, full-grown conscience for
| our guide at all times.
Tell me not of the laurels of the con-
| queror- They are crimsoned with
| blood and wet with tears. Tell me not
| Oh ehe iame OF rulers ana statesmen.
| ~ Is oi.eh pl.rchassd ny ieariut sacrl-
noes OIL truth ana auty. 1lVe me IN
pretSiehce 'Ae crown Vi hohor Wnlch
.las person WINS anu wears VINO mas
nelu last nus integrity and dafed TO De
iree. would II not De the petter way
! 70 let ruin ana virtue De the pain
thiat ieaas 10 lame!
III Is @rea1 moment iof young
! person wneh tne step IS taken wnlcn
,eaos peyohu Tue llniits VI eoiiege
halis lhlo the great university OF tne
woi'tu, asnese iessoiis itfs never ehaing
anu whose graauas,on gay coies only
"hen tne Ihreshhoiu OF lhe unknown
IS crossed
IN schooi our educatiol Is pu1 COM
menceo. Inc De.ter way Is TO use
wisely al our privileges ana utiilze
then IN atla'ning that culture OF hearl
| ana pfaih' that sell-alsclpllne WiInout
wnlch we are united for mes Joys
ana SO rows Ire dutles aad blessings.
| pea oy wise none Guidance ana early
tralnlng TO pront by 1t. Happy those
| oi Us VINO W IL arc ehao>eo 10 hye USE
iul ilVes'
After we leave school we are too apt.
some OF us. TO neglect to continue our
| search after knowledge, and in our in
vestigation arc not as thorough as we
should be. that is, we do not read be-
tween the lines. We are somewhat
like an old preacher who told some
boys of the Bible lesson he was going
to read on the following morning.
| The boys finding the place in the o
| mans Bible, glued together the con-
Meeting pages. The next morning he
read on the bottom of ono page:
when Noah was one hundred and
twenty years old he took unto himself
wife who was''-then turning the
| pages zone hundred and forty cubics
| long. forty cubics wide. built of gopher
wood. and covered with mitch inside