The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-05-22
GOVERNOR TILIJHAEs ADDRESS.
THE NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL
- COLLEGE.


Education If Woman for Her
u Sphere I'm Life-A Review OF
he Work and Progress of Higher
learning In south Carolina-An
PIE. ''r feaes Among the Peo-
Ladies and Gentlemen: This Is a
great and glorious day for South Caro-
lima. 1t Is q day of promise and bright
hope for York County, but the men
and women whose breasts should swcll
and throb with deepest emotions OF
g~ratulation and pride are the men and
women of Rock Hill-those whose
pluck, self-reliance, far-sighted bust
ness instincts and patriotism made
them enter the C for the prize and
come out winners. II, as Is already
clearly apparent, the prize is a great
er, more valuable one than they them
selves ever dreamed, then / know
every n Of you who comes to cele-
grand Institution will join me in con-
gratulations to the people of this ambi-
tious, progressive little7city, and your
heart sympathy is shown by this out
pouring of people to witness her tri-
umph.
We have met to celebrate with fit
ting ceremonies the laying of the cor
ner-stone Of this grand State ~institu-
.tion of learning. 1t Is, as it were, tho
public and official birth Of the Woman's
College. AS chairman of the Board of
Trustees the task has fallen to me-
and 1 perform it willingly-to make a
few introductory remarks. And first
let me say that in casting about in my
sion | thought 1t would interest you to
know something about the ceremony
itself. and l went to work to look up
the subject. / soon found that I had
gotten into very deep water-so deep
in fact that l have never touched bot
tOm-for although l have ransacked
encyclopedias and Masonic dictiona-
ries, l can find nothing very clear on
the subject, and absolutely nothing as
to its origin. We read every day Of
the laying of the cornerstone of this
monument or that edifice or church,
and it Is always done by the Free
Masons, but the Masons themselves,
while they employ a most imposing
impressive, are equally in the dark
with ourselves as to when, where, or
by whom the ceremony was instituted.
In tracing the matter up l got as far
back an the Book of Job, one OF tho
oldest books in the world. He lived
more than fifteen hundred years before
Christ, according TO the, accepted
chronology, and in that remarkable
poem occurs this aw~e-inspiring query,
propounded by God himself to the Man
of Many Sorrows: "Where vast thou
whom I laid the foundations of tho
earth? declare IL thou hast under
standing: Who has laid the measures
thereof, If thou knowest ? or who hath
stretched tho limo upon itP Where
upon are the foundations thereof fast
cned? or who laid the corner. stone
thereof, when the morning stars sang
together and all the sons of God shout
ed for joy?"
Here we find mention made of tho
cornerstone Of the earth, as though it
were an edifice built by God himself ;
also of the cline" which Masons use
for their measuring. or course the
Book of Job was written by q man and
necessarily his SMILES had reference
to pre-existing conditsons and customs,
and the beautiful ceremonial which
you will shortly witness will excite in
your hearts and minds sensations and
thoughts of the most solemn and inspir-
ing nature. The mind will dwell upon
the idea of a great First Cause, O sure
foundation and q wise adaptation of
ean to ends, while the heart will be
lifted in gratitude for tho blessings we
enjoy in this world and the hope OF a
higher life in the next; and, then, the
Imagination will picture brightest
dreams and anticipations for the future
of the institution which we propose to
erect here, and the boundless benefits
that are to accrue therefr0m to our
State and people.
Victor Hugo, in speaking Of the
the pyramids, describes them as CSC
old that they have forgotten the names
have seen, there is nothing in history
touching the origin of the ceremony
OF laying the cornerstone, the first be-
ginnings Of Masonry, the origin of the
order, are equally a mystery. 1t is
claimed by some that the Masonic fra
ternity first became an organized or
corporate body at the building of Solo
mons Temple, which was dedicated
nearly 1900 years ago. Whether this
be true or false, there is absolute proof
that the Masops are the most ancient
guild or order in the world and, while
Hugo's apothegm is applicable to the
fraternity, it is certain that q cere-
mony similar possibly to the one which
at the beginning of the erection of that
magnificent editice, which David's son
erected to the Most High.
In the days Of old it Is true that the
Manson was the man who hewed the
stone, fitted it to its place, tried it with
his level, measured it with his square,
fixed its perpendicular by his plum
met, and placed it in position as a basis
and starting point Of tho edifce. But
w. lie the stone-cutter of to-day may be
q Free Mason, the Free Mason is no
longer necessarily a worker with the
hammer and the chisel. The history
of the transition from the active, prac-
tical workman to the speculative,
mysterious philanthropist and doer OF
charitable works might interest you,
but l must hasten on, and you will
doubtless be moro than willing to have
your minds brought back from this ex-
cursion into the dim past, with it's un-
movable mysteries and it's inspira-
tiOns, to the present with it's duties
and high purposes.
The history of higher education in
South Carolina for men is one of which
our people may we'll be proud. The
South Carolina College at Columbia
was founded in 1901, ninety-three years
ago, and 1t has always deserved and
q handsome support from the
State. The Citadel, another school
for boys, was'established ffty-one years
ago. Until within the last eight years
these two colleges which were prompt
ly re-opened as soon as the white peo-
pie regained possession of tho govern
mont In South Carolina in 1916, were
ample by those who had
to supply all the needs of our
people for higher education by the