The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1899-03-22
BEAUTIFUL GRAFTON DELIVERED At CEN.
TRIAL UNIVERSITY BY Mr.. HERRING
TON, OF ATLANTA.
SUN


BUN robes ofs1fron hue and
CD0T0 adorned with the spark
OrOI -. ling diamonds of the
virgin night,comes forth
from her palace in the East and opens
wide the gates of day, and the sun
glorious in his might bursts over the
Eastern mountains, laughing the low
ering clouds to scorn and forcing those
lesser lights of the night, one by one,
back into the azure bosom of the heav-
ems, covers this earth with his radiant
beauty and we are dazzled by his fam
ing light,iust so every age and time has
been frightened by some dazzling
human illuminary, who bursting upon
the world laughed the clouds OF Oppo-
sition aud adversely to scorn and made
the lesser light of the age dwindle in
to insigni6cance before his matchless
brillincy. Tonight, while L raise my
voice in gratitude for the services rem
dered mankind by the men of all ages
and of all times, 1 wish to speak es-
pecially in memory of those who stand
like glittering suns in the works of
ages. Those men who have stamped
their names in the pillows of their age
by ever clinging TO that applicable
duty, which We value as the most pre-
ciousjewel in the crown of human virtue
and make the test of human character.
We cannot pass on to the lives of
these great men without first saving
word in remembrance of the works OF
those, who thought less gifted in genius,
having spent their lives for the better
ments of this world. Some have fought
the mountains, turned the beds of
rivers and reared bridges over roaring
water falls. We think little about them
and we care less. When their work is
done, we ride over the railway in an
observation car, and look down thOus-
ands and thousands of feet into the
depths they have bridged and we hard
ly give them a thought, But at eve.y
step they have carried civilization
before them and We must honor them
in singing the centuries praises.
Others have found their work in the
murmur of some gentle brook or in the
whispering breezes of the leafy wood
land trees. Have caught the knocking
glory Of cloudless nights, the cold gilt
ter Of stars, and the golden scheen of
midnight moons; caught the tones OF
the restless waves as they dash against
some rocky coast and transformed
them into verse. Have gathered The
spirit of their age into their work ard
emtalmed it for the coming generation.
Lett an inspiration for all manner Of
mankind, and name that will out
stand the everlasting hills. For ages
welook back upon the works of the
statemen, and We see many occasions
where vast audiences have been moved
to thought and action by the words of
speaker, when the hearts of men have
been swayed by his eloquence as rip
ened grain before a gentle autumn
breeze. In looking at the works of these
great men we cannot forget the Ameri-
can Statesmen and We point to them
with pride as we join them with the
Others of this world. But with all this.
the pen has not been mighter than the
sword, and we must bow our heads in
reverence to the mighty deeds of our
wsrrieIs. Those men who have braved
the storrs Of the gigantic ocean, who
have given up all and stepped fearless
ly into battle, when it's raging fury
seemed as awful as the destruction OF
the cities OF Sodon and Gomarrah. We
are unable TO pay them their honest
due, but L will say, as some one has
said before me-"Cheers for the living,
tears for the dead"
We must now pass on to the lives oil
some of those men, whose works rise
above others as towering peak above
a surrounding mountain range. Our
thoughts naturally collect about the
lives of those men who have trans.
formed this earth from a vast wilde.
ness into a thriving world. Then LEI
me carry you back about three hundred
years before Christ. To the time Of
that Alexander, whom the world has
called great. In radiant youth his SOU
was stirred by the thoughts OF war
and when only twenty-one years of age
we see him ascend his fathers throne
ready at once, for lie of conquest
We see him as be crosses the Helle