The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-15

it has in accordance with the law of free
+, will offering. Under that law we stand.
! Culture is stewardship. It's task is great
but so is its power. The worker need not
despair. There is such thing as rea-
| sonaIble optimism. The dark phases do
not come all at once. 1T is always day
somewhere" We may be justified in
feeling optimistic concerning man, while
| pcssimstic concerning men. In man
| himself is the deepest pledge that one
! day the equities and the expedencies will
| be brought together. And so, upheld by
the sense Of the greatness of our calling,
| we may press on for our fellows sake,
making the way of life straight and the
mystery of death plain. Our place is with
men. The old prophet was a voice in the
wilderness. The new prophet must take
| his stand in the world. There in the
| busy marts where men are struggling
| upward must his voice be heard. Our
duty is our privilege. And both are close
at hand. The golden age Of fable is far
away. Romance sees it in the past.
| Faith expects it in the future. Neither
| view greatly concerns our task, for where
ever the golden age may be, the golden
opportunity is in the present"
1t would have done every friend of
the colored race good to have witnessed
the exercises by the students. They were
of very high order indeed. Every per-
son who took part in the programme ac-
quilted themselves with the greatest
credit.
The essays were well written, the adj
dresses were delivered in a manner be-
fitting the occasion and rejecting much
l L a. 80
ment. If one may judge by yesterday S
exercises, this institution is doing a great
work in educating and uplifting the
NEGRO race in the. South. President Mes
trve and his entire faculty and the
friends Of Shaw University are to be
congratulated.
The music, both instrumental and
vocal. was very fine. Miss Harper is de-
serving of special mention. Her voice
is one of such sweetness and strength
as is seldom found.
The complete programme for the day
was as follows:
Quartet-Kyrie. (Concone's Mass in F.,
Misses Douglass and Satterield, Messrs.
| Frazier and Levister.
Invocation-Rev G.. II. King.
Salutatory Address-Grace J. Thomp-
| son.
Trio-"Could l Hush q Fathers Sigh.
| (From Bohemian GirD-Miss Harper,
Messrs. Frazier and Levister.
Essay with Valedictory-"A Twentieth
Century Diet'-George H. Mitchell.
Solo-"Happy Days" violin Obj
Strelezki-Miss Hattie Douglass.
Annual Address-Rev. B. l.. Whitman,
d. D., President Columbian University,
Washington, d. G.
Presentation Of Prizes-President Chas.
f. Meserve..
Quartet-"The Storm Thomas-Miss-
les Harper and Battlefield. Messrs. Frazer
and Levister.
Presentation of Dplomas-Hon. Jas.
Fl. Young.
Duet-"The Ride Home" Kucken--
Miss Douglass and Mr.. Frazer.
Benediction-Rev. A. G. Davis.
Meeting Of Alumni at $50 O'Clock.
In her salutatory address Grace j.
| Thompson welcomed the visitors to the
| college, its spacious halls. its graduating
exercises. She traced the history Of the
institution and declared that for a gem
| Grafton its halls had been a refuge from
| ignorance, superstition and degradation
| it had become not only historic but a
| classic institution and its influence was
| being felt throughout the length and
| breadth of the land.
This address was beautiful in its sim
plicity Of delivery and tenderness of SEN
timents. 1t is difficult to imagine how
it could have been better, either in
thought or delivery.
At it's conclusion President Meserve
took occasion to state that Miss ThOmp-
L &c, ,r-hA ho1
taken the degree Of A. B. at Shaw Uni
versity. She has taken the highest rank
in scholarship Of any woman who ever
attended this University. She is from
South Carolina. DR.. Meserve added that
in twenty-five years experience as a
teacher among white people, Indians and
| negroes, he had never met a woman of
| sweeter disposition or greater strength
| OF character.
| The subject OF George III. Mitchel's
| Valedictory Address was "a Twentieth
| Century Diet" The trial of Martin Lu-
| ther at Worms, he declared, was the
| critical moment in the worlds history.
| Luther before the Diet, he said, stood
not alone for a simple church doctrine,
| but for every triumph of thought, of
| Philosophy Science, art and liberty
| since that day. All the great mechanical
| inventions-the telephones and tele-
| graphs the railways-are the results of
Luther's stand on that memorable day.
| From this the speaker turned his atten-
| ton to the problems of the present day
| evolved from these very mighty inven-
| tons and the great aggregatiOns of
| wealth. He declared that absolute free
| dom Of conscience and action had not yet
been obtained, and it was incumbent
| upon the men OF the twentieth century,
| as representatives of the Luther of an
other age, to take up this battle for
| human rights and human freedom. He
| drew a picture of the kind Of man this
new Luther must be to teach that labor
was divine, the human family one great
| brotherhood and over and above all, the
| guidance and direction of the great and
| good God.
| In concluding his address, the speaker
| bid faculty and classmates farewell in