The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-07-13
F THURSDAY. JULY l3, 1893
ValidiCtOry.
Tread at the closing exercise of Hender-
son College, by Miss Theda Phillips.I

i
son College, by Miss Theda Phillips.I
Another year with it's mingling of sun
shine and shadow has rolled over our
stood as stand tonight to speak brief
words OF flowing cheer and to say fond
farewell.
Her true, tender words thrill me yet,
and even as she did not discIaim the
gladness of happy home-going, 40 neither
do disown the proud Joy which Ellis my
heart when realize havecomplied with
the stern requirements of my college
course, and yet, so tempered is that JOY
with the pain of parting, that | can
scarce decide whether regret or gladness
most rules this passing hour.
Our cleverly prophetic Cassandra q
year wiser in dream-book lore has told
us what the future has in store for us
leaving me to deal with the sad and
shadowy past and the fast fleeing
present.
Surely we have no quarrel with Father
Time for his dealings with us during the
past year, for our pleasures and enjoy
ments, though neither vast nor varied,
have been SO measured to our deserts
and desires, that with clever and cultured
Virgil we may truthfully say: Haec olin,
meminisse juuabit. Hsometimes the peaceful
calm OF our every day life has been dis
turbed by hasty word or cutting speech,
yet We have learned even by these tokens
to know each other better and in know
ing to condone what is weak and un-
lovely and to emulate what is noble and
true.
How could it be otherwise, how could
we fell to be more gentle in Judging our
sister woman, we who have wrestled side
by side with sine and cosine in trig-
onometry, with schOlia and corollaries
in geometry, with stubborn quadratics
in Algebra, we who have collated for
light and meaning all that Madvig, An.
thon, Gildersleeve and q host of Others
have been able to tell us of the classical
languages.
How indeed can We help being nearer
and dearer friends now, when night after
| night, like the Sabians of old, we counted
the starry host to know our fate; when
we shared the mysterious vigils OF Hal
lowe'en or practiced a thousand other
| cabalistic rites whereby we might fathom
the great unknown. All this has drawn
US near, very near to each other and
made the vaie, yale of this summer-tide
sad indeed to my own heart, otherwise
| ~ iCIu
AS we review these months of work and
busy activity, conscience sits in judg-
ment and asks what have we acquired,
what have we dug from the teeming
mines of discipline, experience and in
tellectual effort.
Let the years to come speak for us and
our preceptors let them tell of sound
principles and pure morals, of deathless
devotion to duty, Of high inspiration, OF
thorough training, of ennobling acquisi-
tions and above all of that charity which
beareth all things, endureth all things,
hopeth all things;-for these and more
| we might have made our own if our own
efforts and acquisitions had been COM
mensurate with our opportunities. As
it is our youthful minds have brOwsed
chiefly along the primrose path of dal-
lance and we have slipped sparingly,
very sparingly from the Pierian Spring
and Castalian FOunt.
And yet if final examination for ell
trance to Cupid's Court could be held
among our students what marvellous
proficiency in the "sweet, sweet lesson Of
loving" would be revealed to our aged,
innocent and unsuspecting seniors.
How surprised they would be to know
that from the dream book or somewhere
one fair damsel has found her fate's
devoted true; that another has decided
with Tennyson cit is better to have
loved and lost than never to have loved
at all;' that another more sentimental
than practical has made up her mind
like the maiden in Shakespeare never to
tell her love, but to "let conceal&entl like
a worm in the bud feed on her damask
cheek;"-that another with more rhyme
than reason twill love him, will love him,
while the clouds drop rain, while there is
water in the painless MAN, that an
other making personal application of
the sweet story of Maud Muller thinks
"of all sad words of tongue or pen, the
saddestare these, it might have been. ,"
But happily for us and for our educa-
tional guides no such exposure OF human
short comiDgs is to be made and we will
go on our way rejoicing, leaving them
in blissful ignorance of all but overt acts
and palpable delinquencies.
And now honored and beloved Mentors
before l say a final farewell let me tender
you in behalf of my fellow students us
well as of myself our deep and unspeak-
able thanks for your kindly interest and
| forbearance.
If at times we have been guilty of I'M
seemly negligence and thoughtless in
difference, pray you consider our youth
| and pardon us.
And though on many a Monday morn
| ing we thought you unnecessarily stern
and intolerant when you found it your
duty to cut off our interesting discus
sions of new gowns, bonnets and escorts
of the previous day, yet am free to ad-
| nit we have all realized the wisdom and
| necessity of your action.
With our lasting, loving gratitude we
invoke Heavens choicest blessings upon
you and pray that your success and
prosperity may be as limitless as your
deserts.
Fellow students, friends, for friends we
are and shall ever be, let us hold our
friendship in high and holy regard now
and always for hath not Cicero told us
| that rera amicitia omnibus hnmanis rebus
praestats
Believing this then let Mizpah that
beautiful covenant word of Jacob and
Laban be ours also and let the God-wit-
messed pledge of loyalty and love between
us given cease only with our lives
And now in the lighter vein of Byron
farewell to Erens blithesome bard,
Here's smile for those who love me,
Here's sigh for those who hate
And whatever Sky'S above me,
Here's heart for every fate"
nIMETV SRNSTpI AnVIrE