The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-06-21

J. :,
delivered the annual address before the
Alumni Association this year on Tues
day morning. Rev. S. S. Rahn, Of
Jacksonville, Fla., had been chosen, but
on account of tho fire which destroyed
his shomc some time ago, was prevented.
MIR. Hitler was introduced by Mr.
a. 0. Matthews, president of the asso-
citation, and after a few Introductory
remarks Mr.. Hitler spoke as follows:
ALUMNI ADDRESS.
"rhe Sovereignty of Mind as Re
lated to the Higher Life"
The greatest gift of divinity to hu-
manity is the incarnation of master
spirit. The sovereign will rules in tho
affairs of men by proxy. Jehovah is
represented in the world by superior
beings, as the archangels do his spc-
cial bidding in the unseen realm. The
God-marlcd man is the atlas Of the ages
bearing lost world back to its Maker.
The truth-ladened voice of the proph-
cts, with ever increasing force, is pene-
trating the chaos of ignorance and vice
of earth making it rich in the hope of
a better and higher life.
The orator, with soul allamc with
divine fire, speaks from thoughts that
breathe in words that burn, multi
tudes hang upon his utterances, and
men are made TO feel, determine, act!
The philosopher teaches, and the race
sits as children at his feet. The hero
spurns death and converts the simper-
Ing coward into q martyr. The poet
touches his harp, and nations stand en-
tranccd. These all, with heavenly
mission. Lights among the breakers
on life's stormy sea! Sentinels stand
ing between the then and the future!
Tho mountain peaks Of human history;
the sure guides OF mortal destiny. The
sway OF the monarch's sccpter, the
power of the kings command are fee
BILE things compared with 4 tho soul
power of these demigods, who reign
supreme in the march of human pro-
gress. Thus then, how incxhaustable,
the resources OF this treasury Of sixty
centuriesl What rich legacy is our
Inheritance! What an age has dawncd
upon us! The supreme hour for ad-
vancement has struck. The materials
are at hand with which to transform the
world into paradise Of God! Touched
by the spirit of the age, the universal
heart exclaims:
1--WE are living, VIC are dwelling,
In q grand and awful time;
In an age, on ages telling,
TO be living is sublime"
1t Is interesting to notice somo of the
chief characteristics Of great men by
which we may explain their influence
on civilization. They never die. They
obliterate time and space. They be-
long to every and all ages. They can
not deserve credit. They must be great.
They do not intend it. They arc hum
bic; they are simple. Indifferent alike
to condition, circumstance, position,
climate. They live in the present; in
deed to them there is no past, no fu-
ture. Each day is infinite. They "can
crowd eternity into an hour, or stretch
an hour to eternity"
Though dwelling in mortal form, thy
live immortal in our very midst.
Though this poor vision cannot see,
yet we feel them, we think them.
Their souls estates make us
Owners of the sphere,
"Of the starry world, the solar year,
OF Ceasar's hand and Plato's brain,
or Lord Christ's heart and Shake
speare's BRAIN"
These great souls reveal Their at
It's best. Like flowers, love and music,
they appeal to what is noblest, purest
and greatest in the soul. They are
above oil things true to themselves
honce cannot be false to their fellows.
Indeed they are truth.
Plato in his passion for the science
'of being was representative of Oriental
thought; in his love OF lines, limita.
tions, definitions and explanations, he
Is all that is great in Occidental cul-
ture. This duality in him, makes him
modern, complete. For 2, 200 years the
supreme master Of thought. We appre-
cate assimilate >truth in the concrete.
This makes hero worshipers of us all.
Truth in tho abstract is too far removed
from the heart to warm it into life and
activity. Truth, there was in heathen-
dom. 1t had dreams of divinity and
immortality; of responsibility to su-
perior being and this feith found ex.
preston and. .exemplification in civic
virtue. But 1t took 38 centuries to
produce Socrates and Plato; men with
surer convictions on these questions
OF eternal interest. With callous
abandon to fate; with serane contain. !.