The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-19
DIR. ALDERMAN sN RICHMOND. VA

President Edward A. A~lderman,of the
| University of North Carolina, on last
| Thursday by invitation delivered the
| address to the graduates of the Univer-
! sity College of Medicine in Richmond,
| Va. The Dispatch and Times print
| some meagre extracts from it, and
speak of it kindly. The Dispatch says
it was an liable address," and he was
loudly applauded at its close. We do
| not know how cultured the audience or
| responsive to literary attractions and
| the felicities of excellent writing it
| was, but the selections from it are very
appetizing and show the cunning n
of that best master of elegant English
| among living North Carolinians. The
report of the Times is something fuller
than that of the Dispatch, but read to-
| gether you may see that u best
equipped native ~Wilmingtonian sus-
| tanned his high and deserved reputation
for choice and refined diction and no.
BILE, inspiring sentiments. DR.. Alder
man is not only a superior writer, but
he is an excellent speaker. We can
| make TOOll Dul lOI LIE last paragraph
in the Dispatch report:
1T cannot be mere fond dreaming to
believe that it is the hereditary right
of the south to bring something fair
| and good, of her OWE likeness and pat
tern, the old refined gold which disas-
ter and defeat could not tarnish, beat
! en- by fiercer civic forces into finer, sub
tier form-sOmething born cut Ct the
tutelage Of s~elf-denial and renuncia-
ton, the inheritance of integrity and
SteadfaStness and conservatism n
the environment Of freedom and dan
ger and opportunity. The spirit of his
fathers, brave and simple men, who
held fast M did not compromise, ought
to be in him and shall be in him. Sor-
7 dldnesS and cOmmercialism Will not
submerge him and wear away his fine
ness He will love honor more than
life and loyalty more h gold. He
will reach mems hearts and control
mems wills, not as Richard Croker does
Or Thomas Plat, or Mark Hanna, or
Quay, but by the strength of integrity
and the magic of sincerity through
faith in his words.
And SO when the age OF moral war
fare shall succeed to the age OF pas
sionate gain-getting, as succeed it
must in the movement to higher forms;
when blind economic forces have
| wrought their tangle Of inequality and
injustice of hatred and suspicion; when
| calculation and machinery and combi-
nation a only weave the web more
fercely; when the whole people In
some hour Of national need shall seek
for the man IF heart and faith and
truth, and who will moi falter, nor lie,
nor steal they shall turn hither for sue
cor in their vaster peril as they once
turned to a simple Virginia planter to
free them from a stupid king and a
stubborn parliament. And they shall
find HMM the sweet justice of Cod
in the land where once for conviction
sake his fathers Stunned nothing, COM
promised nothing reserved nothing,
until the sublime struggle wore to a
close at Appomattox."
If that passage does not impress the
minds and please the taste of the most
gifted and accomplished of living vir-
ginians. hen their culture is degener-
ated and their love of thoughts that
breathe and words that burn" has de-
cayed, and they have fallen upon evil
times" The Messenger admits to spe-
cial pride in the generous culture and
genuine love of letters and artistic skill
and high ideals OF our accomplished
young Wilmingtonian.