The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-19
SPEER TO STUDENTS
ELOQUENT JURIST BEFORE UNI
VERSITY SCHOLARS AND ALUMNI.
TRIBUTE TO ALMA MATER.
HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY AND
THE SOUTHLAND.

Americas Rapid Growth to Indus
trial SupremRcy-The COncentra-
ton of Great Interests and Its En-
fect-A Review of the Work of
GREAT Financiers of Modern His
tory.
Athens, June 1S.-The following are ex-
tracts from the address of Emory Speer,
delivered at the University to-day;
Mr.. President. Members OF the Alumni
Society, Ladies and Gentlemen: On one
of the supreme days of my college life
some thirty-two years ago, was celebrated
1.-THE sixty-eighth anniversary of the De-
mosthenean Society. The students en-
Lcourased by a noble corps of professors,
assembled in this time-honored chapel,
fallowed by myriad associations. Nor
were we without that inspiration which
flows from the sweet presence of gentle
beings, some of whom to-day enliven this
occasion with charms more mature, but
not less engaging than their spring time
loveliness, reproduced now in their daugh-
tiers and granddaughter, in all the en-
chantment of youthful beauty and bloom.
Our dear Chancellor DR.. Lipscomb in
graceful phrase and benignant manner in
troduced the orator of the day His theme
was New America" the new America
in wealth, in thought in might, In majes-
ty. in world influence and power, which
the college orator deemed would follow
the storm wave of revolution from when
the country had scarcely emerged. The
GRAFTON has perished The anniversarian
you honor with your attention now. The
theme, momentous, vital, ever augment
ing, survives to bewilder the student of
historical precedent, 10 stagger the pow
ers Of prophecy, at times to awaken the
alarm, but ever in the end to intensity.
TO elevate and TO expand the exultation
of the patriot.
The America of 1863 with its metamor-
phosis from an established past would
not have been more amazing to Patrick
Henry's three millions armed for liberty,
than would the America of to-day. to that
gathering in this chapel. not yet a genef-
alton gone. The astonishing growth of
our country since that time is appreci-
ated by even the average understandings
but its astounding and Respondent power
is scarcely conceivable by an Imagination
even Mitonic. That ours is one. il not
-
acknowledged of all men. Said Mulhall, the
famous English statistician, IF we take
a survey of mankind in ancient or modern
times as regards the physical, mechani-
cal and intellectual force of the nation
we find nothing to compare with the
United States" Sir Henry M. Stanley
whose almost superhuman conquest of
the ferocious savages and undetermined
expanses of the African wilderness i'm
parts peculiar weight to his words, de-
clared, when speaking of our countrymen
that Treble their number of ordinary
Europeans could not have surpassed them
in what they have done. The story of
their achievements reads like an epic of
the heroic age" Such are the conclu-
sions of competent and disinterested con-
temporary observers, and such testimony
may be increasingly cumulated. The facts
are astounding. In ten years, the CEN
sus records that we have increased over
thirteen millions. an increase equal TO
the population of six states as large as
our own imperial Georgia. For a thou
sand years the meteor flag OF England
has braved the battle and the breeze;
for little more than a hundred the Stars
ana Stripes have fioated the flag of the
freeman's home and hope, and yet while
the seventh Edward may summon to his
standards the soldiers of the King from
thirty-nine millions of his subjects in the
British Isles, when the representatives
of the people declare that America shall
cast away the olive and seize the
sword, from seventy-six millions our ex-
ecutive may summon to the flag the fight
ing men of that indomitable strain which
at New Orleans crushed the onset of the
veterans of Wellington, at Buena Vista
rolled back the serred columns of Santa
Anna, which planted the colors on the
battlements of Vera Cruz, climbed the
COrdiiieras and stacked THAR arms In
the halls of the Montezumas. And in later
days In deadlier fratricidal strife on
many stricken field by many a historic
flood, grappled in the agony OF battle
with all the swerveless courage OF the
race which has taken no step backwards
from the time when our Teutonic sires eX-
PEELED the legions OF Narus from the Ger
man woods 20 that good day when the
bayonets of our brethren turned out the
Snaniard from the trenches of San Juan.
Though ever indispensable to national
character, II IL not alone In military
power of It's people that our country eN-
GELS. In the foot tons of the scientist
the Industrial forces of nation are now
measured. aud the same English author
ity have cited has recently calculated
that 100 306, 900 90 In foot tons Is the meas
ure OF industrial energy eXerted every
working day. by the people of the United
States. Nor does this estimate include
tDt ulabnluCeuCe OF our hydraunc power
OF that mysterious agency electricity
which has been harnessed and reduced TO
servitude by the genius OF our inventors.
Would YOU consider the result In ma
tional wealth OF this gigantic national po-
tencyY Contemplate thirty years OF the
nations lie, from 1850 20 1880 For more
than four years OF that period al the
foot tons OF American power were direct
al by the furics A million producers per
ished. the value Of three million slaves
vanished, the maritime commerce Of the
nation was swept from the seas. Recon
ftruciion. saturnalia Of vonality, rcpu-
dioton nnd despair followed Yet in the
period named. dcbting ourselves all the
feafful cost Of war. the cost Of living and
81 government. our countrymen yet made
nfd saved forty-nine billion dollars. one
Mon more than an the treasures Of the
'N people put together.
f.ofn We examine the items Of this ae.