The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-21
President Tries His
Hand at Passing
Diplomas.
HONORED At MOUNT HOLYOKE.
Following Smiths Example
Mckinley is Made a
Doctor of Laws.

was what might be appropriately called
honor day here. Mount Holyoke col
lege was honored by the presence at it's
Mckinley, president Of the United
States, and in turn it honored him by
comforting upon him in the chapel Of
the college, the degree Of Doctor Of
Civil Laws.
This is the first time that such a de-
gree has ever been conferred upon a
man by Mt Holyoke, and 1t came as
a complete surprise to the president.
So much of a surprise, indeed, that he
was forced to deviate from the deter
mination he had expressed not to make
an address of any kind during
his eastern trip, and to thank the fac
ulty and the trustees for the honor they
did him.
Mt. Holyoke, in comforting a degree
upon the president, followed closely af-
ter Smith college at Northampton, the
trustees of which, at a very late hour
Monday night, informed the president
that they had voted to confer upon him
the degree of LII. D.
The president today sent the follow
ing acknowledgment to President See
I've of Smith college: Receive for your
selves and the trustees my high regard
for the honor conferred upon me. Mrs.
Mckinley joins with me in hearty con-
gratulations to the class of '99."
The presidents day today was given
up entirely to the attendance at the
graduating exercises at Mount Hol-
yoke. The entire party left the Whit
ing House at $50 o'clock on the Rock
rimmon,' the electric car on which the
president has been making the short
journeys.
At the station Gov. Wolcott and wife,
Adjutant General Dalton and Col. Nor
gan were taken aboard. South Had
ley was reached at 10 o'clock, and the
visitors Immediately entered the chapel,
where the exercises were to be held.
The seniors followed. President Nc
Kinley and the other gentlemen We're
seated on the platform, while the ladies
occupied reserved seats on the floor
There was special music by the col
lege choir and then Rev. DIR. Judson
Smith gave an interesting address on
"a plea for the humanities." He said:
"One chief object of our schools If lib
eral culture is to awaken and make
permanent in their pupils clear Wis
ion and an admiring love of the great
men and deeds and thoughts of all the
ages Like turns to like the world ov-
er, and we grow to be like that we
love. Men and women of culture are
formed by acquaintance with the cul-
ture of past generations and our col
leges have this as their one great aim.
The humanities must still be assigned
a supreme place in our schools of lib
eral arts.
I'VE need not fear to multiply indie
finitely the number of highly cultur-
ed men and women in our land; no i'm
portant material interest can possibly
suffer thereby; rather all life and SER
vice will rise to higher levels and Sc
cure more widely the welfare of the ma
ton and of the times. In scenes like
this we all rejoice; here this enhancing
work goes on from month to month,
from year to year, from generation to
generation; the ingenious I receptive
soul opens to the treasures Of the
worlds great deeds and thoughts, and
words and learns the secrets Of life
and power and grows up to culture and
courage, and dauntless hope"
He then introduced Gov. Wolcitt,
who said. "Mr. President, graduates
and undergraduates l wish it were in
my power today to speak to you words
which should be in any degree worthy
of the charm of the occasion. These
words would be weighted with inspira
ton and eloquence could they he ut
tered by the lips of the president of the
United States, the honOred guest of
this occasion And yet, while Their
must be in the minds of every one Of
us the sense of disappointment that ne
is not to speak to us today, I feel we
must all acquiesce in the desire Of the
chief magistrate that his visit to this
beautiful western part of Massachu-
sets may be one solely of enjoyment
Of 10 hnr, and fotipIIl-
If were perm<Acd to compare very
small things with great, l might ex-
press the wish that an equal privilege
might be extended the governor Of the
commonwealth. This is the season OF
commandments of schools and colleges
and institutions of learning, and it is
my duty as well as my privilege as gov
ernor of this commonwealth, to visit
MANY of the colleges which have given
Massachusetts, large part of its fame.
When l attend the grand and stately
commencement of my own alma mater,
Harvard: as 1 pass under that revered
vestibule on whose walls are recorded
the names of her bravo sons who gave
their lives a willing sacrifice to their
country: as I pass into the grand me-
mortal hall and look about upon busts
and pictures of Hancock and Adams,
Phillips and Sumner, Emerson, Long
fellow. Lowell and a host of others, it
fmpresses me with a sense of antiquity,
1 say antiquity because 1t was only
thirteen years ago that Harvard cele-
brated the two hundred and fiftieth an
niversary Of its foundation, although
as compared with the old universities
of the old world, that is brief and in
considerable number Of years.
Yet as this country counts antiquity,
Harvard, of course, stands at the front
of the old institutions of learning on
this hemisphere, and so I say it is a
sense of antiquity that impresses me
on this occasion.
Here. however, it is rather youth and
promise that l have felt borne in upon
me as I sat and looked down upon this
fair audience. / say youth because this
college is stxty-two years old and the
higher education of women, as you all
know. is a very recent thing in this
country. At the beginning of this CEN
tury. Mrs. John Adams said that fe-
male education was limited even in the
best families. 10 reading and arith-
metic, and in a few rare cases a little
music and dancing. Now l don't know
whether this erudite list Of studies is
included in the curriculum Of this col
lege.
/ shall ask forgiveness. but Mt. Hol-