The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-06-18


mencement Of Trinity College is on
this week. The 6rst Of the exercises
took place last night when DR.. John
c. Kiigo, president of the college, de-
livered his annual baccalaureate ad-
dress to the graduating class at Main
Street Methodist church. The church
was packed to its utmost capacity and
large numbers were turned away-there
not even being standing room inside.
The doctor used as his subject, "The'
Poet King of Israeli" from which he
delivered mastery address, speaking
as follows:
"To all men come hours that mark
the birth of new obligations and new
plans. The current Of history makes a
distinctive change. II not in direc-
tion, it grows deeper and broader. To
you, my young friends, such an hour
has come. 1t is not the first one and
it will not be the last one. Four
years ago you left your homes for larg.
er tutorage than they could offer you.
You had outgrown the home and the
necessity of wider ranges of thought
and responsibility was upon you. This
hour finds you at another distinctive
point in your history. You are of great
interest to US, for you are an excep-
tional body Of young men and women.
We call you college folk, and this
means that you are peculiar folk.
Very few men ever stand where you
stand. You are not here by good-luck;
and the man who calls you lucky fel-
lows is too frivolous to fathom TRACE
dy. Life to him is comedy. No
man can tell the amount of blood and
sweat that pours into this occ aston;
no man discover the original impulse
that put you here; and no mathemat-
les can sum up the deep anxiety and
parental toll and economy that are
represented in you. The history Of
your homes during the past four years
IS full of heroism, and what the gam.
bling joker calls luck, your father and
mother call fidelity and toll. You
are an object lesson to US and teach
US the doctrines of noble paren,hood.
1 would impress you with more rever-
entail regard for the father and mother
who have served you so nobly. A few
years ago young man stood on the
rostrum of a college chapel and re
ceived a medal for which he had toiled
long and hard. 1t was presented in
the usual manner; and when the speak
er placed the shining gold with stream
ing ribbon in his hand, he descended
from the rostrum, walked down the
crowded aisle, worked his way into the
midst of the large audience, 10 the
place where sat poor woman of plain
dress and worn face, and put the rib
bon around her neck, saying. This is
your medal, mother; you won it, This
is pre-eminently the hour of your
mothers success. thrust you are will
ling to crown her with its triumphs.
"In this baccalaureate address !
have decided to talk to you on some
of the points in the character of Israel's
poet-king.
"David had his right to the throne
of Israel by virtue of his imperial ma.
ture. You recall the incidents Of Sam.
uel going to the home of Jessie and hi:
private review OF the sons in search
for future king of his country. One
by one he reviewed them, beginning
with the tall and imperial Eliab, whose
countenance and stature filled the
prophets eyes, but he was denied
Then came Abinadab and Shammah
and all the others, but none were
kings. There was one more but 'he
keepeth the sheep Send and fetch
him. said Samuel. Soon there stood
before the prophet ruddy, athletic
youth with the work Of the field upon
him, but he was every inch a king
He had already sung on Judea's hill:
songs that betrayed soul full of rega
power and spirit.
"a mans personality is the measure
of his prerogatives. The world is SLOW
to learn this and immense damage ha
resulted from its stupidity. Essentia
worth is always personal and no arti
fetal process can create it. Yet w
have resorted to all kinds Of scheme
to prop up our weakness and common
ality. The moment a man realize
personal decrepitude he begins t
practice fraud. Ionce knew a mai
who dyed his gray beard in order t
hide his age and secure business sit
uation. But youth did not come bac
and his bones did not quit rattling
The enormous waste OF paint and pow
der to bring beauty to the faces c
ugly young women has become too Sc
rious to be joke.
"There are two words that have to
many patrons. They are 'prestig'
and pedigree We get them from
the land of Voltaire and Rossea,
They denounce all personal worth an
set one to fishing in the past for sma
Communications.
"You hear much told about the pre-
} tige Of history, of money, Of social a
iliations, and of institutions. With
: certain class it means much, but wal
,, you that it is the last hope of banl
rupt character. No man borrows VI
!! til his own bank account is insufficier
r and no man offers prestige till pei
sonal worth has been exhausted.
! = freqently hear much that assumes Il
= pauperization of our young manhoo'
A college declares that it can give "
certain prestige and succeeds in ge,tir
= many of the weaker sort. ! have hs