The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-05-23
4 GREAT SPEECH.
GOVERNOR 7lLLMAN'S ADDRESS AT
ROCK Hill, S. C,

GOVERNOR 7lLLMAN'S ADDRESS AT
ROCK Hill, S. C,
On the Occasion o: the Laying OF thc
| Corner Stone OF tbs Wia'h~.,D Iadus-
t,isl College for Women at that Town.
The following is the address of Gov.
Tillman Oh the occasion of the laying
o. the corner stone of the Winthrop
Industrial College for women at Rock
Hill on the 12.h instant:
GOVERNOR TILLMAN's ADDRESS
Ladies and Gentleman: This is a
great aud glourious day TOR South Caro-
Ina. It is CAV cf promise and bright
nope for York county, hut the men and
| women whose breasts should swell ano
| ,hrob with deepest emotions OF gratula-
ton and pride are the men and woms o
Of Rock Hlll-those whose pluck, self
reliance and for sighted business
instincts and partotism made them
enter the race for the prze
AID come out winners. IF as always
clearly apparent, the prize is q greater,
more valuable one than they the mselVes
ever dreamed, then I know every one OF
you who comes to celebrate The pubic
installation OF this grand institution will
Join me in congratulations TO the people
Of this ambitious, progressive little city
and your hearty sympathy is shown by
this outpouring of people to witness her
triumph.
We have met to celebrate with fitting
ceremonies the laying of the corner.
stone of this grand State institution OF
learning. It is, as it were, the public
and official birth OF the Womsn's Col
lege. As chairman of the board OF trus-
tees the task has fallen to me-and l
perform 1t willlpgly-.o make few 10
troductory remarks. And first let me
say that, in casting about in my mind
tor something fitting the occasion, l
thought it would interest you to know
something about the ceremony itself,
and I went to work to look up the sub.
iact. soon found that I had gotten
into very deep water-3o deep IN fact
that I have never touched bottom-for
although I have ranched encyclopedias
,,nd Masonic dictionaries, I can ind
nothing very clear on the subject, and
absolutely nothing az to its origin. We
read every day of the laying OF the cor
ner-st)ne of this monument or that edI.
fee or church, and it is always done By
the Free Masons, but the Masohs then
selves, while they employ most impos-
ing ritual and use symbols that are very
impressive, sre equallyln the dark with
ourselves as to when, where, or by
whom the ceremony was instituted. 1n
tracing the matter up I got IS far back
as the Book of Job-one Of the oldest
books in the world. He lived more than
fifteen hundred years before Christ, ac-
eording to the accepted chronology and
in that remarkable poem occurs this
awe.lnspiring query, propounded by
God himslef to the Man Of Many Sor-
rows: "Where vast thou when laid
The foundations Of the earth; declare if
thou hast understanding? Who has laid
the measures thereof, if thou knowes'?
or who hath stretched the line upon Ii?
Whereupon are the foundations thereof
fastened? or who laid the cornerstone
thereof, when the morning stars sang to-
getber and all the sons of God slcu!ed
for joy?"
Here we find mention made of the
cornerstone Ct the earth, as though 1t
were all ed6ce built by God himself;
also of the Zine" which Masons use
for their measuring. OF course the
Book of Job was written By man and
:.ecesssrily his SMILES had reference TO
to pre-. existing conditions and customs.
and the beautiful ceremonial, which you
will shortly witness will excite In your
hesr,s and miuds sensations AID
thoughts of the most solemn snd insoir.
ing nature. The miud viii dwell upon
the idea Ct q great first cause, a sure
foundation and a wise adaptation If
urans to ends, while the heart will oe
ift-d in gratitude Tor tho blessings We
rulo, ed in this world and The hope Of II
h,.ber life IN The next; aud, then, the
imagination wlll pic;urs brightest dreams
aud an,icipatl 'ns tor the future Of the IN.
slituticn which we pr pose to erect hers
aud the btundless beDeits that are to
accrue therefrom to our STATE aud peo
pie.
Victor Hugo, in speaking of the pyr-
,mlds, describes tbam as 80 old in-'
.hey have forgotten the names of their
icuo6ers," and While, as We oaVe seen,
there is rothlns ,s history touching The
origin Of the ceremony of laying the
corner stone. the first beginnings of Ma
sorry, the origin of the order, are eq Ill,
mystery. II is claimed by some thst
the Masonic fraternity first became en-
oreaized or corporate body at the build.
ing OF Solomon's Temple, which vas de-
dicated nearly $500 years ago. Whe-
ther this be true or false, there is abso
lutte proof that the Masons are the mos,
ancient guild OF order in the world; aud,
while Hugo's apothegm is applicable 10
the fraternity, it is certaio that cere-
mony, siuilar possibly to the one which
YOU will witness today, ~as performed
at the beginning Of the erection ot>shat
magnificent edlice, which Dsvid's son
erected 10 the Most High.
In the days of old, it is true that the
Mason was the man who heWed the
stone, fitted it to its place. tried it with
his level, measured it With his square,
fixed it's perpendicular by his plummet,
and placed it in position as basis and
starting point of the edifce. But wolfe
the stone-cutter Of TO-DAY may be Free
Mason, the Free Mason is 10 longer ne
cesssrily worker with the hammer and
the chisel. The history of .he transition
from the active, practical workman 10
the speculative, mysterious philsntbrop-
it's and door Of charitable works might
interest you, but must hasten on, and
you will doubtless be more than willing
to have your minds brought back from This
excursion into the dim past, with its un-
knowable mysteries and Its inspirations,
to the present with its duties and high
purpose.