The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-06-17
than any other one of the GLASS who

the first honor man and the valedicto-
rian Of his class. In person he was Of
medium height, of a comedy and hand
some face, and a broad, prominent, in
tellectual forehead, a bright, piercing
eye, of simple and graceful manners,
and looked like 'the son Of a king
and one destined to be a king among
men. His address for its profound
and original thought and forcible and
elegant expression was beyond his
years, and was listened to with the
| closest attention and interest. While
he stood upon the rostrum the eyes OF
that vast audience were riveted upon
him, and his teachers and FELLOWSHIP
dents looked at him with feelings Of
pride and affection. He had won every
heart and was the cynosure of every
eye-"the observed of all observers
and at the close of his address, as
he walked off the rostrum, looking so
modest and so manly, there were whis-
pers throughout the audience: "What
a bright, noble-looking young man.
she will make his mark" IF he lives
he will be one of South Carolina
greatest men," and other like express
sions. If he showed himself in his
college Grafton to be a young man OF
uncommon ability and promise, he
was that same day, by doing a brave
act, to show himself a hero, and one
possessing the moral stuff of which all
truly great men are made. But the
gay pageant of commencement day is
over and the last strains Of the band
of music have died away, and the col
lege chapel is left to silence and dark
ness.
The scene now changes to the lobby
of Columbia's principal hotel. Sitting
or standing about in the large room
are groups of we'll known men talking
over the events of the day. and dis
cussipg the topics aud questions that
then engaged public attention. The
room was also pretty well filled with
college students as happy and jolly as
only college students can be when
turned loose from books and profess
sors. OFF in one corner Of the room
by himself sat an old man, a back
woods farmer, who presented a strange
and grotesque appearance in that live
ly and we'll dressed company. He was
dressed in an indigo-dyed suit, home
spu and homemade. The fashion of
his coat was the old time, s%harp-point-
ed swallow tail and his pants close
fitting. Besides he was particularly
hard favored, so much so as to attract
notice to him, but his hard face had a
kindly and intelligentloo 10 and showed
strength of character. The college
boys that were up for fun and mis-
chief of any sort, soon found the old
man out, and were making themselves
merry at his expense, asking him such
| questions as these: If he raised blue
sheep like the color of his coat; who
cut his coat, and if they conld get the
pattern of it, and if his face didn't
hurt him and many more su,h. Sew
| eral gentlemen saw what was going on
and tried to get them to let the old
man alone, who seemed to take it all
good naturally, but without effect.
But when their fun was at its height
| the young man who had that day
graduated with the highest honors of
his class, and whose name and speech
were in everybody's mouth, and to
whom they all looked up as to a SUI
perior, came walking hurriedly into
the room out of the street, and stop
ping for a moment, and casting his
eye rapidly around the room saw what
was going on, walked straight up TO
| the old man, threw his arms around
him and said: "Father, let us get out
of this place; this is more than l can
stand" That old man whom they
had been treating so rudely was his
father, who had come to the COM
Increment to see his noble son gradu-
ate. And the nobleness of the son
testified to the nobleness of his plain
old homespun father, to whose ambi-
ton, industry and virtue he was in
debted for his education, and the
prospect of the bright career that
was before him. If they had known
who that communicating and ugly
old man was they would have spared
| themselves a modification and a re-
buke that was the more cutting for the
gentle and touching manner in which
it was administered. They didn t tar
ry in that place long Glow" they
douhtless asked themselves as thew
walked along from the hotel, can we
ever meet the gaze of our friend whom
we have tonight SO deeply wounded by
our folly?
Said a distinguished gentleman to a
friend with whom he was talking, and
both of whom were looking on at the
time and saw the noble boys beauti-
full and tenoer recognition of his plain
old father: "Colonel, that was one Of
| the bravest and most heroic acts that l
have ever witnessed. l tell you, sir,
there is not one man in a thousand
who would do what that young man
did just now. Hneas carrying his
aged father upon his shoulders to es-
cape the destruction of Troy was not
so illustrious an example offilial piety
as that we have seen tonight. Mark
you, sir, that young man has all the
elements of greatness and is going to
be an honor to his State. There is a
high career before him" 1t came to
pass as he predicted. That young
man became, in the opinion Of great
lawyers, one of the greatest, if not the
greatest, judges. one of the profound
est jurists that ever sat upon the
Bench of South Carolina, a State that
was then noted all we the Union for
it's able and i%ncorruptible judiciary.
Solomon could az truly said of the
man who honors his parents, as of the
"~diligent' man, che shall stand be-
ea.a E:nnrO CO m,ah Cor nv hnrn