The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-06-09
A FRUITFUL THEME.
"OUR WIDENING DESTINY" THE
SUBJECT

OF Hon. fiannis Taylor's Address at
the University of North Caroli7a at
the Annual Commencement Exer.
cises Last Week-the Speaker Pays
an Eloqent Tribute to the Memory
of Ensign Worth Bagley.
At the Chapel Hill commencement
last week Hon. Hannis Taylor, of
Mobile, Ala, who is a gifted son of
the Old North State. delivered the
literary address. From the Char
lotte Observers report we take the
following:
After returning thanks for the cor
diality of his reception. Mr.. Tay lor
made brief retrospect, at the end of
which he said: "But crave your par
don. have not come here to-day to
brood in a gloomy spirit over the
of the past but to speak
to the men Of the new
generation of our glorious and united
country, and of it's windening des-
tiny" He referred to Maury's,
physical Geography of the Sea" in
order to express the hope that like
may be made to politi-
cal science in the way of chart that
will guide us in observing the great
currents and forces by which the
movements of nations are directed.
A statement of existing political con-
ditions in the world was made to
show that the Teutonic and Slavonic
nations are the great advancing and
expanding nations and that the Latin
and Semitic races are falling behind.
Without ignoring the German En-
pire, the statement was made that
the British Empire, the Russian En-
pire and the United States are the
three great growing and conquering
powers whose movements in the
near future are likely to exercise the
greatest influence upon the destiny
of mankind. From broad historical
point of view the British Empire and
the United States, which together
govern nearly third of the human
race, should be considered as a single
force, so far as the rest of the world
are concerned, by reason of the
identity of their origin and institu-
tion, making them in fact the out
come of single historical develop
ment. To briefly outline that de-
velopment the speaker declared to
be the main purpose of his discourse.
Beginning with the small group of
Low Dutch people, known as the
English kin, grouped around the
neck tf'the Danish Peninsula when
written history begins, their migra-
tion was traced into Britain, where
they founded the English kingdom,
which arose out of the gradual ag-
gregation of sea of local self-gov-
erning communities that never lost
their local independence. The point
was at last reached, that down to
1904 the English nation had in fact
won nothing beyond its four seas.
Since then, out of two charters
granted to two trading companies,
has grown England's Empire in the
East and West. Out of one grew the
Empire of India; out of the other the
Federal republic of the United States.
After rapid summary of the ex-
pansion of the latter, review was
made of the growth of Spain 5
Colonial Empire and of its almost
entire disappearance from the New
World. In that way the causes lead
ing to the present war with Spain
were fully and clearly set forth
Upon that subject the speaker used
the following words, in which ne
pays Ensign Worth Bagley glowing
tribute:
II will venture to say, without
reservation, that among all the wars
that we have been so far involved in
there has not been one in which the
motive that impelled us to arms has
been higher or more unselfish thar
that which now inspires our efforts
to rescue the victims of Spanisf
tyranny, who are still dying ant
starving at our very doors. NJ
human or liberty-loving people hav'
ever been appealed to more urgentl.
than we have been to take into ou
breast the sheaf of hostile spears
and break path for the oppressed
| To the attainment of that end the re
united nation has pledged its troll
as one man; and by the perfect spiri
of union that has bloOmed out @
that resolve has been driven from
the temple of our national life tn
last lurking spectres of the civil wal
In that long hoped for and dramati
consummation, North Carolina ha
borne stately yet pathetic part.
is seldom that any great human en-
can be attained without some pre-
found sacrifice; and the suprem
sacrifice for ones country means a
oblation of human blood. By som
strange fatality the sons OF thi
State seem to be called first whe
such an oblation is to be made. l
that dreadful moment when tn
North and South were about to /
torn apart North Carolina, bordt
State who loved the Union as sh
, loved her life, held her pleadin
, hands to her brethren on either sic
in the hope that by kind and tend'
, words she could put away wrath an
/ avert the impending strife. N
= until her most strenuous efforts ha
I failed; not until she had been cruel
: maligned and misunderstood, did 81
finally resolve to enter into the pr
r longed and bloody conflict to whit
she contributed the first victim
e the person of Henry Wyatt, who fe
at the battle of Bethel on the soil
: Virginia. May it not have been tn
o North Carolina, through her hero
1 though unavailing efforts to save t
4 Union, won for herself the post
n honor when the time came for t
4 first victim to be offered up upon t
4 altar of the united nation in its fir
= contest with a foreign foe? In
j. proud yet stricken spirit we can
- | tool that the victim was worthy