The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-27
same wealth of affection and Il large
share of wisdom"
GEN. RANSOM'S GRAFTON.

/ 1t must have touched the heart of the
returned General, Senator, Ambassador
to witness the reception and the hearth
/ ness. of the greeting given him. He
showed it in his first words, opening with
Il have no language in which l can eX-
press my deep sense of thankfulness for
the great honor which your invitation
+, to address you does me. 1t gives me n
most sincere aspiration to say something
! that may be of value. Whatever the
/ lack of worth of the words l shall speak
I, they are hallowed with gratitude and
Affection.
/ Before entering upon his Grafton, Gen.
| Ransom asked to be pardoned for
! reference to the president of tlheBoard
! of Trustees--Dr. Thomas Il. Skinner
! who was his f.ss-mate at the University
! of North Carolina fifty years ago. He
/ paid feeling, touching and eloquent
/ tribute to his old class mates ability,
usefulness and piety. 1T was beautiful,
| and afterwards when these two men met
! with an embrace. it was Il sight that
| touched the few who saw the affection
| that subsisted between them.
/ Turning from this tribute, Gen. Ran
! som announced as his subject: "Our
: Country and Its Government" This is
common and Il familiar theme, he said
but it should always be sacred. He
traced with sentences full of meaning,
with apt illustrations and wise comments
the development of our country, showing
that along the track of history for 5000
years it had had no parallel. He predic-
ted continued and even greater growth
and expansion. and decla red that there
had been but one cause fer past progress
rs there. was but one hope for future
development, and that was the vital prin-
cipie of American liberty-the principle
that makes every man Il sovereign, each
man with all he is and has his own mas
+, ter The humblest man IS a prince COM
; nared with the citizens or subjects of any
/ other nation. With this principle. one
i hundred years here has been equal to
| 5000 years of the worlds history In all
| those things that make for the better
| ment of the condition of man.
! The greatest problem is "Shall this
| liberty be preserved. this Union stregth-
ened. or shall it go down to be written by
another Gibbon? 1t can't must-be
preserved God has given us the strength
and endowments to preserve 1t.
How will it be preserved? The benign
and blessed work of Wake Forest and
/ other colleges diffusing learning, stimu-
lating benevolence and charity will teach
Incn ats value. and cause them TO love 1t
and To- cherish it. Ignorance is its chief
| menace. If can be d:spelled by light. In
light is safety Light prevents crime.
/ Light makes virtue. This light must
shine upon the human soul. Every man
cannot be. an accomplished scholar, but
1 you can create men with such Intelligence,
rs 70 make it impossible for wrong TO eX-
/ istd illustrations that illustrated We're
lemployed to show that deceivers, quacRs','
| ltricksters vthriyed only where ignorince1
prevailed If all bad knowledge. success
fui deception would be impossible. A
/ friend had asked him if he thought edu-
| cation would benefit Everybody. He re-
| Piled that ignorance is a despot, the
| ignorant are slaves ,pf ignorance and the
Victims of fraud, This idea was grandly
1 emphasized and enforced.
| Justice must exist if this liberty IS to
le preserved. The Generals apostrophe
| was the climax Of his oration-I shall at
| tempt no SYNOPSIS for nothing but the
| speakers own glowing words could place
before the reader justice elevated ON the
high pedestal where his eloquence placed
it.
T;berty can be preserved not only by
| having It free and just. it must be pure.
/ He counseled the study Of any evils, and
the tearing up Of evils by the roots.
Love of Country followed next, and it
| was shown that no people had influence
, or power who lacked love of country. He
appealed III eloquent terms to the young
| ment to love their country-itls people. its
traditions, its very soil, its branches and
1 It's rills. Love of country uoes not imply
s! blind idolatry Scrut:niZe and criticize it,
| but love it and purify it. There are men
| who would go to war to fight for country
who would not give up business or pleas
ure on election day to save their country.
| All must see where the true saftey of
our government rests. There is one safe
repository. there is one citadel-it Ees in
the great body of the people. Make them
| intelligent, pure, patriotic, and nothing
can njure the Republic. Rome divided
into classes, and Rome perished.
Spread your light. Establish your light.
Teach your people the virtues. Other Re-
pubics have failed, but they did not have
the light which the Christian religion has
| shed upon the world today.
l COncluU-nS, tne speaker Sdiu. beS
you to love your country, to love Truth.
to love God, to fear nothing in the world
but to do wrong. OF all things in the
world the only perfectly fearless thing Is
Truth. Let Duty be your star Let Hon
or be the jewel that shines on your bosom
brighter than diamond. There can be
no excellence or happiness without toll.
"Aspire. Look to the stars, and never
| forget your country. When you are near
the verge of life you will have but one
real joy-and that will be the conscious
ness Of good deeds That consciousness
will never leave you. There will be no
shadow to It,"
The General paused moment. He had
been speaking over an hour. Raising his
hands, in accents Of the man who deeply
| felt the words he was saying in parting,
he said: "Humbly and feebly invoking
the blessings of Almighty God upon you,
Young gentlemen, and this institution,