Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-06-26

parents dressed began to be ashamed
of my parents wardrobe. Lately I
have been upbraiding father for wear
Ing such shabby clothes. Last night
again asked him to get a new suit.
Why, father I said, you have not
bought n new suit for three years, and
mothers dress is 30 old and has been
made over so many times that the
needle marks make the cloth look like
wire netting all full of holes With
that my father turned and looked at
me. Tears came into his eyes as he
said: Harry, am sorry you are
ashamed Of the way your mother and
l dress; but, my boy, I have not very
much money and 1t is hard to get along.
We do not dress as well as we might
because we want you and your youn-
ger brother to be able to get an educa.
ton Mt college. Harry, we do not
dress poorly from choice. We are do
ing 1t for you and Charles Why,
Talmagc." added my classmate II felt
so bad when l realized all that my
father and mother We're doing for me
that I wept and sobbed like a little
child"
A Struggle For Education.
To show what struggle q higher
education might mean, the president
of Hampden-S Sidney college once told
this incident: Many years ago wife
and mother was left 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
gospel minister. The mother was loft
pcnnilcss, with large family upon her
hands. The wish Of the dead father
seemed hopeless, but the mother went
to work. She scrubbed, she sewcd. 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
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 noblest families about the region
of 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 n natural
born orator. With his first word n
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 We're 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 s 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. l 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 a
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.
err that medal Is all yours-it is all
yours. You won 1t, not l."
How You Can Repay.
So, as I see you young men and wom-
en- coming up to graduation day, | see
other faces behind yours. l see those
whose sacrifices have made this scene
possible. I congratulate you that for
you the hard financial struggle Of get
ting an education is over; l congratu-
late you that the long and arduous
struggle Of your loved ones in your be-
half Is also over; | 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 good,
pure, true, successful life some of the
rewards which the old folks, your
brothers and sisters and friends have a
right to expect on account Of what
they have done for you, and | congrat-
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
lcct has been trained and nodded by
the expert minds Of college faculty,
your hearts have been spiritually in
fluenced and helped during all these
years by the prayers and the encour-
agement Of cody parents In this age
for the specialization of talent 1t Is alb