Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-06-28

why, father | said, you have not
bought new suit for three years. ana
mothers dress is so old and has been
made over so many times that the
needle marks make the cloth look ike
a 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 ana
| dress; but my boy, | have not very
much money and it 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'
tom at college. Harry. we do not
dress poorly from choice. We are do
ing it for you and Charles Why.
Talmage," added my classmate, Il felt !
so bad when realized all that my
father and mother were doing for me
that. | wept and sobbed like a little
child"
A Struggle For Education.
To show what Il struggle a higher
education might mean, the president
of Hampden-Sidncy college once told
this incident Many years ago n wife
and, mother was left n widow with
four or five fathcrless 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 lel'
penniless. with 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 nm
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 ana
came to graduation. He went 10 lhe
president Of the institution and asked
II 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 wealth and fame of some OF
tbe 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
70 make his address. This young man.
the son of the poor widow, stepped ior.
ward He was not only brilliant
scholar. who had captured every hrst
nrize I'm his class. but he was natural
born orator. With his first word
hush fell upon the assembled audience.
At times his voice was as low ana
sweet as the singing birds making love
70 each other in the harvest nelds'
Again that voice rolled and swelled as
though the stormclouds were crash
inc together after the forked lightning
had hurled its bolt and ripped open
the heart of a mighty tree. Atttinie'
tbe stiletto of the tongue Of deQuncia
tions cut and slashed; then 0Ae mes
sage of love would sob and plead
When the peroration was finished th'
bououets of flowers began TO fall as TIT
annie blossoms tumble at the shaking
of the winds. The young man gain
cred up the bouquets and piled then
into the lap of the little Old woman
prematurely aged by overwork' Wh'
sat there in her faded gown. AS III
throw those flowers into her lap IL
said: Mother, they are yours. nav
done hut little; you have done every
, thing" Then, when the president o
; ,the college came forward and present
, ed the valedictoran with gold meda
which had been voted to him by IN
faculty because he had graduated VIII
the highest average ever held by
t Hampden- Sidney student, the y0uh
man turned and pinned this medi
: unon the bosom of the faded dress G
: the little old woman as he said: "Motl
f or that medal is all yours-it is a
2 yours. You won it, not |.
D How You Cnn Repay.
So. as see you young men ana Won
c en- coming up to graduation day. st
c other faces behind yours. | see tho'
whose sacrifices have made TINS seer
nossible. congratulate you that II
YOU the hard financial struggle OF &c
d ting an education is over; l congrat
g late YOU that the long ana aruuo'
e struggle Of your loved ones in your D
e half is also over; | congratulate yC
e because now you can go forth in u
Y strength of God to accomplish som
Il thing in this world by the power OF
,e ucation. You can pay back in a goo
e nure. true. successful life some or q
n. rewards which the old folks, 20
u brothers and sisters and friends nave
is right to expect on account or Wh
le they have done for you, and congr;
in ulate YOU further because you cam
to only repay them by the results IN 70
n. own life, but because you can now he
90 your younger brothers and sisters
II be educated as you yourself we
e. helped.
Ii. Again | congratulate you, young Ju
IN graduates. because, while your int
IN lect has been trained and nodded
n. The expert minds of college tacuI
d your hearts have been spiritually
nd auenced and helped during all the
nd years by the prayers and the enco
St agement of godly parents. In this q
on for the specialization Of talent it is
Of solutely necessary for a young man
have a higher education. The land
he so filed with colleges and high scho
MS and institutes of technology and scho
lis of all sorts that the young man
nj has no education or sadly defect
lV is nightly handicapped in the r
aS of life. All the different positions
as influence will be naturally filed
su those who have the best training
III as those who graduated from W
ers Point naturally rose to be the gI
'eu military leaders Of the civil war. ii
Ia and there we might find a great vol
Lne teer general. like John y. Logan or
tue fred Howe Terry or Nelson y. MI