Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-06-27

v
to work. she scrubbed. she sewed. she
struggled. She made her boy study
night and day. She pushed him
through the preparatory school. She
lifted Him for college. After awhile
thss boy was able to help himself
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 aud asked
If his mother could sit by his side
when he graduated. The president.
who knew OF her noble life. gladly con-
sented. When the day of graduation
came. the weaith and fame OF some of
the noblest families about the region
of the college town We're sgathered I
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 brilliant
scholar, who had captured every first
prize in his class. but nc was natural
born orator. With his first word q
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 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: Mother, they are yours. I have
done but little; you have done every
thing" Then, when the president OF
the college came forward and present
ed the valedictorian with gold medal
which had been voted TO him by the
faculty because he had graduated with
the highest average ever held by
Hampden-Sidney student, the young
man turned and pinned this medal
upon the bosom of the faded dress OF
the little old woman as he said: Moth
er, that medal is all yours-it is all
yours. You won it, not 10
How You Can Repay.
So, rs see you young men and wom-
en- coming up to graduation day. see
whose sacrifices have made this scene
possible. I congratulate you that for
you the hard financial struggle OF get
ting an education IS over; | congratu-
late you that the long and arduous
struggle OF your loved ones in your be-
half is also over; l congratulate you
because now you can go forth in the
strength Of God TO accomplish some
thing in this world by the power of ed
ucation. You can pay back in a good,
pure, true, successful life some of the
rewards which the old folks, your
brothers and sisters and friends have q
right to expect on account of what
they have done for you. and cougrat-
ulate you further because you cannot
only repay them by the results in your
own life. but because you can now help
your younger brothers and sisters to
be educated as you yourself were
helped.
Again congratulate you. young June
graduates, because. while your intel |
tect has been trained and nodded by |
che expert minds OF college faculty. |
your hearts have been spiritually in |
nuenced and helped during all these |
years by the prayers and the cncour- |
agement OF godly parents. In this age |
for the specialization OF talent il is alb |
solutely necessary for u young man TO |
have higher education. The land Is |
so filed with colleges and high schools |
and institutes of technology and schools |
OF all sorts that the young man who |
has no education or n sadly defective |
one Is nightly handicapped in tile race
of life. All the different positions of |
influence will be naturally filed by |
those who have the best training. lust
as those who graduated from West |
Point naturally rose to be the great |
military leaders OF the civil war. Here
and there we might find great volun-
teer general, like John A. Logan or AL
fred Howe Terry or Nelson A. Miles:
but after all, such men were the ex-
ceptions. Grant and Lee, Sherman and
Longstreet. Jackson and Sheridan.
Beauregard and Meade, Polk and
Johnston and Hooker, were all
graduates OF West Point. In mis- age
or many schools and colleges | would
no more think OF sending my boys forth
into life's battle without a higher edu-
cation than ! would expect one OF them
to become physician without enter
ing medical school OF a lawyer with
put studying law.
The Complete Education.
But my young friend. a man who
IS limited merely to q mental educa-
ion is only half educated. The man
whose intellectually developed brain
S not ballasted by morally devel-
'ped heart is heading toward certain
'hipwreck. The sharper the knife that
S placed in the hand OF a little child
he easier Ii is for that child to do
tself an injury. Aaron Burr was an in
eliectual giant. but Aaron Burr'sI
wasted life was caused by heart that
vas morally bedwarfed by sin. Thomas {
'aine had one of the greatest brains
yer placed within the skull OF a man; ,
'ut Thomas Paine's heart was so dis
ased by sin that he was n drunkard.
reprobate and practical outcast
ord Byron drank every cup of fame.
rank early = deeply drank - drank {
ratts which might have quenched I
he Threats or millions and then died |
q wretchedness' because his heart
vas morally diseased. 1t is absolutely S
ecessary for every young man and
foman in order to happy and sue l
essful life to have a truly developed ]
'hristian heart. yoked 10 truly de- {
eioped intellectual brain.
Now, young people, while the uni
ersity teachers have been developing {
our brain, in all probability the moral 6
like your Christian father I