Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1895-05-16

entreaty invoke the mystic elixir vitae"
of a Paracelsus or the heavenly ~electri-
fed Pool of Bethesda, bv the touch of
whose agitated waters the demon of
disease is instantly expelled.
Mr. President, the grave response
bility resting upon our profession makes
it no sinecure : it's labors are various
and constant. its tolls unremitting, its
cares ~unceasing.
The physician is expected to meet
the grim monster, ''break the jaws of
death and pluck the spoil out of his
teeth" His a is ever attentive to
%entreaty, and within his bosom are
concealed, sacred and invio1ate- the
disclosures Of the suffering and dying.
Success may elate him, as conquest
fushes the victor.
Honors are lavished upon the brave
soldiers who, in the struggle with the
foe have covered themselves with
glory and returned victorious from the
field of battle, but how much more
brilliant is the achievement of those
who overwhelm disease, the common
enemy of mankind, whose victims are
numbered by the millions. Another
paramount duty of the physician as a
public benefactor I will suggest by sub
hitting the %postulate that if the sta
bility and maintainance of good and
permanent government depends upon
the virtue and intelligence of its peo-
pie, it is imperative1y necessary
to foster and secure the health. strength
and physical devopement of succeeding
generations of a stalwart and vigorous
yeomanry, who can not only defend and
perpetuate government, but become
fathers and mothers of statesmen,
philosophers and warriOrs-men who
can say ambition has no height where
genius and talent may tread that has
not felt the impress of their feet.
AND now in conclusion, MI. Presi-
dent, we would repeat our welcome
to your distinguished fraternity of
scientific workers, hoping that your
session in Goldsboro shall have accom-
plished much for your organization,
much for the profession of medicine,
much for suffering humanity, much for
the world, mach for yourselves. May
heavens choicest blessings be in store
for you. May you live to enjoy long,
useful and happy lives. May the hand
of Fate bestow on you fame, wealth
and happiness and, finally, sir, may
the North Carolina State Medical So
ciety live in the love of science and
fellowship until that God whose means
and ends are love shall decree that
they shall end on earth. but still may
love and fellowship guide you through
the pearly gates into the eternal city.
DR.. G. J.. O'Hagan, of Green
vile, had been chosen by the
State Society to respond for
them to Dr.. Jones welcome, and
he was introduced by DR.. Cobb,
who spoke Of him truly as the
silver tongued" member of the
profession and the father of the
State Medical Society,"" He said:
M'. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen:
My friend, Dr.. Cobb, has given me
such a wonderful send-off here I'm
afraid hat you will expect far more
than | am able to give you: and after
the eloquent and warm address of well
come we have received here | find |
have no language sufficient to express
the feelings that animate this body.
I'm a plain, blunt man, not gifted
with a set phrase of speech, one whose
days and nights are occupied with sick
beds in work, and [ regret at this time
that | am not gifted with the necessary
powers of speech to express in sufficient
terms the feelings n gratitude that
we feel toward the Goldoboro people
to-day, not that it is strange to me for
[ knew it before. | knew it when it
was a w~ay-station and should l have
been astonished then at the wonderful
growth: at your wide n spacious
streets, showing that the hygienic san
itation of the place is attended to: at
the wonderful industrial works: and
above all, the enlightened system of
education which you have provided for
the youth? All these testify to the en-
|ergy of the public spirit. and the mu-
niticence and magniticence of the peo-
pie of GoldsbOro. And among all the
triumphs, industrial and other, none
can possibly compare with the educa-
tional institution which you have here
in your midst, the G~oldsboro Graded
School, All other achievements in my
Judgment, sink into insigniticance com
pared to, that. AS the English poet
Gray in his Elegy upon the church
yard speaks of full many a flower
born to blush unseen. SO many a
flower which would have withered I'M
der the blighting hand of penury, will
arise and, in years to come, not only
upon the town which has bestowed
these educational advantages, but,
will shed glory upon the whole coun-
try to which we belong.
But while thinking of these triumphs
[ cannot but refer back to the past nj
wish that l could see here among the
many faces which surround me, the
many friends who have zone be-
fore. l think also of the many gal
liant soldiers who have gone from
this town, of the many Goldsboro Ri
fes, who among thousands of others.
gained and hold the fame and glory of
North Carolina bravery. And can I
forget that gallant band of cavalry.
that first cavalry to which | had the
honor to belong, ana the gallant Tom
lRuffin, the pureSt and best and nObleSt
man of the many with whom [ have
been acquainted. There is a beautiful
Icustom in the French service. After
the days of the first revolution of
France, when the Grenadier Guards
lcame to the front for review, they
lcalled out the name of the best and
Oldest Grenadier and his name vas
Lateur De Verne. Some n stepped
forward and with a shout proclaimed,
"Dead upon the field of battle'': and
when the name of Thomas Ruffin is
lcalled, the answer comes, dead upon
the field of BATTLE" a cavalier without
fear AND without reproach, an honor to
any service and a leader of men, one OF
whom the Roman DICTIONARIES and the
guard of the great Emperor himself
were not superior.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, al
the risk of being tedious, l will bring
my few scattered remarks to a
close, and in the name of the Medical
Society of North Carolina, thank you
again and again, for your generous and
hospitable welcome.
At the conclusion Of DR..
lO'Hagan's response. DR.. Cobb
turned the gavel over to The
President of the Society, DR.. Jno.
H. Tucker, of Henderson, ano
the convention was declared op-