The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-06-25
THE STATE UNIVERSITY
THE FINAL EXERCISES OF CON-
MENCEMENT WEEK WERE
HELD YESTERDAY
MORNING.
THE ACADEMIC and LAW ADDRESSES
MR.. MCALEB REPRESENTED THE
FORMER AND MIR. BAKER
THE LATTER DEPART
NIENTS.
The CONFERRING OF THE NUMEROUS DEGREES.
The Commencement Address by Presi-
dent Geo. r. Winston of the Unver-
sity of North Caroina-The EN-
ercises Closed Yesterday.
The CONFERRING OF THE NUMEROUS DEGREES

Yesterday the commencement exercises
proper were had out Mt the university.
The exercises began promptly at 10
o'clock, and the largest crowd of the
week was present. The seating capacity
of the large hall being exhausted, chairs
were brought in requistion.
Those on the stage were, Governor
Culberson, DR.. WOoten, president of the
board of regents; Judges Gaines, Brown
and Denman of the supreme court. Re
gents Cowart and Prather, Carlisle
state superintendent of public instruc-
ton; Hon. o. ii. Cooper, Judge Reagan
and Storey of the railroad commission,
Superintendent Kendall, Professor Alex
ander, Comptroller Finley, DR.. Winston,
Rev, Y. B. Lee and the members of the
academic and law faculties.
The exercises were opened by a most
earnest and eloquent prayer by Rev.
Thomas B. Lee of Austin. After a selec-
ton of music by the band, Doctor Wag-
gener introduced the first speaker, Mr..
w. f. McCaleb, the representative of the
academic department. His subject was
''The Struggles of the Franciscans in
Texas He spoke as follows:
1t was long ago, yes. 200 years and
more when the Franciscan friars first
broke into the uncertainty that lay like Il
mysterious mantle shadowing the prov
ince OF Texas. Dressed in the ordinary
wooden frock, with a knotted scourgc s,ls-
pended from the waist, and barefoot, the
venerable followers of San Francis
d'Assisi traversed the broad extent of
Texas, erected their rude sanctuaries and
taught the Indian long before the ener-
getic Teuton had built Il home beneath
the shadow of the Alieghanics; forty
years before the last of the original thir-
teen colonies was planted. and long be-
fore Il soul had dreamed of the strife and
blood out of which was to issue, refulgent
and glorious, the Lone Star of the Union.
The patient Franciscan, welding Il
powerful influence in Europe, did not
hesitate to enter the uncXplored regions
of the new world in order to make new
conquests for Christ's kingdom. With
every advance of the European, in the
van of the skirmishers marched the faith
full friar, with his cross and beads. His,
too. was to conquer, and ignorance and
lnhdelity were his implacable foes.
In the latter part of the Seventeenth
century Il vague but promising region,
known as the Louisiana. lay stretched
in dreamy outline along the Mississippi
and the Mexican gulf, and slOped away
towards the land of the MOntezumas.
Sailing to plant a colony on the Father
of Waters, through mistake an unfor-
tunate expedition under the gallant
I Ill. ,.l,l h.,
Espiritu SanctO. This was early in 1853
and the history of Texas was begun in
reality.
The news of the landing of the French
men and of the building of the short
lived fort of st. Louis had early reached
the ears of the Spaniards in Mexico.
Several expeditions were dispatched in
quest of the intruders and finally one led
by Capt. Alonzo de Leon arrived upon
the spot where stood the CHASTITY fort,
all desecrated by the savages. The
dreamed passed away with the soul of
La Sale. but its passing marks the
point at which our history begins. The
rivalry had brought the Spaniard to re-
main. and if today his influence on our
early life seems annihilated. stamped as
everlasting as the sands of our hills and
the flow of our streams are the names
he gave.
There were two objects before him
the country was to be possessed and the
infidel converted. TO the latter let us
turn. and follow for Il space the fortunes
of the Franciscan friars.
Venerable as the first of his order to
girt himself for the conflict. stands Padre
Manzanet. He had entered the prov
ince with De Leon and, returning, told
glowing tales of prairies wide and bios
soming streams that shamed the Guadal-
quivir and verdant woods that teemed
with fruits and birds and beasts: and.
over all the red man held his happy
sway. Eager were the sovereigns of
the wild domain to hear of the Christ.
the padre said, and he promised that at
the next complaining time he would re-
turn to teach them the eternal truths.
So it was that early in 1880 Padre Man
Zanet, with three brother friars and Il
small company of soldiers. set out from
Coahula. They marched far to the
east. to the Neches. There they We're
joyfully welcomed by the TEXAS Indians.
In the chieftain's village the newcomers
were quartered and treated as divine
messengers. Forthwith axes were
piled in the forest and logs, roughly
pinned, were shaped into the first mis-
sion within our border.
The very next day after the dedica-
ton of the church the whole company
took up the march for Mexico, save three
soldiers and three Franciscan friars.
These alone remained far away from
home and country, buried in the midst