Milford chronicle., 1902-06-27

that l wept and sobbed like a little |
child"
A Struggle For Education.
To show what a struggle a higher |
education might mean, the president |
of Hampden-Sidney college once told
this incident: Many years ago a wife
and mother was left a widow with
four or five fatherless little children
to support. The dead fathers wish
was to have his eldest son follow
his footsteps into the pulpit and be a
gospel minister. The mother was left
penniless, with a large family upon her
hands The wish of the dead father
seemed hopeless. but the mother went
to work. She scrubbed, she sewed, she
struggled. She made her boy study
night and day. She pushed him
through the preparatory school. She
fitted him for college. After awhile
this boy was able to help himself a
little, but the mother still had to bear
the brunt of the battle. The young
man entered college. He passed
through his four years Of study and
came to graduation. He went to the
president of the institution and asked
If his mother could sit by his side
when he graduated. The president,
who knew of her noble life, gladly con-
scented. When the day Of graduation
came, the wealth and fame of some Of
the noblcst families about the region
CT the college town were gathered
within the college walls. The eXer'
cises went on until they reached the
climax. The valedictorian was about
to make his address. This young man,
the son of the poor widow, stepped for
ward. He was not only a brilliant
scholar, who had captured every first
prize in his class. but he was a natural
born orator. With his first word
hush fell upon the assembled audience.
At times his voice was as low and
sweet as the singing birds making love
to each other in the harvest fields.
Again that voice rolled and swelled as
though the stormclOuds were crash
ing together after the fOrked lightning
had hurled its bolt and ripped open
the heart Of a mighty tree. At times
the stiletto of the tongue Of denuncia-
! ton cut and slashed; then the mes
sage of love would sob and plead.
| When the peroratiOn was finished, the
bouquets of flowers began to fall as the
/ apple blossoms tumble at the shaking
of the winds. The young man gath
/ cred up the bouquets and piled them
into the lap of the little old woman
prematurely aged by overwOrk, who
sat there in her faded gown. As he
threw those flowers into her lap he
said: "AIother, they are yours. have
done but little; you have done every
thing" Then, when the president o.
the college came forward and present
ed the valedictOrian with a gold media
which had been voted to him by tn
faculty because he had graduated will
the highest average ever held by
Hampden-Sidney student, the yOun
man turned and pinned this media
upon the bosom of the faded dress o
the little old woman as he said: Moth
er. that medal is all yours-it is a
yours. You won it. not l."
+ How You Can Repay.
So. as 1 see you young men and won
en- coming up to graduation day, | Sc
? other faces behind yours. ! see thos
q whose sacrifices have made this seen
q possible. congratulate you that fC
. you the hard financial struggle of ge
ting an education is over; l cOngratl
I late you that the long and arduOu
struggle Of your loved ones in your b
+ half is also over; | congratulate &c
: because now you can go forth in IL
o strength Of God to accomplish som
2 thing in this world by the power of e.
f ucation. You can pay back in a goo
Q pure, true, successful life some of Il
o rewards which the old folks, yoI
n brothers and sisters and friends have
e right to expect on account Of VIII
,e they have done for you. and | cOngra
e. ulate you further because you cam
only repay them by the results in 20
own life. but because you can now he
J., your younger brothers and sisters
- be educated as you yourself we
helped
- Again congratulate you, young Ju
graduates, because, while your int
y. lect has been trained and nodded
y the expert minds of a college facult
- your hearts Gave been spiritually
~ fiuenced and helped during all the
', years by the prayers and the encOl
i, agement of godly parents. In this q
3, for the specialization Of talent it is {
~ solutely necessary for a young man
- have a higher education. The land
- so filed with colleges and high scho
=, and Institutes of technology and schO
- of all sorts that the young man W
- has no education or a sadly defect
re- one is nightly handicapped in the +
In of life. All the different positions
en- influence will be naturally filled
IN those who have the best training,
m as those who graduated from "
ID Point naturally rose to be the 81
nd military leaders of the civil war. II
nd and there we might find a great vol
st. teer general, like John A. Logan or
on fred Howe Terry or Nelson A. Mi
of but, after all, such men were the
ceptions. Grant and Lee, Sherman
The ! Longstreet, Jackson and Sheri(
his Beauregard and Meade, Polk
his Thomas, Johnston and Hooker, wert
mi graduates of West Point. In this
;itv of many schools and colleges l W,
vas no more think of sending my boys fl
vas into life's battle without a higher
igb cation than would expect one of t
9TH to become a physician without Ell
-ers ing medical school OF a lawyer "
ked out studying law.
fa- The Complete Education.
the But, my young friend, a man
the is limited merely to a mental ed
ing ton is only half educated The
hot whose intellectually developed b
the is not ballasted by a morally d.
lck- oped heart is heading toward Ger
day shipwreck. The sharper the knife
Ople is placed in the hand of little {
IL a the easier it is for that child t.
itself an injury. Aaron Burr was a
king tellectual giant, but Aaron B
/ to wasted life was caused by a heart
any was morally bedwarfed by sin. Tho
an Paine had one of the greatest bi
ong, ever placed within the skull of a
ther but Thomas Paine's heart was SO
AS eased by sin that he was a drum
diff a reprobate and a practical out
their Lord Byron drank every cup of
med drank early - deeply drank -
ly / drafts which might have quen
year the threats of millions and then
yht / Of wretchedness' because his
suit. was morally diseased. 1t is absol
not necessary for every young man
and woman in order to a happy and
been cessful life to have a truly deve
the Christian heart, yoked to a trul