The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-06-14
AN INTERESTING
DAY At HOWARD
0rations by Junior Class in the
Morning.
FRANK AVERYT WON PRIZE
fraternity Questions Will Be Consider
eddy Board of Trustees-Paul
Carson, of Selma, Delivered
Address to Alumni.
FRANK AVERYT WON PRIZE

III tiS d1leiHOOH anu liC dHliuel ohUASoo
to the society of the Alumni of Howard
college by Paul Carson, of Selma, at night.
After the address, the society also elect
ed officers for the ensuing year, and de-
cided not to act one way or the other on
the matter of Greek letter fraternities
among the students.
The orations by the juniors yesterday
morning were unusually well prepared and
well delivered. Frank Averyt was award
ed the medal by DR.. J. II. Phillips, r. F.
Manly and B. A. Pendleton who were the
judges. DR.. Phillips presented the medal
amid the hearty applause of the audience
The following is the full list of speakers,
and their subjects:
THE White Mans Burden"-Jospeh Ma
son Dill, Jr.
Religions of the World and Their In
f1uence"-James d. Ray.
THE Harvest of Rum'-Robert Leonard
Daniel.
- "Watchman, What of the Night? "-Lu-
Gus Mutual Spruell.
THE Heritage of Southern Youths
John Gordon Dobbins
THE Power of Thought"-Frank Ayeryt.
1.-The Future of Nation Depends upon
the Sacredness of Home"-Evetus James
Whiddon.
Musical numbers were rendered during
the morning by Mr.. Knight and Mr.. Har-
rison, Mr.. Priesthood, Miss Josie Praeter
and Miss Maude Reynolds.
In the afternoon on the campus the corps
of cadets gave an exhibition drill, which
was witnessed by a number of people, The
boys went through the movements with
great military precision.
Mr. Carsons Address
Last night in the college chapel the an
nuaI address TO the n
was delivered by Paul Carson 49, of Sell
ma. 1t was an eloquent address and well
delivered. Its novelty of thought was also
greatly appreciated by the audience The
evenings exercises were presided over by
State Representative w. w. Lavender, of
Centreville, the president of the alumni
association.
The exercises were opened with prayer
by Rev. Mr.. Brown which was followed
by q musical selection rendered by Miss
Coe, Mrs. Atkins, Mr. lifting and Mr..
Stone.
"In the beginning" said Mr.. Carson in
part, after he had been introduced by
President Lavender, 81 want to say that I
believe life to be serious thing, but L
do not believe that it is or should be a
sorrowful thing. We ought to get all the
legitimate pleasure and fun out of life pos
sible. 1 want to address myself particu-
larry to the younger men just being mus
tered out of college life on the pleasure
they may derive from reading"
The speaker went on to argue that the
professed student of literature could mas
ter but an infintisimal fraction of the
great amount of literature that had come
down to this generation through all the
centuries, and student could not be ex-
pected to live forever in these ancient
books This cannot be expected any more
than that one should absorb all of the
''frothy foolishness' poured forth IN
ba ri libraries,
81 have often heard of the individual
whose mind had been so overloaded by
huge masses of undigested and indlgestlple
learning that it had no chance for healthy
development. l have never met with such
a person and l don't believe you have.
Lord Macauley read everything he could
from the masterpieces of Pericles to the
latest rubbish of his day, and yet nobody
says his mind was oVercrowded.
1.-The pleasures of the Imagination de-
rived from the best literary models, form
without doubt, the most exquisite enjoy
ment to be derived from books. There Is
is also much literature which satisfies the
curiosity. Is this vast store house of pleas
ure to be thrown away because the facts
which it contains are alleged to be insig-
nificant, and because the appetite to which
1t ministers is said to be morbid?
1--WE hear much of idle curiosity but
it is not all idle. 1t is this that makes US
explore the secrets of the remotest heav-
ems and engage in other such apparently
Improbable exercises of the mind"
The speaker said he did not believe in
the theory that man should acquire only
that knowledge which should be of immedi-
ate use to him. Why should this be the
case with the men of this day, and not
apply to the great men of the past, who
wrested the secrets from nature, which are
now matters of common knowledge and OF
greatest Importance?
"a little learning is a dangerous thing,
is another maxim which l consider perni-
clous. Pope himself, who wrote the words,
had but very limited knowledge of Greek,
and yet he translated Homer. Even the
wisest man knows but little if his learn
ing is compared to all that is known One
oil us now can learn in a few weeks time
& great deal more than Arehimedes ever
knew. 1t is true that a little knowledge,
that thinks itself to be great, may be dam
gerous it is ridiculous, but l say that SO
far from little knowledge being unde-
sirable, a little knowledge is all that on
most subjects any of us can hope to attain,
and as source OF personal pleasure, it
may besof greatest value to its possessor."
Mr.. Carson argued that in history one
should not read only what bears immedl.
ately on the present, but that the roman
tic story of some great conflict, such as
the French revolution, was not without
dts many adVseE%tages
Against What Is Useless
1.-THE best method of guarding against
what Is useless is to read only what is in
teresting He has not half learned the art
of reading who has not added TO it even
the more refined accomplishment of skip
ping and Skimnling
'When I compare the position of the cad
er of today with his predecessors in the six
teenth century am amazed at the ingrati-
tude of those who are tempted to regret
the multiplication of books. The world may
DO kind or unkind, 1t may seem to be has
tening on the wings of an Enlightened
progress to nu Imminent millennium, but
whatever else it be- so long as we have
good health and = good library, 1t can
hardly be dun"
Business Meeting
After Mr.. Carson's address and after the
hall had been cleared, business meeting
Of the association was held, and the follow
ip.~ of;no,~s plaotad for ho ensuing