The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-22
REUNION AND DINNER.
Many Choice Words said About the Acad-
envy by Distinguished Men.

The annual alumni reunion and din
ner was held in Adams hall at 1.50
o'clock. and an elaborate program was
| carried out. Among the invited guests
were the faculty of the Academy, the
board of trustees, the graduating class,
the incoming senior class, the families
| of the students present a number of
| Worcester and visiting clergymen, and
many others.
| About 200 guests sat down at the
| tables to enjoy the menu furnished from
| the kitchens of the institution of the
| academy and to listen to the post
prandial exercises.
! 1t was nearly two hours before the
! dinner was through and the speeches
| begun. The Beacon quartet was present
and rendered several selections during
| the afternoon. Sober Edwards, presi
dent of the Alumni Association, pre-
! sided and made a short opening ad-
| dress as follows:
! I am here at the mercy of the as
| ISOLATION. I haven't, like Cyrano, any
wit to hide my Ignorance, or if there is
any wit in me it must be ready
wit, and, therefore, not spontaneous.
| suppose you expect from me burst of
| elOquence and I suppose l should be
| considered remiss if 1 didn't preach a
sermon to the graduating class. There
| is nothing 1 could say TO add to what
your president said to you this morn
| ing. There are two points which I wish
to bring out, however. First, bear in
mind that you have a rich heritage. You
! have those things which many in the
world have not. Remember that the
world is looking at you, and it requires
more Of You than of those not pre-
pared as you are.
"One other thought and one on which
! l am never 10th to speak. I refer to
! those clemens which are set forth in
| the gospel. Therein you may find all
that goes to make the true elements of
character and manhood, and even from
| a standpoint of cold philosophy, you
may defy any one to say otherwise
| Mr.. Edwards then wttily introduced
! John Barrett, 81, who was United
States minister in Siam for four years.
Mr. Barrett said in part, as follows:
Il am placed here in rather anoma-
! lOus position. l am free from wit and
| gray hairs, but I have been introduced
in such a complimentary manner that
l feel unable to do justice to that in
| PRODUCTION.
| Il wish to impress upon you that
| since l have returned to your shores
nothing has pleased me more than this
| opportunity of speaking here today
After these Is years which have elapsed
, since I went out from the halls of yon-
der building I am able to convey a
message that wells UP from my heart
| When man looks back on his life he
| knows what shaped it. If l We're asked
! what man did most to make me sue
! cessful, l should answer without hest
| tatiOn that it was DR.. AberCrombia
And the first woman in the town where
! I spent my early school days who
J NT,ae A hap
This institution is living monument
of the energy of that man and of those
| who have helped him. I should advise
| you to work strenuOusly. l have been
| with the soldiers in the Philippines, not
in the rear, but on the firing line, and
never once did I see an American who
! showed the least of fear And many Of
these brave men were from colleges
and academies. In conclusion I should
say that the qualification of a graduate
( coming back on an occasion Of this kind
is unlimited. I look 10 see its influence
/ spread until it is as far reaching as its
fame"
Dr. Abercrombie was next introduced
! and spoke on THE spirit of Worcester
| Academy" I think such moments as
these, he said, ARE the brightest Of
the year. We give over the idea of
| school for the beauties of social life.
! The whole world moves for love and
/ self sacrifice. We remember those who
have laborad for US. told us how to
live and what was life. We have reason
! 10 be glad that this is not the old acad-
! amy of the days OF John Barray, with
/ but one hall and 50 boys. Reference has
been made to the accomplishments Of
: the graduates of the past year"
: Dr.. Abercrombie then read the names
{ of the Worcester Academy boys who
+! have risen during the past year, and
! concluded by saying: The school is
living on its vitals; it is consuming it.
! self that it may reproduce itself. That
! cannot last always. The school has adj
! vanced rapidly making for itself an en-
/ viable record. But there is one thing it
| lacks, and that is something on which
| it may depend when it becomes neces-
! sary."
! The quartet then sang worcester