The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-05-24
A GREAT SPEECH.
GOVERNOR TILLMAN'S ADDRESS AT
ROCK HILL 8. c,

oornor Stone OF the Wiathrop Indus
Elal College for Women at that Town,
The following Is the address of Gov.
Tillman OF, the occasion Of the laying
or the corner stone of the Winthrop
Industrial College for women at Rock
Hill on the 12th instant:
GOVERNOR TILLMAN's ADDRESS
Ladies' aud Gentleman: This ia q
great and glourious day Tor South Caro-
lima. It ia Il day Of promise and bright
hope for York county, bnG tho men aud
women whose breasts should swell and
thrOb with deepest emotions OF gratula-
ton and pride are the men aud women
OF Rock Hill--those whose pluck, self.
reliance and for sighted business
instincts and patriotism made them
enter the race for the prize
and come cut winners. If as always
clearly apparent, the prizs is a greater,
more valuable one than they themselves
ever dreamed, then know every one of
you who comes to celebrate tho pubic
Installation of this grand institution will
join me in congratulations to the people
OF this ambitious, progressive little city
and your hearty spmpathy is shown by
this outpouriug of people to witness her
triumph.
We have met TO celebrate with fitting
ceremonies the laying Of the corner
stone OF this graud State institution of
learning. 1t is, as It were, the public
and chlcial birth Of the Woman's Col
lego. As chairman of the board OF trus-
tees the task has fallen TO me-and 1
perform 1t wilhDgly-to make few ln-
Ip1nf o-lyo h,>l 1ot
say that, in casting about in my mind
tor something fitting the occasion, 1
thought it would interest you to know
something about the ceremony itself,
and went to work 10 look up the sub.
ject. L soon found that I had gotten
INTO very deep water-so deep IN fact
| although have ranched encyclopedias
nnd Masonic dictionaties, I can find
nothing very clear on the subject, and
absolutely nothing as to it's origin. We
read every day Of the laying Of the COR
er-st')ne Of this monument or that edi.
flee or church, and 1t is always done by
the Free Masons, but the Masous the ID
selves, while they employ most impos
ing ritual and use symbols that are very
impressive, ore equally IN the dark with
ourselves as 10 when, where, or by
whom the ceremony was instituted. In
tracing tho matter up got as far back
as the Book OF. JOb-one of the oldest
books in tho world. He lived more thar
fifteen hundred years before Christ, &C.
cording to the accepted chronology and
in that remarkable poem occurs this
aWe.lnsplrlng query, propounded by
God himslef TO the Man OF Many Sor-
rows: "Whero vast thou when I laid
the foundations of tho earth; declare if
thou hast unders standing? Who has laid
the measures thereof, if thou knowes,?
or who hath stretched the line upon il?
| Whereupon are the foundations thereof
fastened? or who laid the cornerstone
thereof, when the morning stars sang to.
gether aud all the sons of God shouted
for joy"
Here we find mention made Of tie
corner-s!one CT the earth, as though it
were all edilice built by God himself;
also of tho "line" which Masons use
for their measuring. Of course the
Book of Job was written by man and
necessarily his similes had reference TO
TO pre-. existing conditions and customs,
and the beautiful ceremonial, which you
will shortly witness will excite in youl
hearts and minds sensations anC
thoughts Of tho most solemn and inspr.
ing nature. The MUD will dwell upon
the idea Of O great first cause, a sure
foundation and a wise adaptation O
means TO ends, while thC heart will bt
lifted in gratitude ior the blessings VIZ
enjoyed i'll this world and The hope Of ,
higher life IN the next; and, then, tht
imagination will picture bright ess dreams
and anticipate ma for The future of the in
stitutiOn which we pr pose TO erect her,
and tho bnundless benefits that are t
accrue theretrom "a our STATE and pco
Pile.
/ Victor Hugo, in speaking %! the pyr-
>mlds, describes them as 80 old thai
'he, have f,r9Otieu the names of lhei
t"under"," and while,.as we have seen
'mre is Lothrg ls history touching The
origin or the ceremony OF layiD" 1bC
corncr stone. the first BEGINNINGS OF Ma
snnry. the origin OF the order, are eq I'll
"a mysterY. 1t is claimed b, Somt thnl
The Masonic fraternity first became 81
oreaized or corporate body al the build
ING OF Solomon's Temple, which was de
dicated penrlV 1900 years ago. Whe
ther this be true Or false, there is absO
lute proof that The Masons are the mosl
| 'bSiCli" SuliI VI Otbtl wv LIiS "OrlU; ana
while Hugo's apo!hegm is applicable lo
the fraternity, IL is certaio that a cere-
monY, similar possibly to the one which
YOU will witness today, was performed
at The beginning Of tho erection of that
magnificent edlice, which Dayd's cor
erecled 10 the Most High.
In tho days of old, it is true that the
Mason was the man who hewed the
stone, fitted it to it's place. tried IT with
his level, measured it with his sqllaro
fixed lis perpendicular by his plummet
and placed it in position as n basis and
: startiDg point of the ediice. But wolfe
the stone-cutter of To-Day may be Free
/ Mason, the Free Macon is no longer ne
cessarily worker with the hammer and
the chisel. Tho history Of !he transition
from the active, practical workman tc
the speculative, mysterious philanthropy.
It's and door CT 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
N