The San Francisco call., 1896-04-03


thinking, good health, honest living and
longevity and SO much occupies life properly, l
think, as honest work.
Now, young gentlemen, see you have a
gymnasium. l believe in athletics. When 1
was student at Yale we had no gymnasium;
athletics was at discount, that man was sup
posed to be the most intellectual who was the
most dyspeptic, and that one most spiritual
who was nearest and closest to the yawning
grave. We cultivated a round back and round
shoulders to show how studious we were. at
the beginning OF the Civil War when students
and schoolteachers enlisted they were far from
a stalwart and soldierly type. A story is told
of young man who had been teacher who
went into the navy. A Britisher, looking at
him, asked, ''What is that on your back" The
answer was, "Why, that is Bunker Hill" But
since then we have progressed gloriously in
athletics. We have discovered now that a
healthy mind has got to have healthy BODY and
the soul is broader and healthier and stands a
better chance of getting into paradise in a
healthy body We have progressed so far now
that we challenge the old universities and ask
sportsmen to come over here with their yachts
and race with us. They found the course too
crowded and then they went back, and Dun
raven was 'Done-racing." We asked Oxford
to come over here and enter into sports of
various kinds with US of Yale, and we had
seven of the legitimate exercises of the gym
nasts OF the Olympian field, and we gave them
the second prize in one. Now we are going to
carry out the same principle by the Yale crew
going to .he Henley regatta, SO the American
blue can vie with the Oxford blue, and if we
don't get the Oxford blue to hang up here we
will keep going until we do, and then put it
UP with the old stars ana stripes above it in
the old gymnasium.
America is learning more and more every
day that this country is big enough, that its
opportunities are grand enough, and that its
liberty is pure enough and its humanity is
rich enough not to be drowned carrying the
spirit of goodwill toward all the world. The
American is becoming self-contained and so
self-satisied that he can stand good deal of
what he sees in other countries and hears
without being discouraged.
There is one thing l want to impress upon
you, and that is the need of oratory. l notice
that speaking is dying out; debating societies
disappearing from colleges; speaking and de-
batting is being left to the district school. You
will notice away back in the generations the
many orators, but within twenty-five years
you find no new orators in the country. 1t is
not because oratorical power does not exist,
nor because the genius for it does not exist as
much now as then, but because nothing sue
ceeds without effort and training and without
experience. Our college boys so out in the
world, having lost the power by not having
the training.
Another caution will give you is not ex-
actly "to improve each shining hour" but to
improve the idle minutes My experience is
that we waste more time than we utilize.
Loafing is an art and should have certain times
set apart. But loafng as steady occupation is
demoralizing to nerves, brain, morals and di-
gestion. Any man can get liberal education
on top of the education he possesses by using
odd minutes and odd hours. Read good books.
When you get married you will find that if
your wife is never ready for the theater it is
not her fault. She is doing something for her
personal appearance that you require. Do not
find fault, but use the time in reading and you
will find the delay is for your benefit Women
are not constituted for time, but eternity
did not know until coming up here to-day
that this is a coeducational institution. I am
glad TO see ii. 1t is only within this century
that it has been considered proper to educate
the girls beyond the three R's-reading writ
ing, arithmetic. But we have discovered that
women can be educated without spelling
them. l recall an address l gave at Smith
College, and the young ladies were amusing
themselves before my arrival in debating upon
the question whether liberal education of
man fits him for domestic life. AS long as we
are destined 10 De as We are destined to be
from the competitive standpoint, liberal edu-
cation is demanded alike for boys and girls
and am glad to see the idea adopted in Cali
fornia.
Our party has been simply carried away off
our feet up into the blue ether, and do not
know whether We win ever get down or not
We wild with delight. We have every
thing in our party got up for enjoying our
selves. We have information on every sub ject
on the face of the globe from some one of our
party except California, and on that Cali
fornians are now receiving points that they
have never heard before. There has been no
cloud upon our horizon, nor teardrop in our
water. l understand that water is q great
thing in this country, but we do not notice it,
There is a line which has been more impress
sive and suggestive to me than any short SEN
tence in the English language, and that is that
superb couplet OF Kingsley's:
Be good, my boys, and let who will be clever,
Do noble things, not dream them all day long
And SO make life, death and that vast forever
One grand sweet song.