Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-12-17


Mr.. Bayard, who was again loudly |
said: | value very highly the |
oil handing TO those who have |
excelled, the well earned fruits of their |
labor and success, and the kindness of |
your honored representative, distin-
guished statesman, who is my host and |
whose hospitality and kindness have per-
mitted me to be present here tonight.
am much impressed by such an institution
as this. If the word liberal can be strictly
and truly applied it must be to such a
course of study MS is thrown open, and l
am happy to say enjoyed by more than
2,5OO of the young people of this COM
munity. have read the syllabus of your
classes and the history of the origin and
growth of this Institution, and it has been
with great respect and admiration that |
have seen the doors of the temple of learn
ing SO generously, so fairly and so widely
opened for the enjoyment, the benefit, and
the progress and the advancement of n
community of free people. (Applause.)
The other day saw the approach of
very distinguished man in this country,the
First Lord of the Treasury-n dig
nified, graceful in manner, always adj
mirable in temper. Mr.. Balfour spoke
upon or approached the consideration of
tlit nuTutT-iint WUtre ptubt lnttG1trthCt
should take the place or should lead the
steps of individual endeayor. I do not I'M
derstand that there is any mysterious
entity among mankind that is stronger
than mankind itself do not understand
that there is an evolution of power mys-
teriously generated that is to take the
place of individual effort; and as far as
can see with my Republican or Demo-
cratic eyes. and as far as l can read the
worlds history every invention that has
led mankind upward and onward has been
through the avenue of individual excel
lence, individual power and individual
conscience. iApplnuse) | cannot see that
opportunity should not he offered. On the
contrary, l hail opportunity, | hail every
effort that shall make opportunity equal
for all, and that a man should have
mans chance, or a woman woman's
hance-tapplause)-to exercise the ca
pacity with which they ARE gifted for their
advancement and the strength of the
State to which they belong But this is
the question: Where's that mysterious
| line? The bOrder-lnes, as you know, are
difficult sometimes to settle. Unughter.)
| But they may be found, can he found. and
must be found. Hear, hcar.) They re-
main for settlement, and so the question
| people, how far governments can NEEDLE
without muddling-the hear)-and how
far you shall supcrcede the spur and the
stimulus within a man or n woman for the
penetration of the secrets of science, of
the vast undiscovered region of fact and
of principle, and how far you are to super
cede those natural efforts of conscience
and individual duty by the machine called
the State-that mysterious entity created
by man, and is supposed to he greater than
the men who made it. In coming here to-
night | am reminded Of one Of my own
cOuntrymen. who died before my day, and
went to his honored grave in the latter
years of the last century. and who was
born a British subject though born in
Amcrica-it was Benjamin Franklin
(applausc)-the natural philosopher, the
patriot. and statesman whose epitaph, by
an illustrious Frenchman, may be trans
lated that The snatched the thunderbolt
from the sky and the sceptre from the
hand of the tyrant." In an address lately
delivered by man distinguished for learn
ing and his lofty character, the famous
DIR. Dollinger, | find Franklin thus de-
scribed:-"There arose Benjamin Frank.
lin, a man with whom few of the world's
heroes can compare. PIE was, to use an
English expression. self-made man. with
wonderful moral energy. This son of d
chandler, this poor printers ap
prentice, by the force of self-disciplne and
self-education framed himself to become
n most influential scholar and statesman
in his time-an instructor of his country
men in religion, and their leader in poll
tics. His whole life was a series of sue
cesses; his biography written for his son
might well he said to he written for til,
sons of all nations" The educational in
ilucnces which this typical life and ex
ample has exercised and still exercises il
the States can scarcely be exaggerated
Is not this the type of every manly youth
Is it not the. type of every philosophi,
statesman? And yet there was no gov
eminent agent to select him, no govern
ment school of science to instruct hin
: and force his way. What was then tn
: secret of Frnnklins success? That h
was citizen of free country, that di,
not take from him. and did not suppress II
him the faculties of which he felt himscl
possessed (Applause.) To you student
: there can he no career more worthy o
study and more helpful TO stimulous thai
that of Franklin. (Applause) can wei
Imagine what joy would have been his, fo
he was once an envoy of his country {
this, to know that within hundred year
) of his death, the envoy of the Unite
States should stand inside an English as
e scmhly and hold him M for their admira
! tion. Applausc.) The border line q
/ State interference is n very, very scriou
u thing, very important to discover, for |
the mysterious arrangement of that bcin
e called man, the mental and the mora
: forces are strongly intcrmingled. Int
:, lect without morals is almost monstrou
!, but intellect with morals strengthens botl
y tApplause.l Therefore it Is the intcllec
y nal school and intellectual opportunii
!. that my younger friends can enjoy and d
v enjoy here, and while it Quickens the
: intellect il also strengthens their noraIit
y .-(applause) therefore il is when II
u State approaches the mental control
- these people and undertakes il, it must !
= in danger of invading that morality
>, which conscience is the only sovereign
4 each individual amongst us. the control
" which. and the duty to obey which, "
, may not transfer. This is what Frankli
I; stands for, it is the institution which, n
!, over the United States to-day. bears h
n, name and the impress of his intellect Il
N impress of his morality, the impress of h
/" force and character, that he was n
! crented by statutes. he was not formed |
= administrations. but he was a free ma
" with opportunity to expand his energies
~ any direction for which he felt God Ii;
= intended him. This is what seems 10 n
=. is the meaning of ynur institution: this
W the great opportunity that il affords. Tai
!" the classes, so comprehensive and so &c
% cr0ls. What subject 10 which human /
| l., Il Il