The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-06-15
CLOSING EXERCISES
At HOWARD COLLEGE
Floating Debt of the Institution
viii be Wiped Out,
DAY OF GRADUATING CLASS
Superintendent OF Education Aber crom-
bic Delivered an Eloquent Baccalau-
reate Address-Plea for Better Sys-
tenn of Common Schools.

The annual commencement exercises of
! Howard college were finished yesterday
morning, bringing to a close the ftfty-sev-
| enth year of the colleges work. and best of
| all, marking the wiping out of the debt that
has so long been hanging over the college
and so badly handicapping it in its work.
| While the entire amount of money needed
| for this purpose has not yet been raised. it
will be done within the next week. For
| this reason the payment of this debt is
being celebrated as the great feature of the
| ffty-seventh commencement exercises.
| President B. D. Gray of the board of
| trustees. at the end of the exercises yes
| terday morning explained in full the great
work of clearing the college debt which had
| been going on for the past six months or
more. He said that the college had a float
| ing debt of about 1880, which the Baptists
of Birmingham had obligated themselves
| to pay. All of this amount except 500 has
been raised Other debts of the college,
amounting to nearly $4,000. the remainder
| of the state was to raise All of this
, amount has been subscribed except about
| $500; in all, there is still 1920 yet unsub-
| scribed. In order to get the debt cleared
| off this commencement season, D. L.
| Lewis, of Sycamore, a most enthusiastic
! friend of the church and college, who had
| already given 1000 toward raising the debt,
| and offered $1,000 more provided Birming-
| ham and the rest of state would raise the
remainder of the 1920 still subscribed
This, DR.. Gray said, must be done this
Wep Cor Of 40
| lected can be touched until the whole $3S. 900
is raised. He said that there was now
| $500 in cash in the bank, and that unpaid
subscriptions were coming in steadily
every day. He begged that the good work
be kept up.
The Graduating Orators
The college chapel was crowded yesterday
morning with the relatives and friends Of
the graduating class, and they listened to q
most interesting programme.
]. A Bagley was the first orator of the
graduating class to speak, his subject be-
ing Hidden Gems" His argument was to
tile effect that there are great numbers of
hidden gems in the human intellect, and
that education was the means of polishing
them to a great degree of brilliancy. Mr..
DdBl6y . pea was III the hlOSt tiiOiONSh
education possible.
G. w. Hopson, Jr., who spoke on 'Lifc.s
Eos sibilities" argued for steadiness of
purpose in life's works and for a conscien-
tious performance of each days duties; fer
there is no tomorrow" One days neglect
ed work may cause break in the chain
which may take years of work to undo.
o. T. Smith had for his theme the ever
popular subject of Southern Patriotism"
He paid tribute to jefferson, VINO, with
one stroke of the pen, so &c speak, de-
stroyed forever the old fallacy of the oi-
vine right of kings He mentioned ether
great southern men who had done so
much in the history making of this coun-
try Not only in the past has this been
the case, but in the live and living present.
AS an incident of modern southern pa
triotism, he spoke eloquently of Hobson of
Alabama and his immortal deed on the Mer-
r1mac. General Wheeler and General Fitz-
| hugh Lee were also eulogized
A. ]. Mac Danal, in speaking of "Cour-
age to Meet Life's Duties" divided all cour-
age into physical, intellectual and spiritual.
Because physical courage is the lowest of
the three, being nearest to the animal, it
was, nevertheless, not to be despised for
it is God-given. AS intellectual courage is
above physical courage, so spiritual cour-
age is above all, and is the GROWING vir-
tue of mans life. He pleaded for
courageous living, a happy combination of
the physical, intellectual and spiritual.
w. A. MacCain had the rather novel SUBJ
ject of Whom Shall We Crown Queen?'
The mother, he said, was the fountainhead
IF oil nj in bot CHI
was crowned by nature as the queen of
mankind. He pictured the baby in its
cradle, and showed that in nearly every
case the child's future for usefulness and
goodness depended on the mother which
watched over it. How much of the success
of all great men is due to the early teach
ings and love of their mothers! From young
men in their prime, the speaker argued,
that good mother whose highest earthly
hope was for her sons welfare should re-
ceive the greatest love and respect; for
the mother she is queen. Mr.. MacCain's
speech was splendidly received,
Later on in the exercises. after all of the
speeches were over, very pretty incident
occurred in connection with this speech,
when Rev. Mr.. Hobson, in behalf of Mr..
MaeCain's parents, made public present.
alton to the young man of a gold watch
1t was an incident which the audience
tt ogoughly appreciated.
The Valedictorian
IL M Stewart was the vaedctorian OF
the class, and handled difficult subject
in mastery way. He argued that the
ideal life was the one to be striven after,
for there alone was to be found true hap
piness. Fame does not necessarily meal
success. TN the members of the faculty
we are leaving fathers; in our classmates
We are leaving brothers; and In the people
of East Lake, very dear relatives" was the
way Mr.. Stewart said goodbye. His speech
was most attractive one.
Contrary to the custom of preceding
years, there was no medal offered for the
best grafton, and consequently no judges
were appointed to decide the best grafton.
T. L. Nichols "salutatory;" e. W. Ruck-