The herald., 1895-06-16
THE AR|STOTEuAN SOCIETY
Commencement at University OF
Southern California
\ BRILLIANT GATHERING
College Chapel Was Beautifully Decor
ated for the Occasion
What Shall the Harvest Be PA SyIla-
bus Of the Latter Speech

Commencement week at the University
of Southern California was opened on
Friday night with splendid eDtertain-
ment given by the Aristotelian Literary
society in the college chapel. The room
was beautifully decorated for the occasion
with bamboo, asparagus ferns and gre.
villa. On the wall back of the rostrum
was floral piece consisting of a 49,"
in white flowers upon green back
ground, and above this was tastefully ar
ranged the name of the society in green
letters. Ferns were banked along the
front OF the platform, which was further
adorned with many bouquets of flowers.
By clock the auditorium was,crowd-
ed and the large doors leading into the
main hall wers raised and extra chairs
provided for the rapidly increasing
crowd.
At S:15 the programme was opened
with an overture by the U. s. G. orchcs-
university. offered an invocation. and was
followed by the salutatorian, g. E. Pome-
roy, who welcomed the audience in a few
well chosen words. He stated the objects
of the society and alluded to the benefits
accruing to a person with membership
grafton, The Gospel According to St.
George. His very able speech was fol-
lowed by the address Of L. IL. Caswell,
president of the society. his subject being
Liberty, the Soul OF Eloquence. Harry
L. Martin then spoke on What Shall the
Harvest Be? In many particulars this
was the best speech of the evening. In
part Mr.. Martin said:
This is question which comes to us
every hour and in q thousand different
ways. Did Charlemagne fJresee the fruits
of his victory at Portiers, that battle on
ha nf wi pd 10 ri
ton of the world? Did Henry VIII tore
see the results of his shameful passions
which divorced him from Catherine and
England from Rome? Did Washington
see in the slave that held his horse the
discord which should one day divide his
nation against itself? Do the nations
of the present foresee their future or even
realize their present? Can the executives
Of the world turn the tide OF humanity
in the right direction? No! Monarchs
are but the toys of chance. In whom,
then, does this power lie? 1t is in the
young men who are the growing grain OF
the world and who. maturing. must feed
the mills of time. They have lire, en-
ergy, hope, a future! The world, realiz-
ing this, calls for them. The church, the
lawyer, the merchant, the devil, say give
us young men.
Louis XIV said, Give me young men,
soldiers who will die saying '.Vive. lie
Roi, +" and not Farewell, dear wife"
"Young men have been the source of
and means OF progress throughout the
worlds history. Before the generation of
today lies our country, in which avarice.
envy and pride. three fatal SPARKS, have
| set the hearts of all on fire. In sprofes-
sional, mercantile. and political life, espe
cially the last. but sorry picture presents
itself AS every one can see. a new party
is being born. Will it succeed, or is it
doomed to defeat? Its principles will
not differ radically from those professed
by the parties of the present. The real
difference will be that the new party will
be. composed of men who will stand by
the policy they advocate. This is the
task before the young men OF today, but
not the only one. The liquor traffic is at
hand. condemning thousands to a slavery
far worse than that borne by the negro
The whip of the master never touched the
soul OF the servant, but on every side we
see perdltion served to men by the pint
and glass. How many tongues as eloquent
as Patrick Henry's have been thickened
by drink! How many minds as brilliant
as Alexander Hamilton's have been dark
ened by the cloud of intempcranoe! How
many souls as noble as that of Stonewail
Jackson have been lost in the wine cup!
Then, shall our young men, bibulous and
weak, eat, drink and die, or shall they
sniff the perfume of heroic deeds and,
with opposition striving. live? For truly
it has been said: we live in deeds, not
years; in Thoughts, not breaths; in feel
ings, not in figures on dial. We should
count time by heart-throbs for he most
lives who thinks most, feels the noblest,
acts the best And as we draw the cur
tain of the future again the question
comes. What will the harvest be from
the fields of youth DER which life's
breezes blow, bearing the still sad music
of humanity"
The last speech of the evening was de-
livered by the valedictorIan, Wilfred G.
Twiss. Mr.. Twiss described the benefits
that he had received from his associa-
tions in the society. the many pleasant
experiences he had enjoyed during his
connection with it, the sorrow that he
felt upon severing the tie which bound
him closly to old Aristotelian.
The president. Mr.. Caswell on behalf
of the society, then presented Mr.. Twiss,
the graduating member, with diploma.
The programme was closed with selec.
tion by the orchestra. Dr.Widney, presi-
dent of the university. made an announce
ment to the effect that owing to change
in dates he would be unable to be present
at the commencement exercises nexts
Thursday morning.