The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-04
GIVEN OUT BY THE GOVERNOR.
GOV. ATKINSON PRESENTS THE ~
DUSTRIaL COLLEGE DIPLOMAS.

The Visitors Very FnvorabIy Inn
pressed with the Commencement
Exercises and the showing Made
by the Students in All Depart
ments.
/ Yesterday was a great day at the Indus
! trial college. The occasion Of the gradua-
/ tion of the first class was marked by the
/ presence Of the governor Of the state, Of a
/ legislative committee. OF representatives
| OF the public school system Of Savannah
/ and Of the city Of Savannah.
At II o'clock Gov. w. Y. Atkinson, Maj.
/ P. w. Meldrim, Judge w. r. Hammond of
/ Atlanta, Mr.. T. j. Cline Of Nlilledgeville
/ Prof. Otis AshmOre Of Savannah, members
Of the state commission in charge of the
college. Capt. J. +. Brooks secretary and
treasurer OF the commission, Gen. \. r.
/ Lawton. representing the state university.
Hon. James Bussey, senator from the
Eleventh district. Hon A. f. Byrd of Eff
hngham and Representative Law colored
from Liberty, composing the legislative
committee. Col. George a. Mercer. presi-
dent, and Supt. w. Fl. Baker of the board
Of education and Messrs. Thomas Screven
and a. n Manucy. representing the city
left the city in carriages for the college.
Tho party arrived at the college shortly
before noon and was escorted to seats on
| the platform erected in the large oak grove
on the campus. There was a large crowd
gathered, principally colored people. The
opening chOruses by the pupils were ad-
niirably sung. The orations by the grad
yates were as follows:
Industrial Education" by Isaac Mon
roe Jackson Of Savannah.
THE Natural Resources Of Georgia" by
James Benjamin Stevens Of Johnston Sta
ton.
lessons Learned From the Life of
Frederick Douglass" by Julius Caesar
Few, Jr., of brownsville.
Socrates as a Teacher" John Thomas
Sanders of NaldOsta.
No True Civilization Without Christian
ity." Richard Robert Wright Jr., of Col
lege
The speaking was intersperscd with mu-
sic. The visitors were particularly inn
pressed with the excellence of tho orations
by the graduates, which IL can be truth
fully said were superior to what they had
expected to hear. The speeches OF young
Jackson on Industrial education and
young Sanders on Socrates were general
~ commented upon. In fact, all of the
graduates acquitted themselves with cred
1t to the faculty and the institution.
The feature of the day was,of course, the
address to the graduates by Gov. Atkinson
The governors remarks were extempOra-
neous, but exceedingly well-suited to the
occasion and were received with great ia
vor by his audience. He spoke Of the
wonderful strides which the colored race
is making in moral. intellectual and mate
rial progress and dwelt upon education as
the great factor in this development. He
illustrated this progress by the occasion
and dwelt upon the fact that the delivery
of diplomas by a governor of a southern
state was something which would never
have been thought of a generation ago
The great work which the state is doing
for the education OF the negro was also
dwelt upon.
1tlrt
ence to the presence of Gen. Lawton as
representative of ante-bellum days and
dwelt eloquently upon the conditions
which made II possible for representa-
tive of the old regime TO lend his presence
and approval to such an occasion.
In contrasting the condition of the negro
In the south and the negro in Africa, Gov
Atkinson said that the negroes of Africa
are still devoting their time to killing
snakes, while the negroes Of Georgia are
devoting their efforts to killing ignorance
The governor then presented the gradu-
ates their diplomas.
Judge w. r. Hammond of Atlanta made
very pleasant address. He sought to
impress upon the graduates and their fell
low pupils that education neither fitted
nor untitled them for any walk in life.
That the fact of possessing a collegiate
education does not by any means make
it necessary that the possessor should
enter a profession or assure his success
in that profession; nor does it unfit or
disqualify him In any way for business,
or agriculture or manufacturing. or any
ton, he said, is an advantage when prop
erly applied in any occupation.
In the absence of Chancellor Boggc
OF the state university the Meldrim medal
for the highest average scholarship was
| presented by Col. George A. Mercer. Col
| MERGERS address was as usual replete
cially upon the remarkable good order
| and splendid conduct of the large audi
| ence and its evident appreciation of what
| was said by the speakers, as an evidence
| of the advance OF the colored race in
the path of civilization. The medal was
presented to Richard r., Wright, .Jr.,
whom the faculty reported to have made
| the highest average of scholarship during
| the time he has been in college.
| President Wright called upon Mai. Mel
| drim as the untiring friend of.the institu-
| ton to address a fow remarks to the
| graduates and the audience. Mai. Mel
drim's address, though impromptu, was
! especially apropos II was addressed to
| the colored people present as a body. He
told them that while the state had done
| a great deal for the institution, its sue
! cess or failure depends entirely upon
| ITS future rests entirely upon your
| shoulders. If it succeeds it is your sue
cess; Il il fails it is your failure" he
| said. Though II is supported by the
state its control has been placed entirely
| In the hands of colored men, the first
instance of the kind on record and if
it fails you will never get such another
| chance" The audience evidently under
| stood and approved Maj. Meldrim's posi-
ton. The exercises concluded with the
/
! Gov. Atkinson and party spent some
| time inspecting the grounds and build
! ings which were found in first class cor
| dition. In fact several of the visitors
| from the interior said they did not believe
that such handsome grounds could be
found anywhere in the state. The buld-
| ings have all be recently painted and pre-
sented very handsome appearance. A
| very good exhibit of the work OF the pupils
was displayed in the Workshop 4 ais
play of this work will be made by the
| college at the Atlanta exposition ana
| viii undoubtedly be a creditable one AZ
an evidence of the progress the pupils are
making on this line mention should be
made of two inventions by the pupils
One is truck. or conveyance, operated
| on tramway by means of a crank ana
pulley, for loading and unloading guano.
The car travels on an inclined plane
throws off its load and rights itself au-
tomatically. The other invention is n
clamp devised by one OF the students
| This clamp does the same work as one
for which they had been paying $2.25 eacn.
and does it better The clamp can be
| manufactured for Sl25.
After inspecting the building ana
grounds the governor and his party drove
! TO ThuuderbOlt whore eiapo,+ e.,