The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-08
Hold Their Exercises at the
College Last Night.
FULL OF WIT AND WISDOM
THE FUTURE OF EACH GRADU
ATE rs FORETOLD.
CHARACTERISTIC PRIZES GIVEN
The Alumni Will Have Charge OF the
Exercises To-Day--Orations at
II O'clock and Banquet
O'clock.

Commencement began last night at
,the North Carolina College Of Agricul-
ture and Mechanic Arts with Class Day
exercises. They consisted Of orations,
music class history, class prophecy and
presentation of prizes, and were Of a
most enjoyable character. After the
completion of the programme the halls
were thrown open and dancing and other
social pleasures were INDUCED in until
/ o'clock.
The class exercises began with prayer
by Rev. DIR. Daniel, pastor Of the First
Presbyterian church. Then followed
orations by the class orators, Messrs.
w. A. G. Clark and J. L. Knight. Mr..
Clark, the first speaker, chose as his
subject 1.-The Arthurian Legend" and
discussed most pleasantly and poetlcally
the life and time Of the Knight of the
R,sna 4 pie.
Chivalry, he said, was admired by all
the world, and Arthurs time was the
golden age of the world. His hfe and
legend have been so interviewer that IL Is
today hard to say which is the true and
which the false. So true Is tins tnat
many have denied that such a person
ever really existed, but that the whole
story of his life is myth, that he is a
fictitious character around whom the an
Gent Britons grouped all the virtues and
1obleness of their rugged civilization. his
fife and many alleged achievements IN
arms were recounted as related by Ten
nyson in his ''Idyls of the Kings and in
the chronicles Of ancient British writers.
" al, f1o l.
that in the end right and truth will tri-
umph, and virtue will reap its reward.
sHealthful Discomfort" was Mr..
Knights subject. The present age, he
thought was pre-eminently an age of dis
content This is apparent in all current
literature-even the fiction of the day.
Th hero and the heroine are no longer
the sweet romantic spirits of the early
days. The school of realism has sprung
ND. The hero is revolutioniSt, the hero
inc is a reformer, a new woman, II you
please. As a result of this discomfort
has sprung up also the trades union
and all forms of combinations to control
labor and the price of its products.
Necessity. Mr.. Knight said, was the
mother of invention, but discomfort Is
the discoverer of necessity and almost
every useful invention of the past CEN
fury has been due to discomfort with
old methods and old surroundings. Dis
content breeds desire, desire begets in
vestigation and from this investigation
springs a remedy for the evil.
The Glass History was read by MIR.
w. J. McLendon. 1t abounded in hui
NOR and some of the "hits' were so good
as to bring from the audience great
storms of applause.
The college, he thought, was a pretty
good one, but it went too much on mill
tary. On drill days, he said, there were
such university of high officers, brass
buttons and brassy appendages that the
poor private is attacked with brain fever
or some other get-out-of-the-drill COM
plaint And those that are left, he said,
are usually animated by some such
brightness as the young officer who, on
last drill day, gave the order: "All of
you who have not arms hold up your
hands"
The class had been marked by a num-
Der of remarkable things, he said; one
was as musicians, especially tme-beat-
ers. Another achievement has been in
athletics. One man in the class had dis
tinguished himself by standing in a
basket jumping over ten-rail fence
the basket was without bottom and the
fence had been blown down.
In such humorous style the history of
the four years of the class in college was
traced and some harmless shafts of
ridicule aimed at each member of it
and at some of the faculty, too.
The Glass Prophecy was equally as
funny. 1t was Mr.. w. III. Sanders who
turned seer and pulled aside the curtain
of the future TO let each member take a
peep at the things Time has in store for
him. Here is what he said
Sam Buffaloe will be a farmer. But
he'll raise more hay than cotton in his
cotton field and more HI than either.
He'll spend most of his time attending
institutes and alliance meetings telling
Others how to farm.
Charlie Clark will be a baseball man
ager. Marry early, repent at once and
die poor.
Graham Clark will be great stump
speaker and write History of Con-
stitutional Liberty that will be hand
book in every nursery. He will marry
a widow.
Will Carroll will be a farmer in Samp-
son county and raise chickens. He can
now raise more chickens in one night
'ii$th any OI1itT ll1dH III COiltSt. LIE w Ill
come to the Legislature and die early.
Nick Gibbon will be Baptist preach
er. He will never lead off in a collection,
~!but- be always the last to contribute his
mite. He will make successful preach
rer, financially.
Ceburn Harris will be one of the stir
ring farmers of North Carolina. He will
always be one of the best fellows to tell
Others how to do it, but the worst of all
men to put his own preaching into prac-
tice.
Jerry Highsmfth will travel He will
make more tracks than any other book
agent in Eastern North Carolina. In
time he will marry an old maid and set
tile down in Sampson county-on a buck
le-berry swamp.
Capt. KendalPs most signal achieve
ment will be to graduate He will spend
most of his time afterwards trying to GET
job.
Sidney Kennedy is to be a preacher
and get married early in life-to a BIZ
cycle girl.